Lawmakers are already planning another round of legislation aimed at keeping companies flush with capital and millions of workers on payrolls amid the coronavirus pandemic, even after passing a $2 trillion relief bill this past week, the largest stimulus of its kind in U.S. history. 

The Senate plans to be on recess until April 20, and the House will take an extended break as well, though members say they could return sooner depending on how the economy reacts in the next few weeks.

Businesses, trade associations and state governments are already jockeying for more federal relief, calling the package that President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump orders US troops back to active duty for coronavirus response Trump asserts power to decide info inspector general for stimulus gives Congress Fighting a virus with the wrong tools MORE signed Friday a good “first step” but not enough to keep the economy on track if the coronavirus crisis extends beyond the end of April.

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Lawmakers in both parties say they expect discussions on a “phase four” coronavirus response bill in the weeks ahead as travel restrictions, social distancing and sick workers squeeze or shutter businesses nationwide.

“I think the odds are we’ll need more legislation. First, we don’t know the extent of the crisis in terms of the magnitude, so that could rise. But there are going to be problems that we don’t realize now that we’re going to have to grapple with,” Senate Democratic Leader Charles SchumerCharles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerTexas man arrested for allegedly threatening Democrats over coronavirus bill Pelosi not invited by Trump to White House coronavirus relief bill’s signing COVID-19, Bill Barr and the American authoritarian tradition MORE (N.Y.) said.

“So I think the odds are high there will be a Covid-4,” he added, referring to the anticipated next bill.

The need for additional action from Congress was highlighted by a report Thursday that more than 3 million Americans applied for their first week of unemployment in the week ending March 21, a tremendous spike from recent numbers well under 300,000.

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz warned Friday that the company will likely have to lay off workers in the fall because the stimulus package was not big enough.

“Being honest, fair and upfront with you: If the recovery is as slow as we fear, it means our airline and workforce will have to be smaller than it is today,” he said.

The stimulus package includes language in its air carrier worker support subtitle that prohibits airlines from furloughing workers or cutting benefits before Sept. 30, but Munoz warned Friday the slowdown in travel may last into next year.

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Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairman Roy BluntRoy Dean BluntHillicon Valley: Apple rolls out coronavirus screening app, website | Pompeo urged to crack down on coronavirus misinformation from China | Senators push FTC on price gouging | Instacart workers threaten strike Senate Democrats vow to keep pushing for more funds for mail-in voting Lawmakers brace for more coronavirus legislation after trillion bill MORE (Mo.) said he expects another relief bill soon.

“The minute we’re done with phase three, we’ll start talking about phase four because all of us know that phase three can’t have included everything that needs to be included,” he said.

Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiDC argues it is shortchanged by coronavirus relief bill Overnight Health Care — Presented by PCMA — US coronavirus cases hit 100,000 | Trump signs T stimulus package | Trump employs defense powers to force GM to make ventilators | New concerns over virus testing Hillicon Valley: Apple rolls out coronavirus screening app, website | Pompeo urged to crack down on coronavirus misinformation from China | Senators push FTC on price gouging | Instacart workers threaten strike MORE (D-Calif.) also says another stimulus package is needed and on Wednesday vowed that House Democrats would seek to send out another round of direct rebates to low- and middle-income Americans.

“We had bigger direct payments in our bill, and we think we’ll get more direct payments in another bill,” she said in an interview with CNN.

The package Trump signed into law Friday will send $1,200 rebate checks to American adults earning up to $75,000, with the amounts phasing out above that threshold.

Democrats plan to seek more money for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and employer-provided pensions facing cash shortfalls. The new relief law provides money for both but not as much as Democrats sought.  

Pelosi said she plans to push for pension protection language in the next bill, and indicated Republicans have signaled possible support. 

“Pension protections — we had a protection in the legislation. It was supported by everyone. The president of the United States supported it, but McConnell said he would save it for the bill. So that’s why I’m mentioning it, for the next bill,” Pelosi said on the floor, referring to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellHillicon Valley: Apple rolls out coronavirus screening app, website | Pompeo urged to crack down on coronavirus misinformation from China | Senators push FTC on price gouging | Instacart workers threaten strike Trump signs T coronavirus relief package Pelosi not invited by Trump to White House coronavirus relief bill’s signing MORE (R-Ky.). 

Democrats may also push for emissions restrictions on airlines in return for taxpayer assistance, a request they made and was blocked in the last round of talks. 

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday blasted the relief package for falling far short of what his state, the nation’s epicenter of coronavirus infections, will need to recover.

