From New York Times. Unlike other borrow this Israeli, today, despite reservations from its own doctor, the Senate reconvened on Monday, Nick Phantoms Why one chamber of commerce is so determined to return to watch? It It's Wednesday may sixth,. Nick give us the scene inside the? U S capital on Tuesday morning, so it's a totally surreal set up, particularly for those of us that are used to watching Congress.

In a word, paneled hearing room cross the street from the capital, which is usually before of people getting ready to watch senators questionable. This. Instead, you have a totally empty room. You really quiet Few senators gathered at one side wearing mass. They ve got pumps of hand sanitize her at the ready totally at the other side of the room. Maybe twenty or thirty feet away is a witness whose ready to give them testimony they wave across the room Richard Blur, the chairman and Mark Warner, the top down

Brad, throw out their hoboes for a little bit of an elbow bomb, but there's nigh the usual energy that we see on a typical weekday morning in the capital and what exactly is happening in this very weird sounding seen. What was playing out was a confirmation hearing in this case of John Radcliffe user. Then congressmen and loyal supporter of president from whose now his nominee to be the director of national intelligence to oversee the country. Seventeen intelligence agencies skip you Eddie, right at nine thirty richer bird pulled down as mask and reveal the scraggly uncharacteristic beard that had been growing over the last month. I mean who hasn't exactly and like all the sharing order, called the hearing intercession

this hearing will be a little bit different. It is perhaps the first congressional hearing held during the extenuating circumstances of the pandemic. We have sparse crowd and expanded, biased reflective of the committee's adherence to the guidelines put forth by the rules committee in there, physician enough centres, senators had certain social distancing requirements. They were spaced out around the room and only allowed to come in to ask their questions, small waves, but without any the kind of normal energy or tension or cross talk that we might be used to in a high profile congressional hearing like this is basically like a socially distant version of the United States Senate at work, Yes, I wish I'd also welcome your wife, Michel and your daughter's rallying Darby, but given our attempts to minimize the number of people in the hearings.

I send my appreciation the c span, and it was not very compelling tv, but also make everything about this. Hearing that you're describing sounds labored and surreal and risky right amidst a confirmation hearing. It's not a pandemic relief bill. It's not a hospital funding, though so Why is this even happening in this way in person? I know a lot of centres were asking themselves that question in the last few days as they prepared to come back to Washington as well and You know the answer really goes back more than a month when, at the end of March centres found themselves bearing down this increasingly dire situation. Wall Street is about to close any now the DOW collapsing its worst single day loss ever.

Ohio in Illinois shutting down restaurants and bars today how the problem is. Job losses are adding up and it is across the country, and it is in all sectors outright now Jim Bianco ends the House and Senate Republicans and Democrats did what they rarely do. The Sharon has reached a bipartisan agreement on a historic relief. Judge whether they set aside their own kind of partisan interest in issues and very quickly put together this massive two trillion dollar health and economic relief bill that they passed. Almost unanimously in the house and unanimously in the Senate, to all Americans, I say help is on the way, big help and quick help and then basically had a concern for their own health and safety. They left town They didn't know when they were gonna, come back. They didn't over to be a couple weeks or a month and almost as soon as they did lawmakers and bold chain.

Hers start to debate when and how do we get back to Washington and get back to doing this thing, this kind of a few round to debate, but it really comes to a head basically last week at the very end April, when both the leaders of the House and Senate come out and say, Congress will be back in session next month may forth that, according to a tweet from House Majority, leader, Stani Hoteliers Press office said majority leader Mitch, Mcconnell made a similar announcement regarding we're. Gonna come back on Monday may forth, and we're gonna try getting back to normal as best we can, but somehow Democrat say that they are worried about the spread of covered nineteen at the cap. Some say for the house as soon as they announced that decision they immediately started getting push back from sir. Of their members who were saying it's not safe. For us to come back were not ready

any decision that we have about when we come back rests with the stick, sergeant, arms and the capital physician democratic leaders in the house, consulted congresses top doctor, who told them really wouldn't be wise at this point, to bring this back in this session, and so not twenty four hours after they announced that they would be coming back. The? U S house of representatives on Tuesday changed course on its the house, reverse itself, and no we're gonna stay out of session indefinitely until conditions have improved and we feel we need to take action on some meaningful legislation but the Senate comes to a very different decision. Meanwhile, Senate leadership maintains the upper chamber we back to work as usual on May forth. They have much to say

medical advice, they work on the other half of the capital building from the House and which Macao who's the top Republican and basically sets the schedule and the Senate. He calls the shots, says that we're gonna come back in the session in what are the implications of that decision, by Mcconnell, practically speaking, to reconvene the site, so, on the one hand, in the Senate is a pretty small body. It's a hundred centres to third to them are over the age of sixty, so they are in another risk, but the real impact when you start to think about it, is there's this huge network of support staff, basically behind each senator and the institution as a whole. There's cooks that run dining servers. There's people then came the capital clean, there's capital police station, every

to keep everyone safe. There are all kinds of of jobs that huge, wouldn't think about, and so the decision to bring an institution like the Senate back into session ripples outward and you know- could impact hundreds if not a thousand or more people and what exactly is Mcconnell stated rationale for joint, given that the house has said it's together, right, what is his argument for why One hundred senators from fifty different states have to get on planes and return to Washington. Well, Macao, essentially says after more than a month away. There is out of work piling up for the Senate. That would normally be do

