mr. mcconnell: now, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10:00 a.m. tuesday, december 8. further, that l ting the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. further, following leader remarks, the senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the simington nomination under the previous order. finally you i ask that the senate recess following the cloture vote on the simington nomination until 2:15 to allow for the weekly conference meetings. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: if there is no further business to come before the senate i ask that it stand adjourned under the provisions of s. res. 759 as a further rash of respect for the late william roger jepsen, former senator from iowa. the presiding officer: under the previous order, and p

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senate majority leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: so, mr. president, for the information of all senators, we'll have a live quorum call at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow followed immediately by a roll call vote on proceeding to the veto message on the ndaa. so senators should be on the floor at that time. again, that's 5:00 p.m. tomorrow. i understand there are two bills at the desk and i ask for their first reading en bloc. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title of the bills for the first time. the clerk: s. 5085, a bhil to amend the internal revenue service of 1986 for the recovery rebates and so forth. h.r. 9051, an act to amend the internal revenue service i.r.s. to increase recovery rebate amounts and so forth and for other purposes. mr. mcconnell: i ask for a second reading and object to my own request en bloc. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bills will rece

mr. mcconnell: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. is there objection to the original? mr. sanders: i

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: today the senate was supposed to finish legislation securing critical tools, training, and support for america's armed forces. but the junior senator from vermont had other ideas. remember, senator sanders spent last summer literally trying to defund our military. not my words, mr. president, by the title of a piece he published, defund the pentagon, the liberal case. our colleague authored an amendment to strip 10% of funding from our service members and decimate our defense budget. the russians aren't cutting military funding. china isn't cutting funding. but last summer senator sanders and fellow democrats, including the democratic leader voted to make america unilaterally disarmed and cut ours. the left took a break from trying to defund the police to try to defund our armed forces. the amendment went down in a landslide. but now our colleague from vermont is again putting political stunts before the needs of ou

mr. mcconnell: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding ofcer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: quorum call: a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. he. a senator: mr. president, e we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: yes,sir. a senator: i move we suspend the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. blunt: mr. president, you and i are here today, and we've been meeting here today in washington at really a groundbreaking moment as we continue this battle for our health, for our economy, and against the virus. and what makes this such a critical moment is the developments we've seen in the last ten days regarding a vaccine. in a public health -- public health experts around the world have agreed almost from day one that the way to really find the end of this pandemic, the ultimate weapon would be a vaccine and a vaccine that worked. in less than a year ago, january and february, we were hearing that two years would set a record to develop a vaccine, that sometimes a vaccine developed on a new dis

mr. mcconnell: first, mr. president, as the senate reconvenes this afternoon, i'm especially happy to welcome back especially happy to welcome back stomach as the senate reconvenes i'm especially happy to welcome back senator grassley from quarantine working from home following his covid test two weeks ago we all predicted if any member of the body had the stamina and the spirit to kick the virus to the curb it would certainly be him. and sure enough, xpour colleague reports he experienced no symptoms and his doctors and cleared him to come back to work and we are glad to have him back. chairman grassley had to put consecutive votes temporarily on hold for the sake of other people of course that leadership is nothing new for the senator from iowa i am confident our colleague will pick up exactly where he left off with his perfect attendance record and the tireless work for iowans that it represents. may benefit from his leadership so the senate is back in session to finish up 2020 the american people are count

mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3:00 p.m., wednesday, december 30, further, that the journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, finally, following leader remarks, the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to tense minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until >> today the senate began consideration of an override of president trump's veto of an offense program of the policy bill. majority leader mitch mcconnell set the smoke for tomorrow. senator bernie sanders objected. as expected by the end of the week. democratic leader chuck schumer plan to bring about an immediate vote on the increase in stimulus checks. later mcconnell objected . is on today's debate. >> congress i

mr. mcconnell: today the mr. mcconnell: today the new today the senate was supposed to finish legislation securing critical tools, training at that port for america's armed forces but the junior senator from vermont had other ideas. senator sanders spent last summer literally trying to defend their military. not my words, mr. president that the title of the piece he published defund the pentagon, the liberal case. her colleague had an amendment to strip funding from our decimate our defense spending for the russians arein cutting military funding but last summer senator sanders and fellow democrats including the democratic leader voted to make america a unilaterally cut hours. the break from trying to defund the police to try to defund our armed forces. their amendment went down in a landslide that our colleague from vermont is again putting political stunts before the needs of our men and women in uniform. my colleague says he will slow down this vital bill unless he gets another stand-alone proposal from speaker

