House and Senate finally agrees on a major Coronavirus aid function

 

April 2020 as the first wave as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rolled out a stimulus check. Yet, it took up until now for both the Senate and the House to agree on another stimulus check which now amounts to around 900 billion dollars. This marks the second largest stimulus package after the 2 trillion dollar CARES act in March. The stimulus package will include unemployment benefits and direct cash payments. 

For context, this package provides direct cash payments of around $600 for individuals eligible. Eligibility is deemed by tax circumstances, whether or not you are submitted as a dependent of your guardians, or if you are emancipated all contribute to qualifications of the stimulus package. Similarly, if your 2019 AGI(Adjusted Gross Income) is below 75,000, you can claim the waiver of $600. In terms of adjusted, "pre-taxed" money such as alimony, traditional IRA's, and HSA contributions are all deductibles that get subtracted from your entire gross income to equate to your AGI. 

A big portion of the stimulus check will be funding museums and other live venues. These monetary support currencies are counted as small business grants and are extremely significant because it maintains the cultural relevancy the individual cities have to offer. These live venues can receive up to 10 million per business with the total package being 15 billion for live venues. 

The unemployment benefits also make up a large portion of the package. Referring to my last post on the effects of coronavirus on poverty, jobless benefits are entitled to 300 dollars a week which could be enough to pay for low-end housing projects and sustainable meals throughout the day. 

Overall, the release of a second stimulus package is a cause for celebration, but the timeliness manner it could've been released is very much attributed to the polarization of republicans and democrats. As each hemisphere of congress is controlled by respective rivaling parties, the release of much-needed stimulus packages, bills, and any other coveted matters lack efficiency. With the major players of this bill possessing incredibly opposing ideals, Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi managed to squeak out a bill in the times where coronavirus is getting direr by the minute.  

“The Electoral College has spoken”

 

            For many weeks, Senate Majority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell has supported President Trump in his fight to overturn the election results and has refused to announce the presidency to Joe Biden while the lawsuits were still taking place. However this morning, even though the legal disputes have not been resolved, McConnell officially acknowledged Joe Biden as the president-elect of the United states and congratulated Biden’s win this morning with a speech on the Senate Floor. 

“As of this morning, our country has officially a president-elect and a vice president-elect.The Electoral College has spoken. So today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden,” McConnell said. McConnell went on to talk about how Joe Biden is “no stranger to the Senate. He has devoted himself to public service for many years.” In his speech, McConnell also congratulated Kamala Harris’ win as the first female vice president: “beyond our differences, all Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president for the very first time.” While the Senate majority leader’s congratulatory speech for the election would often happen without much interest from the public, Mitch McConnell’s speech this year was different. It was a powerful statement to Americans that the Republicans are beginning to distance themselves from Trump’s efforts to overturn the election and his accusations of fraud. This is a significant moment in history because for weeks there has been a lot of accusations and distrust in the processes of our elections and government. However, McConnell’s recognition of Biden’s presidency is, in a sense, a respecting of the court decisions and a demonstration of faith in the electoral college. While there are still some House representatives who are still challenging the election, more and more senators are also accepting the election results and most senators are no longer joining Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama and other conservative House members in their efforts to challenge the Electoral college results.

While Trump has still not conceded, McConnell has announced that he would aide in this transition and plans to meet with Biden soon. Even though it took weeks before the GOP senator acknowledged the outcome, I do respect Biden for not getting ahead of himself and forcing his victory on his colleague, but instead waited for McConnell to come to that acknowledgement himself. Republicans are now moving forward into the transitional period of the presidency and McConnell is still going to work with Trump in the next few weeks to decide on the coronavirus stimulus deal. 

The results of the votes from the members of the Electoral College from all 50 states are as follows: 306 Electoral college votes to Biden and 232 votes to Trump. Biden had also beat Trump by more than 7 million popular votes. 

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US Agencies Hacked

 

U.S. Treasury Department
Credit: Associated Press 

On Sunday, shortly after the cybersecurity giant FireEye had announced a security breach, the Trump administration released a statement confirming that hackers had broken into the networks of the Treasury and commerce departments as a part of a monthslong cyberespionage campaign. The threat has been reported to have come from the same source that afflicted FireEye and other foreign governments and major corporations. The most damning connection between FireEye and the subsequent attacks is the fact that the foriegn hackers stole the hacking tools of the company itself, who service state and local governments as well as global corporations. The hack may be an indication of a larger scale infiltration of the U.S. government, a case for major concern. FireEye services the U.S. military, the Pentagon, the State Department, NASA, the National Security Agency, the Department of Justice, and the WHite House, just to name a few. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now looking into the attacks.

