Monday Sunrise Briefing: No deal yet on U.S. economic rescue
A huge economic rescue bill in Congress careened off track Sunday.听 On Saturday, Republicans and Democrats said they were nearing agreement after marathon talks on the approximately $2 trillion package to help Americans.听But by Sunday night, the cooperation had slipped. The disagreement is reportedly over the balance between helping families, workers, and healthcare providers vs. helping corporations.听
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the plan would give workers and businesses assistance to cover payrolls for the next 10 weeks; unemployment insurance; and a one-time 鈥渂ridge payment鈥� of about $3,000 for a family of four. Democrats pushed for food aid and small business loans, and said three months of unemployment insurance is not enough. They said the draft plan has a $500 billion 鈥渃orporate slush fund鈥� that lacks specifics, and doesn鈥檛 effectively ban corporate stock buy-backs.
Investors are hoping Washington can soften the blow of the healthcare crisis and what many economists say is a looming recession.
Why We Wrote This
Good morning! Welcome to your Monday, March 23, 2020, sunrise briefing.
Here are three news events from this past weekend (while you may have been reading "Where the Crawdads Sing," or preparing your garden, and enjoying an offline life). Also, what to look for in the news this week.
[Editor鈥檚 note: As a public service,听all our coronavirus coverage听is free. No paywall.]
2. A helping hand?听China is moving quickly to help nations struggling with COVID-19. But some analysts are skeptical of Beijing鈥檚 motives. It鈥檚 using the global crisis to build political goodwill and defuse criticism that it allowed the disease to spread, critics say. 鈥淭he Chinese government's failures ... will be less harshly viewed in light of the failures of other governments to respond effectively as well,"Julian Ku at Hofstra University told the Associated Press.听
Serbia's president welcomed a shipment of medical supplies from his "brother and friend," Chinese leader Xi Jinping. China is sending 100,000 test kits to the Philippines. More than 10 flights carrying millions of masks and other supplies are bound for the Czech Republic this week.听Nearly 80 countries sent supplies to China during its outbreak. 鈥淚t is China's traditional virtue to repay goodwill with greater kindness," a Chinese foreign ministry official said, citing an ancient Confucian saying: "You throw a peach to me, and I give you a white jade for friendship.鈥�
3. Master of the 4-minute story. Kenny Rogers, the husky-voiced Grammy-winning balladeer, whose career spanned six decades and multiple music genres, passed on Friday night.听听鈥淵ou either do what everyone else is doing and you do it better, or you do what no one else is doing and you don鈥檛 invite comparison,鈥� Rogers told The Associated Press in 2015. 鈥淪o I found something that I could do that didn鈥檛 invite comparison鈥�.鈥�
His biggest hits included 鈥淟ucille,鈥� 鈥淟ady鈥� 鈥淚slands in the Stream鈥� and 鈥淭he Gambler.鈥� 鈥淜enny was one of those artists who transcended beyond one format and geographic borders,鈥� says Sarah Trahern, chief executive officer of the Country Music Association.听
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Look Ahead
Tuesday, March 24
Going home: Passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship who have been quarantined on three US military bases in California are expected to be released on Tuesday and Wednesday听
Cinematic fast-forward: 鈥�Just Mercy,鈥� a legal drama starring Jamie Foxx and Michael B. Jordan, and 鈥淭he Way Back,鈥� starring Ben Affleck, are among movies that are available on video-on demand ahead of their scheduled release date.
Thursday, March 26
Historic launch: The first national security space mission for the newly minted U.S. Space Force remains a 鈥淕o.鈥� The United Launch Alliance, a private consortium, is scheduled to launch an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying a military communications satellite.听
Economic signals: The U.S. Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week.
Saturday, March 28
Earth Hour, Lights Out: Started in 2007, this annual event encourages people and businesses to turn off their lights for one hour, starting at 8:30 p.m. local time. The event aims to draw attention to climate change, sustainability, and offer听 鈥� that puts nature at the center of international conversations,鈥� according to WWF, the main sponsor.听
Inspiration Watch
First, it was . Then, the Germans took to their balconies and rooftops to sing in solidarity with Italy. In the Bavarian town of Bamberg, they brought instruments out and ,鈥� an Italian resistance song, The Guardian reports.
And on Friday, residents of a Dallas, Texas building gathered a flash choir at the windows. Tenor Danzel Barber led the , captured on video by KERA-TV member (and building resident) and organized by Bonnie Currie, another building resident. She chose the Bill Withers song, 鈥淟ean on me" and her neighbors responded.听
"It's an ," Ms. Currie told NPR. "People coming together even though we have to stay apart."
Indeed, kindness, community, and inspiration are spreading worldwide.
Hidden gem
Start your week with a recent story that inspired Monitor readers:
Quidditch in Uganda: On this pitch, women and men are equal
Sneak preview
In tonight鈥檚 Daily Edition, watch for the changing nature of capitalism, the next story in our Navigating Uncertainty series.
Finally, check out the Monitor鈥檚 selected stories from Friday's subscription-only Daily Edition:
- How do you do social distancing in a refugee camp?
- 鈥業 love this city to my bones鈥�: How Mayor Jenny Durkan leads Seattle
- Grocery clerks get a new title: Emergency responders
- The next Tesla? Why Ohio鈥檚 鈥榲oltage valley鈥� has high hopes.
- Lemony, savory fusion: Israel's brash food revolution
This is a beta test - an experiment with an early Monday morning news update. Please give us your feedback via the link below and let us know what you think. Thank you!
