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Biden gets COVID-19 booster shot on camera
President Biden received his COVID-19 vaccine booster shot on Monday, after public health officials recommended boosters for many Americans, including those 65 and older. Mr. Biden, 78, got his third shot on camera, and delivered brief remarks before his jab.
The Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization last week for booster doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine six months after the completion of the two-dose course for those 65 and older, those with some underlying conditions and those who work in high-risk environments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommended a booster shot for these groups of people.
R. Kelly found guilty on all counts in sex trafficking trial
R. Kelly, the R&B superstar who has long been trailed by accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse, was found guilty in New York on Monday on all counts in a high profile sex-trafficking case, capping a trial that featured hours of graphic testimony from his accusers.
Kelly, who has been in custody for much of the time since he was formally charged in 2019, was convicted on one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, the law that bars transporting people across state lines “for any immoral purpose.”
Pelosi says Biden’s infrastructure bill can’t wait for social safety net bill
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democrats on Monday that passage of the $550 billion infrastructure bill must not wait for President Joe Biden’s multitrillion-dollar safety net bill, saying the larger package is not yet ready for a vote.
In a private caucus meeting, Pelosi, D-Calif., said the party must “make difficult choices,” because the dynamics have changed and Democrats have not yet agreed to a spending level, according to a source familiar with the meeting.
Senate Republicans block bill to avert government shutdown and to extend debt limit
The Senate failed on Monday to pass a key procedural vote to advance the House-passed short-term government funding bill as the deadline to avert a shutdown looms at the end of the week.
The Senate voted 48 to 50 on the procedural motion, with Republicans opposing the stopgap measure because it included an extension of a debt ceiling. Republicans said they were unwilling to support the debt limit increase and are demanding that Democrats take the political heat for the vote.
Charlie Pierce: While Everyone’s Babbling About Economics This Week, the Entire Future of Self-Government Is at Stake
Everybody is suited up down in Washington, D.C. for The Most Important Week in Joe Biden’s Life or at Least His Presidency or Maybe Just His Next 10 Days. The drumbeat from the elite political press that the events this week are primarily a matter of Democratic Party infighting is, as you might expect, more than a little bunkum. Certainly, the wrangling between progressive and conservative Democrats is a contributing factor to the general tangle, but there is one, massive block of dark granite at the center of everything, and this story from NBC News makes, a bit inadvertently, the only point that matters. It concerns the fact that the Democratic factions in the House seem to have come to an agreement on voting-rights legislation to bring forward.
Biden Tells Reporters He’ll Get Covid Booster Shot ‘In Public’ Soon
President Joe Biden talked with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House Sunday after traveling on Marine One back from a weekend trip to Camp David, sharing his plans to get a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot and his thoughts on the ongoing negotiations for the infrastructure bill.
CNN Newsroom anchor Jim Acosta introduced the video of the president, saying that this would be “a major week for the trillion dollar bipartisan infrastructure bill, the larger $3.5 trillion spending package,” as Biden hopes negotiations can successfully avoid a government shutdown.
Biden decides it would be inappropriate to assert executive privilege in January 6 investigation
President Joe Biden generally does not expect to assert executive privilege to shield Trump-era records from being seen by a congressional committee investigating the January 6 insurrection attempt, the White House said on Friday.
“We take this matter incredibly seriously,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a Friday press briefing. “The President has already concluded that it would not be appropriate to assert executive privilege.”
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Liz Cheney: ‘I Was Wrong’ In Opposing Gay Marriage In Past
Rep. Liz Cheney says she was wrong to oppose gay marriage in the past, a stand that once split her family.
Cheney, R-Wyo., a fierce critic of fellow Republican Donald Trump, also tells CBS News’ “60 Minutes” that she views her reelection campaign as the most important House race in the nation as forces aligned with the former president try to unseat her. She voted to impeach Trump over his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Nancy Pelosi Says Vote May Be Delayed On $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday said she may not bring the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill to the House floor on Monday as previously planned, saying she’d rather wait to ensure it has all of the votes needed after fellow Democrats continued to tie demands to its passage.
“I’ll never bring a bill to the floor that doesn’t have the votes,” she told ABC News “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos. “You cannot choose the date, you have to go when you have the votes, in a reasonable time, and we will.”
Eric Boehlert: Media ignore a monster story — the brainwashing of Covid zombies
National Public Radio relayed more shocking Covid news on Monday: “In 2020, for the first time in recorded history, more people died in Alabama than were born in the state.” The pandemic has shrunk the red state. Yet local Republican leaders still oppose mask and vaccine mandates, leaving the Trump outpost exposed to more fatalities.
But like so many news outlets, NPR missed the real story. The pile of Alabama deaths continue to mount not simply because of Covid. But because so many people in the Trump-friendly state have been brainwashed by bad-faith partisan actors and they refuse to get inoculated. Anti-science Republicans seem determined to spread the virus among their own voters, which seems inconceivable.
Millions of conservative Americans are being brainwashed about the pandemic, and thousands are killing themselves in the process. Yet the media downplay the huge story, framing it simply as “vaccine hesitancy.”
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun…
The Rude Pundit: Democrats Should Be Having a Five-Alarm Freak Out Over Voting Rights
Yeah, there’s a whole lot of shit that needs to get done, but right now Democrats should be freaking the fuck out over voting rights. They should be losing their fucking minds and screaming nonstop on every outlet they can find. Get your gravest, most serious senators, like Leahy or Bennett or Shaheen, and have them shitting themselves at Jake Tapper’s scowl or George Stephanopoulos’s hair. Because if we don’t have a freak out now, then any freak out later will be useless.
Others have played this out, projecting what will likely happen if Congress doesn’t pass some version of a bill that secures voting rights. The bullshit voter suppression laws in bullshit places like Texas and Georgia, combined with extreme gerrymandering in every state where Republicans can do it (yeah, Democrats can do it, too, but it won’t be enough to counter the GOP), will allow the GOP to at least take the House, if not the Senate, too, in 2022. Then, filled with Trumptastic belligerence and fascistic glee, they would refuse to certify any presidential election that doesn’t go their way, and, voila, we very quickly become Jesusstan or Christsylvania or Trumped Trumps of Trumperica.
Schumer, Pelosi announce ‘framework’ to pay for $3.5T infrastructure bill
Democratic House and Senate leaders on Thursday announced they and the White House have reached agreement on a “framework” that will pay for most, if not all, of the massive $3.5 trillion human infrastructure bill — a move meant to mitigate concerns from moderate and centrist Democrats opposed to the hefty price tag.
But the leaders provided very little details on the framework a day after President Joe Biden met with Democratic leaders, moderates and progressives at the White House in an effort to save his agenda from Democratic infighting.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also did not provide a clear outline about when the reconciliation bill will be ready for a vote.
Jan. 6 select committee sends first subpoenas to former Trump aides, advisers
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot issued its first subpoenas Thursday to four former senior Trump administration officials, including former President Donald Trump‘s longest-serving aide and last chief of staff.
The committee is seeking documents and depositions from Dan Scavino — Trump’s caddy-turned-social media guru and senior White House aide — former chief of staff Mark Meadows, conservative activist Steve Bannon and Kash Patel, who was the chief of staff for the acting defense secretary on Jan. 6.
Arizona Recount: Draft of Cyber Ninjas election review says Biden won
Maricopa County, Arizona, said Thursday that a draft report from a company in a contentious, partisan review of November’s election has confirmed the winners.
The “draft report from Cyber Ninjas confirms the county’s canvass of the 2020 General Election was accurate and the candidates certified as the winners did, in fact, win,” Maricopa County tweeted Thursday night.
Cyber Ninjas is the Florida-based cybersecurity company leading an effort by Republicans to audit the 2020 presidential election in the Arizona.
CDC director endorses Pfizer Covid vaccine booster shots
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director early Friday endorsed recommendations for a third dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for certain at-risk groups, clearing the way for millions of Americans to get a booster.
Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky signed off on the recommendations for a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after advisers on Thursday approved them.
She endorsed the recommendations but went further — also recommending a third dose for workers in high-risk settings and those in institutional settings.
Democrats introduce post-Trump ethics bill to enforce subpoenas, limit conflicts
House Democrats on Tuesday released a new package of measures to limit presidential power, a rebuke of former President Donald Trump and designed with the Biden White House to prevent future presidents from breaking traditional ethics and governing norms.
“Donald Trump made this legislation a necessity, but this is bigger than any one president,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said in a news conference. “It’s about our values, our ideals and our future.”
House committee probing Jan. 6 attack could subpoena Trump aides: Sources
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol could issue its first subpoenas in the coming days, possibly targeting several former high-level aides to President Donald Trump for records and information, sources tell ABC News.
Former GOP congressman and Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows and White House aides Dan Scavino and Stephen Miller are among those of interest to the committee, sources familiar with the matter have told ABC News.
Trump’s former campaign manager Brad Parscale, who, like the other aides, remains close to the former president, could also be subpoenaed by the panel, sources said.
Joe Biden Seeks To Unite Democrats In Do-Or-Die Moment For His Agenda
President Joe Biden successfully brought his party together to unilaterally pass the American Rescue Plan, their $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill, earlier this year.
Now, he must reconcile their differences on an even more ambitious and controversial domestic spending measure, the Build Back Better Act, which seeks to address health care, child care, the changing climate, education, housing and more.
With Democrats beset by divisions in both the House and Senate and Republicans plotting how to scuttle the massive proposal with separate demands over the debt limit, Biden’s agenda faces a do-or-die moment on Capitol Hill.
FDA authorizes booster dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for people 65 and older
The US Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it would grant emergency use authorization for a booster dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine in people 65 and older, people at high risk of severe disease and people whose jobs put them at risk of infection.
“After considering the totality of the available scientific evidence and the deliberations of our advisory committee of independent, external experts, the FDA amended the EUA for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for a booster dose in certain populations such as health care workers, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers and those in homeless shelters or prisons, among others,” acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said in a statement.
Trump campaign was aware attorneys’ voting conspiracy theories were baseless, court documents show
Officials working for then-President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign were aware that the voting machine claims being pushed by pro-Trump attorneys were baseless, court documents obtained by The New York Times show.
The documents — which were filed last week as part of a defamation lawsuit from a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems — reveal that the Trump campaign’s then-deputy director of communications, Zach Parkinson, had reached out to campaign staffers on November 13 asking them to “substantiate or debunk” claims related to Dominion, the Times reported Tuesday.
Biden pledges new era of “relentless diplomacy” in first United Nations address
President Biden called on world leaders to work together on a range of global issues during his debut address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. Mr. Biden said the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan marked the end of “a period of relentless war” and started “a new era of relentless diplomacy.”
New bombshells show Trump’s coup threat was real and hasn’t passed
A rush of new and shocking behind-the-scenes disclosures about how then-President Donald Trump sought to thwart the Constitution and the will of voters makes a clear case that America came closer to a coup earlier this year than previously known.
The fresh evidence also shows what many people in Trump’s inner circle knew in January: His case to stay in power was meritless, but an unchained commander in chief chose to listen to acolytes pushing wild conspiracies. Some of those who knew the truth refused to speak up, even as American democracy came under attack.
House votes to approve bill to avert government shutdown
The House voted along party lines to pass a short-term funding bill to avert a government shutdown next week.
The final vote was 220-211.
The bill would fund the government through Dec. 3 and it also includes billions in emergency disaster relief and aid for Afghan evacuees. It also suspends the debt limit through December 2022.
Pfizer says its Covid vaccine is safe and effective for children ages 5 to 11
Pfizer and BioNTech said Monday that the companies’ two-dose Covid-19 vaccine was safe and showed a “robust” antibody response in children ages 5 to 11.
Based on data collected in a trial that included more than 2,000 children, Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, said in a press release that the vaccine was “safe, well tolerated, and showed robust neutralizing antibody responses” for this age group. No Covid vaccines have yet been authorized or approved for use in childrenunder 12.
Texas doctor who defied state’s new abortion ban is sued
A San Antonio doctor who said he performed an abortion in defiance of a new Texas law all but dared supporters of the state’s near-total ban on the procedure to try making an early example of him by filing a lawsuit — and by Monday, two people obliged.
Former attorneys in Arkansas and Illinois filed separate state lawsuits Monday against Dr. Alan Braid, who in a weekend Washington Post opinion column became the first Texas abortion provider to publicly reveal he violated the law that took effect on Sept. 1.
Two Longtime GOP Operatives Charged With Illegally Contributing to Trump Campaign By Funneling Cash From a Russian National
Two longtime Republican operatives have been charged with illegally contributing to former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign by funneling cash from a Russian national.
According to a press release put out by the DOJ Monday, the operatives — Jesse Benton and Doug Wead — have been indicted on conspiracy to solicit and cause an illegal campaign contribution by a foreign national, effect a conduit contribution and cause false records to be filed with the Federal Election Commission, among other offenses. The newly unsealed indictment from the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. accused Benton and Wead of having “conspired together to solicit a political contribution from a Russian foreign national.”
COVID-19 Has Killed About As Many Americans As The 1918-19 Spanish Flu Pandemic
COVID-19 has now killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic did — approximately 675,000.
The U.S. population a century ago was just one-third of what it is today, meaning the flu cut a much bigger, more lethal swath through the country. But the COVID-19 crisis is by any measure a colossal tragedy in its own right, especially given the incredible advances in scientific knowledge since then and the failure to take maximum advantage of the vaccines available this time.
“Big pockets of American society — and, worse, their leaders — have thrown this away,” medical historian Dr. Howard Markel of the University of Michigan said of the opportunity to vaccinate everyone eligible by now.
Charlie Pierce: This Supreme Court Brief Gives Away the Whole Conservative Game on Abortion
The stakes on what the new conservative majority might do to existing law and precedent got immeasurably higher over the weekend. In the middle of the very strange We Are Not Hacks Over America Tour that has featured both Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Clarence Thomas protesting far too much about what a clear and objective institution the Supreme Court is, an amicus brief in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization landed in the news with a deafening thud, and with an impact that blew away a giant sequoia of conservative fig leafs that had been accumulating for four decades.
‘Justice for J6’ rally starts and ends with small crowds and tight security
The most anticipated visit by right-wing activists to the nation’s capital since a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 ended with a whimper Saturday, as demonstrators supporting the rioters found themselves far outnumbered by police, journalists and counterprotesters.
Although the protesters returned to the scene of a historically grievous attack on American democracy, it was immediately obvious that much had changed. The Capitol grounds — where poorly prepared police fought a losing, hand-to-hand battle against President Donald Trump’s supporters just over eight months ago — were secured Saturday with metal fences and hundreds of officers. The halls of Congress were all but deserted. No president, or former president, delivered a bellicose speech urging that his election loss be overturned.
Clyburn says there is a ‘possibility’ infrastructure vote could be delayed
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said Sunday that there is a “possibility” the vote on a bipartisan infrastructure package will be delayed, despite Democratic House leaders promising moderate members a vote by September 27.
“There’s always a possibility that the vote would get delayed, but the question is, ‘Are we going to work to get to our goal for September 27?’ Yes, we’re going to work hard to reach that goal, and sometimes you have to kind of stop the clock to get to the goal. We’ll do what’s necessary to get there,” Clyburn, the third-ranking House Democrat, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
Texas doctor says he violated the state’s strict new abortion law in order to test it legally
A Texas doctor is publicly revealing that he violated a state law that bans abortions after six weeks and says he is inviting legal challenges under the controversial law, which has so far withstood efforts by pro-abortion rights supporters to block it.
