Three names mysteriously removed from Khashoggi intelligence report after initial publication. The first link to the report that was sent out by ODNI went dead. It was then replaced with a second version that removed three of the men it had just announced "participated in, ordered, or were otherwise complicit in or responsible for the death of Jamal Khashoggi." The first of the three names removed is Abdulla Mohammed Alhoeriny, who has not been previously connected with Khashoggi's death. The two other names that appeared in the unclassified intelligence report and then disappeared are Yasir Khalid Alsalem and Ibrahim al-Salim. It was not immediately clear who they are.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/28/politics/jamal-khashoggi-intelligence-report-three-names-removed/index.html
https://www.odni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Assessment-Saudi-Gov-Role-in-JK-Death-20210226.pdf (1st report)
https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Assessment-Saudi-Gov-Role-in-JK-Death-20210226v2.pdf (2nd)
Fossil fuel cars make hundreds-to-thousands of more waste than electric cars
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/01/fossil-fuel-cars-make-hundreds-of-times-more-waste-than-electric-cars
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to 3 years in jail (of which 2 suspended), making him the first former president in the country's modern history to serve time in prison (Chirac was convicted to a suspended sentence, did not go to prison). Court found he offered to pull strings to help a magistrate land a prestigious Monaco job in return for info on his file.
https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2021/03/01/nicolas-sarkozy-condamne-a-trois-ans-de-prison-dont-un-an-ferme-dans-l-affaire-des-ecoutes_6071580_823448.html
The fences that went up in May and June are coming down near Lafayette Park and the White House: A welcome sight to see. The fencing surrounding St. John's Church in Lafayette Square since last summer was removed. "The fencing was a symbol of the divides that tore apart so much of the country last year," says Terry Lynch of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations.
https://twitter.com/News_MTorres/status/1366432295503159296
Ohio primaries collide: #OHSEN candidate Jane Timken calls on Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez to resign, saying "Trump is the leader of our Party." WaPo reported over the weekend that Trump told Timken he would be endorsing her in the race to replace Portman
https://twitter.com/bridgetbhc/status/1366463925504589832
In January Timken told AndrewJTobias that Gonzalez was "an effective legislator" and "a very good person": https://cleveland.com/open/2021/02/will-the-ohio-gop-move-on-from-trump-a-qa-with-chairman-jane-timken.html
Representative Adam Kinzinger will help to raise money for a super PAC to defend Republicans who voted to impeach or convict Trump
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-01/new-super-pac-will-defend-republican-lawmakers-targeted-by-trump
Incredible footage out of Yemen
https://twitter.com/GEsfandiari/status/1366333169776082947
US wasted billions on cars, buildings in Afghanistan
https://apnews.com/article/world-news-afghanistan-taliban-united-states-b07ccfc12ceb7abefab055fe7bd6cf53
Shaq on criticizing current players: "When [Kareem Abdul Jabbar] gave me constructive criticism, I took it, I listened and I brought my game to another level. These guys now are pudding pops."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=221&v=cuQL89ZJBMc
A deep dive: Court documents in the Capitol insurrection cases reveal the chance encounters, coincidental acquaintances, constellation of tipsters, and wide array of law enforcement tradecraft that are helping the feds build these cases and make arrests
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetillman/capitol-insurrection-rioter-cases-fbi-search
Top utility regulator in Texas resigns as fallout deepens from deadly blackout that left millions without power for days.
https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/1366512254758322185
Let's talk about the history of the Senate. The minority veto embodied by the filibuster rule was Senator Calhoun's dream. Its permanent enshrinement in the rules was Senator Russell's accomplishment. The reconciliation kludge that sustains it was Senator Byrd's innovation. John C. Calhoun, Richard Russell, and Robert Byrd aren't just the authors of the current senate stalemate. They're, respectively, the foremost defender of slavery and secession, the leading opponent of civil rights, and the Democratic party's last official with links to the Klan. Actually, let's say last elected Senator to be safe. Is that really the Senate history a modern Democratic administration wants to respect? Why? It's not a coincidence that the Senators in history who built up the filibuster and hobbled majority rule within the Senate also tended to believe in white supremacy, planter control, and Jim Crow. Those odious political programs needed to defeat the majority to survive.
"This might sting a little bit — it stung me," the rabbi told congregants. "Those most likely to put signs on their lawns for the most progressive causes are also very likely to be the ones in community meetings saying, 'no more development.' "
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-racism-affordable-housing/2021/03/01/a37506b4-6d86-11eb-9ead-673168d5b874_story.html
The Senate votes 64-33 to confirm Miguel Cardona as Secretary of Education.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Zlj6Jr23D4a-Ajzh1VtC_5HGB55DGO-leVWzQkTc1h8/edit#gid=1830138682
Here's something I didn't know: "J&J's shot is also the only one that the FDA has reviewed, so far, that provides evidence that it helps stop people from spreading the virus asymptomatically. That is particularly useful for young people..."
https://www.businessinsider.com/johnson-and-johnson-covid-19-vaccine-arguably-the-best-2021-2
Finally: Atlanta has dismissed Lloyd Pierce as coach
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1366503507109564424
Throughout Lloyd Pierce's nearly 3 year tenure with the Atlanta Hawks, the team has only won 63 out of 183 possible games and has never had a single month with a winning record.
2019: Republican John Kennedy on Nancy Pelosi: "It must suck to be that dumb."
2021: Republican John Kennedy to Neera Tanden: "I'm very disturbed about your personal comments about people."
Jen Psaki was wrong yesterday in claiming even recent past presidents haven't sanctioned the leaders of foreign governments. Trump, Obama and Bush all did it more than once. Psaki made a narrower and more accurate version of the claim today. Fact check:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/01/politics/fact-check-psaki-sanctions-saudi-crown-prince/index.html
The American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry's lobby group, is considering supporting carbon pricing as a step toward meeting terms of the Paris climate accord
https://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-trade-group-considers-endorsing-carbon-pricing-11614640681
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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-homeland-security-alejandro-mayorkas/
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Thank you very much, Jen. And good morning, everyone. I'd like to spend a few minutes to provide you with an overview of what we have done and are continuing to do and what we are dedicated to achieving. We are dedicated to achieving and, quite frankly, are working around the clock to replace the cruelty of the past administration with an orderly, humane, and safe immigration process. It is hard, and it will take time. But rest assured, we are going to get it done.
Let me explain to you why it is hard and why it is going to take time. I think it is important to understand what we have inherited, because it defines the situation as it currently stands. Entire systems are not rebuilt in a day or in a few weeks. To put it succinctly, the prior administration dismantled our nation's immigration system in its entirety.
When I started 27 days ago, I learned that we did not have the facilities available or equipped to administer the humanitarian laws that our Congress passed years ago. We did not have the personnel, policies, procedures, or training to administer those laws. Quite frankly, the entire system was gutted.
In addition, they tore down the Central American Minors program that allowed children to access laws of protection without having to take the perilous journey north. They cut off funding to the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. No planning had been done to protect the frontline personnel of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other frontline personnel that address the needs of individuals coming to our border. Contracts had been entered that were unlawful or against the interests of the United States Department of Justice. And that's just the tip of it.
And I must tell you that it pains me profoundly to say this today, on March 1st, the 18th anniversary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
It takes time to rebuild an entire system and to process individuals at the border in a safe and just way. That is especially true when we're in the midst of the pandemic and are obligated, of course, to adhere to the restrictions and procedures that have been promulgated by the CDC to ensure public safety, including the safety of the individuals who arrive at our border. It takes time to build out of the depths of cruelty that the administration before us established.
What we are seeing now at the border is the immediate result of the dismantlement of the system and the time that it takes to rebuild it virtually from scratch. We have, though, already begun to design — and, in fact, have begun to implement — a new, innovative way to address the needs of the population that was forced to remain in Mexico during the prior administration. That rebuilding — that innovative solution is but one part of a multi-part strategy to execute on the President's vision. For example, we've also begun to rebuild a process for young people to be able to access avenues of protection without having to take the perilous journey. We have begun to develop and rebuild the program to reunify individuals with their families here in the United States, as was once the case.
The President set forth his bold vision in his executive orders at the outset of his administration, and we are driven to implement them successfully.
Let me, if I can, take a couple minutes to explain that innovative system to which I referred with respect to how we are addressing the individuals who were forced into the "Remain in Mexico" program under the prior administration.
Working very closely with the Mexican government and international organizations in Mexico, we have developed a virtual platform that enables individuals with active cases in the "Remain in Mexico" program to actually register for relief using their phones. The international organizations then work with those individuals to test them, process their cases, and transport them safely and, according to a defined schedule, to the port of entry where we are awaiting them and can process them through the port of entry successfully.
We started with one port and 25 individuals a day. We are now at three ports, and we have enhanced our processes at one of those three ports to reach 100 individuals a day in processing to address the acute need in the camp at Matamoros, which we have all heard so much about.
This is all, by the way, at a time when we are also addressing the needs of our frontline personnel. Soon after I took office on February 2nd, we launched Operation VOW, Vaccinate Our Workforce, where we have really surged resources and capabilities, according to the paradigm that has been established by the COVID-19 task force, to address the needs of frontline personnel throughout the federal government.
In February alone, we have vaccin- — we started at 2 percent of that frontline personnel workforce vaccinated. At the end of February, we were — we were able to reach 20 percent of the frontline personnel.
I have to take this opportunity, at the same time, to reiterate a message that we have communicated repeatedly throughout, which is a message to those individuals who are thinking of coming to our border: They need — they need to wait.
It takes time to rebuild the system from scratch. If they come — if families come, if single adults come to the border, we are obligated to, in the service of public health — including the health of the very people who are thinking of coming — to impose the travel restrictions under the CDC's Title 42 authorities and return them to Mexico. And we have done that.
We need individuals to wait. And I will say that they will wait with a goal in mind, and that is our ability to rebuild, as quickly as possible, a system so that they don't have to take the dangerous journey and we can enable them to access humanitarian relief from their countries of origin. The fact of the matter is that families and single adults are indeed being returned under the COVID-19 restrictions.
Let me then turn to the issue and the challenge of unaccompanied children, because I know that much has been reported about the handling of unaccompanied children. And let me just explain the process, if I may.
When an unaccompanied child reaches the border and comes in between the ports of entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel, specifically the United States Border Patrol, brings that child to a Border Patrol station for processing. The Border Patrol is only a pass-through. We are obligated to turn that child over to the Department of Health and Human Services within 72 hours. We are a pass-through. And then, Health and Human Services — or HHS, of course, that is commonly referred to — addresses the needs of that child as HHS is identifying and vetting sponsors in — whose trust the child can be placed while the child is in immigration proceedings.
And so we have the child for a maximum of 72 hours. And, of course, given the pandemic and its restrictions, given the extreme weather conditions in Texas, a critical part of that 72- hour timeframe was certainly under stress, as we all know and as we can all understand. And then, children are in HHS custody for an average of about 31 or 32 days.
Finally, let me turn to, I think, the most powerful and heartbreaking example of the cruelty that preceded this administration, and that is the intentional separation of children from their parents. I am the chairman. I have the privilege of serving at the President's designation as the chairman of the Family Reunification Task Force.
The First Lady has driven us to action through her personal commitment to this moral imperative. And that moral imperative is to reunite the families and restore them to the fullest capacity that we, as the United States government, can do. And I should say that we are not doing it alone.
We are working closely with counsel for the separated family members. We are doing it along with the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. I spoke with the foreign minister of each of those countries this past Friday. We are doing it with non-governmental organizations, and we intend to and will shortly harness the capabilities, resources, and desire of the private sector. This is not only an all-of-government, but all-of-society effort to do what is right.
We are hoping to reunite the families, either here or in the country of origin. We hope to be in a position to give them the election. And if, in fact, they seek to reunite here in the United States, we will explore lawful pathways for them to remain in the United States and to address the family needs. So we are acting as restoratively as possible.
I am very proud and excited to announce that we have hired Michelle Brané as the Executive Director of the Family Reunification Task Force. She began late last week. Most recently she served as the senior director of the Migrant Rights and Justice program of the Women's Refugee Commission. She has dedicated her entire career to human rights, and she is an extraordinary talent that will bring justice and results to this effort, along with the resources of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, and every other member of the federal government that has resources to bring to bear.
It is because of the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security and across the federal enterprise that we will dig out of the cruelty of the past administration, and we will rebuild our nation's asylum system and all of our humanitarian programs, of which we have been, historically, so proud as a leader in the world.
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SECRETARY MAYORKAS: So let me — let me, if I may, correct one of the premises of your — of your question. I mean, you said that we're handling them in the same way that the Trump administration did, and that is — that is absolutely inaccurate.
Q But the process that you articulated is roughly the same.
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Well, actually, the Trump administration expelled children to Mexico, and we are not expelling young children. We are not apprehending a nine-year-old child who's come alone, who has traversed Mexico, whose parents — whose loving parents had sent that child alone. We are not expelling that nine-year-old child to Mexico when that child's origin — country of origin was Guatemala, Honduras, or El Salvador. We are actually bringing that child into a Border Patrol station as a stepping point to get that child in the hands of HHS, that has the capacity and the unique talents to care for the child — healthcare workers, mental health counseling, and the like — and moving that child to a sponsor as quickly as possible. So we have taken a look at the process that is in place, and we are reengineering it to see, for example, whether we could have HHS personnel collated [sic] — co-located in a Border Patrol station, start to identify the needs of the child to see if that child does indeed have a relative in the United States, identify the sponsor more quickly, and unite that child with a sponsor more quickly — more quickly. So, a reengineering. We are taking a look at where efficiencies can be achieved in the best interest of the child. It is the best interest of the child that really define our actions.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-homeland-security-alejandro-mayorkas/
Q Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Do you believe that right now there is a crisis at the border?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: I think that the — the answer is no. I think there is a challenge at the border that we are managing, and we have our resources dedicated to managing it.
Q And so a lot of the things that you are talking about you admit take some time to implement. But right now you've got about 200 migrant children crossing the border every single day. CBP projected a peak of 13,000 unaccompanied children in the month of May, according to a report in Axios. What is being done between now and then, when you are able to implement all the things that you're talking about that you say will take time?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: Let me — let me answer that question with tremendous pride. The men and women of the Department of Homeland Security are working around the clock, seven days a week, to ensure that we do not have a crisis at the border, that we manage the challenge as acute as the challenge is, and they are not doing it alone. This is a challenge that the border communities, the non-governmental organizations, the people who care for individuals seeking humanitarian relief all understand it is an imperative. Everyone understands what occurred before us, what we need to do now. And we are getting it done.
Q Respectfully, sir, though, one of your predecessors, Jeh Johnson, he said that 1,000 illegal border crossings a day constitutes a crisis, that it overwhelms the system. We're at between three and four thousand now, according to CBP officials. So how is this not a crisis?
SECRETARY MAYORKAS: I have explained that quite clearly. We are challenged at the border. The men and women of the Department of Homeland Security are meeting that challenge. It is a stressful challenge, and we are — that is why, quite frankly, we are working as hard as we are not only in addressing the urgency of the challenge, but also in building the capacity to manage it and to meet our humanitarian aspirations in execution of the President's vision.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-homeland-security-alejandro-mayorkas/
MS. PSAKI: Well, first let me say we're disappointed in Iran's response. We remain ready to re-engage in meaningful diplomacy to achieve a mutual return to compliance with JCPOA commitments. And we will be consulting at every level with our P5+1 partners on the best way forward. We do view this, though, as a part of a diplomatic process to determine the way forward, and that's what we'll be engaging through the prism of.
Q And then another on foreign policy. The President has not taken any direct action against the Saudi Crown Prince in response to his involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Why not? And what message is the President sending to autocrats around the world that they can kill a journalist or their own citizens with impunity and not suffer personal sanctions?
MS. PSAKI: Well, let me first say that — you know, that this was a horrific crime. The President has been consistent in reiterating that and his belief of that. The report that was released on Friday through ODNI did not contain new information. It was important to the President that it was released and it abided by our legal obligations, and it wasn't something that was done by the prior administration. We also took a series of strong steps to impose on individuals directly involved in the operation that led to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, including adding a senior Saudi intelligence official, Ahmad al Asiri, to the list of those facing Global Magnitsky des- — Global Magnitsky designation. I don't know why that's a mouthful. We also sanctioned, under the Global Magnitsky rule, the entire Rapid Intervention Force, a unit of the Saudi Royal Guard that has engaged in counter- dissident operations, including the operation that resulted in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. This is a crucial step because it structurally addresses an unacceptable pattern of targeting, monitoring, harassment, and threats to dissidents and journalists. And we believe our team — our national security team believes that going after the network responsible for these actions is the best way to prevent a crime like this from ever happening again. That is our objective.
Q But going after the network responsible but not the man responsible for it, why not?
MS. PSAKI: Again, you know, I would say we took a number of steps that our team determined were the right steps to prevent this from ever happening again. That is our objective. We also, from day one, even prior to the release of this report, have recalibrated the relationship, have made clear that it is going to be a shift from how it was approached over the last four years. That means counterpart-to-counterpart conversations. That means not holding back, and voicing concern and pushing for action as it relates to dissidents or journalists or others being held. And it means making clear that we are not going to support the ongoing war in Yemen; we want to find a conclusion of that war. So our objective is to recalibrate the relationship, prevent this from ever happening again, and find ways, as there are still, to work together with Saudi leadership while still making clear where we feel action is unacceptable.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-homeland-security-alejandro-mayorkas/
Q And lastly, on Burma — Myanmar — have you been forceful enough in your sanctions on Myanmar? Because we keep seeing these bloody crackdowns. And are you coordinating with allies to look at more actions?
MS. PSAKI: We are, absolutely. We put out a statement yesterday from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, so let me just reiterate a couple of the pieces from that: That we remain alarmed by the Burmese security forces' violent — violence against peaceful protesters. The killings represent an escalation of the ongoing crackdown on pro-democracy protesters since the February 1st coup. We are preparing the additional actions to impose further costs on those responsible for this latest outbreak of violence and the recent coup. We expect to have more to share in that in the coming days.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-homeland-security-alejandro-mayorkas/
Q Jen, on — back on Saudi Arabia. During the campaign, obviously former Vice President Joe Biden was very well aware of the history of the U.S. government in terms of who they sanction and who they haven't. But yet he said we're going to "make them pay the price" and make them "the pariah that they are." How does this come anywhere close to his pledge to Americans in November of 2019 at that debate?
MS. PSAKI: Well, first, the President has been clear to his team, and he has been clear publicly, that the relationship is not going to look like what it's looked like in the past. And even before the release of the report on Friday, we had taken actions as an administration to make that clear, through diplomatic conversations, to our partners and allies in the region and through our actions. And that includes a change in how we are communicating with the Saudis, counterpart to counterpart — going back to that appropriate line of communication. It includes not holding back in raising concerns about human rights abuses. We did see last month that Saudi Arabia did release two dual national prisoners and women's rights activists. It includes pulling back from our support from the war in Yemen. But it's important to also note that there are areas where we have an important relationship with Saudi Arabia: intelligence sharing; also helping defend against the threats and the rocket attacks that they are getting — you know, getting from bad actors, right at their doorstep. And, you know, global diplomacy requires holding countries accountable when needed, but also acting in the national interest of the United States, and that's exactly what the President is trying to do.
Q And does he feel he's done a good-enough job explaining his position — his new position now as President of the American people? And how is he reacting to the criticism he's received over the weekend that Nick Kristof — the New York Times — accused him of choking? I know there were a variety of pretty tough words against him. How does he respond to that? And does he need to address it more?
MS. PSAKI: Well, I don't think anyone runs for President or is elected if they have a thin skin. And, certainly, any action you take on an issue like global diplomacy or an issue where there's a complicated relationship — I think he fully expected there might be some criticism. But his objective, his role as President of the United States and as Commander-in-Chief of the country is to act in the national interest of the United States, and that's exactly what he's doing in this relati- — in this case — that he's acting on the advice of his national security team. And he believes this is the right approach for our long-term interests.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-homeland-security-alejandro-mayorkas/
YEP: Q A follow-up to Jeff's question, which it much strikes me. The White House doesn't have 50 votes to confirm Neera Tanden as OMB Director, and yet we've heard from the White House Chief of Staff say that the White House is — they're going to fight their guts out — "Fight our guts out" was the phrase he used — to get her confirmed. So why push for that and not push as hard, one could say, for raising the minimum wage? You could make the argument that the American people stand to benefit more from the higher wage than they would from a chosen OMB Director.
MS. PSAKI irresponsibly and idiotically dismisses the question: Well, I think that's mixing a few things, kind of, irresponsibly
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-homeland-security-alejandro-mayorkas/
Q On voting rights, the Supreme Court is set to hear a major voting rights case this week. You have, by some estimates, some 43 states — Republican-led states — that are set to — or at least envision a change to election laws and want to make it harder — put in place more restrictions on voting. The House is set to vote on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act that is running headlong into a Senate filibuster. Does the President support nixing the filibuster as a means of passing voting rights? And if not, how is he going to leverage his political capital to make sure that this Democratic priority becomes law?
MS. PSAKI: Well, first, the President is committed to protecting the fundamental right to vote and making easier for all eligible Americans to vote. His campaign was about fighting for democracy, and we're going to continue to fight for democracy in the White House. And that's why we need to pass reforms like H.R. 1, the For the People Act, and restore the Voting Rights Act. And he's happy to see the House take up H.R. 1 this week. We're not going to get ahead of the process. The President's view on the filibuster is well known. He's — has not changed that point of view, but certainly any step to protect voting rights, to ensure that it's easier and not harder for people to vote in the country, we feel is a positive step.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-homeland-security-alejandro-mayorkas/
Q Thanks, Jen. To go back to Saudi and the Crown Prince, and the quote that Jeff brought up from then-candidate Joe Biden in 2019: You mentioned holding countries accountable. You mentioned, today, acting in the national interest. But he said in 2019, "We're going to…make them pay the price" — Saudi leaders. How is the administration making the Crown Prince pay a price? And are you saying that the national interest and holding them accountable can't square with paying a price?
MS. PSAKI: No, I'm certainly not saying that. I was outlining a number of the steps that were announced on Friday that were taken, that specifically address — sanctioned the deputy head of intelligence; that specifically sanctioned, under the Magnitsky Act, the entire Rapid Intervention Force, which is a force that is close to the Crown Prince. And I was referring to specifically our goal of recalibrating the entire relationship, which is something that we started to do from day one of the administration. We did not wait for the release of the report. But I was also noting that this is a country where we have diplomatic relations. We are going to hold them accountable. We are going to take steps. We are not going to hold back on making clear where actions are unacceptable, where there needs to be a change and reforms put in place, while also recognizing that there are areas we need to continue to work together on because they're in the interest of the United States and our own security.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-homeland-security-alejandro-mayorkas/
Q Senator Warren proposed a wealth tax on households that are worth at least $50 million, saying, quote, "This is money that should be invested in childcare and early education…infrastructure, all of which are priorities of President Biden and Democrats in Congress." Does this President have any appetite for a wealth tax?
