https://nypost.com/2021/02/05/senate-passes-resolution-to-advance-covid-19-relief-package/

The Senate early Friday narrowly approved a budget resolution for President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package — allowing Democrats to push the legislation through Congress without Republican support.

The upper chamber ended the “vote-a-rama,” which began at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, by adopting the resolution in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.

It marked the first time Harris — in her capacity as president of the Senate — cast a tie-breaking vote after becoming veep on Jan. 20.

Nancy has no answers

https://www.mediaite.com/news/your-question-is-a-waste-of-time-nancy-pelosi-snaps-at-reporters-asking-about-impeachment-greene-expulsion/?

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi snapped at a pair of reporters who asked, in turn, about Sen. Lindsey Graham’s threat to call the FBI as a witness at Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, and about the “precedent” of expelling QAnon Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene from House committees.

On Thursday morning, Speaker Pelosi held her weekly press conference, which ended in some minor fireworks when the last two questions tested her patience. First was a question about Graham’s odd threat.

Pelosi was asked “Senator Graham said that if the Democrats call any witness, that Republicans will be prepared to call in the FBI and quote ‘Tell us about people who planned this attack and what happened with the security footprint at the Capitol.’ What’s he response to that?”

“Your question is a waste of time,” the speaker curtly replied, and called on CNN’s Manu Raju.

“Are you worried at all about the precedent that you would be setting…” he began, but Pelosi cut him off.

“No, not at all, not at all,” Pelosi said. “If any of our members threatened the safety of other members, we’d be the first ones to take them off of the committee.”

“That’s it,” she said, and strode away from the podium.

The new heart attack gun

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/national/cardiologists-iphone-12-can-deactivate-defibrillators-pacemakers

Cardiologists at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit say they discovered that the iPhone 12 has the ability to deactivate implantable cardiac devices when held too close to a person’s chest.

Apple’s iPhone 12 series features a strong magnet to help maximize charging, which can cause issues with cardiac devices, according to a press release from Henry Ford.

The health system says the phone's magnet can turn off heart defibrillators and can cause a pacemaker to deliver electrical impulses that could drive heartbeats out of sync.

More than 300,000 people in the U.S. get one of these devices implanted every year, according to Henry Ford.

When we brought the iPhone close to the patient’s chest the defibrillator was deactivated,” said Dr. Gurjit Singh, Henry Ford Heart & Vascular Institute cardiologist, in a press release. “We saw on the external defibrillator programmer that the functions of the device were suspended and remained suspended. When we took the phone away from the patient’s chest, the defibrillator immediately returned to its normal function.”

U.N for sale, highest bidder "Mini Mike"

https://www.businessinsider.com/mike-bloomberg-un-climate-change-special-envoy-2021-2

The United Nations has reappointed former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a special envoy for climate change ahead of the UN climate summit in Scotland later this year.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday in a statement confirmed Bloomberg as his "special envoy for climate ambition and solutions." Bloomberg was first appointed UN special envoy on cities and climate change in 2014 by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Bloomberg would work with governments, companies, cities, and financial institutions to ensure they pledge to cut emissions and commit to net-zero before 2050, Guterres said.

He would also work with countries and industries that have very high emissions and help them transition to quickly phase out coal and move to clean energy, in line with the Paris Agreement, Guterres said.