mr. mcconnell: i understand that there are two bills at the desk due a second reading en bloc. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the titles of the bills for the second time. the clerk: s. 5885 -- 5085, a bill to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to increase the additional 2020 recovery rebates, to repeal section 230 of the communications act of 1934, and for other purposes. h.r. 9051, an act to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to increase recovery rebate amounts to $2,000 for individuals and for other purposes. mr. mcconnell: in order to place the bills on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14, i'd object to further proceeding en bloc. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bills will be placed on the calendar. mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: now, mr. president, i was prepared this afternoon to speak about the business the senate must address, and i will do that. but first i must respond to the recent announcement by the junior senator from missouri that he intends to contest th

mcconnell: mr. president, on a complete different matter, the senate revolves around people. reinvolves around peopl. one of our key duties involves the personnel we examine and confirm. there are all the dedicated staff professionals who make this place go. today it is both my great honor and regrettable task to honor someone who secured our three parts of that senatorial triple crown. the senior senator from tennessee, the chairman of the committee on health, education, labor, and pensions, lamar alexander. lamar first set foot here as a talented young staffer. decades later he appeared before us as a super-successful former governor and university president with a nomination to the cabinet. and for the past 18 years, the other 99 of us have gotten to serve along one of the most impactful senators in modern american history. i have known lamar for more than 50 years. we first met in 1969 when i was working for a freshman senator named marlo cook, and he worked down in the executive branch. we met at the suggestion of his previous boss and mentor, senator howard baker. eithe

mr. mcconnell: over the last four years our country has been benefited from a presidential term filled with major accomplishments. president donald trump has repeatedly surprised the skeptics, confounded his critics and delivered significant policy victories that have strengthened our country. case in point, back in may when the president set the goal of finding a pandemic-ending vaccine by the end of this year, his timeline was literally dismissed by people who assumed they knew better. here was one quote. trump promises coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year scoffed one headline, but his own experts temper expectations. fact check, complained another headline, coronavirus could come this year trump says. experts say needs a miracle to be right. end quote. well, with the genius of science, support from congress and the bold leadership of the trump administration, that medical miracle arrived right on schedule. americans on the front lines are receiving vaccinations as we speak. this episode offers a microcosm of the last four years on so many subjects from economic prosperity to foreig

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: when i opened the senate on monday, i repeated something republicans have stated for months now -- we need to put partisanship aside and get more coronavirus relief out to the american people. dating back to the summer and all fall, senate republicans tried repeatedly to advance hundreds of billions of dollars to prevent layoffs, protect small businesses, fund vaccine distribution and continue assist workers who have already lost their jobs to the cries. every time the speaker of the house and the senate democratic leader blocked our efforts. it had to be entirely of their left-wing wish list or nothing at all. finally this week we're seeing cracks starting to form in the democratic leader's stonewall. and thank goodness for the country that that is finally happening. in the last several days the democratic leaders have signaled a new willingness to engage in good faith and yesterday a number of senate democrats proposed a different compromise. but at the risk of repeating i

mr. mcconnell: for the information of all senators and, more importantly for the american people, we can finally report what our nation has needed to hear for a very long time. more help is on the way. moments ago in consultation with our committees, the four leaders of the senate and the house finalized an agreement. it will be another major rescue package for the american people. if our citizens continue to battle the coronavirus this holiday season, they will not fight alone. we agreed to a package of nearly $900 billion, it is packed with targeted policies that help struggling americans who wait entirely too long. for the workers at the hardest hit small businesses, there will be a targeted second draw of the paycheck protection program. we've not worked so hard to serve as many jobs as possible all these months only to fumble the ball with vaccinations already under way. we can nullify the success of operation warp speed by falling asleep at the switch on distribution so this agreement will provide huge sums for the logistics that will get these lifesaving shots to our citizens as f

