Republicans

ATLANTA: US President-elect Joe Biden spoke with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday (Dec 15) and said that the two agreed to meet soon, after the lawmaker ended his silence on the results of the presidential election held six weeks ago. McConnell congratulated Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory during remarks on the Senate floor on Tuesday, a day after the Electoral College formalised the Democrats' Nov 3 win. The senator was among many congressional Republicans who had not acknowledged Biden's defeat of President Donald Trump, who has continued to make unfounded claims of election fraud and refused to concede. Biden told reporters he spoke with McConnell before heading to Georgia, where he will campaign for two Democratic US Senate candidates whose Jan 5 runoff elections could make or break his domestic policy agenda. "While we disagree on a lot of things, there are things we can work together on," Biden told reporters. … [Read more...] about Biden and McConnell talk after top Senate Republican acknowledges Democrat’s election win

NEW YORK: The US$900 billion coronavirus relief package passed by the US Congress on Monday (Dec 22) contains a high-profile tax loophole for business meals, but not the one thing most requested by independent US restaurants which have been devastated by the pandemic: cash. The Republican-backed "three-martini lunch deduction" doubles an existing tax break, allowing companies to write off 100 per cent of business dining expenses through 2022. The loophole's defenders say it supports the hard-hit restaurant industry. This is "a pro-worker, pro-restaurant, and pro-small business bill," said US Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. However, it has been derided by economists, Democrats, and even the staunchly conservative Wall Street Journal op-ed page as politically tone deaf, given the millions of sick and out-of-work Americans. The tax break will cost taxpayers US$6.3 billion through 2023, analysis by a congressional committee shows. It will also fail to boost the restaurant … [Read more...] about Despite ‘three martini’ tax break, COVID-19 bill leaves struggling US restaurants cold

WASHINGTON -President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a stopgap measure to fund U.S. agencies for another week while Congress passed a massive COVID-19 aid and government funding package overnight aimed at bolstering the nation's pandemic response and its battered economy. The package includes US$892 billion for coronavirus relief plus federal government funding to also avert a government shutdown - together worth about US$2.3 trillion in spending for the rest of the fiscal year that ends next Sept. 30 - and is awaiting Trump's approval to become law. In the meantime, U.S. lawmakers moved to fund federal agencies through Dec. 28 to prevent a lapse in government operations. Trump signed the stopgap funding bill into law on Tuesday, the White House said. The COVID-19 provisions aim to throw a lifeline to the U.S. economy after months of inaction as the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to swell nationwide, with more than 214,000 people infected every day. So far, more than … [Read more...] about Trump signs stopgap funding bill; Congress awaits his approval of US$892 billion COVID aid

WASHINGTON -U.S. lawmakers will include landmark reforms to how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certifies new airplanes in the wake of two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes as part of a massive year-end legislative package set to be voted on as early as Monday, four congressional aides briefed on the matter said. Aides said the language would boost FAA oversight of aircraft manufacturers, require disclosure of safety-critical information and provide new whistleblower protections. The measure repeals the industry's authority to self-certify new airplanes and creates new safety reporting channels for FAA employees. The reforms aim to address shortfalls exposed by the two 737 MAX crashes in five months that killed 346 people and led to plane's worldwide grounding for 20 months. The legislation, intended to be included in a COVID-19 relief package, is expected to require that an expert review panel evaluate Boeing’s safety culture. Boeing and the FAA have declined to … [Read more...] about US lawmakers set to approve FAA reforms after Boeing 737 MAX crashes -sources

NEW YORK: Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey appeared to stop following President Donald Trump on the social media platform this weekend, according to a Twitter account that follows the activity of tech leaders. Dorsey also unfollowed Democratic President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, said @BigTechAlert, as well as the @realDonaldTrump account and the account of his daughter, Ivanka Trump. Trump, a prolific user of Twitter, has lost 368,743 followers since Nov 17, according to Factba.se, a website that tracks Trump's public statements and tweets. His follower count still stands at 88.5 million, but the decrease represents a shift for an account that has rapidly grown during his time in office. Biden has gained about 2.5 million followers since Nov. 17, bringing his follower count to 21.6 million. A Twitter spokesman declined to comment. Trump's Twitter account has sometimes fired off more than 100 tweets a day and has been used to communicate with … [Read more...] about Twitter’s Dorsey stops following Trump, Biden