Summary
- Joe Biden promised Americans a “summer of freedom” as he urged more people to get vaccinated against coronavirus. Announcing his administration’s “month of action” to increase coronavirus vaccinations by July 4, Biden said, “America is heading into a summer dramatically different from last year’s summer. A summer of freedom. A summer of joy. A summer of get-togethers and celebrations. An all-American summer that this country deserves after a long, long dark winter that we have all endured.” Biden has set a goal of having 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4.
- Biden met with Shelley Moore Capito to discuss Senate Republicans’ latest infrastructure proposal. The White House said the two had a “constructive and frank” discussion on infrastructure legislation. But it’s unclear whether a compromise will be possible. Republicans responded to Democrats’ sweeping $1.7tn proposal with a $928bn counteroffer that lacked many provisions that Biden has championed.
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The Israeli opposition leader has told the country’s president that he can form a government. The announcement from Yair Lapid marks a crucial step toward bringing an end to 12 years of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, but lawmakers still have to vote on the deal, which may happen as soon as next week.
- The White House said Biden and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will discuss recent ransomware attacks on major companies when they meet in Switzerland later this month. Administration officials have previously indicated that they believe the attacks on Colonial Pipeline and JBS were carried out by criminal groups based in Russia. “President Biden certainly thinks Putin and the Russian government have a role to play in stopping these attacks,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
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The NAACP president, Derrick Johnson, will meet with West Virginia senator and key Democratic holdout on a sweeping voting rights measure Joe Manchin. Manchin has called the Democratic For the People Act “too darn broad” and partisan. The sweeping bill would expand ballot access, nullify some voting restrictions enacted by Republicans, and establish support for District of Columbia statehood, among other things.
- Donald Trump shuttered his blog, “From the Desk of Donald J Trump,” after less than a month. According to the Washington Post, the former president was displeased by the blog’s low readership numbers and the ridicule it attracted after debuting last month.
– Joan E Greve and Maanvi Singh
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Nasa plans return to Venus with two missions by 2030
Nasa is returning to Venus for the first time in more than three decades to gain a better understanding of the history of what scientists believe could have been the first habitable planet in the solar system.
Plans for two separate and ambitious deep space missions to Earth’s nearest neighbour were announced on Wednesday by the head of the US space agency, Bill Nelson. Launches were targeted for a 2028-2030 time frame, he said.
Nasa has set aside $1bn (£700m) in developmental funding for the two ventures, which will be the first US exploration of the planet since 1989. The Magellan spacecraft that managers sent plunging into the oblivion of Venus’s atmosphere in 1994 at the end of its five-year mission provided never-before-seen imagery of the planet’s cratered and volcanic surface that Nasa now seeks to research further.
“It is astounding how little we know about Venus, but the combined results of these missions will tell us about the planet from the clouds in its sky through the volcanoes on its surface all the way down to its very core,” Tom Wagner, lead scientist of Nasa’s discovery program, said.
“It will be as if we have rediscovered the planet.”
The first mission selected by the space agency from a shortlist of four concepts first announced in February 2020 is Davinci+ (deep atmosphere Venus investigation of noble gases, chemistry and imaging).
Read more:
Federal Elections Commission filings show that Republican Liz Cheney spent $58,500 on security in the first quarter of this year, in the weeks after her vote to impeach Donald Trump alienated her from much of her own party.
The Caspar Star Tribute reports:
Cheney had never previously spent any money on security services during the first quarter of non-election years. And over her past three House campaigns combined, she spent less than $2,000 on security services and never more than $1,012 in a single campaign.
“We don’t comment on security,” said Jeremy Adler, Cheney’s director of communications.
Cheney’s security was notably heavier than in the past when she visited the Star-Tribune’s office last week.
Cheney was ousted from House Republican leadership after she refused to support the Trump lie that he actually won the 2020 elections, and condemned Trump supporters’ 6th January attack on the captiol.
'We cannot stay silent': Texas teen decries abortion restrictions in viral graduation speech
Paxton Smith, the valedictorian of Lake Highlands high school’s class of 2021, went off-script in her graduation speech.
School administrators had signed off on her pre-written address on how TV and media have shaped her worldview. But, on graduation day, “in light of recent events, it feels wrong to talk about anything but what is currently affecting me and millions of other women in this state,” she said, her voice shaking as she began.
“Starting in September, there will be a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, regardless of whether the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest,” Smith said.