here's mr mcconnell speaking on the senate floor on tuesday.ent—electjoe biden. the president—elect is no stranger to the senate. he's devoted himself to public service for many years. i also want to congratulate the vice president—elect, our colleague from california, senator harris. beyond our differences, all americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president—elect for the very first time. mr biden has gone to the state of georgia to campaign for the democrats in next month's senate run—off elections. he gave a speech in atlanta. two seats will be decided on the 5th of january, and if the democrats win them both, they will split the senate total 50—50. but as the vice president, kamala harris, would have the casting vote in the event of a tie, the democrats would control all three of the white house, the senate and the house of representatives. jon and raphael are running on the commitment to be senators for all georgians. i'm asking you what you're already doing to support them, because if you do, the doors of promise and

mr. president, but i am afraid young lamar alexander and young mitch mcconnell didn't go crazy and paint the town red. both of us headed back home to continue our careers. it was already clear that a bright future likely lay in store for him. lamar's reverence for public service started early. i believe he was about ten years old when his father, himself a longtime local official, took him to meet his congressman, howard bake sr., the father of his future boss hand him a dime. i think lamar was hooked then and that. decades later when lamar announced his 1996 presidential run be, he was in his hometown of merriville. his people began with a story about his mother. she lovingly described his upbringing as lower middle class and she had taken umbrage to that. after all, lamar had a library card and music lessons. in her words, quote, everything you needed that was important, end quote. and i'd certainly add loving parents to the list. this son of two educators grew up steeped in the importance of schooling. he'd later reference his mother's work in recallly childhood education -- in early

mr. mcconnell offered no such compromise. so i think frankly we ought to move on, because i don't think we can beat this horse anymore. we aren't going to agree. but pass a bill. have a comprehensive bill that helps those children, unemployed and those renters, who are going to be evicted. you think that helps small businesses and small grocery stores or barber shops, you think it helps the gasoline stayings? it does not. if they are going belly up and don't have any resources, we're in this together. and what i keep telling him, mr. speaker, and what i keep telling my side as well, we need to help everybody who is in such distress, not just small businesses. we need to help small businesses. the airlines say they are going to stop flying. doesn't help them. i yield. mr. scalise: if we wanted to pass another cares act-type piece of legislation as we have seen in both other cares' act bills, you have a lot of willingness and interest on this side of the aisle which was there on both of those votes. there are clearly things in

mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: now, madam president, everywhere you look there are signs the country needs emergency federal relief before the end of the year. cases, hospitalizations, deaths are rising. covid restrictions are snapping back into place in cities and states around the country. economists are warning of a double-dip recession if congress fails to pass another round of fiscal stimulus. the situation is really quite simple. there are glaring needs in the country, and we will need to work across party lines to pass legislation to meet those needs. let me say it again. we need both parties to sit down and compromise on legislation to help the american people. that's the only way to get legislation passed. but observers of this process seem to have lost track of this simple truth. the republican leader seems to have forgotten about it entirely. amazingly it's been over eight months since congress came together to pass the cares act and the leader's posi

mr. mcconnell: so if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the the presiding officer: the >> the senate today is continuing work on the overriding president trump's veto of the 2021 defense programs and policy bill. it will have more live in senate coverage with the back in two session here on "c-span2". and here's a look at some of today's debate. >> is today the senate was finally able to proceed to this year's national defense authorization act. if you are democratic calling simple out all the stops to holdback this crucial bill. but last night, a big bipartisan majority evading the senators who voted to proceed. there should be nothing controversial about giving our brave men and women's and uniform the tools and training they need to stay safe. this should be nothing controversial about continuing the work of rebuilding and modernizing our capabilities and it should be a nonpartisan proposition that america should keep pace with russia and china. rather than slip behind. we've enacted an a

mr. mcconnell: for the information of all senators and, more importantly for the american people, we can finally report what our nation has needed to hear for a very long time. more help is on the way. moments ago in consultation with our committees, the four leaders of the senate and the house finalized an agreement. it will be another major rescue package for the american people. if our citizens continue to battle the coronavirus this holiday

mr mcconnell also urged fellow republicans not to object to the result when congress meets to ratify second coronavirus vaccine looks about to be approved for emergency use in the us. the food and drug administration says the moderna jab is safe and ninety—four per cent effective — and can be stored at higher temperatures than the vaccine developed by pfizer and biontech. if approved shipments could begin within 2a hours. pressure is increasing on the uk government to revise its relaxation of covid restrictions in england over christmas. days before the changes are due to take effect, two leading medicaljournals are saying they would be a mistake — and could cost countless lives. now on bbc news — there will be further talks tomorrow amid concern there will be a significant rise in cases. two leading medical journalists of joined cases. two leading medical journalists ofjoined forces to say that easing the rules for five days is rash and will cost many lives. christmas mixing will be a big mistake, that's the bleak message from two publications representing health and medical leaders

