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“PHILADELPHIA—President Biden blasted efforts in Republican-controlled states to tighten voting rules and called on Congress to advance stalled legislation in a speech Tuesday, as he faces pressure from some Democrats and activists to do more to curb GOP-backed election-law changes.
Mr. Biden likened the efforts in some states to enact tougher election rules to Jim Crow laws that prevented Blacks from voting and labeled them as undemocratic. He also criticized Republicans who oppose Democratic-sponsored voting legislation in the Senate.
‘Hear me clearly: There’s an unfolding assault taking place in America today—an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote and fair and free elections,’ Mr. Biden said. ‘An assault on democracy, an assault on liberty, an assault on who we are as Americans.’
‘We’ve got to act,’ Mr. Biden said as he ended his speech at the National Constitution Center, knocking his fist against the podium.
Voting issues have become a top priority in both parties this year. Republicans say the changes they have pushed in states such as Georgia and Texas, which include new limits on mail ballots and more identification requirements for voters requesting a mail ballot, are aimed at improving election security. They also say the federal government shouldn’t interfere with voting rules set by states.
Democrats say the GOP changes in the states are efforts to make it harder to vote, particularly for minority groups.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“President Joe Biden is set to meet with Senate Democrats at the Capitol Wednesday to discuss an agreement reached late Tuesday on a $3.5 trillion budget plan that would expand Medicare, fund climate-change initiatives and fulfill other parts of Biden's economic agenda. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, N.Y., announced the agreement for a budget reconciliation package that would fund ‘human infrastructure,’ a term Biden has used. Democrats hope to pass the legislation through reconciliation, which they could pass with a simple majority in the evenly divided Senate and avoid a filibuster. Yet, there's no guarantee Biden and the leaders can unite all Senate Democrats in support of the package.” Read more at USA Today
“Children could pay the price when vaccination rates lag, a US vaccine expert says. Young children are not yet eligible for Covid-19 vaccinations, Dr. Peter Hotez explained, so they rely on older vaccinated people for protection from the virus. As the return to school approaches, some states are prohibiting public schools from requiring Covid-19 vaccinations or proof of vaccination for students. These efforts have public health officials worried about the limitations they could place on efforts to control the coronavirus and emerging variants. Meanwhile, Norwegian Cruise Line is suing Florida's surgeon general over a state law barring companies from requiring customers and employees to provide documentation of Covid-19 vaccination status. The cruise line says such a ban will keep it from safely resuming operations.” Read more at CNN
“A cluster of midwestern and southern states have emerged as a new center of Covid-19 outbreaks, as the highly transmissible Delta variant sweeps across poorly vaccinated populations in the US.
The news marks a potentially serious setback for the Biden administration’s attempts to curb and control the pandemic as the Delta variant – which has wreaked havoc in the UK and elsewhere – is starting to spread more widely in America.
It also comes as life in much of the US has started to return to near normal, with many Covid-19 restrictions having been lifted, and as the vaccination program has slowed down.
Rates of Covid-19 cases in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi are among the highest in the country, and their vaccination rates among the lowest. Covid also appears to be gaining ground in the American west.” Read more at The Guardian
“Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, will propose legislation decriminalizing marijuana.” Read more at New York Times
“The Trump Justice Department sought the email records of Washington Post reporters, a day before William Barr stepped down as attorney general.” Read more at New York Times
“Biden plans to nominate Dr. Rahul Gupta, who led West Virginia’s opioid crisis response and is an ally of Senator Joe Manchin, as the nation’s drug czar.” Read more at New York Times
“A law banning handgun sales to Americans under the age of 21 violates the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court rules.” Read more at USA Today
“President Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is underscoring deep congressional divides when it comes to gun control. David Chipman has been a career official at ATF for 25 years but also an adviser to a group that advocates for stricter gun laws. That has turned off some moderate Republicans and centrist Democrats and put Chipman’s Senate nomination in peril. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are still trying to broker a deal for a slimmed-down bill to expand background checks for gun sales -- another divisive issue.” Read more at CNN
“Abortion rights advocates and providers filed a federal lawsuit in Texas on Tuesday seeking to block a new state law empowering individuals to sue anyone assisting a woman with getting an abortion, including those who provide financial help or drive a pregnant patient to a clinic.
