US Congress closes in on $900 bn Covid-19 aid bill as Friday deadline looms

Negotiators were looking for a way to shift the approach to aiding hard-hit state and local governments, which has been a key Democratic priority but opposed by Republicans

US congressional negotiators on Wednesday were "closing in on" a $900 billion Covid-19 aid bill that will include $600 to $700 stimulus checks and extended unemployment benefits, as a Friday deadline loomed, lawmakers and aides said.
 

Top members of the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and Republican-controlled Senate sounded more positive than they have in months on a fresh response to a crisis that has killed more than 304,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work.
 

Their aides were struggling on Wednesday to draft legislative language as rates of Covid-19 infections are soaring to new highs, even as the United States