Summary
- The House passed the $1.9tn coronavirus relief package, delivering Joe Biden his first major legislative victory as president. According to an Urban Institute analysis, the relief package will reduce US poverty in 2021 by more than a third. The White House has said the president will sign the bill on Friday.
- Democratic congressional leaders signed the relief bill, officially sending it to Biden’s desk. At a bill enrollment ceremony this afternoon, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, celebrated the passage of the “historic” legislation. “So what do we say to America? We say to America: help is on the way,” Schumer said.
- The US will purchase another 100m doses of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, Biden confirmed at a White House event this afternoon. In his remarks, the president celebrated the increased production of coronavirus vaccines and the House passage of the relief bill. “There is light at the end of this dark tunnel of the past year,” Biden said. “There is real reason for hope, folks.”
- The Senate confirmed two more of Biden’s cabinet nominees, Merrick Garland and Marcia Fudge. Garland was confirmed as the next US attorney general, and Fudge was confirmed to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- The Senate also voted 66-34 to confirm Michael Regan as the EPA administrator. Regan, 44, previously served as secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality. He’ll be the first Black man to lead the EPA and the second Black administrator in the agency’s history.
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Texas’s attorney general has threatened to sue county officials if they don’t lift local mask mandates. The threat comes after Texas governor Greg Abbott lifted a statewide mask mandate, and at the same time announced that all businesses could reopen “100%” – triggering a mad dash for vaccines, and inciting panic among vulnerable workers.
- The White House reiterated that migrants should not attempt to enter the US right now. Ambassador Roberta Jacobson, the coordinator for the southern border, said at the White House briefing today that the Biden administration is still working to recalibrate the US immigration system after four years of Donald Trump’s leadership. “The border is not open,” Jacobson said. Her comments come as the US has seen a surge in the number of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the border.
– Joan E Greve and Maanvi Singh
Updated
Texas’ attorney general has threatened to sue county officials if they don’t lift local mask mandates.
Texas governor Greg Abbott lifted a statewide mask mandate, and at the same time announced that all businesses could reopen “100%” – triggering a mad dash for vaccines, and inciting panic among vulnerable workers.
But the governor’s orders, which go against the advice of health officials, do allow local officials to issue “mitigation strategies” though officials are prohibited from punishing residents who refuse to follow mask orders. Private businesses are allowed to mandate masks, and limit capacity within their own premises.
But Ken Paxton, the attorney general, is threatening officials implementing local mask orders.
“The decision to require masks or otherwise impose Covid-19-related operating limits is expressly reserved to private businesses on their own premises,” Paxton said. “It does not rest with jurisdictions like the City of Austin or Travis County or their local health authorities. Nor do they have the authority to threaten fines for non-compliance.”
Paxton gave officials until 6pm Wednesday to rescind local mask mandates, threatening, “Otherwise, On behalf Of the State of Texas, I will sue you.”
.@MayorAdler & @AndyBrownATX, you and local health authorities have until 6:00pm today to rescind any mask mandates or business-operating restrictions and come into full compliance with GA-34 ➡️ https://t.co/Bz5DQsw8IV
— Texas Attorney General (@TXAG) March 10, 2021
Otherwise, on behalf of the State of Texas, I will sue you. pic.twitter.com/IP9UpZPplh
Updated
Senate confirms Michael Regan as EPA administrator
The Senate has voted 66-34 to confirm Michael Regan as the EPA administrator.
Regan, 44, previously served as secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality. He’ll be the first Black man to lead the EPA and the second Black administrator in the agency’s history.
“And as he did in North Carolina, I know (Regan) will work quickly to restore morale and achieve real results,” said Environmental Defense Fund president Fred Krupp in a statement.
Updated
The number of migrant children and families seeking to cross the US-Mexico border has increased to levels not seen since before the coronavirus pandemic – a challenge for Joe Biden as he works to undo the hardline immigration policies of predecessor Donald Trump.
Statistics released Wednesday by US customs and border protection (CBP) showed the number of children and families increased by more than 100% between January and February.
Children crossing by themselves rose 60% to more than 9,400, forcing the government to look for new places to hold them temporarily.
Roberta Jacobson, the administration’s coordinator for the southern border and a former ambassador to Mexico, joined the White House press briefing on Wednesday.