He complained “the congressional action in my opinion simply failed to address the governmental need.”

On Wednesday, Cuomo pointed out the new law will provide only $3.8 billion to New York’s state government while it is facing a revenue shortfall of $15 billion.

Asked about that criticism, New York Sen. Kirsten GillibrandKirsten GillibrandProgressive advocates propose T ‘green stimulus’ plan Juan Williams: Biden’s promises on women are a big deal Cuomo steps into national spotlight with coronavirus fight MORE (D) indicated more federal relief is on the way.

“This bill was never intended to be the ultimate effort to make a state whole. This bill was always intended to be triage, to get the most immediate funds to the most urgent places as quickly as possible,” Gillibrand said.

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“That’s why it’s focused on employees, unemployment insurance and money for furloughed workers, as well as a huge amount of money for hospitals because they’re in desperate steps,” she added. “This is a first step. We expect we will be supporting states and local governments and businesses further.”

Business groups say the $2 trillion relief bill will still leave many employers facing significant expenses without adequate revenue coming in because of government restrictions.

“We do need additional help,” said Matthew Haller, senior vice president of government affairs at the International Franchise Association (IFA), which represents corporate brands and small business owners who run their franchises.

Haller said the small-business component of the relief bill allows employers to take out loans up to two-and-a-half times payroll costs but that they will need more capital to cover costs.

“Two-and-half times a franchisee or any other business owner’s average monthly payroll is only going to be about 30 percent of any business owner’s actual cost, so that’s a real limitation in terms of the overall loan size that a franchisee is going be able to take.”

The IFA is pushing for legislation to allow small businesses to take out loans equal to four times total operating expenses.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) says the $2 trillion relief legislation is a “good down payment,” but that state and local governments will require more work.

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“More intervention will undoubtedly be required to get our economy moving again — look no further than the fact that a staggering nearly 3.3 million people filed for jobless benefits last week,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders.

The American Hospital Association also said Congress will need to pass another relief bill.

“While this legislation is an important first step forward, more will need to be done to deal with the unprecedented challenge of this virus,” said group President Rick Pollack.

“We will continue to work with Congress to make sure providers on the front lines — hospitals, physicians and nurses — remain prioritized for future federal assistance as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads,” he said.

There was debate in the Republican conference before passage of the $2 trillion relief bill whether the Senate should even go into recess or stay in Washington to begin working on another round of legislation immediately.

While lawmakers aren’t scheduled to come back until April, McConnell said that could quickly change depending on the conditions across the country.

“The Senate is going to stay nimble,” he said. “If circumstances require the Senate to return for a vote sooner than April 20, we will provide at least 24 hours notice.”

Some lawmakers wonder if Congress should even be leaving town at all.

“There’s some discussions about what would be appropriate because things seem to be changing every day, whether we need to be here monitoring the situation and taking action and communicating to the public about it,” said Sen. John CornynJohn CornynCuban says he’d spank daughter if she was partying during coronavirus pandemic Twitter comes under fire over Chinese disinformation on coronavirus NBA owner Mark Cuban to Senate: ‘Do your f—ing job’ MORE (R-Texas).

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Restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the U.K. may last up to six months, a senior British health official said Sunday.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries said that while indications the disease’s infection curve is flattening could lead to the relaxing of the lockdown put in place last week, social distancing guidelines are likely to stay in place, CNN reported.

The government will review the effects of the lockdown in two to three weeks in, Harries said, but officials would likely require “two or three months to see whether we have really squashed it, but about three to six months ideally.”

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Neil Ferguson, a professor of mathematical biology at Imperial College London whose models have been a key influence on the British government, said Monday that there are hopeful signs suggesting some early success as a result of the lockdown. He told BBC Radio that the rate of increase in hospital admissions has slowed, which he said is “the result of the actions people have taken and governments have taken.”

Ferguson cautioned that admissions have yet to plateau and that daily death tolls do not yet reflect the apparent infection slowdown, and “we’re critically missing direct data in the number of infections,” according to CNN. The U.K. has tested slightly under 130,000 people for the virus thus far.

“We think maybe a third, maybe even 40 percent of people don’t get any symptoms,” he added. An antibody test that can detect whether someone has previously had the virus is “in the final stages of validation right now” and will likely be ready in “days rather than weeks,” Ferguson said, saying its availability would be a “gamechanger.”

“If we are successful we will have squashed the top of that curve, which is brilliant, but we must not then suddenly revert to our normal way of living,” Harries said Sunday. “That would be quite dangerous. If we stop then all of our efforts would be wasted and we could potentially see a second peak.”