The state’s governor, Greg Abbott, signed into law a bill last month a near-total ban on abortions, prohibiting the procedure at six weeks, when most people do not even know that they are pregnant. The extreme ban also allows private citizens to sue any abortion provider or anyone who “aids and abets” an abortion that violates the restriction – opening the floodgates to harassment and frivolous lawsuits.
“I have dreams, hopes and ambitions,” Smith said. “Every girl here does. We have spent our whole lives working towards our futures, and without our consent or input, our control over our futures has been stripped away from us.”
“I am terrified that if my contraceptives fail me, that if I’m raped, then my hopes and efforts and dreams for myself will no longer be relevant,” she added. “I hope you can feel how gut-wrenching it is, how dehumanizing it is, to have the autonomy over your own body taken from you.”
The speech has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on TikTok.
Smith told D Magazine that the viral fame has felt “weird for me personally,”, though she’s pleased that the issues she raised are getting attention. She also urged people to vote, “and to stay involved in local elections because those have more power than I think the media gives them credit for”.
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The White House said Joe Biden and Republican senator Shelley Moore Capito had a “constructive and frank” discussion on infrastructure legislation.
“This afternoon, the president hosted senator Capito for a constructive and frank conversation in the Oval Office about how we can drive economic growth and benefit America’s middle class through investing in our infrastructure,” the White House said in a statement.
“The two agreed to reconnect on Friday,” according to the White House.
The president did not take questions from reporters following the meeting. Capito, of West Virginia, has been leading Republicans’ talks with the Biden administration. But it’s unclear whether the two parties can reach a compromise on infrastructure. Republicans responded to Democrats’ sweeping $1.7tn proposal with a $928bn counteroffer. Opposing the Democrats’ proposed increase of corporate tax rate to at from 21% to at least 25%, Republicans instead suggested that their plan could be funded by repurposing coronavirus relief funds.
The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, said Democrats would seek to pass an infrastructure bill with or without Republican support this summer.
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‘One of the worst jobs I ever had’: former Citizen employees on working for the crime app
Susan, a former employee for the crime app Citizen, applied for a job curating the platform’s content and notifications in 2019 “in a pinch”. She had a writing background, was having trouble finding work in New York City, and thought she could make some money while looking for a better fit.
By the time she left less than a year later, Susan said, she was drinking to excess because of work stress, had trouble sleeping and had, at one point, cracked her tooth clenching her jaw while listening to hours of talking on the police scanner. As her mental health declined, her bosses at Citizen were not supportive, Susan said.
“They don’t even know what is going on in our ears,” said Susan, who the Guardian is identifying by a pseudonym due to fear of repercussions from the company. She recalled feeling regularly pressured to keep up appearances, despite the increasingly distressing content workers like her were moderating.
“The job is akin to most internet moderation, but in some ways it is worse because you are looking at videos directly from the scene of a bloody crash, often near where you live,” she said. “You are listening to the most insane shit.”
Citizen uses location data to feed millions of users local crime information that it collects via police scanners. The app made headlines earlier this month for offering $30,000 to anyone who could find a man accused of starting a California wildfire, raising a number of ethical concerns. But former employees say the episode is far from the only troubling one at the company, and that the startup has long been a toxic place to work.
“The job is very hard, it’s very traumatic, and it takes a lot of skilled labor,” Susan said. “It attracts a creative, smart, empathetic person. But there is a disconnect between that and the bosses who don’t appear to care about our wellbeing at all.”
Citizen disputes the claims. “Our employees are our lifeblood,” a Citizen spokesperson said, adding that the company “takes great care to prioritize their health and wellbeing”.
Read more:
NAACP president Derrick Johnson will meet with West Virginia senator and key Democratic holdout on a sweeping voting rights measure Joe Manchin.
Johnson, who is set to meet with Manchin next Tuesday, along with representatives of other voting rights groups, said he “looks forward to a robust and productive conversation”.
“We must do everything we can to protect the American people’s sacred right to participate in the democratic process. Our vote is our voice, and we will not be silenced,” the NAACP said.
Manchin has called the Democratic For the People Act “too darn broad” and partisan. The sweeping bill would expand ballot access, nullify some voting restrictions enacted by Republicans, and establish support for District of Columbia statehood, among other things.