The compromised piece of software, SolarWinds, is used by thousands of companies, including most Fortune 500 companies, and U.S. federal agencies. In their own investigation, FireEye has stated that they identified a global campaign of targeting governments and companies through the SolarWinds software update. North Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East were not exempt from this global hack. CEO Kevin Mandia stated, “[hackers] primarily sought information related to certain government customers,” but he did not elaborate on the specific customers. 

Industry experts, as indicated by the Associated Press, suggest that the campaign seems like a Russian Trademark. Russia’s embassy responded to such claims, describing their association with the breach to be an “unfounded” attempt “of the U.S media to blame Russia for hacker attacks on U.S. governmental bodies. 

This is not the first time the U.S. has been targeted in cybersecurity attacks. In 2014, hackers broke into the State Department’s email system. Many concerns are circulating about Rissian interference in the 2016 and 2020 elections, whether that be through social media or other means. Still, in order to gauge the scale and the perpetrator of this attack, we will have to wait for more results from existing investigations.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/13/us/politics/russian-hackers-us-government-treasury-commerce.html

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/14/946163194/russia-suspected-in-months-long-cyber-attack-on-federal-agencies

https://apnews.com/article/us-agencies-hacked-global-cyberspying-e8a2e819f7cc6982f6a72f8c85209b72

Legislation for Latino and Women's Museums Blocked

On Thursday, Senator Mike Lee had blocked legislation that would create National Mall museums  for women and Latinos, who lack proper representation in the United States. This legislation would establish a council to manage the creation of the museum and would designate an area for the museum. It had also achieved bipartisan support and after Lee voted against it, Republican Senator Susan Collins said the failure of the legislation is a sad moment. Lee’s reason for his vote is that "The last thing we need is to further divide an already divided nation with an array of segregated, separate-but-equal museums for hyphenated identity groups."  

This is not the first time Lee had blocked legislation for the creation of a new museum. Lee had also voted against the Smithsonian Women's History Museum Act. That would have created a museum for women, in honor of the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage which also had bipartisan support. Lee believes that women and Latinos do not deserve their own museums, as it would cause America to become even more divided. 

However, if there is a museum for indigenous peoples, then there should be a museum for Latino-Americans and women, as they have also been subject to decades of oppression. For the decades of oppression that America had set upon these minority groups, the least that can be done is to honor their resistance and to respect their representation in the public domain. 

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/11/945389843/sen-mike-lee-blocks-legislation-for-latino-womens-museums

https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senator-collins-urges-vote-bipartisan-bill-establish-smithsonian-american-women%E2%80%99s-history

Biden picks retired General to be Secretary of Defense

 General Lloyd
Credit: ABC News

 This past week, President-elect Joe Biden selected retired four-star Gen. Lloyd Austin to serve as secretary of defense, raising questions about his fit for the role. Austin ran the U.S. Central Command under the Obama Administration, working closely with Biden, and was the first Black general to command an Army division in combat. If confirmed, Loyd would be the first black leader of the Pentagon, a major step for diversity in a time of racial tensions. However, his confirmation would obstruct the long-standing principle of civilian leadership at the Pentagon, setting a precedent reinforced by General Mattis’ appointment in 2016.

In response to controversy over his pick, Biden released a statement saying, “I fully understand and respect [the law requiring service members to be retired for at least seven years before heading the Defense Department],” but Lloyed “was uniquely qualified and deserved the once-in-a-generation exception.” In order to bypass this law, Lloyd would have to be granted a special waiver by both houses of Congress before even being considered for confirmation. As we learned in Chapter 11, according to Article 2 of the Constitution, while the President has the power of appointment, the Senate has the power to approve these appointments. Such a waiver, however, was granted merely four years ago--a far cry from an entire generation. Democrats who opposed granting a waiver for General Mattis may have a difficult time approving a waiver for Lloyd. Some that signed off on the waiver four years ago promised not to do so again. If they reverse their position, they may be perceived as flip-floppers by their constituents, which would be unfavorable for their re-election campaigns.  

A select number of Democratic Senators that opposed installing a non-civilian leader at the Pentagon, like Sen. Tammy Ducksworth (D-Ill.), will vote against the waiver but vote for his actual confirmation if the waiver passes. Other Democratic officials speculated that Republicans would approve the waiver but oppose Lloyd’s confirmation in the event that the waiver is granted.

