Build Back Better bill in peril, COVID-delayed NFL games, Elizabeth Holmes trial: 5 things to know Monday
What's next for Build Back Better bill?
Free universal preschool. Subsidized child care. Medicaid expansion. Paid family and medical leave. These initiatives and others remain in jeopardy Monday, a day after Sen. Joe Manchin said he won't support President Joe Biden's signature domestic policy bill. The bill requires the support of every Democrat in the Senate to move forward. Manchin has continually raised concerns about more government spending, saying the social programs in the bill were unaffordable and not targeted enough to needy Americans. The announcement drew a sharp response from the White House, with press secretary Jen Psaki noting that Manchin and the president were not too far apart last week. Psaki said the senator's plan for Build Back Better "was the same size and scope as the president’s framework, and covered many of the same priorities," and that the White House would work to get Manchin back on board.
- Build Back Better is at risk. These are the programs in danger
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Kim Potter trial moves to closing arguments
Closing arguments are expected Monday in the case against former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, who fatally shot Daunte Wright while she yelled "Taser" in a traffic-stop-turned-arrest earlier this year. Potter choked up on the witness stand Friday and buried her face in her hands as she recounted the moments of the arrest and shooting. Potter, 49, is charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter in Wright's death. The 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department quit two days after the shooting, along with the police chief. She was arrested the next day. Wright's death happened in the midst of the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, later convicted of murdering George Floyd.
- Daunte Wright's father tells the jury about his son
COVID-delayed NFL games to take place as cases rise across the league
Three NFL games have been rescheduled — one for Monday, two for Tuesday — as COVID-19 cases rise across the country. The latest outbreak in cases has prompted the National Football League to place all 32 teams in intensive COVID-19 protocols, but some have been hit harder than others. The Cleveland Browns, Washington Football Team and Los Angeles Rams each have had more than 20 players on the COVID-19 reserve list. The NFL made it clear it wouldn't postpone games over a competitive disadvantage, but the league and NFLPA agreed to reschedule three key weekend matchups because of safety risks.
- NFL, NFLPA agree to new COVID-19 protocols as cases rise rapidly
- Opinion: NFL postponing three games is about COVID outbreaks, not preferential treatment
Jury considers charges in trial of Elizabeth Holmes
On Monday, a jury will continue considering 11 charges of fraud and conspiracy against Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. The three month-long trial has captivated Silicon Valley. Holmes, 37, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on all counts. The charges stem from allegations that she was involved in a scheme to defraud doctors, patients and investors by marketing faulty blood tests, putting lives at risk and losing billions of dollars of venture capital, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. She repeatedly claimed that the company’s new testing device could scan for hundreds of diseases and other problems with a few drops of blood taken with a finger prick instead of a needle stuck in a vein.
Pretrial hearing for men convicted in killing of Ahmaud Arbery to take place
A pretrial hearing for the three men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery will take place Monday. The men all face minimum sentences of life in prison in the fatal shooting of Arbery as he jogged in Brunswick, Georgia, on Feb. 23, 2020. Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan all face one count each of interference with rights and attempted kidnapping in a hate crimes trial scheduled to start on Feb. 7. The McMichaels are also charged with one count of using, carrying, and brandishing — and in Travis McMichael’s case, firing — a gun during and in relation to a crime of violence. Charges of interference with rights and attempted kidnapping could result in the death penalty, life in prison or a prison sentence and a fine, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
- Sentencing set for next month for three men convicted in killing of Ahmaud Arbery
- Black pastors:Ahmaud Arbery case highlights historical community role