For news and information consider- If you would like to share news or news organization events, and school ation, please send to If information with our readers, please news to us includinig your name and [email protected] send the unique stories, business phone number in case more informa- tion is needed. or contact John Robbins 281-965-6390 Jun Gai 281-498-4310

Publisher: Wea H. Lee President: Catherine Lee Editor: John Robbins

Address: 11122 Bellaire Blvd., Inside C2 Houston, TX 77072 Southern Daily News is published by Southern News Group Daily E-mail: [email protected] Wednesday, May 19, 2021| U.S. House top Republican opposes creat- ing commission investigating Capitol riot

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the top-ranking Republican in the chamber, said Tuesday he would not support the creation of an independent commis- sion to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

“Given the political misdirections that have marred this process, given the now duplicative and poten- tially counterproductive nature of this effort, and given the Speaker’s shortsighted scope that does not examine interrelated forms of political violence in America, I cannot support this legislation,” McCar- thy said in a statement.

The statement came on the heels of a bipartisan agreement reached last week between House Home- land Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thomp- son, a Democrat, and the panel’s top GOP member, John Katko, who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump following the insurrection by the president’s supporters, on the legislation establish- ing the investigative body modeled after the 9/11 Commission.

McCarthy, himself facing the potential of being subpoenaed by the prospective commission since he talked to Trump as the insurrection unfolded, said he could not support the legislation because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, intelligence, and cybersecurity.” “refused to negotiate in good faith” on the param- eters of the commission and because Democrats’ The commission will also have “renewed focus” does not include the “political the subpoena power to solic- violence” in American cities, the 2017 shooting at it information to carry out its a Republican congressional baseball practice or the investigation, but that will require fatal attack on April 2 that killed a Capitol Police agreement between the chair and officer. the vice chair or a vote by a ma- jority of commission members. “The presence of this political violence in American society cannot be tolerated and it cannot be over- Assuming the legislation would looked,” McCarthy wrote. “I have communicated pass the Democratic-controlled this to our Democrat colleagues for months and its House, its passage in the Senate omission is deeply concerning,” he added. faces an uphill battle, requiring bipartisan agreement to overcome A spokesperson for House Minority Whip Steve the filibuster. Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, said Monday that Republicans are not being urged to vote for or If created, the panel would have against the bill. It remains to be seen to what extent to issue a final report on its inves- McCarthy’s opposition will influence House Re- tigation and recommendations for publicans’ decision on the legislation, on which the preventing similar attacks by the House is expected to vote Wednesday. end of the year.

Under the bill, the commission would include five members, including a chair, appointed by Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, and another five members, includ- ing a vice chair, appointed by McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

None of its 10 members will be sitting members of Congress, according to Thompson, and they must all have “significant expertise in the areas of law enforcement, civil rights, civil liberties, privacy, English 星期三 2021年5月19日 Wednesday, May 19, 2021 C6

CORONAVIRUS DIARY 05/18/2021 India And Asian Countries Fight The COVID War

In Taiwan, the government world with fewer than 1% vac- has imposed new social dis- cinated. We do not under- tancing rules, closed bars, stand why the government clubs and gyms and all has acted so slowly on the schools and kindergartens. In vaccine. Taiwan is considered Taipei and New Taipei City a wealthy country where the schools will be closed for two vaccine can be readily pur- weeks starting today. Accord- chased. ing to the spokesman, an in- creasing level of community President Biden just an- transmission has been shown nounced that the U.S. will by cases of unknown origin. send twenty million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to foreign The island has one of the low- countries. Maybe this is too est vaccination rates in the little too late.

India’ s neighboring coun- “We feel like it’ s a world [email protected] tries Nepal and Sri Lanka are war situation. Many workers under lockdown and have returned from India and with suspended vaccinations in them came the virus.” Near- the face of a horrific surge of by Nepal is recording at 9,000 the coronavirus. Countries infections per day with more like India with densely popu- than 40 percent having now lated cities, heavy air pollu- tested positive. tion, a fragile healthcare sys- Republic of Guiana Honorary
consulՄ὘↛፹ at Houston Texas tem and a large number of Prime Minister Modi of India LIVE poor workers are facing the has hosted huge maskless threat of the virus and starva- political rallies for his party. tion. Likewise, Nepal also did the same thing. One of the doctors said that,

Editor’s Choice

Community coordinator Ter- ence Surin hugs Joan Brock, 101, a resident at Alexander House Care Home in Wimble- don, as coronavirus restrictions continue to ease, in London. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Migrants stand next to and swim around the fence between the Spanish-Mo- roccan border, after thousands of migrants swam across the border in Ceuta, Spain. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