mr. mcconnell is putting forth in terms of liability is such an assault on american workers that i hope that the group goes nowhere near what he is presenting. reporter: at what point do you start negotiating directly with leader mcconnell. ms. pelosi: the normal course of events to is the committee through their negotiation and appropriators, you've heard me say again and again, left to their own devices the appropriators can come to the solutions. i've spoke within the chairman of the committee in the senate, senator shelby. i think he's committed to keeping government open and having a bipartisan bill. nita lowey on our side. those are the two main negotiators in all of this. also again they want to find common ground and i think they're close to that. and then when the committees cannot find their common ground, what is left is what is kicked p to the principal -terms of leadership. we don't negotiate the bill all along. so when that comes, if they have not resolved, which i hope they will and they can, then that's when we would as normal, regular order would be. reporter: this week, con

mr. mcconnell: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask is it sta adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until and of the senate gobbling out. they worked on judicial nominations today and present trump's nominee for the national administration board. tomorrow arizona democrat and former mark kelly will be sworn into the senate. he defeated senator mar that mcsally in november but we could seeork on federal spending package this week live senate coverage here on cspan2. >> a senate armed service subcommittee looks at marine readiness with a hearing on wednesday. our live coverage but separate 915 eastern on c-span three, online at c-span.org or listen live with the free c-span radio app. earlier today senate republican and democratic leaders held news conferences to discuss the current state of covid-19 negotiations. first move from senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. and senate republicans. cnet. [background noises] [background noises] >> good afternoon everyone. we just had a lunch

the roadblock wasn't what kind of a militant mind mr mcconnell was forced to take 30 years to reach the destination. or that he took a one car was speeding up to make it to. the rally time old soviet. garbage . the final act of these elections is about to be. the people get out to vote despite the movement's contradictions and the fia instilled by the by mimicking the violence come with a give the precedence back to the indigenous movement. we had to wait for election day. battles we don't feel. any good is good enough for the leader. of the party's headquarters he said that he had waited for the results by checking the vote count through the party's own monitoring system. let's just say. it's clear she's. outside the headquarters supporters of commissars began banking points protesting against a possible return of religious movements to. the yanks if that's what she told to be published at 8 pm but without any explanation. ready to. be announcement was cancelled and the images of the threat of violence against the mosque party's headquarters were broadcasting say the monks because that

mr. mcconnell: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. is there objection to the original? mr. sanders: i mr. markey: madam president, this is our historic moment. we can see the suffering across our country. we can see how desperate people are. we can see how during this holiday season, the people are looking at the prospects in the words of tony fauci where the worst may be ahead of us for these families. the worst may yet to have been actually inflicted upon families in our country, and yet the republicans are refusing to allow for a vote on giving each individual $2,000 in order to make it through the rest of this pandemic. and senator sanders today speaks for the millions of americans who are suffering through a devastating health crisis, an unemployment crisis, an eviction crisis, a hunger crisis, and a crisis of faith, faith that their leaders in this country will stand up and provide for americans in their hour of need. whenwhile, we here in walking -- meanwhile, we here in washington, we must confront a moral crisis. why can't we keep working families from starving

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: our bipartisan discussions are continuing to make significant headway toward another relief package for the american people. democratic leaders, speaker pelosi, leader mccarthy and i have been working around the clock. i'm even more optimistic now than i was last night that a bipartisan, bicameral framework for a major rescue package is very close at hand. well, let's face it, though, mr. president, it doesn't help struggling americans keep their jobs or endure unemployment or pay their rent or get vaccines any faster to keep hearing that we're having good discussions. what families across the country deserve, what they have needed and deserve for months now is an outcome, another targeted relief package to get more assistance into the hands as fast as possible. struggling small business owners have already waited too long for a targeted second round of p.p.p. laid-off workers have waited too long to have expiring programs extended, kids, teachers, parents, have waited too l