“On the morning of Sept. 6, I provided an abortion to a woman who, though still in her first trimester, was beyond the state’s new limit. I acted because I had a duty of care to this patient, as I do for all patients, and because she has a fundamental right to receive this care,” Dr. Alan Braid, a physician in San Antonio, Texas, wrote in an op-ed published Saturday in The Washington Post.
Senate Parliamentarian Rules Against Path To Citizenship In Democrats’ Spending Bill
Democrats’ push to give young undocumented Dreamers a path to citizenship violates Senate rules, according to the Senate’s parliamentarian, who dealt yet another blow on Sunday to long-stalled immigration reform efforts in Congress.
“Changing the law to clear the way to [legal permanent resident] status is tremendous and enduring policy change that dwarfs its budgetary impact,” Elizabeth MacDonough wrote in her memo to lawmakers.
Top Senate Democrats had argued that certain immigration provisions directly affect the federal budget, and therefore could be included in the budget reconciliation process ― the legislative maneuver that will allow the party to pass President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda with a simple majority.
Eric Boehlert: Has Biden’s approval rating “plummeted”? Nope
Amid breathless reports of a political “free fall” and reeling from the White House’s “summer from hell,” the Beltway press has leaned into the idea that Joe Biden’s presidency is unraveling — that his approval rating is in a state of collapse.
Except it’s not true. Instead, it’s the media falling in love with their favorite Dems In Disarray storyline. The same media that shrugged at Trump’s chronically awful approval rating.
In a typical, overheated dispatch, a CNBC report recently announced, “Biden’s Approval Ratings Have Plummeted, and That Could Spell trouble for Democrats in Congress.” First off, the idea that Biden’s approval rating in September 2021, is going to impact the outcome of November 2022, midterms makes no sense. Secondly, Biden’s approval rating has fallen a grand total of four points in the past month, according to the polling average tabulated at FiveThirtyEight. So much for the “plummet.”
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun…
The Rude Pundit: Missing the Real Story… Like Many Others, Milley Said Trump Is Nuts
I get the uproar over Bob Woodward’s latest luridly compelling book on the administration of Donald Trump. Woodward is like a filthy tabloid version of Robert Caro, and he always squeezes every anecdote for maximum salaciousness. So in his telling, Gen. Mike Milley, Trump’s (and now Biden’s) Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, was so alarmed at Trump’s behavior before the election and after the January 6 riot that he felt compelled to call his counterpart in China and say, more or less, “Don’t listen to this president. We’re not going to attack you.”
What you’re hearing mostly about Milley’s two phone calls is that he was “treasonous,” that he should be “court martialed,” and that he should face “immediate dismissal” for undermining civilian leadership of the military. On the other side, Milley himself has defended what he did as proper and that it was “within the duties and responsibilities” of his position to tell other countries that the United States is not going to war with them. He’s backed by other generals and President Biden. Chances are that this is really a big nothing sandwich that Woodward oversold and overhyped, as is his way.
ustice Clarence Thomas says judges are ‘asking for trouble’ when they wade into politics
On the verge of a new term in which the Supreme Court will wade back into the culture wars, Justice Clarence Thomas reflected Thursday on the role of the judiciary and warned against judges weighing in on controversial issues that he said are better left to other areas of government.
“When we begin to venture into the legislative or executive branch lanes, those of us, particularly in the federal judiciary with lifetime appointments, are asking for trouble,” he said during a sweeping lecture at the University of Notre Dame that also touched on themes of equality, race and the state of the country.
The problem, the justice said, has bled into the nomination and confirmation process.
Fence goes up around US Capitol, as law enforcement braces for this weekend’s Far Right protests
Fencing outside the U.S. Capitol was reinstalled late Wednesday ahead of the “Justice for J6” rally this weekend.
“Justice for J6” is being billed by organizers as a protest for defendants who are being detained by the government in connection to the January insurrection at the Capitol. The fencing is just the latest security measure for a rally that has some in law enforcement on high alert.
Federal law enforcement agencies have become concerned that far-right extremists, including the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys could come to Washington for the protest.
What to expect as FDA advisory panel debates Pfizer COVID booster shots
The Food and Drug Administration’s independent advisory committee will convene in open session Friday to review the latest data submitted by Pfizer and discuss whether a booster dose is safe enough for widespread use and whether it’s necessary and effective at improving protection levels against COVID-19.
Their vote will be non-binding — the FDA is not required to follow the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee’s (VRBPAC) recommendations — but they generally do so.
Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a Republican who voted to impeach Trump, won’t seek re-election
Rep. Anthony Gonzalez — one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 riot on the Capitol — will not seek re-election to his northern Ohio seat in 2022.
“Since entering politics, I have always said that I will do this job for as long as the voters will have me and it still works for my family,” Gonzalez said in a statement he tweeted late Thursday. “As Elizabeth and I consider the realities of continuing in public service while juggling the increasing responsibilities of being parents to our two beautiful children, it is clear that the best path for our family is to not seek re-election next fall.”
Milley acted to prevent Trump from misusing nuclear weapons, war with China, book says
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley took steps to prevent then-President Donald Trump from misusing the country’s nuclear arsenal during the last month of his presidency, according to a new book by The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward and Robert Costa obtained by NBC News.
Their book, “Peril,” said that in the days before the 2020 election, Milley also acted to prevent a potential conflict with China. The book said Milley received intelligence that Chinese officials believed the U.S. was getting ready to attack them. To defuse tensions, Milley called the head of China’s military, Gen. Li Zuocheng, and told him the “American government is stable” and “we are not going to attack.”
COVID-19 cases climbing, wiping out months of progress
COVID-19 deaths and cases in the U.S. have climbed back to levels not seen since last winter, erasing months of progress and potentially bolstering President Joe Biden’s argument for his sweeping new vaccination requirements.
The cases — driven by the delta variant combined with resistance among some Americans to getting the vaccine — are concentrated mostly in the South.
Justice Department Asks U.S. Judge To Block Enforcement Of Restrictive Texas Abortion Law
The Department of Justice asked a federal judge on Tuesday to immediately block Texas’ restrictive ban on abortions past six weeks of pregnancy while the case makes its way through the court system.
The Justice Department asked the judge to issue a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction, both of which would put the law on hold and prohibit enforcement until the case is resolved.
“Texas devised an unprecedented scheme that seeks to deny women and providers the ability to challenge S.B. 8 in federal court. This attempt to shield a plainly unconstitutional law from review cannot stand,” the agency said in a brief filed late Tuesday. “This relief is necessary to protect the constitutional rights of women in Texas and the sovereign interest of the United States.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom Prevails In California Recall Election
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has prevailed in the state’s recall election, projections show, securing a victory in the biggest fight of his political career thus far and protecting the Democratic Party from a perilous ripple effect.
In a speech to supporters Tuesday night, Newsom thanked Californians for rejecting the recall attempt.
“I want to focus on what we said yes to as a state,” Newsom said of the election’s results. “We said yes to science. We said yes to vaccines. We said yes to ending this pandemic. We said yes to people’s right to vote without fear of fake fraud or voter suppression. We said yes to women’s fundamental, constitutional right to decide for herself what she does with her body and her fate and future. We said yes to diversity. We said yes to inclusion.”
Key takeaways from Blinken’s Capitol Hill testimony on Afghanistan withdrawal
In his first appearance on Capitol Hill since the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken faced more than five hours of questions from members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
He faces more questions from the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Here are some key takeaways from Monday’s hearing in the House.
Child Covid-19 cases increased nearly 240% since July, pediatricians’ group says
Covid-19 infections have risen “exponentially” among children in the US since July, according to data published Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
The group reported 243,373 new cases among kids over the past week. While this is a decline from last week, when 251,781 cases were reported, it’s about a 240% increase since early July, when kids accounted for 71,726 cases.
“After declining in early summer, child cases have increased exponentially with nearly 500,000 cases in the past two weeks,” AAP said in a statement.
Democrats cut deal with Manchin to get party behind long-shot voting overhaul bill
Senate Democrats are proposing new legislation to overhaul voting laws after months of discussions to get all 50 of their members behind a single bill, allowing their caucus to speak with one voice on the issue even though it stands virtually no chance of becoming law.
The proposal — announced in a statement by a group of Senate Democrats on Tuesday — comes in the aftermath of their party’s failed effort to open debate on the issue in June. Even though they unified behind the procedural vote at the time, Senate Democrats were not on the same page over the policy, kicking off months of talks to get the party’s factions behind the bill that they will propose on Tuesday.
With Newsom poised to win California recall, another indication COVID politics may be starting to favor Democrats over Republicans
With polls now showing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom ahead by double-digit margins on the eve of California’s much-hyped recall election, voters here seem ready to reject the laissez-faire COVID-19 policies that have failed to contain huge summer surges in Republican-led states such as Florida — and vindicate the Golden State’s more careful approach to the hypercontagious Delta variant.
Their verdict could have national implications for both Democrats and Republicans heading into the 2022 midterm elections.
Charlie Pierce: Amy Coney Barrett Is the Product of a Corrupt and Politicized Supreme Court Nomination Process
onsidering that she owes her present (lifetime) position to a process that McConnell personally corrupted, that she is the product of an utterly politicized vetting process, and that she was appointed by the most singularly corrupt president in the history of the republic, I’d say that Barrett is a little bit tardy in her obviously sincere concern for the Court’s credibility. After all, she is merely the most recent, high-profile product of a federal judicial system that McConnell and the conservative intellectual chop-shops have turned into something approximately as non-partisan as McConnell’s own frontal lobes. She’s ascended to her current eminence under a dark and lucky star. She should be grateful for that and stop talking obvious nonsense of which she is a walking refutation.
G.O.P. Seethes at Biden Mandate, Even in States Requiring Other Vaccines
Like other Republican governors around the country, Tate Reeves of Mississippi reacted angrily to the coronavirus vaccine mandates President Biden imposed on private businesses. Declaring the move “terrifying,” he wrote on Twitter: “This is still America, and we still believe in freedom from tyrants.”
There is a deep inconsistency in that argument. Mississippi has some of the strictest vaccine mandates in the nation, which have not drawn opposition from most of its elected officials. Not only does it require children to be vaccinated against measles, mumps and seven other diseases to attend school, but it goes a step further than most states by barring parents from claiming “religious, philosophical or conscientious” exemptions.
Larry Elder, Gavin Newsom gear up for California recall battle
There are still two days to go before California’s gubernatorial recall election, but the current governor’s team and his leading opponent, Larry Elder, have each already indicated they’re ready for legal challenges.
In a sit-down interview with ABC News’ Zohreen Shah on Saturday, Elder was asked repeatedly if he would accept the results of Tuesday’s election, but he avoided answering, suggesting that as long as the governor is recalled, the election is legitimate.
“So many people are going to vote to have [Newsom] recalled, I’m not worried about fraud,” he said.
Manchin, Sanders at odds over $3.5 trillion budget resolution
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., reiterated his call on Sunday for a strategic pause on the $3.5 trillion budget resolution, while Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., doubled down on the need to pass both the bipartisan infrastructure and budget reconciliation bills.
“The urgency — I can’t understand why we can’t take time to deliberate on this and work,” Manchin told ABC “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos.
6 Capitol Police Officers Face Disciplinary Action From Jan. 6 Attack
Disciplinary action has been recommended for six U.S. Capitol Police officers following an internal investigation into the deadly Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol, the U.S. Capitol Police said.
An investigation by the department’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) found three cases of unbecoming conduct, one case of failure to comply with directives, one case of improper remarks, and one case of improper dissemination of information related to the attack, the Capitol Police announced Saturday.
Eric Boehlert: Sorry Chuck Todd, America is not hopelessly “divided” over Covid
Delivering this Sunday’s morning update like a disappointed dad, Meet the Press’ Chuck Todd conveyed distressing news about how America is split down the middle over Covid, causing cultural and political fissures.
“The U.S. enters this Labor Day weekend suffering from two viruses: Covid and polarization,” the host lamented. “Covid has become an MRI of America’s soul. Who would have imagined that masks — wearing or refusing them — would become such a political statement?”
This week’s MTP episode was built around the “divided” theme, with Covid being a prism used to view it. “It is not an exaggeration to say that we are more divided than at any time perhaps since the 1960s, and frankly, maybe since the Civil War,” Todd announced.
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun Media
The Rude Pundit: 9/11 Knows America Lies to Itself
9/11 hates these years the most. Every half-decade, the annual commemoration is amped up, as if some magic exists in numbers that end in 5 or 0. Every time, the same speeches, the same images, the same patriotic fervor in some places, the same performative sense of loss in others, the same, the same. The only part she feels still has any power is the reading of names. It has an incantatory quality, like a Buddhist prayer, with the timed striking of a sonorous bell. She feels something then. 9/11 is accustomed to feeling nothing anymore. She has been used and brutalized and caressed and beaten and loved and raped and paraded on high and dragged through the streets.
Flight lands in Qatar after Taliban cleared Americans and others to leave Afghanistan
The first international passenger flight to take off from Afghanistan since the chaotic US military airlift last month landed in Qatar on Thursday, carrying more than 100 foreign nationals, including Americans, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.
Passengers on board the chartered Qatar Airways flight that departed from Kabul airport — including Canadian, Ukrainian, German, British and US citizens — were among some 200 foreigners that the Taliban have cleared to leave the country, the source said.
Air travelers refusing to wear masks could face up to $3,000 fines
Air travelers who refuse to wear masks could be fined up to $3,000, starting Friday.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Thursday it will double fines for those who flout federal mask mandates for air travel.
First-time offenders will be fined $500-$1,000, while repeat offenders will be forced to shell out $1,000-$3,000.
Justice Department sues Texas over restrictive abortion law
The Biden administration is filing a lawsuit against Texas challenging its near-total ban on abortions, which the Supreme Court declined to block last week.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday that the Justice Department filed the suit against Texas over its law, which he called “clearly unconstitutional under longstanding Supreme Court precedent.”
“The United States has the authority and the responsibility to ensure that no state can deprive individuals of their constitutional rights to a legislative scheme specifically designed to prevent the vindication of those rights,” Garland said at a news conference.
Biden Expands Vaccine Push With Mandates For Private Sector
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping vaccination and testing requirements for federal government workers, contractors and even private sector employees, as his administration works to fight the spreading coronavirus.
All federal workers and contractors will need to get fully vaccinated in the coming weeks, as will health care workers at providers that receive federal funding through Medicaid and Medicare. The administration will also require all businesses with 100 or more employees to require testing at least once a week for unvaccinated workers.
Florida judge orders immediate lifting of DeSantis ban on school mask mandates
A judge on Wednesday ruled that Florida must immediately stop enforcing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates in schools, refusing to issue a stay as the state appeals his decision.
Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper argued that the state had failed to prove that an appeal would be successful and that delaying his order was necessary to avoid irreparable harm.
The state is challenging the ruling with the state’s 1st District Court of Appeals.
“We are not in normal times. We are in a pandemic. We have children that can’t be protected by vaccination,” Cooper said in court, according to NBC Miami. “Children are at risk and they provide at least some protection by masking.”