MS. PSAKI: Well, the President strongly believes that the ultra-wealthy and corporations need to finally start paying their fair share, and that our economy and tax system need to reward work not wealth. That's why he proposed making sure the very richest Americans pay the same rate on the income from their wealth that a worker pays, as well as closing loopholes that allow them to entirely escape tax. Obviously, our focus is on the American Rescue Plan. Addressing the inequities in the tax code is something he talked about as part of his Build Back Better agenda, and it's something he remains committed to. He has a lot of respect for Senator Warren and is aligned on the goal of ensuring the ultra-wealthy and big corporations finally pay their fair share. He's laid out a lot of ideas, and when we get to that point in our agenda, he'll look forward to working with her and others in Congress.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-homeland-security-alejandro-mayorkas/
"At some point, she's going to run for president and at some point, the biggest challenge in the primary is not going to come from her right, it's going to come from her left," said Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive activist who served on a Biden-Bernie task force.
https://twitter.com/dsamuelsohn/status/1366544753140056067
As vice president and the Senate's presiding officer, Harris has a choice about how to "leverage those positions to lead," El-Sayed said. "She has an opportunity to define the future for the next 10 years."
https://twitter.com/dsamuelsohn/status/1366544795238359040
Bernie: "My own personal view is that the Senate should ignore the parliamentarian's advice, which is wrong in a number of respects. I am not sure, however, that my view at this point is the majority view in the Democratic Caucus."
https://twitter.com/burgessev/status/1366544174913359875
Today, we received a referral letter providing our office the authority to move forward with an independent investigation into allegations of sexual harassment claims made against Governor Cuomo. At the close of the review, the findings will be disclosed in a public report.
https://twitter.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/1366473249966628866
Nikola Jokic Tonight: 39/14/9 on 17/28 shooting, 0/3 from three and 5/5 from the line
The federal government has ordered the US Forest Service to withdraw an Republican environmental impact statement that would have illegally and unconstitutionally turned Apache land over to fossil fuel industry
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/biden-trump-mine-arizona-apache-b1809885.html
"I'm dressing in all black. ... I'll look just like ANTIFA. I'll get away with anything," the pro-Trump terrorist who attacked the Capitol said. He added later: "It worked. ... I got away with things that others were shot or arrested for." He's now arrested.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/02/norwood-capitol-riot-antifa-arrest/
Fulton County prosecutors are expected to appear before a grand jury this week seeking subpoenas for documents and witnesses related to their investigation of Trump and some of his top associates for possible election fraud.
https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/fulton-das-investigation-into-trump-heads-to-grand-jury/GI6UQWVVLJGCPMCCBKDES5FJ4Y/
Though courts across the country found no evidence of fraud in 2020 election, bills to limit and end voting rights have since been filed in 33 Republican-dominated state legislatures. Now SCOTUS is hearing a case that could green light these bills.
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/02/970729426/high-noon-for-the-future-of-the-voting-rights-act-at-the-supreme-court
A Republican Senate memo reported that Louis DeJoy personally ordered overtime cuts, the same DeJoy who testified under oath that he never cut anything
https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/gop-senate-memo-says-dejoy-personally-ordered-usps-overtime-cuts-contradicting-dejoys-prior-testimony/
New video shows US forces getting hammered by a barrage of Iranian missiles after Trump had a top general killed
https://www.businessinsider.com/new-video-emerges-of-iranian-missile-attack-on-us-forces-2021-3
Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls rescued days after kidnapping
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/02/africa/nigeria-schoolgirls-rescued-intl/index.html
White supremacists on par with ISIS as 'top threat,' FBI director tells Senate
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/wray-senate-hearing-capitol-riot-white-supremacists-b1810615.html
Summary of Republicans questioning Christopher Wray (FBI director)
"Thank you director Wray, about ANTIFA...".
"There is zero evidence ANTIFA took part in the Jan 6 insurrection."
"I see. So anyways, ANTIFA..."
"Again, Jan 6th was perpetrated by Pro-Trump Far Right Extremists, Including Some Of You Republicans..."
"But what about ANTIFA?"
"... They weren't there. You were."
"I see. But when ANTIFA stormed the Capitol.."
"ANTIFA did not storm the Capitol. It was pro-Trump right wing extremists, including many of you."
"I see, well that's speculation. So after ANTIFA set up the gallows at the Capitol..."
"That wasnt ANTIFA, those were Trump supporters"
"Are you sure? They looked like ANTIFA to me"
"Yes we have their social media history..."
"I see... so BLM did it?"
(Wray slams his head on the desk)
Biden Officials Block Public Grazing Permits For Arsonist Ranchers Pardoned By Trump
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dwight-steve-hammond-ammon-bundy-public-grazing-permits-oregon_n_603dc2e4c5b6ff75ac3ef363
What is the pandemic doing to students who may have some mental health issues? We discuss education, isolation, loneliness and schooling on the latest Very Opinionated with Soledad O'Brien.
https://quakemedia.com/soledad/
The NBA and NBPA are planning to eliminate the 50-game limit for two-way contract players this season and to allow two-way players to be eligible for the playoffs, pending Board approval.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1366822457085222916
FBI Director Wray repeatedly refutes claims by former President Trump's Republican allies and others that antifa activists participated in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/fbi-director-wray-repeatedly-refutes-claims-antifa-activists-attacked-capitol-n1259297
The detention issue in Mullins' case came down to *how* the government framed it's request to keep him behind bars. Instead of arguing he was charged with a crime of violence, they argued he was a flight/obstruction risk, which were narrower grounds. The judge said she likely would have ordered detention on the "crime of violence" grounds, but couldn't unless the govt raised it. The prosecutor explained they'd gotten "conflicting" guidance about when they could invoke the "crime of violence" argument. A Judge Released A Man Charged With Assaulting A Cop At The Capitol, But She Wasn't Happy About It
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetillman/capitol-rioter-clayton-mullins-assault-cop-freed-trial
Microsoft has fixed zero-day vulnerabilities in its Exchange Server email software that Chinese government hackers were exploiting to target various U.S. companies. Customers urged to patch.
https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2021/03/02/new-nation-state-cyberattacks/
https://msrc-blog.microsoft.com/2021/03/02/multiple-security-updates-released-for-exchange-server/
https://microsoft.com/security/blog/2021/03/02/hafnium-targeting-exchange-servers/
Judge @LinaHidalgoTX (D), the top executive in Texas's largest county of Harris, calls Gov. Abbott's lifting of the mask mandate "wishful thinking" at best—and a "cynical" distraction from the power grid failures at worst. Statement.
https://twitter.com/KlasfeldReports/status/1366857559081107459
Space hurricane which rains electrons instead of water discovered by scientists
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/space-hurricane-discovered-plasma-electrons-b1809865.html
331 environmental defenders were murdered in 2020, over half of them in Colombia
https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/over-half-of-global-environmental-defender-murders-in-2020-in-colombia-report/
279 kidnapped girls freed from Islamic terrorists after their abduction from Nigerian school
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/nigerian-governor-says-279-kidnapped-schoolgirls-are-freed-n1259251
Iran Drops Judo Ban, A Ban Preventing Iranians From Competing Against Israelis. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said there was "no legal basis" to bar Iran from competitions for ordering an athlete not to compete against an Israeli opponent.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/01/sports/olympics/iran-israel-judo-ban.html
Senate confirms Raimondo to lead Commerce Department
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/02/senate-confirms-raimondo-commerce-472658
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Zlj6Jr23D4a-Ajzh1VtC_5HGB55DGO-leVWzQkTc1h8/edit#gid=1830138682
Last week we reported cases of the B.1.1.7 variant in NYC, which was first found in the United Kingdom. Based on reports to a national database, we now know of 116 cases in the city.
https://twitter.com/NYCHealthCommr/status/1366788363127304193
We are still learning about the effectiveness of vaccines on these new variants, but the research so far is consistent that the COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the FDA will help lower the risk of severe infections and death.
https://twitter.com/NYCHealthCommr/status/1366788374657433601
Dolly Parton sings about vaccines to the tune of "Jolene"
https://twitter.com/DollyParton/status/1366866210852323328
Texas and Mississippi have lifted their states' mask mandate, dismissing covid19 as a hoax, ordering all businesses and schools to open
https://politico.com/news/2021/03/02/texas-to-lift-mask-mandate-472690
Rep. Clyburn: "They're using the filibuster to deny progress to low-income people. And if they're going to use the filibuster to deny a minimum wage increase, it would be tantamount to using it to deny civil rights ... We're not going to just give in to these archaic methods."
- "They" are the DEMOCRATS. Most of the Democrats, including Biden and Harris, support the filibuster and have already REPEATEDLY said they will never under any circumstances eliminate it. BIDEN AND DEMOCRATS are throwing out their entire policy agenda. Not Republicans.
Frustration is boiling over in Jackson, Mississippi, where the entire city has gone two weeks - two weeks - without safe drinking water.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1366539959491043330
https://twitter.com/vladduthiersCBS/status/1366539959491043330
This piece is sooooo good. The small-dollar email fundraising grift is such an incredible racket. Republican Kim Klacik raised millions from a viral ad shared by Trump. Then she found out her vendors were keeping much of the money. "I actually lost sleep over this," she said. "These companies — it's a racket."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/klacik-gop-campaign-donations/2021/03/02/76300fde-7077-11eb-85fa-e0ccb3660358_story.html
Statement from American Federation of Teachers President @rweingarten
after Biden set a goal for every teacher to get a first vaccine shot by the end of the month:
"We're confident that within the next weeks and months, we'll be able to be back in classrooms."
https://twitter.com/Robillard/status/1366878024768094222/photo/1
https://twitter.com/Robillard/status/1366878024768094222?
This statement is unlikely to appease most critics of school closings, but it – along with Biden's comments – seem to signal that the tide is shifting here. Between the vaccine goal + the likely passage of the COVID relief bill, I'd expect Dems to increase pressure on unions
https://twitter.com/Robillard/status/1366878657231417345
We obtained copies of phony electoral vote certificates from seven states that were submitted to Congress — part of a failed attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
https://americanoversight.org/american-oversight-obtains-seven-phony-certificates-of-pro-trump-electors
https://twitter.com/weareoversight/status/1366880590591643654
President Biden joined the weekly Senate Democratic Caucus lunch meeting today to make the case for speedy passage of the American Rescue Plan and get input from Senators on the path forward. During the call, the President highlighted the broad support the package has received – including from a bipartisan majority of the American people, state and local leaders, labor, and the business community – and noted the urgency of passing the bill to speed up vaccinations and the safe reopening of schools. With the Senate preparing to take up the Rescue Plan, the President urged the caucus to remain united in its commitment to passing a package big enough to meet the economic and health crises we face, and to act swiftly to pass it before unemployment benefits for around 11 million Americans start expiring on March 14.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/02/readout-of-president-joseph-r-biden-jr-call-with-senate-democratic-caucus/
Later today, President Biden will deliver remarks on the status of our COVID-19 response, and he will announce an unprecedented, historic step: The two largest healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, Merck and Johnson & Johnson — usually competitors — are coming together to expand production of the vaccine — Johnson & Johnson's vaccine drug substance, as well as increase its fill-finish capacity. They will enter into a historic manufacturing partnership to expand that, I should say. The U.S. government will facilitate this partnership in several key ways, including invoking the Defense Production Act to equip two Merck facilities to the standards necessary to safely manufacture the vaccine, and asking the Department of Defense to provide daily logistical support to strengthen Johnson & Johnson's efforts.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/02/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-march-2-2021/
Also today, the Biden-Harris administration is announcing key conclusions from an intelligence community assessment on the poisoning of Aleksey Navalny, as well as measures to hold Russia accountable for this action. The intelligence community assesses with "high confidence" that officers of Russia's Federal Security Service used a nerve agent to poison Russian opposition leader Aleksey Navalny on August 20, 2020. The use of any chemical weapon directly violates international legal obligations and norms of civilized conduct. And our actions today fall into a number of categories and reflect a whole-of-government response. We are also working with Congress to ensure we're faithfully implementing the Chemical and Biological Weapons Act. Today, the United States is announcing sanctions on seven senior members of the Russian government, an expansion of sanctions under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act, new export restrictions on items that could be used for biological agent and chemical production, and visa restrictions. And the Department of State, Commerce, and Treasury will also have releases out shortly with further details. As a demonstration of our transatlantic unity and cooperation with partners over the ocean, many of the actions we are taking mirror the steps the EU took in October and match additional EU measures being taken today. We also reiterate our call for the Russian government to immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Navalny.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/02/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-march-2-2021/
Q And then, on vaccines — yesterday, the topic of sharing vaccines came up in the President's conversation with the President of Mexico. The President said he was going to talk about it in that conversation. Is the President open to flexibility in terms of sharing these vaccines now with longtime American allies? And what is the threshold at which the President will share — start exporting some of these American-made vaccines overseas?
MS. PSAKI: Well, that's diplomacy in action right there. The President has been at it for a long time. And — but the President did not make any commitments, nor did he give a timeline. His focus is on ensuring the American people are vaccinated. And, yes, now we have more than enough doses — we will have more than enough doses to vaccinate the American people, but there are a couple of factors that our team looks at, including the fact that we don't know which vaccine will be most effective on children. We don't know the impact of variants still under consideration and being looked at by our health and medical experts. We are, of course, securing all of these doses so we can plan for a range of scenarios. We have contributed to COVAX, which is the international coordinating body to help provide assistance around the world. And certainly when we get to the point where the majority — where we have vaccinated the American public, of course, we want the global community to be vaccinated. That makes us all safer.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/02/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-march-2-2021/
Q And you mentioned that you are — that the government has or is willing to invoke the DPA. Can you give us any more details on that?
MS. PSAKI: We did invoke the DPA in order to alleviate two of the biggest bottlenecks facing Johnson & Johnson. One is fill-finish capacity, which is actually kind of the bottle — the top that's put on these bottles of vaccines, and the other is drug substance availability, which is some of the components that make up the ingredients in the vaccine. So those were pieces that — or steps — we invoked the DPA in order to implement those particular pieces. But the other piece that we are focused on here is ensuring that the Merck facilities are up to capacity of what's needed to manufacture the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Q And the production here, will that be used for — used in the United States, or is it earmarked for global use? How will the vaccines be used once they are (inaudible)?
MS. PSAKI: Well, we've ordered — or we have ordered a set number of about 100 million vaccines. There's a contract that was in process before these steps were taken. So that's what these actions will be focused on.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/02/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-march-2-2021/
Q And one question on the COVID rescue package, Jen. Does President Biden and the White House feel any need to perhaps reduce the unemployment benefits in the bill? As you're aware, you know, lawmakers such as Senator Manchin support a lower threshold, in many ways — $300 over $400 per week. What is your position on that?
MS. PSAKI: Well, the President obviously had a discussion with a number of senators just yesterday. Senator Manchin was certainly one of them, and he's long said that he would be open to hearing ideas that make the bill and the package stronger. It's an ongoing process, but I don't have anything more to read out in terms of their conversation.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/02/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-march-2-2021/
Q But, ultimately, this is on the back of the new announcement as it relates to Russia right now. So if you don't do anything that directly touch — touches MBS or Vladimir Putin, why do you expect those leaders to stop this behavior?
MS. PSAKI: Well, again, Peter, with all due respect, this — these decisions were made on the basis of decades of experience and consideration by our national security team on what would be most effective in not only deterring actions like this in the future, preventing this from ever happening again — which is, of course, our objective — but also being able to maintain a relationship moving forward. And, of course, we have important work we do with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from intelligence sharing to deterring the actions of militants in the region. And those are in the national interest of the United States.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/02/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-march-2-2021/
MS. PSAKI: You're right. And the VaccineFinder website is available in about a half a dozen states. There are also websites in many states that provide access and provide guideline — or guidance for people looking for where they can get a vaccine and access. So that is true in different states across the country as well. But one of the things we've also found — and the prism at which we're looking at this through — is that it's not just about people being able to go on websites; people also don't all have access to the Internet, including many people who are in communities where there's higher level of vaccine hesitancy or rural communities. And so we've also taken a number of steps — call centers, proactive outreach to communities from health centers — to get people to come and take the vaccine, because a website is not going to be the silver bullet that solves everything. It's a pilot. And so our intention is to expand it, but it's not going to be the only thing that helps solve this for the public.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/02/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-march-2-2021/
Sec of Commerce Rouse confirmed. Josh Hawley voted for Rouse, his first Yeah vote for a cabinet nominee. Also Ted Cruz' second Yeah vote.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Zlj6Jr23D4a-Ajzh1VtC_5HGB55DGO-leVWzQkTc1h8/edit#gid=1830138682
South Carolina Senate adds firing squad to execution methods
https://www.wmtw.com/article/south-carolina-senate-adds-firing-squad-to-execution-methods/35701360#
As the Interior Department awaits its new secretary, the agency is already moving to lock in key parts of President Biden's environmental agenda, particularly on oil and gas restrictions, laying the groundwork to fulfill some of the administration's most consequential climate change promises. | The department has suspended lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico under an early executive order imposing a temporary freeze on new drilling leases on all public lands and waters and requiring a review of the leasing program. It has frozen drilling activity in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, delayed Trump-era rollbacks on protections of migratory birds and the northern spotted owl, and taken the first steps in restoring two national monuments in Utah and one off the Atlantic coast that Mr. Trump largely dismantled. As early as this week, one administration official said the Interior Department is poised to take the next steps in preparing a review of the federal oil and gas leasing program. | But the Interior Department, which decides when and whether to sell publicly owned coal, oil and gas, is at the heart of the always contentious fight over keeping such resources "in the ground" — that is, whether the vast majority of America's fossil fuels should remain untapped to avoid dangerous concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Mr. Biden already has appointed nearly 50 top Interior officials across the vast agency, many of them veterans of the Obama administration, adept at pulling the levers of policy. They include Kate Kelly, who spent six years at the Interior Department before going to the liberal Center for American Progress where she focused on public lands policy, and Laura Daniel Davis who served as chief of staff to former secretaries Sally Jewell and Ken Salazar. This time around, she is a principal deputy assistant secretary over land and minerals management. Perhaps the most significant driver of the agency's most aggressive early action, supporters of the administration said, has been David Hayes, who served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations as deputy secretary of Interior. Mr. Hayes worked on Mr. Biden's transition and ahead of Inauguration Day was tapped to be a special adviser to the president on climate change policy. "These are people who know how to get things done," said Sarah Greenberger, interim chief conservation officer at the National Audubon Society. The appointments have had immediate effects. The day after Mr. Biden named a new offshore energy regulator at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, for example, the office revived the review of an offshore wind farm near Martha's Vineyard that the Trump administration had moved to cancel. Ms. Greenberger noted that actions like suspending the Trump-era rule that gutted protections for migratory birds required particularly fast planning since the Biden administration had only a short window to act before the rule was set to take effect, on Feb. 8. Similarly when an Alaska Native group missed a deadline to conduct a seismic survey in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the department moved to effectively kill the survey. "There was an enormous amount of thought put in during the transition, especially into understanding what needed to happen and what were the opportunities," Ms. Greenberg said. | In a statement Jennifer Van der Heide, chief of staff at the Department of Interior, said those already in place at the agency are working to implement Mr. Biden's campaign promises until Ms. Haaland is confirmed. "There are some actions we can or must move quickly on, but when we have a secretary, she will provide the leadership, experience and vision to restore morale within the department, build a clean energy economy, strengthen the nation-to-nation relationships with tribes, and inspire a movement to better conserve our nation's lands, waters, and wildlife," Ms. Van der Heide said. The Interior Department manages about 500 million acres of public lands and vast coastal waters. Its agencies lease many of those acres for oil and gas drilling as well as wind and solar farms. It oversees the country's national parks and wildlife refuges, protects threatened and endangered species, reclaims abandoned mine sites, oversees the government's relationship with the nation's 574 federally recognized tribes, and provides scientific data about the effects of climate change. That sprawling range of authorities has allowed Interior to move more quickly than smaller agencies that rely more on the slow churn of regulations, experts noted. Interior has initiated consultations with tribal leaders to hear their suggestions on federal policies and reversed restrictions that Mr. Trump's Interior secretary, David Bernhardt, had imposed on the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which prevented money from being used to buy public land. But some major actions — such as an expected revision of the Endangered Species Act, which Mr. Trump's administration curtailed through regulation — must await a Senate-confirmed secretary.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/climate/biden-interior-department-haaland.html
President Joe Biden's Cabinet is taking shape at the slowest pace of any in modern history, with fewer than a dozen nominees for top posts confirmed more than a month into his tenure. Among Biden's 23 nominees with Cabinet rank, just 11 have been confirmed by the Senate, or about half. And among the 15 core nominees to lead federal agencies, 10 have been confirmed, or about two thirds. According to the Center for Presidential Transition, about a month into their first terms, the previous four presidents had 84% of their core Cabinet picks confirmed. The delay in confirmations means some departments are left without their top decision-makers as they attempt to put in place policies to address the overlapping crises brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. | California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the Biden administration's HHS nominee, will get a committee vote Wednesday, and he's expected to receive easy confirmation. But Shalala pointed to a laundry list of issues — from oversight of hospitals, health care companies and nursing homes during the pandemic to issues surrounding drug pricing, telemedicine and child care services — that urgently need his input. | But in addition to waiting on Becerra at HHS, the administration lacks top leaders at the Justice Department, Housing and Urban Development and the Small Business Administration, departments that will be key to some of Biden's top priorities and the implementation of his $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill, if it's passed into law later this month. And the delay in confirming top posts also means a delay in confirming and seating deputy secretaries and undersecretaries, who are often in charge of the nitty gritty in implementing major policy. Shalala noted, for instance, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will offer guidance on how insurers should cover coronavirus costs and implementation on aspects of the COVID-19 aid bill, and currently only has an acting administrator. She also noted HHS has deputies who oversee everything from refugee resettlement to child care programs.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/bidens-cabinet-half-empty-after-slow-start-in-confirmations
Just 100,000 American families would be subject to Elizabeth Warren's wealth tax. It would raise an estimated $3 trillion over a decade.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/01/politics/elizabeth-warren-wealth-tax/index.html
The security failure regarding the pro-Trump terrorist attack on the Capitol Jan 6 wasn't just days or weeks in advance but years. The FBI was warning about domestic/white supremacist terrorism for years but Trump political appointees in DHS and DOJ deliberately downplayed it or falsely equated it with Antifa.
I have accepted Neera Tanden's request to withdraw her name from nomination for Director of the Office of Management and Budget. I have the utmost respect for her record of accomplishment, her experience and her counsel, and I look forward to having her serve in a role in my Administration. She will bring valuable perspective and insight to our work.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/02/statement-by-president-joe-biden-and-nominee-for-director-of-the-office-of-management-neera-tanden/
Today, National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, alongside senior staff from the National Economic Council, the Council on Environmental Quality, and Department of Transportation, held a virtual meeting with CEOs from electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure companies to discuss shared priorities from tackling the climate crisis to supporting the economic recovery to build back better. National Climate Advisor McCarthy underscored President Biden's commitment to investments that will strengthen domestic supply chains, bolster American manufacturing, create good-paying, union jobs in sectors that support vehicle electrification, and she noted the Administration's goal to build more than 500,000 EV chargers. Administration officials and EV charging infrastructure leaders discussed the importance of accelerating the development and deployment of EV charging technologies and infrastructure to empower American workers and manufacturers to win the 21st century. The Administration officials asked leaders from the companies at the cutting edge of EV charging infrastructure and associated technologies to share their perspectives and insights about how to most effectively accelerate and scale a national network of EV charging stations. The officials and EV charging infrastructure leaders agreed it was important to encourage collaboration across the government, automotive industry, and other sectors involved in vehicle electrification as the country aims to lead the world in a clean energy revolution while supporting the economic recovery and creating good-paying, union jobs.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/02/readout-of-the-white-houses-meeting-with-electric-vehicle-charging-infrastructure-leaders/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunny_Wailer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_Jordan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahmil_French
Three female media workers intentionally shot dead in Jalalabad
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56254356
Good: U.S. Treasury blacklists two leaders of Yemen's Islamic terrorist Houthi group
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-usa-sanctions/u-s-blacklists-two-leaders-of-yemens-houthi-movement-idUSKCN2AU1XK
The suspicious device found near an Ankeny polling place Tuesday has been confirmed to be a live pipe bomb. There was a special election there today.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2021/03/02/ankeny-police-fire-investigating-suspicious-device-lakeside-center-hawkeye-park/6886461002/
President Biden announces we will now have enough vaccine supply for 300 million Americans by the end of May. This is an acceleration of 2 months over our prior outlook.
https://twitter.com/aslavitt46/status/1366862673024081923
KIDS EPIDEMIC in Italy —#B117 variant among Italy's infected schoolchildren and is helping to fuel a "robust" uptick in the curve of #COVID19–with higher transmission rates "among the youngest age group" of the population.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/virus-variant-races-italy-especially-210020179.html
PG crosses Theis and hits the step back 3
https://streamable.com/bqseko
Tatum throws a one-handed dime
https://streamable.com/4xqv8o
Jaylen Brown with one hard screen
https://streamable.com/ri6da1
That Devin Booker ejection is ridiculous. No one is tuning in for the referees. What a joke. The officiating is a major issue. Adam Silver needs to do something about it already.