The U.K., after initially implementing some of the least stringent measures against the virus, last week imposed a lockdown banning nearly all social and public gatherings and shuttered pubs, businesses and restaurants.

 

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Amazon workers are reportedly planning to walk out of a New York warehouse on Monday over the company’s decision to keep the facility open despite an employee alleging as many as five to seven workers there have tested positive for the coronavirus. 

Workers at the Staten Island warehouse will walk out  at 12:30 p.m., Christian Smalls, an assistant manager at the facility leading the demonstration, told CNN. 

Smalls said employees are protesting Amazon’s decision to keep the facility open, despite news of a confirmed case of the virus there last week. He’s calling for the facility to be closed for sanitation and for employees to be paid during the process. 

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He also claims more employees at the facility have tested positive than the online retail giant has publicly acknowledged, according to CNN. 

An Amazon spokesperson, however, told The Hill that “these accusations are simply unfounded,” and said Smalls himself has been placed on a 14-day quarantine, with full pay, as requested by the company. 

“We have heard a number of incorrect comments from Christian Smalls, the hourly associate claiming to be the spokesperson on this topic,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Mr. Smalls is alleging many misleading things in his statements but we believe it’s important to note that he is, in fact, on a 14-day self-quarantine requested by Amazon to stay home with full pay. He was placed in paid quarantine out of an abundance of caution because we notified him that he may have had close contact with someone at the building who was diagnosed.”

Last week, Smalls told the New York Post that one confirmed positive test from an employee was shared with a small group of supervisors at a meeting, while the facility remained open for business. 

Smalls told CNN he sought the help of the facility’s general manager, to no avail, every day for the past week before deciding to organize the walkout. Smalls estimates around 50 and 200 people could be involved in Monday’s protest. 

“The plan is to cease all operations until the building is closed and sanitized,” Smalls told CNN, adding that employees are being advised to continue working until they receive confirmation of a positive test result. “We’re not asking for much. We’re asking the building to be closed and sanitized, and for us to be paid.”

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Amazon confirmed there is a confirmed case of an associate with COVID-19 at the facility. The associate was last onsite March 11, received medical care and is in quarantine, according to the company. 

Amazon said employees in close contact with the diagnosed individual were asked to stay home with pay for 14-days in self-quarantine. 

The company said it has also implemented preventative health measures, including enhanced cleaning and sanitation efforts, and daily temperature screenings. 

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New York has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S., with 59,513 cases across the state as of Sunday afternoon, according to the state’s health department data. 

The club’s sporting director discussed rumours linking the star Uruguayan to the Argentinian giants

Boca Juniors sporting director Jorge Bermudez is hopeful Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani will join the Argentine giants “very soon”.

Cavani is out of contract in June and the Uruguay international has been linked with a move away from PSG following his failed transfer to Atletico Madrid in January.

The 33-year-old – PSG’s all-time leading goalscorer – has also reportedly emerged as a target for new MLS franchise Inter Miami .

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But Bermudez believes Boca, where club legend Juan Roman Riquelme is now vice-president, can lure the PSG forward to Buenos Aires.

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“Knowing Riquelme and the distance to [former Uruguay international Diego] Forlan, and knowing the category of Cavani, hopefully it will be very soon,” Bermudez told Radio Cooperativa . 

“He would give us a great hand and be very supportive. I think he wants to come to Boca.”

Bermudez added: “If he comes it is for a real desire and the signs are clear.”

Prior to the postponement of Ligue 1 and football due to coronavirus, Cavani had scored seven goals across all competitions in 2019-20 and has called Paris home since swapping Napoli for PSG in 2013.

Cavani suffered a hip injury at the start of the season which paved the way for Inter outcast Mauro Icardi to join the club on loan as the summer transfer window drew to a close.

Icardi has since established himself as PSG’s first choice No.9 with an impressive 20 goals in 30 appearances so far.

Former Manchester United striker Robin Van Persie believes Manchester United should try to sign Cavani when the transfer window opens in the summer.

“I would definitely go for Cavani [at Man Utd]; he’s very fit, he’s a proven goalscorer, a goal machine, he has proven it at Napoli, PSG and Uruguay,” Van Persie told SPORTbible last month.

“With him, if he starts, he will get you 25 goals a season. I’ve watched him play, I’ve played against him, he is like a proper goalscorer. He lives by scoring goals so I’d go for him.”

Cavani’s PSG are currently out of action from Ligue 1 until mid-June because of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe.

An unbelievable gathering

Europe’s non-believers come to Brussels.