She said the president is committed to building a fair immigration system, but cannot undo the damage of the Trump administration “overnight”.
She sidestepped a question about whether the situation at the border qualifies as a crisis.
“Whatever you call it wouldn’t change what we’re doing,” Jacobson said.
Read more:
FBI must target white supremacists' infiltration of police agencies, congressman says
The FBI must develop a strategy to respond to white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement agencies and address its past failures to take the issue seriously, a prominent Democratic congressman has argued in a letter to the FBI director, Christopher Wray.
Multiple internal FBI reports over the past 15 years have labeled white supremacist infiltration of police departments as a serious threat. But last year, FBI officials refused to testify in a hearing about the topic, repeatedly telling congressional staffers that “it did not believe that this threat was supported by evidence” and “that there would not be any utility in the bureau offering testimony”, the Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin wrote in a letter to Wray on Tuesday.
The presence of current and former police officers in the violent insurrection at the Capitol on 6 January was “irrefutable proof of this threat”, the congressman argued.
“Given the FBI’s refusal just last year to admit that extremist police officers posed a serious threat to our nation’s security, I am now concerned that the bureau lacks an adequate strategy to respond to this clear and present danger to public safety,” Raskin, the chair of a subcommittee on civil rights and civil liberties, wrote.
Raskin requested a briefing on the issue for members of Congress by 26 March. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.
In February, a confidential intelligence assessment from the FBI’s San Antonio division warned that white supremacists and other far-right groups would “very likely seek affiliation with military and law enforcement entities” in order to advance their ideology, attack racial minorities, and gain insider information and tactical training, according to ABC News, which obtained a copy of the report.
Read more:
The final stop on the Grand Princess Hawaii Cruise has turned out to be a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.
Erin McCormick in Berkeley reports:
The tropical island cruise that departed San Francisco in February 2020 became one of the United States’ first Covid-19 hotspots with a coronavirus outbreak aboard that forced 3,000 vacationers into a weeks-long quarantine and was eventually connected to at least 122 cases and six deaths.
In the year since, Grand Princess passengers have tried to get some resolution to the horrors that befell them, reckoning with the cruise company’s actions and the Trump administration response to one of the first major health emergencies in the pandemic.
Many have filed lawsuits against Princess Cruises and some against its parent company Carnival – nearly three dozen cases have wound up in the LA courtroom of federal district court judge Gary Klausner. The passengers charge that the cruise company negligently sent them out to sea, despite being alerted to the dangers by a disaster it handled on another ship in Japan and a suspicious illness during a previous leg of the Grand Princess’ journey. They also claim that pre-boarding health checks were cursory and that the company did not take prompt action to stop the spread of the virus on board once the outbreak was under way.
“We were surprised at how ill-prepared they were,” said Denise Morse, who went on the cruise with her husband, David, to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary. The Morses did not sue Princess Cruises, but they did fear for their life during the ill fated trip. “They didn’t seem to have any institutional knowledge passed down from one incident to the next.”
Read more:
A Republican senator who voted against the $1.9tn stimulus package is now trying to take credit for the legislation.
Roger Wicker of Mississippi is touting the bill’s aid to restaurants and small businesses. But Wicker, like all his Senate Republican colleagues who voted unanimously against the relief bill, said just yesterday criticized the package. “The Democrats’ $1.9T spending package makes their priorities clear: expanding the government’s role in Americans’ lives is more important than actual Covid relief,” he said.
Independent restaurant operators have won $28.6 billion worth of targeted relief.
— Senator Roger Wicker (@SenatorWicker) March 10, 2021
This funding will ensure small businesses can survive the pandemic by helping to adapt their operations and keep their employees on the payroll.https://t.co/Ob4pRb9Xh4
With the bill headed to Biden’s desk for a signature, Republicans who’ve stuck together in opposition to the legislation have found themselves in a tough spot – having to explain to Americans why they tried to block much-needed economic relief. A majority of Americans, including a hefty proportion of Republican and Republican-leaning voters, support the package.
During a press conference yesterday, Nancy Pelosi warned against “Republican colleagues who – they say no to the vote, and they show up at the ribbon-cuttings or the presentations.”