The centrist senator has also been one of the top defenders of the filibuster, a procedural obstacle that makes it impossible to pass most bills through the Senate without a 60-vote supermajority. Even if Machin voted for the Democrats’ voting rights bill, with the filibuster in place, in an evenly divided chamber, the party would have to win over at least 10 Republicans in order to pass the legislation – something that’s highly unlikely to ever happen.
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Today so far
That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Maanvi Singh, will take over the blog for the next few hours.
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- Joe Biden promised Americans a “summer of freedom” as he urged more people to get vaccinated against coronavirus. Announcing his administration’s “month of action” to increase coronavirus vaccinations by July 4, Biden said, “America is heading into a summer dramatically different from last year’s summer. A summer of freedom. A summer of joy. A summer of get-togethers and celebrations. An all-American summer that this country deserves after a long, long dark winter that we have all endured.” Biden has set a goal of having 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4.
- Biden met with Shelley Moore Capito to discuss Senate Republicans’ latest infrastructure proposal. The president and Capito, who is leading the Republican negotiating team, discussed the state of infrastructure negotiations for about an hour. The meeting comes almost a week after Capito and her group called for spending $928 billion on infrastructure over the next eight years, far less than what Biden has proposed.
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The Israeli opposition leader has told the country’s president that he can form a government. The announcement from Yair Lapid marks a crucial step toward bringing an end to 12 years of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, but lawmakers still have to vote on the deal, which may happen as soon as next week.
- The White House said Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss recent ransomware attacks on major companies when they meet in Switzerland later this month. Administration officials have previously indicated that they believe the attacks on Colonial Pipeline and JBS were carried out by criminal groups based in Russia. “President Biden certainly thinks Putin and the Russian government have a role to play in stopping these attacks,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
- Donald Trump shuttered his blog, “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” after less than a month. According to the Washington Post, the former president was displeased by the blog’s low readership numbers and the ridicule it attracted after debuting last month.
Maanvi will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
The step by Yair Lapid does not immediately end Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year stretch in power or conclude a political deadlock that has brought four snap elections since 2019. Before that happens, lawmakers will need to vote on the deal, which is expected next week. Then there will be a swearing-in.
Until that happens, Netanyahu is expected to continue his attempts to get any lawmakers to defect so Lapid does not have a 61-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
Under the proposed deal, Lapid will not immediately take high office. Instead, his political rival and far-right politician Naftali Bennett, whose support was vital to the coalition’s success, will become prime minister for the first two years.
Israeli opposition leader tells president he can form government
The Israeli opposition leader has told the country’s president that he can form a government, a critical step that places Benjamin Netanyahu in his most precarious political position for more than a decade.
After days of frenetic negotiations, Yair Lapid told President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday that he has the support of a majority of opposition parties for what has been dubbed a “government of change” – a mix of bitter ideological rivals united by a shared desire to oust Israel’s longest-serving leader.
“I am honoured to inform you that I have succeeded in forming a government,” Lapid told the president in a letter. He added: “I commit to you Mr President, that this government will work to serve all the citizens of Israel including those who aren’t members of it, will respect those who oppose it, and do everything in its power to unite all parts of Israeli society.”
Crucially, Lapid secured backing from powerful far-right Jewish politicians, but also a small party of Arab Islamists who signed roughly two hours before the deadline. In doing so, the United Arab List became the first party from the country’s sizeable Arab minority to ever join a government. Its leader, Mansour Abbas, is a pragmatist and has sought greater resources and rights for Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Joe and Jill Biden will soon leave Washington to spend a couple of days at their Rehoboth Beach home, where they will celebrate the first lady’s 70th birthday.
The AP reports:
President Joe Biden and his wife were heading to their Delaware beach house Wednesday evening to help the first lady celebrate that personal milestone on Thursday.
The trip makes for a rare midweek getaway from the White House by a president. It will also be the president’s first visit to the couple’s Rehoboth Beach home since he took office in January.
The Bidens were expected to be back at the White House on Friday.
A Daily Mail reporter noted today that Biden-inspired artwork has been popping up in the Rehoboth Beach area, where the first family has owned a house since 2017.
A source sends me some @JoeBiden art found at Rehoboth. I’m part of the travel pool covering this week’s trip, so follow along here. pic.twitter.com/PVcZyvtywD
— Nikki Schwab (@NikkiSchwab) June 2, 2021
Joe Biden’s meeting with Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito to discuss a potential infrastructure deal concluded after about an hour.
The press was not allowed into the meeting, but the White House will likely soon release a readout of the discussion between the president and Capito, who is leading the Republican negotiating team.
Stay tuned.
Erin McCormick reports for the Guardian from Berkeley, California:
Rural northern California is seeing a troubling rise in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, an alarming trend that comes as residents and businesses continue to protest against safety measures and vaccinations – with one Mendocino cafe threatening to charge customers $5 for wearing a mask.
While the region makes up a small proportion of the state’s population, the growth in its caseload has been considerable, and comes at a time when the state overall is enjoying some of the lowest rates of Covid in the country.
After largely avoiding the worst of the pandemic, a block of far northern California counties now leads the state with nearly 40 cases per 100,000 residents over the past week, according to statistics maintained by the Los Angeles Times. Tehama county ranked the highest in the LA Times case ratings with 139 cases per 100,000 residents. Meanwhile 10 of the 21 total Covid deaths in nearby Siskiyou county have occurred since the beginning of May.
The region has long been one of the most forceful in its pushback against measures such as masks, business restrictions and vaccine mandates – and the protests have only continued to gain steam. A cafe in the town of Mendocino made headlines after announcing it will charge customers a $5 fee if they order while wearing a mask. It also threatened to charge $5 to anyone “caught bragging about your vaccine”.
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Donald Trump ordered his blog shuttered because of its poor readership and the ridicule it was attracting, one adviser to the former president told the Washington Post.
The Post reports:
Former president Donald Trump’s blog, celebrated by advisers as a ‘beacon of freedom’ that would keep him relevant in an online world he once dominated, is dead. It was 29 days old.
Upset by reports from The Washington Post and other outlets highlighting its measly readership and concerns that it could detract from a social media platform he wants to launch later this year, Trump ordered his team Tuesday to put the blog out of its misery, advisers said.
On its last day, the site received just 1,500 shares or comments on Facebook and Twitter — a staggering drop for someone whose every tweet once garnered hundreds of thousands of reactions.
Trump still wants to launch some other platform — timing not yet determined — and didn’t like that this first attempt was being mocked as a loser, according to a Trump adviser who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly about the former president’s plans.
The blog was clearly meant to help Trump amplify his political message after he was suspended from Twitter and Facebook for inciting the January 6 insurrection.
However, the page did not have the kind of interactive features available on all major social media platforms, so users were unable to directly respond to Trump’s statements. That unsuccessful dynamic seems to have led to the blog’s early demise.
Biden meets with Capito to discuss Republicans' infrastructure counteroffer
Joe Biden’s meeting with Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito has now started, according to the latest White House press pool report.
The president and the senator are expected to discuss the latest infrastructure offer from Capito and her group of fellow Republicans, who have been negotiating with the White House in recent weeks.
Republicans have proposed spending $928 billion on infrastructure over the next eight years. However, only $257 billion in that proposal is considered new funds; the rest is baseline spending, meaning money that was already going to be used on infrastructure projects because of existing policies.
In contrast, Biden has proposed spending $1.7 trillion over baseline spending levels on infrastructure. So the two sides remain far apart in their negotiations, and this meeting will likely determine whether any bipartisan deal can be reached.
Following on from news out of the White House press conference earlier that Joe Biden will directly bring up with Vladimir Putin of Russia the subject of ransomware attacks on US entities perpetrated by Russian criminal gangs, there was a shouted question at the end of the US president’s address on Covid-19.
Q: Mr. President, will you retaliate against Russia for this latest ransomware attack?
— Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) June 2, 2021
Biden: "We're looking closely at that issue."
Q: Do you think Putin is testing you?
Biden: "No."
The G7 meeting begins in the UK mid-month.
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Interim summary
It’s been a lively morning in US political news and there’s more to come so do stay tuned. Joe Biden is meeting at the White House now with West Virginia Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito in a late push for a bipartisan deal on infrastructure legislation.
Here are the other main events of the day so far:
- US president Joe Biden touts the prospect of a “summer of freedom” but urges those reluctant to get vaccinated against coronavirus.
- Biden will directly discuss the rash of ransomware cyber attacks on US entities, from local government computer systems, to a gas pipeline to the biggest US meat processing company, when he meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G7 talks in Britain.
- Donald Trump has shuttered the blog that he started less than a month ago, a senior adviser to the former president said.
- Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s top election official who became one of the leading voices beating back conspiracies about the 2020 election, announced she was seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in her state.
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Biden promises 'a summer of freedom' as he urges more Americans to get vaccinated
Joe Biden outlined his administration’s new efforts to make it easier than ever for Americans to get their coronavirus vaccinations.
Among other initiatives, four of the largest US childcare providers will offer free childcare for caregivers who are getting the vaccine or recovering after their shot.
Pharmacy chains across the country, including Albertsons, CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens, will also offer extended hours from now until July 4 to make it easier to get vaccinated.
Biden: "America is headed into a summer dramatically different from last year's summer. A summer of freedom, a summer of joy, a summer of get-togethers and celebrations. An all-American summer that this country deserves after a long, long dark winter that we've all endured." pic.twitter.com/2XG7kcwpuD
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 2, 2021
The president emphasized that the vaccines will allow Americans to enjoy a summer where they can safely gather with loved ones without fear of the virus.
“America is heading into a summer dramatically different from last year’s summer,” Biden said. “A summer of freedom. A summer of joy. A summer of get-togethers and celebrations. An all-American summer that this country deserves after a long, long dark winter that we have all endured.”
Biden also noted that Americans are lucky to have such easy access to the vaccines, saying, “All over the world, people are desperate to get a shot that every American can get at their neighborhood drugstore.”
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Joe Biden emphasized that getting vaccinated is not a “partisan act,” encouraging Americans of all political leanings to get their shots.
The president also specifically urged younger Americans to get their vaccines, as their vaccination rates have lagged behind those of older Americans.
“We need people under 40 to step up,” Biden said.
Biden launches 'month of action' to get more Americans vaccinated before July 4
Joe Biden is now delivering remarks at the White House to outline his administration’s planned efforts over the next month to get more Americans vaccinated against coronavirus.
The Biden administration announced this morning that it is launching a “month of action” to encourage Americans to get vaccinated.
Pres. Joe Biden praises national vaccine rollout, saying 52% of adults are now fully vaccinated—including 75% of all seniors: "It's clearer than ever—the more people we get vaccinated, the more success we're going to have in our fight against this virus." https://t.co/nqzsURPNug pic.twitter.com/xzkyQDaX3r
— ABC News (@ABC) June 2, 2021
Among other initiatives, the month of action includes a nationwide tour by Kamala Harris and a partnership with Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons to spread information about vaccines.
The president noted that 52% of American adults are now fully vaccinated. He has set a goal of having 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4.
“It’s clearer than ever — the more people we get vaccinated, the more success we’re going to have in our fight against this virus,” Biden said.
Jen Psaki told reporters that at least some of Joe Biden’s afternoon meeting with Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito to discuss infrastructure negotiations would be one-on-one, without additional staffers present.
The White House press secretary’s briefing has now ended, and Biden will soon deliver an update on the country’s vaccine distribution efforts. His administration has already announced a “month of action” to get more Americans vaccinated before July 4.
Jen Psaki said that Vice-President Kamala Harris requested to become the Biden administration’s point person on strengthening voting rights in the US.
“She actually asked to run point and lead on voting rights,” the White House press secretary said.
Joe Biden announced yesterday that Harris would take the lead on voting rights initiatives as congressional Democrats work to advance the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
“I’m asking Vice President Harris to help these efforts and lead them, among her many other responsibilities,” Biden said in Tulsa. “With her leadership and your support, we’re going to overcome again, I promise you. But it’s going to take a hell of a lot of work.”
The announcement came as Republican legislators in dozens of states advance bills that would restrict voting access, as the Guardian’s Sam Levine has extensively reported on.
Jen Psaki appeared to downplay Joe Biden’s veiled criticism of Democratic senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema in his speech yesterday on the Tulsa race massacre.
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the massacre in Tulsa, the president touched on the hurdles in advancing his legislative agenda because of Democrats’ narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress.
“I hear all the folks on TV saying, ‘Why doesn’t Biden get this done?’” the president told the Tulsa crowd. “Well, because Biden only has a majority of, effectively, four votes in the House and a tie in the Senate, with two members of the Senate who vote more with my Republican friends.”
The White House press secretary claimed that Biden’s comment was only meant to reflect the difficulty of discussing complex policy negotiations in a television format.
“I don’t think he was intending to convey anything other than a little bit of commentary on TV punditry,” Psaki said.