Pelosi to hold security briefing ahead of Sept. 18 rally planned by Trump supporters
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has invited her fellow congressional leaders from the House and the Senate to a security briefing about a rally planned at the Capitol in support of people who were arrested during the Jan. 6 riot.
Pelosi, D-Calif., invited Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to the briefing on Sept. 13, the Monday before the rally, which is scheduled for Sept. 18, said a source familiar with the meeting.
Biden Ousts 18 Trump Military Academy Board Appointees
The Biden administration on Wednesday removed 18 appointees named to U.S. military academy boards by Donald Trump in the final months of the Republican president’s term in office, according to the White House.
Cathy Russell, director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, sent letters to 18 people named to the boards of visitors for the Air Force Academy, Military Academy and Naval Academy calling on them to resign by close of business on Wednesday or face termination.
Among those Biden ousted are some high-profile Trump administration officials, including White House counselor Kellyanne Conway (Air Force Academy), press secretary Sean Spicer (Naval Academy), national security adviser H.R. McMaster (Military Academy) and Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought (Naval Academy).
Los Angeles Set To Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines For Students 12 And Older
The Los Angeles Unified School District is expected to become the first major district in the country to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for students 12 and older, a significant step to protect young people amid the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus.
The district’s Board of Education has scheduled a meeting for Thursday to vote on the vaccine mandate, which is likely to be approved. The Los Angeles Times notes a majority of the board has already said publicly they are in favor of the step or are leaning toward passage.
White House taps populist message as Biden pushes $3.5T plan
The White House is preparing an urgent and populist message for selling President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion “build back better” agenda, even as House committee leaders begin churning out pieces of the forthcoming measure.
In a memo being sent Tuesday to Capitol Hill and obtained by The Associated Press, the administration warns there is no time to waste in passing the package of corporate tax hikes and domestic initiatives by the end of the month.
There were nearly 300% more new COVID cases on average this Labor Day than last year
The average weekly number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. was nearly 300% higher this Labor Day weekend compared to the same time last year, data from Johns Hopkins University shows. The average number of deaths was more than 86% higher compared to the same period in 2020.
There were 1.146 million weekly cases this past weekend compared to 287,235 last year.
Texas Gov. Abbott defends new abortion law, vows to ‘eliminate all rapists’
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defended the state’s restrictive new abortion law Tuesday, saying it doesn’t force victims of rape to give birth and vowing to “eliminate all rapists.”
Abbott, a Republican, took questions from reporters Tuesday morning after an event at which he signed a sweeping election billinto law. Asked whether the abortion law would force rape victims to give birth, he said: “It doesn’t require that at all, obviously. It provides at least six weeks for a person to get an abortion.”
Biden calls for action on climate change while in New York, New Jersey touring damage from Ida
President Joe Biden on Tuesday continued his tour of damage caused by Hurricane Ida, traveling to New York and New Jersey to see first-hand the devastation the massive storm inflicted on the Northeast.
The president was reprising his role as consoler in chief, meeting with local leaders to get briefed on damage to the area before touring a neighborhood in Manville, New Jersey, and then heading to Queens in New York City to see the damage there and deliver remarks.
Read the rest of the story at ABC News
Ex-FBI official says law enforcement needs to take upcoming right-wing rally in DC ‘very seriously’
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said Monday evening that law enforcement needs to take the upcoming right-wing rally in support of jailed January 6 rioters“very seriously” as concerns mount about more potential violence on Capitol Hill.
“I think they should take it very seriously. In fact, they should take it more seriously than they took the same sort of intelligence that they likely saw on January 5,” McCabe, a CNN contributor, told CNN’s Poppy Harlow on “Erin Burnett OutFront.”
Jobless Americans left scrambling after pandemic unemployment benefits end
Nearly 18 months after Congress came to the rescue of jobless Americans, its historic expansion of the nation’s unemployment benefits system expired nationwide this weekend. Lawmakers, who extended the three pandemic programs in December and March, are not expected to renew them again.
A key component of the relief effort was a federal weekly supplement for out-of-work Americans. Initially, the jobless received a $600-a-week boost from April through July of 2020. Congress then revived the enhancement in late December but reduced it to $300 a week.
Justice Department Says It Will Protect Abortion Seekers In Texas
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday that the Justice Department will work to protect the safety of people seeking abortions in Texas as the agency continues to explore how it can challenge the state’s new anti-abortion law.
Garland said in a statement that while the Justice Department urgently explores “all options” to challenge the Texas law, “we will continue to protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services pursuant to our criminal and civil enforcement of the FACE Act.” The department will also provide federal law enforcement support when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is “under attack,” according to the attorney general.
Charlie Pierce: The Phantom Revolution
I have lived through more than a few revolutions. Sometime around half past Woodstock in the 1960s, revolution became a very effective marketing tool, and suddenly we were up to our Bakunins in revolutions meant to sell us things. In no particular order, I have lived through the Civil Rights Revolution, the Sexual Revolution, the Youth Revolution, the Reagan Revolution, and the Gingrich Revolution. I have lived through the Genetic Revolution and the Digital Revolution. I have lived through a couple Jesus Revolutions, and I am currently living through the Social Media Revolution. I’ll let you know how that last one turns out.
At the moment, however, and for the foreseeable future, we are also living through an extended period of what can justly be called the Phantom Revolution, in which we rebel against threats to our liberty that don’t actually exist but that we create for ourselves.
Pfizer Booster Likely Ready To Roll Out Beginning Week Of Sept. 20, Dr. Fauci Predicts
The U.S. could be prepared to start rolling out distribution of a Pfizer booster shot for COVID-19 beginning the week of Sept. 20 — but Moderna may take bit longer, Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.
“Looks like Pfizer has their data in, likely would meet the deadline,” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said on “Face the Nation” on CBS.
“We hope that Moderna would also be able to do it, so we could do it simultaneously. But if not, we’ll do it sequentially,” Fauci added. “So bottom line is very likely at least part of the plan will be implemented, but, ultimately, the entire plan … It looks good.”
Wendy Molyneux: “OH MY FU**ING GOD, GET THE FU**ING VACCINE ALREADY, YOU FU**ING FU**S”
Hi, if you are reading this essay then congratulations, you are still alive. And if you are alive, then you have either gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, or you still have the opportunity to get the vaccine against COVID-19. And holy fuck, if you aren’t fucking vaccinated against COVID-19, then you need to get fucking vaccinated right now. I mean, what the fuck? Fuck you. Get vaccinated. Fuck.
The fucking vaccine will not make you magnetic. Are you fucking kidding me? It just fucking won’t. That’s not even a fucking thing, and that lady who tried to pretend the vaccine made her fucking magnetic looked like a real fucking fuckwad and a fucking idiot, so get fucking vaccinated. Jesus. Fuck.
Florida governor appeals ruling on masks in schools
The governor’s lawyers took their case Thursday to the 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee. DeSantis wants the appeals court to reverse last week’s decision by Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper, which essentially gave Florida‘s 67 school boards the power to impose a student mask mandate without parental consent. Cooper’s ruling was automatically stayed by the appeal.
Biden blasts Supreme Court’s “unprecedented assault” on abortion rights in Texas
President Biden condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to allow Texas’ ban on most abortions to remain in place as “an unprecedented assault on a woman’s constitutional rights,” pledging to launch a “whole-of-government” effort to protect access to safe and legal abortion in the state.
Why it matters: The ban, which took effect Wednesday, is the most restrictive abortion law to be enforced since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.
GOP Congressman to ask leader to boot Cheney and Kinzinger from conference
Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona plans to send a letter to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday asking him to remove Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger from the GOP Conference because they accepted Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s appointments to the January 6 select committee.
Removal from the conference requires a two thirds vote of all its members. Typically, only the party leader can bring such a motion to a vote. Biggs, the chair of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, previously called for Kinzinger’s and Cheney’s expulsion in July, but the effort gained little momentum.
Officers and paramedics charged in death of Elijah McClain
A grand jury has returned a 32-count indictment against officers and paramedics involved in the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was put in a chokehold by Aurora police and injected with a sedative during an August 2019 arrest, Colorado’s attorney general announced Wednesday. The charges include manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
McClain’s death gained widespread attention last year amid a national reckoning on police brutality and racial injustice that followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
At least 8 killed as Ida batters New York, New Jersey with floods and emergencies
At least eight people were killed as the remnants of Hurricane Idabattered New York and New Jersey with tornadoes, record rain and flooding that left both areas deluged and under states of emergency on Thursday.
Videos on social media showed cars submerged on highways and water pouring into subway stations and homes after a wind-driven downpour shattered rainfall records and prompted an unprecedented flash flood emergency for New York City.
Supreme Court Declines To Block Extreme Texas Abortion Law In 5-4 Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court said Wednesday night it would not block Texas’ extreme new law that criminalizes abortion after six weeks, a striking defeat for abortion rights advocates who say the ban is a direct assault on Roe v. Wade.
The ruling was 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts siding with the court’s three liberal members.
The majority issued a brief decision saying that, although women’s health groups had raised “serious questions about the constitutionality” of the law, the application failed to “carry the burden” necessary for an injunction while any legal challenges work their way through the courts.
Texas Republicans’ restrictive election bill gets final green light
Texas lawmakers passed a restrictive elections bill out of the state legislature on Tuesday, after a monthslong battle with Democrats who fled the legislature repeatedly to try and block the bill.
The bill passed the Texas House and Senate on Tuesday afternoon in a pair of votes with on; it now heads to the desk of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign it into law. The legislation, a sweeping overhaul of election rules and regulations, will likely be challenged in the courts.
Hurricane Ida Leaves Louisiana Without Power, Water, Gasoline
Hundreds of thousands of Louisianans sweltered in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Tuesday with no electricity, no tap water, precious little gasoline and no clear idea of when things might improve.
Long lines that wrapped around the block formed at the few gas stations that had fuel and generator power to pump it. People cleared rotting food out of refrigerators. Neighbors shared generators and borrowed buckets of swimming pool water to bathe or to flush toilets.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us and no one is under the illusion that this is going to be a short process,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said as the cleanup and rebuilding began across the soggy region in the oppressive late-summer heat.
Biden Defends Afghanistan Withdrawal: ‘I Was Not Going To Extend This Forever War’
President Joe Biden stood by his decision to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by Aug. 31, saying his decision to do so saved lives and ended America’s longest war, which had cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars.
“I was not going to extend this forever war, and I was not extending a forever exit,” Biden said in a fierce speech at the White House on Tuesday. “I take responsibility for the decision.”
On Monday, the U.S. had finally withdrawn the last of its troops out of Kabul, officially ending America’s 20-year war with Afghanistan. Since Aug. 14, the U.S. evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of about 124,000 people, around 5,500 of whom were Americans.
Supreme Court Allows Extreme Texas Abortion Ban To Go Into Effect
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed a restrictive Texas law to go into effect that criminalizes abortion at six weeks and deputizes citizens to enforce the ban.
S.B. 8 effectively bans abortion at six weeks, a time at which many people don’t yet realize they’re pregnant. The bill is more extreme than other laws in states like Alabama and Ohio due to a clause that financially incentivizes private citizens to sue anyone “aiding or abetting” abortion-seeking patients in Texas.
If someone successfully sues a person aiding and abetting the medical procedure, they could receive a bounty of $10,000 and have all of their legal fees paid for by the opposing side.
Charlie Pierce: Who Votes for People Who Do This Much Damage?
In the sad recent history of Wisconsin politics, Waukesha County is the heart of it. The state had a proud history of Progressive politics—hell, most of it was invented there—and Waukesha County was the nest of murder hornets that helped bring down upon the state Senator Ron Johnson, Governor Scott Walker, and a state legislative majority that belongs in a zoo. It became the home office of conservative electoral chicanery. What kind of people, you might ask, could vote for people who would do so much damage?
Biden honors troops killed in Afghanistan as remains arrive in U.S.
President Biden met in solemn privacy Sunday with the families of the 13 U.S. troops killed in the suicide attack near the Kabul airport and became the fourth commander in chief to bear witness as the remains of the fallen returned to U.S. soil from Afghanistan.
First lady Jill Biden joined the president at Dover Air Force Base to grieve with loved ones as the “dignified transfer” of remains unfolded, a military ritual for those killed in foreign combat.
Rep. Jim Jordan Suddenly Remembers At Least One Other Call With Trump On Jan. 6: Report
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has suddenly remembered another phone call — or more — that he had with then-President Donald Trump while insurrectionists rampaged through the Capitol on January 6, Politico reported Sunday.
Some observers speculated that the Ohio congressman may be trying to get his story straight if he’s called to testify before the House Select Committee investigating the events of Jan. 6 — including looking into activities by Trump and GOP lawmakers. The committee revealed just days ago that it would seek phone records and other communications as part of its probe.
U.S. forces strike ISIS-K target that posed ‘imminent threat’ to Kabul’s airport
U.S. forces conducted a drone strike against an ISIS-K target in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday, U.S. Central Command said, less than a day after President Joe Biden promised more retaliatory strikes against the affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist group.
A CENTCOM spokesperson, Navy Capt. Bill Urban, said in a statement that the strike targeted a vehicle that posed “an imminent threat” to Hamid Karzai International Airport. Thirteen U.S. military personnel and more than 110 Afghans were killed in a suicide bombing outside the airport last week.
Ida weakens to tropical storm after knocking out power to New Orleans
Hurricane Ida weakened to a tropical storm Monday after crashing into Louisiana and knocking out power to more than 1 million homes and businesses including the city of New Orleans.
Officials earlier warned of “life-threatening” floods. At least one person, a 60-year-old man, died in Ascension Parish after a tree fell on his home.
Electric utilities reported that slightly more than 1 million homes and businesses were without power in Louisiana and another 100,000 in Mississippi. Entergy New Orleans, the main power utility in the city, with nearly 200,000 customers, said the entire city lost electricity early Sunday evening because of “catastrophic damage” to its transmission system. It said power wouldn’t be restored Sunday night.
Eric Boehlert: Committed to doomsday narrative, media downplay evacuation triumph
Six days ago, as she prepared her airlifted exit from Kabul, CNN reporter Clarissa Ward declared that the United States’ effort to evacuate thousands of Afghans was doomed to failure. “I’m sitting here for 12 hours in the airport, 8 hours on the airfield and I haven’t seen a single US plane take off,” she reported. “How on Earth are you going to evacuate 50,000 people in the next two weeks? It just, it can’t happen.”
Ward seemed to speak for most journalists who lined up for days to condemn President Joe Biden and to predict a perilous future for the Afghanistan capitol. (Talk of “mass murders” and U.S. embassy employees being taken hostage were in the media mix.) Wildly eager to portray the U.S. troop withdrawal as a “humiliating” and “disastrous” “fiasco,” the media were sure the story was going to get much worse.
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun Media
The Rude Pundit: A Country on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Part 1: Mask Madness)
The first time I saw the irrationality of large groups of adults happened when I was an adolescent in Lafayette, Louisiana. My mom took me to a parish council meeting (in case you don’t know, parishes are counties but they’re called “parishes” in Louisiana because Catholicism) for a debate over allowing fluoridation of the water in the community. I had asked to go because I’ve always been perverse that way. To my family, it seemed like the easiest call: Of course. We had moved from a town in Florida where the water was fluoridated and we were all fine.