A dozen states have passed laws banning abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy. But the Texas law, set to take effect in September, goes further by incentivizing private citizens to help enforce the ban — awarding them at least $10,000 if their court challenges are successful.
Even religious leaders who counsel a pregnant woman considering an abortion could be liable, according to the lawsuit filed in Austin by the Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU on behalf of several other groups.” Read more at Boston Globe
“MIAMI — The death toll from a catastrophic condominium collapse in Florida last month, once feared to be well more than 100 people, is expected to land between 95 and 99 people, with the search-and-recovery operation at the disaster site nearing its end.
Champlain Towers South in Surfside partially crumbled early on June 24. In the 20 days crews have searched for victims, slowly removing layer after layer of rubble from the 13-story building, they have found the remains of 95 people.
Eighty-five of them have been identified. The other 10 victims will be considered unaccounted for until the medical examiner’s office in Miami-Dade County can identify them through various forensic techniques, including comparing DNA samples of family members.” Read more at Boston Globe
“PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A former Haitian senator, a fired government official, and an informant for the US government are the latest suspects identified as part of a sweeping investigation into the killing of President Jovenel Moïse.
The men are among five fugitives whom police say are armed and dangerous as they continued Wednesday to track down those suspected in the July 7 pre-dawn attack at Moïse’s private home in which the president was shot to death and his wife, Martine, wounded.
One of the suspects was identified as former Sen. John Joël Joseph, a well-known Haitian politician and opponent to the Tet Kale party that Moïse belonged to. In a video posted last year on YouTube, Joseph compared Moïse to the coronavirus, saying Haitians have died from hunger or been killed amid a spike in violence under his administration.” Read more at Boston Globe
“More than 160 ‘undocumented and unmarked’ graves have been found in British Columbia’s Southern Gulf Islands, once home to the Kuper Island Residential School. This marks the latest in a string of grim discoveries made recently at similar sites across Canada. The hundreds of unmarked graves and unclaimed remains have forced Canada to contend with its violent history of residential schools, where countless indigenous people were once forced to attend. In a 1997 documentary, produced with funding from the federal government, survivors of the Kuper Industrial School describe it as ‘Canada's Alcatraz.’ In response to the recent discoveries, US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced an initiative to investigate the policies and practices behind a similar Native boarding school system in the US.” Read more at CNN
“Fox News host Tucker Carlson suggested that he should be criminally investigated. Republican members of Congress introduced a ‘Fire Fauci Act’ to remove his salary.
Now White House medical adviser Anthony S. Fauci — a polarizing figure in the U.S. response to the coronavirus — is also part of a rising GOP star’s political branding.
‘Don’t Fauci My Florida,’ read drink koozies and T-shirts that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s campaign team rolled out just as his state sees some of the highest coronavirus hospitalizations, new infections and deaths per capita in the country. It’s the latest example of Republicans running on their opposition to virus-fueled shutdowns and mask mandates. A pandemic hero to some and villain to others, Fauci has become a high-profile target.” Read more at Washington Post
Texas Republicans vote to arrest Democrats who left state to prevent voting legislation.
