Friday morning news - December 3, 2021

Biden announces nationwide COVID response plan » President Biden unveiled his administration’s strategy to fight a winter surge of COVID-19 on Thursday.

The plan adds expanded testing and masking appeals to the ongoing push for vaccine boosters. But it does not include any new mandates … or lockdowns.

BIDEN: My plan I'm announcing today pulls no punches in the fight against COVID-19. It's a plan that I think should unite us. I know COVID-19 has been very divisive in this country. It's become a political issue, which is a sad, sad commentary. It shouldn't be, but it has been. Now, as we move into the winter and face the challenges of this new variant, this is a moment we can put the divisiveness behind us, I hope.

As part of the plan, administration officials are working on a rule that would require private insurers to pay for at-home COVID testing. They say that would make it easier for people to check their status quickly, and frequently.

Biden said rapid testing is especially important for schools.

BIDEN: Which could allow students to stay in the classroom and be tested frequently when positive case in that classroom popped up that wasn’t them. Up to now, you’d go home and you’d quarantine.

The president also issued new testing requirements for anyone traveling to the United States, regardless of their vaccination status. And he extended the mask mandate on airplanes and other public transit through at least the middle of March.

Lawmakers reach temporary government funding deal » Federal lawmakers have reached a deal to avoid today’s looming government shutdown.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said gaining even that small victory wasn’t easy.

SCHUMER: This is a good compromise that allows an appropriate amount of time for both parties, in both chambers to finish negotiations on appropriations.

The deal would keep spending to its current level until February 18th, with the addition of $7 billion dollars to aid Afghan evacuees. Lawmakers are still wrestling with the details of the spending bill for the budget year that started in September.

The House approved the funding extension measure on Thursday. The Senate must give its approval before midnight tonight. Sen. Mitch McConnell downplayed concerns that Republicans would block the measure.

MCCONNELL: We’re not going to shut the government down. That makes no sense for anyone. Almost no one on either side thinks that’s a good idea.

But some GOP senators, led by Utah’s Mike Lee, said they don’t want to vote on the measure unless it strips funding from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. That in an attempt to block the agency from enforcing the president’s vaccine mandate for private employers.

A federal appeals court has already put the mandate on hold. And earlier this week, a district court blocked the administration from enforcing a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in 10 states.

Biden administration restarts ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy » The Biden administration will reinstate the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy for migrants, starting next week.

That in response to a court order blocking the president’s attempt to scrap the program on his first day in office.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden opposed the move but had no choice.

PSAKI: We are in a situation where we’re under, abiding by a court ruling. And so that is what we are working to implement at this point in time.

Under a revised agreement with Mexico, U.S. officials will send asylum seekers back across the border to wait for their immigration court hearings. But it will first make sure they are vaccinated against COVID-19. The Biden administration also agreed to hear cases within six months, an attempt to address Mexico’s concern that migrants would languish in border towns.

The renewed policy will apply to migrants from Western hemisphere countries—primarily South America. The Biden administration already sends Central American migrants back to Mexico under a Trump-era pandemic policy it kept in place.

Charges in Ohio deputy shooting » Ohio prosecutors have filed murder charges against a former sheriff's deputy who fatally shot a black man nearly one year ago.

Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade shot Casey Goodson Jr. in the back five times.

On Thursday, Goodson’s family also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Meade and the sheriff’s department. It alleges wrongful death and excessive use of force.

Sean Walton is the family’s attorney.

WALTON: We now know that based on the facts and the evidence that the grand jury heard, that they believe there’s a probable cause to believe that a murder occurred.

But much about what happened the night of the shooting remains unclear … with no video evidence.

Meade’s attorney says his client followed Goodson after seeing him wave a gun at a passing car. He says he fired after Goodson aimed the gun at him.

Goodson’s family members say even though he had a permit to carry a gun, he was holding a sandwich when he was shot. Investigators said they recovered a gun at the scene but have not offered any other details.

Baseball lockout begins » Major League Baseball entered its first work stoppage in 26 years on Thursday.

Team owners locked out players after they failed to reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he knew the lockout would not be good for the game. But he said the owners could not agree to the players’ terms.

MANFRED: The players association as is their right made an aggressive set of proposals in May and they have refused to budge from the core of those proposals. Things like a shortened reserve period, a $100 million reduction in revenue sharing and salary arbitration for the whole two-year class are bad for the sport, bad for the fans and bad for competitive balance.

Tony Clark heads the players union. He accused Manfred of misrepresentations and said further negotiations were useless when team owners opted for a lockout rather than talk through disagreements.

Spring training is set to start on Feb. 16th, with the first game scheduled for March 31st. The last time contract negotiations halted the game, in 1994, players went on strike for nearly eight months.

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