Coronavirus news from the Bay Area: Jan. 14-20
Chronicle Staff
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The Chronicle began covering the coronavirus crisis before the first cases were reported in the Bay Area and a pandemic was declared in 2020. We reorganized the newsroom to dedicate nearly every resource to stories focusing on the health and economic disasters. Every day we have published live updates to reflect the most critical local, national and global updates on COVID-19, and this news is free of charge in an effort to keep our community safe and informed.
Read the previous updates from Jan. 7-13
Read the next batch of updates for Jan. 21-27
The Trump administration advanced a flurry of biofuel policy proposals Jan. 15, including plans that could help ethanol producers sell more of the corn-based fuel.
Originally published on January 22, 2021 6:25 am
In normal times, the first day of the legislative session would find the hallways of the Oregon state Capitol flooded with people lobbyists, legislative assistants, the public, reporters.
But these are not normal times.
Instead of being a place of bustling energy, the halls of the state Capitol held silence on Tuesday, the first official day of the 2021 session. Lawmakers delayed gathering after heeding warnings from law enforcement that violent demonstrations could coincide with the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. The Oregon state Capitol’s first-floor windows were boarded up.
The last-minute delay of legislative action is a fitting beginning for a session lawmakers expect to be more focused on responding to urgent crises than pursuing sweeping policy agendas.
Damn Refreshing : Mayor Pete Gets Friendly Reception At Senate Hearing
at 2:53 pm NPR
Senate confirmation hearings can get a little heated. But Pete Buttigieg, President Biden s high-profile nominee for secretary of transportation, got a reception that was downright warm. You know what the hell you re talking about, and that s pretty damn refreshing, said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., when he got a chance at the mic at Buttigieg s hearing on Thursday.
The senators on the Commerce Committee, including many Republicans, embraced Buttigieg s background as the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and appreciated his willingness to dive deep into granular policy issues at the hearing.
In a potential sign of the hurdles to come, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
“If and when our Democratic friends depart from common sense, when they retreat from common ground, when their proposals would harm the common good then we’ll use the power the American people have given us to push for what is right,” McConnell said.
It’s a stark reminder of the partisan divisions awaiting Biden, a decades-long deal cutter who came up through the party’s centrist lane and is pledging to unify an increasingly frayed country.
Hanging over any scheduling in the Capitol is the timing of Trump’s second trial, with senators waiting to see when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi