Good morning.
Joe Biden has pledged that 200m shots of coronavirus vaccines will be delivered in his first 100 days in office, doubling his previous target. He announced the goal at his first press conference as president, where he didn’t receive a single question on his handling of the pandemic; our Washington bureau chief, David Smith, argues this means he’s doing something right.
But other, more contentious issues were also on the agenda. Biden insisted that the surge in migration at the southern border was not a crisis, but that overcrowding at border facilities was not acceptable and that he’d be moving unaccompanied children out quickly.
The president stepped around the filibuster issue a little, agreeing with criticisms that it is a hangover from the Jim Crow era but stopping short of calling for its abolition. Instead, he argued there should only be a “talking filibuster” where senators can block legislation as long as they’re talking on the chamber floor.
Biden-Harris 2024? The president also suggested that he was likely to run for re-election in 2024, the first time he had addressed the issue. Asked whether Kamala Harris would be his running mate, he said: “I fully expect that to be the case. She’s doing a great job.”
Tornadoes have killed five people in Alabama
At least five people have been killed after deadly tornadoes ripped through Alabama, causing widespread devastation and injuries. Homes were destroyed, trees were toppled and power was cut to thousands of people. Experts estimate at least seven tornadoes passed through the state yesterday.
Shipping firms are avoiding the Suez canal as the blockage continues
Shipping companies have begun to reroute their cargo from the Suez canal, as authorities scramble to remove an enormous container ship which has become stuck in the waterway. The canal, a key international trade artery, has been blocked for three days, and is holding up an estimated $9.5bn worth of goods in traffic jams at either end.
For Egypt, the canal is a “source of national pride” and it has been resolutely optimistic about efforts to clear it. It even released a video of the operation set to dramatic music to suggest authorities were in control. Officials originally said the ship would be removed in days – more conservative estimates say it could be weeks.
Georgia has approved new ‘Jim Crow’-style restrictions on voting access
Georgia approved legislation to restrict voting access yesterday. The laws will make it harder to vote by mail, and give the state legislature more power over elections. The Democratic senator Gloria Butler said: “We are witnessing a massive and unabashed assault on voting rights unlike anything we’ve seen since the Jim Crow era.”
In other news…
Donald Trump said Capitol rioters posed “zero threat, right from the start” to the lawmakers who had gathered to certify Joe Biden’s election victory. Speaking to Fox News last night, the former president acknowledged that some rioters “went in and they shouldn’t have done it”, but “some of them went in and they’re, they’re hugging and kissing the police”.
Bernie Sanders led a delegation to unionise Amazon workers in Alabama, helping to make the union drive the highest-profile labor fight in recent American history.
Black farmers told of systemic discrimination in agriculture, particularly by the US Department of Agriculture itself, at a meeting of the House agriculture committee yesterday.
Stat of the day: 60% of American family doctors saw an increase in obesity among their patients during the pandemic
Millions of Americans may have gained weight and dropped exercise during the pandemic, obesity researchers suggest. According to a survey of 910 doctors by American Academy of Family Physicians, 60% of American family doctors saw an increase in obesity among their patients. “The overwhelming stress of living in a pandemic time is really impacting [patients’] medical health significantly,” said one doctor.
Don’t miss this: 27 states are considering a ban on ‘no-knock warrants’ after Breonna Taylor’s death
After Breonna Taylor was killed in her home by police using a no-knock warrant, there is a growing movement across the US to ban them. PR Lockhart speaks to campaigners and policing experts about what needs to be done to improve safety, fairness and accountability in law enforcement.
Last thing: archeologists discover mural to a knife-wielding spider god
Archeologists in northern Peru have discovered a mural on the side of an ancient temple which apparently depicts a zoomorphic, knife-wielding spider god. The shrine, which is about 3,200 years old, is through to have been dedicated to water deities; the spider god is associated with rain and fertility.
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