The presidents of the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament (all of them Christian Democrats) have just held a meeting with leaders of Europe’s non-believers. 

It was the second-ever such meeting and the first since the coming into force of the Lisbon treaty, which provides that the Union “shall maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue” with both “churches and religious associations or communities” and with “philosophical and non-confessional organisations”. The EU leaders had had a meeting with church leaders (the first since Lisbon) back in July, so the non-religious could not be kept waiting any longer.

After the meeting on Friday (15 October), Jerzy Buzek, the Parliament’s president, stressed the consensus on universal values “whether we come at these big questions from a faith perspective or a non-confessional perspective”.

But Entre Nous begs to differ. OK, the non-confessional guys scored well on marvellous titles – the President of the European Association of Free Thought, the President of the Council of the International Masonic Order, the Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge of Romania (with which the executive director of the UK’s National Secular Society and the chairperson of Atheist Ireland can hardly compete).

But in the interests of openness and transparency Buzek should have pointed out that the non-religious scored very badly on beards and hats.

Depuis le départ de l’ancien patron du PSG, Charles Villeneuve (en janvier dernier), les rumeurs vont bon train sur le nom de son éventuel remplaçant. Une personnalité figure en tête de liste (et cette piste semble se préciser) celle de l’ancien directeur général de la station de radio RTL. Selon les informations du Parisien, Robin Leproux pourrait prochainement reprendre la présidence du Paris Saint-Germain…

Les hommes des médias sont de plus en plus sollicités par les clubs de football français. Après Charles Villeneuve (nommé président Paris Saint-Germain de mai 2008 à janvier 2009), et plus récemment Jean-Claude Dassier (nommé président de l’Olympique de Marseille depuis le mois de juillet, en remplacement de Pape Diouf) l’ancien patron de RTL pourrait prochainement arriver à la tête du PSG.

Selon les informations du Parisien, Sébastien Bazin, actionnaire majoritaire du PSG, devrait dévoiler le nom du nouvel homme fort du club le week-end prochain. Et le remplaçant de Charles Villeneuve ne serait autre que Robin Leproux, l’ancien directeur général de RTL. D’après le quotidien régional, l’ex-responsable du pôle radio français de RTL et ancien vice-président du directoire de M6, devrait être nommé à la présidence du Paris Saint-Germain avant la reprise du championnat de ligue 1, le 8 août prochain.

Si cette nouvelle se confirme, Robin Leproux devra rapidement se montrer convaincant. Au PSG, les règles du jeu sont parfois aussi impitoyables que celles des médias. Charles Villeneuve l’a appris à ses dépens…

Mardi 28 juillet 2009

Le retour de l’opposant Juan Guaido au Venezuela après une mini-tournée en Amérique du Sud est attendu avec ferveur par ses partisans. Mais ces derniers redoutent cependant son arrestation par le régime de Nicolas Maduro. À Caracas, les chavistes, partisans de Maduro, ont encore leur bastion. Il s’agit du quartier 23 de Enero, l’un des plus pauvres de la capitale vénézuélienne.  C’est dans ce quartier que se trouve le mausolée d’Hugo Chavez, et les murs sont recouverts de graffitis à la gloire du président défunt. Accompagné d’Uriana, une journaliste indépendante, franceinfo a traversé ce quartier en voiture. On aperçoit un marché, avec des fruits, des légumes, des œufs… “Il y a bien une crise, explique Uriana. À une autre époque, ce marché aurait été quatre fois plus fourni qu’aujourd’hui. Un kilo d’oignons coûte 4 000 bolivars et les gens gagnent chaque mois 18 000 bolivars. Un kilo de viande peut coûter 8 000 ou 9 000 bolivars, le salaire ne suffit pas pour acheter la quantité nécessaire.” “Groupes armés par le gouvernement”Selon Uriana, le quartier reste très pauvre. “J’ai des voisins qui restent deux ou trois jours sans nourriture, et qui tapent à ma porte pour me demander de leur donner quelque chose à manger, c’est la réalité, c’est ce qui se passe.”Pour des raisons de sécurité, impossible de sortir du véhicule. “On va essayer de nous voler, on sera suivis, prévient la journaliste. Et en plus il y a des ‘colectivos’ partout. Ce sont des groupes armés par le gouvernement. Ils décident ce qui peut se faire, à quelle heure et sous quelle forme. Ils ont des caméras dans tout le quartier, nous sommes surveillés en permanence. Il ne faut pas attirer l’attention, faire des interviews pour montrer la situation dans le pays.”  À la question “y a-t-il des trafics de drogue dans le quartier ?”, la journaliste ne souhaite pas répondre : “Non, par sécurité je préfère ne pas en parler.”

