| House Democrats rejected pushes to narrow the eligibility pool for individual stimulus checks; dozens of people are missing after a glacier disaster in the Himalayas. Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. | | | | | | | $1,400 checks for those making under $75,000 | | | | | Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images | | - House Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee have proposed sending $1,400 stimulus checks to individuals making under $75,000 and families earning less than $150,000, pushing back on a bipartisan group that wanted to more narrowly target the checks. [Vox / Jerusalem Demsas]
- The proposal looks more like the previous stimulus bills passed last year than Republican efforts to shrink the eligibility pool. But unlike past bills, individuals earning over $100,000 and families making over $200,000 will be left out entirely. [CNN / Katie Lobosco]
- The House Democrats' bill includes smaller checks for individuals making between $75,000 and $100,000, and families earning more than $150,000 but less than $200,000. [The New York Times / Emily Cochrane]
- The move comes as tensions were rising among Senate Democrats, between centrists like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who have leaned toward setting the individual threshold at $50,000, and progressives like Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), who were insistent on including all middle-class families. [The Washington Post / Jeff Stein and Erica Werner]
- If the bill were to successfully advance out of the House, its passage in the Senate would hinge on Democratic moderates, including their most vocal member, Manchin. The senator said he was not opposed to the House Democrats' proposal, but added he wanted more evidence people earning $75,000 were truly in need. [Politico / Heather Caygle and Sarah Ferris]
- There are a few more key differences between prior stimulus bills and the current proposal: Democrats are exploring allocating payments based on 2020 tax returns rather than 2019 ones, and will include adult dependents. [The Washington Post / Heather Long and Jeff Stein]
- The draft legislation also includes extending the federal unemployment benefit and increasing it from $300 to $400 per week, as well as increasing the child tax credit to be $3,600, delivered in monthly installments. [USA Today / Nicholas Wu]
- Finally, House Democrats also included a gradual $15 minimum wage hike in their bill, despite a new Congressional Budget Office report saying the move would lower poverty levels but cost jobs. Other groups have disagreed with the CBO's finding, but Republicans seized on it as evidence against a wage hike. [CBS News / Sarah Ewall-Wice]
- For more policy analysis, don't miss our Weeds newsletter. Every Friday, we break down the biggest policy stories of the Biden administration. Sign up here.
| | | Rescue workers look for dozens missing in India after glacier collapse | | - A rescue mission is underway in the Himalayas after a devastating glacier disaster, in which a glacier burst, broke through a dam, and caused a flood, trapping dozens of workers in a tunnel. [CBS News]
- Thus far, 31 people have died and 165 are still missing. Many of them were working on government river projects and power plants in the area. [The Associated Press / Rishabh R. Jain]
- More than 2,000 people are taking part in the rescue mission to attempt to save over 30 people believed to be trapped in a tunnel, digging through layers of debris. But as time goes on, their chance of survival is diminishing. [NBC News / Rhea Mogul and Yuliya Talmazan]
- Glacial floods are highly destructive, but difficult to predict due to their remote locations. Experts believe the flood in the Himalayas was caused by a rock landslide colliding with a glacier. As glaciers recede because of global warming, these instances may become more frequent. [USA Today / Doyle Rice]
- India has guidelines on glacial flood prevention, warnings, and rescues. But a framework for how to best create infrastructure that does not elevate flood risk needs updating. [The Indian Express / Deeptiman Tiwary]
| | | | | | | The Senate opened Donald Trump's trial with a debate over the constitutionality of his impeachment. Here's what to expect as the trial quickly moves forward. | | | | | | | "This trial is personal indeed for every senator, and for every member of the House, for every manager, and all our staff, and the Capitol Police. ... I hope this trial reminds America how personal democracy is and how personal is the loss of democracy, too." | | | | | | | | | | |
The US still hasn't quite figured out how to keep students and teachers safe and keep schools running. Vox's Anna North explains what's happening with educating kids during the pandemic, and whether the Biden administration can turn things around. [Spotify / Anna North] | | | | | | | | |  | This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
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