A Palestinian firefighter reacts as he participates in efforts to put out a fire at a sponge factory after it was hit by Israeli artillery shells, according to witnesses, in the northern Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ashraf Abu Amrah An explosion is seen midair as Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk People ride in a capsule holds a helmet as he of the London Eye as the visits the construction attraction reopens while site of Tesla’s gigafac- coronavirus restrictions tory in Gruenheide, continue to ease in Lon- near Berlin, Germany. don, Britain. REUTERS/ REUTERS/Michele Tom Nicholson Tantussi English 星期三 2021年5月19日 Wednesday, May 19, 2021 C7 BUSINESS tember 2020. which makes EIN applications a good proxy sectors are relatively fixed. Occupancy The State Of Small Business Road to a K-Shaped Recovery for business formation activity. Despite an costs, for example, are especially so for As of April 25, 2021, nearly 42% of the initial dip in smaller businesses, which often lack the COVID-19 Recovery In America U.S. population has received at least one the early months of the pandemic, there has market power to renegotiate the terms of dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Howev- been a dramatic spike in EIN business ap- their leases. er, even with this rapid vaccine rollout, plications. Even in the face of a global pandemic, various segments of the economy aren’t Many small businesses in the United States the perseverance of such metrics prove recovering at the same pace. will need to make extreme changes to sur- that the innovative American spirit is un- Take for instance the stark difference be- vive. The broad themes are, by now, famil- wavering, and spells better days to come tween professional services and the lei- iar and generally the same as with most for small business recovery. (Courtesy sure and hospitality sector. Though small large businesses: protecting the health and https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ and business revenues in both segments have safety of employees and customers, adapt- https://www.mckinsey.com/) yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, the ing business models, investing in talent and latter has much more catching up to do. technology, and adjusting staffing models and labor practices. Small businesses will need to make all these changes at greater rela- tive cost and with less working capital. Small businesses with slim margins have little room to invest in the business models and technologies that they will need to survive. It will take collaboration across the economy to keep them afloat. Most mall businesses across sectors came Compiled And Edited By John T. Robbins, Southern Daily Editor into the COVID-19 crisis with low finan- In the business news cycle, headlines are of- struggled to stay afloat. cial resilience. Close to ten dominated by large corporations, mac- a third of the nation’s roeconomic news, or government action. This uneven phenomena is known as a small businesses have been operating at While mom and pop might not always be K-shaped recovery, where some indus- a loss or breaking even prior to the crisis. in focus, collectively small businesses are a tries see more improvement compared to Profit margins are typically below 5 percent powerful and influential piece of the econ- others that stagnate in the aftermath of a for small retailers selling staples, such as omy. In fact, 99.9% of all businesses in the recession. groceries, and below 10 percent for those U.S. qualify as small businesses, collective- Despite these continued hardships, it selling discretionary items. ly employing almost half (47.3%) of the na- appears that many Americans have not tion’s private workforce. been deterred from starting their own Unfortunately, they’ve also been one of the businesses. hardest-hit sectors of the economy amid the So, has the situation improved since the pandemic. From the CARES Act to the new last time we examined this data? The budget proposal, billions of dollars have short answer is no—on a national scale, been allocated towards helping small busi- 34% of small businesses are closed com- nesses to get back on their feet. pared to January 2020. Small Business Recovery in 50 Metro Ar- San Francisco is one of the most affect- Balance sheets for small businesses in man- eas ed metro areas, with a 48% closure rate ufacturing, retail, and restaurants also lack During the pandemic, many small business- of small businesses. New York City has Many small businesses require an Em- flexibility, since a significant portion of the es have either swiftly pivoted to survive, or spiralled the most since the end of Sep- ployer Identification Number (EIN) costs for small businesses in those three COMMUNITY Houston Health Department, Partners Melrose Community Center, 1001 United Memorial Medical Center Northshore Shopping Center, 1238 Camino Rd., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and United Memorial Medical Center will of- Uvalde Rd., 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Iglesia Cristo Vive, 14035 Beechnut fer nasal-swab testing by healthcare pro- Appointments are available at cura- Announce Free COVID-19 Testing Street, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. fessionals at drive-thru test sites at: tive.com and on-site registration is The department will also provide drive available. Schedule For Week Of May 17 thru, self-nasal