Biden vows revenge for Kabul attack that killed 13 U.S. service members
Thirteen U.S. service members were killed and more than a dozen others injured in an attack outside the airport in the capital of Afghanistan on Thursday, opening a deadly new chapter in the massive U.S. effort to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies ahead of President Biden’s August 31 deadline to withdraw.
The Pentagon said a suicide bomber detonated an explosion that tore through a crowd waiting at an entrance to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where thousands of people have gathered every day since the city fell to the Taliban, desperate to board flights out of the country. Another explosion struck a nearby hotel, the Pentagon said.
Supreme Court blocks Biden administration’s eviction moratorium
The Supreme Court late Thursday blocked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from enforcing the federal moratorium on evicting renters during the coronavirus pandemic, a defeat for the Biden administration’s effort to continue the moratorium even though the court had signaled that the action lacked the proper legal basis.
The current moratorium, which was imposed in early August, had been due to expire in early October. It was challenged by a group of landlords who argued that the CDC had no authority to impose such a restriction on its own.
Officer who shot Ashli Babbitt during Capitol riot breaks silence: ‘I saved countless lives’
In the chaotic minutes before he shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, Lt. Michael Byrd focused his attention on the glass doors leading into the lobby of the House of Representatives chamber.
About 60 to 80 House members and staffers were holed up inside, and it was Byrd’s job to protect them.
As rioters rampaged through the Capitol, Byrd and a few other officers of the U.S. Capitol Police set up a wall of furniture outside the doors.
Kabul Airport Attack Kills 60 Afghans, 13 US Troops
Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said.
The U.S. general overseeing the evacuation said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out were continuing. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said there was a large amount of security at the airport, and alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in. About 5,000 people were awaiting flights on the airfield, McKenzie said.
Dr. Irwin Redlener: FDA approval of a Covid vaccine could mean a rapid jump in shots in arms
As of last week, in spite of an extremely high level of confidence among policy officials and public health experts that any of the three Covid-19 vaccines with emergency use authorization are safe and effective, about 70 million adults in the U.S. remained unvaccinated, as well as nearly 50 million children under age 12 who aren’t yet eligible for inoculations.
But now, with the Food and Drug Administration’s eagerly anticipated announcement Monday that the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine has been granted full, formal approval for anyone 16 or older, vaccination holdouts have much less of a pretext to refuse to get a shot, and we may now witness rapid progress in upping the country’s vaccination rate. Presumably, many people will be relieved to know that the federal government is fully confident in the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety. And even if this doesn’t change the feelings of those who oppose vaccines, it should pave the way for more institutions to mandate their use.
Jan 6. House Select Committee releases sweeping records request, including call logs of Trump
The Jan. 6 House Select Committee has issued a wide-ranging records request to the National Archives and Records Administration and several other agencies, including phone records from members of congress, as a part of their investigation into the Capitol Riot.
The nine-member panel, which held its first hearing around the Jan. 6 Capitol riot last month, began its investigatory process with the sweeping range of requests released on Wednesday.
Blinken says up to 1,500 Americans may still need evacuation from Afghanistan
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the U.S. has airlifted 4,500 U.S. citizens and their families out of Afghanistan in the last 10 days, and there may be up to 1,500 Americans who still want to leave the country as part of the massive evacuation effort by the Biden administration in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover.
Speaking from the State Department, Blinken painted the clearest picture yet from the Biden administration about the number of Americans in Afghanistan and awaiting evacuation from the country.
U.S. Embassy warns Americans to avoid Kabul airport over “security threats”
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul sent out an alert on Wednesday evening advising U.S. citizens in Afghanistan to avoid traveling to the capital city’s airport, citing an unspecified security threat amid frantic efforts to evacuate people following the Taliban’s takeover of the country.
“Because of security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so,” the security alert read. “U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately.”
Judge sanctions Sidney Powell and other attorneys who filed lawsuit challenging 2020 election
A federal judge in Michigan has ordered sanctions against former Trump attorney Sidney Powell, attorney Lin Wood, and several other lawyers who brought a legal challenge seeking to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory in the state.
In her ruling Wednesday, Judge Linda Parker described the suit as an “historic and profound abuse of the judicial process.”
Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA): Biden made the hard choice in Afghanistan, and the right one
Before serving in Congress, I was an infantry platoon commander in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province. In the summer of 2012, we patrolled three Taliban-contested villages on the Helmand River. On each patrol I would visit a tribal elder. They would serve me hot, sweet goat-milk tea. I would sip it in the 100-degree heat and smile politely. They would listen to me talk about the American mission and smile politely. Neither side could stomach it.
These Pashtun elders, veterans of the Soviet invasion and the civil war, were in a familiar bind. Taliban to their south, Americans to their north. Taliban conscripting their sons to plant IEDs; Americans demanding to know who planted them. My platoon and I were there for a summer, but the villagers would live with their decisions. One elder conveyed their wariness in an often-used expression: “You have the watches, but they have the time.” The Taliban could not outfight Americans, but it could outlast us, because we had no political endgame.
Read the rest of Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) piece at The Washington Post
House votes to advance Biden’s jobs and infrastructure plans, breaking logjam
House Democrats voted Tuesday to move forward with President Joe Biden’s top legislative priorities after resolving a standoff between their leaders and centrist rebels, who threatened to block the multitrillion-dollar safety net expansion.
The House voted 220 to 212 on a key procedural motion to instruct committees to write the $3.5 trillion bill, which can pass both Congressional chambers without any Republican support. To placate the centrist Democratic holdouts, Speaker Nancy Pelosi committed to a Sept. 27 deadline to vote on the $550 billion Senate-passed infrastructure bill.
2 Congress Members Fly To Kabul Amid Chaotic Evacuation
Two members of Congress flew unannounced into Kabul airport in the middle of the ongoing chaotic evacuation Tuesday, stunning State Department and U.S. military personnel who had to divert resources to provide security and information to the lawmakers, U.S. officials said.
Officials said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., flew in on a charter aircraft and were on the ground at the Kabul airport for several hours. Officials said the two men were flying out of Kabul on another charter aircraft, prompting officials to complain that they were taking seats that could have gone to other Americans or Afghans fleeing the country.
Joe Biden Says U.S. On Track To Complete Afghanistan Evacuations By Aug. 31
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that U.S. and its allies are on track to complete evacuations from Afghanistan by his Aug. 31 deadline, with thousands of U.S. citizens, Afghans and others being flown out of the country each day.
“I’m determined to ensure that we complete our mission, this mission,” Biden said in public remarks from the White House. “I’m also mindful of the increasing risks.”
The president said the U.S. had helped evacuate 70,700 people since Aug. 14, including about 12,000 in the last 12 hours alone.
Supreme Court denies Biden administration efforts to end ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy
The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied the Biden administration’s request to pause the implementation of a Trump-era immigration policy.
The Justice Department asked the court late last week to delay reinstatement of the policy, known as “Remain in Mexico,” arguing in its brief that the policy had been dormant for more than a year and that abruptly reinstating it “would prejudice the United States’ relations with vital regional partners, severely disrupt its operations at the southern border, and threaten to create a diplomatic and humanitarian crisis.”
House committee plans to seek phone records in probe of January 6, including from members of Congress
The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot is poised to send notices to various telecommunications companies requesting that they preserve the phone records of several people, including members of Congress, multiple sources tell CNN.
Preserving communications records is the first step in an investigatory process that could eventually lead to witness testimony. The notices are set to go out as soon as this week and provide the first window into the kinds of information the committee plans to pursue.
House delays vote to advance Biden’s economic agenda as centrist Democrats derail Pelosi’s plans
The House scrapped a planned Monday vote to advance two key economic proposals as centrist Democrats and party leaders failed to break a stalemate over how to proceed with President Joe Biden’s sprawling economic agenda.
The chamber will reconvene at noon ET on Tuesday as Democrats try to strike a deal to move forward with legislation they see as an economic boon and a lifeline for households. Biden’s domestic policy goals, and his party’s push to retain control of Congress in next year’s midterms, could hinge on whether Democrats find a compromise.
G-7 allies in Europe likely to push Biden to extend Afghanistan evacuations timeline
Two months ago, the leaders of the world’s seven major industrialized democracies met in summer sunshine on England’s southwest coast. It was a happy occasion: the first in-person summit of the Group of Seven nations in two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and the welcomed appearance of President Joe Biden and his “America is back” message on matters ranging from comity to COVID-19 to climate change.
On Tuesday, those same seven leaders will meet again in virtual format confronted by a resurgence in the pandemic, more dire news on climate change and, most immediately and perhaps importantly, Afghanistan. The country’s burgeoning refugee crisis, the collapse of its government and fears of a resurgence in Afghan-based terrorism have left the G-7 allies scrambling and threaten the unity of the bloc.
Vaccine Mandates Start Rolling Out After FDA Gives Pfizer Shot Full Approval
Various institutions began rolling out COVID-19 vaccine mandates on Monday after the Food and Drug Administration gave its first full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech shots, and more are likely to follow suit in the coming days.
While many governments, schools and businesses have put vaccine requirement into place in recent weeks, others said they would hold off until the FDA granted a vaccine its full approval ― a step that goes further than the emergency use authorization that let vaccine distribution kick off in December.
Following the FDA’s approval on Monday, President Joe Biden urged decision-makers to put vaccine requirements into place.
Charlie Pierce: Any Report on Afghanistan That Doesn’t Include These Facts Is Not Worth Your Time
Now that 30,000 people—and counting—have been evacuated from Afghanistan, I would like the elite political media, especially its cable TV news divisions, to tell me what the magic number is that will change the prevailing narrative. 40,000? 100,000? Everybody in that country except the leaders of the Taliban? All of southwest Asia? Let me know so I can stop telling people what a Benghazi-sized dog’s breakfast you all are making out of this story. It would be very helpful.
And now the “story” is that the president’s poll numbers have fallen? Will o’God, they haven’t learned anything since their forebears got lost along the White River in Arkansas years ago. Between the apparently impervious storyline of an Afghan catastrophe and the deliberate monkey-wrenching of the Covid response by Republican governors, Republican state legislatures, and the wilder elements of the Horse Pill marketing complex, it’s a wonder that people aren’t walking past the White House with strings of garlic around their necks. Instead, this president’s approval rating is still higher than the best number the former president* ever racked up.
The F.D.A. grants full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for people 16 and up, making it the first to move beyond emergency use status in the United States.
The decision will set off a cascade of vaccine requirements by hospitals, colleges, corporations and other organizations. United Airlines recently announced that its employees will be required to show proof of vaccination within five weeks of regulatory approval.
Trump booed at Alabama rally after telling supporters to get vaccinated
Former President Donald Trump was booed at a rally Saturday in Alabama after he told supporters they should get vaccinated.
“And you know what? I believe totally in your freedoms. I do. You’ve got to do what you have to do,” Trump said. “But I recommend take the vaccines. I did it. It’s good. Take the vaccines.”
Some boos rang out from the crowd, who were largely maskless.
Jesse Jackson and wife, Jacqueline, ‘responding positively’ to Covid-19 treatment
The Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, are “responding positively” to medical treatment after having been hospitalized with Covid-19, their family said Sunday.
Doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago were “carefully monitoring” their conditions because of their ages, said their son Jonathan Jackson. Jesse Jackson is 79, and Jacqueline Jackson is 77.
“Both are resting comfortably and are responding positively to their treatment,” he said in a statement.
The F.D.A. is aiming to give full approval to Pfizer’s Covid vaccine today
The Food and Drug Administration is pushing to approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s two-dose Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, further expediting an earlier timeline for licensing the shot, according to people familiar with the agency’s planning.
Regulators were working to finish the process by Friday but were still working through a substantial amount of paperwork and negotiation with the company. The people familiar with the planning, who were not authorized to speak publicly about it, cautioned that the approval might slide beyond Monday if some components of the review need more time.
Biden Touts Evacuations From Afghanistan But Warns ‘A Lot Could Still Go Wrong’
President Joe Biden touted on Sunday the surging number of Afghanistan evacuations carried out so far by the United States, but acknowledged that such a massive operation does not come “without pain and loss.”
The White House said that the U.S has evacuated 30,300 people out of Afghanistan since Aug. 14, including more than 13,000 people over the weekend. That brings the total evacuated by the U.S. to about 35,500 since July, though the president stressed in a televised address that “we have a long way to go, and a lot could still go wrong.”
Eric Boehlert: The media’s summer of discontent — waging war on Biden
Feigning shock that the final chapter to a 20-year lost war in Afghanistan did not go as planned for the U.S. military, the media remain in overdrive, breathlessly presenting the U.S. troop withdrawal as a presidency-defining failure for Joe Biden.
Thankfully, the dire picture that the press painted over the weekend of the widespread death and destruction that the Taliban would soon unleash on Kabul has not materialized. Instead, the controversial U.S. evacuation has become more orderly and efficient, which is why cable news has pulled back on the story — CNN mentioned “Afghanistan” 30 percent fewer times on Wednesday as compared to Monday, according to TVeyes.com.
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The Rude Pundit: Note to Anti-Maskers… You’re Not Revolutionaries. You’re Just A**holes.
At one point in the chaotic Louisiana Board of Secondary and Elementary Education meeting in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, a local Christian extremist pastor, Tony Spell, announced as the elected officials tried to start things, “Let’s welcome the board to our meeting today.” He was standing on a chair, surrounded by a couple of hundred people there to protest the school mask mandate issued by Governor John Bel Edwards. Despite the requirement, almost none of the gathered flesh lumps wore masks in the tight space.
Spell, his hair greased back, declared, “King Edwards is the biggest lawbreaker in the state history,” an objectively false statement since, you know, the fucking state was pretty much founded by pirates. Hell, even if Edwards were breaking the law, he wouldn’t be the biggest lawbreaker who was governor. The ghosts of Huey Long and Edwin Edwards (no relation to John Bel) must have been thinking, “What the fuck? Forget about us already?”
Man claiming to have bomb near U.S. Capitol is in custody after standoff, police say
Congressional office buildings and nearby homes were evacuated as authorities negotiated with the man, identified by law enforcement as Floyd Ray Roseberry, 49, of North Carolina. Roseberry surrendered to authorities after about five hours and will face criminal charges, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said. No bomb was found in his car, although officials said they did discover materials that could be used to make explosives.
Biden believes U.S. can evacuate all Americans by end of August, national security adviser says
President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the president believes U.S. forces will be able to get all Americans who want to leave Afghanistan out of the country by Mr. Biden’s self-imposed deadline of August 31. However, Sullivan said the U.S. does not know exactly how many Americans are in the country.
“The president is committed to ensuring that every American who wants to leave Afghanistan gets out of Afghanistan. He believes that we can accomplish that by August 31,” Sullivan told “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell on Thursday.
3 Senators Test Positive For COVID-19 On Same Day
Three U.S. senators announced Thursday that they tested positive for COVID-19.
Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Angus King (I-Maine) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) released statements about their diagnoses within hours of each other, all saying they had mild symptoms.
All are fully vaccinated. Their positive tests highlight the vaccinations’ purpose, to prevent serious illness and death. Although the shots are highly effective, none offers complete protection from ever getting COVID-19.