Nikola Jokic Tonight: 37/10/11 on 15/23 shooting, 2/3 from three and 5/5 from the line
The Phoenix Suns (23-11) defeat the Los Angeles Lakers (24-12) 114 to 104
D'Antoni on return To Houston as a Net with Harden: "We'll probably be in Houston after everything is over with and live there. We haven't found a better city and better people. I've got nothing but thanks and gratitude. They were four of the best years of my career."
https://twitter.com/bendubose/status/1366915485078552576
Bol Bol drills the stepback 3 to give the Nuggets a 28-point lead in Milwaukee
https://streamable.com/jzrw71
U.S. House panel reissues subpoena for Trump's tax records far too late
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-trump-taxes/u-s-house-panel-reissues-subpoena-for-trumps-tax-records-idUSKCN2AV02B
Deported Veterans, Stranded Far From Home After Years Of Military Service, Biden To Bring Them Back
https://www.military.com/daily-news/opinions/2021/03/02/deported-veterans-stranded-far-home-after-years-of-military-service-press-biden-bring-them-back.html
Manchin ally says Senator has received no pressure or lobbying from WH to vote for the Covid19 bill with the minimum wage attached. Good for Manchin. Malfeasance at WH. No calls, horse trading, or effort to find out what would get Manchin on board? Good grief. Beyond absurd.
https://twitter.com/DavidShuster/status/1366526525718339590
The fact that you can raise $78 billion from 100 people with that meager a tax should tell us something about the vastness of the inequality at play here
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1366483897467420675
Aaron Boone is taking a medical leave of absence to receive a pacemaker, the Yankees say. He'll receive surgery later today in Tampa.
https://twitter.com/lindseyadler/status/1367191903591096323
Jean-Luc G-dard says he'll retire: "I'm finishing my movie life—yes, my moviemaker's life—by doing two scripts and, after, I will say 'goodbye, cinema.'"
https://thefilmstage.com/jean-luc-godard-hints-at-retirement-in-new-85-minute-conversation/
LMAO at "we," this terrorist shitstain endorsed Democrat Cory Booker for president:
Jeff Van Drew, Dem, on HR1 in 2019: it "will clean up corruption in Washington, restore our democracy, and promote bipartisanship"
Jeff Van Drew, Republican, on same HR1 today: "We were warned for years about the rise of socialism... here it is, served on a platter"
https://twitter.com/sambrodey/status/1367152836409257988
Kenneth Hubert of Missouri arrested today after being indicted for threatening to kill Reps. Emanuel Cleaver and Steve Cohen the day after the Capitol insurrection.
https://justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/marionville-man-indicted-threatening-two-congressmen
Israel blames Iran for oil spill washing up on its shores, calling it an act of environmental terrorism.
https://www.reuters.com/article/israel-environment-oil-boat/update-2-israel-accuses-iran-of-link-to-oil-spill-off-its-shores-idUSL2N2L127K
We welcome Iraq's passing of the Yezidi Female Survivors Law, which recognizes the ISIS genocide against Yezidis and seeks to address the needs of the survivors of unspeakable atrocities. We continue to support the Government of Iraq in our fight to prevent an ISIS resurgence.
https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1366881099926888455
Interim National Security Strategic Guidance
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/NSC-1v2.pdf
The Covid19 bill has been gutted and is moot because Republicans already have a plan to filibuster it for most of March, which means the bill is dead on arrival. All the Republicans already said they won't vote for it. The bill needs 61 to pass and won't.
Alabama Senate votes to make hormone therapy and surgery for trans youth a felony
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/alabama-senate-bans-hormone-therapy-surgery-felony-transgender-youth/
In today's hearing, Walker testified that he had been required to seek authorization from the Trump-appointed secretary of the Army and secretary of defense to take action to respond to the mob — authorization that was delayed for more than three hours. https://washingtonpost.com/national-security/capitol-riot-hearing/2021/03/02/a4867a48-7b81-11eb-85cd-9b7fa90c8873_story.html
Incel Toronto Van Killer Found Guilty of Murdering 10 People
https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvx4kq/incel-toronto-van-killer-found-guilty-of-murdering-10-people
Sweden: Eight people stabbed in suspected terrorist attack, police shoot attacker
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/eight-people-injured-in-stabbing-in-sweden-police-shoot-attacker-1775349-2021-03-03
Indigenous Amazonians sue retailer Casino over rainforest destruction
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-casino-amazon-lawsuit/indigenous-amazonians-sue-retailer-casino-over-rainforest-destruction-idUSKBN2AV1UY
An Associated Press reporter and five other journalists are facing up to three years in prison after authorities in Myanmar arrested and charged them with violating a public order law
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/541435-ap-journalist-charged-in-myanmar
Myanmar security forces kill at least 33 protesters
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/3/3/22311530/myanmar-security-forces-kill-33-protesters
Tigrayans recount massacre by Eritrean troops
https://au.news.yahoo.com/bid-exterminate-us-tigrayans-recount-034638444.html
DOT's inspector general asked DOJ to consider a criminal investigation into Elaine Chao in the last full month of Trump's presidency. DOJ declined.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/03/us/politics/elaine-chao-inspector-general-report.html
Pro-Trump attorney Lin Wood has been expelled from a private lawyers club after calling for Mike Pence to be executed by firing squad.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/lin-wood-expelled-from-atlanta-lawyers-club-after-calling-for-pences-execution
David Nwaba is having wrist surgery. Out at least 6 weeks.
https://twitter.com/bendubose/status/1367247144130781188
Three of the four state health experts on Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's Strike Force to Open Texas were not consulted before he lifted the statewide mask mandate.
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/03/texas-health-officials-not-consulted-before-abbott-mask-decision/6905282002/
We investigated Chao's extensive conflicts of interest — and we uncovered records showing, among other things, a private photo session at the transportation department headquarters with employees of Chao's family shipping business. https://americanoversight.org/elaine-chao-calendars-reveal-new-links-to-familys-company-including-private-photo-session
It has come to my attention that noted anti-vaccine zealot Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is releasing a film tomorrow targeting the Black community with some appalling misinformation. It is not just filled with falsehoods. Despite claiming to be anti-racist, it is racist as hell
https://twitter.com/angie_rasmussen/status/1367262593417498626/photo/1
https://twitter.com/angie_rasmussen/status/1367262593417498626
No, Democrats' HR 1 bill doesn't ban voter ID. No, it doesn't register undocumented immigrants to vote in federal elections. No, it doesn't require the counting of ballots mailed after Election Day. Fact check of Mike Pence's highly dishonest op-ed:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/03/politics/fact-check-pence-election-hr1-democrats-elections/index.html
NYT columnist David Brooks draws a second salary for leading an Aspen Institute project funded by Facebook, Jeff Bezos' dad, & others. He didn't disclose this to readers. The Times refused to say if the paper was aware of Brooks' second salary: https://buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/david-brooks-nyt-weave-facebook-bezos
U.S. issues emergency warning after Microsoft says it caught a group that the company has "high confidence" is working for the Chinese government hacking into its mail and calendar server program, Microsoft Exchange.
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/u-s-issues-warning-after-microsoft-says-china-hacked-its-n1259522
SpaceX lands Starship prototype rocket for the first time after a high-altitude flight test
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/03/spacex-lands-starship-sn10-rocket-after-a-high-altitude-flight-test.html
Thai navy sailors braved choppy waters to launch a dramatic rescue this week after discovering four cats had been abandoned on a sinking ship that caught fire off a paradise island. | A sailor in a life vest swam out to the capsized boat, on which four ginger cats were huddled together on a wooden beam. The rescuer brought the cats to his boat on his shoulder above the water level, with his team pulling him in by rope.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-navy-cats-rescue/purrfect-rescue-thai-navy-scrambles-to-save-cats-from-sinking-ship-idUSKBN2AV1N3
Just sounds miserable for all involved: As part of the NBA's attempts to create a two-day Atlanta bubble, All-Star regulations call for all participants, guests and those granted access to the official league hotel to be checked in by 7 PM Saturday and to stay at the hotel until Sunday's game
https://twitter.com/thesteinline/status/1367273398934634500
Donovan Mitchell on the refs: "This is getting out of hand... This is getting fucking ridiculous. I'm sick of it. We all are. This is something, it eats at me"
https://streamable.com/2o33qn
The Philadelphia 76ers (24-12) defeat the Utah Jazz (27-9) in OT, 131 - 123
Montrezl Harrell gets T'd up for yelling "And one!"
https://streamable.com/gn18yx
Scientists fear melting ice is causing the Gulf Stream to disappear, causing Europe to be much colder and drier
https://www.livescience.com/gulf-stream-slowing-climate-change.html
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/02/climate/atlantic-ocean-climate-change.html
Since DeSantis started using the state's vaccine initiative to steer special pop-up vaccinations to select communities, his political committee raised $2.7 million in the month of February alone, more than any other month since he first ran for governor in 2018. Former Illinois Republican Gov Bruce Rauner wrote a $250,000 check to Florida Gov Ron DeSantis after the gated Florida Keys complex where Rauner now lives received vaccines before the rest of Florida.
https://miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article249666463.html
_______________________
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/03/president-joseph-r-biden-jr-amends-la-jolla-band-of-luiseno-indians-disaster-declaration/
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Amends La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians Disaster Declaration
March 03, 2021 • Statements and Releases
Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. made additional disaster assistance available to the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians by authorizing an increase in the level of federal funding for Public Assistance projects undertaken as a result of severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides during the period of February 14 to February 15, 2019.
Under the major disaster declaration issued for the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians on March 26, 2019, federal funding was made available for Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation at 75 percent of the total eligible costs.
Under the President's order today, the federal share for Public Assistance has been increased to 90 percent of the total eligible costs.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.
_______________________
Paid To Stay Home: Coronavirus Aid Bill Pays Federal Employees With Kids Out Of School $21K https://forbes.com/sites/adamandrzejewski/2021/02/23/paid-to-stay-home--coronavirus-aid-bill-pays-federal-employees-with-kids-out-of-school-up-to-21k/
US jobless claims rise to 745,000 as layoffs remain high with economy still under pressure from virus.
https://twitter.com/JonLemire/status/1367468028758274049
Of the 23.8 million people whose 2019 wages would be lifted with a federal hike, around 12.4 million reside in the 22 states with two Republican senators. Only 7.3 million of those workers live in the 23 states that have two Democratic senators.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/03/minimum-wage-hurt-red-states-brookings/
Districts that don't even look that much like Marjorie Taylor Greene's could still have electorates willing to back far-right candidates -- Republicans all over the country have become more extreme and less inclined to support political compromise.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-someone-like-marjorie-taylor-greene-could-win-again/
NEW PHOTOS: #FBI is seeking info from the public about ppl involved in various assaults on federal officers on Jan 6. Call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit http://tips.fbi.gov to submit tips. Below are AFO photo #s 253, 254 & 255. Additional photos available at https://fbi.gov/wanted/capitol-violence/
https://twitter.com/FBIWFO/status/1367461087273246721
This was supposed to be a rebuild year for the Spurs, yet San Antonio is barreling towards the playoffs
https://www.si.com/nba/2021/03/03/spurs-cant-stop-winning-ways
French Catholic clergyabused at least 10,000 people since 1950
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/02/europe/french-catholic-clergy-abuse-allegations-ciase-intl/index.html
Smugglers Throw Migrants Overboard; at Least 20 Are Feared Drowned. Several times in recent years, migrants trying to cross between Djibouti and Yemen have been thrown into the sea.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/03/world/africa/migrants-overboard-djibouti-yemen.html
Biden called off second Syria strike after last minute warning of woman and children at target site
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/biden-syria-airstrike-2021-us-latest-b1812522.html
________________________
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/04/president-joseph-r-biden-jr-amends-cahuilla-band-of-indians-disaster-declaration/
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Amends Cahuilla Band of Indians Disaster Declaration
March 04, 2021 • Statements and Releases
Yesterday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. made additional disaster assistance available to the Cahuilla Band of Indians by authorizing an increase in the level of federal funding for Public Assistance projects undertaken as a result of severe storms and flooding on February 14, 2019.
Under the major disaster declaration issued for the Cahuilla Band of Indians on March 28, 2019, federal funding was made available for Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation at 75 percent of the total eligible costs.
Under the President's order today, the federal share for Public Assistance has been increased to 90 percent of the total eligible costs.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.
________________________
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/04/statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-the-house-of-representatives-passage-of-h-r-1/
Statement by President Joe Biden on the House of Representatives Passage of H.R. 1
March 04, 2021 • Statements and Releases
In the wake of an unprecedented assault on our democracy; a coordinated attempt to ignore, undermine, and undo the will of the American people never before seen in our history; and a new wave of aggressive attacks on voting rights taking place in states across the country, I applaud Speaker Pelosi and the House of Representatives for passing H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2021.
The right to vote is sacred and fundamental — it is the right from which all of our other rights as Americans spring. This landmark legislation is urgently needed to protect that right, to safeguard the integrity of our elections, and to repair and strengthen our democracy. It will rein in the outrageous gerrymandering that distorts our democracy. It will empower the Justice Department to crack down on laws that curtail voting rights along racial lines. It will reform our campaign finance system to amplify the voices of the people — not the powerful. And it will modernize and secure our future elections against all manner of threats.
I look forward to working with Congress to refine and advance this important bill. And I look forward to signing it into law after it has passed through the legislative process, so that together we can strengthen and restore American democracy for the next election and all those to come.
________________________
Texas family detention centers expected to transform into rapid-processing hubs
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/04/texas-detention-centers/
________________________
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/04/president-joseph-r-biden-jr-approves-north-carolina-disaster-declaration/
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves North Carolina Disaster Declaration
March 04, 2021 • Statements and Releases
Yesterday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of North Carolina and ordered federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Tropical Storm Eta from November 12 to November 15, 2020.
Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Tropical Storm Eta in the counties of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Beaufort, Burke, Caldwell, Davidson, Davie, Duplin, Edgecombe, Hertford, Iredell, Robeson, Rowan, Sampson, Stokes, Wilkes, Wilson, and Yadkin.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Robert J. Fenton, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Myra M. Shird as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.
________________________
Texas Gov. Abbott stalled federal offer to test migrants then blamed them for spreading Covid
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/04/politics/abbott-migrants-covid-testing/index.html
Biden is getting less than half the media attention and search interest Trump did. But he's 10 points higher in the polls, pursuing a far more ambitious agenda, and the Rescue Act is even more popular than he is. There's something to learn here.
https://twitter.com/ezraklein/status/1367515939458097152/photo/1
Don't do the seditious crime if you can't handle the seditious time: The self-described white nationalist who stormed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office and posed for gleeful photos during the Capitol riot doesn't believe he should be in jail—and he's had a temper tantrum in court to make his opinion known.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/richard-biggo-barnett-who-posed-at-pelosis-desk-during-capitol-riot-has-meltdown-during-court-hearing
Friends in TX, @spcaoftexas knows that any pet owner can fall on hard times. The love people feel for their pets transcends purrsonal circumstance, so they are pawviding grant-funded assistance to pet owners in need through the #PetResourceCenter: http://spca.org/prc
https://twitter.com/TheOvalPawffice/status/1367553695513075712
Mayorkas gives strong clue that he hopes to stop detaining migrant families https://nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/mayorkas-gives-strongest-clue-yet-biden-administration-hopes-stop-detaining-n1259639
Not a single Senate Republican voted to proceed on the American Rescue Plan. None will vote for it. The 628-page legislation is just under 120,000 words. When the Clerk reads it in full, it will take around 12 hours at a pace of 160 words per minute (which is considered the upper end of average).
https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1367571785932304391
American Rescue Plan.
https://www.budget.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/American%20Rescue%20Plan%20Act%20SENATE.pdf
Good: Mississippi governor to sign bill banning mentally ill sexually deviant male athletes from playing on female sports teams
https://abcnews.go.com/US/mississippi-passes-bill-banning-transgender-student-athletes-female/story?id=76238704
US Capitol Police request two-month extension of National Guard deployment in Washington
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/04/politics/police-request-national-guard-extension/index.html
AmbSullivan: I spoke with #PaulWhelan to offer support on his 3rd birthday in Russian prison. No one should spend even 1 bday in prison, anywhere in the world, after being tried in secret court w/ secret evidence. Everyone deserves transparency, justice, respect for #humanrights.
https://twitter.com/USEmbRuPress/status/1367563161994473473
Worse job today than Senate Clerk, could be the media interns told to transcribe the bill reading.....
Awooof! This was us, waiting to get back on Twitter, after Newsmax pawttacked our account and got us wrongfully suspended here. Thank the universe fur #Gipper Juris Dogtor Extraordinaire, and his pawntastic @ClareLockeLLP letter, without him we'd still be in Twitter Alcatraz.
https://twitter.com/TheOvalPawffice/status/1367578873811128320
Under current law, the power to appoint McConnell's replacement falls to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. But new legislation McConnell is pushing in the Kentucky General Assembly would strip the governor of that power and put it into the hands of the state Republicans
https://theintercept.com/2021/03/04/kentucky-mitch-mcconnell-senator-replace/
Federal investigators are examining records of communications between lawmakers and the pro-Trump mob, as the investigation moves closer to exploring whether lawmakers wittingly or unwittingly helped the insurrectionists
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/04/politics/capitol-riot-investigation-lawmakers/index.html
U.S. blocked Myanmar junta attempt to empty $1 billion New York Fed account
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-politics-usa-fed-exclusive-idUSKCN2AW2MD
And as we rightly celebrate what Democrats accomplished in the 2020 election, it's always worth analyzing those successes in depth—and looking at where we came up short—as we look toward future cycles. This interview includes some ideas worth considering:
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/03/david-shor-2020-democrats-autopsy-hispanic-vote-midterms-trump-gop.html
Butterflies are vanishing out West because of man-made climate change
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/03/04/climate-change-butterflies/
"It's not fair!": Rioter Who Posed at Pelosi's Desk Loses It in Court
https://www.thedailybeast.com/richard-biggo-barnett-who-posed-at-pelosis-desk-during-capitol-riot-has-meltdown-during-court-hearing
https://news.yahoo.com/not-fair-rioter-posed-pelosi-163644998.html
The party of "Freedom Fries" would like you to know that "cancel culture" is a very serious problem.
https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/1367520387639242754?s=20
And the Dallas Police Department let him continue patrolling *while he was suspected of murder*. A+ work there: My exchange w/ Dallas PD Chief Garcia....
Me: "How long has he been on administrative leave?"
Chief: "Since he was taken into custody this morning."
Me: "So he has been out patrolling the community while he had been under investigation for murder?"
Chief: "Yes he was." twitter.com/rozierreports/…
https://twitter.com/RozierReports/status/1367567693898018816
Mauwa Maneno, a Congolese refugee who's lived in a refugee camp for last 20 years, was finally scheduled to arrive in the U.S. this week just before her clearance expires. But Biden hasn't raised the refugee cap yet and her flight was cancelled. The Biden administration's plan to raise the cap on refugee entry into the U.S. is off to a rocky start, with the State Department canceling the flights of more than 250 refugees scheduled to arrive in the U.S. over the past two weeks, according to officials at resettlement agencies that work with the government. The administration on Feb. 12 notified Congress, as required by law, of its plan to raise the limit on refugees admitted to 62,500 for the fiscal year ending in September, from the record-low 15,000 cap put in place by the Trump administration. The notification cited an emergency refugee situation, detailed in a State Department report laying out the specific humanitarian dangers in more than a dozen countries and providing a breakdown of the increased allowance by region. | President Biden hasn't issued a formal document increasing the cap, which typically comes within days of such a notification to Congress, prompting the State Department to cancel flights for 264 refugees during the past two weeks, the agency officials said. The officials couldn't specify how many refugees did make the trip during the period, but said the number was lower than 264. Since the screening approvals for refugees have expiration dates that vary by factors including nationality and age, some people affected by the cancellations may be able to travel soon after a cap increase while others may have to wait longer. "I don't know why they're doing this—but it's creating such a huge mess," said Mark Hetfield, president of HIAS, one of the nine resettlement agencies that work with refugees once they arrive. More cancellations are expected if Mr. Biden doesn't issue the formal increase, agency officials said. The State Department declined to comment. A White House spokesman said in a statement that the cap number hasn't been finalized. The spokesman declined to elaborate. Mr. Biden said in his first foreign-policy speech at the State Department on Feb. 4 that he planned to raise the annual refugee admissions cap to 125,000 for the next fiscal year, set to begin in October, and that he would make a "down payment" toward that goal for the current year but didn't specify a figure. Republican lawmakers, who in the past have supported the resettlement program as a way to build goodwill abroad, haven't backed the planned increase this year. They just spent the last four years agressively deporting refugees.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-refugee-flights-canceled-as-record-low-cap-on-admissions-remains-11614877596
https://www.state.gov/proposed-emergency-presidential-determination-on-refugee-admissions-for-fy21/
Sen. Johnson is the only senator in there now besides Warnock, who is presiding. Johnson is walking laps around the Senate floor. He actually went in the cloakroom for a second and I half-expected Schumer to leap out and waive the reading. But Johnson quickly returned.
https://twitter.com/burgessev/status/1367597104995196933
Twitter used to be a fair reflection of our national stupidity, but it feels like the actual work of Congress/WH is pretty normal now and Twitter's stuck on high gear
Three days after new Citigroup Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jane Fraser outlined a net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions target, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. CEO David Solomon is following suit.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-04/goldman-follows-rivals-in-setting-net-zero-emissions-targets
A city gave people $500 a month, no strings attached, to fight poverty. It paid off. | Residents of Stockton, Calif., who received $500 a month from a first-of-its-kind guaranteed-income program were more likely to find full-time jobs, be happy and stay healthy, according to a year-long study published Wednesday. Supporters of universal income programs — which provide regular, unconditional payments from the government to people — say the findings should dispel common criticisms of the idea, such as that money with no strings attached will become a disincentive for people to work or will encourage them to spend it on drugs and alcohol. Recipients of the monthly payments were twice as likely to gain full-time employment than others, according to data analysis by a pair of independent researchers, Stacia West of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Amy Castro Baker of the University of Pennsylvania. Most of the money distributed was spent on food or other essentials. Tobacco or alcohol made up less than 1 percent of tracked purchases. | Starting in February 2019, the Stockton program has provided monthly payments for two years to 125 people living in neighborhoods with a median income below $46,034. Participants can use the money as they see fit, without work requirements or other restrictions. It is funded by the Economic Security Project, a philanthropic group helmed in part by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes. The released results were collected before the coronavirus pandemic had hobbled the U.S. economy, and a second study is expected to be published next year, according to the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED). The findings provide insight into how money can alter a person's behavior in a crisis such as the pandemic, according to the researchers. The study's authors said they believe the payment recipients were better able to set goals and have their own agency to seek more stable employment. They were also less anxious and depressed, as well as less likely to feel fatigue or body pain associated with poor emotional health. Recipients, especially those in less-financially stable families, also stretched their resources to help feed their households and others. Tomas Vargas Jr., a recipient in the study, said his overall health improved and he was able to spend more time with his children and wife. Vargas, formerly a part-time supervisor at a warehouse, also found a full-time job once he started receiving regular payments. "It was a big change in my life," Vargas told reporters Wednesday. "I was very depressed. I was down and out. I was at the bottom. SEED brought me back, gave me that chance, that opportunity." Positive stories in Stockton have already prompted leaders in other cities to consider implementing a similar project: Dozens of mayors have joined an initiative to advocate for guaranteed income, and several pilots in cities including St. Paul, Minn., and Compton, Calif., have already begun. "The study shows what mayors know: People are working, but the economy isn't," St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/03/stockton-universal-basic-income/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/06/04/a-city-ponders-whether-500-a-month-no-strings-attached-would-help-reduce-poverty/
U.S. Border Patrol arrested 4,500 Latin Americans in a day instead of LETTING THEM GET ON WITH LIVING THEIR LIVES. THEY HAVE FAMILY IN THE US. LEAVE THEM THE FUCK ALONE ALREADY.
