Good morning.
Biden marked his 100th day as US president with a rally in Georgia yesterday, a state that played a leading role in getting him to the White House. The drive-in event in Duluth, north of Atlanta, was an opportunity to promote his plans to overhaul US social infrastructure, with Biden giving a shortened version of the speech he delivered to congress the night before.
Why Georgia? A traditionally Republican stronghold, Georgia unexpectedly came through for Biden in 2020. But Georgia has also become the battleground for the fight over US voting rights, and last month the state had a mass shooting in which six women of Asian descent were killed, along with two others. This was instrumental in Biden’s action for gun safety and against hate crimes.
As he passes the significant milestone, attention is focused on what Biden achieved in his first 100 days, and what we can expect from the rest.
How has he delivered on his main priorities? When Biden took office, he outlined four significant crises facing the US: the coronavirus pandemic, the climate crisis, the economy, and racial inequality. How has he fared in tackling them? Daniel Strauss looks at his approach to each.
What did the rest of the world make of Biden’s first 100 days? From the EU’s palpable relief that the US was back on board with the fight against the climate emergency, to Russia’s confusion about how to approach Biden, our reporters around the world ask what the world’s big players think of the Biden administration.
Dozens have been killed in a crush at a religious gathering in Israel
At least 44 people have been killed and 150 injured in a crowd crush at a religious gathering in Israel, one of the country’s worst peacetime disasters. Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews had gathered at Mount Meron for all-night prayer, songs and dance. The cause of the crush is not clear, but witnesses said crowds were asphyxiated or trampled when exiting via a sloped passage.
Footage shows men pulling down corrugated iron walls to escape, and medics have since confirmed that children are among the dead. Here’s a run down of what we know so far.
Witnesses described their terror as pilgrims fell over one another trying to escape, and people died around them.
The event was the first large-scale religious gathering held legally since Israel lifted almost all of its coronavirus restrictions.
Scientists found suspected chemical waste off California’s coast – covering seafloor twice the size of Manhattan
Scientists have discovered more than 25,000 barrels of what is thought to be chemical waste, off the California coastline. They believe the barrels contain DDT waste, which has been linked to cancer and disease, and also to mass die-offs of animals. The barrels cover a seafloor area double the size of Manhattan.
The discovery has caused alarm, and renewed scrutiny about the dumping of toxic waste near California, which continued into the 1970s. You can read more about the discovery and history of the chemical waste here.
US news outlets are working with Falun Gong to push conspiracy theories about China
Certain US news outlets that are aligned with an anti-Chinese state religious movement are promoting conspiracy theories about Democrats and election fraud to Trump supporters, according to a media watchdog. Falun Gong is a movement that has been involved in a decades-long conflict with the Chinese state.
Outlets including the far-right Epoch Times appear to be trying to connect Biden and the Democrats with the Chinese Communist party and turn US public opinion against China.
In other news …
US emergency aid has arrived in India as the country grapples with a surge in coronavirus cases that has overwhelmed the healthcare system. More than 400 oxygen cylinders and other hospital equipment and nearly 1m rapid coronavirus tests arrived in Delhi on Friday, as India set yet another global record for new daily cases.
Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers released a picture showing her bruised face and alleging she is being held in worse conditions than other inmates in prison due to her links with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and concerns that she is a suicide risk, something her lawyers deny. Her lawyers suggest she was injured while having to cover her eyes with a sock or towel at night because guards flash light in her cell every 15 minutes to make sure she is breathing.
Five people have been arrested over the dognapping and shooting of Lady Gaga’s dog walker – including the woman who returned the pups. Detectives don’t believe that the thieves knew the dogs were Lady Gaga’s, and that they were stolen for their value.
Stat of the day: 90% of Syrians live in poverty – and coronavirus threatens further damage
Aid agencies have said that a “rapid and accelerating” wave of coronavirus is putting millions of people in Syria at risk, with poor healthcare infrastructure after 10 years of war and about 90% population steeped in poverty. In the north-east of the country, more than 47% of tests are coming back positive.
Don’t miss this: should the federal government be going further on electric cars?
A number of states including Washington and New York are passing laws to end the era of gasoline and diesel cars. Biden has regularly talked of the environmental and economic benefits of electric cars, but is now being pushed by state governors to go further and impose an outright ban on new gasoline and diesel car sales – as the UK, France and Norway have pledged to do.
Last Thing: meet the woman who makes jumpers from people’s cats
Rather than throw away the “beautiful” hair of her Ragdoll cat, Mittens, which came off when he was brushed, Irene Lerman decided to knit with it. Now she has requests from people to knit with hair collected from their very own pets. You can read more in this rather unique hobby in this experience piece.
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