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Biden to push Democrats, vaccine mandates, Blackhawks scandal: 5 things to know Thursday

Editors
·5 min read

With domestic agenda in limbo, Biden to visit Capitol Hill to meet Democrats

Top Democrats signaled a deal is within reach on President Joe Biden's big domestic bill, but momentum fizzled and tempers flared late Wednesday as a paid family leave proposal fell out and a billionaires' tax appeared scrapped, mostly to satisfy Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. With his signature domestic initiative at stake, Biden will visit Capitol Hill Thursday morning to urge Democratic lawmakers to bring talks on the social services and climate change bill "over the finish line" before he departs for global summits overseas, according to multiple outlets, including the Associated Press. Still in the mix: Expanded health care programs, free pre-kindergarten and money to tackle climate change remain in what's at least a $1.75 trillion package. A Sunday deadline also looms for approving a smaller, bipartisan infrastructure bill or risk allowing funds for routine transportation programs to expire. But that $1 trillion bill has been held up by progressives who refuse to give their support without the bigger Biden deal.

New survey: 5% of unvaccinated adults have left job due to COVID vaccine rule

As the federal government prepares to unveil new vaccination rules for workplaces, 5% of unvaccinated adults say they have already left a job because of a COVID-19 vaccination requirement, according to a survey released Thursday. That represents 1% of all adults, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, which conducted the survey of 1,519 adults from October 14-24. The White House is reviewing an emergency Labor Department rule requested by President Joe Biden spelling out vaccination rules for businesses with 100 or more employees. When released, the rule will fill in the details on how workers at larger businesses must get vaccinated or be tested regularly for the coronavirus. Separately, federal employees and contractors must get inoculated unless they qualify for an exemption.

In wake of Blackhawks assault scandal, ex-coach to meet NHL commissioner

Joel Quenneville coached the Florida Panthers to a win Wednesday night. Whether Quenneville keeps that job will likely be determined Thursday when he meets NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in New York. The two will discuss what happened — and what didn't happen — in Chicago during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, when a player named Kyle Beach — previously known as "John Doe" — claimed he was sexually assaulted by Blackhawks video coordinator Brad Aldrich. Quenneville was the head coach of that team, which won the Stanley Cup. Among Beach's allegations: Top Blackhawks officials, including Quenneville and former general manager Stan Bowman, didn't give Beach's claims any credence because they were prioritizing a chance to win a title. Quenneville said in July that he was unaware of the allegations until this summer, a stance he reiterated Wednesday. The law firm conducting the investigation for the Blackhawks, Jenner & Block, released a report this week about Beach's allegations and the NHL has fined the Blackhawks $2 million.

Miami official's 'adopt-a- homeless' program up for vote

Miami's City Commission is set to vote Thursday on a controversial – some say ridiculous – proposal to deal with the city's issues with homelessness. Under Commissioner Joe Carollo's "adopt-a-homeless" plan, the city would lean on private residents to take homeless individuals into their homes in exchange for a stipend for utilities, much like state-run foster care programs. The proposal by Carollo – who is up for re-election Nov. 2 – came about during a contentious meeting two weeks ago where he sought to pass another ordinance that would outlaw homeless encampments and lead to the arrests of many living on sidewalks. David Peery, an attorney who works with homeless people, said the proposal "is meant to bait housing activists and distract from discussing real solutions to solving homelessness."

Packers, Cardinals meet in Thursday night NFC showdown

The best matchup of Week 8 in the National Football League is its first. The Green Bay Packers (6-1) are riding a six-game winning streak and traveling to face the league’s lone undefeated team, the 7-0 Arizona Cardinals, Thursday night (8:20 p.m. ET, FOX/NFL Network). In what could end up as a preview of a playoff game, two of the league's top quarterbacks — Aaron Rodgers of the Packers and Kyler Murray of the Cardinals — will face off for the first time. Worth watching: the Packers will be short-handed as they deal with a rash of COVID-19 cases that prevented defensive coordinator Joe Barry from traveling with the team and landed its top two receivers, Davante Adams and Allen Lazard, on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The Cardinals have their own issue with player availability as star defensive lineman J.J. Watt will have shoulder surgery and miss the rest of the season, according to several reports.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden to push Democrats, vaccine mandates: 5 things to know Thursday