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Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , a progressive Democrat from New York, argued that Democrats now have "two options" if they want to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour—either disregard the Senate parliamentarian's ruling or end the legislative filibuster. The Senate's parliamentarian ruled last week that the minimum wage hike would not be eligible to pass through the complicated budget reconciliation process. Democrats have turned to that process to push through President Joe Biden 's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Legislation passed through budget reconciliation requires only a simple majority to pass in the Senate, instead of the 60 votes generally required because of the legislative filibuster rule, and would not necessarily require any Republican support, given the upper chamber's current makeup. Progressive Democrats have strongly criticized the parliamentarian's decision, with some calling for the decision to be overridden or for the … [Read more...] about AOC Says Only ‘Two Options’ to Pass $15 Minimum Wage: Override Parliamentarian or End Filibuster

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the accusations of sexual harassment against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo "serious," saying the women should be heard and an independent review should move forward. Cuomo, a Democrat, is facing significant criticism and scrutiny after two former staffers came forward alleging the governor sexually harassed them. Lindsey Boylan, who served as deputy secretary for economic development and a special adviser in the Cuomo administration from 2015 to 2018, first came out publicly with allegations against the governor back in December. Additionally, Charlotte Bennett, a former executive assistant and health policy adviser under Cuomo, came forward in an interview with The New York Times published Saturday with allegations that the governor pushed her to discuss her sex life and asked if she ever had sex with older men. "President Biden has been consistent that he believes every woman should be heard, should be treated with … [Read more...] about WH Press Secretary Calls Cuomo Sexual Harassment Allegations ‘Serious’ and ‘Hard to Read’

Sen. Dick Durbin Dick Durbin FBI director set for combative hearing on mob attack No. 2 Senate Democrat shoots down overruling parliamentarian on minimum wage Senate mulls changes to .9 trillion coronavirus bill MORE (Ill.), the No. 2 Senate Democrat, is shooting down calls from progressives to overrule the chamber's  parliamentarian and include a minimum wage hike in the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill. Asked about talk of teaming up with Vice President Harris to overrule Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, Durbin said Democrats should instead look for another piece of legislation to use as a vehicle for trying to increase the minimum wage. “I don’t think that’s going to work. I hope that we think very seriously about dealing with the minimum wage in a different venue," he said. ADVERTISEMENT It's the latest sign that the clean increase of the minimum wage to $15 per hour won't survive the Senate. Because MacDonough advised that it doesn't … [Read more...] about No. 2 Senate Democrat shoots down overruling parliamentarian on minimum wage

President Joe Biden is making “a lobbying effort” to unify Senate Democrats on his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill , which was earlier okayed by the House, The Washington Post reports. On Monday, Biden convened a group of these Democrats over a conference call, which focused on “targeting the dollars” that were included in the package, according to Senator Jon Tester. He was echoed by his colleague Joe Manchin who said that during the call, the senators were “just looking for a targeted bill”. “[We] want it to be very targeted, helping the people that need help the most”, Manchin stressed. The Post cited in this context two unnamed sources as saying that the Senate Democrats also discussed tightening income eligibility for the $1,400 stimulus checks, which are part of Biden’s COVID-19 relief package, also known as the American Rescue Plan. © REUTERS / JONATHAN ERNST U.S. President Joe Biden, his wife Jill Biden, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and … [Read more...] about Biden Reportedly Making ‘Lobbying Effort’ to Unify Senate Democrats Ahead of COVID Relief Bill Vote

WASHINGTON: The United States "may well be in recession" but progress in controlling the spread of the coronavirus will determine when the economy can fully reopen, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday in a rare network television interview on NBC's Today Show. Powell spoke just about an hour before federal data showed a record-breaking spike of unemployment claims to 3.28 million , evidence that "social distancing" to fight the pandemic has taken hold, and may have ended the country's more than decade-long economic expansion. His choice of venue - a network morning show when many Americans are homebound and paying close attention - was itself part of a message that seemed meant to prepare people for the dismal economic data to come, counsel patience in any rush back to work, and reassure that the Fed would act "aggressively" to keep firms and families afloat. "We are not experts in pandemic... We would tend to listen to the experts. Dr. Fauci said something like … [Read more...] about Fed’s Powell: US may be in recession, control of virus to dictate timing of economy reopening