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-immigration-border-idUKKCN2AW2RA
A U.S. House panel is probing whether executives at four drug companies plan to use a pandemic-related tax break to deduct opioid settlement payments
https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-04/house-panel-probes-opioid-companies-on-tax-breaks-for-legal-fees
I cannot underscore enough how miserable Sen. Ron Johnson – his eyes trained on the clerk reading the coronavirus relief bill – looks right now, with many hours still to go.
Grim sad story about a brave man who may have been damaged beyond repair. I met him when he could tell his story. Then- it consumed him.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2021/arab-spring-anniversary-syria-assad-mazen-hamada/
Dear @JoeBiden
we approve of Your criticism concerning the decision to end state-wide mask mandates. Still we strongly recommend You to visit our museum, once it is possible.
#neanderthals were smarter than You think!
#coronavirus #museum #science
https://twitter.com/Neandertal1/status/1367385308975816710
We're faced with a very serious situation in this generation. There are insane people who wish to rule the world. They wish to continue to rule the world on violence and repression, and we are all the victims of that violence and repression. We as the indigenous people of the Western hemisphere have been resisting this oppression for 500 years. We know that the black people have been resisting it for at least that long. And we know that the white people have had to endure it thousands of years.
He's a Dallas police officer.
He was just arrested.
He faces 2 capital murder charges.
For ordering 2 hits in 2017.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2021/03/04/dallas-police-officer-charged-with-two-counts-of-capital-murder/
Just popped into the chamber as clerks are reading the 628-page covid relief bill, and Sen. Ron Johnson (who forced the reading) is the lone senator sitting there. With his mask on his desk, he appears to be reading the bill text. The only other senator is the presiding officer
https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1367625010983165957
Iran is the world's number one state sponsor of antisemitism: Iran jails Jewish-Iranian for 10 years for living in Israel. The Islamic Republic proscribes travel to Israel a crime. Second prisoner sentenced for wanting to compete in sports event in Israel. Based on interview with @XiyueWang9. https://jpost.com/middle-east/exclusive-iran-jails-jewish-iranian-for-10-years-for-living-in-israel-661034
House members have received an invitation for a briefing on the Capitol security review conducted by Ret. Lt. Gen. Russel Honore and his team on Monday, 3/8. There will be sessions at 1, 4:30 and 8 PM to accommodate social distancing.
https://twitter.com/RebeccaRKaplan/status/1367633085542629379
The Senate clerks have sped up and are now reading the 628-page COVID relief bill at a 55 page-per-hour average over the four hours they have been reading (they were at page 219 at the four-hour mark). At this pace they would be finished after a total of 11.4 hours.
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, wore earrings given to her by Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, soon after Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, The Times of London reports. https://businessinsider.com/meghan-markle-wore-saudi-earring-gift-soon-after-khashoggi-2021-3
The American Rescue Plan will invest in small businesses in this crisis. Republican Senator Ron Johnson just made sure the American people heard that from the floor of the United States Senate!
https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1367628998549905408
_________________________________
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/04/readout-of-vice-president-kamala-harris-call-with-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-of-israel/
Readout of Vice President Kamala Harris Call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel
March 04, 2021 • Statements and Releases
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke today by phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, and underscored the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to the U.S.-Israel partnership. The Vice President emphasized the United States' unwavering commitment to Israel's security. She expressed strong support for Israel's recent groundbreaking normalization agreements with countries in the Arab and Muslim world, and stressed the importance of advancing peace, security, and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians alike. The Vice President and Prime Minister agreed on the importance of continuing close cooperation and partnership on regional security issues, including Iran's nuclear program and the regime's dangerous regional behavior. They discussed the importance of advancing scientific cooperation between our two countries and efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. They also noted their respective governments' opposition to the International Criminal Court's attempts to exercise its jurisdiction over Israeli personnel.
_________________________________
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/04/readout-of-the-white-houses-listening-session-with-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-leaders-on-rising-hate-crimes-and-incidents-against-asian-american-communities/
Readout of the White House's Listening Session with Asian American and Pacific Islander Leaders on Rising Hate Crimes and Incidents Against Asian American Communities
March 04, 2021 • Statements and Releases
Today, Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice, White House Public Engagement Director Cedric Richmond, Acting Director of the White House Initiative on AAPIs Laura Shin, and Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President Rohini Kosoglu hosted a virtual roundtable listening session with Asian American and Pacific Islander advocates and community leaders from across the country to discuss the increasing rates of anti-Asian harassment and violence. Participants shared their perspectives on the climate of fear that Asian American communities are facing. They also shared the important work they are doing across the country, recommendations for preventing and addressing violence against Asian American communities, and highlighted the coalition building that is happening across communities.
Ambassador Rice and Congressman Richmond expressed gratitude for the participants' courageous leadership in addressing acts of violence and bias against Asian American communities. They reiterated President Biden's commitment to ending anti-Asian violence and bias, and confronting the role that some federal leaders played during the COVID-19 pandemic in promoting unfounded fear and bias against Asian American communities. Ambassador Rice and Congressman Richmond also underscored that the President has made it the policy of his Administration to condemn and combat xenophobia against Asian Americans. In his Presidential Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States, President Biden charged the Department of Justice with partnering with Asian American communities to prevent and better collect data on hate crimes against Asian American communities. The President also directed Federal agencies to ensure their official actions mitigate anti-Asian bias.
Organizations participating in today's meeting included:
Asian Americans Advancing Justice: John Yang
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus: Aarti Kohli
Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum: Juliet Choi
Asian American Federation: Jo-Ann Yoo
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations: Jeff Caballero
Asian American Journalists Association: Naomi Tacuyan Underwood
AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: EunSook Lee
Chinese for Affirmative Action: Cynthia Choi
Coalition of Asian American Leaders: Bo Thao-Urabe
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities: Tavae Samuelu
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association: Priya Purandare
National Council on Asian Pacific Americans: Gregg Orton
OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates: Thu Nguyen
Sikh American Legal Defense & Educational Fund: Kiran Gill
South Asian Americans Leading Together: Mahnoor Hussain
Southeast Asian Research Action Center: Quyen Dinh
_________________________________
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/03/04/remarks-by-president-biden-in-a-call-to-congratulate-the-nasa-jpl-perseverance-team-on-the-successful-mars-landing/
Remarks by President Biden in a Call to Congratulate the NASA JPL Perseverance Team on the Successful Mars Landing
March 04, 2021 • Speeches and Remarks
Via Teleconference
Roosevelt Room
5:04 P.M. EST
DR. WATKINS: Mr. President?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
DR. WATKINS: This is Mike Watkins at JPL.
THE PRESIDENT: Hey, Mike. How are ya?
DR. WATKINS: I want to thank you so much. We are very well, especially after the — after February 18th.
THE PRESIDENT: I tell you what: You did an incredible job.
DR. WATKINS: We thank you for that, and we appreciate that. And it's our honor to be given these kinds of tasks; it's what we live for.
And so you may see here I'm surrounded by a few hundred of my best friends in this and a couple of other control rooms and online. You know, these are really big team efforts, and it's important to us to get as much of the team to join with us today as we could. And we really appreciate your time.
THE PRESIDENT: Appreciate it. I'm flattered you'd take the time to let me talk to you.
DR. WATKINS: Well, we would love to have you out here someday. In fact, I've got two badges for you and the Vice President. So when COVID winds down, I hope you come out here and have a chance to meet the team directly.
THE PRESIDENT: I'll be happy to do that. I'll be happy to do that.
Am I supposed to speak now or is Swati?
DR. WATKINS: Thanks. We would love it. You know, one of the things I wanted to also note — I think — you know, you — I know you watched — I saw pictures of you watching the landing coverage.
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
DR. WATKINS: And, you know, that was a great opportunity, you know, for us to show, I think, the country what, you know, we can do — and the world, really — but also, you know, to bring a whole new generation of STEM, you know, into the fold.
THE PRESIDENT: That's right.
DR. WATKINS: And I think we had a lot of people watching who didn't know that they were STEM people, but now they are —
THE PRESIDENT: Yep.
DR. WATKINS: — after having watched that. And it's something we — you know, it's very important to us. It's a major part of what we do here at JPL and, of course, NASA as an agency. And we're — it's just great to have that — you know, that bully pulpit to showcase that talent.
THE PRESIDENT: It's incredible talent.
Now, am I supposed to speak or is Swati going to say something? I was told I was going to hear from Swati.
DR. WATKINS: So, either way — any way you'd like to do it is fine. We have Dr. Mohan here with me. She — of course, you know her from the landing coverage. But —
THE PRESIDENT: Hey, Doc. How are you?
DR. MOHAN: I'm doing very well, Mr. President. Thank you for —
THE PRESIDENT: I just want you to know —
DR. MOHAN: — for taking the time to speak with us.
THE PRESIDENT: Are you kidding me? What an honor this is. This is an incredible honor. And it's amazing. Indian — of descent — Americans are taking over the country: you; my Vice President; my speechwriter, Vinay. I tell you what. But thank you. You guys are incredible.
Did you want to say something? I'll be quiet.
DR. WATKINS: Absolutely. You know, tell us how you felt on landing day and, actually, what path brought you to here at the lab.
DR. MOHAN: Absolutely. So my path actually started way back when I was a child, watching my first episode of Star Trek. In addition to those fantastical scenes of space, what really captured my attention was this really close-knit team who was working together, manipulating this technological marvel with the sole purpose of exploring space and understanding new things and seeking new life.
You know, Perseverance is my first mission at JPL where I've gotten to work from the very beginning of formulation, all the way through operations, and it made me feel like I was part of that crew. Being able to work with this incredibly diverse, talented team that has become like a family, spending years creating our own technological marvel has been a privilege.
You know, those last days and weeks leading up to landing day, it was pretty smooth, but we were all still really nervous and, frankly, terrified until we got through those final seven minutes. To be able to call "touchdown" safely, to see those first images come back from Mars, to see the place where we have never been able to go to on Mars before and go there — reach there for the express purpose of seeking out new life just made it feel like I was living in a dream.
Now that that tremendous relief has passed for the team of being able to be there safely, all that's left is the excitement and the thrill of all the scientific discoveries that are yet to come and what Perseverance can actually find — and hopefully find those signs of past life on Mars.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I tell you what, you said you feel like you're "living a dream" — you've created a dream for millions and millions of young kids, young Americans. You talk about STEM. You — it was — look, the thing that I found so exhilarating about this: You all did this — the whole team — the team I can see now and the entire team at JPL — what you did: You restored a dose of confidence in the American people.
They were beginning to wonder about us. They were beginning to wonder: Are we still the country we always believed we were? You guys did it. You guys gave a sense of "America is back." It's — it's astounding what you did. You should not underestimate it. You should not underestimate it.
You know, you did it the most American way: You believed in science, you believed in hard work, and you believed there wasn't a darn thing you couldn't do if you put your minds together.
One of the reasons why we're such an incredible country is we're such a diverse country. We bring the best out of every single solitary culture in the world here in the United States of America, and we give people an opportunity to let their — let their dreams run forward.
And you just — I can't tell you how much — you know, everyone was so down the last years about: Is America still the — the, you know, the fount of change? And are we still the country that has hopes and develops and pursues the most unlikely things to happen? And we are. And you all demonstrated it.
I'm not being — look, I'm not — I really mean this. It's so much bigger than landing Perseverance on Mars. It's about the American spirit, and you brought it back. You brought back in a moment we so desperately need it.
I was reaching — I was talking to a head of state who was calling me about thanking me — or not thanking me — congratulating me on becoming President. And then I later heard from another head of state, saying, "America has changed so much. They — they used to be so competent to do great things, and here they can't even deal with a coronavirus. Look how badly organized they are." That was said by a head of state.
And America's image in the world — and it matters. It matters because democracies have to demonstrate they can run as efficiently and more efficiently than autocracies. There's a big battle going on. Your kids are going to be studying about when democracy once again reestablished it could do anything, as opposed to autocracies that can just command things.
I just — I just can't tell you how much I believe historians are going to write about what you did at the moment you all did it — at the moment you all did it. You should take such great pride — such great pride in what you did.
We can land a rover on Mars. We can beat a pandemic. And with science, hope, and vision, there's not a damn thing we can't do as a country. We have never, ever, ever failed to meet a goal. We've set our mind to it, and we've done it together. And that's what you all showed. So it goes way beyond — way beyond the whole notion of what you just recently did.
And G-d only knows what is going to come from this. G-d only knows what's going to happen. But you all are incredible. All of the dreams you've created in other people's minds — other young kids.
I tell you what: I just wanted to thank you and tell you, you know, you — it just seems that, you know, we're on the side of the angels. Just at the moment when things look like they're really dark in America over our history, something has come along. Something has come along. And you guys came along and you did this.
And so I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart and tell you how presumptuous of me to say I'm proud of you, but I am so proud of you. And — and, Mike, the teamwork that still exists there, the importance of it, the consequence of what you're doing — and it's only just the start.
I had a group of folks in my office not too long ago — House and Senate members — I mean, House members — Democrats, and Republicans — talking about infrastructure. And I have in the — on the shelf in my Oval Office, a moon rock. And they walked over and said, "This is actually a moon rock from the moon?" And I jokingly said, "You ain't seen nothing yet. Wait until see what comes home from Mars."
So, anyway, folks, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You're great Americans, and you've demonstrated it again: There's not a thing we cannot do when we set our mind to it.
G-d bless you all. Thank you. Thanks, Mike.
DR. WATKINS: Thank you very much, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: And by the way, I'm like a poor relative, Mike. When I'm invited, I show up. So be careful. You know, the poor relatives, they show up even —
DR. WATKINS: We will —
THE PRESIDENT: They stay longer than they're supposed to. I'm one of those kind of guys.
DR. WATKINS: Well, we will be more than happy to have you, and stay as long as you want.
THE PRESIDENT: I'm looking forward to seeing you all in person.
Thank you.
DR. WATKINS: We'll get you an office here.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Bye bye. G-dspeed.
DR. WATKINS: Thank you, sir. (Applause.)
5:14 P.M. EST
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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/04/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-veterans-affairs-denis-mcdonough-march-4-2021/
SECRETARY MCDONOUGH: Jen, thanks so much. It's a — it's a total joy to be working with you, as it always is. And good afternoon to everybody here. It's nice to see some old friendly faces.
I want to obviously thank Jen for inviting me today to speak about the importance of the American Rescue Plan, particularly as it relates to its support to the VA to provide quality care to our veterans, especially during the very challenging pandemic.
Like other hardworking Americans, veterans have been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Countless veterans have lost jobs, closed businesses, homeschooled their own children, and faced uncertain prospects while our nation grappled with the pandemic.
And like the rest of the country, many veterans were directly affected by the deadly virus, with more than 230,000 veterans in our care infected by it, and, sadly, 10,605 dying from the disease.
At the VA, we've risen to the challenge of combating this deadly pandemic. Our integrated healthcare system, the largest in the nation, has been running nonstop since the start of a pandemic to provide much-needed care to infected veterans and vaccines to those most at risk.
To date, more than 1.4 million veterans have been vaccinated with more than half of them having gotten both vaccines. And we're making sure that equity is at the forefront of where and how we distribute vaccines.
At the same time, we continue to deliver routine care while mitigating the spread of infection. The VA is leading the country in standardizing the use of telehealth for routine doctor visits. We're partnering with community and service organizations so that vets do not forego checkups because of broadband limitations.
Last year, for example, in March, VA averaged approximately 2,500 telehealth visits a day. Last month, February, we averaged nearly 45,000 such visits a day. As you can see, this is a major increase, and we need the funding in the ARP to sustain this up-tempo for our veterans so we can continue to push through the pandemic.
Lastly, before getting into a little bit more detail on the health situation, the Veterans Benefits Administration continues to help veterans cope with economic impact of the pandemic, from helping veterans avoid eviction and foreclosure, to making sure that veterans can continue to rely on their GI Bill to pay for tuition.
We make sure that VA can continue to adapt to these challenging times, and the President's American Rescue Plan will do just that. It will provide $17 billion in additional funding to VA, to include at least $13.5 billion to improve our ability to provide medical service to veterans affected by COVID; $272 million to cut through the backlog of disability claims and help us manage the compensation exams that have worse- — access to which have worsened as a result of the pandemic; and $386 million to develop a rapid retraining program for veterans unemployed as a result of a pandemic.
Now, let me just give you one other figure for you to consider. Since the start of the pandemic, 19 million appointments have been changed, cancelled, or deferred as a result of the pandemic — 19 million. What we believe is — obviously we've been able to cut to compensate for those through the telehealth platforms, but not for all of them. And as a result of deferred care — which we're actually seeing across the healthcare system, not just in VA — we're going to see increased cost. And the ARP is critical to our ability to make sure that we can keep up with those demands of the increased cost.
So our department remains fully committed, obviously, to fulfilling the sacred obligation that President Biden has made clear we have to those who serve in uniform. The Rescue Plan helps us deliver on that promise, especially in this unanticipated and significant time of crisis.
We urge the Senate to pass the much-needed plan as soon as possible. And I thank you again, Jen, for the opportunity to be here with you.
_________________________________
Q Mr. Secretary, can you explain how veterans should go about looking to where to sign up for vaccinations? Should they be going to the VA, or should they be going to their states and localities? It's certainly been one of the trickiest parts of the vaccination process to figure out information on that.
SECRETARY MCDONOUGH: Yeah, so I want to — I want to start by telling, I think, what is a very positive story. Oftentimes you don't — at least we've not in the past been focused on good-news stories about our scheduling process. Our scheduling process is actually working pretty well. And what — so the first answer, Jeff, is: Those veterans in our care currently in the 75 and older and 65 and older who are our particular focus at the moment should be hearing from our schedulers, and our schedulers are in contact with them. And if you just take an example of the VA here in D.C., they're moving through something — on some days — something like 80 veterans vaccinated an hour. Now, that's obviously because of the vaccinators, it's because of the pharmacists, it's because of the nurses, but it's also because of the schedulers. And they're doing an amazing bit of work. So the first thing is, they should be hearing from our schedulers. The second thing is, we have a bunch of information on our website at VA.gov, including how to get access to opportunities. And then we're working also with VSO partners and directly with veterans through even my office, whom we're hearing from, to make sure that they have the most recent information. Are there examples of frustrations? Absolutely. But we're staying, obviously, on top of this, Jeff, trying to be as transparent as possible, and in the first instance, reaching veterans directly to schedule them.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/04/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-veterans-affairs-denis-mcdonough-march-4-2021/
Q And then just real quick, from a policy question. I know this came up during your confirmation hearing, but do you have a plan right now to either reverse or significantly revise the community access standards through the VA MISSION Act?
SECRETARY MCDONOUGH: I don't have a specific plan on that. I'm very — in active discussion with people like Senator Moran, Senator Tester, Senator Sanders about what we're seeing. We're also beginning to get data about last fiscal year, what happened in the community. This is — the data we're getting now is pre-COVID — so, basically, first quarter and a half of FY20. And what we're seeing there is a pretty significant uptake in the community. And so we got to, A, be a good partner with that, ensure that we're paying those bills on time to local providers. We're keeping vibrant networks so our people have places that they can find care. But we also have to be really careful that we're also maintaining investment in the integrated system of the VA itself. We have to recapitalize that and make sure that these institutions — many of them over 50 years old — are brought up to speed. The ARP will be important to that, too. Things like new HVAC, new air control systems, zero-pressure rooms, so we're not moving that virus through the hospital. Those are all things that are going to be enabled by the ARP, and that's why we really need the Senate to get this done.
MS. PSAKI: All right, let's do the last question. Then we'll have to have him come back. Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Mr. Secretary. At the top of your remarks, you mentioned the importance of keeping veterans in their homes. The moratorium on forbearance and foreclosures, of course, was extended through June.
SECRETARY MCDONOUGH: Yes.
Q Do you think it should be extended further?
SECRETARY MCDONOUGH: Well, we'll take a look at that. And we're taking a look at a lot of those — those things. Incidentally and importantly, in the ARP is additional funding for homelessness programming. We know that this continues to — to bedevil us as a country. It's an outrage any night that any vet is homeless. We're, you know, over the last 10 years, down 50 percent on those numbers, but they're creeping back up as a result of the pandemic. And 50 percent, while progress, is nowhere near where we need to be. So we need that funding in the ARP.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/04/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-veterans-affairs-denis-mcdonough-march-4-2021/
MS. PSAKI: All right. A couple of other things at the top. As you all saw and many of you reported on this morning, the numbers from the Labor Department out show the 50th week in a row with new unemployment claims exceed- — where new unemployment claims exceeded their pre-pandemic high. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are continuing to struggle in this economy. We can't get numb to what this represents. These are moms and dads, friends and neighbors who will now have to worry about how they'll support their families, put food on the table, and make ends meet in the midst of a pandemic. This also underscores the need for Congress to move quickly to pass the American Rescue Plan to get $1,400 checks to the American people. You may have also seen today — if you're covering economic issues, I should say — that the Treasury Department announced a new program called "Emergency Capital Investment Program" — called "The Emergency Capital Investment Program." Through this program, Treasury will make a $9 billion investment in community financial institutions that have a track record in investing in financially underserved communities, which have been particularly hurt by the pandemic. This support will bolster these institutions so they can continue to play important roles in fostering financial inclusion for communities that have been shut out for far too long. This component — this program is one component of Treasury's efforts to combat economic inequality. This one announced today is one of three Treasury programs totaling about $12 billion.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/04/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-veterans-affairs-denis-mcdonough-march-4-2021/
Q And then, domestically, we've seen a couple of high-profile IG reports out this week about former Trump officials. Does the President believe that inspector generals should continue to investigate and potentially pursue punitive measures against these Trump officials that are no longer in office? Or does he think it's time to turn the page?
