COVID relief bill

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Feds Nab Pastor, Son in Alleged $8.4M COVID Scam

Evan and Josh Edwards accused of setting up fake ministry, trying to buy posh home near Disney

(Newser) - In early July, NBC News filed a report about a Florida pastor and his family, accused by federal prosecutors in late 2020 court papers of pulling off a big-bucks COVID relief scam. "Why haven't they been charged?" the news outlet asked regarding the "curious" case. That question...

Nonprofit Founder, 46 Others Charged in $250M Scheme

It's the biggest pandemic-related fraud case to date

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors indicted 47 individuals in Minnesota on Tuesday in a sprawling $250 million scheme described as the largest pandemic-related fraud case to date. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future "was at the center of each indictment," which included charges of wire...

GAO: So About That $114B Due In From Student Loans...

Watchdog report: Education Dept. is instead set to lose about $197B, partly due to COVID relief

(Newser) - The Department of Education had been banking on getting its hands on $114 billion or so in income due from federal student loans issued over the past quarter-century. Instead, a watchdog has delivered some bad news: It's actually set to lose $197 billion, in part due to the suspension...

Ex-Ga. Mayor Sentenced for 'Deplorable' Pandemic Crime

Jason Lary gets 57 months behind bars for pocketing COVID relief cash meant for Stonecrest

(Newser) - An "unsavory saga" has come to a conclusion in Georgia, where an ex-mayor is now headed to prison for nearly five years over a COVID relief funds scheme. On Wednesday, US District Court Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. sentenced Jason Lary to 57 months behind bars for stealing hundreds...

Power Ranger Actor Among 18 Charged in PPP Scam

Indictment says fraudulent loan applications brought in $3.5M

(Newser) - A federal indictment accuses 18 people of fraudulently collecting $3.5 million in PPP loans intended to help businesses, including an actor in the Power Rangers TV series. The group's members spent the money on themselves, prosecutors in Texas said. Jason Lawrence Geiger, 47, faces a charge of conspiracy...

PPP Fraudster Learns 'There Is No Easy Money'

Texas' Lee Price III gets 9 years for wire fraud, money laundering

(Newser) - A Texas man who fraudulently received $1.6 million in COVID-19 relief money, then bought a $200,000 Lamborghini and a Rolex, has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison. Lee Price III of Houston was sentenced to nine years and two months in prison on Monday after...

Couple Nailed in $20M COVID Funds Scheme on the Run

Richard Ayvazyan, Marietta Terabelian left note for their kids before vanishing in August

(Newser) - Earlier this year, Richard Ayvazyan and Marietta Terabelian faced the music in a scheme to steal upward of $20 million in COVID relief funds, after using the money to finance upscale homes, jewelry and watches, gold coins, and other luxury goods. The Southern California husband and wife pleaded guilty at...

Families of COVID Victims in India Will Get Payments

Supreme Court ruled monetary compensation mandatory under Disaster Management Act

(Newser) - Families who suffered losses due to COVID will be compensated by the Indian government. India’s Disaster Management Act of 2005 requires monetary compensation for families of people who die in a disaster, and the government had declared the pandemic a disaster. Thus, victims are owed money, the country’s...

Starting July 15, a Boost to Most Parents' Bank Accounts

Expanded tax credit under American Rescue Plan will deliver up to $300 per month per child

(Newser) - Welcome news for parents of the majority of America's kids: Your bank account is about to get a monthly boost. As part of the expanded tax credit under the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan, households including 88% of the nation's children will start seeing monthly payments on...

University Uses COVID Relief to Cancel Student Debt

Delaware State just nuked $700K in loans

(Newser) - An historically Black university has canceled $730,655 in student debt. Per CNN , Delaware State University is issuing relief for recent graduates who've been hit particularly hard due to the pandemic and is doing so with the help of federal dollars provided through American Rescue Plan for COVID-19 relief....

Feds Are Giving Millions $50 Off Their Internet Bills

Emergency Broadband Benefit program was launched Wednesday

(Newser) - Americans can begin applying for $50 off their monthly Internet bill on Wednesday as part of an emergency government program to keep people connected during the pandemic. The $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit program is part of the $900 billion December pandemic-relief package. The government is increasing spending on...

Biden Plans Biggest Tax Increase in 30 Years

Bloomberg reports rates might rise to pay for next White House initiative

(Newser) - President Biden got his COVID relief bill through Congress, but an even bigger fight might loom over his next economic initiative. Bloomberg reports Biden aims to engineer the biggest tax hike since 1993 to pay for a slew of programs ranging from infrastructure to the climate to increased help for...

Biden Signature Gets Ball Rolling on Relief Checks

President signs COVID stimulus package into law

(Newser) - It's law. President Biden on Thursday put his signature on a $1.9 trillion COVID stimulus package that includes $1,400 checks for most Americans. Biden initially planned to conduct the signing on Friday, but the White House received the legislation earlier than expected, reports the Washington Post . So...

Democrats Say COVID Relief Bill Is a 'Turning Point'
What's in the $1.9T
COVID Relief Bill
THE RUNDOWN

What's in the $1.9T COVID Relief Bill

Analysts say it could halve child poverty

(Newser) - President Biden is a day away from signing the landmark COVID-19 relief bill, which supporters say does more to tackle poverty and inequality since the days of FDR—and detractors say is the biggest example of government overreach in decades. The $1.9 trillion relief bill received final congressional approval...

Biden Plans 'Victory Lap' After Signing Relief Bill

PR blitz has already begun

(Newser) - The White House began highlighting the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill immediately after it gained final congressional approval on Wednesday, wasting no time in selling the public on President Biden’s first legislative victory. The West Wing began an ambitious campaign to showcase the bill’s contents while looking...

House Gives Final Approval to Landmark COVID Relief Bill

$1.9T bill is on its way to Biden's desk

(Newser) - A Congress riven along party lines approved a landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Wednesday, as President Biden and Democrats claimed a triumph on a bill that marshals the government’s spending might against twin pandemic and economic crises that have upended a nation. The House gave final congressional...

Biden's Name Won't Be on Stimulus Checks

'This is about the American people getting relief'

(Newser) - The House is expected to send the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill to the White House for President Biden's signature Wednesday—but Biden's signature won't be on the checks. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that in contrast to the checks sent out under...

COVID Relief Bill Might Backfire in the Long Run

Megan McArdle makes her case

(Newser) - New COVID relief payments of $1,400 will be landing in Americans' bank accounts soon, but Megan McArdle makes the case in a Washington Post op-ed that the checks are a bad idea. She's all in favor of the government helping people and businesses in genuine need during the...

Your COVID Relief Money Might Arrive This Weekend

House to finalize measure early this week, send it to president's desk

(Newser) - The Senate had a busy weekend , and the bottom line for most Americans is this: Relief payments of $1,400 for individuals and $2,800 for couples might arrive by this weekend, reports CBS News . Senators passed their version of a COVID relief package, and the House—which already passed...

Here's a Look at the Relief Bill That the Senate Just Passed

It passed on a party-line vote

(Newser) - The Senate approved a sweeping pandemic relief package over Republican opposition on Saturday, moving President Joe Biden closer to a milestone political victory, the AP reports. The bill cleared by a party-line vote of 50-49 after a marathon overnight voting session and now heads back to the House for final...

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