A4 The BulleTin • Friday, January 15, 2021
STATE & NATION
Biden unveils $1.9T plan to stem
COVID-19 and steady economy
BY RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
AND BILL BARROW
The Associated Press
WILMINGTON, Del. — Presi-
dent-elect Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9
trillion coronavirus plan Thursday
to end “a crisis of deep human suf-
fering” by speeding up vaccines and
pumping out financial help to those
struggling with the pandemic’s pro-
longed economic fallout.
Called the “American Rescue
Plan,” the legislative proposal would
meet Biden’s goal of administering
100 million vaccines by the 100th
day of his administration, and ad-
vance his objective of reopening
most schools by the spring. On a
parallel track, it delivers another
round of aid to stabilize the economy
while the public health effort seeks
the upper hand on the pandemic.
“We not only have an economic
imperative to act now — I believe we
have a moral obligation,” Biden said
in a nationwide address. At the same
time, he acknowledged that his plan
“does not come cheaply.”
Biden proposed $1,400 checks
Matt Slocum/AP
President-elect Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 pandemic during an event at
The Queen theater on Thursday in Wilmington, Delaware.
for most Americans, which on top
of $600 provided in the most recent
COVID-19 bill would bring the total
to the $2,000 that Biden has called
for. It would also extend a temporary
boost in unemployment benefits and
a moratorium on evictions and fore-
closures through September.
And it shoehorns in long-term
Democratic policy aims such as in-
creasing the minimum wage to $15
an hour, expanding paid leave for
workers, and increasing tax credits
for families with children. The last
item would make it easier for women
to go back to work, which in turn
would help the economy recover.
But Democrats have narrow mar-
gins in both chambers of Congress,
and Republicans will push back on
issues that range from increasing the
minimum wage to providing more
money for states, while demanding
inclusion of their priorities, such as
liability protection for businesses.
“The crisis of deep human suffer-
ing is in plain sight, and there’s not
time to waste,” Biden said. “We have
to act and we have to act now.”
Still, he sought to manage expec-
tations. “We’re better equipped to do
this than any nation in the world,” he
said. “But even with all these small
steps, it’s going to take time.”
His relief bill would be paid for
with borrowed money, adding to
trillions in debt the government has
already incurred to confront the
pandemic. Aides said Biden will
make the case that the additional
spending and borrowing is necessary
to prevent the economy from slid-
ing into an even deeper hole. Inter-
est rates are low, making debt more
manageable.
Trump impeachment trial to focus on his attacks on election
BY LISA MASCARO
AND MARY CLARE JALONICK
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Pres-
ident Donald Trump’s his-
toric second impeachment
could go to trial as soon as
Inauguration Day, with U.S.
senators serving not only as
jurors but as shaken personal
witnesses and victims of the
deadly siege of the Capitol by
a mob of his supporters.
Trump is the only presi-
dent to be twice impeached,
and the first to be prose-
cuted as he leaves the White
House, an ever-more-ex-
traordinary end to the de-
feated president’s tenure.
In pursuing conviction,
House impeachment man-
agers said Thursday they
will be making the case that
Trump’s incendiary rhetoric
hours before the bloody at-
tack on the Capitol was not
isolated, but rather part of an
escalating campaign to over-
turn the November election
results. It culminated, they
will argue, in the Republican
president’s rally cry to “fight
like hell” as Congress was
tallying the Electoral College
votes to confirm he’d lost to
Democrat Joe Biden.
The trial could begin
shortly after Biden takes the
oath of office next Wednes-
day, but some Democrats
are pushing for a later trial
to give him time to set up his
administration and work on
other priorities. No date has
been set.
Whenever it starts, the
impeachment trial will force
a further reckoning for the
Republican Party and the
senators who largely stood
by Trump throughout his
presidency and allowed him
to spread false attacks against
the 2020 election. Last week’s
assault angered lawmak-
TODAY
Today is Friday, Jan. 15, the 15th day
of 2021. There are 350 days left in
the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Jan. 15, 2020, Chinese officials
said they couldn’t rule out the pos-
sibility that a new coronavirus in
central China could spread between
humans, though they said the risk of
transmission appeared to be low.
In 1862, the U.S. Senate confirmed
President Abraham Lincoln’s choice
of Edwin M. Stanton to be the new
Secretary of War, replacing Simon
Cameron.
In 1865, as the Civil War neared its
end, Union forces captured Fort
Fisher near Wilmington, North Car-
olina, depriving the Confederates of
their last major seaport.
In 1892, the original rules of bas-
ketball, devised by James Naismith,
were published for the first time in
Springfield, Massachusetts, where
the game originated.
In 1929, civil rights leader Martin Lu-
ther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta.
In 1942, Jawaharlal Nehru was
named to succeed Mohandas K.
Gandhi as head of India’s Congress
Party.
In 1943, work was completed on
the Pentagon, the headquarters of
the U.S. Department of War (now
Defense).
In 1973, President Richard M.
Nixon announced the suspension
of all U.S. offensive action in North
Vietnam, citing progress in peace
negotiations.
In 1974, the situation comedy “Hap-
py Days” premiered on ABC-TV.
