James' World 2

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The vote of 220 to 211 sends the legislation to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature, securing him his first legislative victory since taking office less than two months ago.

Biden will sign the bill on Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.\

The Senate passed the bill in a 50-49 vote Saturday after making changes to the original version passed by the House, including lowering unemployment benefits and reducing the number of people who will receive a stimulus check.

“This is a critical moment in our country’s history,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said before the vote, mentioning the more than 500,000 Americans who have died from the virus and the millions who have lost their jobs. “Today, we have a real opportunity for change.”

The bill passed with near-unanimous Democratic support and without any Republican votes, a sharp contrast that raises the political stakes of the measure.

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The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to confirm Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s nominee for attorney general, as the federal appellate judge won the support even of the chamber’s top Republican, Mitch McConnell, who played a key role in denying him a spot on the Supreme Court in 2016.

The bipartisan tally in the Democratic-led Senate was 70-30 to confirm Garland as the top U.S. law enforcement official, with a number of Republicans including McConnell and former Judiciary Committee chairmen Lindsey Graham and Chuck Grassley joining the chamber’s Democrats in support.

Garland, 68, will assume the post at a time of heightened concern about domestic extremism. He takes over a Justice Department that Republican former President Donald Trump repeatedly sought to bend to his will. The former federal prosecutor also inherits sensitive ongoing investigations including one involving the new Democratic president’s son.

“I’m voting to confirm Judge Garland because of his long reputation as a straight-shooter and legal expert,” McConnell said before the vote. “His left-of-center perspective has been within the legal mainstream.”

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Merrick Garland

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