Fox News Employees Ordered To Disclose Vaccine Status Amid COVID Concerns
All Fox News employees were instructed this week to disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status to the company, a requirement that flies in the face of public remarks previously made by the network’s conservative hosts ― including Tucker Carlson, who has argued that asking about someone’s vaccination status is as invasive as asking about their favorite sex positions.
In a memo to staff, Fox News Media told all of its employees to record their vaccination status on an employee management website by close of business Tuesday. All workers must participate, the memo says, whether they work on-site or remotely.
Biden says his administration will take on GOP governors blocking masks in schools
President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he was directing the Education Department to use its legal authority against Republican governors who are trying to block local school officials from requiring students to wear masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Speaking at the White House, Biden said some politicians are trying to turn public safety measures into “political disputes for their own political gain” and warned that they are “setting a dangerous tone.”
Biden said he had directed Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to wield his oversight authority and take legal action “if appropriate.”
U.S. working with Taliban to evacuate Americans and allies out of Afghanistan, Pentagon says
Top Pentagon officials said Wednesday that the U.S. military does not “have the capability” to retrieve all Americans who have been unable to reach the U.S.-secured airfield in Kabul as the State Department continues to negotiate safe passage with the Taliban.
The White House said that on Wednesday the military evacuated approximately 1,800 people, bringing the total since Aug. 14 to 6,000.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. intends to increase that flow using various U.S. military aircraft.
Biden to tie vaccines for nursing home staff to Medicare and Medicaid funding
President Biden announced Wednesday he is ordering the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to require nursing homes to have vaccinated staff for them to be able to participate in Medicare and Medicaid and receive funding from the federal programs.
The vaccination requirement will be the first time the federal government has implemented any type of vaccination requirement besides those for federal government employees.
Biden Says There Was No Way To Leave Afghanistan ‘Without Chaos Ensuing’
In his first sit-down interview since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he doesn’t believe there was any way to pull U.S. troops out of the country “without chaos ensuing.”
Biden defended the way the U.S. exited Afghanistan as he sat down for an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, who pressed the president on whether there were mistakes in the withdrawal process.
“No, I don’t think it could have been handled in a way that ― we’re going to go back in hindsight and look ― but the idea that somehow there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” said Biden, who inherited a deal former President Donald Trump made with the country’s militant Taliban group to remove U.S. troops that have been stationed in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years.
3 Top Senate Democrats Pledge To Probe ‘Flawed’ Afghanistan Withdrawal
Democrats in charge of three Senate committees are vowing to hold hearings on the bungled U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, a reflection of how little political cover the Biden administration is getting from its allies on Capitol Hill as chaos engulfs the Middle Eastern country.
Sen. Bob Mendendez (D-N.J.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cast some blame on former President Donald Trump and his deal with the Taliban, which predated President Joe Biden. But he also called out the Biden administration for its “flawed” execution of a plan that didn’t adequately foresee the rapid and stunning collapse of the Afghan government.
As COVID-19 Cases Soar, More Hospitals Report ICUs Nearing Capacity, With Worst To Come
Hospitals across the nation are buckling under the surge in COVID-19 infections linked to the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus, with some states reporting their intensive care units are rapidly filling with patients, much like winter’s wave of cases before vaccines were readily accessible.
More than a quarter of the nation’s ICU beds in use are currently occupied by COVID-19 patients, according to figures maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services. But an increasing number of states have said their intensive care wards are reaching capacity, with 1 in 5 ICUs at or over 95% full nationwide, The New York Times reported.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID-19
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced on Tuesday. Abbott is fully vaccinated and so far is experiencing no symptoms.
“The Governor has been testing daily, and today was the first positive test result,” Abbott’s communications director Mark Miner said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “Governor Abbott is in constant communication with his staff, agency heads, and government officials to ensure that state government continues to operate smoothly and efficiently. The Governor will isolate in the Governor’s Mansion and continue to test daily.”
Up to 15,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan after Taliban takeover
As many as 15,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover of the country, Biden administration officials told Senate staffers Tuesday, two aides said.
Two Senate aides confirmed that they were given that figure in a briefing led by national security and defense officials.
The Washington Post first reported that the staffers were told that 10,000 to 15,000 U.S. citizens remain in the country.
U.S. officials are racing to get Americans and others out of the country.
Tropical Storm Grace drenching Haiti as quake death toll tops 1,400
Grace regained tropical storm strength early Tuesday and was dumping extremely heavy rains and causing flooding across parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Those two nations share the island of Hispaniola.
Grace lashed earthquake-damaged Haiti as a tropical depression on Monday with up to 10 inches of rain. It pelted people huddling in fields and searching for survivors.
The storm couldn’t have come at a worse time for Haitians struggling to deal with the effects of Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude temblor.
Taliban announce ‘amnesty,’ urge women to join government
A Taliban official on Tuesday announced a general “amnesty” for all in Afghanistan and urged women to join the government following the movement’s lightning takeover of the country.
Enamullah Samangani, member of Islamic Emirate’s cultural commission, made the comments on Afghan state television, which the militants now control.
“The Islamic Emirate don’t want women to be victims,” he said, using the militants’ term for Afghanistan.
U.S. To Recommend COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters At 8 Months, Sources Say
U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country.
That’s according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
An announcement was expected as soon as this week, with doses beginning to be administered widely once the Food and Drug Administration formally approves vaccines. That action is expected for the Pfizer shot in the coming weeks.
Joe Biden Defends Afghanistan Withdrawal: ‘There Was Never A Good Time’
President Joe Biden said Monday that the stunning collapse of the 20-year American project in Afghanistan proved he was correct to end the U.S. mission, arguing that the Taliban’s takeover of the country vindicated his decision to bring home the U.S. troops stationed there.
“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said. “After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces.”
The president conceded that the success of the militants “did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated,” over a two-week blitz of Taliban offensives. That will not sway his plans, however: After the 6,000 troops Biden recently deployed to Afghanistan evacuate Americans and U.S. allies in the coming days, “we will conclude our military withdrawal and we will end America’s longest war,” he said.
Charlie Pierce: What the Hell Were We Doing There?
John F. Kennedy was very fond of the old saw that victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan. What we watched unfold in Afghanistan over the weekend, as the Afghan army dissolved, the Afghan government collapsed, and the president of Afghanistan ran for the hills, turned that mossbacked shibboleth on its head. For 20 years, we propped up an army that was an illusion and a government that was a mirage. For 20 years, as the Washington Post illustrated in a criminally unremarked-upon series of brilliant reports in 2019, our government lied to us and it lied to itself. This defeat had a thousand fathers, of both political parties, in uniform and out. They were in the business of war, the business of politics, and the business of informing the citizens of this country about both. All of them failed at their jobs, miserably, and the awful images from Kabul this weekend were precise measures of their failures—and, regrettably, ours.
Secretary Blinken Defends Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal Amid Criticism
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday defended the Biden administration’s decision to pull out American troops from Afghanistan even as the Taliban government overtakes the country, saying that the U.S. completed its initial goal and is keeping a promise to avoid further war.
“Like it or not, there was an agreement that the forces would come out on May 1st. Had they not, had we not begun that process, which is what the president did and the Taliban saw, then we would have been back at war with the Taliban,” Blinken said in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union.”
COVID-19 Hospitalizations For Americans In Their 30s Hit All-Time High
COVID-19 hospitalizations for people in their 30s have reached a record high in the U.S. in the latest evidence that the dangerous delta variant of the disease poses formidable risks for younger age groups.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a total of 170,852 hospital admissions of those age 30 to 39 from the beginning of August 2020 to last Wednesday. The number of daily admissions, based on a seven-day average, jumped from 908 the week beginning July 29 to 1,113 the week starting Aug. 5. That’s a 22.6% bounce — and still climbing.
Texas Supreme Court temporarily blocks mask mandates in two counties
The Texas Supreme Court on Sunday temporarily halted lower court rulings that allowed local government entities and school districts to implement mask mandates in defiance of an order from Governor Greg Abbott. A hearing on the earlier temporary injunction is scheduled for Monday.
Sunday’s ruling affects Dallas and Bexar Counties, which had both reinstated some form of mask mandate in recent days. In Dallas County, a judge ruled last week that masks would be required inside schools and businesses. In Bexar County, where San Antonio is located, a lower court ruled on Friday that local leaders had the authority to mandate masks in schools.
Taliban seize power in Kabul amid chaos in Afghanistan
One of the most stunning guerrilla campaigns in history reached Afghanistan’s capital on Sunday, forcing the country’s president to flee as countries rushed troops to the airport to evacuate their citizens.
All U.S. Embassy staff in Kabul, including the mission’s top diplomat, were being evacuated to the international airport as the Taliban looming at the capital city’s gates urged the Afghan government to relinquish power on Sunday. Afghan officials confirmed that President Ashraf Ghani departed the country.
Eric Boehlert: Traitorous GOP now the fifth column in America’s war on Covid
America is swimming in purposeful pandemic distortions:
•The Covid-19 vaccine doesn’t work.
•It’s dangerous and the government is lying about the pandemic.
• Public schools should be defunded if they offer virtual teaching.
• The CDC is run by “tyrants” and health experts are “exaggerating” the pandemic.
• Superintendents could have their pay withheld if they try to initiate a protective mask policies.
• Low vaccination rates are encouraged and cheered.
These aren’t the disturbed ravings of fringe Facebook groups, or Fox News trolls in search of outrage clicks. It’s the rhetoric coming from prominent members of the Republican Party, which has shown itself to be the eager fifth column in the U.S.’s battle against the pandemic — plotting against America from the inside.
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun…
The Rude Pundit: Now Abbott, DeSantis, and Other COVID Accomplice Governors Need to Resign
At some point, if vaccination rates climb in Texas and Florida and other states where the Delta variant of COVID-19 has been allowed to freely lung-fuck the residents, I’d almost expect the governors of those states who refused to do jackshit to mitigate the virus to say, “See? It took a few thousand more deaths, but now people are making the personal choice to get vaccinated. Government didn’t force them to. Reverse psychology in action.”
Of course, they aren’t that crafty. What we have are ideological pig fuckers who are getting high on the power they have over the lives and deaths of the people in their states. They see defiance of rational actions to slow the spread of the virus as some kind of mighty stand for freedom and rights and the economy when, really, they’re just accomplices to the murder and maiming that Covid is doing.
Glenn Kirschner: DOJ officials thwarted Trump’s coup. Next step, A criminal investigation
Recent blockbuster reporting revealed that former President Donald Trump was aggressively pushing Justice Department officials to help him overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
To those of us who previously worked at the Justice Department, this is … unfathomable.
The good news is that these revelations have inspired swift governmental action in at least some quarters. For example, the Justice Department inspector general’s office promptly announced an investigation of Trump’s pressure campaign. The Senate Judiciary Committee hastily assembled a hearing and spent seven hours — on a Saturday in August — interviewing Trump-era acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen about what he knew and when he knew it.
Matt Gaetz’s Wingman Has Reportedly Given ‘Thousands Of Photos And Videos’ To Feds
In yet another unpromising turn for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), ABC News reported Thursday that his former wingman Joel Greenberg has been providing extensive information to federal authorities as he cooperates with the sprawling investigation of the Florida lawmaker.
Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector, has handed over “years of Venmo and Cash App transactions and thousands of photos and videos,” as well as access to personal social media accounts, ABC reported, citing multiple anonymous sources.
Supreme Court rejects challenge to Indiana University’s vaccination requirement
The Supreme Court refused Thursday to block Indiana University’s requirement that students be vaccinated against Covid-19 to attend classes in the fall semester.
It was the first legal test of a Covid vaccination mandate to come before the justices. A challenge to the policy was directed to Amy Coney Barrett, the justice in charge of that region of the country, who denied it. There were no noted dissents from other justices.
U.S. to evacuate most staff from embassy in Kabul as Taliban sweep across Afghanistan
President Joe Biden is deploying about 3,000 troops to Afghanistan to help secure the withdrawal of most staff from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul amid growing alarm over a Taliban military offensive, officials said Thursday.
One Army and two Marine battalions will head to the Hamid Karzai airport in Kabul “within the next 24 to 48 hours,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said.
Additional troops will be deployed to Kuwait in case more forces are needed, officials said.
FDA overnight OKs third vaccine dose for immunocompromised people
The Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorizations for the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines Thursday to allow some people with compromised immune systems to get a third dose.
The change in FDA regulation is specific to patients who have been unable to mount an adequate immune response against the virus, even after being fully vaccinated. The hope, experts say, is that the additional dose will provide these patients with levels of protection seen in people without weakened immune systems.
Florida Requests Hundreds Of Ventilators Amid COVID-19 Surge
The federal government has sent hundreds of ventilators and other oxygen devices to the state of Florida following a request from local health officials as coronavirus cases and related hospitalizations continue to rise across the state.
The Strategic National Stockpile sent 200 ventilators, 100 high-flow nasal cannula kits and related medical supplies to the state earlier this week, a Health and Human Services spokesperson confirmed to HuffPost on Wednesday.
School Districts In Texas And Florida Are Defying Their Governors’ Anti-Mask Orders
Republican governors in Texas and Florida have imposed bans on mask mandates despite a spike in COVID-19 infections among children, but that’s not stopping an increasing number of school districts from defying them.
In May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order banning any sort of mask mandate, including in schools. In July, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did the same and threatened to withhold funds for schools that require masks for students.
The orders come while the states are epicenters of the new, highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus, which has led to cases and hospitalizations rising to record-breaking levels.
Rand Paul discloses, 16 months later, wife’s purchase of stock in company behind Remdesivir
Sixteen months late, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday filed a disclosure with the Senate revealing that on Feb. 26, 2020, his wife, Kelley, purchased stock in Gilead Sciences, a company that produces an antiviral drug used to treat COVID-19.
Under the STOCK Act, which prohibits members of Congress from using information not available to the public for private profit, the disclosure should have been filed within 45 days of the purchase, The Washington Postreports.
California requires vaccines, tests for teachers and staff
California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns about the highly contagious delta variant, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday.
The new policy applies to both public and private schools and will affect more than 800,000 employees, including about 320,000 public school teachers and a host of support staff such as cafeteria workers and cleaners, the state Department of Public Health said. It will also apply to school volunteers.
Dr. Irwin Redlener: Enough already — it’s time to follow New York’s lead on vaccine mandates
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio stepped out on the national stage last week and declared that as of Aug. 16, the city will require proof of at least one dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine for anyone who wants to eat inside any of the city’s more than 24,000 restaurants, workout in a gym, or attend a public performance.
Enough already with tiptoeing around the issue of mandates! Vaccines are the most effective tool we have to stop the spread of the deadliest pandemic in more than 100 years, a scourge which has already killed more than 613,000 Americans and at least 4 million people worldwide. Last week alone, the U.S. recorded an average of nearly 94,000 new cases per day, 48 percent higher than the preceding week.
Texas House Speaker Signs Arrest Warrants For Democrats Who Fled State Over Voting Bill
Texas’s Republican House speaker, Rep. Dan Phelan, signed arrest warrants Tuesday night for 52 House Democrats who fled the state last month in protest of GOP plans for restrictive new voting rights legislation.