MS. PSAKI: Well, as you know, the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General initiated the investigation into the former Secretary during the Trump administration and completed the investigation under the leadership of a Trump-appointed inspector general. The inspector generals across agencies are independent for a reason, and we certainly respect their role in moving forward or seeing those investigations through as they see fit.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/04/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-and-secretary-of-veterans-affairs-denis-mcdonough-march-4-2021/
Joe Biden isn't worried about culture war attacks over Dr. Seuss, Mr. Potato Head and Neanderthals. A White House official sends over a statement for our time:
"Republicans may complain, but they're still in thrall
To a President who acted like a Neanderthal
Instead of coming together, the flames they fan
When they should be working with Joe on the Rescue Plan
Cry, whine, and gnash their teeth as they may
It's actually the Republicans who are in disarray!"
https://politico.com/news/2021/03/04/joe-biden-culture-wars-473824
Saudi Arabia's interests and values rarely coincide with Washington's. Far from advancing U.S. priorities in the Middle East, the Saudis have often complicated them, especially in recent years.
https://washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/03/04/biden-khashoggi-saudi-arabia-crown-prince/
FBI arrested Federico Klein, a former State Dept aide and Trump 2016 staffer, on charges related to storming of the Capitol, marking the first known instance of an appointee of Trump facing prosecution in connection with Jan 6
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/04/trump-appointee-arrested-for-capitol-riot-473825
The Washington Wizards defeated the Clippers tonight, after beating the Lakers, Celtics, Blazers, and Nuggets in the last few weeks. A team to watch after the All-Star break. Also the Clippers lost 6 of their last 9.
In Palm Beach, Covid-19 vaccines intended for rural Black communities are instead going to wealthy white Floridians
https://www.statnews.com/2021/03/04/covid19-vaccines-for-rural-black-communities-going-to-wealthy-white-floridians/
Pro-Trump Terrorist Federico Klein, a Trump appointee who attacked the Capitol on 6th January to murder everybody to keep Trump in power, was still employed there on Jan. 6, held a Top Secret clearance that was renewed in 2019, and is accused of multiple assaults on Capitol police.
https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/f-b-i-statement-of-facts-federico-g/0b50c0cd4b5a59e9/full.pdf
Biden to appoint Tim Wu, a leading critic of big tech, as tech & competition policy special assistant to the president
https://nytimes.com/2021/03/05/technology/tim-wu-white-house.html
The political organization founded by NBA star LeBron James and a host of other Black athletes and artists is turning its focus to the wave of Republican-backed legislation aimed at illegally and unconstitutionally restricting voter access in the wake of the latest presidential election. The new focus will be punctuated by a new ad campaign voiced by James himself. A 30-second cut of the ad will premier during coverage of the All-Star Game on Sunday.
http://cnn.com/2021/03/05/politics/lebron-james-organization-voter-access/index.html
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zUW4-WiHUB4
POTUS intends to work with Congress to repeal the AUMFs that have underpinned U.S. military operations across the globe for the past two decades, and negotiate a new one that reins in America's foreign wars, the White House said Friday.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/05/biden-war-powers-congress-473843
The U.S. economy added 379,000 jobs in February, a level surpassing analysts' estimates that remains below the rate needed to regain the more than nine million jobs lost since last year.
https://twitter.com/ModeledBehavior/status/1367830364014735363/photo/1
The State Department just issued a public designation for oligarch and former Ukrainian public official Ihor Kolomoyskyy, 5 months after FINCENFiles investigation exposing Kolomoyskyy's massive corruption
https://www.state.gov/public-designation-of-oligarch-and-former-ukrainian-public-official-ihor-kolomoyskyy-due-to-involvement-in-significant-corruption/
Rep. Eric Swalwell has sued Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani and Rep. Mo Brooks seeking to hold Trump and his allies accountable for inciting the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/05/politics/trump-lawsuit-insurrection-eric-swalwell/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2021/03/05/politics/swalwell-trump-giuliani-brooks-lawsuit/index.html
The JunksRadio have obtained information from the 130+ page of the NFL investigation into the Washington Football Team - the top recommendation is "force the owner to divest his ownership of the team
https://twitter.com/JPFinlayNBCS/status/1367831002215809027
The Washington Football Team has informed QB Alex Smith that he has been released as expected, setting free the AP Comeback Player of the Year and closing the door on one of the coolest stories in the NFL last season. Smith is believed to still want to play.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1367847935900323840
House passes bill to ban mining around Grand Canyon. That threat is particularly concerning to members of the Havasupai tribe, whose ancestral home is in the canyon
https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/house-oks-bill-to-ban-mining-around-grand-canyon
Iceland has been hit by 18,000 earthquakes in just over a week, and a major eruption is predicted
https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/environment/541729-iceland-has-been-hit-by-18000-earthquakes-in-just
Uighurs take case against Beijing Games to IOC ethics chief Ban Ki-moon
https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2AX1C9
Kenyan farm workers launch Scottish legal bid against tea giant
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-56284205
Pope Francis lands in Baghdad, beginning the first-ever papal trip to Iraq
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/pope-francis-iraq-2021/2021/03/05/097e2234-7aab-11eb-8c5e-32e47b42b51b_story.html
Senate Democrats Agree To Extend Unemployment Benefits Through September
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/05/974020325/senate-democrats-agree-to-extend-unemployment-benefits-through-september
Strike Force to open Texas disbanded months ago. The Strike Force to Open Texas, formed near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, has not met in months, and none of the members cared.
https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/strike-force-to-open-texas-disbanded-months-ago/
Six-time All-Star forward Blake Griffin has agreed to a contract buyout with the Detroit Pistons
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1367882930383708168
Blake Griffin is averaging 12/5/4 on 36/31/71 splits with a 49% TS
This morning's jobs report shows an acceleration in job growth in February and an upward revision to January's job growth. However, the economy remains down 9.5 million jobs from February 2020 and will require more than two years of job growth at February's pace just to get back to pre-pandemic levels. The economy added 379,000 jobs in February after adding a revised 166,000 jobs in January. While February's job growth surprised substantially to the upside, its pace of job growth will not get workers back to work quickly given the magnitude of the employment loss—there are roughly 9.5 million fewer jobs now than in February 2020, before the pandemic took hold in the U.S. The unemployment rate ticked down to 6.2 percent, from 6.3 percent in January. This remains 2.7 percentage points above the rate in February 2020, before the pandemic sent many workers home and shuttered businesses and schools. Over this same time period, more than 4 million workers have dropped out of the labor force. Accounting for labor force dropouts and misclassification issues related to BLS's survey questions would result in an unemployment rate around 9.5 percent. This is not to say the headline unemployment rate is wrong, simply that in a pandemic, getting a full view of the economy requires looking at the data in multiple ways. The unemployment rate also varies substantially across groups, based on both the official unemployment rate and the one adjusted for labor force dropout and misclassification issues. Black and Latino workers have been particularly hard hit, with the adjusted rate for both in double digits. While the official unemployment rate for women is just below that for men, once adjusted it is higher for women than it is for men reflecting how many more women have exited the labor force entirely. The labor force participation rate for women 20 years and over is down 2.2 percentage points relative to February 2020, compared to a decline of 2.0 percentage points for men.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/blog/2021/03/05/the-employment-situation-in-february/
Biden imposed temporary limits on counterterrorism drone strikes and commando raids outside conventional battlefield zones like Afghanistan and Syria, and it has begun a broad review of whether to tighten Trump-era rules for such operations. The military and the C.I.A. must now obtain White House permission to attack terrorism suspects in poorly governed places where there are scant American ground troops, like Somalia and Yemen. Under the Trump administration, they had been allowed to decide for themselves whether circumstances on the ground met certain conditions and an attack was justified. While the Biden administration still permits counterterrorism strikes outside active war zones, the additional review and bureaucratic hurdles it has imposed may explain a recent lull in such operations. The United States military's Africa Command has carried out about half a dozen airstrikes this calendar year in Somalia targeting the Shabab, a terrorist group affiliated with Al Qaeda — but all were before Jan. 20. Biden administration officials are also discussing whether to write general rules that are more strictly applied than the Trump-era system sometimes was in practice. They discovered that the Trump system was very flexible and allowed officials to craft procedures for strikes in particular countries using lower standards than those laid out in the general policy, so that administration's safeguards were sometimes stronger on paper than in reality. Since Biden took office, the ensuing interagency review has been primarily overseen by Elizabeth D. Sherwood-Randall, his homeland security adviser, and Clare Linkins, the senior director for counterterrorism on the National Security Council. The Biden team is also weighing whether to restore an Obama-era order that had required the government to annually disclose estimates of how many suspected terrorists and civilian bystanders it had killed in airstrikes outside war zones. Obama invoked that requirement in 2016, but Trump removed it in 2019. The military separately publishes some information about its strikes in places like Somalia, but the C.I.A. does not.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/03/us/politics/biden-drones.html
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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/05/white-house-announces-additional-policy-staff/
White House Announces Additional Policy Staff
March 05, 2021 • Statements and Releases
Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced the appointments of additional policy staff who will serve with the White House COVID Response Team, Domestic Climate Policy Office, Domestic Policy Council, and National Economic Council. These qualified, impressive, and dedicated individuals reflect the diversity and strength of America and will play critical roles advancing the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to tackling the crises we face and building back our country better.
Biographies of the appointees are listed below in alphabetical order and by White House office:
COVID Response Team
Charles Anderson, Director of Economic Policy and Budget for the COVID-19 Response Team
Charlie Anderson has most recently served as the Senior Advisor for Tax and Economic Policy to Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, developing policies to reduce child poverty, curb evictions, reform unemployment insurance, enact automatic stabilizers, and address the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, he served in the Obama-Biden Administration as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Senior Advisor to the Director at the White House National Economic Council from 2014 to 2017; in various capacities at the Department of the Treasury from 2010 to 2013; and at the White House Domestic Policy Council from 2009 to 2010. He was also the Deputy Field Director in Georgia for the Obama-Biden 2008 campaign. Born in New York and raised in North Carolina, Anderson is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard's Kennedy School.
Sam Berger, Director of Strategic Operations and Policy for the COVID-19 Response Team
Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Sam Berger was Vice President for Democracy and Government Reform at the Center for American Progress. During the Obama-Biden administration, he served as a senior policy adviser at the White House Domestic Policy Council, where his work focused on the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, as well as at the Office of Management and Budget in various roles, including senior counselor and policy adviser. Born in Buffalo, New York, Berger is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Yale Law School. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and two children.
Domestic Policy Council (DPC)
Philip Giudice, Special Assistant to the President for Climate Policy
Phil Giudice has more than 40 years' experience in the energy industry as a geologist, consultant, entrepreneur, executive, CEO, board director and state energy official. Phil served as Massachusetts Undersecretary of Energy and was Treasurer and Vice Chair for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), board chair National Association of State Energy Officials and member of DOEs State Energy Advisory Board, Energy Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee and EPA/DOE's State Energy Efficiency Action Network. Phil earned geology degrees from University of New Hampshire and University of Arizona and an MBA at the Tuck School at Dartmouth. Phil is the father of two grown sons as well as the grandfather of two toddlers who provide enormous joy and delight in his life.
Domestic Policy Council (DPC)
Chiraag Bains, Special Assistant to the President for Criminal Justice
Chiraag Bains was recently the Director of Legal Strategies at Demos, a national public policy organization where he led voting rights litigation and advocacy across the country. Before that, he was a senior fellow at Harvard Law School and at the Open Society Foundations. From 2010 to 2017, Bains served in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, first as a prosecutor of civil rights crimes and then as senior counsel to the Assistant Attorney General. He was a member of the team that investigated and sued Ferguson, Missouri, for constitutional violations. Bains clerked for the Honorable Karen Nelson Moore on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Nancy Gertner in the District of Massachusetts. He graduated from Yale College, the University of Cambridge, and Harvard Law School.
Kelliann Blazek, Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture and Rural Policy
Kelliann Blazek most recently served as the first director of Wisconsin's Office of Rural Prosperity, created by Governor Tony Evers in 2020 to support the state's rural communities. Previously, Blazek worked as counsel to Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and taught food law and policy at the Antonin Scalia Law School. She has also worked at the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Blazek holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School and grew up on her family's farm in Wisconsin.
Pronita Gupta, Special Assistant to the President for Labor and Workers
Most recently, Pronita Gupta was the director of job quality for the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). Prior to joining CLASP, she served as the deputy director of the Women's Bureau in the U.S. Department of Labor under President Obama. She also previously served as senior director of programs for the Women Donors Network (WDN) as well as research director for Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. Gupta also served as research director for SCOPE/AGENDA in Los Angeles, and for the Living Wage Campaign at the LA Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE). Early in her career she served as executive director of Institute for Southern Studies and legislative director for the U.S. Student Association. Raised in Rochester, NY, Gupta holds an MPA from Columbia University and a BA in Government from Clark University.
Catherine Oakar, Special Assistant to the President for Community Public Health and Disparities
Catherine Oakar most recently served on the Biden-Harris Transition. She was also a Senior Advisor at Waxman Strategies consulting on public health, nutrition, and health care issues. During the Obama-Biden Administration, she served at the White House as the Associate Director of the Let's Move! initiative in the First Lady's office and as a Senior Advisor in the Office of National AIDS Policy. Oakar was also the Director of Public Health Policy in the Office of Health Reform at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She began her work in Washington, D.C. as a Winston Health Policy Fellow. She has also conducted community-based research with low-income cancer survivors and safety net clinics. Oakar graduated from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She is originally from outside Cleveland, Ohio.
Alex Pascal, Special Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary for the Domestic Policy Council
Alex Pascal previously served on the National Security Council (NSC) staff at the White House in various roles, including as Senior Director of the NSC Executive Secretariat, and as Senior Policy Adviser to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Most recently, Pascal was a Non-Resident Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and an adjunct faculty member at New York University. He is a graduate of Stanford University and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Erin Pelton, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the Domestic Policy Advisor
Before joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Erin Pelton co-founded Puerto Rico Live, a social enterprise that connected U.S. thought leaders to Puerto Rico, and was a principal at Pinpoint Strategies. A U.S. Foreign Service Officer until 2014, Erin served as Director of Communications and Spokesperson at the United States Mission to the United Nations; Assistant Press Secretary and Director of Communications and Media Relations at the National Security Council; Deputy Spokesperson for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and overseas at the U.S. Embassies in Mexico and Saudi Arabia. She holds an M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a B.A. in international affairs and Spanish from Drake University.
Erika Poethig, Special Assistant to the President for Housing and Urban Policy
Before joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Erika Poethig was Chief Innovation Officer and Vice President for the Research to Action Lab at the Urban Institute, a social and economic policy research organization founded by President Lyndon Baines Johnson. In the Obama-Biden Administration, she held several positions including Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and was a leading architect of the White House Council for Strong Cities, Strong Communities. Poethig led housing policy portfolios at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and at the City of Chicago's Department of Housing. Poethig graduated from The College of Wooster and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.
Donald K. Sherman, Special Assistant to the President for Racial and Economic Justice
Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Donald K. Sherman was Deputy Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a non-partisan government accountability watchdog. Sherman previously served in various roles, including as Chief Oversight Counsel, to the late Rep. Elijah E. Cummings on the House Oversight Committee as and as Senior Counsel to Senator Claire McCaskill on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Sherman served in the Obama-Biden Administration, as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel for Oversight and Investigations in the Office of General Counsel at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A native of Queens, NY, Sherman earned his BA from Georgetown University and his JD from the Georgetown University Law Center. He currently resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife and kids.
Terri Tanielian, Special Assistant to the President for Veterans Affairs
Terri Tanielian is a nationally recognized expert in veteran policy as well as mental health policy. Most recently, she served as a Senior Behavioral Scientist at the RAND Corporation where she led several landmark studies examining the needs of military service members, veterans, their families, and their caregivers. She has expertise in suicide prevention, sexual assault prevention and response, and behavioral health. In 2019, she served as a RAND Congressional Fellow with the House Committee on Veterans Affairs where she informed evidence-based policy making designed to reduce veteran suicide. She has also served on several national advisory committees related to improving mental health responses to disasters, terrorist incidents, and public health emergencies. She has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications on topics ranging from improving access to and quality of mental health and substance use treatment, improving public health emergency preparedness and response, and improving support systems for veterans, military families, and caregivers. Born in upstate New York, Tanielian graduated from Boston University and received her Master of Arts degree from The American University.
Maureen Tracey-Mooney, Special Assistant to the President for Education
Maureen Tracey-Mooney worked on the domestic policy team on the Biden-Harris Transition and supported the development of President Biden's PK-12 agenda. Previously, she worked on President Obama's campaign and transition. She served as then-Vice President Biden's Deputy Domestic Policy Advisor in the first term of the Obama-Biden Administration, working on education, labor and other issues. In that role she supported the development of the Obama-Biden Administration's successful Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge and President Obama's Preschool for All plan. She left the Vice President's office to earn her MPA from Princeton University and transition to local education work. Immediately before joining the transition she worked for the Newark Board of Education in New Jersey, where her work focused on the development of new teachers. Originally from Ohio, Maureen graduated from the University of Chicago; her life is possible because a generous friend gave her a kidney.
Justin Vail, Special Assistant to the President for Democracy and Civic Participation
Justin Vail most recently managed policy development and advocacy initiatives at Protect Democracy. During the Obama-Biden Administration, he served at the White House as the Deputy Director of Private Sector Engagement. Vail also served as an aide to Senator Claire McCaskill and clerked for the Honorable Rodney W. Sippel of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and the Honorable James F. Holderman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Originally from Missouri, Vail graduated from Truman State University and Washington University School of Law.
Libby Washburn, Special Assistant to the President for Native Affairs
Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Libby Washburn served in senior leadership roles at New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico, focusing on building compliance structures and strengthening ethics requirements and Title IX processes. Previously she worked in the Obama-Biden Administration at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Washburn worked for Sen. Jeff Bingaman, serving as both the State Director and Legislative Counsel. She practiced Native American law for several years for the federal government and in private practice. Washburn graduated from the University of Oklahoma and University of New Mexico School of Law. She is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma.
National Economic Council (NEC)
Leandra English, Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff for the National Economic Council
Leandra English was the Director of Policy for the New York State Department of Financial Services where she managed the department's portfolio of policy initiatives involving consumers, financial services, and other issues. Prior to joining DFS, she served in a variety of roles at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau including Acting Director, Chief of Staff, and Deputy Chief Operating Officer. In addition, Leandra held senior roles at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). English also previously served as Director of Financial Services Advocacy for the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) in Washington D.C. She received her B.A. from New York University and a M.S. from the London School of Economics.
Seth D. Harris, Deputy Assistant to the President for Labor and Economy
Seth D. Harris was the Biden-Harris campaign's principal labor policy advisor and a member of the Labor Department transition team. He was Acting Secretary of Labor and Deputy U.S. Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2014 and served for six and one-half years in the Labor Department during the Clinton Administration. Harris is an attorney, business advisor, and former trade unionist. He also is a Visiting Professor at Cornell University's Institute for Public Affairs. He has co-authored three books and authored scholarly articles and op-eds on labor, employment, leadership, retirement, and economics. A native New Yorker who currently lives in Maryland, Harris earned a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University's School of Industrial & Labor Relations and a juris doctor from New York University's School of Law.
Daniel Hornung, Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
Daniel Hornung most recently served as a judicial law clerk to Judge Merrick Garland on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. During the Obama-Biden Administration, Hornung served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Policy Advisor, focused on climate policy, economic policy, and judicial nominations. Prior to that, he worked in the Office of Management and Budget. A native of Chicago, Hornung has also been a fellow at Chicago CRED, an organization focused on reducing gun violence and creating economic opportunity in Chicago neighborhoods. Hornung holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. in economics and political science from Yale College. He and his wife live in Washington, D.C.
Elisabeth Reynolds, Special Assistant to the President for Manufacturing and Economic Development
Elisabeth Reynolds is a principal research scientist and executive director of the MIT Industrial Performance Center as well as a lecturer in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP). Prior to joining MIT, Reynolds was the director of the City Advisory Practice at the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), a non-profit focused on job and business growth in urban areas. She has been actively engaged in efforts to rebuild manufacturing capabilities in the U.S., most recently as a member of the Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative. She is a graduate of Harvard College and holds a Master's in Economics from the University of Montreal as well as a PhD from MIT DUSP.
Samantha Silverberg, Special Assistant to the President for Transportation and Infrastructure Policy
Samantha Silverberg served on the Biden-Harris transition team as a volunteer on the domestic and economic policy team and on two Agency Review Teams. Previously, she served as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Director of Capital Planning at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Silverberg began her public service as a Presidential Management Fellow at the Office of Management and Budget and U.S. Department of Transportation. Silverberg is a graduate of the University of Virginia and holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Originally from Queens, NY, she currently resides in the Boston area with her husband and son.
Tim Wu, Special Assistant to the President for Technology and Competition Policy
Tim Wu was most recently a Professor at Columbia University law school. He previously served as senior enforcement counsel to the New York Attorney General, as a senior advisor at the Federal Trade Commission, and an advisor at the National Economic Council. He was also a law clerk for Stephen Breyer of the United States Supreme Court and Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Born in Washington D.C., Wu is a graduate of McGill University and Harvard Law School. He lives in New York City with his wife and two daughters.
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Jazz's Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have been fined: Mitchell, $25,000 for public criticism of the officiating and his conduct while exiting the playing court. Gobert, $20,000 for public criticism of the officiating.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1367903225135833089
Donovan Mitchell: "We didn't get fined in my opinion". Donovan said they won, so its all worth it
A breakdown of how the covid bill allocates funds.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EvuR_xAXAAApuUB?format=jpg&name=medium
An appeals court has ruled that the Minnesota attorney general can try to reinstate the third-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin, the ex-officer accused in the killing of George Floyd.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/appeals-court-reinstates-third-degree-murder-charge-against-ex-officer-n1259725
It's hard to overstate how much every single decision D's are making now is filtered through "let's do the opposite of 2009. Interesting quote from Psaki about how the White House wants Americans to be able to talk about components of the relief plan around the dinner table - seeing its concrete impact - unlike the Obama stimulus, the benefits of which she says was hard for many to understand
I hate Manchin. The tax benefit would help so many people. He has no idea how many unemployed people have to pay taxes at tax time because they don't have the option or can't afford to deduct it from their unemployment payments.
Georgia's seen next to no arrests and little response from lawmakers to protect them—despite this year's focus on "election security." "For nearly a year, election administrators across the country weathered the pandemic while facing attacks and threats — leading many officials to resign or retire. In Georgia, little was done to prevent it from happening again."
https://propublica.org/article/after-a-wave-of-violent-threats-against-election-workers-georgia-sees-few-arrests
LEFIST DEMOCRAT Sinema HAPPILY VOTING DOWN BERNIE SANDERS' $15 MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE. Showing what she really thinks of workers and those in poverty.
https://twitter.com/Roots_Action/status/1367906192626831363
The investigation found that the oligarch purchased properties in Cleveland and "left a trail of empty, boarded-up buildings, unpaid property taxes, dangerous factory conditions, unemployed workers, and at least four steel mills that filed for bankruptcy." An investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists shows that Deutsche Bank, the troubled global lender, played a pivotal role, transferring more than $750 million to Kolomoisky's business interests in the United States.
https://www.icij.org/investigations/fincen-files/with-deutsche-banks-help-an-oligarchs-buying-spree-trails-ruin-across-the-us-heartland/
The Georgia House just passed legislation that would not only make it more difficult to vote, but also makes it a crime to give food or water to anyone standing in line to vote. The idea that this should be a crime is completely outrageous.
https://twitter.com/CBHessick/status/1367204261608652807/photo/1
How powerful is AOC? She has her own tab in the White House press secretary's briefing book.
https://twitter.com/tombrennerphoto/status/1367916053217558529/photo/1
A full-time minimum-wage earner makes less than $16k a year. This one's a no-brainer. Tell Congress to #RaiseTheWage!
https://twitter.com/kyrstensinema/status/443584873048309760
A full-time minimum-wage earner makes less than $16k a year. This one's a no-brainer. Tell Congress to #RaiseTheWage!
https://twitter.com/kyrstensinema/status/443584873048309760
We are officially in WTF territory on the Senate floor. The vote-a-rama has been stalled out for more than three hours. Dems don't yet have 50 for their most important amendment and Rs are trying to bring Manchin on board to Portman's unemployment trims.