Another potential roadblock to Lloyd’s confirmation is his involvement with the defense company Raytheon. Some Senators may see his position as board member as a conflict of interest. It is important to note, though, that General Mattis served as a board member of the defense giant General Dynamics before joining the Trump Administration. 

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/07/lloyd-austin-biden-secretary-defense-frontrunner-contender-443479

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/08/daily-202-democrats-would-need-twist-themselves-into-pretzels-give-bidens-defense-pick-waiver/

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/09/biden-officially-unveils-lloyd-austin-as-his-defense-secretary-nominee.html

Magic Castle Faces Racism and Sexual Misconduct Allegations

The Magic Castle in Los Angeles has been a tourist attraction for decades, where magicians and non magicians alike can watch some of the most spectacular magic acts in the world. Despite its positive reputation, it has been riddled with acts of prejudice. 

Like many magicians aspiring to become the next big thing, Ed Kwon, a magician from Seoul, had managed to impress the members of the Castle, and found himself performing there for the first time in 2017. Soon, he found himself ridiculed by some older members of the Magic Castle. From the LA Times article, 

“He used his hands to make slanted eyes and [said] the stereotypical Chinese — something along the lines of, ‘Ching hong chong,’” said Kwon, 24. “What he did and said was so out of place, it hit me at a surreal level.” 

These actions devastated Kwon, making him feel alienated from a community he has worked all his life to make it into.

Not only were there racist incidents, Terry Lee Lamair, a former bartender at the Magic Castle, filed complaints about sexual harassment to supervisors. However, the supervisor instead joined in and made several inappropriate comments.

This isn't the first time the Magic Castle was accused of prejudice, even one of the most respected, Dai Vernon, was accused of being extremely touchy with many women at the Castle. In communities that tend to have more “old fashioned” ideologies, such acts of discrimination are extremely common. 

The most adamant supporters of the Magic Castle have all been older, white males who still adhere to the belief of old fashioned gender roles. Luckily, art forms and the ideals of the respective communities slowly evolve over time in order to better align with the views of the rest of society.

FDA authorizes emergency usage for Pfizer's Vaccine

 

After just about 16 million cases and 298 thousand deaths, FDA announced yesterday that they will be implementing emergency usage of Pfizer's vaccine. The American government wasn't ready to embrace the vaccine previously because of the unknown side effects which now have been made apparent with the most common effect being anaphylaxis and facial muscle paralysis. But, since then, the United Kingdom has made a deal with Pfizer for millions of doses which would put Britain in the driver's lane over the U.S in terms of priority distribution. Many nations in the world are fighting for Pfizer's cure so that prompted the U.S to excuse their worries and maintain peak vaccination supply.

Although the U.S has dealt its way into 100 million doses of the vaccine, the first batch of vaccines will be delivered out to high-risk citizens such as medical care workers who have constant exposure to the virus. Residents of long-term care facilities are also prioritized because of the pattern of the elderly succumbing to the virus in higher numbers accounting for around 40% of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. In terms of the process for vaccination, one would have to be vaccinated once every two weeks for a 95% efficacy rate. 

In terms of implementation, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said that the months following December all the way until estimated April will be reserved for the priority group of high exposure. After that, "I would project by the time you get to April, it will be ... 'open season,' in the sense of anyone, even the non-high priority groups could get vaccinated," Fauci said. But just because a vaccine has been deployed, doesn't mean the duty of the civilians to socially distance will be less of a burden, especially since a vaccine is deployed, we as civilians must be even more vigilant so we can expedite the date of when non-risk citizens can receive the vaccination. 

Although the vaccination seems like a godsend, the FDA trial runs concluded that less than 4.6% of the participants had severe reactions. This may seem like a low percentage, but scale that into a nation's population and the number of recipients that faced adverse reactions will seem incredibly large. 

I think the American government had every right to be cautious of the side effects especially since the FDA expedited the vaccine's trial, but that shouldn't stop them from being proactive in the procurement of the drug. This isn't like the 2002 Sars outbreak where transmission was low as a result of death rates being high; the coronavirus is an excellent medium that specializes in crowd control to infect the peak number of people. What are your thoughts on an expedited distribution of the vaccination? Would you be willing to dose yourself knowing the risks?

Oracle Moves HQ from Redwood City to Austin, Texas

As of yesterday Oracle Corporations announced that it will be moving its headquarters from Redwood City, California to Austin, Texas. The company said this will be in effort to create a more flexible approach to its workforce. As of now it is unclear what this will exactly entail. They will have a new HQ address in Texas, but they have no current plans to move any existing staff. Oracle is now just one of many other big corporations to flee Silicon Valley, including Tesla and HP inc. As to why companies are fleeing California in this era, there are three main reasons.

