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Politics updates: Biden introduces Cardona as choice for Education secretary – USA TODAY

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Matthew Brown

Ledyard King

Bart Jansen
 
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AP Top Stories December 23 A

Here’s the latest for Wednesday December 23rd: Trump suggests he might not sign COVID relief bill; Trump pardons 15 people; Surgeon General observes vaccine rollout in Chicago; California Gov. names Senate replacement for Kamala Harris.

AP

This week, USA TODAY Politics focuses on the run-up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration and the effort in Congress to get through a fresh round of COVID-19 economic relief.

Dates to watch:

Jan. 6: Congress will count and certify the electoral results in a joint session. 

Jan. 20: Inauguration of Biden, who will take the oath of office.

Be sure to refresh this page often to get the latest information on the transition.

President-elect Joe Biden introduced Wednesday his nominee to lead the Education Department, Miguel Cardona, as someone trusted with the experience to reopen schools safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden said he will ask Congress to provide funding for more testing, safety equipment such as ventilation, and funding for teachers as part of his goal to reopen most schools within his first 100 days in office.

Biden said Cardona, the Connecticut education commissioner, assured that every student could engage in remote learning through steps such as providing 140,000 laptops. Cardona later secured funding for masks, Plexiglas and testing to reopen schools safely, Biden said. 

“That’s the vision, resolve and initiative that are all going to help us contain this pandemic and reopen the schools safely,” Biden said.

Cardona, whose grandparents moved from Puerto Rico, was born in public housing and grew up to attend public schools, teach in them and become an administrator in his local district. 

“That is the power of America,” Cardona said. “I, being bilingual and bicultural, am as American as apple pie and rice and beans. For me, education was the great equalizer.”

Biden nominees: Biden to nominate Miguel Cardona, proponent of reopening schools

Cardona warned of challenges ahead, including difficult opportunities for people of color or with lower incomes. But he said while education is sometimes known as a flor pálida, or wilted rose, the country has no higher duty than to build better paths through education for the next generation.

“We must be the master gardeners who cultivate it,” Cardona said.

— Bart Jansen

Pelosi calls for Christmas Eve vote to raise COVID stimulus payments to $2,000

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pushing for a Christmas Eve vote on a proposal raising the amount of direct payments included in the just-passed COVID stimulus bill from $600 to $2,000 putting pressure on Republicans to follow President Donald Trump’s demand that Congress increase the amount.

In a letter to fellow House Democrats Wednesday morning, Pelosi, D-Calif., said the House will try to pass an amendment to the bill under a procedure known as “Unanimous Consent” during its pro forma session when most members are out of town. But such a move requires the agreement of GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy under House rules and the California Republican hasn’t indicated what he’ll do yet.

“If the President truly wants to join us in $2,000 payments, he should call upon Leader McCarthy to agree to our Unanimous Consent request,” she wrote in her “dear colleague” letter.

There was no immediate response from McCarthy’s office. If it passes the House, it would be sent to the Republican-led Senate for approval.

Pelosi and other Democrats had been pushing for the $2,000 payments but Republicans led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had shot the idea down during negotiations. The $600 amount per individual (or $2,400 for a family of four) that Congress finally settled on had been proposed by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

But only a day after Congress overwhelmingly passed the $900 billion relief bill, Trump called the deal a “disgrace” in a tweeted video and urged congressional leaders to make changes to the bill, including increasing direct payments for Americans.

Progressive Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., already have drafted language for a proposal to raise the amount.

“Me and @AOC have the amendment ready,” Tlaib tweeted with a photo of the provision’s language. “Send the bill back, and we will put in the $2,000 we’ve been fighting for that your party has been blocking.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also voiced approval for raising the value of direct stimulus payments to Americans, noting “We spent months trying to secure $2,000 checks but Republicans blocked it. Trump needs to sign the bill to help people and keep the government open and we’re glad to pass more aid Americans need.”

— Ledyard King

HHS Secretary Azar: COVID-19 vaccine ‘for every American who wants it by June 2021’

A nearly $2 billion deal announced Wednesday between the U.S. government and Pfizer and BioNTech will supply the U.S. with an additional 100 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer already has a contract to supply the government with 100 million doses of the vaccine by summer 2021. The government also has the option to acquire up to an additional 400 million doses.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement that the latest deal can give people confidence “that we will have enough supply to vaccinate every American who wants it by June 2021.”

Operation Warp Speed is on track to have about 40 million doses of vaccine by the end of this month, of which about 20 million would be allocated for first vaccinations. Distribution of those doses would span into the first week of January.

— Associated Press

Bye, Barr: Last day of tumultuous tenure as attorney general

Attorney General William Barr departs the Justice Department Wednesday after a tenure serving as one of Trump’s most aggressive defenders before breaking with the president’s increasingly desperate efforts to overturn the November election.

“Over the past two years, the dedicated men and women of this Department…have risen to meet historic challenges and upheld our vital mission to enforce the rule of law,” the attorney general said in a statement. “I have been continually inspired by your professionalism and outstanding work. As I did almost 30 years ago, I leave this Office with deep respect for you, and I will always be grateful for your devoted service to the Nation we love.”

Barr, serving his second stint as attorney general, emerged as a steadfast advocate for Trump even in the face of the damning findings outlined in the Russia investigation, while intervening in the prosecutions of the president allies.

Yet in a vivid display of Trump’s brand of transactional relationships, the president earlier this year turned on his attorney general when Barr indicated that a much-anticipated review of the Russia inquiry would not be completed until after the election. Trump had hoped the review would boost his campaign.

The attorney general’s most dramatic break with the president came this month when he said the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the vote.

2020 election: Barr sees ‘no basis’ to investigate alleged voter fraud

Outgoing Attorney General William Barr says that he won’t appoint a special counsel to look into President Trump’s claims of election fraud.

Staff Video, USA TODAY

Barr’s comment in an interview with the Associated Press represented an especially public retreat from Trump’s repeated and unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud and the campaign to overturn the president’s election loss to President-elect Joe Biden.

As Trump weighed dismissing the attorney general, Barr submitted his resignation that takes effect Wednesday.

Before leaving, however, Barr poked the president again, saying Monday that there was no reason to appoint special counsels to take over an ongoing tax investigation involving Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, or to pursue unfounded claims of election fraud. Trump has privately pushed for both appointments.

At the same time, Barr said Russia was to blame for the massive cyberattack that has penetrated at least a half-dozen federal agencies, even as Trump has pointed the finger at China and sought to downplay the seriousness of the breach.

As Barr exits, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen fills the post as acting attorney general.

— Kevin Johnson

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Youri Chassin quits CAQ to sit as Independent, second member to leave this month

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Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.

He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.

In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.

Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.

He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.

Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.

He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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‘I’m not going to listen to you’: Singh responds to Poilievre’s vote challenge

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MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.

“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.

“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”

Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”

“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.

“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”

While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.

“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.

Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.

Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.

“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.

New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.

The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.

It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.

While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.

Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.

He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.

Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.

The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.

With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.

The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.

The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Social media comments blocked: Montreal mayor says she won’t accept vulgar slurs

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Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.

She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.

Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.

They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.

However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.

Her statement on X is closed to comments.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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