Biden to discuss recent cyberattacks with Putin during summit
Jen Psaki was asked about the ransomware attack on the meat-processing company JBS, which forced its US factories to halt operations.
The incident came weeks after another ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline disrupted gasoline supply in several east-coast states.
The White House previously said the hackers were most likely a criminal group based in Russia, and Psaki said Joe Biden will discuss recent cyber attacks when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in two weeks.
“President Biden certainly thinks Putin and the Russian government have a role to play in stopping these attacks,” Psaki said.
Updated
The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, is now holding her daily briefing with reporters.
Psaki opened the briefing by reiterating the administration’s announcement that it is launching a “month of action” to get more Americans vaccinated by July 4.
The month of action will involve an “all of America sprint” to reach Joe Biden’s goal of having 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4, Psaki said.
As of today, 63% of American adults have received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose, according to the White House.
The Biden administration has announced a new series of initiatives aimed at encouraging more Americans to get vaccinated against coronavirus, as the president looks to have 70% of Americans at least partially vaccinated by July 4.
The White House announced that four of largest US childcare providers will offer free childcare for caregivers who are getting the vaccine or recovering after their shot.
Pharmacy chains across the country, including Albertsons, CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens, will also offer extended hours from now until July 4 to make it easier to get vaccinated.
Vice-President Kamala Harris is launching a “nation-wide tour to reach millions of Americans who still need protection against the virus”.
“The Vice President’s travel will be anchored in the South, and the First Lady, the Second Gentleman, and members of the Cabinet will also join the Administration’s tour to communities across the country,” the White House said in its factsheet about the new initiatives.
The administration is also partnering with Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons to start “Shots at the Shop,” which will allow the businesses to share vaccine information with their customers.
“The ‘Shots at the Shop’ initiative will invite participation from across the country, with a particular focus on supporting shops in some of the hardest-hit localities still experiencing significant gaps in vaccination rates,” the White House said.
Joe Biden will likely tout all these new developments when he delivers an update on vaccine distribution efforts this afternoon.
Arizona's top election official announces gubernatorial bid after criticizing Republican 'audit'
The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports:
Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s top election official who became one of the leading voices beating back conspiracies about the 2020 election, announced Wednesday she was seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in her state.
Arizona, where Donald Trump narrowly lost to Joe Biden in November, has become a focal point for conspiracy theorists who falsely believe the election was stolen. After the election, Hobbs beat back baseless claims of fraud and ensured that the state’s presidential electors were certified for Biden to properly reflect the outcome of the popular vote.
I’m running for Governor to deliver transparency, accountability, and results for Arizonans -- just like I’ve done my whole career.
— Katie Hobbs (@katiehobbs) June 2, 2021
Join me: https://t.co/LM2sCDVynA pic.twitter.com/5y3QtFvYAk
“We had a job to do, and that job was simple: Count every vote. When you’re under attack, some would have you believe you have two choices: To fight or give in. But there’s a third option: Get the job done,” Hobbs said. “The other side isn’t offering policies to make our lives better. They’re offering conspiracies that only make our lives worse.”
In recent months, Hobbs, elected to her office in 2018, has taken on a leading role in monitoring and calling out a GOP-led review of 2.1m ballots cast in Maricopa county, the most populous in Arizona.
She has drawn attention to shoddy practices auditors are using and monitors deployed by her office have regularly noted significant problems in procedures. A compilation of notes published by Hobbs’ office on Tuesday, for example, detail security lapses, technological glitches, and confusion about who is in charge. The details revealed by her office have underscore how unprofessional the audit is.
Hobbs’ entrance in the governor’s race will likely bring even more attention to who her successor will be. Mark Finchem, an Arizona legislator who is a prominent advocate of the Stop the Steal movement, is already seeking the Republican nomination.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi has reportedly told Democrats that multiple options remain to launch an expansive review of the Capitol insurrection, after Senate Republicans killed the bill to form a bipartisan commission to study the attack.
NBC News reports:
During a conference call with members of the House Democratic Caucus, Pelosi detailed options, including the potential the Senate could vote a second time and try to overcome the Republican filibuster, according to two sources who were on the call.
She shot down a suggestion raised by some House Democrats that President Joe Biden could form a presidential commission, calling it not a workable idea, one source on the call said.
A presidential commission would need Congress to grant subpoena power and allocate funding. Both chambers would have to vote to approve, which looks unlikely after the Senate Republicans’ filibuster last week.