onto the senate here with these elections in your origin if they lose you just one of those nuns mr mcconnell's no clue drawn into shero part and mitch mcconnell's the big problem right now you know he's been proposing only 500000000000 stimulus since last june and he hasn't budged on that the democrats have come down to 3 trillion last year one to 2 trillion in in august to 980000000000 now but the republicans and mitch mcconnell in the broad they want to get their way or no other way and then it doesn't work promising knowing into you know the next next administration because the priest never in charge nothing else is going to get really done in terms of stimulus and even if it's not even if the democrats in my opinion are able to take those 2 houses down in georgia i think you know the democrats and biden are going to going to go very slow because of their narrow majority and they're not going to do with they need to do to stimulate this economy i mean just look at these appointments the depressive ring of the democrats get any room not one not one appointment which really should tell you wh

they want the amount increased from $600 $2,000, but mr mcconnell branded it wasteful.e package that has been signed four days ago, than what they need is smart, smart targeted aid, notjust another firehose of borrowed money that encompasses other people who we re encompasses other people who were doing other people who are doing just fine. senate democrats supports this and president trump tweeted $2000 asap. for once, we agree with something on president trump off twitter feed! a republican senator is to raise objections in the us congress to the presidential election results. that will force both houses to debate claims of fraud before they can ratify joe biden's win. josh hawley is the first member of the upper house to back formal congressional attempts to dispute mr biden's victory. the missouri senator claims congress has failed to investigate voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections. he has not cited any specific examples of fraud, and the courts have already rejected dozens of allegations from the trump legal team. the development

here's mr mcconnell speaking on the senate floor on tuesday.—electjoe biden. the president—elect is no stranger to the senate. he's devoted himself to public service for many years. i also want to congratulate the vice president—elect, our colleague from california, senator harris. beyond our differences, all americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president—elect for the very first time. mr biden has gone to the state of georgia to campaign for the democrats in next month's senate run—off elections. he gave a speech in atlanta. two seats will be decided on the 5th of january, and if the democrats win them both, they will split the senate total 50—50. but as the vice president, kamala harris would have the casting vote in the event of a tie. the democrats would control all three of the white house, the senate and the house of representatives. in both races, a republican incumbent faces a democratic newcomer. jon ossoff, 33, a documentary film—maker is competing against senator david perdue, who is 70. while senator kelly loef

mr mcconnell also urged fellow republicans not to object to the result when congress meets to ratifyt. a second coronavirus vaccine looks about to be approved for emergency use in the us. the food and drug administration says the moderna jab is safe and 94% effective, and can be stored at higher temperatures than the vaccine developed by pfizer and biontech. if approved shipments could begin within 2a hours. pressure is increasing on the uk government to revise its relaxation of covid restrictions in england over christmas. days before the changes are due to take effect, two leading medicaljournals are saying they would be a mistake and could cost countless lives. now on bbc news, it's tuesday in parliament. hello and welcome to tuesday in parliament. coming up on this programme: the government sets out new plans to protect children from online harms. a 13—year—old should no longer be able to access pornographic images on twitter. mps hear from the senior midwife who led an inquiry into britain's worst maternity scandal. there was also a culture of well, this is your fault to the mot

mr mcconnell also urged fellow republicans not to object to the result when congress meets to ratify emergency use in the us. the food and drug administration says the moderna jab is safe and ninety—four per cent effective — and can be stored at higher temperatures than the vaccine developed by pfizer and biontech. if approved shipments could begin within 2a hours. pressure is increasing on the uk government to revise its relaxation of covid restrictions in england over christmas. days before the changes are due to take effect, two leading medicaljournals are saying they would be

mr mcconnell also urged fellow republicans not to object to the result when congress meets to ratifybbc news, it's hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. in any society, the voices that are listened to, joe biden categorically and decisively won and will be moving in next month. so, what now for the enraged incumbent and his most loyal associates. my and his most loyal associates. my guest today is the ceo of newsmax, the right wing media organisation that is tried to outfox fox news being more donald trump and donald trump. is this destined to be paralysed with division? chris, in new york, welcome to heart talk. —— acro one. donald trump has not yet conceded and is your newsmax network not prepared to acknowledgejoe biden did win the election, he is the president—elect? biden did win the election, he is the president-elect? yes. and it has been our consistent statement all along on election night when the president was in a very close contest in six states where it is 1% or less, two of the states were half percent in georgia was a quarter of a percent, we said that we