Mcconnell essentially put centres in league with frontline workers if it is essential that bright healthcare workers, grocery store workers, dropped robbers and many other Americans continued. It carefully show up work then its essential that they're, U S, senators carefully, show of ourselves and support them. You know for asking doctors and health professionals and grocery store workers and other government employees to go out and put themselves at risk every day to show up for work. We oughta be we met to the Senate is integral to responding to this crisis, and if we take the right precautions, they can do it safely enough to justify being there. So, basically, as cases were honesty- and that's right,

but I think the reality underpinning that is a little bit more complicated and it has to do both with politics and with the aspirations of auto Republicans and government leaders. We'll be right back. This podcast is supported by Doubleday publishers of Camino wines by John Gresham. Looking for the perfect escape you'll find it in Camino wins the entry he knew novel by John Gresham. America's favorite storyteller bring Son sand and a bit of mystery right to your door, Delia Owens author of where the crowded sing El Camino wines is a wild, but Smart Caper Committee,

wins, is available wherever you buy books. So what are these more complicated and unspoken reasons why Mitch Mcconnell would want to bring the Senate? intercession, many senators in his republican caucus come from states like Georgia, taxes and for that are run by Republicans and our kind of at the forefront of starting to reopen where governors and and state leaders are trying to convince their citizens to get back to normal. That things can reopen. The economy can Start and centres wanna be a part of that to these Republican filled, maybe we can model. Getting back to work. We can show people that, if we take the right precautions, if we wear masks and socially distance We can continue or get back to doing this work and we don't have to be cowed by fear. We

start to reinvigorate parts of society, and its government can do that. Business could do that too. That's not to say other parts of the country shouldn't move more slowly right, but we can lead by example. And there's a certain logic. As well as I guess, credibility No, if the centres are doing this and take their risking showing people as possible. Then it's not just Then saying it's good enough for you, there, It's actually good enough from the other certain amount of skin in the game, I'll be a better protected skin. Then a lot of front line workers probably do, but it it seems to me. You know basically a kind of optimistic view that this can be done. We don't have to stay inside, However, now something else has been kind of going on here in the last month

is layer on top of this, and that is the kind of political impact of the pandemic. On the New York Times, reporting that republican governors are growing more concerned about president trumps handling of the corona virus outbreak and how we can shape the results of the November elections. President Tromp has seen internal in public. Poles have shown that his standing against Joe Biden nationally and increased wings states has grown shake here over the last several weeks. Seventeen states survey commissioned by the Republic and National Committee, which that tromp is struggling in the electoral college Battleground and is likely to lose without signs of an economic rebound. This ball there's been pulls coming out of key ground, Senate races across the country that may decide the Senate majority that showed Democrats

knocking on the doors Republicans or in some cases, opening up significant leads. There were fundraising reports that showed Democrats out raising republican incumbents. You know for three years press then Trump and Republicans in the house and send it have, kinda lot of their political hopes on the account me and a kind of upward March of the stock markets and of wages. And the corona virus has wiped that out and so There is and has been. Several weeks. I think a real uneasiness settling in among Republicans, Nobody has a better finger on the political pulse, particularly of Santa Races than Mitch. Nepal. And how does the Senate returning to Washington, begin to change any of that dire data for Republicans at you just tell her. You know one of the best things that.

Republicans running for reelection who are in office. Right now can do to make a positive impression on their constituents is looking. Their work, you know, is help put in place, programmes and policies and solutions that help the country through this you're, going back to work and Washington being seen as doing their job as leaders for the country could prove very helpful, politically ways of the thinking is the worst possible situation for, look and senator in a state where pulling shows the president down and perhaps a competitive, raise coming up in the fall. The worst thing would be getting stuck at home unable to look like a lawmaker at this moment, yeah there are certain things that these centres have been able to do from home enacting by phone or you know, zoom with constituents, but its lower profile

and certainly they would not want to be accused of sitting on the sidelines. While you know thousands of a man Tens are dying a day when millions of Americans are losing their jobs. So from everything you're saying: there's not lily in the minds of the republican leadership. All that much downside to bringing senators back other then perhaps exposure the virus sure- and there is some risk of that brain senators back in the capital and their staff. Mingling lawmakers have contracted the virus before, but they have basically judged that that risk is low enough. That is worthwhile that There's too many other reasons varied as they may be to be in session, not to re, enter the planes why all these senators are going