The Dallas Morning News first reported that the warrants had been issued, adding that they will be delivered to the Texas House sergeant-at-arms on Wednesday morning. The newspaper added that at least two dozen lawmakers are still in Washington, D.C., and others are outside the jurisdiction of local officials.
Biden praises Senate passage of bipartisan infrastructure bill
President Joe Biden on Tuesday marked the Senate’s passage of a bipartisan infrastructure plan earlier in the day with a White House speech touting the political win and thanking Republican senators who voted with Democrats for what he said was their “courage” to come together to strike a deal for the American people.
“After years and years of infrastructure week, we’re on the cusp of an infrastructure decade that I truly believe will transform America,” Biden said in triumphant remarks delivered from the White House East Room.
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns after sexual harassment allegations, investigation
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that he will resign from office following accusations of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct from a number of women, including former staffers and one current staffer.
His resignation will be effective in 14 days, Cuomo said.
After a five-month investigation, New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced in a 168-page report last week that “the governor engaged in conduct constituting sexual harassment under federal and New York State law.”
Senate passes Dems’ $3.5T budget resolution in latest win for Biden
Democrats pushed their expansive $3.5 trillion framework for bolstering family services, health, and environment programs toward Senate passage early Wednesday, as Republicans unleashed an avalanche of amendments aimed at making their rivals pay a price in next year’s elections.
Congressional approval of the budget resolution, which seems assured, would mark a crucial first step by Democrats toward enacting the heart of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. It would open the door to a follow-up measure aiming the government’s fiscal might at assisting families, creating jobs and fighting climate change, with higher taxes on the wealthy and big companies footing much of the bill.
Senate Judiciary interviewing former DOJ officials about Trump post-election efforts
The Senate Judiciary Committee has interviewed former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue in its investigation into whether former President Donald Trump tried to enlist the Justice Department in his effort to overturn the 2020 election results.
A spokesperson for the committee confirmed that it held a closed-door interview with Donoghue on Friday and a seven-hour interview with Rosen on Saturday.
Senate Dems unveil $3.5T budget for social, climate efforts
Senate Democrats unwrapped a budget resolution envisioning a massive $3.5 trillion, 10-year cascade of federal resources, aiming historic sums at family support, health and education programs and an aggressive drive to heal the climate.
The measure is a pivotal first step in what will likely be a tumultuous, months-long Democratic legislative march toward a progressive reshaping of the federal government that also hews to President Joe Biden’s top domestic policy ambitions.
Florida Still Sees Record COVID-19 Surge As School Year Begins, But DeSantis Digs In
Florida continues to be the COVID-19 epicenter of the highly transmissible delta variant, with record new cases and rising hospitalizations as some schools start their new year ― but the deadly dilemma does not seem to faze the state’s Republican governor.
Florida recorded an alarming 157,388 new cases between Aug. 2 and Aug. 8, bringing the state’s total cases to nearly 2.8 million, according to data reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In that same time period, the state saw 791 new deaths, bringing that total to 39,934.
COVID-19 hospitalizations also increased at record-breaking levels for six consecutive days last week, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Pentagon Issues COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate For All U.S. Military Members
Members of the U.S. military will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine beginning next month under a plan laid out by the Pentagon and endorsed by President Joe Biden. In memos distributed to all troops, top Pentagon leaders said the vaccine is a necessary step to maintain military readiness.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the mid-September deadline could be accelerated if the vaccine receives final FDA approval or infection rates continue to rise.
“I will seek the president’s approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon” licensure by the Food and Drug Administration “whichever comes first,” Austin said in his memo sent Monday, warning them to prepare for the requirement.
Senate advances bipartisan infrastructure bill in key test vote
With multiple Republicans joining Democrats in the effort, the bipartisan infrastructure bill cleared another hurdle on its way to passing the Senate on Saturday afternoon.
By a vote of 67-27, the Senate voted to advance the bill toward final passage. It’s not yet clear when the bill will receive a final vote, but Saturday’s vote makes all but certain that it will pass the Senate.
At least 60 votes were necessary to move forward on Saturday, a hurdle easily cleared with 18 Republicans joining all Democrats.
Homeland Security warns of ‘increasing but modest’ threat of violence from Trump conspiracy
The Department of Homeland Security said Friday they have observed “an increasing but modest level of activity online” by people who are calling for violence in response to baseless claims of 2020 election fraud and related to the conspiracy theory that former President Donald Trump will be reinstated.
“Some conspiracy theories associated with reinstating former President Trump have included calls for violence if desired outcomes are not realized,” according to a DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis bulletin obtained by ABC News.
There is no evidence that shows there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Vaccine mandates would make a difference: NIH director
National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said Sunday he believes vaccine requirements could make a difference in slowing the rapid spread of COVID-19 and acknowledged how politics has polarized public opinion on pandemic mitigation strategies.
“Why is it that a mandate about a vaccine or wearing a mask suddenly becomes a statement of your political party? We never should have let that happen.” Collins told ABC “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos.
“Come on, America — we’re incredibly polarized about politics, we don’t really need to be polarized about a virus that’s killing people,” Collins continued. “We ought to be doing everything we can to save lives.”
Top aide to embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns
A top aide to embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned Sunday, saying in a statement that the last two years have been “emotionally and mentally trying.”
Melissa DeRosa resigned as secretary to the governor as Cuomo faces calls to step down after New York’s attorney general released a report less than a week ago alleging that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women and violated state and federal laws.
Cuomo, who has resisted calls to resign from top Democratic lawmakers and President Joe Biden, has denied the allegations.
Eric Boehlert: New York Times demands Cuomo resign — in four years they never called for Trump to step down
Rushing in to inform readers that in the wake of damning investigation into his history of sexual harassment, New York’s Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo is no longer suited for office, the New York Times editorial page waited barely 24 hours to reach its sweeping conclusion — “Governor Cuomo, You Should Resign.”
“Regardless of what may happen in a court of law, the governor has only one conscionable option left: He should resign,” the Times announced. “If Mr. Cuomo cares for the well-being of the state and its citizens as much as he has said he does over the years, he needs to do the right thing and step down.”
The Times was unequivocal. What made the clarion call so jarring was it came from the same editorial page that refused for four years to demand Trump resign from office — to conclude, as they did regarding Cuomo, that stepping down remained Trump’s “only conscionable option left,” and urging him to do the “right thing.”
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun
The Rude Pundit: Maybe We’re Just Sick of Ignorance and This Time We Can Do Something About It
The easiest way to describe the genuine anger at the anti-vax idiots is that we’re fucking sick of their shit. We’re tired of having the direction of our lives decided by the most credulous and easily manipulated motherfuckers in the population. We’ve reached the end of our proverbial ropes and, goddamnit, we’re done buying longer ropes.
You saw that today when New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who successfully guided his state through the worst shit in the first part of the pandemic, was fucking done with the anti-vax protesters at a news conference he was having. “Because of what you are saying and standing for people are losing their life… and you have to know that,” he told the hooting morons, calling them “knuckleheads,” a favorite term of his.
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Senators struggle to amend, finish $1T infrastructure bill
Nearing decision time, senators were struggling to wrap up work on the bipartisan infrastructure plan despite hopes to expedite consideration and voting on the nearly $1 trillion proposal.
The package had appeared on track for eventual Senate passage, a rare accord between Republicans and Democrats joining on a shared priority that also is essential to President Joe Biden’s agenda. But senators hit new problems late Thursday as they worked late into the night on amendments. A procedural vote was set for Saturday.
“We’ve worked long, hard and collaboratively, to finish this important bipartisan bill,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., just before midnight. In announcing Saturday’s schedule, he said “We very much want to finish.”
Education secretary warns DeSantis, Abbott on masks: ‘Don’t be the reason why schools are interrupted’why schools are interrupted’
With only weeks before schools reopen in much of the country, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said Thursday at the White House that while the Delta variant of the coronavirus is “providing new challenges,” he still anticipates a return to in-class instruction.
“We expect our students to be in the classroom every day,” Cardona said from the White House Briefing Room, as he and other administration officials embark on a campaign to convince the American public that schools are safe. To do that, he will have to keep powerful teachers’ unions in line while persuading Republican governors like Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas to allow school districts to impose mask mandates. Both governors have strenuously resisted such measures, even as their states are pummeled by the Delta variant.
FDA Working On Booster Vaccine Strategy, Could Release Next Month
The Food and Drug Administration could unveil a nationwide strategy on COVID-19 booster vaccines as early as next month amid the ongoing surge in new infections linked to the highly transmissible delta variant of the virus, according to reports.
The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the agency’s discussions, first reported that the administration of President Joe Biden is working quickly to develop policies around booster shots amid concern about the ongoing length of the pandemic and if those who are vaccinated will remain protected, particularly Americans that are more susceptible to severe infection.
Justice official accused Trump of using DOJ to push election fraud claims in draft resignation letter
House investigators have interviewed a former Justice Department official who drafted – but never sent – a resignation letter over what he said were former President Donald Trump’s “direct instructions” to use the department to support his false election fraud claims.
Patrick Hovakimian, chief of staff to then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, wrote the resignation letter January 3 in anticipation that Rosen would be fired at an extraordinary meeting that day with the former President at the White House, according to people briefed on the matter.
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DeSantis turns his ire on Biden instead of Covid-19 as it rages in Florida
Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has a message for President Joe Biden: He’s not getting out of the way even as his rejection of masking and public health guidance risks fueling his state’s raging Covid-19 cases.
DeSantis relished the chance to climb on a national stage to battle Biden on Wednesday, after the President accused him and Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott – who preside over the two states with most new infections over the past week – ofworsening a pandemic that once seemed to have abated.
The confrontation was the latest sign of how DeSantis – who is expected to be a top contender in the next Republican presidential primary if former President Donald Trump doesn’t run – is weaponizing his stewardship of the emergency to further his own political aspirations, previewing a possible 2024 White House matchup if Biden seeks reelection.
Majority of New York state Assembly support beginning process to impeach Cuomo
Over 80 New York state Assembly lawmakers said they would support starting the process of impeaching Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) if he decides not to resign, one day after an independent inquiry found that the governor had sexually harassed at least 11 women.
Of the legislative body’s 150 members, at least 86 lawmakers told The Associated Press or have publicly stated that they would support beginning the process to impeach Cuomo if he does not step down, the wire service reported.
Dr. Irwin Redlener: How Trump’s ‘World of Bullsh**’ Unleashed Today’s Delta Surge
The latest data is showing us something very important: that with the new Delta variant, the viral load, the amount of virus carried by an infected person, is the same whether or not that person has been vaccinated. This is a different situation than we understood before, with previous variants and the original virus, because all three of the vaccinations available here—Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J—were able to suppress the amount of virus. Not eliminate it, necessarily, but certainly we were seeing big differences in the virus load being carried by vaccinated versus unvaccinated. That no longer seems to be the case. Even though the vaccines will, by and large, prevent very serious illness or death in a person who gets infected with the Delta variant, it turns out that the vaccines do not suppress the amount of virus in a person’s body.
Read the rest of the interview with Dr. Irwin Redlener at The Daily Beast
After Biden proposes, CDC issues new 60-day eviction moratorium
Under heavy pressure from progressive Democrats to extend the eviction moratorium as millions of Americans faced being forced out of their homes, President Joe Biden on Tuesday said his administration would announce a new “safety valve” action.
Shortly afterward, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order barring evictions for 60 days in counties with “substantial and high levels” of community transmission.
Fauci hopes Pfizer vaccine will get full FDA approval in weeks
Dr. Anthony Fauci said he hopes Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine receives full approval from the Food and Drug Administration within the next couple of weeks.
Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, appeared on CNN Tuesday evening to react to the news the FDA was speeding up its timetable for giving final approval to the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, aiming to complete the process by the end of the month.
10 of the biggest findings from the Cuomo sexual harassment probe
The report issued Tuesday by the New York attorney general’s office graphically detailed numerous accusations of sexual harassment by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The governor forcefully denied the allegations and ignored renewed calls for his resignation after the report was released.
To read the rest of the story and see the list, go to NBC News
Biden Calls Out Texas, Florida GOP Govs Over COVID-19: ‘Get Out Of The Way’
President Joe Biden on Tuesday criticized the Republican governors of Florida and Texas for hindering public health measures to control a surging strain of the coronavirus, asking them “to get out of the way” if they are not willing to help.
“What are we doing? COVID-19 is a national challenge,” he said in prepared remarks on the delta variant of the virus that he delivered from the East Room of the White House. “If some governors aren’t willing to do the right thing to beat this pandemic, then they should allow businesses and universities who want to do the right thing to be able to do it. I say to these governors: ‘Please help. But if you are not going to help, at least get out of the way of the people who are trying to do the right thing.’”
Biden Administration Seeks to Blunt Effects From End of Eviction Moratorium
With the federal moratorium on evictions having expired over the weekend, the White House on Monday sought to limit the impact, demanding that states speed up disbursement of billions of dollars in bottled-up rental aid while pleading with local governments to enact their own extensions.
President Biden — under fire from the left of his party for not extending the freeze and eager to prove he was taking action to prevent evictions — directed federal agencies to consider targeted extensions for tenants in federally subsidized housing, asked state judges to slow-walk eviction proceedings and called for a review of problems that have slowed the flow of aid.
Delta variant drives nationwide COVID surge, prompting new mandates
Healthcare workers in Missouri are bearing the brunt as hospitalizations among people with COVID-19 have nearly doubled in a month.
The hardest hit area includes Springfield, where there’s been a dramatic rise of COVID-19 patients in one hospital system since mask mandates were lifted before two big holiday weekends. CoxHealth brought in a new morgue and doubled its oxygen reserves to prepare for the anticipated rise in cases and deaths. On Monday, it had 187 coronavirus patients — its highest ever.
Fourth police officer who responded to Capitol insurrection dies of suicide
A Washington, DC police officer who responded to the deadly riot at the US Capitol on Jan. 6 took his own life last month, making him the fourth law enforcement officer who took part in the events of that day to die by his own hand.
Officer Kyle DeFreytag helped enforce the curfew put in place after hundreds of supporters of then-President Donald Trump breached the Capitol building in an effort to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results, The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) told WUSA.
Sen. Lindsey Graham Says He’s Tested Positive For COVID-19
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is showing symptoms of the disease, while expressing gratitude that he has been vaccinated.
“I feel like I have a sinus infection and at present time I have mild symptoms,” he tweeted. “I am very glad I was vaccinated because without vaccination I am certain I would not feel as well as I do now. My symptoms would be far worse.”
David Gosar: Our brother Paul Gosar backed Trump’s lie and betrayed America. Has he no shame?
In 1954, the Boston lawyer Joseph Welch famously asked Wisconsin Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy, “At long last, sir, have you left no sense of decency?” It was a question that marked the beginning of the end for McCarthy’s madness, and the senator died a disgraced and despised opportunist.
We are not surprised to see him heading down a very similar path to McCarthy’s. So, have you no sense of decency, Paul?
We now ask our brother, Rep. Paul Gosar, that same question. Although his colleagues in Congress and others in the media seem to only recently be paying attention, we have been aware of his unhinged behavior for years. We are therefore not surprised to see him heading down a very similar path to McCarthy’s.
