Good morning.
Joe Biden’s domestic agenda is coming up against significant setbacks in the face of Republican obstruction in the Senate. The president and his party face opposition from Republicans and a small number of conservative Democrats on issues including changes to the election system and voting rights, LGBTQ rights and gun control.
In an important vote on Tuesday, the For the People Act is expected to be defeated after failing to gain any support from Republicans. They are likely to use the filibuster to run down the clock on the voting rights bill, writes Edward Helmore.
Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican senator, said on Sunday the legislation was a “federal takeover of our election system”.
Meanwhile, read how the justice department under Donald Trump trashed legal and political norms.
Crash in Alabama kills 10 as Claudette sweeps south
Nine children and an adult have died in a 15-vehicle crash in Alabama as Tropical Storm Claudette sweeps the south. Eight of the dead were travelling in a van from a youth home for abused or neglected children. In another vehicle, a man and his baby were killed.
Authorities said the incident, which happened on Saturday about 35 miles (55km) south of Montgomery, was probably caused by vehicles hydroplaning in wet conditions.
Michael Smith, the chief executive of the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch youth home, said after visiting the scene of the crash: “Words cannot explain what I saw … We love these girls like they are our own children.”
The storm has caused flash floods and tornadoes across the south-eastern US, destroying dozens of homes. On Saturday night, 12in (30cm) of rain was reported along the Mississippi Gulf coast.
Uber and Lyft fares are surging but drivers say they are not getting their share
The resurgence of going out and socialising as the pandemic recedes in the US has led to rising Uber and Lyft fares, but drivers say they are earning less.
“We’re making less than normal,” Robert Eaton, an Uber driver from Reno, Nevada, tells Michael Sainato. “While fares have skyrocketed in this market, the drivers’ pay has not been raised at all.”
Why is pay going down? Eaton said increased cancellation waiting times and a cut in minimal pay for long-distance journeys have pushed down pay. Meanwhile, there has not been a pay increase to account for higher living costs or rising gas prices.
Meanwhile, can Hawaii reset its stressed-out tourism industry after the pandemic? Lauren Aratani reports.
Plus, there are fears for the future of US journalism after the pandemic as financial firms control half of the country’s daily newspapers.
In other news…
Prada abandoned the runway to unveil its spring/summer 2022 menswear collection on a Sardinian beach. With phrases such as “tunnel to joy”, the Italian fashion house’s show was a metaphor for people re-entering normal life after the pandemic, writes Priya Elan.
Hong Kong’s Apple Daily newspaper is in crisis talks amid fears it could shut down within days after the arrest of senior staff and its assets and accounts being frozen. Mark Simon, a close adviser to the paper’s jailed owner, Jimmy Lai, said the board was holding its fourth meeting in four days on Monday.
Californian authorities are seeking the perpetrator of “atrocious” attacks on 32 pelicans. Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Orange county issued an alert saying that all but 10 of the birds had compound wing fractures. “Someone is intentionally breaking brown pelicans’ wings,” they said in a statement.
French and American astronauts have completed a six-hour spacewalk to install new solar panels at the International Space Station, Nasa said. The 19-metre (60ft) panels were delivered by an uncrewed SpaceX flight earlier this month.
Stat of the day: the average carbon intensity of New York’s electric generation rose 46% after the closure of Indian Point nuclear power plant
The nuclear plant, 30 miles north of New York, provided carbon-free electricity for decades and employed almost 1,000 people before it was closed on 30 April. The city’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, said its closure would bring the state “a big step closer to achieving our aggressive clean energy goal”. But Bhaskar Sunkara argues that the data makes it difficult to reconcile that optimism.
Don’t miss this: why we need to talk about menopause
Despite menopause affecting half the population, many doctors do not have the right education on it, says Heather Corrina, author of What Fresh Hell is This?, in conversation with Jaclyn Friedman about the taboo subject.
Last Thing: Bidens bid farewell to first pet Champ
The Bidens are mourning the death of Champ, their 13-year-old German shepherd, who “passed away peacefully at home”. A statement said “our hearts are heavy” after the loss of the dog, who “was our constant, cherished companion … and was adored by the entire Biden family”. Before joining Joe and Jill Biden in the White House, Champ previously lived with them at One Observatory Circle when Biden was vice-president. Their granddaughter Naomi tweeted:
Rest east sweet Champ. We love you forever, we’ll miss you for always. pic.twitter.com/d6SzfwWSym
— Naomi Biden (@NaomiBiden) June 19, 2021
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