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An envelope posted to the White House containing the lethal substance ricin was intercepted by US authorities on Saturday.

The letter addressed to President Donald Trump appears to have been sent from Canada, and officials have identified a woman as a suspect, according to a report by the New York Times.

It was stopped at the final off-site government mail center before it arrived at the White House.

“The FBI and our US Secret Service and US Postal Inspection Service partners are investigating a suspicious letter received at a US government mail facility,” the FBI said in a statement, according to Times. “At this time, there is no known threat to public safety.”

Similar envelopes were sent to law enforcement agencies in Texas, including a detention facility and a sheriff’s office.

The Joint Terrorism Task Force in Washington is taking charge of the investigation with help from New York and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

No links have been found between the poisonous letter and any international terrorist organizations, investigators  said. They declined to elaborate on what evidence they had that pointed them to the female suspect.

However, officials have said that the investigation is still in its early stages, and nothing has yet been ruled out. 

Ricin is a powerful toxin produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant. The seed is so potent that a dose of purified ricin powder the size of a few grains of table salt can kill a human within three to five days.

This is not the first time there have been such attacks.

A Navy veteran was charged for attempting to send envelopes with ricin to multiple US officials in 2018. William Clyde Allen’s case is still pending because officials found he had sent castor beans instead of ricin powder.

Former President Barack Obama was also the target of a ricin attack.

In 2013, actor Shannon Richardson was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for mailing letter laced with ricin to Obama and Michael Bloomberg, then the mayor of New York.

Read more:

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Source:: Business Insider

As talks between the White House and Congressional Democrats over a new coronavirus relief measure continue to stall, Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) payments have become a lifeline for those economically struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

President Donald Trump announced that the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program would replace the weekly $600 supplement in unemployment benefits that expired at the end of July.

He “authorized FEMA to expend up to $44 billion from the Disaster Relief Fund for lost wage payments,” FEMA reported and according to his August 8 memo, individuals would only be considered eligible if they had already been receiving at least $100 per week in unemployment benefits.

This article contains when each state has distributed (or plans to distribute) LWA payments.

FEMA Announced That Funds Would Be Limited to 6 Weeks

FEMA said Thursday that states, including Indiana, should plan for a maximum of six weeks of boosted unemployment benefits of $300 per week. https://t.co/yvjjoYMJqS via @Hicks_JustinM

— WFYI News (@WFYINews) September 13, 2020

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that a FEMA spokesperson said, “Regardless of where the states and territories are in their process to receive and distribute the FEMA funding, FEMA will fund six weeks in $300 supplemental unemployment benefits to every state and territory that has applied for this assistance by September 10.”

According to CBS News, the program’s six-week measure — which doubled from its original three-week guarantee — was based on “Department of Labor and state projections.”

Two coronavirus measures from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act — the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program and the Extended Benefits (EB) program — are expected to receive an increase in recipients as LWA funding runs out.

Here’s Where Each of the 50 States Stand on Lost Wages Assistance Payments

I received the first one, but know many more like you that are still waiting. I also just received the 1st additional $300 from the Federal Lost Wages Assistance Program Trump Signed. It was enough to pay my water and electricity.

— Roza Calderón (@rozacalderon) September 13, 2020

The following list is in alphabetical order:

Alabama
Alabama’s Department of Labor announced that it was going to begin distributing $300 per week. The payments were only approved for four weeks …read more

Source:: Heavy.com

As pressure mounts for another round of coronavirus relief before the upcoming election, a bipartisan group unveiled a roughly $1.5 trillion proposal that includes booster provisions extending benefits into 2021.

The Problem Solvers Caucus, comprised of 25 House Democrats and 25 House Republicans, announced the “March for Common Ground” on September 15, seeking to reignite the currently stagnant negotiations.

The package features automatic “booster” provisions that could expand certain aspects of federal relief, including unemployment benefits and a potential third round of stimulus checks, into the new year.

Here’s what you need to know:

The ‘Boosters’ Depend on Hospitalization Rates and Vaccine Production

Getty

The March for Common Ground includes two booster provisions based on “covid hospitalization metrics and vaccine progress,” the bill states. The provisions touch on extending federal unemployment benefits into 2021, as well as the potential to issue a third round of checks that same year.

If hospitalization rates become too high, or if a vaccine is has not yet been created, a “booster” could automatically be activated to extend extra federal unemployment benefits for another three months beginning in February 2021, according to the bill’s online version.

A third round of $1,200 stimulus checks could also be automatically sent in March, if the booster is met.

If both boosters are enacted, the overall cost of the package could mushroom up to roughly $2 trillion, Forbes added.

March for Common Ground’s current framework already calls for a second round of checks, with up to $1,200 for individuals and an additional $500 per child and dependent adult. It also seeks to revamp federal unemployment benefits, with up to $450 per week for eight weeks, and then replace lost wages up to $600 per week for five weeks thereafter.

Built-In ‘Reducers’ Could Scale Back Funds for State & Local Governments, Among Other Things

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The Problem Solvers Caucus also incorporated automatic “reducers” or “stabilizers” into its bill. The provisions are designed to balance out fiscal policies with changing economic conditions, according to Forbes.

“The stabilizer is what lets the government respond to expansions and contractions in the economy without having to take direct legislative action each time a crisis arises,” the outlet reported.

Under the proposed bill, funds for the Paycheck Protection Program, state and local governments and rental assistance could all downsize if the same hospitalization and vaccine metrics …read more

Source:: Heavy.com

RB Leipzig finished third in the Bundesliga last season and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League but may find it tough going repeating that feat in 2020-21 after losing star striker Timo Werner to Chelsea.

The Germany international netted 34 goals in all competitions for Julian Nagelsmann’s team and has been the team’s top scorer for the last four seasons, meaning his loss will be keenly felt. Yet RB Leipzig have made some shrewd moves in the transfer market and another top-four finish can’t be ruled out.

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Starting with the 2020-21 season, anyone in the US can watch every RB Leipzig game live on ESPN+:

Get ESPN+

ESPN+ will have live coverage of every Bundesliga match in 20-21, as well as DFL Supercup, Bundesliga 2, Serie A, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, MLS and other live sports. It also includes every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) all for $5.99 per month.

Or, if you also want Disney+ and Hulu, you can get all three for $12.99 per month, which works out to about 31 percent savings:

Get the ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu Bundle

Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch every RB Leipzig match live on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via ESPN.com.

RB Leipzig 2020-21 Preview

All eyes will be new arrival Hee-chan Hwang in 2020-21 as RB Leipig begin life without Werner. The South Korea striker has been brought in from Red Bull Salzburg and came up with 16 goals and 21 assists last season

The 24-year-old has also made a bright start to life with his new club. He scored and assisted on his debut in a comfortable 3-0 win over Nuremberg in the first round of the DFB Cup.

Nagelsmann told SportBild he knows it will be difficult to replace Werner but is counting on his team to pull together and spread the goals around.

“We’ve already signed Hwang Hee-Chan, but replacing the goals of …read more

Source:: Heavy.com