Charlie Pierce: This Pandemic Has Turned Our Historical Reaction to Epidemic Disease on Its Head
On the electric Twitter machine, the kidz have this “Shot…Chaser” meme thing that seems to be wildly popular. Last week, and you may have seen the video on the Intertoobz, a meeting of the county council of St. Louis County was set to discuss a new mask mandate for indoor public places and all public transportation. (As is the case generally in Missouri, Covid cases are spiking toward February levels again.) An obstreperous mob of ginned-up chronic cases made something of a shambles of the meeting, and it got even worse outside the meeting room.
Rudy Giuliani Is Reportedly Almost Broke And Trump’s Shutting Him Out
Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani is almost broke and Trump doesn’t seem to care all that much, sources have told The New York Times.
Giuliani is currently struggling under a mountain of legal fees as he attempts to fend off a major federal investigation and answer a $1.3 billion lawsuit. Trump, meanwhile, isn’t pitching in a dime of the millions he has raised in his ongoing battle against a legitimate election, according to New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman.
Giuliani’s supporters are “aghast” that Trump isn’t helping out, according to Haberman, given that many of his activities were carried out on Trump’s behalf to push the former president’s “Big Lie” of a rigged election.
Evictions Expected To Spike As Federal Moratorium Ends
Evictions, which have mostly been on pause during the pandemic, are expected to ramp up on Monday after the expiration of a federal moratorium as housing courts take up more cases and tenants are locked out of their homes.
Housing advocates fear the end of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium could result in millions of people being evicted in the coming weeks. But most expect an uptick in filings in the coming days rather than a wave of evictions.
Anthony Fauci Warns ‘Things Are Going To Get Worse,’ Shares COVID-19 Projections
With coronavirus cases continually rising and millions of Americans remaining unvaccinated, Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday said he expects “things are going to get worse” in the U.S., while stopping short of predicting future lockdowns.
“We’re looking not, I believe, to lockdown but we’re looking to some pain and suffering in the future because we’re seeing the cases go up, which is the reason why we keep saying over and over again: The solution to this is get vaccinated and this would not be happening,” he said in an interview with ABC News’ “This Week.”
Fauci, who serves as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, pointed to cases consistently rising since late June for his dread.
Senate introduces text of bipartisan infrastructure package
Senators introduced the long-awaited text of their bipartisan infrastructure bill Sunday, aiming to pass the massive measure this week.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would push forward with amendments to the legislation, which senators were finalizing through the weekend.
“Given how bipartisan the bill is, and how much work has already been put in to get the details right, I believe the Senate can quickly process relevant amendments and pass this bill in a matter of days,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
Eric Boehlert: Chuck Todd and the myth of Liberal Media Bias
Surveying the media landscape and seeing a Beltway press corps that’s constantly on the run from Republican attacks, Meet The Press moderator Chuck Todd this week urged his colleagues to stand up to the right-wing bullies, who have spent decades demonizing journalists.
“We should have fought back better in the mainstream media. We shouldn’t [have] accepted the premise that there was liberal bias. We should have defended,” Todd told The Verge. “We ended up in this both-sides trope. We bought into the idea that, ‘Oh my God, we’re perceived as having a liberal bias.’”
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun
The Rude Pundit: The Trumpist Right Wants to Emasculate Any Male Who Has Emotions About January 6
The first hearing of the House Select Committee on the January 6 terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol ran the way every hearing on a national tragedy should run. It was emotional, informative, and unifying (yes, unifying – I’ll get to that at the end). By refusing to allow the participation of Rep. Jim Jordan, who is one of the most ardent carriers of every drop of water Donald Trump dribbles and someone who looks like he smells like sweaty, unwashed polyester, Nancy Pelosi assured the committee that it wouldn’t be interrupted by constant bullshit objections and constant questions about Antifa and Black Lives Matter. Instead, we got real.
House passes $2 billion Capitol security bill in response to insurrection, clearing it for Biden’s signature
The House voted 416 to 11 on Thursday to approve a roughly $2 billion Capitol Hill security spending bill in response to the deadly January 6 insurrection, clearing the measure for President Joe Biden’s signature.
The House vote came shortly after the Senate voted unanimously to pass the measure by a tally of 98-0.
The security supplemental funding bill will provide funding for the Capitol Police, the National Guard and other law enforcement partners to cover costs incurred during the insurrection. The legislation would help ensure the Capitol is protected in the future by paying for security upgrades at the Capitol complex. Funding is also set aside for expenses related to Covid-19 response at the Capitol and several other priorities.
Read the rest of the story at CNN
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House Republicans spar with Pelosi over return of mask requirements
A number of House Republicans, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, are wrestling with Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the return of a mask mandate in the House, protesting the requirement and even calling for her removal from office.
“That is not a speaker for America. That’s a speaker only concerned about her own wealth, her own direction and our own control,” McCarthy said at a news conference Thursday morning. “This is the people’s house, not Pelosi’s house.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out new recommendations this week over mounting concerns about the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. The CDC recommended indoor mask use in areas of the country with high transmission rates after new data suggested that fully vaccinated people not only are contracting Covid-19 but also could be infecting others.
With eviction moratorium expiring Saturday, Biden calls on Congress to act
The Biden administration on Thursday called on Congress to extend a federal freeze on evictions set to expire on Saturday, arguing its hands are tied by the Supreme Court.
The new statement comes as the country grapples with a COVID-19 surge fueled by the highly contagious delta variant.
The moratorium, essentially a nationwide ban on evictions, was put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last September. In June, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to allow the eviction ban to continue through the end of July but signaled in its ruling that it would block any further extensions unless there was “clear and specific congressional authorization.”
Biden Calls On States To Give $100 To Every Newly Vaccinated Person
President Joe Biden has called on state and local governments to give $100 to those who opt to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
The White House announced the new plan Thursday as the dangerous delta variant continues to spread across the U.S. and some states lag behind in vaccination rates.
The White House said the new plan will incentivize the vaccine-hesitant to go get their shots.
Kinzinger says ‘a lot’ of Republicans have privately conveyed support for his January 6 stance
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of just two Republicans on the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection, said Wednesday that “a lot” of GOP lawmakers have privately conveyed support to him, as he stressed that “nobody actually believes” the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.
“There’s a lot of people, you know. They come up and say it,” Kinzinger told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room” of his Republican colleagues privately signaling support. “It’s not any of the ones that go on TV and spout the ‘Big Lie,’ and then say it. It’s the ones that are staying more quiet that I think appreciate the stand. But it’s a lot.”
And while GOP lawmaker have publicly echoed Trump’s election lies, the Illinois Republican maintained that “nobody actually believes the election was stolen from Donald Trump. But a lot of them are happy to go out and say it was.”
Biden will announce vaccination requirement across federal government on Thursday
President Joe Biden will announce on Thursday a requirement that all federal employees and contractors be vaccinated against Covid-19, or be required to submit to regular testing and mitigation requirements, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
The announcement will come in remarks where Biden is also expected to lay out a series of new steps, including incentives, in an attempt to spur new vaccinations as the Delta variant spreads rapidly throughout the country. It will also follow the decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to require its frontline health care workers to be vaccinated over the course of the next two months.
Biden alluded to the looming announcement on Tuesday.
Pelosi calls GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy a “moron” for criticizing mask mandate
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy “a moron” for criticizing the reinstitution of a mask mandate in the House of Representatives.
“He’s such a moron,” Pelosi said as she entered an SUV outside the Capitol Wednesday morning, after a reporter asked her to react to McCarthy’s claim that the mandate was “not based on science.”
Pelosi had previously said that the mask mandate is within “the purview of the Capitol physician. I have nothing to say about that except we honor it.”
Senate votes to move forward with bipartisan infrastructure bill
The Senate voted to move forward on a bipartisan infrastructure bill after weeks of negotiations on Wednesday, clearing a key procedural hurdle on a bill that includes $550 billion in new spending for infrastructure projects around the country.
The vote to advance the legislation Wednesday night was 67 to 32, with 17 Republicans joining Democrats in voting in favor. Sixty votes were required to move the bill forward. The text of the proposal had not yet been released when the vote took place.
Simone Biles Withdraws From Women’s All-Around Final At Tokyo Olympics
Gymnast Simone Biles will not compete in the women’s individual all-around final at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday, USA Gymnastics said.
“After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition,” USA Gymnastics stated. “We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.”
Biden Says Vaccine Mandate For Federal Employees ‘Under Consideration’
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that his administration was mulling the possibility of requiring COVID-19 vaccines for all federal employees.
Asked during a press conference whether he would impose a vaccine mandate on the federal workforce, Biden said, “That’s under consideration right now.”
“But if you’re not vaccinated, you’re not nearly as smart as I thought you were,” the president added.
‘Partisan Pageantry’: Republican Senators Dismiss Emotional Jan. 6 Hearing
Senate Republicans waved off police officers’ emotional accounts Tuesday of battling a violent mob of Donald Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as a partisan escapade not worth paying attention to.
“Just more of [House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s] partisan pageantry. She loves drama,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), who did not view the testimony. “Just because she loves drama doesn’t mean I have to attend the performance.”
The four officers who testified before the newly created House select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 riot described vicious attacks, racial epithets and fearing for their lives as they attempted to prevent hundreds of rioters from breaching the Capitol. One Metropolitan Police Department officer directly slammed lawmakers who continued to downplay the violence despite enjoying the protection of Capitol Police officers every day.
7 Key Takeaways From The First Day Of Jan. 6 Commission Testimony
Tuesday marked the first meeting of the House select committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, with hours of emotional testimony about the mob of angry Donald Trump supporters who stormed the building and terrorized its occupants.
Four law enforcement officers delivered prepared remarks before the panel and answered questions: U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, and Metropolitan Police officers Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges.
Each was on the front lines of the attack and spoke of injuries they sustained both mentally and physically. Each also showed varying degrees of emotion on the stand ― whether they were clearly holding back tears or reaching for a tissue.
Pfizer And Moderna To Expand Studies Of Vaccines In 5- To 11-Year-Olds
Pfizer and Moderna are expanding the size of their vaccine trials for children 5 to 11 years old, seeking to better detect very rare heart issues among those vaccinated.
The major vaccine makers are increasing the number of children enrolled in their studies at the prompting of the federal Food and Drug Administration, first reported by The New York Times.
The FDA asked the companies to include 3,000 children — or double the previous number of participants — in order to be adequately able to detect rare side effects such as myocarditis or pericarditis, inflammations of the heart, according to unnamed sources who spoke to the Times.
Former Sen. Barbara Boxer Assaulted, Robbed In California
Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer was assaulted and robbed Monday in Oakland, California, her son said.
The assault happened in the Jack London Square neighborhood, according to a tweet on Boxer’s verified Twitter account.
“The assailant pushed her in the back, stole her cell phone and jumped in a waiting car,” the tweet said. “She is thankful that she was not seriously injured.”
California Will Require State Employees, Health Care Workers To Get Vaccinated
Californians who work for the state, in health care, or in a handful of other high-risk settings will be required to show proof they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing, the governor announced Monday.
The policy will take effect for state employees on Aug. 2. Staffers at what the state has deemed “high-risk congregate settings” have until Aug. 9 to get their shots, while employees at health care facilities will have until Aug. 23.
Democrats look to move past partisan rancor and set serious tone for Jan. 6 investigation today
Members on the panel have been preparing for weeks to move swiftly with an investigation examining key unanswered questions surrounding the breaching of the Capitol by a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters who echoed his false claims about the 2020 election while seeking to stop Congress’s efforts to certify its results and declare Joe Biden the next president.
Charlie Pierce: The FBI’s Brett Kavanaugh Probe Always Smelled Like a Sham
Anyone who sat through the extended hearings into the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court realized that the whole business was completely off at its center. Christine Blasey Ford was so believable that the blasts of outrage from the likes of Lindsey Graham, and from the nominee himself, smacked of ludicrous overkill, particularly since they had the votes to confirm him unless they found his fingerprints on the Lindbergh baby. When Kavanaugh angrily asked Senator Amy Klobuchar if she’d ever been blackout drunk—even if he didn’t know about her father’s alcoholism—he made Clarence Thomas’ evocation of a “high-tech lynching” sound like calm, reasoned parliamentary rhetoric. He sounded guilty as hell, and even some of the Republicans, especially then-Senator Jeff Flake, suspected the same.
Growing group of GOP members wants McCarthy to punish Kinzinger and Cheney for joining January 6 committee
A growing group of rank-and-file House Republicans wants House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and GOP leadership to punish Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for accepting a position from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on the select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection.
The push to seek punishment rose to a new level on Sunday, after Pelosi announced that Kinzinger had accepted her invitation to join the committee. Initially, most rank-and-file Republicans were content to let Cheney serve without much of a fight, but Kinzinger’s addition has changed the conversation and has put a new level of pressure on McCarthy.
Kevin McCarthy Says Pelosi Picking 1/6 Committee Members ‘Who Share Her Pre-Conceived Narrative’ After She Appoints Kinzinger
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy decried the 1/6 select committee after Speaker Nancy Pelosi added a second Republican to it.
McCarthy announced five Republicans for the committee last week. Pelosi rejected two of them — Jim Banks and Jim Jordan — so McCarthy pulled all five of them.
One of Pelosi’s appointments was Republican Liz Cheney, and on Sunday she added another Republican, Adam Kinzinger. Both Cheney and Kinzinger have been vocal calling out the big lie about the 2020 election.
Fauci: U.S. Headed In ‘Wrong Direction’ On Coronavirus, Delta Variant
The United States is in an “unnecessary predicament” of soaring COVID-19 cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert said Sunday.
“We’re going in the wrong direction,’’ said Dr. Anthony Fauci, describing himself as “very frustrated.”
He said recommending that the vaccinated wear masks is “under active consideration’’ by the government’s leading public health officials. Also, booster shots may be suggested for people with suppressed immune systems who have been vaccinated, Fauci said.
GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger Says He’ll Serve On Jan. 6 House Committee
Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger has confirmed he will serve on the select panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol shortly after receiving an invite from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
“Let me be clear, I’m a Republican dedicated to conservative values, but I swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution ― and while this is not the position I expected to be in or sought out, when duty calls, I will always answer,” the Illinois congressman said in a statement posted to Twitter on Sunday. “I will work diligently to ensure we get to the truth and hold those responsible for the attack fully accountable.”
Dean Obeidallah: Fox News’ Covid vaccine denials can’t go unpunished
Typically, when Fox News spews lies or misinformation on political issues, my response is a mix of fact-checking and eye rolls. But the current misinformation campaign about the Covid-19 vaccine from some of Fox News’ most popular hosts demands more than a typical response given lives are on the line.
That’s why I filed a complaint this week with the Federal Trade Commission against Fox News for possible violations of the Covid-19 Consumer Protection Act. That law, enacted in December 2020, makes it “unlawful” for a corporation or individual “to engage in a deceptive act or practice in or affecting commerce associated with the treatment, cure, prevention, mitigation, or diagnosis of COVID–19.” My goal in filing this case is to prompt the agency to investigate and bring an end to the apparently deceptive information Fox News has been selling to the consumers of its channel.
Eric Boehlert: Remember when Politico said DeSantis “won the pandemic”?
Florida has become a Covid-19 debacle, again.
Now accounting for one-in-every five new cases nationwide, the Sunshine State under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has emerged as a beacon of irresponsibility. Not that he seems to care.