mr. mcconnell offered no such compromise. so i think frankly we ought to move on, because i don't think we can beat this horse anymore. we aren't going to agree. but pass a bill. have a comprehensive bill that helps those children, unemployed and those renters, who are going to be evicted. you think that helps small businesses and small grocery stores or barber shops, you think it helps the gasoline stayings? it does not. if they are going belly up and don't have any resources, we're in this together. and what i keep telling him, mr. speaker, and what i keep telling my side as well, we need to help everybody who is in such distress, not just small businesses. we need to help small businesses. the airlines say they are going to stop flying. doesn't help them. i yield. mr. scalise: if we wanted to pass another cares act-type piece of legislation as we have seen in both other cares' act bills, you have a lot of willingness and interest on this side of the aisle which was there on both of those votes. there are clearly things in

mr mcconnell also urged fellow republicans not to object to the result when congress meets to ratify it. a second coronavirus vaccine looks about to be approved for emergency use in the us. the food and drug administration says the moderna jab is safe and 94% effective, and can be stored at higher temperatures than the vaccine developed by pfizer and biontech. if approved, shipments could begin within 2a hours. pressure is increasing on the uk government to revise its relaxation of covid restrictions in england over christmas. days before the changes are due to take effect, two leading medicaljournals are saying they would be a mistake and could cost countless lives. now on bbc news it's hardtalk, with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. the us electoral college has spoken, even if outgoing president donald trump refuses to hear it. joe biden categorically and conclusively won the white house and he'll be moving in next month. so what now for the enraged incumbent and his most loyal associates? well, my guest today is chris ruddy, ceo of newsmax, the right—wing m

mr mcconnell also urged fellow republicans not to object to the result when congress meets to ratify it. a second coronavirus vaccine looks set to be approved for emergency use in the us. the food and drug administration says the moderna jab is safe and 94% effective, and it can be stored at higher temperatures than the vaccine developed by pfizer and biontech. if approved shipments could begin within 2a hours. pressure is increasing for the uk government to revise its relaxation of covid restrictions in england over christmas. days before the changes, two leading medicaljournals say the move would be a mistake, that could cost countless lives. now on bbc news, join zeinab badawi, her panel of experts and question askers from around the world to discuss the race for a vaccine for covid—19. hello, and welcome to the royal college of physicians in london. we've come here for this edition of global questions to talk about covid—19 and vaccines. well, the united kingdom is the first western country to roll out a mass nationwide vaccination programme, and we're all hoping this will mark t

robert taft, the mitch mcconnell of the day, mr. republican candidate for president privately knew what mccarthy was doing was reckless and dangerous. he thought it was expedient for the party because initially he was targeting the truman administration. the problem was that it kept going and he went after the eisenhower administration and had these reckless charges of communist infiltration everywhere. in much the same way they are making the calculations in the senate and house that it is in their interests to let trump poison the system this way both because it makes it tough for biden to get a second look. others like dan crenshaw has said this could be the basis for a new round of voter suppression. it goes to a point where you are saying we're going to look at the short-term party interests over what is clearly a danger -- >> craven. >> they're dealing with death threats. >> greedy and craven. john, i think your answer is going to be. i think i know where you're going. let me play this. one of georgia's top officials happens t

mr. mcconnell to do what so many americans desire?dward: i think it is a political fame coming from media coverage or getting pushed by his individual members. the bipartisan group is putting more pressure on him. last that was an interesting situation where you have bernie theers, josh hawley on floor together pushing for another round of fiscal support checks because they see their constituents suffering. where ites of events is not viewed as a one-party situation but there is a bipartisan, strange ideological mix pushing for things. fights,ast, on these the only thing that works in my mind has been the same. jonathan: great to catch up with you. a first week of january 2021 we have lined up for you all. tuesday the fifth, the georgia runoff. friday the eighth is the payrolls report in the u.s. for what many people expect to be a difficult month, the month of december. tom: you noted at the top of the show the idea of claims coming in ugly and we get two more of those before we get to the late january report. we are going to get a s