Firstly is political views. Many conservative executives are turning their back to Silicon Valley as they have issues with the region’s politics. The past 8 months have been politically polarizing which had probably increased this factor's strength in the decisions of these top executives. Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle noted to have had a fundraiser in recent months to support Donald Trump's campaign.

The second factor is taxes. California has a state income tax of 13.3% for amounts of $1 million a year. On the other hand, Texas has none. They do not even collect capital-gains tax on individuals. While state tax is only one of the many expenses for Oracle, in the previous year Oracle reported paying $172 million in state tax. Coupled with the high cost's of living in California, Texas is a much cheaper option for these companies and their workers.

The last reason so many companies are moving is because of the pandemic. When the technology industry started to flourish many decades ago, the common thought was that in the future people would be able to work from anywhere. Given that everyone will have cell-phones, computers and cloud business communications centers, people could work together from all across the globe. While that is true, the opposite trend actually prevailed. Tech entrepreneurs consolidated in areas such as Silicon Valley because it was easier and more efficient to do business close by. Now with the pandemic, tech companies have been forced to work from home, and it has proven successful. Companies like Oracle now realize it is possible to work outside of Silicon Valley, and they are choosing to do just that.

Having grown up within sight of the Oracle towers, this move definitely hit close to home. It’s definitely something I think we will see more of in the future, and this is just the start of the exodus from Silicon Valley. I anticipate that many more companies will move to cheaper states like Texas or Seattle, and we will start to see more companies come about from other areas around the world.

What do you think about big corporations moving away from California to avoid state taxes?

Do you think that this is the start of a new trend? Or will the end of the pandemic bring us back to the same culture that we had before the virus?

Would a more spread out network of tech companies be beneficial to us? Or do we prefer to have an overly expensive, crowded, traffic filled peninsula?

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Democrats and Republicans still unable to compromise on a new $908 covid stimulus package

  

 In March 18, 2020, Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) to help support struggling businesses and unemployed individuals during the pandemic. However, this relief package and other unemployment benefits will expire by the end of this month. This means that if Congress is unable to compromise on a new stimulus package soon, 12 million Americans are set to lose the unemployment funds that have been supporting them for this past year when many have been laid off and job opportunities are scarce. With time running short, Congress has been negotiating on a new $908 billion economic relief package proposed by a bipartisan lawmaking group. Both parties agree that covid bill must be made, however, coming to a consensus has been very difficult so far due to opposition especially from Senator Mitch McConnell. 
    The initial plan was a $908 billion pandemic aid bill was drafted by moderates in both parties that would support small businesses, state and local governments, schools, unemployed individuals, healthcare providers, and funding for the distribution of the vaccine, but does not include stimulus checks this time. Senator McConnell has adamantly refused to endorse this $908 billion bill as he tries to push for his own bill, which is narrower. It omits benefits for state and local governments but gives funds for education, aid for small businesses, and pandemic liability protections for businesses, which Democrats immediately rejected. Republicans have shown resistance to the original bill because they believed that liability protections for businesses were too limited and have long-resisted state/local government funding. On the other hand, Democrats like Pelosi and Mnuchin have rejected McConnell’s bill and instead have proposed their own $916 billion alternative bill. This alternative bill would include $600 stimulus checks but no additional federal supplemental unemployment benefits. With limited time, Senator Mitt Romney understands the urgency of compromising and believes that they should just put aside their disagreements: “on state and local and liability we wait, given the time frame, until next year.” 
    Congress’ negotiations right now is just a chaotic mess. Compromise between the two parties has been nearly impossible even with a bipartisan group that has been “privately working for weeks to force their leadership to a compromise.” Democrats have said that minority leader Chuck Schumer has “been begging to negotiate with McConnell for half a year.” Millions of Americans’ financial support are on the line and it seems that this bipartisan proposal is the most realistic plan as of now because something is better than nothing. If Congress still can’t come to an agreement in the next week, Americans are going to lose even more faith in our government and “assume that government is broken.” The opposing nature of the parties in Congress is one of the drawbacks to our system of government today. Constant opposition and political polarization have made bipartisan agreements more difficult today than ever fail such as what happened with Obama’s original health care reform plan. Our system of government is not very efficient. It takes a really long time to pass legislation when the House and Senate are controlled by opposing parties. Even if it does pass, Congress will still have to convince Trump to sign the bill. I believe this inefficiency is part of the reason why we have not gotten covid under control in the US yet. 

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