“Members of the state House of Representatives voted 76-4 to send law-enforcement officials to locate and return the delegation of Democrats who decamped to D.C. this week in an attempt to derail a special session of the GOP-controlled legislature aimed at passing restrictive voting laws. The legislation can't be officially passed without two-thirds of its 150 members present, and it is unlikely out-of-state law enforcement will be able to force the lawmakers to comply with the new rules. Still, Republicans in Texas say they are seeking to apply public pressure to force them back to work. The special session, which is set to last for 30 days, means Democrats would have to spend weeks away from home to stall the voting legislation, which would limit early voting times and make it harder to assist disabled people with voting, among other things. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has said he would keep calling special sessions to pass the law, and Democrats have said the only long-term solution is federal voting legislation. Last month, Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked Democrats from debating a federal elections bill.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“'Unacceptable and dangerous': A 17 million gallon sewage spill at Los Angeles' largest treatment plant closed miles of California beaches.” Read more at USA Today
“The saga of Britney Spears' conservatorship case lurches into court again in Los Angeles Wednesday. The hearing is supposed to focus on a number of intersecting matters: Will her father remain a conservator of her $60 million fortune? Can her long-time court-appointed lawyer quit? Can the conservator of her person, Jodi Montgomery, get enhanced security? And can the pop star hire her own lawyer to represent her? The hearing will come three weeks after Spears delivered her first public words in court on the matter, saying she was being forced to take medication and use an intrauterine device for birth control and that she was not allowed to marry her boyfriend. 'I just want my life back,’ Spears said.” Read more at USA Today
“Cornel West, an activist and professor, is parting ways with Harvard University once again. In a resignation letter shared on social media, West cited ‘superficial diversity’ and ‘political prejudices’ as reasons for leaving the Ivy League school.
West, who taught at several of Harvard's schools and departments, said his colleagues were ‘paralyzed’ by the university's rejection of his tenure.” Read more at USA Today
“The Washington Monument reopens Wednesday after being closed for six months due to COVID-19 safety measures. It's ‘another important step forward for Washington coming back from the pandemic,’ National Mall spokesperson Mike Litterst told USA TODAY. Tickets must be purchased through recreation.gov; none will be sold on site. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Face masks will be required for all visitors over the age of 2, regardless of vaccination status. The monument first closed for the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. It reopened in October and closed again in January.” Read more at USA Today
“About one in four LGBTQ youths identify as nonbinary, or someone who doesn't identify within the traditional gender dichotomy. That’s according to a new study released ahead of International Nonbinary People's Day this Wednesday. The Trevor Project collected data via social media between October and December 2020 from almost 35,000 LGBTQ youth between ages 13 and 24 across the U.S. The study comes at a pivotal moment when state lawmakers have passed a record number of bills targeting trans and nonbinary youth, Amit Paley, CEO and executive director of The Trevor Project, told USA TODAY.” Read more at USA Today
“The Republican Party has failed Donald Trump': Attorney Jenna Ellis, who worked on Trump's election challenges, says she is leaving the Republican Party in the wake of reports that an official described her election fraud claims as ‘a joke.’” Read more at USA Today
“The 2021 Emmy Awards nominations: ‘The Mandalorian,’ the hit Disney+ series set in the ‘Star Wars’ universe, tied Netflix's British monarchy series ‘The Crown’ in Tuesday's nominations, with 24 nominations apiece, including best drama.” Read more at USA Today
"The Crown" and "The Mandalorian" each earned 24 Emmy nominations Tuesday.Netflix, Disney
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushes a home run 468 feet in the third inning.Isaiah J. Downing, USA TODAY Sports
“Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. slammed a 468-foot home run through the thin air in Denver to boost the American League to a 5-2 victory over the National League Tuesday night at the MLB All-Star Game. Guerrero, who later added a second run batted in later, also won the game's MVP's award.” Read more at USA Today
“Lives Lived: One costume designer called Paul Huntley ‘by far the premier hair designer on the planet.’ In his 60-year career, Huntley styled hair and created wigs for more than 200 shows. He died at 88.” Read more at New York Times
“The European Union is often seen as an also-ran in the big-power struggle for global dominance, but it’s leading the way to combat the greatest threat to the future of humanity: climate change.
The bloc’s executive, the European Commission, will unveil a legislative package today to translate wishful climate promises into concrete action with the aim of more than halving the greenhouse gases emitted by its half-a-billion population from 1990 levels by 2030.
