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Now that Democrats have eked out control of the Senate, Biden stands a better chance of actually getting things done as president. But a 50-50 split, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote, is hardly a comfortable majority, especially with the filibuster and a shrinking majority in the House. Parts of Biden’s caregiving agenda—tax credits for caregivers, for example—have some degree of bipartisan support, and Congress did manage to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act last year, which secured paid family leave for many workers. But the estimated costs of the proposal, as well as Biden’s plan to pay for it through tax increases, could hinder progress in Congress. … [Read more...] about We’re in the midst of a caregiving crisis. Here’s how Biden may address it

The 2020 election In the weeks before the November 3 election, the big social media sites took steps to mitigate election-related extremism and disinformation. Twitter rolled out labels for all mail-in ballot misinformation and put a prompt on tweeted articles to encourage people to read them before retweeting. Facebook blocked QAnon groups and, later, restricted QAnon-adjacent accounts pushing “SaveTheChildren” conspiracy theories. Facebook also began prohibiting Holocaust denial posts. YouTube labeled and blocked advertising for election-related fake information, though it left in place many videos promoting conspiracy theories. … [Read more...] about The rise, fall, and future of Parler, the right-wing site that Amazon shut down

Announcing the measures, a Marriott spokesperson said, “We have taken the destructive events at the Capitol to undermine a legitimate and fair election into consideration and will be pausing political giving from our Political Action Committee to those who voted against certification of the election.” Blue Cross Blue Shield Association had similar sentiments, announcing it “will suspend contributions to those lawmakers who voted to undermine our democracy.” … [Read more...] about These companies say they’re suspending donations to GOP members who opposed certifying Biden’s victory

Try checking the Get My Payment tool again Many Americans who tried to check the status of their payment via the IRS Get My Payment portal last week had little luck, either due to glitches or because the tool was overwhelmed with visitors. If you were one of them, it might be worth trying again. The IRS said it updated the tool with the latest payment information last week. If you’re eligible to receive a check, it should tell you one of three things: … [Read more...] about IRS stimulus check update: What to know about mailed payments and the Friday deadline

Many of these efforts can be attributed, at least in part, to the leadership of Twitter’s first Chief Design Officer Dantley Davis, who has told us that recruiting new talent—to both address Twitter’s shortcomings and expand its capabilities—is a top priority for his team. And last week, Twitter revealed that it’s putting its money where its mouth is: The company acquired its very first creative design agency, Ueno. … [Read more...] about Twitter has acquired its first design firm ever. Here’s why