Texans scramble to get vaccinated after Republican governor says no more masks
In Houston, a long line of cars wraps around a cluster of white tents in the parking lot of NRG Stadium – a Texas-sized vaccination hub. Texans roll up to the drive-through, hang an arm out of the window to get their shot, and leave as if the vaccination site were one of many fast-food restaurants sprawled across the state.
Men and women in army green and face shields direct traffic, scan QR codes and administer shots containing the ticket to a renewed social life and some peace of mind.
That reassurance could not come too soon for Texans, since the statewide mask mandate has now officially been lifted, leaving millions of those still unvaccinated more vulnerable to an infectious disease that has killed 527,000 people in the US, including more than 45,000 in Texas.
On 2 March, the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, announced the statewide mask mandate implemented over the summer would suddenly cease to exist as of Wednesday.
At first glance, one might see the announcement as the light at the end of the tunnel. But upon further examination, it seems Texas is jumping the gun.
According to the Texas health department, the number of those fully vaccinated in the state currently stands at 2,463,005 – about 16% of Texas’s near 15 million over-18 population. Texas currently ranks 38th in the nation for total administered vaccinations.
Announcing the end of the mask mandate, Abbott said last week: “It is now time to open Texas 100%. So today, I am issuing a new executive order that rescinds most of the earlier executive orders: effective next Wednesday, all businesses of any kind are allowed to open 100%. Also, I am ending the statewide mask mandate.”
The announcement fueled condemnation from Democratic leaders across the state. Some argued Abbott’s order was a distraction from the state’s failure to keep its energy grid powered during a brutal winter storm that left millions without electricity, heat and water for days.
Read more:
Updated
Joe Biden will travel to Delaware county, Pennsylvania, next Tuesday, the White House just announced.
The trip will mark the beginning of the president’s tour to sell the $1.9tn coronavirus relief package to the American people.
The House passed the relief bill this afternoon, and Biden is expected to sign the legislation into law on Friday. Biden will also likely tout the bill and its benefits for American families tomorrow, when he delivers his first primetime address as president.
Biden has said that he believes the Obama administration erred by not taking a “victory lap” after passing the 2009 stimulus bill, and he intends to learn from that mistake this time around.
Updated
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:
- The House passed the $1.9tn coronavirus relief package, delivering Joe Biden his first major legislative victory as president. According to an Urban Institute analysis, the relief package will reduce US poverty in 2021 by more than a third. The White House has said the president will sign the bill on Friday.
- Democratic congressional leaders signed the relief bill, officially sending it to Biden’s desk. At a bill enrollment ceremony this afternoon, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, celebrated the passage of the “historic” legislation. “So what do we say to America? We say to America: help is on the way,” Schumer said.
- The US will purchase another 100m doses of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, Biden confirmed at a White House event this afternoon. In his remarks, the president celebrated the increased production of coronavirus vaccines and the House passage of the relief bill. “There is light at the end of this dark tunnel of the past year,” Biden said. “There is real reason for hope, folks.”
- The Senate confirmed two more of Biden’s cabinet nominees, Merrick Garland and Marcia Fudge. Garland was confirmed as the next US attorney general, and Fudge was confirmed to lead the department of housing and urban development. Michael Regan, Biden’s nominee to lead the environmental protection agency, is also expected to be confirmed later today.
- The White House reiterated that migrants should not attempt to enter the US right now. Ambassador Roberta Jacobson, the coordinator for the southern border, said at the White House briefing today that the Biden administration is still working to recalibrate the US immigration system after four years of Donald Trump’s leadership. “The border is not open,” Jacobson said. Her comments come as the US has seen a surge in the number of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the border.
Maanvi will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Updated
The Dow Jones closed at a record high this afternoon, hours after the House passed the $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill.
The Dow closed at 32,297.02, marking the first time that the stock market has closed above 32,000.
The success of the stock market since Joe Biden took office will probably irritate Donald Trump, who frequently took credit for stock market gains (and ignored stock market tumbles) while he was president.
Updated
Joe Biden reflected recently on the last time a Democratic administration had to rescue an economy left in tatters by a Republican president.
