Frustrations flare as $2,000 checks blocked for fourth straight day

Frustrations flared in the Senate during a rare New Years Day session as lawmakers battled for the fourth day in a row over a proposal to increase the amount of recently approved coronavirus relief checks.

Senate Republicans blocked a House-passed bill to increase the stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 on Friday, as well as an attempt by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to set up votes on the House bill and a competing proposal from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that would link the money to a unrelated tech fight and creating a new elections commission.

The stalemate formally closes the door on the already unlikely chance that Congress could get an agreement to President Trump's desk before the end of the current Congress. The House has already left town for the remainder of the session, which ends Sunday morning, and the Senate took its last votes on Friday when it handed Trump his first veto override.

"That means today is the last chance to take up and pass the House bill to provide $2,000 checks to the American people. If the Senate does not take action today, $2,000 checks will not become law before the end of Congress and they will know that Leader McConnell and the Republican majority have prevented them from getting the checks," Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) said from the floor.

He added that he believed McConnell had blocked the House bill from getting a vote "because he's afraid it will pass."

McConnell blocked the House-passed bill on three separate days this week and blasted the proposal on Friday as "socialism for rich people."

"While this huge new aid package takes effect, a bipartisan caucus in both chambers is not keen to let Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Sanders to have universal cash giveaways regardless of needs," he said.

The House passed legislation to increase the amount of the checks on Monday before leaving town until the start of the 117th session of Congress on Sunday.

Trump has urged Senate Republicans to pass legislation, but the idea garners fierce pushback from several Republicans.

Under the Senate's rules, any one senator can try to set up a vote or pass a bill, but any one senator can also object.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), McConnell's No. 2, blocked Schumer's request on Friday. Responding to Democrats, he dryly thanked them for having the Senate in session on New Year's Day — Sanders and others had slow-walked a defense bill unless they got a checks vote, forcing Friday's session.

"I know that's something that has always been on my bucket list, maybe not on top of the bucket list, but nevertheless, thank you for that opportunity," Thune said.

Thune argued that while Republicans are willing to look at additional aid, the House-passed bill was not "efficient" or "an effective way to spend the American taxpayer's dollars."

The checks fight resulted in an increasingly rare debate on the Senate floor, which is routinely empty or occupied by a senator giving a speech with a handful or no colleagues around.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/532335-frustrations-flare-as-2000-checks-blocked-for-fourth-straight-day

1984? Twitter Mob cancels English Literature

Twitter Mob Takes Aim at Classic Novels Taught in Schools

Under the hashtag #DisruptTexts, English and Literature teachers across the United States are banding together to censor dangerous classic novels.

For example, a teacher in Lawrence Massachusetts said that the organization #DisruptTexts helped her school district remove Homer’s The Odyssey from the curriculum.

Others have done away with the “slut-shaming” classic, The Scarlet Letter, as well as Shakespeare for his works written “at a time when hate-ridden sentiments prevailed.”

The idea is that anything written too long ago will reflect the bias and prejudice of the past, and fail to properly indoctrinate students into the correct way of thinking, according to the woke Twitter mobsters.

Instead the organization has partnered with Penguin Publishing to suggest teachers use titles such as Antiracist Baby a “picture book that empowers parents and children to uproot racism in our society and in ourselves… to help readers recognize and reflect on bias in their daily lives.”

https://www.sovereignman.com/trends/1984-twitter-mob-cancels-english-literature-30133/

if you want to see the #DisruptTexts website for yourself.

https://disrupttexts.org/

90% QR BAKERS

Children Of The Great Reset

https://www.activistpost.com/2021/01/children-of-the-great-reset.html

NSW records seven COVID-19 cases, mandatory masks introduced in Greater Sydney

The NSW Premier has announced a litany of changes to coronavirus restrictions, including mandatory masks in indoor settings, reduced capacity at venues and lifting the lockdown across half of the northern beaches.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian also lifted stay-at-home orders for the southern zone of the northern beaches, stating that from 11:59pm on Saturday the area south of the Narrabeen Bridge will be counted as Greater Sydney.

"You [residents of that area] do not have to comply with the stay-at-home conditions," Ms Berejiklian said.

"Thankfully, according to the health advice, the risk of transmission in that part of the northern beaches has dissipated."

The changes, affecting upwards of 180,000 residents in the northern beaches, comes as NSW health authorities recorded seven COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours up until 8:00pm last night.

Six cases have been traced to existing clusters, and one is under investigation.

Ms Berejiklian confirmed wearing masks would be mandatory in several indoor venues from midnight tonight in Greater Sydney.

She said this would affect shopping centres, public transport, attending an entertainment venue like the cinema, places of worship, hair and beauty salons, gaming areas of establishments and staff in hospitality venues.

The mandatory mask rule will be enforced by a $200 fine, but a grace period will be in effect until Monday.

NSW Health said children under 12 will be exempt but are "encouraged to wear masks where practicable".

The Premier also announced several different types of businesses will also have reduced capacity.

This includes gym classes being reduced to 30 people, a maximum of 100 people at places of worship, weddings and funerals limited to 100 people and outdoor performances and protests reduced to 500 people.

Night clubs will also no longer be permitted.

Restrictions in the northern zone of the northern beaches will remain in place until January 9 and continues to be subjected to stay-at-home orders.

Residents in the northern peninsula are still not permitted to have visitors to their home, non-essential businesses remain closed and outdoor gatherings for exercise and recreation are capped at five people.

Of today's seven new cases, five are part of the Berala cluster and bring the total to seven.

So far, the cluster consists of the original case, a man in his 40s, five of his family members and a co-worker, from western and south-western Sydney.

One of today's new cases lives in the same home as a previously reported patient-transport worker.

There were nearly 32,000 COVID-19 tests conducted yesterday and 12 cases were found in hotel quarantine.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-02/nsw-premier-lifts-restrictions-on-half-of-northern-beaches/13027406