Your Daily Roundup for January 26th

Good morning. As the COVID-19 pandemic takes a toll on life in America, our team at Future Majority is tracking the latest updates: 

The McConnell - Schumer face-off has ended:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has finally ceded control of the Senate to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) after a week-long standoff around a power-sharing agreement in the 50-50 upper chamber, in which ties will be broken by Vice President Kamala Harris. After two Democratic Senators signaled that they were not open to ending the filibuster (ending it would allow simple majority votes on any matter), McConnell indicated that he was ready to move forward with the agreement without explicitly stating that the filibuster remains intact. 

The Biden Administration is planning to reach 1.5 million vaccinations per day in the United States, as President Biden said on Monday that he was hopeful that every American who wanted a vaccine would be able to get it by the spring. The news comes as the newer, more contagious strains of COVID-19 continue to proliferate around the country, as vaccine makers work expeditiously to test whether their vaccines are effective against new variants or if boosters are required. 

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the U.S. is now requiring negative COVID-19 tests for international travelers:

The U.S. is requiring that international travelers making their way to the U.S. from any foreign country provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test before traveling. In addition, the Biden Administration has barred travel from several countries, including Brazil and Britain, that allow travel across open borders. Travelers will be able to present either PCR tests or rapid antigen tests, which can be less specific in their diagnostic results.