swab testing at the MET- Federally Qualified Health Centers RO Addicks Park & Ride, 14230 Katy The health department is providing Freeway. Appointments are available by test kits, lab access and equipment to calling the department’s call center at local Federally Qualified Health Cen- 832-393-4220 but not required. ters (FQHC) so they can expand their Texas Division of Emergency Manage- COVID-19 testing capacity. The cen- ment ters and phone numbers people can Texas Division of Emergency Manage- PlazAmericas Mall, 7500 Bellaire Blvd. call to set up testing appointments are: ment offers oral self-swab testing at Houston Community College - South- HOPE Clinic, 713-773-0803, Minute Maid Park Lot H, 1643 Memori- east, 6815 Rustic St.; Building B, and Spring Branch Community Health al Dr. This is a new location near Fonde UMMC Tidwell, 510 W. Tidwell Rd. Center, 713-462-6565, Community Center that replaces the pre- The sites don’t require appointments and El Centro de Corazon, 713-660- vious site near the stadium. will offer testing Monday through Friday 1880, The site is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon- (PlazAmericas is also open Saturday) from Avenue 360 Health and Wellness, day through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. 713-426-0027, 4 p.m., Thursday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., People needing information about UMMC Lone Star Circle of Care at the Uni- Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Satur- test sites can call 1-866-333-COVID or versity of Houston, 346-348-1200, day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. visit ummcscreening.com. and Curative Scarsdale Family Health Center, Curative will provide walk up testing 281-824-1480. daily at: FQHC patients pay what they can University of St. Thomas, 3800 Mon- afford, based on income and family size, and are not denied services due Compiled And Edited By John T. Robbins, Southern Daily Editor trose Blvd., shallow nose self-swab, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. to inability to pay or lack of insurance. The department and its agency part- The Houston Health Department and its 4 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from Memorial Park Conservancy, 1153 E. ners may shift locations and sched- agency partners are announcing the sched- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., are: Memorial Loop Dr., mouth self-swab, 8 ules of test sites to better meet com- ule for sites offering free COVID-19 tests Acres Homes Multi-Service Center, a.m. - 6 p.m., munity needs. Houstonians can visit the week of May 17, 2021. Twenty-three 6719 W. Montgomery Rd., Appointments are available at cura- Miller Outdoor Theater, 6000 Hermann HoustonEmergency.org/covid19 for FREE+FAST+SAFE testing sites across Magnolia Multi-Service Center, 7037 tive.com. On-site registration is also Park Dr., mouth self-swab, 8 a.m. - 6 current Houston testing sites and in- Houston are on the schedule for the week. Capitol St., and available. p.m., formation about stopping the spread U.S. Health & Human Services TDEM and the department will also Houston Metro West, 11555 Westpark of the virus. The Houston Health Department will of- operate drive-thru sites offering tests Dr., mouth self-swab, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Information obtained through testing, fer drive-thru testing via nasal self-swab at Monday through Saturday from 10 Houston Metro Kashmere, 5700 Eastex treatment or services will not be used two surge sites affiliated with U.S. Depart- a.m. to 7 p.m. at: Fwy., mouth self-swab, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., against immigrants in their public ment of Health and Human Services on HCC - Northeast Campus, 555 Com- and charge evaluation. (Courtesy The In- Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to munity College Drive, self-mouth Houston Metro Fallbrook, 111 Fallbrook ternational District) 7 p.m.: swab, and Media Contacts: Southwest Multi-Service Center, 6400 Hiram Clark Multi-Service Center, HCC - South Campus, 1990 Airport Porfirio Villarreal High Star Dr., and 3810 Fuqua St. Blvd., nasal swab by healthcare pro- Office: 832-393-5041 Houston Community College - North The fixed sites do not require appoint- fessionals. Mobile: 713-826-5695 Forest, 6010 Little York Rd. ments. TDEM and the department offer drive [email protected] Appointments are available at doineeda- Houston Health Department Pop-up thru, nasal-swab tests administered Scott Packard covid19test.com and on-site registration is Sites by healthcare professionals at LeRoy Office: 832-393-5045 also available. Three department will offer drive thru Crump Stadium, 12321 Alief Clodine Mobile: 281-254-6403 Houston Health Department Fixed Sites and walk-up via nose self-swab test- Rd. The site is open Monday through [email protected] The department will offer drive thru or ing at two pop-up sites open Tuesday Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. walk-up testing via mouth self-swab at through Saturday. The pop-up sites do Appointments for TDEM sites are avail- Dr., mouth self-swab, 8 a.m. 6 p.m. three fixed sites. The sites, open Wednes- not require appointments and are locat- able at covidtest.tdem.texas.gov. On-site Jester Village Shopping Center, 1501 W. day, Friday, and Saturday from 8 a.m. to ed at: registration is also available. 18th St., 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.