The EU became a global leader in climate action almost two years ago when it announced a moonshot plan to completely decarbonize its economy by mid-century. The new proposals contemplate changes in every industry and corner of the continent’s economy.
As Ewa Krukowska reports, they include expanding the world’s largest carbon market to include shipping companies, eliminating fossil fuel-powered cars by 2035 and making airlines pay for every ton of carbon dioxide they emit.
It’s the most ambitious multilateral climate strategy ever attempted and would propel the EU far ahead of other major economies with net-zero goals, including the U.S. and China. Still, it’s been rated ‘insufficient’ by Climate Action Tracker, with the nonprofit estimating the region has to cut emissions 65% by 2030.
And it’s unlikely the package will find approval without changes. While talks will kick off as soon as it’s revealed, it will trigger years of political wrangling with member states over how to turn the proposals into law.” Read more at Bloomberg
“At least 72 people have been killed in South Africa following days of protests and riots sparked by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma.
More than 1,200 people have been arrested during the unrest, police said, as protests and looting spread from Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal to Johannesburg, leading to supply-chain disruptions and food shortages.
Zuma presented himself to authorities last Wednesday after he was found guilty of contempt for failing to testify before a corruption tribunal and then ignoring a constitutional court order. While he serves a 15-month sentence in prison, Zuma’s foundation has used the latest violence to call for his freedom. ‘Peace and stability in South Africa is directly linked to the release of President Zuma with immediate effect,’ the foundation tweeted on Tuesday.
South Africa’s current unrest can’t be seen only as a response to Zuma’s situation. Like many middle and lower income countries, South Africa is still struggling with the economic shocks brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic: Unemployment for the first three months of 2021 stood at 32.6 percent, while youth unemployment is the highest of any country worldwide, according to World Bank figures.
A third wave. The country is also dealing with a third wave of coronavirus infections, reporting a record 26,485 new daily cases on July 3. The surge in cases has also prompted an extension of social restrictions, including a ban on the sale of alcohol and a 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew.
South Africa’s vaccination drive was initially hobbled by the emergence of the beta variant, prompting the country to sell on its AstraZeneca stock in March amid reports of the vaccine’s low efficacy against the variant. Another order of 2 million Johnson & Johnson shots was delayed due to blood clotting fears and eventually scrappeddue to contamination in materials sent from a U.S. factory.
Vaccine potential. Although just 2.5 percent of South Africans have been vaccinated, the country’s own pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities make it an essential partner for less fortunate countries in the region.
Local firm Aspen Pharmaceutical has been contracted to supply the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and has the capacity to produce 200 million doses per year, while in June the World Health Organization announced a plan to establish a mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in South Africa to train manufacturers from low- and middle-income countries.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Russia’s wildfires. An area larger than the state of Delaware has been destroyed in wildfires tearing across Siberia, as record high temperatures in the region in recent weeks exacerbate an increasingly intense wildfire season. ‘The fire risk has seriously flared up across practically the entire country because of the abnormal heatwave,’ Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday as President Vladimir Putin ordered the defense ministry to assist local authorities to fight the blazes. The fires form part of a vicious cycle brought on by climate change: In 2019 and 2020, Siberia’s fires led to record amounts of greenhouse gas emissions from the region.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Iran has launched a state-approved dating app to encourage singles to get married amid rising divorce rates and falling birth rates. The new app, Hamdan—’companion’ in Farsi—promises the help of artificial intelligence to find a match ‘only for bachelors seeking permanent marriage.’ The app has one advantage over its popular—albeit officially banned—competitors in Iran: Users must undertake a psychological evaluation before joining the service.
The innovation comes after Iran’s parliament passed a bill in March calling for financial incentives to encourage marriage and for families to have more than two children.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Cuba has restricted access to WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and some Telegram servers in the wake of the largest anti-government protests in decades, Axios' Ina Fried reports, citing internet watchdog NetBlocks.
Why it matters: Authoritarian governments have increasingly turned to partial or complete internet shutdowns as a response to political unrest.” Read more at Axios