Republicans look to pummel Democrats on school reopenings

Republicans are pummeling Democrats on school reopenings, believing it will be a potent wedge issue in the midterm elections and offer the GOP a path back to winning suburban voters.

Explosive battles are playing out in Democratic-led cities and states over how quickly public schools should reopen and Republicans are picking at divisions between elected officials and teachers unions.

The GOP’s House and Senate campaign arms are tracking union donations to Democratic members and accusing them of putting special interests ahead of student education.

In a floor speech this week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) railed against what he described as Democratic “goalpoast-moving,” pointing to districts that refuse to return to in-person learning until all teachers have been vaccinated.

GOP members of the House and Senate have introduced resolutions to restrict government funds for public schools that have not reopened.



https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/537557-republicans-look-to-pummel-democrats-on-school-reopenings

Paid family and sick leave could expand for the first time in decades because of the pandemic

Just two weeks into Bill Clinton’s nascent presidency, the 1993 Family Medical Leave Act was the first bill he signed into law. Advocates said the FMLA, which guarantees certain employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off for family or medical reasons, would be a springboard to expansive leave protections. Instead, it proved to be a stopping point: More than 28 years later, Congress hasn’t passed significant legislation to broadly expand family and medical leave.

As the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate workers — particularly women — a new generation of advocates are hopeful a more expansive iteration of the FMLA might finally have a shot.

On Friday, Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) reintroduced the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, which would grant workers up to 12 weeks of paid leave, whether to recover from illness or childbirth, or provide care for a loved one.

“Long before this crisis, there has been a desperate need for paid family and medical leave,” DeLauro said in a statement Friday. “This problem, made worse by the pandemic, must be addressed in a permanent way.”



https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/02/06/coronavirus-paid-leave/

Tweet of the Day

Christopher Plummer - 'Edelweiss' (The Sound of Music)

Pelosi to pass COVID relief 'within two weeks'

“The House voted 219-209 to approve the budget plan, which the Senate had already passed early Friday morning, beginning the process of turning Biden’s stimulus proposal into legislation,” the Washington Post reports.

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Friday she aims to pass Biden’s stimulus plan within two weeks.”



https://politicalwire.com/2021/02/05/house-approves-budget-plan/

Blue Oyster Cult - Godzilla

The NYT is in a tight race with Politico to win the DID race!

International patterns are rarely perfect, and this one has plenty of exceptions (like Iowa and Idaho, two red-state laggards, or New Mexico, a blue state that’s above average). So far, though, it’s hard to find many progressive governments that are vaccination role models.

Why? A common problem seems to be a focus on process rather than on getting shots into arms. Some progressive leaders are effectively sacrificing efficiency for what they consider to be equity.

The European Union has taken a ponderous, risk-averse approach that tries to avoid upsetting its member countries, Kauffmann points out. Similarly, many U.S. states have delegated decisions to local health officials and have suffered from “confusion and competition among localities,” William Galston of the Brookings Institution has written. State leaders in Alaska and West Virginia have taken a more top-down approach, Elaine Povich of Stateline has reported.

Some blue states have also created intricate rules about who qualifies for a vaccine and then made a big effort to keep anybody else from getting a shot. These complicated rules have slowed vaccination in both California and New York.



https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/briefing/marjorie-taylor-greene-uk-vaccine-biden-stimulus.html?action=click&module=Briefings&pgtype=Homepage

Marjorie Taylor Greene rubs Trump's crotch

For your consideration: Michelle Wu for Mayor of Boston

Yang tests positive for coronavirus

New York Democratic mayoral candidate Andrew Yang announced on Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

“After testing negative as recently as this weekend, today I took a COVID rapid test and received a positive result," Yang said in a statement. "I am experiencing mild symptoms, but am otherwise feeling well and in good spirits. I will quarantine in accordance with public health guidelines and follow the advice of my doctor.”

Yang, a former Democratic presidential hopeful and tech entrepreneur, said that despite his positive test, he "will continue to attend as many virtual events as possible, in addition to working with our incredible campaign team to continue our mission of getting New York City back on its feet."

ang said that his campaign team has begun the contact-tracing process in an effort to notify anyone who may have come in close contact with him in recent days.

Yang, who gained a national profile during his long-shot bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, announced his bid for mayor in January after months of speculation about a potential.





https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/536937-yang-tests-positive-for-coronavirus