Off visiting Texas recently to take part in more GOP photo-ops at the border, DeSantis often brushes off the pandemic bad news. “It’s a seasonal virus and this is the seasonal pattern it follows in the Sun Belt states,” he said this week. (He blamed“quote-unquote ‘experts’” for criticizing the unvaccinated.) The governor is busy though, selling anti-vaccine merchandise, like “Don’t Fauci My Florida” t-shirts.
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun.
The Rude Pundit: Answering the Dumb Responses to “Why We’re So Fucking Angry at the Unvaccinated”
n response to my post from earlier this week, a number of skeevy anti-vax taint-huffers wrote to inform me of how wrong I am. Some were of the polite “have you considered this?” variety. Others were more along the line of “Fuck you, you fucking asshole.” My favorite was the one person who accused me of being a shill for Big Pharma, making bank by promoting their murder shot. Man, I wish.
Of course, what goes unexplained in that scenario there is that if Big Pharma were really deceiving people and serving up poison, wouldn’t that eliminate their customer base? I mean, at least oxy addicted people for a while before they died. You kill your users right out of the gate, and you’ve cut your profits way down.
Tokyo new virus cases near 2,000 a day before Olympics open
Tokyo hit another six-month high in new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, one day before the Olympics begin, as worries grow of a worsening of infections during the Games.
Thursday’s 1,979 new cases are the highest since 2,044 were recorded on Jan. 15.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is determined to hold the Olympics, placed Tokyo under a state of emergency on July 12, but daily cases have sharply increased since then.
Mississippi asks Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade
The state of Mississippi formally asked the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday to uphold its ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that gave women the unfettered right to end a pregnancy before a fetus is viable outside the womb.
“Under the Constitution, may a State prohibit elective abortions before viability? Yes. Why? Because nothing in constitutional text, structure, history, or tradition supports a right to abortion,” the state says bluntly in its opening brief in a blockbuster case that will dominate the court’s next term.
Pelosi says other Republicans “expressed their interest” in serving on January 6 select committee
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that some Republican lawmakers have “expressed their interest” in serving on the select committee investigating the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy threatened to pull his picks from the panel.
Pelosi has not said whether she would appoint other GOP lawmakers to the January 6 select committee but, when asked whether she would make the call on adding more members to the panel, said Democratic leadership and the lawmakers tapped for it work together.
CDC Director Says Delta Variant Of COVID-19 Among ‘Most Transmissible’ Viruses Known
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued a stark warning Thursday about the spread of the delta strain of COVID-19, saying the variant is one of the “most infectious respiratory viruses” scientists know of.
The dire message comes amid urgency from public health officials that Americans get vaccinated. The CDC said earlier this week that cases of the delta strain now make up about 83% of new infections in the U.S., and a majority of deaths from the disease are among unvaccinated people.
US virus cases nearly triple in 2 weeks amid misinformation
COVID-19 cases nearly tripled in the U.S. over two weeks amid an onslaught of vaccine misinformation that is straining hospitals, exhausting doctors and pushing clergy into the fray.
“Our staff, they are frustrated,” said Chad Neilsen, director of infection prevention at UF Health Jacksonville, a Florida hospital that is canceling elective surgeries and procedures after the number of mostly unvaccinated COVID-19 inpatients at its two campuses jumped to 134, up from a low of 16 in mid-May.
“They are tired. They are thinking this is déjà vu all over again, and there is some anger because we know that this is a largely preventable situation, and people are not taking advantage of the vaccine.”
Infrastructure vote fails as senators try to salvage bipartisan deal
Senate Republicans blocked moving forward on a bipartisan infrastructure bill that’s still being negotiated on Wednesday. Surprisingly, members of the group insist they’re unbothered.
The vote amounted to a setback to a key priority of President Joe Biden, although members of both parties expect at least one more try in the coming days. GOP centrists say they may be willing to provide the votes as early as Monday, when they think discussions will conclude over a bill expected to provide nearly $600 billion.
Biden Predicts F.D.A. Will Give Final Vaccine Approval by the Fall
President Biden said on Wednesday that he expected the Food and Drug Administration would give final approval quickly for coronavirus vaccines, as he pressed for skeptical Americans to get vaccinated and stop another surge of the pandemic.
Speaking to a town hall audience in Ohio, Mr. Biden said he was not intervening in the decisions of government scientists, but pointed toward a potential decision soon from the F.D.A. to give final approval for the vaccines, which are currently authorized for emergency use. Many medical professionals have pushed for the final approval, saying it could help increase uptake of the vaccines.
McCarthy threatens to pull Jan. 6 committee choices after Pelosi rejects GOP Reps. Jordan and Banks
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., rejected two of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s picks for the select committee formed to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, prompting McCarthy to threaten to pull all of his proposed appointees.
Pelosi spoke with McCarthy, R-Calif., on Wednesday morning “about the objections raised” to his decision to appoint Republican Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio and “the impact their appointments could have on the integrity of the investigation,” she said in a statement.
Senate Republicans warn Schumer they won’t help on Wednesday’s high-stakes infrastructure vote
As the Senate barrels toward a key test vote Wednesday on a bipartisan infrastructure deal, some Senate Republicans involved in trying to nail down the deal are pleading with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to delay the vote until next week.
Key Republican negotiators in the bipartisan group of senators who have been trying to work out the deal say they believe they can firm up their proposal by Monday. The group huddled over Mexican food and wine behind closed doors for over two hours late Tuesday night, but left without squaring all of their differences on how to pay for the $1.2 trillion package.
Delta Variant Now Makes Up 83% Of New U.S. COVID Cases: CDC Director
The more transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus now makes up about 83% of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S., with the majority of deaths occurring in unvaccinated people, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
“This is a dramatic increase up from 50%, the week of July 3,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky said of the current rate of cases involving the delta strain during a Senate hearing. “In some parts of the country, the percentage is even higher.”
Over the last week, the U.S. has averaged 239 deaths per day from the virus. This is a near-48% increase from the prior week. The overwhelming majority of deaths are among those who are unvaccinated, she said.
Fourth Oath Keeper in Capitol riot pleads guilty, cooperates with FBI
A fourth person who joined with members of the far-right Oath Keepers during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot pleaded guilty Tuesday and was cooperating with federal investigators.
The man, Caleb Berry, 20, of Tampa, Florida, admitted in federal court in Washington, D.C., that he and other group members planned for Jan. 6 and entered the Capitol in a single-file formation.
Prosecutors had asked a federal judge to keep records of his case under seal until Tuesday to avoid tipping off other Oath Keepers who face federal charges. Maintaining secrecy “will ensure the defendant’s safety while he cooperates pursuant to his plea agreement,” they said.
Tom Barrack, Trump’s inaugural committee chair, charged with acting as agent of UAE
Tom Barrack, who chaired former President Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee, was arrested Tuesday on charges that he unlawfully influenced the foreign policy positions of the campaign and administration to advance the interests of the United Arab Emirates, the Department of Justice said.
In a seven-count grand jury indictment, unsealed in a New York federal court, Barrack, 74, and two others are accused of “acting and conspiring to act as agents” of the UAE between April 2016 and April 2018, but without registering as foreign agents. Barrack was also charged with obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements to federal law enforcement agents.
Delta variant fears send Dow tumbling more than 700 points in worst one-day decline of 2021
Global stock markets swooned Monday, with the Dow slumping more than 700 points, as investors grow increasingly anxious about a delta-led resurgence in coronavirus cases and its potential to derail the economic recovery. Oil prices also fell sharply.
The delta variant is now the dominant strain worldwide and surging rapidly, even in countries with high vaccination rates. New coronavirus infections in the United States rose nearly 70 percent in a single week, officials reported Friday, and nearly every state has reported an increase in cases. Japan declared a state of emergency in Tokyo during the Summer Games — which kick off later this week — and banned spectators, but there have been several positive coronavirus tests at the Olympic Village and an alternate for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team has tested positive. Many market watchers are fearful the uptick will lead to a resumption in travel and business restrictions.
Biden tries to clarify comment that Facebook is ‘killing people’
Days after Facebook publicly rejected President Joe Biden’s message to the platform that it’s “killing people” by allowing the spread of vaccine misinformation, even as COVID-19 infections rise and vaccinations fall around the U.S., he tried to clean up his comment about the social media giant Monday, saying he hopes Facebook doesn’t take it “personally.”
Following remarks on the economy at the White House, a reporter asked about his comment Friday to companies and platforms like Facebook, the president interjected to answer before the reporter could finish.
GOP leader Kevin McCarthy makes his picks for Jan. 6 select committee
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has selected five members to join the select committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, two Republican aides said Monday.
McCarthy tapped Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rodney Davis of Illinois, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota and Troy Nehls of Texas to serve on the panel.
Banks will be the committee’s ranking member. Jordan has been a Trump firebrand in Congress, often haranguing witnesses and criticizing Democrats during high-profile hearings.
Southern surge: Hospitals brace for wave of Covid cases not seen in months
For doctors at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, a rush of new Covid-19 cases and a dwindling availability of beds feels like the hospital is backsliding to how it was at the end of 2020.
The latest projections from the school’s college of public health suggests statewide Covid hospitalizations will triple in the next two weeks, which would mean a return to a chaotic period when staffing and resources were strained, elective operations were limited and it seemed like there was no end to the crisis in sight.
If that happens, “that will surpass what we saw last winter,” said Dr. Steppe Mette, the CEO of the university’s Medical Center in Little Rock.
Dr. Irwin Redlener: To Save American Lives, Biden Needs to Ask Trump For His Help
“I doubt that either POTUS 45 or 46 would be anxious to admit that it was complementary efforts by both presidents that allowed the U.S. to create, manufacture, and distribute Covid-19 vaccines in record time and with startling efficiency. But it was after Operation Warp Speed that President Biden was able to focus on upping vaccine production even further and simultaneously assemble a spectacularly effective team to make sure that the shots were distributed rapidly and promoted aggressively. In so doing, the Biden strategy resulted in twice as many doses administered as he himself had set as a goal for his first 100 days.
To read the rest of Dr. Irwin Redlener’s piece, go to The Daily Beast
Social media must do more to support vaccination, surgeon general says
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Sunday dismissed the idea that the Biden administration is looking for a scapegoat and using Facebook misinformation as an excuse for missing its vaccination goals.
“This is about the health of Americans and the reality is that misinformation is still spreading like wildfire in our country, aided and abetted by technology platforms,” Murthy said on “Fox News Sunday.” “I have been in dialogue with a number of technology companies in good faith efforts to express my concerns to them and where they have taken positive steps. And some of them have, I’ve acknowledged that, as we should do, but what I’ve also said very clearly to them, privately and also publicly, is that it’s not enough.”
3 Texas Dems test positive for coronavirus while in D.C.
Three Texas House Democrats who fled the state have tested positive for coronavirus while in Washington, D.C., the Texas House Democratic Caucus said in a statement on Saturday.
Over 50 House Democrats from the state left on Monday to break quorum in the chamber. In doing so, they prevented Republicans from advancing proposals to change the state’s election laws, which include empowering poll watchers in the state and proposing new criminal and civil penalties for election workers, along with other legislative items in the special session.
Biden says DOJ to appeal DACA ruling he calls ‘deeply disappointing’
President Joe Biden said it’s “deeply disappointing” that a federal judge in Texas has ruled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program as unlawful, and said the Department of Justice will appeal the decision.
“While the court’s order does not now affect current DACA recipients, this decision nonetheless relegates hundreds of thousands of young immigrants to an uncertain future,” Biden said in a statement on Saturday.
Bipartisan infrastructure negotiators scramble for deal as key funding option dropped
The group of 10 bipartisan infrastructure negotiators was already having trouble coming up with ways to pay for nearly $600 billion in planned new spending, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer setting a Wednesday deadline for a key test vote on their bill turned up the heat and pressure significantly.
“That’s pretty aggressive. That means we have a lot of work to do,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a key GOP negotiator, announcing that she and her colleagues would be working through the weekend to try to finish up the details of their $1.2 trillion plan.
Eric Boehlert: Complete failure — the media’s critical race theory debacle gets worse
Did you know the entire “country” is now “panicked” about critical race theory? That absurd claim was laundered in a New York Times headline this week, as the newspaper tried to unpack the current, manufactured outrage being fueled by conservatives in their never-ending bid to wage cultural wars.
The ginned-up moral crisis continues to rage because news outlets like the Times are doing a monumentally awful job framing the story and making nonsense claims like the “country” is “panicked” about an obscure, insightful academic pursuit, usually only taught in colleges and graduate schools. (Spoiler: Most of the country has no idea what critical race theory is, let alone “panicked” by it.)
Read the rest of Eric Boehlert’s piece at and subscribe to PressRun
The Rude Pundit: Republicans Loved the Covid Vaccine Before They Hated It
I have seen a lot of cynical shit when it comes to the way that conservative politicians and media whores manipulate their fucking ignorant followers, from the Cadillac-driving welfare queens to drug hysteria to birtherism and so very much more. But I cannot wrap my head around the exploitation of fear and the selfish hyping of ideological division behind the right-wing campaign against the Covid vaccine. It’s nonsensical on a health level and on a basic reality level, and for the majority of us who know that the only way to finally be out of the coronavirus despair is with herd immunity from the vaccine, it’s unforgivable.
Ex-Trump Official Calls The GOP America’s ‘Number One National Security Threat’
A former Homeland Security official under Donald Trump says his own party is a national security threat.
Miles Taylor, who served as the agency’s deputy chief of staff and then chief of staff from 2017 to 2019, told MSNBC’s Jason Johnson that he’s not a political operative, just someone who works in national security.
“And the number one national security threat I’ve ever seen in my life to this country’s democracy is the party that I’m in, the Republican Party,” Taylor said on Thursday.
Trump denies coup attempt in latest attack on Milley
Former President Donald Trump attacked Gen. Mark Milley again on Thursday, this time over new reports that the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff sought to prevent Trump from perpetrating a government takeover reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
In a more than 400-word statement issued from his post-presidential office, Trump denied that he had ever “threatened, or spoke about, to anyone, a coup of our Government,” calling the notion “So ridiculous!”
“Sorry to inform you, but an Election is my form of ‘coup,’” Trump said, “and if I was going to do a coup, one of the last people I would want to do it with is General Mark Milley.”
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) Arrested During Protest For Voting Rights
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) was detained by U.S. Capitol Police on Thursday while protesting for voting rights alongside other Black women at a Senate office building in Washington, D.C.
Beatty, who is chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, tweeted a photo of herself being zip-tied by police with the message: “Let the people vote. Fight for justice.”
Nine people were arrested Thursday for “illegal demonstration” in a “prohibited area” of the Capitol, according to police. Two men and seven women were brought in to Capitol Police headquarters for processing.
Los Angeles County reinstates indoor mask mandate as delta variant spreads
Public health officials will reinstate an indoor mask mandate for residents of the most populous county in the nation as coronavirus cases rise just one month after the state reopened its economy.
Fueled by the quickening spread of the delta variant, the mask ordinance will go into effect late Saturday and will apply to everyone regardless of vaccination status. Exceptions will apply, but those were not immediately clear Thursday. The Public Health Department said it will release full guidance no later than Friday.