Republicans successfully blocked the commission bill from advancing last week, after only six Republican senators voted with Democrats to start debate on the legislation. Democrats needed 10 Republican votes to overcome the filibuster of the bill.
The US secretary of state has warned leaders of Pacific countries about “threats to the rules-based international order” and “economic coercion”, in what appears to be a veiled swipe at China’s growing influence in the region.
Antony Blinken was addressing leaders and their delegates from 11 Pacific countries and territories including Fiji, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Palau and Marshall Islands as part of the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders, which is held in Hawaii.
Blinken reiterated US support for Pacific island nations as they face the “shared challenges that we have to confront together”, including Covid-19 and the climate crisis.
But the main focus of his televised address was China’s growing influence in the region.
“Economic coercion across the region is on the rise. The US is all for more development and investment in the islands, but that investment should adhere to international standards for environmentally and socially sustainable development and should be pursued transparently, with public consultation,” he said. “And every country, no matter its size, should always be able to make choices without fear of retribution.”
The CDC’s decision to loosen mask requirements has not led to any noticeable increase in the spread of coronavirus, as the number of new cases in the US has continued to fall in the past few weeks.
Meanwhile, the number of first-shot vaccine appointments has leveled off in recent weeks after a worrisome decline in the month leading up to the mask announcement.
The New York Times explains:
First, new Covid cases have continued to decline at virtually the same rate as during the month before the C.D.C. announcement, which came on May 13 ...
Overall, daily new cases have fallen by almost 75 percent since mid-April and by more than 90 percent from the peak in January. ...
On the other hand, the C.D.C.’s change has had a noticeable effect on behavior in a positive way. ...
For the previous month, the number of daily shots in the U.S. had been falling, as the country began to run out of adults who were eager to be vaccinated. With a few days of the mask announcement, the decline leveled off.
The White House shared the New York Times piece in an email with reporters, and Joe Biden will likely tout the encouraging trends when he delivers an update on vaccination efforts this afternoon.
Trump's 'From the Desk' blog to be discontinued
Donald Trump has shuttered the blog that he started less than a month ago, a senior adviser to the former president said.
Jason Miller told CNBC that the page “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump” had been deleted from the former president’s website and “will not be returning”.
“It was just auxiliary to the broader efforts we have and are working on,” Miller said in an email to CNBC. “Hoping to have more information on the broader efforts soon, but I do not have a precise awareness of timing.”
The blog, which debuted last month, was a clear effort by Trump to amplify his message despite his social media bans, which were put in place after he incited the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
However, the blog never gained much traction, in part because of readers’ inability to reply to Trump’s statements, as they would do on Twitter or Facebook.
Twitter also suspended an account that pulled content from Trump’s blog, @DJTDesk, because the social media company said it violated the platform’s ban evasion policy.
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Portable microwave weapons capable of causing the mysterious spate of “Havana Syndrome” brain injuries in US diplomats and spies have been developed by several countries in recent years, according to leading American experts in the field.
A US company also made the prototype of such a weapon for the marine corps in 2004. The weapon, codenamed Medusa, was intended to be small enough to fit in a car, and cause a “temporarily incapacitating effect” but “with a low probability of fatality or permanent injury”.
There is no evidence that the research was taken beyond the prototype phase, and a report on that stage has been removed from a US navy website.
Scientists with knowledge of the project said that ethical considerations preventing human experimentation contributed to the project being shelved – but they said such consideration had not hindered US adversaries, including Russia, and possibly China.
“The state of that science has for the most part been, if not abandoned, pretty much left fallow in the United States – but it has not been fallow elsewhere,” said James Giordano, professor of neurology and ethics at Georgetown University Medical Center.
In case you missed it last night: A Democratic candidate won the special election to fill Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s open House seat.
Democratic state legislator Melanie Stansbury defeated Republican state senator Mark Moores by about 25 points, delivering a resounding victory for Democrats after the party’s poor performance in a Texas special election last month.
Thank you New Mexico! ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/p0VnZvAg66
— Melanie Stansbury (@MelanieforNM) June 2, 2021
Delivering a victory speech in Albuquerque, Stansbury said, “This moment is not just about standing up, but about leaning into the moment and bringing fundamental change to our politics and to our country.”
