Defense Bill Clears Congress; COVID Relief Debate Drags On

The COVID-19 pandemic reached a peak not yet seen since March, just at the same time that the first vaccines arrived for health care workers. This issue gives basic information on the vaccine but many questions remain. In Washington, the leaders of the House and Senate debated a new stimulus bill. [UPDATE: Congress passed before the break a $900 billion COVID relief bill] and at last the National Defense Authorization Act, supporting both the Maritime Security Program and the Jones Act passed. Unfortunately, President Trump has threatened a veto over base names and an unrelated tech regulation which could create the conditions of a rare legislative override. We look at the Biden transition, scourge of seafarer abandonment, Amazon organizing, the tragedy of the Cynthia Olson and Lurline's race to safety after Pearl Harbor, and among other things wish all hands a happy holiday season with better days ahead.

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Friday, December 18, 2020