Sen. Maggie Hassan wouldn't answer when I asked her why she voted against an effort to raise wage to $15. "I have long been supportive of increasing the minimum wage," she said. I asked her what was wrong with this one, and her aide interjected and said she's late for a meeting
https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1367926765096669188
Hassan's office sends me this statement from her. "People who work 40 hours a week should be able to get by and shouldn't be living at or below poverty level. I've long supported raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour and I'm open to $15 an hour." (even though she just voted against raising the minimum wage, fucking terrorist liar)
https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1367929998410215465
A new report from USAID IG found that the decision to donate ventilators was not supported by the Covid-19 response strategy that USAID had developed early on in the pandemic. In July 2020, ProPublica reported that the Trump White House pushed the U.S. Agency for International Development to purchase thousands of ventilators and donate them abroad, leaving Americans to die.
https://oversight.gov/sites/default/files/oig-reports/USAID/4-936-21-002-P.pdf
The CDC is allowing shelters handling child migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border to expand to full capacity, abandoning a requirement they stay near 50% to inhibit the spread of the coronavirus.
https://www.axios.com/cdc-child-migrant-shelter-full-capacity-coronavirus-41d1ae80-1ecf-4815-a755-7b01fac5850b.html
Trump official charged with storming the Capitol appeared in court today via teleconference. He asked the judge if he could be detained somewhere else. "It would be nice if I could sleep in a place where there were not cockroaches everywhere" https://washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/05/trump-federico-klein-capitol-riot/
Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland is busy behind the scenes building a DOJ inner circle full of Senate aides, federal prosecutors, and former law clerks
https://www.businessinsider.com/merrick-garland-staff-hiring-attorney-general-doj-judge-2021-3
Texas will not fix ERCOT's $16 billion power billing mistake
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/05/texas-ercot-electric-bills/
GOOD: Biden to Fire Trump EEOC General Counsel Who Refused to Resign
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/biden-to-fire-trump-eeoc-general-counsel-who-refused-to-resign
Lawyers at the ACLU are calling on Biden's Department of Homeland Security to address allegations of abuse and misconduct against Latin Americans by Customs and Border Protection personnel during the Trump admin in 2019 and 2020.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/aclu-asks-dhs-take-action-complaints-abuse-misconduct-u-s-n1259657
.@GregAbbott_TX claimed the Biden administration was "importing COVID" to his state and others and that the federal government was not testing migrants. An admin official says Abbott is the one who rejected @DHSgov's proposal to cover the 100% expenses of testing/quarantine.
https://twitter.com/weijia/status/1367949417450455042
Pennsylvania Lt. Governor John Fetterman, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, said in a statement Friday that "every single senator who voted against a $15 minimum wage today should be forced to live on $7.25 an hour so that they can demonstrate to all of us how it's possible."
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/05/democrats-15-minimum-wage-hike-473875
The Pistons have announced their buyout agreement with Blake Griffin, which will make him an unrestricted free agent Sunday at 5 PM when he clears waivers.
https://twitter.com/thesteinline/status/1367959327324053506
An underappreciated part of our national decline is the prevalence of obnoxious rich idiots acting based on the correct belief that they're immune to consequences: Kanye West's campaign store may land him in trouble with the feds. He kept accepting donations from foreign nationals and teenagers even after the election, and still hasn't delivered merch.
https://thedailybeast.com/kanyes-campaign-store-may-land-him-in-deep-trouble-with-the-feds
Unemployment workers are hit with another shock: Many owe the government $$ for health insurance. Preschool teacher Michele Ryan owes $2,100 b/c the gov't says it overpaid her a health insurance subsidy for 2020. She was unemployed most of year.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/03/05/taxes-health-insurance-subsidy-overpayment/
Someone working an hourly shift during this ongoing vote would earn $43.50 at the current minimum wage, or eventually $90 under the amendment
At least 30,000 U.S. organizations have been newly hacked through an exploit in Microsoft Exchange server, Krebs reports.
https://twitter.com/CNBCnow/status/1367958405772677122
The Biden admin has unveiled a plan to invest $9 billion in minority communities, taking an initial step in fulfilling its promise to ensure that those who've been hit hardest by the pandemic have access to loans as the economy recovers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/04/us/politics/treasury-minority-loans.html
The 8 Senate Democrats who voted against raising the minimum wage are collectively worth over $43 million
https://www.businessinsider.com/8-democrats-voted-against-raising-minimum-wage-worth-43-million-2021-3
It's not enough to just thank our essential workers — we need to pay them. As president, I'll:
- Raise the minimum wage to $15
- End the tipped minimum wage
- End the sub-minimum wage for people with disabilities
- Ensure everyone has strong benefits
https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1303056694360944640
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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/05/letter-to-the-speaker-of-the-house-and-the-president-of-the-senate-on-the-continuation-of-the-national-emergency-with-respect-to-iran/
Letter to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Iran
March 05, 2021 • Statements and Releases
Dear Madam Speaker: (Dear Madam President:)
Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency with respect to Iran that was declared on March 15, 1995, is to continue in effect beyond March 15, 2021.
The actions and policies of the Government of Iran continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.
For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12957 with respect to Iran and to maintain in force comprehensive sanctions against Iran to respond to this threat.
Sincerely,
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/03/05/notice-on-the-continuation-of-the-national-emergency-with-respect-to-iran/
Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Iran
March 05, 2021 • Presidential Actions
NOTICE
– – – – – – –
CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO IRAN
On March 15, 1995, by Executive Order 12957, the President declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States constituted by the actions and policies of the Government of Iran. On May 6, 1995, the President issued Executive Order 12959, imposing more comprehensive sanctions on Iran to further respond to this threat. On August 19, 1997, the President issued Executive Order 13059, consolidating and clarifying those previous orders. The President took additional steps pursuant to this national emergency in Executive Order 13553 of September 28, 2010; Executive Order 13574 of May 23, 2011; Executive Order 13590 of November 20, 2011; Executive Order 13599 of February 5, 2012; Executive Order 13606 of April 22, 2012; Executive Order 13608 of May 1, 2012; Executive Order 13622 of July 30, 2012; Executive Order 13628 of October 9, 2012; Executive Order 13645 of June 3, 2013; Executive Order 13716 of January 16, 2016, which revoked Executive Orders 13574, 13590, 13622, 13645 and provisions of Executive Order 13628; Executive Order 13846 of August 6, 2018, which revoked Executive Orders 13716 and 13628; Executive Order 13871 of May 8, 2019; Executive Order 13876 of June 24, 2019; Executive Order 13902 of January 10, 2020; and Executive Order 13949 of September 21, 2020.
The actions and policies of the Government of Iran — including its proliferation and development of missiles and other asymmetric and conventional weapons capabilities, its network and campaign of regional aggression, its support for terrorist groups, and the malign activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its surrogates — continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.
For these reasons, the national emergency declared on March 15, 1995, must continue in effect beyond March 15, 2021. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency with respect to Iran declared in Executive Order 12957. The emergency declared by Executive Order 12957 constitutes an emergency separate from that declared on November 14, 1979, by Executive Order 12170 in connection with the hostage crisis. This renewal, therefore, is distinct from the emergency renewal of November 2020.
This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
March 5, 2021.
___________________________________
MS. PSAKI: Okay. Lots going on around here. I have a couple of items for all of you at the top. Obviously, today is "Jobs Day." And with today's jobs report showing — show — while it shows some progress, it also shows the long road ahead. Right now, there are 9.5 million fewer jobs than at this time last year. This is a larger jobs hole than at any point in the Great Recession. At this month's pace, it will take us more than two years to get to pre-pandemic employment levels, and will take even longer at the average pace over the last three months. This is unacceptable, and it's unacceptable when 4 million Americans have been unemployed for more than six months, or when unemployment is at 9.9 percent for African Americans and 8.5 percent for Hispanics. Congress must pass the American Rescue Plan now so we can get Americans back to work, and so we can get relief to the millions of people who are struggling.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/03/05/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-march-5-2021/
DOJ's John Carlin held meeting w/ Asian American groups a day after Susan Rice did at WH. Carlin decries "horrific rise in hate and bias incidents," says DOJ will seek better hate crime data, incl new grant programs and translating federal complaint portal into 4 Asian languages.
https://twitter.com/DavidNakamura/status/1367994252224045059
In 2018 exit, @SenatorSinema was competitive among Whites but lost them & won only b/c she carried Latinos. She also lost voters earning 50-200k & won only b/c she carried those below 50k. Seems awfully pleased & excited here to deny a raise to many of the voters who elected her
https://twitter.com/i/status/1367922976017035276
https://twitter.com/RonBrownstein/status/1367924516421210115
A devastating report was released today into LSU's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations, including those against football players and the team's former head coach.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/03/05/lsu-football-title-ix-sexual-misconduct/
Almost all people being paid minimum wage are females and minorities so Sinema, who is accusing everybody of being a sexist for attacking her obscene and celebratory conduct when she - voting in Sailor Moon cosplay and curtseying like a blow-up anime sex doll - voted against raising the federal minimum wage, is a racist and mysognist. She has zero concept of what sexism is, she's mentally ill. Wearing a pedophiliac Sailor Moon cosplay outfit to vote, she celebratorily voted down a living wage to keep FEMALES AND MINORITIES in poverty. She also voted for the permanent Trump tax cuts on the wealthy and voted for the permanent tax increase on the poor. She patted McConnell on the back, curtsied, flipped her skirt up to show her ass, and gleefully voted against raising the minimum wage of WOMEN and minorities, wearing a thousand dollar cosplay ensemble designed to make her look like a little sex porn girl to attract both pedophiles and prepubescent males. If a man did it we'd say the same. She has long been sick and disgusting (she votes alongside Republicans most of the time and only attacks Democrats) and needs to lose her re-election.
https://twitter.com/aterkel/status/1367991247395303436
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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/05/fact-sheet-the-u-s-response-to-ebola-outbreaks-in-west-and-east-africa/
Fact Sheet: The U.S. Response to Ebola Outbreaks in West and East Africa
March 05, 2021 • Statements and Releases
On February 7, 2021, the Ministry of Health (MOH) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced a confirmed case of Ebola in North Kivu Province. Separately, on February 14, 2021, the MOH in the Republic of Guinea (Guinea) confirmed an Ebola case in N'Zérékoré Prefecture. Upon confirmation of the outbreaks, the U.S. Government (USG) implemented a forward-leaning, whole-of-government response to help quickly control and end the outbreaks. USG personnel in affected and border countries immediately supported national preparedness and response activities, such as survivor care, surveillance, and overall infection prevention and control, building on capacities strengthened in past Ebola outbreaks. And, the USG has committed more than $3.5 million in assistance to support the rapid responses. The COVID-19 outbreak has further confirmed that the health and safety of one country is the health and safety of the world. The Biden administration is committed to being a strong public health partner by supporting DRC, Guinea, and communities experiencing these outbreaks. USG agencies and Embassies are working closely with local, national, and international partners to ensure the response efforts are well integrated and aligned. These efforts include:
Facilitating access to Ebola vaccines and therapeutics: The vaccines that DRC and Guinea are receiving come from a global Ebola vaccine stockpile established January 2021. A $20 million USG contribution, provided to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and specifically dedicated to support a stockpile of licensed Ebola vaccines funded the first deliveries of doses into the stockpile. The USG has coordinated delivery of 120 treatment courses of U.S.-developed Ebola therapeutics to Guinea, with more doses available, if needed.
Increasing response capacity: To increase response capacity and save lives, the USG is helping the DRC, Guinea, and neighboring countries to increase disease surveillance, laboratory, infection prevention and control, and emergency management capacities, as well as access to diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics. The USG is also working to enhance risk communications, access to safe and dignified burials, and supporting survivors.
Increasing surveillance and case management systems: The CDC has provided guidelines and standard operating procedures for finding cases, and is also supporting critical epidemiology and disease surveillance systems in affected and neighboring countries to establish transmission chains. USAID is funding partners to support active surveillance, community engagement, and supporting the establishment of Ebola treatment and transit centers.
Strengthening infection prevention and control (IPC) practices: In close collaboration with WHO, Africa CDC, and other partners, the USG is creating and deploying IPC training, mobilizing response staff, and engaging Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Mali to ensure readiness for potential cases. USAID launched a program to strengthen IPC in major health facilities, including hygiene promotion, triage and isolation, and training of health care workers.
Supporting community engagement activities to increase awareness: To promote behaviors that decrease risk of transmission, the U.S. Embassy in DRC is activating its network of exchange program alumni and opinion leaders. USAID is supporting risk communication and community engagement activities. And, CDC is supporting community feedback and mass communication activities, as well as helping to build capacity to report rapidly and accurately community questions, perceptions, and concerns.
Mitigating the risk of spread to the United States: The ability to identify and locate those in the U.S. who may have been exposed to Ebola is critical to help prevent the spread of the disease within U.S. communities. On March 2, 2021, CDC issued an order that went into effect on March 4 requiring airlines and aircraft operators to collect and transmit passenger contact information to the USG for the purposes of public health follow-up. In support of CDC's order, the Department of Homeland Security is directing operators of aircraft to funnel passengers who in the last 21 days traveled from, or were otherwise present within, the DRC or Guinea to one of six United States airports where the USG is focusing public health resources to implement enhanced public health measures. For more information on the CDC order and flight redirection, please visit HERE.
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Booker will miss the All-Star Game due to a left knee sprain. He was named as a replacement for Lakers' Anthony Davis.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1368011440649478146
Phoenix's Devin Booker has been replaced by Utah's Mike Conley Jr. in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday. Conley will also participate in the 3-point contest.News
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1368011153083830274
Sixers MVP candidate @JoelEmbiid has committed to donate his $100,000 in winnings on All-Star Weekend to three homeless shelters in the Philadelphia-area, providing meals, clothing, COVID treatment, health care, summer camp and essential care for teens.News
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1368222572991700996
Supreme Court Tosses Trump-Era Sanctuary City Cases at Biden Administration's Request
https://lawandcrime.com/immigration/supreme-court-tosses-trump-era-sanctuary-city-lawsuits-at-biden-administrations-request/
Senate passes $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, including $1,400 stimulus checks, with no Republican support. The absence of Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, due to a family emergency, prevented Vice President Kamala Harris from having to break a tie in the 50-50 chamber, which she had to do to allow the Senate to begin debate on the bill.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-passes-1-9-trillion-covid-relief-bill-including-1-n1259795
Biden appointments, including Nez Perce fisheries champion, bolster Native American presence in federal government
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/biden-administration-appointments-including-nez-perce-fisheries-champion-bolster-native-american-voices-in-federal-government/
This bill, despite some things missing, is the most progressive bill to pass the Senate in at least a decade. It's a huge victory.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-passes-1-9-trillion-covid-relief-bill-including-1-n1259795
Thanks to Georgia voters, the United States Senate just passed the most generous economic relief package for working and middle class families in American history.
https://twitter.com/ossoff/status/1368252778984964096
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the House will vote Monday night on the rule laying out terms for the bill's consideration, and the House will vote on Tuesday on the Senate-passed version of the Covid-19 bill
Reality is this bill started and remained far more of a Bernie package than something moderates would have come up with, which is why the moderates were harder to get in line as it moved through Congress.
It's harder for to me see how Congress can pass the Equality Act, which would bar discrimination against LGBTQ people in federally funded programs, when we have 50 senators who'd vote to withhold funding from schools unless they *do* discriminate against transgender athletes.
The federal government is proposing to downgrade 144 cities from the metropolitan statistical area designation. Under the plan, a metro area would have to have at least 100,000 people, double the 50,000-person threshold implemented more than 70 years ago.
https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-bismarck-census-2020-north-dakota-sheboygan-ad77e15f0f8cd13b8e398d2ca8339ca7
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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/03/06/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-senate-passage-of-the-american-rescue-plan/
Remarks by President Biden on the Senate Passage of the American Rescue Plan
March 06, 2021 • Speeches and Remarks
State Dining Room
2:05 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. It's a good day today. You know, when we took office 45 days ago, I promised the American people that help was on the way. Today, I can say we've taken one more giant step forward in delivering on that promise that help is on the way.
I want to thank — start off by thanking the Vice President, but I want to thank all of the senators who worked so hard to reach a compromise to do the right thing for the American people during this crisis and voted to pass the American Rescue Plan. It obviously wasn't easy, it wasn't always pretty, but it was so desperately needed — urgently needed.
Also, I also need to say a few words about the Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who I spoke with many times on this and again this morning. I served in the Senate, as you all know, for many years. I've never seen anyone work as skillfully, as ably, as patiently, with determination, to deliver such a consequential piece of legislation that was so urgently needed as the American Rescue Plan.
Chuck Schumer — Senator Chuck Schumer, when the country needed you most, you led, Chuck, and you delivered. Neither I nor the country will ever forget that. And it's not a moment too soon. I've been talking about the urgency of this need.
For — for over a year, the American people were told they were on their own. They were seeing — we've seen how hard that has been on so many Americans. As of last night, 519,064 lives lost to the virus. That many empty chairs this morning — the breakfast table — gone. More than four hundred [thousand] small businesses closed unnecessarily. Millions of people out of work through no fault of their own. I want to emphasize that: through no fault of their own. Food bank lines stretching for miles. Did any of you ever you'd see that in America, in cities all across this country? Families facing the threat of eviction.
This nation has suffered too much for much too long. And everything in this package is designed to relieve the suffering and to meet the most urgent needs of the nation and put us in a better position to prevail, starting with beating this virus and vaccinating the country.
The resources in this plan will be used to expand and speed up manufacturing and distribution of vaccines so we can get every single American vaccinated sooner than later. I believe by — we'll have enough by the end of — by the middle of May to vaccinate. It's going to take longer to take longer to get it in their arm, but that's how much vaccine we'll have.
Because of all the funding, we'll be able to hire more vaccinators, set up more vaccination sites to get the country in a place to get back to normal. This plan will get checks out the door, starting this month, to the American people who so desperately need the help, many of whom are lying in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering, "Will I lose my job, if I haven't already? Will I lose my insurance? Will I lose my home?"
Over 85 percent of American households will get direct payments of $1,400 per person. For a typical middle-class family of four — husband and wife working, making $100,000 a year total, with three kids — they'll get $5,600 — I mean, with two kids — will get $5,600, and it'll be on the way soon.
That means the mortgage can get paid. That means the child can stay in community college. That means maintaining the health insurance you have. It's going to make a big difference
in so many of lives in this country.
Unemployment benefits will be extended for 11 million Americans who have lost their jobs and who, last night, again were lying in bed, just thinking, "My L-rd, I'm going to lose my unemployment insurance in a week or so." It was about to expire.
Schools are going to have the resources they need to open safely. States and local governments that have lost tens of thousands of essential workers will be — have the resources they need available to them, to those laid-off police officers, firefighters, teachers, and nurses they can rehire. These are essential personnel.
Look, the American Rescue Plan lowers healthcare premiums. Food and nutrition assistance. It's hard to believe that 24 million adults and 11 million children, as I speak, in the United States suffer from food insecurity. That means, simply, they don't have enough food to eat. Did you ever imagine in the United States of America, you'd see lines, literally miles long — kids — folks in their automobiles, waiting for a box of food to be put in their trunk. I stood in line, handing out food. The people coming up never, ever, ever thought they'd be in that position.
This helps families who are behind on their rent and their mortgage payments so they aren't thrown out of their homes.
Look, the bottom line is this: This plan puts us on the path to beating the virus. This plan gives those families who are struggling the most the help and the breathing room they need to get through this moment. This plan gives small businesses in this country a fighting chance to survive.
And one more thing: This plan is historic. Taken altogether, this plan is going to make it possible to cut child poverty in half. Let me say that again — it's significant, historic: It will cut child poverty in half.
There's much more to this bill, but, for now, let me make one final point. When I was elected, I said we were going to get the government out of the business of battling on Twitter and back in the business of delivering for the American people, of making a difference in their lives, giving everyone a chance — a fighting chance, of showing the American people that their government can work for them. And passing the American Rescue Plan will do that.
And, you know, it may sound strange, but a lot of senators and congressmen I want to thank, but I really want to thank the American people for making all of this possible. You say, "Well, how do they make it possible?" Well, quite frankly, without the overwhelming bipartisan support of the American people, this would not have happened. Your elected officials heard you. Overwhelming public support — every public opinion poll shows overwhelming support for this plan. And for the last weeks, it's shown that. Every public opinion poll shows the people want this, they believe it's needed, and they believe it's urgent.
And now this bill returns to the House of Representatives, which has done a great job from the beginning, where I hope it will find quick passage so it can be sent to my desk to be signed into law.
By passing the American Rescue Plan, we'll have heeded the voice of the American people, not ignored their voices. By passing this plan, we will have delivered real, tangible results for the American people and their families, and they'll be able to see and know and feel the change in their own lives. And by passing this plan, we'll have proved that this government, this democracy can still work. What has to be done — it'll improve people's lives.
And one more thing: The vast majority of economists — left, right, and center — from Wall Street to the — to the private — private economic polling initiatives — the economists — as I've said, left, right, and center — say, "In addition to the needs the people have, we need this to grow the economy." That if we haven't spent this money and recreated the kind of incentive for people to be able to make a good living, that we'd be in real trouble.
This will create millions of new jobs — it's estimated over 6 million new jobs by itself; increase the Gross Domestic Product by a trillion dollars; put our nation in a position to out-compete the rest of the world — because the rest of the world is moving, particularly China; and to know that as tough as this moment is, there are brighter days ahead. There really are.
As I've said before, it's never a good bet to bet against America. It's never been a good bet to bet against the American people. We are America. We're going to get there. We're going to remain the leading economy in the world and going to be the most successful economy in the world because of you, the American people.
Thank you, and G-d bless you all. May G-d protect our troops. Thank you.
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THE PRESIDENT: They're not frustrated. Bernie Sanders said this is the most progressive bill he's ever seen passed since he's been here. And the compromises were all compromises that didn't affect the substance and the essence of what the bill is. Going from $300 — from $400 to $300, to the unemployment excess. Well, it got extended until September. The end result is the essentially about the same. And so, I don't think any of the compromises have in any way fundamentally altered the essence of what I put in the bill in the first place.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/03/06/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-senate-passage-of-the-american-rescue-plan/
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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/07/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-sign-executive-order-to-promote-voting-access/
Fact Sheet: President Biden to Sign Executive Order to Promote Voting Access
March 07, 2021 • Statements and Releases
On this day in 1965, state troopers beat and tear-gassed hundreds of peaceful protestors crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. The protestors were seeking justice and to ensure their right to vote would not be denied. At the head of the march were former Congressman John Lewis and Rev. Hosea Williams. As the troopers advanced with clubs raised, the group knelt in prayer. The images of protestors, bloody and bruised, flashing on television screens across the nation spurred Congress to pass, and President Johnson to sign into law, the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Congressman Lewis' fight to protect and expand the vote did not end that day in Selma. He carried the mission to our nation's Capital and remained a vigilant protector of our right to vote, knowing all too well the burdens borne to guarantee it.
Today, to mark the 56th anniversary of Selma with actions and not just words, President Biden will sign an Executive Order to promote voting access and allow all eligible Americans to participate in our democracy. This Executive Order will leverage the resources of the federal government to increase access to voter registration services and information about voting.