#AlertePollutionRivières ou sols contaminés, déchets industriels abandonnés… Vous vivez à proximité d’un site pollué ?
Cliquez ici pour nous alerter !Ils communiquent, s’entraident, se défendent, ils bougent même ! Les arbres sont dotés d’une véritable forme d’intelligence. Et c’est désormais une certitude scientifique. Les arbres occupent près d’un tiers de notre territoire et des terres émergées de la planète. Indispensables à notre survie, ils sont aussi nos meilleurs alliés face au réchauffement climatique. Pourtant, nous ignorons presque tout d’eux.Des centres de thérapie forestièreLoin d’être figés dans leur monde végétal, les arbres ont en fait une vie bien plus riche qu’il n’y paraît. C’est la thèse défendue par un forestier allemand dont le livre, La Vie secrète des arbres (éd. Les Arènes) est devenu un succès planétaire, traduit en 32 langues.Des forêts de hêtres millénaires d’Allemagne jusqu’aux centres de thérapie forestière du Japon, en passant par les laboratoires de l’INRA qui étudient la sensibilité végétale, voyage au cœur de l’univers secret et fascinant des arbres.Un reportage de Raphaële Schapira et Vincent Barral rediffusé dans “Envoyé spécial” le 7 mars 2019.  

Après Djibouti, le président français Emmanuel Macron poursuit sa tournée en Afrique de l’Est par l’Ethiopie, mardi 12 mars. Le pays est endeuillé par le crash du Boeing d’Ethiopian Airlines qui a fait 157 morts, dimanche. C’est dans ce contexte qu’Emmanuel Macron rencontre le Premier ministre réformateur Abiy Ahmed, à la tête du pays éthipien depuis avril 2018. Un an après, l’engouement pour Abiy Ahmed est intact dans le pays, en témoignent les autocollants à son effigie que l’on trouve un peu partout dans les rues d’Addis-Abeba. A 42 ans, d’origine chrétienne et musulmane, celui qu’on appelle ici “Docteur” a déjà marqué les esprits. “Quand il est arrivé au pouvoir, son premier travail c’était de faire libérer les journalistes, qui étaient en prison. Et cela, c’est un grand changement pour le pays”, se réjouit un guide touristique francophone.Une croissance économique à 8%Autre acte fondateur : la signature d’un traité de paix historique avec l’Érythrée après des décennies de conflit. Mais pour Kabayo, jeune vendeur de rue d’Addis-Abeba : l’espoir n’est pas seulement politique. “La nouveauté, dit-il, c’est qu’il y a moins d’injustice à tous les niveaux. Jusqu’ici, quand les riches obtiennent quelque chose : cela donne tout de suite lieu à de la corruption. Mai Abiy Ahmed est en train de changer cela. C’est un bon leader pour l’Ethiopie. Je pense que l’économie va suivre et la prochaine génération en profitera.”Avec l’un des taux de croissance les plus forts du monde, 8%, les perspectives sont bonnes. Mais les enjeux sociaux et économiques demeurent énormes, dans ce pays pauvre, le deuxième le plus peuplé d’Afrique, avec plus de 100 millions d’habitants. 

L’extrémiste australien poursuivi dans l’enquête sur les attentats dans deux mosquées de Christchurch compte se défendre seul et semble être quelqu’un de “rationnel”. C’est ce qu’a déclaré lundi 18 mars à l’AFP son avocat commis d’office. Brenton Tarrant a été inculpé samedi pour meurtre par le tribunal de district de Christchurch lors d’une brève comparution au cours de laquelle il a fait de la main le signe de reconnaissance des suprémacistes blancs.L’avocat Richard Peters, qui avait été commis d’office lors de l’audience préliminaire, a précisé que l’Australien de 28 ans avait “indiqué qu’il ne veut pas d’avocat”. “Il veut assurer sa défense seul dans cette enquête”, a déclaré l’avocat, qui a estimé que la question de la responsabilité pénale ne se posait pas dans le cas de Brenton Tarrant. “Il est apparu comme quelqu’un de rationnel et qui ne souffre pas d’un handicap mental. C’est comme cela qu’il est apparu. Il semblait comprendre ce qui se passait”, a déclaré l’avocat.L’attaque de deux mosquées de Christchurch vendredi, que l’inculpé a filmée et diffusée en direct sur les réseaux sociaux, a fait 50 morts et des dizaines de blessés.Click Here: All Blacks Rugby Jersey