⁍ Congress was no closer on Thursday to a deal to extend or replace the extra $600-per-week in payments to tens of millions thrown out of work by the coronavirus pandemic.

---

⁍ Senate Republicans were discussing a way to hold a vote, possibly early next week, on just the unemployment benefit.

---

⁍ Democrats have been pushing for extending the jobless benefit as part of a $3 trillion coronavirus-aid bill the U.S. House of Representatives passed in March.

---

– A one-day reprieve for people who’ve been out of work for months due to the coronavirus is coming to an end Friday. The extra $600-per-week in payments to people who’ve lost their jobs due to the virus is set to expire, reports Reuters. That means people will be out of luck if they don’t find work by the end of the week. Republicans and Democrats have been trying to hash out a deal to extend or replace the extra payments, but there’s been no sign that Democrats will go along with any deal that doesn’t include a $1 trillion package to help state and local governments deal with the virus, which has killed 150,000 Americans and sickened hundreds of thousands more. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Democrats won’t agree to any extension “unless the program pays people more to stay home than to work.” He was referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. “It’s a stunt,” Schumer tells Reuters. Mitt Romney, who’s been meeting with Democratic leaders, says “we need to have a temporary program that is put in place so we don’t have a gap in people’s receipts.”