As the President has said, democracy doesn't happen by accident. We have to defend, strengthen, and renew it. Free and fair elections that reflect the will of the American people must be protected and defended. Too many Americans face significant obstacles to exercising their fundamental right to vote. For generations, Black voters and other voters of color have faced discriminatory policies that suppress their vote. Voters of color are more likely to face long lines at the polls and are disproportionately burdened by voter identification laws and limited opportunities to vote by mail. Native Americans likewise face limited opportunities to vote by mail and frequently lack sufficient polling places and voter registration opportunities near their homes. Limited access to language assistance is an obstacle for many voters. People with disabilities face longstanding barriers in exercising their right to vote, especially when it comes to legally required accommodations to vote privately and independently. Members of our military serving overseas, as well as other American citizens living abroad, also face unnecessary challenges to exercising their right to vote.
Today's Executive Order is an initial step in this Administration's efforts to protect the right to vote and ensure all eligible citizens can freely participate in the electoral process. The President is committed to working with Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act and pass H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which includes bold reforms to make it more equitable and accessible for all Americans to exercise their fundamental right to vote.
Today's Executive Order will:
Direct federal agencies to expand access to voter registration and election information. The executive order will direct the head of each federal agency to submit to the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy a strategic plan outlining ways their agency can promote voter registration and participation within 200 days. These strategic plans could include actions such as:
- Leveraging agencies' existing websites and social media to provide information about how to register to vote
- Distributing voter registration and vote-by-mail ballot applications in the course of regular services
- Considering whether any identity documents issued by the agency can be issued in a form that satisfies state voter identification laws
And, the Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States will coordinate across federal agencies to improve or modernize federal websites and digital services that provide election and voting information to the American people, including ensuring that federal websites are accessible to individuals with disabilities and people with limited English proficiency.
Direct federal agencies to assist states under the National Voter Registration Act. Today's Executive Order reaffirms the intent of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 to have federal agencies assist with voter registration efforts. Since the NVRA was enacted, state government agencies, like a department of motor vehicles, have helped register hundreds of millions of voters. Unlike state agencies, however, federal agencies can only become voter registration agencies under the NVRA at a state's request. Federal agencies providing direct services to underserved communities represent a unique opportunity to provide access to voter registration services. Under today's action, the head of each federal agency will evaluate where and how the federal agency provides services that directly engage with the public, and to the greatest extent possible, formally notify states in which it provides services that it would agree to designation as a voter registration agency. If requested by a state to be designated as a voter registration agency, the federal agency shall to the greatest extent possible agree to such designation.
Improve and modernize Vote.gov. The Executive Order will direct the General Services Administration (GSA) to submit to the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy a strategic plan outlining steps to modernize and improve the user experience of the federal government's premier source of voting-related information, Vote.gov, including the accessibility of the website within 200 days. The order requires GSA to seek the input of affected stakeholders, including election administrators, civil rights and disability rights activists, Tribal Nations, and nonprofit groups that study best practices for using technology to promote civic engagement.
Increase federal employees' access to voting. The Executive Order will direct the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to work with the head of federal agencies to provide recommendations to the President regarding leave for federal employees to vote or to volunteer as nonpartisan poll workers, ensuring that the federal government serves as a model to other employers.
Analyze barriers to voting for people with disabilities. The Executive Order will direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) within the Department of Commerce to evaluate and publish recommendations on the steps needed to ensure that the online Federal Voter Registration Form is accessible to people with disabilities within 200 days. The order directs NIST—in consultation with the Department of Justice, the Election Assistance Commission, and other agencies—to analyze barriers to private and independent voting for people with disabilities, including access to voter registration, voting technology, voting by mail, polling locations, and poll worker training.
Increase voting access for active duty military and other overseas voters. The executive order will direct the Secretary of Defense within 200 days to establish procedures to annually offer each member of the Armed Forces on active duty the opportunity to register to vote in federal elections, update voter registration, or request an absentee ballot. Additionally, the Secretary of Defense—in coordination with the Department of State, the Military Postal Service Agency and United States Postal Service—is required to submit a strategic plan for an end-to-end ballot tracking system for overseas ballots. And, the head of each federal agency with overseas employees is directed to designate a point of contact to coordinate with the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) and promote voter registration and voting services available to these employees.
Provide voting access and education to citizens in federal custody. The order will direct the Attorney General to establish procedures to provide educational materials related to voter registration and voting, and to the extent practicable, to facilitate voter registration, for all eligible individuals in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It also directs the Attorney General to coordinate with the Probation and Pretrial Services Office to develop similar procedures for eligible individuals under its supervision. The Executive Order also directs the Attorney General to establish procedures to ensure the U.S. Marshals Service includes language in jail contracts to provide eligible individuals educational materials related to voter registration and voting, and to facilitate voting by mail, to the extent practicable and appropriate. And, it directs the Attorney General to take steps to support formerly incarcerated individuals in obtaining a means of identification that satisfies state voter identification laws.
Establish a Native American voting rights steering group. The order will establish an interagency steering group on Native American voting rights to be coordinated by the Domestic Policy Council. The steering group will include, at a minimum, the Attorney General, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs or their designees. The steering group will study best practices, in consultation with Tribal Nations, for protecting voting rights of Native Americans and will produce a report within one year of the date of the order outlining recommendations for increasing voter outreach, education, registration, and turnout in Native American communities.
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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/03/07/pre-taped-remarks-by-president-biden-as-prepared-for-delivery-at-the-martin-coretta-scott-king-unity-breakfast/
Pre-Taped Remarks by President Biden as Prepared for Delivery at the Martin & Coretta Scott King Unity Breakfast
March 07, 2021 • Speeches and Remarks
Good morning to everyone joining in this unity breakfast named after Dr. and Mrs. King and to commemorate the anniversary of the march in Selma.
I know this is the first commemoration of Bloody Sunday without Reverend C.T. Vivian, Reverend Joseph Lowery, and Congressman John Lewis. Preachers of the social gospel. Architects of the 'Beloved Community,' they built not only with words but with action. And reminders that in our lifetime, for Black Americans, the fundamental right to vote has been denied by white supremacy hiding both behind white hoods and in plain sight in state houses and courtrooms.
Yet those torches and burning crosses, the batons, tear gas, fire hoses, attack dogs, and unfair laws and trials could not stop progress. The blood of John Lewis and hundreds of other brave and righteous souls that was spilled in Selma, on this Sunday in 1965 sanctified a noble struggle.
And when the country saw those images that night, America was forced to confront the denial of democracy — the fierce urgency of justice.
Congress passed the Voting Rights Act a few months later, and President Johnson signed it into law.
The legacy of the march in Selma is that while nothing can stop a free people from exercising
their most sacred power as a citizen, there are those who will do everything they can to take that power away.
The Voting Rights Act began to dismantle barriers to voting and to make our elections more fair, free, and representative.
I was always proud to lead the efforts to reauthorize it over the years as a U.S. Senator in the Judiciary Committee. But at the same time, Republicans at every level have chipped away at it.
Then in 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, holding that times have changed and blatant voter discrimination was rare, contrary to the assault that was taking place on the ground. The late Justice Ginsburg wrote that the decision was like "throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm." Today, we have a hail storm, not a rain storm.
And in 2020, our very democracy on the line, even in the midst of a pandemic, more Americans voted than ever before. Multiple recounts in states and decisions in more than 60 courts – from judges appointed by my predecessor, including at the Supreme Court – upheld the integrity of this historic election.
Yet instead of celebrating this powerful demonstration of voting – we have seen an unprecedented insurrection in our Capitol and a brutal attack on our democracy on January 6th. A never before seen effort to ignore, undermine, and undo the will of the people.
And to think that it's been followed by an all-out assault on the right to vote in state legislatures all across the country happening right now. During the current legislative session, elected officials in 43 states have already introduced more than 250 bills to make it harder for Americans to vote. We cannot let them succeed.
Last week, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2021. This is a landmark piece of legislation that is urgently needed to protect the right to vote, the integrity of our elections, and to repair and strengthen our democracy. I hope the Senate does its work so that I can sign it into law.
I also urge Congress to fully restore the Voting Rights Act, named in John Lewis' honor.
Today, on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, I am signing an executive order to make it easier for eligible voters to register to vote and improve access to voting. Every eligible voter should be able to vote and have that vote counted. If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Let the people vote.
I'll close with this – a few days before he passed, Jill and I spoke with John, Congressman Lewis.
But instead of answering our concerns about him, "how are you doing, John," he asked us to stay focused on the work left undone to heal and to unite this nation around what it means to be an American.
That's the G-d's truth. John wouldn't talk about his pending death or his concerns. He said we just got to get this done.
That we are all created equal. That we all deserve to be treated equally.
On this day of reflection, please, let's stay focused on the work ahead.
Let's remember all those who came before us as a bridge to our history so we do not forget its pain, and as a bridge to our future so we never lose our hope.
May G-d bless their memory. May G-d bless you all.
###
______________________________
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/07/readout-of-visit-to-the-border-region-by-senior-administration-officials/
Readout of Visit to the Border Region by Senior Administration Officials
March 07, 2021 • Statements and Releases
As part of the Administration's commitment to restoring order and humanity to our immigration system, on Saturday, senior administration officials traveled to the Southwest border to visit a Department of Homeland Security Border Patrol facility and a Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement facility. During the visit, Senior administration officials received operational briefings, updates, and tours of the facilities. They discussed capacity needs given the number of unaccompanied children and families arriving at our border, the complex challenges with rebuilding our gutted border infrastructure and immigration system, as well as improvements that must be made in order to restore safe and efficient procedures to process, shelter, and place unaccompanied children with family or sponsors. Officials also discussed ways to ensure the fair and humane treatment of immigrants, the safety of the workforce, and the wellbeing of communities nearby in the face of a global pandemic. Officials who participated on the trip will be briefing the President.
Senior Administration officials who participated in the trip:
Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security
Susan Rice, Domestic Policy Advisor (WH)
Liz Sherwood-Randall, Deputy National Security Advisor (NSC)
Julie Rodriguez, Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (WH)
Julissa Reynoso, Chief of Staff to the First Lady (WH)
Norris Cochran, Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services
Esther Olavarria, Deputy Assistant to the President for Immigration (WH)
Katie Tobin, Senior Director for Transborder (NSC)
Erin Pelton, Senior Advisor to the Domestic Policy Advisor (WH)
Pili Tobar, White House Deputy Communications Director (WH)
Jennifer Higgins, DHS Associate Director for Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations
Marsha Espinosa, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
Jooyeun Chang, HHS ACF Head
Cindy Huang, HHS ORR Head
###
______________________________
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/03/07/executive-order-on-promoting-access-to-voting/
Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting
March 07, 2021 • Presidential Actions
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Purpose. The right to vote is the foundation of American democracy. Free and fair elections that reflect the will of the American people must be protected and defended. But many Americans, especially people of color, confront significant obstacles to exercising that fundamental right. These obstacles include difficulties with voter registration, lack of election information, and barriers to access at polling places. For generations, Black voters and other voters of color have faced discriminatory policies and other obstacles that disproportionally affect their communities. These voters remain more likely to face long lines at the polls and are disproportionately burdened by voter identification laws and limited opportunities to vote by mail. Limited access to language assistance remains a barrier for many voters. People with disabilities continue to face barriers to voting and are denied legally required accommodations in exercising their fundamental rights and the ability to vote privately and independently. Members of our military serving overseas, as well as other American citizens living abroad, also face challenges to exercising their fundamental right to vote.
The Constitution and laws of the United States prohibit racial discrimination and protect the right to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other Federal statutes implement those protections and assign the Federal Government a key role in remedying disenfranchisement and unequal access to the polls. In passing the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, the Congress found that it is the duty of Federal, State, and local governments to promote the exercise of the fundamental right to vote. Executive departments and agencies (agencies) should partner with State, local, Tribal, and territorial election officials to protect and promote the exercise of the right to vote, eliminate discrimination and other barriers to voting, and expand access to voter registration and accurate election information. It is our duty to ensure that registering to vote and the act of voting be made simple and easy for all those eligible to do so.
Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of my Administration to promote and defend the right to vote for all Americans who are legally entitled to participate in elections. It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to expand access to, and education about, voter registration and election information, and to combat misinformation, in order to enable all eligible Americans to participate in our democracy.
Sec. 3. Expanding Access to Voter Registration and Election Information. Agencies shall consider ways to expand citizens' opportunities to register to vote and to obtain information about, and participate in, the electoral process.
(a) The head of each agency shall evaluate ways in which the agency can, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, promote voter registration and voter participation. This effort shall include consideration of:
(i) ways to provide relevant information in the course of activities or services that directly engage with the public — including through agency materials, websites, online forms, social media platforms, and other points of public access — about how to register to vote, how to request a vote-by-mail ballot, and how to cast a ballot in upcoming elections;
(ii) ways to facilitate seamless transition from agencies' websites directly to State online voter registration systems or appropriate Federal websites, such as Vote.gov;
(iii) ways to provide access to voter registration services and vote-by-mail ballot applications in the course of activities or services that directly engage with the public, including:
(A) distributing voter registration and vote-by-mail ballot application forms, and providing access to applicable State online systems for individuals who can take advantage of those systems;
(B) assisting applicants in completing voter registration and vote-by-mail ballot application forms in a manner consistent with all relevant State laws; and
(C) soliciting and facilitating approved, nonpartisan third-party organizations and State officials to provide voter registration services on agency premises;
(iv) ways to promote and expand access to multilingual voter registration and election information, and to promote equal participation in the electoral process for all eligible citizens of all backgrounds; and
(v) whether, consistent with applicable law, any identity documents issued by the agency to members of the public can be issued in a form that satisfies State voter identification laws.
(b) Within 200 days of the date of this order, the head of each agency shall submit to the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy a strategic plan outlining the ways identified under this review that the agency can promote voter registration and voter participation.
(c) The Administrator of the Office of Electronic Government, Office of Management and Budget, shall, consistent with applicable law, coordinate efforts across agencies to improve or modernize Federal websites and digital services that provide election and voting information to the American people, including ensuring that Federal websites are accessible to individuals with disabilities and people with limited English proficiency. As appropriate, the Administrator of the United States Digital Service may support agencies in implementing the strategic plans directed in subsection (b) of this section.
Sec. 4. Acceptance of Designation Under the National Voter Registration Act. (a) This order shall supersede section 3 of Executive Order 12926 of September 12, 1994 (Implementation of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993).
(b) Each agency, if requested by a State to be designated as a voter registration agency pursuant to section 7(a)(3)(B)(ii) of the National Voter Registration Act, shall, to the greatest extent practicable and consistent with applicable law, agree to such designation. If an agency declines to consent to such designation, the head of the agency shall submit to the President a written explanation for the decision.
(c) The head of each agency shall evaluate where and how the agency provides services that directly engage with the public and, to the greatest extent practicable, formally notify the States in which the agency provides such services that it would agree to designation as a voter registration agency pursuant to section 7(a)(3)(B)(ii) of the National Voter Registration Act.
Sec. 5. Modernizing Vote.gov. The General Services Administration (GSA) shall take steps to modernize and improve the user experience of Vote.gov. In determining how to do so, GSA shall coordinate with the Election Assistance Commission and other agencies as appropriate, and seek the input of affected stakeholders, including election administrators, civil rights and disability rights advocates, Tribal Nations, and nonprofit groups that study best practices for using technology to promote civic engagement.
(a) GSA's efforts to modernize and improve Vote.gov shall include:
(i) ensuring that Vote.gov complies, at minimum, with sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
(ii) ensuring that Vote.gov is translated into languages spoken by any of the language groups covered under section 203 of the Voting Rights Act anywhere in the United States; and
(iii) implementing relevant provisions of the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (Public Law 115-336).
(b) Within 200 days of the date of this order, GSA shall submit to the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy a strategic plan outlining the steps to modernize and improve the user experience of Vote.gov.
Sec. 6. Increasing Opportunities for Employees to Vote. It is a priority of my Administration to ensure that the Federal Government, as the Nation's largest employer, serves as a model employer by encouraging and facilitating Federal employees' civic participation. Accordingly, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall take the following actions within 200 days of the date of this order:
(a) coordinate with the heads of executive agencies, as defined in 5 U.S.C. 105, to provide recommendations to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, on strategies to expand the Federal Government's policy of granting employees time off to vote in Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial elections. Such recommendations should include efforts to ensure Federal employees have opportunities to participate in early voting.
(b) Coordinate with the heads of executive agencies, as defined in 5 U.S.C. 105, to provide recommendations to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, on strategies to better support Federal employees who wish to volunteer to serve as non-partisan poll workers or non‑partisan observers, particularly during early or extended voting periods.
Sec. 7. Ensuring Equal Access for Voters with Disabilities. Within 270 days of the date of this order, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) within the Department of Commerce shall evaluate the steps needed to ensure that the online Federal Voter Registration Form is accessible to people with disabilities. During that period, NIST, in consultation with the Department of Justice, the Election Assistance Commission, and other agencies, as appropriate, shall also analyze barriers to private and independent voting for people with disabilities, including access to voter registration, voting technology, voting by mail, polling locations, and poll worker training. By the end of the 270-day period, NIST shall publish recommendations regarding both the Federal Voter Registration Form and the other barriers it has identified.
Sec. 8. Ensuring Access to Voting for Active Duty Military and Overseas Citizens. (a) Within 200 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense shall establish procedures, consistent with applicable law, to affirmatively offer, on an annual basis, each member of the Armed Forces on active duty the opportunity to register to vote in Federal elections, update voter registration information, or request an absentee ballot.
(b) Within 200 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense shall evaluate the feasibility of implementing an online system to facilitate the services described in subsection (a) of this section.
(c) The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Department of State, the Military Postal Service Agency, and the United States Postal Service, shall take all practical steps to establish procedures to enable a comprehensive end-to-end ballot tracking system for all absentee ballots cast by military and other eligible overseas voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, 52 U.S.C. 20301 et seq. Within 200 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense shall submit a report to the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy with a strategic plan for establishing the aforementioned tracking system.
(d) The head of each agency with overseas employees shall designate an employee to be responsible for coordinating with the Federal Voting Assistance Program, including to promote voter registration and voting services available to the agency's overseas employees. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget may issue guidance to assist agencies in making such designations.
Sec. 9. Ensuring Access to Voter Registration for Eligible Individuals in Federal Custody. (a) The Attorney General shall establish procedures, consistent with applicable law, to provide educational materials related to voter registration and voting and, to the extent practicable, to facilitate voter registration, for all eligible individuals in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Such educational materials shall be incorporated into the reentry planning procedures required under section 4042(a)(7) of title 18, United States Code. The educational materials should also notify individuals leaving Federal custody of the restrictions, if any, on their ability to vote under the laws of the State where the individual resides and, if any such restrictions exist, the point at which the individual's rights will be restored under applicable State law.
(b) The Attorney General shall establish procedures, consistent with applicable law, to ensure the United States Marshals Service includes language in intergovernmental agreements and jail contracts to require the jails to provide educational materials related to voter registration and voting, and to facilitate voting by mail, to the extent practicable and appropriate.
(c) The Attorney General shall establish procedures, consistent with applicable law, for coordinating with the Probation and Pretrial Services Office of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to provide educational materials related to voter registration and voting to all eligible individuals under the supervision of the Probation and Pretrial Services Office, and to facilitate voter registration and voting by such individuals.
(d) The Attorney General shall take appropriate steps, consistent with applicable law, to support formerly incarcerated individuals in obtaining a means of identification that satisfies State voter identification laws, including as required by 18 U.S.C. 4042(a)(6)(B).
Sec. 10. Establishing a Native American Voting Rights Steering Group. (a) There is hereby established an Interagency Steering Group on Native American Voting Rights (Steering Group) coordinated by the Domestic Policy Council.
(b) The Steering Group shall be chaired by the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and shall include the Attorney General, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs or their designees. The Chair may invite the participation of the heads or senior representatives of other agencies, as the Chair determines to be helpful to complete the work of the Steering Group. The Steering Group shall consult with agencies not represented on the Steering Group to facilitate the sharing of information and best practices, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.
(c) The Steering Group shall engage in meaningful and robust consultation with Tribal Nations and Native leaders to inform the Steering Group regarding concerns and potential areas of focus for the report described in subsection (d) of this section, and to assist the Steering Group in developing that report.
(d) The Steering Group shall study best practices for protecting voting rights of Native Americans and shall produce a report within 1 year of the date of this order outlining recommendations for providing such protection, consistent with applicable law, including recommendations for:
(i) increasing voter outreach, education, registration, and turnout in Native American communities; increasing voting access for Native American communities (including increasing accessibility for voters with disabilities); and mitigating internet accessibility issues that may hinder voter registration and ballot access in Native American communities;
(ii) increasing language access and assistance for Native American voters, including evaluating existing best practices;
(iii) mitigating barriers to voting for Native Americans by analyzing and providing guidance on how to facilitate the use of Tribal government identification cards as valid voter identification in Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial elections;
(iv) facilitating collaboration among local election officials, Native American communities, and Tribal election offices; and
(v) addressing other areas identified during the consultation process.
(e) The Department of the Interior shall provide administrative support for the Steering Group to the extent permitted by law.
Sec. 11. Definition. Except as otherwise defined in section 6 of this order, "agency" means any authority of the United States that is an "agency" under 44 U.S.C. 3502(1), other than those considered to be independent regulatory agencies, as defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(5).
Sec. 12. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
March 7, 2021.
______________________________
Tom Cotton lying about everything as always: The two previous relief bills, which were created when Republicans led the Senate and Trump was president, also sent stimulus checks to incarcerated people. Tom Cotton voted for both of them
https://twitter.com/samjmintz/status/1368561198749384704/photo/1
Chinese official sources have been doing this, too, pretty much openly. A terrible front in information warfare: Russian intelligence agencies have mounted a campaign to undermine confidence in Pfizer and other Covid vaccines using online front publications that in recent months have questioned their development and safety, U.S. officials said
https://wsj.com/articles/russian-disinformation-campaign-aims-to-undermine-confidence-in-pfizer-other-covid-19-vaccines-u-s-officials-say-11615129200
D.C.'s police department released a year's worth of police stop data following an ACLU-DC lawsuit. https://dcist.com/story/21/03/06/mpd-releases-years-worth-of-police-stop-data-following-aclu-lawsuit/
GOOD: The White House has fired the Trump-appointed general counsel for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she refused to resign.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/03/05/biden-eeoc-general-counsel-trump/
As long as the filibuster is in place, the democrats will never, ever accomplish anything more of substance. The republicans will vote no after they whittle the Democratic legislation down to nothing.