“The economists told us we literally saved America from a depression,” Biden told the House Democratic Caucus last week. “But we didn’t adequately explain what we had done. Barack was so modest; he didn’t want to take, as he said, a ‘victory lap’. I kept saying, ‘Tell people what we did.’ He said, ‘We don’t have time. I’m not going to take a victory lap.’ And we paid a price for it, ironically, for that humility.”
The 46th US president is often lauded for his humility but don’t expect him to repeat Obama’s mistake. Once his $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill is signed, he is set to take an extended victory lap by travelling the country to promote it.
Biden will have short and long sales pitches. First, that help is on the way after the hellish year of a pandemic that has killed more than 528,000 people in the US and put many millions out of work.
The stimulus, among the biggest in history, includes $400bn to fund $1,400 direct payments to most Americans (unlike Donald Trump, Biden’s signature will not appear on the cheques), $350bn in aid to state and local governments and increased funding for vaccine distribution.
The American Rescue Plan is not without disappointments for progressives, notably the lack of a $15-per-hour minimum wage, a harbinger of how difficult an evenly divided Senate will be for Biden to handle. All the more reason to enjoy his victory lap and celebrate that four decades of Reaganism and “trickle down” economics are at an end.
After concluding his prepared remarks, Joe Biden answered one question that a reporter shouted at him as he walked away from the podium.
The reporter asked the president what the US would do with its surplus coronavirus vaccine doses, if the country ends up with more doses than it needs.
“If we have a surplus, we’re going to share it with the rest of the world,” Biden replied. “We’re not going to be ultimately safe until the world is safe.”
With that, Biden departed the event, ignoring the other questions that reporters shouted at him.
Biden celebrates relief bill's passage: 'There is light at the end of this dark tunnel'
Joe Biden celebrated the House passage of the coronavirus relief bill, noting that he will sign the legislation on Friday.
“This bill represents a historic, historic victory for the American people, and I look forward to signing it later this week,” Biden said.
The president said the relief package would help ensure the US has more vaccines, more vaccinators and more vaccination sites in the coming months. Biden also emphasized the bill would allow schools to reopen safely, which he has said is a key priority for his administration.
Biden will deliver a primetime address tomorrow night, his first primetime speech as president, and he said he will use the opportunity to outline the next stage of the pandemic response.
“I’m going to talk about what comes next,” Biden said. “There is light at the end of this dark tunnel of the past year ... There is real reason for hope, folks.”
Updated
US will purchase another 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Biden confirms
Joe Biden confirmed that his administration will purchase another 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine.
The president said the additional doses would ensure that the US government has “maximum flexibility” as it continues to distribute coronavirus vaccines to the American people.
“A lot can happen. A lot can change. And we need to be prepared,” Biden said.
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine has been shown to be less effective than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but it has the benefit of being a single-dose vaccine, rather than the double-dose options from Pfizer and Moderna.
Joe Biden commended Johnson & Johnson and Merck, who are usually rivals in the corporate health sector, for coming together to produce Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine.
The president described the companies’ partnership as the start of “a new chapter in our battle against Covid-19”.
Biden added that the companies’ joint efforts are the latest example of American businesses “putting patriotism and public health first” as the country confronts coronavirus.
Joe Biden is now holding a White House event with the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Merck, to provide an update on the companies’ partnership to produce more doses of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine.
Biden is expected to announce that his administration will buy another 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.
The president announced earlier this month that the US will have enough vaccine doses for all American adults by the end of May.
Merrick Garland has been confirmed as America’s top law enforcement officer, a boost for Joe Biden’s drive against racial discrimination in the criminal justice system.
Garland’s rise to attorney general, approved 70-30 by the US Senate, turns the page on former president Donald Trump’s harsh “law and order” rhetoric and efforts to bend the justice department to his will.
It also marks a poignant second chance for the 68-year-old judge who, nominated to the supreme court by then president Barack Obama in 2016, was denied a hearing by Senate Republicans on the pretext that it was an election year.
This time around his confirmation had been widely expected, especially after a relatively uneventful hearing where Republicans landed few punches. Mitch McConnell, who was Garland’s nemesis in 2016, told reporters last Tuesday that he would back him for attorney general.
Garland, however, faces a daunting inbox at a justice department that critics say was left in tatters by Trump and his own attorney general, William Barr. He must attempt to restore morale while addressing demands for racial justice in the wake of last year’s police killing of George Floyd and widespread Black Lives Matter protests.