In 1976, Sara Jane Moore was
sentenced to life in prison for her at-
tempt on the life of President Gerald
R. Ford in San Francisco. (Moore was
released on the last day of 2007.)
In 1993, a historic disarmament
ceremony ended in Paris with the
last of 125 countries signing a treaty
banning chemical weapons.
In 2009, US Airways Capt. Chesley
“Sully” Sullenberger ditched his Air-
bus 320 in the Hudson River after a
flock of birds disabled both engines;
all 155 people aboard survived.
In 2014, a highly critical and bipar-
tisan Senate report declared that
the deadly Sept. 2012 assault on the
American diplomatic compound in
Benghazi, Libya, could have been
prevented; the report spread blame
among the State Department, the
military and U.S. intelligence.
Ten years ago: Several internation-
al envoys — but crucially none from
the world powers — got a look
inside an Iranian nuclear site at the
invitation of the Tehran government
before a new round of talks on Iran’s
disputed atomic activities. Miss Ne-
braska Teresa Scanlan won the Miss
America pageant in Las Vegas. Actor
Susannah York, 72, died in London.
Five years ago: Al-Qaida fighters
attacked a hotel and cafe in Burkina
Faso’s capital, killing 30 people. A
search began for two Marine heli-
copters carrying 12 crew members
that collided off the Hawaiian island
of Oahu during a nighttime training
mission; there were no survivors. A
federal judge rejected Boston Mar-
athon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s
bid for a new trial and ordered him
to pay victims of the deadly attack
more than $101 million in restitu-
tion. Actor Dan Haggerty, 74, died in
Burbank, California.
One year ago: House Democratic
leaders carried the articles of im-
peachment against President Don-
ald Trump across the U.S. Capitol in a
formal procession to the Senate. The
United States and China reached a
trade deal easing tensions between
the world’s two biggest economies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
engineered a surprise shake-up of
Russia’s leadership while proposing
changes to the country’s constitu-
tion that could keep him in power
well past the end of his term in 2024.
(Putin ordered the amendments
made to the constitution in July
2020 after a week-long vote; critics
said the reported 78% approval of
the changes had been falsified.) Two
U.S. government agencies reported
that the decade that had just ended
was by far the hottest ever mea-
sured on earth.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Margaret
O’Brien is 83. Actor Andrea Martin
is 74. College and Pro Football Hall
of Famer Randy White is 68. Ac-
tor-director Mario Van Peebles is 64.
Rock musician Adam Jones (Tool) is
56. Actor James Nesbitt is 56. Actor
Chad Lowe is 53. Alt-country singer
Will Oldham (aka Bonnie Prince Bil-
ly) is 51. Actor Regina King is 50. Ac-
tor Dorian Missick is 45. Actor Eddie
Cahill is 43. NFL quarterback Drew
Brees is 42. Rapper/reggaeton artist
Pitbull is 40. Actor Victor Rasuk is 36.
Actor Jessy Schram is 35. Electronic
dance musician Skrillex is 33. Actor/
singer Dove Cameron is 25. Sing-
er-songwriter Grace VanderWaal
(TV: “America’s Got Talent”) is 17.
541-788-5858
905 SW Rimrock Way Suite 100A
Nolan Town Square
Redmond Oregon 97756
ladiesofleadusa@gmail.com
Sharon Preston
ers, stunned the nation and
flashed unsettling imagery
around the globe, the most
serious breach of the Capitol
since the War of 1812, and
the worst by home-grown
intruders.
“The only path to any re-
unification of this broken
and divided country is by
shining a light on the truth,”
said Rep. Madeleine Dean,
D-Pa., who will serve as an
impeachment manager.
FBI launches
command post
in Portland for
possible unrest
The Associated Press
PORTLAND — The FBI said
Thursday it is setting up a com-
mand post in Portland to prepare
for any potential violent activity this
weekend and into next week related
to the mob attack in Washington,
D.C., on Jan. 6.
The agency said it will gather in-
telligence and work with other law
enforcement agencies to get ready
for potential protests this weekend
and next week in the run-up to Pres-
ident-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration
on Wednesday. Protests are expected
in the nation’s Capitol and in all 50
states by right-wing groups and sup-
porters of outgoing President Don-
ald Trump on Sunday and next week.
The Oregon National Guard has
been activated to help guard the
state Capitol in Salem and local and
state authorities are also preparing
to deal with any potential unrest.
Renn Cannon, FBI special-agent-
in-charge for Oregon, said his
agency would take a “heightened
posture” and is focused on identi-
fying individuals from Oregon in-
volved in the Jan. 6 siege on the U.S.
Capitol while disrupting any similar
plans in Oregon in the coming days.
The FBI command post will in-
clude special agents, bomb techni-
cians, an evidence response team
and tactical and intelligence teams
to respond to any violence at the
state Capitol or federal buildings.
The FBI is urging people in Ore-
gon to call us the agency at 503-224-
4181 or go to tips.fbi.gov to submit
information regarding any potential
violence at any upcoming protest
or event.
“We cannot be successful without
the help of the American people as
work to fulfill our mission: protect
the American people and uphold
the U.S. Constitution,” Cannon said
in a printed statement.