In 2009, former PA Gov. Rendell begged Obama White House to mail a letter to Americans benefiting from tax cut in Obama's stimulus. They refused. Now, Biden WH, Democrats now say they want to reverse 2009 mistakes, by making clear their role in federal relief. | "It's been a major shift. People have gone from being anti-government, to beyond being even neutral on it, to thinking: 'We need the government; it has to help us,' " said former congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who helped craft Congress' response to the financial crisis and Great Recession. "You have a new consensus in America — that the government has an important role, and that Ronald Reagan was wrong. For the first time in my lifetime, people are saying that the government has done too little rather than doing too much." | Democrats are blowing past these concerns. Democratic lawmakers and aides say they have heard very few complaints from constituents about concerns the relief plan will drive up the deficit. Even senators representing states that Trump won by huge margins, such as Jon Tester (D-Mont.), have gone along with the bill's price tag. | Biden is in some ways the ideal messenger for their spending blitz. A septuagenarian who spent four decades in Congress, the president is hard to portray as a socialist or radical leftist — even as he advances some ambitious expansions of government spending, including a major new child tax benefit. "Biden's style and his persona have allowed him to be heard as pragmatic on policies that if articulated by other people would sound ideological," said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who advised Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. "Just by temperament and culture and background, Joe Biden seems less ideological and more pragmatic." That has also appeared to contribute to a more muted reaction to Biden's spending plans than Obama's. Reports from the Conservative Political Action Conference, held this year in Florida, indicated that the debt and deficits were not major themes energizing the conservative base. | In 2009, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) went to the White House and begged Obama officials to have the treasury secretary send letters to millions of American households explaining how they would benefit from a $1,000 tax cut in Obama's stimulus. The administration refused. "If you went to the streets of Philadelphia in 2010 and asked every man and woman if they got a tax cut from Obama's stimulus, they would have said no," Rendell said. The White House is now aiming for the opposite. In remarks on Saturday, Biden emphasized the direct cash that the plan will send to millions of Americans — in direct stimulus payments, new child benefits, and unemployment assistance, among other provisions. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Friday the administration would aim to do a much better job than the Obama administration had in ensuring people saw how they were being helped by the government. "Quite frankly, without the overwhelming, bipartisan support of the American people, this would not have happened," Biden said after the Senate passed the measure. Biden touted the "real, tangible results" delivered by the package. Americans, he said, "will be able to see and know and feel the changes in their own lives."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/03/07/stimulus-politics/
Today, we're excited to unveil the words that will appear on the exterior of the Obama Presidential Center Museum—a place to learn from history that will also offer future leaders inspiration and tools to write chapters of their own. Watch the video below to see for yourself:
https://twitter.com/ObamaFoundation/status/1368592418027827203
Biden delivers recovery money on Americans, sharply cutting poverty and favouring the poor and the working class over the wealthy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/03/06/biden-stimulus-poverty-checks/
Wolf Slaughter in Wisconsin Spurs Call for Biden to Reinstate Federal Protection for Iconic Species
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/03/wolf-slaughter-wisconsin-spurs-call-biden-reinstate-federal-protection-iconic
President Biden has nominated two female generals to elite, four-star commands, the Defense Department announced, months after their Pentagon bosses had agreed on their promotions but held them back out of fears that President Donald J. Trump would reject the officers because they were women. The nominations of Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost of the Air Force to head the Transportation Command, which oversees the military's sprawling global transportation network, and of Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson of the Army to head the Southern Command, which oversees military activities in Latin America, now advance to the Senate, where they are expected to be approved.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/07/us/politics/female-generals-promoted-biden.html
It makes healthcare more affordable:
-The 12m people getting healthcare through the exchanges will likely get a tax credit
- A family of four making $90k could see their monthly premium drop by $200
-No one will pay more than 8.5% of household income on the benchmark plan
https://twitter.com/BrianDeeseNEC/status/1368603551765848072
It expands healthcare coverage:
- By making healthcare more affordable, it will reduce the number of uninsured by at least 1.3 million by next year.
https://twitter.com/BrianDeeseNEC/status/1368603717889572864
It provides a tax cut to essential workers:
- It raises the maximum EITC for childless workers from ~$530 to ~$1500, and allows more low income workers to qualify
- It makes young adults aged 19-24 who aren't full time student and people over 65 eligible
(Cont.)
https://twitter.com/BrianDeeseNEC/status/1368603888065077251
- This will put money in the pockets of 17m low income workers, incl the 6m people who the federal tax system taxes deeper into poverty bc of a low EITC.
- The occupations with most workers who would benefit: cashiers, food preparers, servers, and home health aides
https://twitter.com/BrianDeeseNEC/status/1368604028222005250
It makes the most significant childcare investment since WW II; $40bn to:
- Reduce child care costs for families
- Help women who left jobs to take on caregiving
- Rebuild the child care providers; mostly small, community-based bizs
- Increase pay & benefits of childcare workers
https://twitter.com/BrianDeeseNEC/status/1368604167724539908
It makes major progress on housing assistance:
- $27.4b in rental assistance
- $10b in homeowner assistance
- $5b in Section 8 housing vouchers
- $5b in homelessness assistance
https://twitter.com/BrianDeeseNEC/status/1368604334842347520
The NBA is ruling out Embiid and Simmons for All-Star Game
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1368605115003924480
Zion Williamson will replace Joel Embiid as a starter on Team Durant. A player from the west replacing a player from the east? đŸ¤”
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1368615202929991691
Biden ran as an apostle of bipartisanship, but the bitter fight over the $1.9 trillion pandemic measure made clear that the differences between the two warring parties are too wide to be bridged by Biden's good intentions
The Capitol Police Board is initiating a nationwide search for a permanent Capitol Police chief as the fallout from the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol continues. While Acting Chief Pittman can apply for the position, she is not guaranteed it.
https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-politics-police-law-enforcement-agencies-riots-5e32d58cb8155ea6627d18654f036a75
Israel has now 96.4 vaccine doses per 100 citizens. Anti-vaxxer sentiment being defeated with strong rollout and public communication strategy.
https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/1368662520114933766
Reminder: March 2001: Taliban destroy Buddhas of Bamiyan
https://twitter.com/i/status/1368440480548216832
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has proposed a United Nations-led peace conference in Turkey aimed at forming an inclusive Afghan government with the Taliban and establishing a three-month reduction in violence leading to a cease-fire. In a letter to President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan requesting his "urgent leadership," Mr. Blinken signaled that the Biden administration had lost faith in faltering negotiations between Mr. Ghani's government and the Taliban. The unusually blunt letter, in which Mr. Blinken asked Mr. Ghani to "understand the urgency of my tone," reflected American frustration with the Afghan president's often intransigent stance in stalled peace talks. The existence of the letter was confirmed by a U.S. official in Washington and the Afghan government. Negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban began in September as part of a February 2020 agreement between the militants and the United States. But the talks have faltered over issues like a prisoner exchange and reductions in violence. Mr. Blinken wrote that the United States had not decided whether to withdraw the remaining 2,500 American troops from Afghanistan by May 1, as outlined in its agreement with the Taliban. He expressed concern that "the security situation will worsen and that the Taliban could make rapid territorial gains" following a U.S. withdrawal. | Significantly, the proposals called for national elections after the establishment of a "transitional peace government of Afghanistan." The Taliban have opposed elections, dismissing them as Western interference. The proposals also include guaranteed rights for women and for religious and ethnic minorities, and protections for a free press. The Taliban violently suppressed women and minorities and did not permit independent news media when the group led Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Taliban negotiators have said they support women's rights within the strictures of Islamic law — the same strictures the militants cited to ban women from schools and workplaces. The outline presented by Mr. Khalilzad proposed a High Council for Islamic Jurisprudence to advise an independent judiciary to resolve conflicts over the interpretation of Islamic law. The proposals recognized Islam as the country's official religion and acknowledged the importance of "Islamic values" in a future Afghan state. The outline proposed that the government and the Taliban each name seven members to the High Council, with a 15th member appointed by the Afghan president. Similar arrangements were proposed for a commission to prepare a revised constitution and for a Joint Cease-fire Monitoring and Implementation Commission. The proposals also called for the Taliban to remove "their military structures and officers from neighboring countries." Pakistan has provided a sanctuary for Taliban commanders and fighters crossing back and forth into Afghanistan and has permitted the militants to maintain a political council in the country. Both Pakistan and the Taliban are unlikely to agree to such a proposal. | The Biden administration has said the Taliban have not lived up to their commitments to reduce violence and to cut ties with extremist groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. But Washington has also grown impatient with Mr. Ghani, who has refused to consider an interim government that would almost certainly end his second five-year term as president. Violence has escalated in Afghanistan over the past year, with persistent Taliban territorial gains and attacks on beleaguered government forces. Mr. Ghani's government has blamed the Taliban for a series of targeted assassinations of government officials and supporters, security force members and their families, civil society advocates and journalists. The Taliban have used the violence as leverage in the peace talks in Doha, Qatar, dragging out negotiations while awaiting a decision by President Biden on the May 1 troop withdrawal. | Mr. Blinken's letter expressed impatience with the pace of negotiations, saying the United States intended "to move matters more fundamentally and quickly toward a settlement and a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire." Asfandyar Mir, an analyst at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, said the Biden policy outlined in Mr. Blinken's letter was "focused, aggressive, ambitious in scope, but also comes with enormous risks." He added: "It has far too many moving parts, and time is not on the side of the administration, so it can fail. There might be pushback from some U.S. allies," particularly since "the Taliban has shown limited interest in meaningful engagement."
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/07/world/asia/afghanistan-blinken-troop-withdrawal.html
In Alaska, Indigenous people have been dying from Covid-19 at four times the rate of white residents. Tribal health workers are now leading an urgent effort to deliver vaccines to remote villages — using planes and sleds, at times in 61-below temperatures.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/07/us/alaska-villages-covid-deaths-vaccines.html
A crowd-safety company backed by Bill Gates and Jeb Bush is going public in a $1.7 billion SPAC merger. Evolv uses AI to screen for weapons and health threats without physical security checks:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/crowd-safety-company-evolv-going-public-in-1-7-billion-spac-merger-11615154401
Though framed in technocratic terms as an expansion of an existing tax credit, it is essentially a guaranteed income for families with children, akin to children's allowances that are common in other rich countries | In the Stimulus Bill, a Policy Revolution in Aid for Children
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/07/us/politics/child-tax-credit-stimulus.html
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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/03/07/pre-taped-remarks-by-vice-president-kamala-harris-as-delivered-to-brown-chapel-ame-church/
Pre-Taped Remarks by Vice President Kamala Harris As Delivered to Brown Chapel AME Church
March 07, 2021 • Speeches and Remarks
Below find remarks as delivered by Vice President Kamala Harris to Brown Chapel AME Church in commemoration of "Bloody Sunday." You may watch the remarks here.
Remarks as delivered:
Reverend Leodis Strong, Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson, Congresswoman Terri Sewell, members of Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, friends—it is an honor to join you as we commemorate the 56th anniversary of the Selma Bridge Crossing.
Three years ago, I spoke from your pulpit. I was there in the pews last year when I joined Congressman John Lewis on his annual civil rights pilgrimage.
I was with him on what would be his final walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. And I will hold that memory forever in my heart.
I am sorry we couldn't gather together in Selma this year. And I am sorry Congressman Lewis is no longer with us. I know we will all mourn and miss him every day.
But, friends, I am here to tell you that his spirit lives inside of all of us, and we know that. And the spirit of Selma lives in us.
You know, a month before the 1965 bridge crossing, a group of teachers—Black teachers—who taught their students about civics, but who couldn't exercise their own right to vote—well, they took action. About a hundred teachers, union members, marching side by side, put their jobs on the line. Their paychecks. Their pensions.
They marched to the Dallas County Courthouse to register to vote. And after they were barred from entering, they returned where? Well of course, to Brown Chapel.
A few weeks later, the 100 teachers became 600 activists, marching across that bridge.
And a few weeks after that, 600 became 2,000, headed for Montgomery.
And by the time they got there, they were 50,000 strong.
And it wasn't long before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law, helping millions of Americans exercise their right to vote.
I say this to remind us—all of us—of our own agency. Of our own ability to change the world.
You don't need a lot of money or a million people. But you do need a righteous cause and a whole lot of resolve.
Friends, there is no cause more righteous than the right to vote.
It is the right that unlocks so many other rights. The right to be treated with dignity at work. The right to a high-quality public education.
The right to affordable healthcare—which couldn't be more important in the middle of a pandemic that is stealing away Black lives at a devastating rate.
When we cast a ballot, we decide our leaders. When we cast a ballot, we determine our future.
The teachers of Selma, they knew that. John Lewis knew that.
And so did Diane Nash and C.T. Vivian, and Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Hosea Williams.
And so did my mother and father who marched for voting rights and civil rights in Oakland, California, while pushing me in a stroller.
We all know the power of the ballot. And we know, too, that efforts persist to take that power away.
Today, poll taxes have been traded for long voting lines. Property ownership restrictions for purges of voter rolls. Literacy tests for voter ID laws. Voter registration restrictions. Mail-in voting limitations. Cuts to early voting. Precinct closures. Gerrymandering.
It's all voter suppression by any other name.
In 2013, the Voting Rights Act was gutted by the Supreme Court decision Shelby County v. Holder. That decision opened the floodgates.
Almost immediately, states put in place laws to discriminate and to create barriers to voting—targeted at people of color, targeted at Native Americans, targeted at students. And targeted at Black voters.
When one of these laws in North Carolina was challenged, the court said it targeted Black Americans "with almost surgical precision." Those were the words of the court: "surgical precision."
It has now been over 7 years since the Shelby decision, and the efforts to suppress have only increased.
We're a little more than two months into 2021. And in early February of this year, more than 150 bills to restrict voting had already been introduced in more than 30 state legislatures.
That is four times as many as the same time last year.
So we have to tell the truth about these efforts: They are certainly not designed to protect our elections. They do not protect our democracy. And the only purpose they serve is to cut people out. To leave people out. To attempt to silence people.
Well, President Joe Biden and I want make sure we bring people in. That we see people, and that we hear them.
Even as our work to pass our American Rescue Plan gets under way, and while we get vaccines distributed across the country and deliver relief to those who are hurting from this pandemic, we have not taken our eye off the right to vote and the fight to maintain everyone's right to vote.
Today, the President signed an executive order to leverage the resources of the federal government to make it easier for voters to register.
We urge the Senate to follow the House's lead and pass the For the People Act, which includes measures like automatic voter registration that will help expand voting rights.
We also urge Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, to fully restore the Voting Rights Act for once and for all.
The American people want to vote. Have a right to vote. In fact, in the last election, more Americans voted than ever before.
Americans today want to vote for the same reason the Selma teachers marched to that courthouse: To have a say in their lives. To have a say in what happens to them, and the people in their community.
Because as citizens of this country, we all have a right to be heard and to have our vote count.
And our laws should make it easier—not more difficult—to exercise that right.
For me, it all comes down to that little bit of Scripture—that Golden Rule: "Love thy neighbor."
Wearing a mask is loving thy neighbor. Getting vaccinated is loving thy neighbor. And voting is loving thy neighbor.
So let's fight for the right to vote, knowing it is an extension of the love of our community and our country.
And that is the fight that unites us now. It is that fight that connects us to our past.
Knowing that history is a relay race—and what started with 100 teachers grew to tens of thousands of marchers, and then tens of millions of voters who cast a ballot last year.
The baton in that relay race is now in our hands. So let us remember, our cause is righteous. Our resolve is strong. Our spirit is mighty. So let us keep on in the tradition of Selma and John Lewis.
Thank you all, and may G-d bless you, and may G-d bless America.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/07/us/alaska-villages-covid-deaths-vaccines.html
Alaska's Remote Villages Race Against Time And History
The coronavirus has spread into the most remote villages, a reminder of earlier pandemics that ravaged the state. Now there is a rush to deliver vaccines in time.
By Mike Baker and Serge F. Kovaleski
Photographs by Ash Adams
March 7, 2021Updated 5:10 p.m. ET
BIRCH CREEK, Alaska — As the turboprop plane rumbled to a halt at the edge of a frozen landing strip, Vennessa Joseph and her fellow villagers were racing to meet it, their snowmobiles kicking up a flurry of powder behind them.
Within minutes, six residents of Birch Creek, bundled in parkas and gloves in the 25-below-zero afternoon, had piled into the fraying seats, and the engine was roaring again. As the plane lifted off to the north, headed toward Fort Yukon, Ms. Joseph looked out across the vast wetlands, where stunted spruce trees cast long shadows in the winter sun.
Vaccination day had arrived.
With a population of about two dozen that relies on a subsistence life, fishing pike in the summer and hunting moose in the fall, Birch Creek operates like numerous villages in Alaska, with no road access, no running water and no neighbors for miles. But despite the natural isolation — more than 100 miles from Fairbanks and on the edge of the Arctic Circle — the coronavirus had still managed to find its way in. In the fall, Ms. Joseph was laid up for days with illness. People in two of the nearest villages died.
In a state where the Indigenous population has been ravaged by global disease outbreaks for generations, the coronavirus pandemic has killed Alaska Natives at quadruple the rate of white residents. The virus has taken hold in remote communities, setting up an urgent race between infections and vaccinations during a season in which weather can limit travel, the sun may only wink above the horizon and large, multigenerational families are crowded indoors.
When the pandemic began a year ago, Alaska's isolation was an asset that provided villages an opportunity to set up lockdowns, testing requirements and controls on travel.
But as the virus has slowly seeped across the state, the rising infections have demonstrated how quickly isolation can turn into a liability. In Pilot Station, a 37-year-old man died after weather prevented a medevac plane from reaching him. The virus has raged in some communities that have minimal sanitation, in some cases infecting more than 60 percent of residents.
Yet thanks to the steady supply of vaccines available to Native Alaska tribes and a massive delivery effort involving bush planes, boats, sleds and snow mobiles, 16 percent of the population has received a second dose of the vaccine, the highest in the nation. One of the regional operations, Operation Togo, harks back to the grueling 1925 sled dog run that rushed diphtheria antitoxin across the state to an outbreak in Nome.
The villages also have resources they lacked a century ago, when the 1918 flu wiped out more than half of some communities. A network of tribal health aides provide frontline health care and critical testing, treatment and telemedicine links with faraway hospitals — a network being considered for replication in the Lower 48.
In Birch Creek, the vaccine effort fell to Debra McCarty, the director of the medical clinic in Fort Yukon, who had to figure out how to reach the settlement on the other side of 25 miles of roadless trees and bogs. Initially, she planned to ship a vial of vaccine on a commercial flight to Fairbanks, then charter a plane that would pick up a health aide in Beaver before crossing back over the Yukon River to Birch Creek.
But there was a hangup. Only six people in Birch Creek were willing to get the vaccine. Since the vial of Moderna vaccine carried 10 doses, and the doses had to be used within a matter of hours, Ms. McCarty worried that four doses would potentially go to waste.
So the plan changed: The charter plane would bring the people of Birch Creek to the vaccine vials in Fort Yukon.
At the landing strip in Fort Yukon, Ms. McCarty and others were idling in pickup trucks one day last month, ready to whisk the Birch Creek passengers to the clinic. Within 30 minutes, the shots were done. They headed back to the plane.
A flashback to 1918
Alaska already had seen how quickly viruses from the other side of the world could become deadly.
In the early morning hours of Oct. 20, 1918, the steamship Victoria slogged into the port of Nome, carrying passengers, packages and a strain of influenza that was killing millions around the world.
Within days, mail carriers on dog sleds moved through villages to the north, according to accounts compiled by Matt Ganley, who interviewed elders during research in the 1980s. Seal hunters who encountered the mail carriers traveled east. A man who had gone to Nome to purchase a fur for his wife navigated his way home only to die upon arrival.
The illness, isolation and frigid conditions combined for mass death, sending people with fevers out into the cold seeking relief, only to die of hypothermia. Others froze inside, unable to tend fires.
Some Alaska Native communities lost more than half their population.
One of the few places spared was the barrier island community of Shishmaref, where the village locked down, posting guards to confront those who might try to visit or depart.
This past year, as the coronavirus surfaced, Shishmaref returned to a strict lockdown, said Lloyd Kiyutelluk, president of the local tribal council. The village, which has no running water for hand washing, largely halted travel. Those who did come to the village had to first get tested.
"We are doing like what our grandfathers did," Mr. Kiyutelluk said. "We kept that in mind — that's the only way to keep our community safe."
But even the most remote corners of the state are far less isolated than they were during the 1918 pandemic. Fishing season drew thousands of workers from outside the state, and tourists poured into hunting lodges and national parks.
Alaska has continued to tally low infection numbers and one of the nation's lowest death rates, with 292 people dead. But the virus has flared in unexpected places.
In Chevak, Mayor Richard Tuluk said the community locked down to keep people in their family bubbles after the first cases surfaced in the fall, but some restrictions have recently been eased. Many young people attend school on iPads, and an A.T.V. pulling a sled carries homework and lunches from house to house. The traditional Cup'ik dancers gather over Zoom.
To the north, in Teller, Joe Garnie, 67, a lifelong resident, said the village has been in a "Russian roulette" situation as people continue to haul water in buckets from a laundromat or a creek, and rely on public showers.
In Birch Creek, Ms. Joseph said, a worker likely brought the virus in after visiting Fairbanks. It soon spread through Ms. Joseph's family — six people.
The village shut down travel and handed out boxes of cleaning supplies, tissue paper and food.
In her home, Ms. Joseph brewed "pitch juice" made with the resin pulled from spruce trees — a traditional remedy to clear infections — and they soon recovered.
"It's been working for hundreds of years," she said.
A lifesaving plane couldn't make it
Six hundred miles to the west, in Pilot Station, Joe Xavier, 37, patrolled the streets as part of a volunteer group making sure people were not mingling. Mr. Xavier had spent much of his life in service to his community, cutting trees or knocking down fires.
But by the end of November, Mr. Xavier started showing symptoms, as did his sister. Within days, their conditions worsened.
A medevac flight was not able to get through the stormy weather, and Mr. Xavier died.
That part of the state, along the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, has seen some of the worst effects of the virus, its hospital nearing capacity at one point. It lies within the Bethel census area, which has recorded more infections per capita than places like Los Angeles County, and its death rate is three times higher than that of the borough around Fairbanks.
Older residents have been hit the hardest, said Dr. Ellen Hodges, the chief of staff for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation. "The elders in the villages are really, in this culture, just very valuable to the survival of the villages and the survival of the culture."
One of them was Minnie Michael, who had worked in the community of Kwethluk as a teacher and later as a judge. She taught her family how to cut a fish, schooled village children in the Yup'ik language and frequently instructed others throughout the community in the values of compassion and productivity.
At age 79, Ms. Michael was healthy and active, still doing her own berry picking, but as the coronavirus began taking hold in Kwethluk in the fall, she became one of three in the village of 800 to succumb.
When a death occurs, everyone visits the family during a days-long period of celebration and grieving. Homes are filled with mourners, neighbors and the smell of food — traditional meats such as moose or caribou and maybe some fish ice cream known as agutuk.
But this year, such gatherings were not possible.
"Having lost my mother is huge," said Veronica Winkelman, a daughter of Ms. Michael. "Having not been there to receive everyone and cook in honor of her has been devastating,"
A race between infections and vaccinations
For months during the pandemic, Ms. McCarty in Fort Yukon has been operating many days on just a few hours of sleep, directing the clinic, serving as part of the ambulance team, dressing the bodies of the dead.
Now, bundled in a red parka with vaccine doses in hand, she was starting to gain an advantage, navigating snow-packed streets to the homes of some of the most vulnerable people in the Gwich'in Athabascan community.
But after also making some stops to conduct nasal swabs for a series of residents on their front porches, Ms. McCarty's testing equipment blinked news that two of them were infected. The village's recent outbreak was still percolating. Later, a phone call came in with word that two other people were showing symptoms.
It was a race between infections and vaccinations — and there was not yet enough of the latter.
"You just want it to be over, but you know it's not," said Ms. McCarty. "There's probably 10 or 20 more that are positive. It's like it's never going to end."
With the vaccine, there are extra challenges: Health crews must coordinate flights out to villages and arrange for someone to pick them up at the runway by vehicle or snow mobile. They need to make sure someone has started up the wood stoves to warm up the tribal halls where shots will be administered.
One team recently landed in a village as the temperature hit 61 below.
On scene at the tribal hall in Nenana, a woman who cared for an aged parent broke into tears as the vaccine was gently pushed into her arm. Johanna Coghill, a community health practitioner, said people often become emotional, recalling stories passed down about epidemics of generations past.
These days, she said, they are making new stories. "It's one of those things we'll talk about 100 years from now."
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