Stansbury’s win will help to slightly bolster Democrats’ very narrow majority in the House. Once Stansbury is seated to represent New Mexico’s 1st District, Democrats will have a 220-211 advantage over Republicans.
The margin of Stansbury’s victory was also encouraging to Democrats, given that Joe Biden carried the New Mexico district by 23 points in November. Haaland also won reelection to her seat by 16 points last year.
Stansbury’s ability to improve upon Biden and Haaland’s numbers gave some Democrats hope that they can hold off a wave of Republican victories in next year’s midterms. However, the midterms are still about a year and a half away, so time will tell.
Texas Democrats set example by facing down Republican voting rights assault
The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports:
For nearly five months, Democrats in state legislatures across the country have been scraping to do everything they can to stop an unprecedented onslaught of new voting restrictions from Republicans.
They have given searing speeches on the floors of state legislatures. They have supported protests and even gotten arrested demonstrating against the bills. They have filed lawsuits challenging new restrictions almost immediately after they were signed into law.
But despite their efforts, Democrats have not been able to stop sweeping new voting restrictions from going into place in states such as Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Iowa and Montana, where Republicans have used their legislative majorities to ram through the bills.
But late on Sunday night something different happened in Texas.
With Republicans on the verge of passing one of the most restrictive new voting laws in the country, Democrats in the state house of representatives walked out of the legislature, denying Republicans a quorum and killing the legislation. Governor Greg Abbott has fumed over the development and has pledged to call a special session to pass the bill.
Be sure to read the fine print on the Anheuser-Busch vaccine giveaway: only 200,000 participants will get money to buy a free round after the US hits Joe Biden’s vaccination goal.
And it may be a round for one person, as the beer company is only giving winners a $5.00 virtual debit card to purchase an Anheuser-Busch product.
Those who want the chance to win one of the debit cards will also have to create a My Cooler Rewards account and upload a “picture of your favorite place to grab a beer”.
Biden to announce partnership with Anheuser-Busch to encourage vaccinations
Joe Biden will also deliver an update this afternoon on his administration’s efforts to get Americans vaccinated against coronavirus.
The speech comes one month before July 4, Biden’s deadline to get 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated for US Independence Day.
The president is expected to announce a new partnership between the White House and the beer company Anheuser-Busch to encourage Americans to get their vaccines.
We’re teaming up with the @WhiteHouse in the fight against #COVID. And we’re doing it the best way we know how: bringing everyone together over a 🍺. Our biggest giveaway ever will be unlocked when we reach the vaccination goal by 7/4/21. #LetsGrabABeer https://t.co/lA8L3K2oZR pic.twitter.com/67epocqTqY
— Anheuser-Busch (@AnheuserBusch) June 2, 2021
The CEO of Anheuser-Busch said in an announcement this morning that the company will “buy Americans 21+ a round of beer when we reach the White House goal”.
“We pride ourselves on stepping up both in times of need and in times of great celebration, and the past year has been no different,” said CEO Michel Doukeris. “As we look ahead to brighter days with renewed optimism, we are proud to work alongside the White House to make a meaningful impact for our country, our communities and our consumers.”
The “Let’s Grab A Beer” initiative is only the latest in a string of US efforts to incentivize vaccinations. Perhaps most notably, the state of Ohio has been distributing $1 million lottery prizes to a handful of new vaccine recipients.
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Biden to meet with Republican senator as he looks to wrap up infrastructure talks
Greetings from Washington, live blog readers.
Joe Biden will meet this afternoon with Shelley Moore Capito, the senator who has been leading the Republican team negotiating with the White House over a potential infrastructure bill.
The meeting comes almost one week after Capito and her fellow Republicans introduced their latest counteroffer, which proposed spending $928 billion for infrastructure projects over the next eight years.
That offer was still a far cry from what Biden has called for spending. Of the $928 billion in Republicans’ plan, only $257 billion is considered new money, while the rest was baselines spending, meaning the funds that were already going to be used on infrastructure projects over the next eight years because of existing policies.
In contrast, the president has proposed investing $1.7 trillion over baseline infrastructure spending, which is still less than the $2.25 trillion that he originally called for.
So Democrats and Republicans remain miles apart on infrastructure, and Biden has signaled that he is ready for the negotiations to come to a close.
“I told [Capito] we have to finish this really soon,” Biden said last Thursday. “We’re going to have to close this down soon.”
The blog will have more details on the meeting coming up, so stay tuned.