mr. mcconnell is the one making the rules. when you haven't seen banks like, and i have paperwork from my country, which i've tried to get away from. if they would have done pandemic relief right to begin with, which was set pretty well, we would have had better thanksgiving gravy and better christmas. now, i've been writing a song about this because there's more people unemployed, more people having more problems. and, you know -- and small businesses going under. it's like they've been robbed. >> elise gould. >> the devastation didn't need to happen and when we think of the losses people have had, we have to think of the health consequences and the devastating deaths and difficulties that many people have had in this country. but absolutely, the economic devastation has been felt across the country and has effected millions of people. >> to nick in -- linda is up first. good morning. >> caller: good morning. i'm an essential worker and i have been employed but some of the places that we've been working for have closed down b

robert taft, the mitch mcconnell of his stay, the senate republican leader, mr. republican, candidate for president multiple times, privately knew what mccarthy was doing was both reckless and dangerous, but he thought it was expedient for the party because initially he was targeting the truman administration. the problem was that it kept going, and he kept -- he went after the eisenhower administration and had these reckless charges of kind of communist infiltration everywhere in much a the same way we're watching the republicans make the calculation in the senate and house that it is in their interest to let trump poisen the political system both because it makes it tougher from bide ton get a second look from republican voters if they believe the election was stolen. others suggested this could be the basis for a new round of voter suppression. and you know, it just goes to kind of a point where you are saying, we're going to look at our narrow, immediate, short-term party interests over what is clearly an enormous danger to the party and now they're dealing w

mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. scott: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 189, senate 1151, i ask that the committee substitute amendment be agreed to, the the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. murphy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. murphy: mr. president, reserving the right to object. this is a substantial proposal, one that merits full consideration on the floor of the senate with the opportunity to debate and amend to understand how many government agencies would be affected, to understand whether it merits a sunset date to understand what the effect will be not just on the regime of venezuela but the people of venezuela and for that reason i would object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. mr. scott: mr

mcconnell doing? ramming through more nominees like mr. hawppedman and mr. waller who keep stacking the deck in favor of their wall street friends, keep trying to hold oobt the power after americans said no, we want something different. mr. mcconnell needs to stop letting donald trump sabotage the economic recovery on his way out the door and get to work for the people we serve. if you love this country, you fight for people who make it work. our workers who organize in union halls and church basements and fought for workers' rights and women's rights and civil rights. in closing, mr. president, -- i know that senator lee wants to speak -- i have learned from my time in the senate and before that, i have worn this pin on my lapel. it's a depiction of a canary in a bird cage. you may remember the old labor story of the worker -- the coal miner that took the canary down in the mines. if the canary died from suffocation or lack of oxygen or some contaminant in the air, the mine worker got out of the mines. he had no union in those days to protect himself. he ha

mr. mcconnell: first, mr. president, as the senate reconvenes this afternoon, i'm especially happy to welcome back especially happy to welcome back stomach as the senate reconvenes i'm especially happy to welcome back senator grassley from quarantine working from home

mcconnell: mr. president, on a complete different matter, the senate revolves around people. the body consists of 100 individuals. one of our key duties concerns the personnel that we examine and confirm. and there are all the dedicated staff professionals that makes it go. i'd like to honor someone who does all three parts, lamar alexander. foot here as a talented young staffer. decades later, he appeared before us as a super successful former governor and university president, with a nomination to the cabinet. and for the past 18 years, the other 99 of us have gotten to serve alongside one of the most impactful senators in modern american history. lamar for more than 50 years. 1969, when i was working for a freshman senator named marlo cook. and he worked down in the executive branch. we met at the suggestion of his previous boss and mentor, senator howard baker. either he suspected our paths mike ross again later or he just saw two serious young guys that needed livelier social lives. now, this may shock you, mr. president, but i'm afraid young lamar alexander and young mi

mr. mcconnell is putting forth in terms of liability is an assault. >> every time they delayed, deflected the goel post and made the places we agree a hostage. >> leaders would argue they're representing the wishes of supporters. yes, americans are divided on just what to do. a new survey suggests doing nothing is not acceptable. 79% of voters want an economic stimulus bill. 95% want the president and congress to work together more closely to solve the important problems facing the country. republican polster conducted that. ed, good to see you. here's the conundrum. after the polarized election, everybody says please get something done. try to do something. but in your own data, 31% of all voters believe biden won because of massive voter fraud, 68% of republicans believe that. if you're mitch mcconnell, leader of the senate, kevin mccarthy, republican leader in the house, who are you answering to? the broader electorate or republicans that are still stoked and fired up, and you know the next election is a midterm and that's a base election. >> i think through their own demise, i think t