in and out of the room in these weird waves with masks on and all that pure AL for this confirmation hearing and then I'm curious did it and playing out, as Republicans had hoped cinders. Thank you, Mr Chairman. It look really bizarre, but at the end of the day this hearing basically worked out well for Republicans. Why do you believe that President Trump has accurately conveyed the severity of the threat of covert nineteen to the american people? You know. Congressional hearings like this are often adversarial that, I guess a misunderstanding. I'm sorry, has he accurately reflected the status of the pandemic, conveyed the severity of the pandemic? And it's about trying to pin a nominee into and on flat,

state man or expose something about their backgrounds ass. He accurately conveyed severity of covert nineteen to the american people. I believe so. You do, and in this case Democrat really struggle because they were cycling in and out of the room, because Radcliffe was so physically far away from them to really gonna, build any momentum or any tough critical picture of him in oh, it was just a kind of diffused, stretched out atmosphere and Republicans lined up and support, and they have the majority. So, at the end of the day, there probably going to build a get their guy through he, so they went quite well products. It did. I want to thank you, John for your time this morning. I want to thank the members for working under this temporary construct at the end of the hearing, the chair,

when richer bird, in a pull down his mask again and essentially announced that he would support the nominee for doing fancy your nomination rapidly and voting in favour of your confirmation in the full Senate. He felt confident enough that he'll hold a vote in his committee next week, and you know the full Senate could be voting within a couple of weeks to install this kind of loyal defender of present Trump as the head of the nations and gents apparatus. So as well as that. Well, I'm curious what happens if overtopped as the pandemic persists, if the pulling for publicans and abstaining pretty bad right and they have ultimately come to Washington for nothing or in an even worse scenario, they come Washington and members get sick and maybe staff get sick and it really looks bad for the party All of this ends up kind of backfiring.

Will it have seemed at all worth? You know there is a lot of different directions that things could go on, but there is one benefits. That basically gets locked in as long as there are in session and holding votes. And at one that you know Mcconnell has always been a tune to and sees as the kind of first obligation. The sun and matters confirming nominees for the executive branch and, in particular, lifetime appointments to the federal courts. And so you know the way to think about is perhaps is it if Republicans political prospects are looking on vague, for the moment. If they dont recover, then these may be the final months of a republican majority and the Senate maybe the final opportunity to continue The kind of record streak of pudding, Judge

on the bench that will shape the law and policy in this country for a generation to come to move those things through, and you know that's not an opportunity. The Republicans wanna pass up on either case in point. One of the first actions at the Senate is going to be taken when its back is setting up. Bunch of additional district court judges. All over the country and Democrats and complain about it and and gripe about it, and they have. They argued that centres should taking the risk of being back your unless all of their actions are laser, focused on on the corona virus and the response and overseeing the Trump administrations, implementation of their relief programmes, etc. Ultimately, in under majority winds on stuff, then I think that Mcconnell feels time is of the essence shows a version of this where things do keep going south Republicans in their response is,

You just keep crashing these confirmations through and in the process. Some men, their legacy in this last set of months that they may have the majority. If they can show and these next couple weeks that there's a way to safely function by putting in place different precautions, then yeah, even in the very worst case. Scenario for Republicans where they don't do any additional corona virus legislating where their political prospects contained to dwindle and they're gonna lose the majority. There's only upshot in in staying in town and filling up every last courts Eden in every corner tromp administration that might still be able to speak out. Some republican conservative policy wins before November, because in If they down, if they leave town, none of those things are possible and essentially in seed back the power, the majority in what may be the last

weeks and months that they can really exercises it. Thank you. Thank you so much for me. All the way back, hey everyone, you know a lot of things are changing our professional lives so and learning wants to give you a hand with skills that can help you and your career may have over sixteen thousand courses, by industry experts. It's great, you can How to stay engaged while working from home or get tips on finding a job from a career strategist, so keep learning

skills. You need to rise to any moment and try one month free linked in learning dot com, slash the Daily what else you need today for a girl to be here in the fantastic of Arizona lovers with it. I urge them good moments year, especially on election day on Tuesday, during an event a plant in Arizona President Trump said that the White House Task force on the corona virus would be shut down and replaced with something else which he said. He was not yet ready to describe their age or continue to meet with the task to get this scientific overarching while on them We will have certain people as an example. We have hospitals that we built. We have medical centres that we built. We have people on the task force and focus on it

we have asked why he was winding down the task force now in the middle. Of the pandemic. The president offered no clear explanation but said that the key doctors on it like that Devil box would still be involved in the response or using mission accomplished. Our another mission accomplishes what a job the times reports that the decision will only intensify questions about the ability of the White House to confront a poem health crisis that has already killed more american than the EU. Wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan combined That's it for the daily unworkable buckle, see tomorrow,.

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