'Help is on the way,' Democratic leaders say as they sign Covid relief bill
House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer held a bill enrollment ceremony to celebrate the passage of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill.
Pelosi touted the “historic” legislation, applauding Joe Biden for following through on his campaign promise to deliver financial relief to the American people amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“President Biden’s vision and his determination were so apparent to the American people and the reason why this legislation enjoys the support of 75% of the American people,” Pelosi said.
Senate Majority Leader @SenSchumer celebrates House passage of COVID relief bill:
— The Recount (@therecount) March 10, 2021
“Help is on the way. You will receive $1400 checks by the end of March.” pic.twitter.com/LpH8k6IKSB
The Democratic speaker also thanked her caucus members for working diligently to get the legislation passed. “It would not have happened without a very collaborative spirit among our members,” Pelosi said.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer also thanked Democratic senators, and budget committee chairman Bernie Sanders in particular, for shepherding the bill through the Senate.
“So what do we say to America? We say to America: help is on the way,” Schumer said.
Pelosi and Schumer then signed the bill, sending it to the White House. Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki, said this afternoon that Biden will sign the bill on Friday.
Updated
Biden celebrates, will sign bill Friday
Joe Biden tweeted “Help is here” moments after the House passed his $1.9tr Covid relief bill shortly after 2pm ET today. He’d indicated he’ll sign the bill, known as the American Rescue Plan, on Friday.
In a statement from the White House, the US president said of his first major legislative victory:
For weeks now, an overwhelming percentage of Americans – Democrats, Independents, and Republicans – have made it clear they support the American Rescue Plan. Today, with final passage in the House of Representatives, their voice has been heard.
Now we move forward with the resources needed to vaccinate the nation. To get $1,400 in direct payments to 85% of American households. To expand coverage and help with lowering health care premiums.
To give small businesses what they need to stay open. To expand unemployment insurance, provide food and nutrition assistance. To help keep a roof over people’s heads. To cut child poverty in half.
This legislation is about giving the backbone of this nation – the essential workers, the working people who built this country, the people who keep this country going – a fighting chance.
I want to thank all the members who voted for it, especially Speaker Pelosi, the finest and most capable speaker in the history of our nation. Once again, she has led into law an historic piece of legislation that addresses a major crisis and lifts up millions of Americans.
On Friday, I look forward to signing the American Rescue Plan into law at the White House – a people’s law at the people’s house.
Merrick Garland was approved overwhelmingly by the Senate to become the new attorney general. He was supported by Republicans as well as Democrats.
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, who as Republican majority leader in 2016 almost single-handedly blocked Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court, voted for the federal appellate judge.
“I’m voting to confirm Judge Garland because of his long reputation as a straight-shooter and legal expert,” McConnell said before the vote. “His left-of-center perspective has been within the legal mainstream.”
Reuters further reports:
The bipartisan tally in the Democratic-led Senate was 70-30 to confirm Garland as the top U.S. law enforcement official, with a number of Republicans including McConnell and former Judiciary Committee chairmen Lindsey Graham and Chuck Grassley joining the chamber’s Democrats in support.
Garland, 68, will assume the post at a time of heightened concern about domestic extremism. He takes over a Justice Department that Republican former President Donald Trump repeatedly sought to bend to his will. The former federal prosecutor also inherits sensitive ongoing investigations including one involving the new Democratic president’s son.
His confirmation represented some measure of vindication for Garland. The Senate in 2016, then controlled by Republicans, refused to consider his nomination to the Supreme Court by Democratic President Barack Obama and declined even to give him a confirmation hearing.
By doing so, the Republicans, led by McConnell, enabled a Republican president, Trump, in 2017 to fill a Supreme Court vacancy with a conservative justice.
Garland was nominated by Biden to lead a department in the midst of intensive investigations into the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Republican former President Donald Trump.
Garland has called the attack “heinous” and promised to make the investigation among his top priorities. Hundreds of people have been arrested in connection with the incident including members of right-wing extremist groups.
During his confirmation hearing, Garland on Feb. 22 pledged to restore confidence in the department and protect it from political meddling.
Trump repeatedly interfered in Justice Department matters, applying pressure to go easy on his friends and allies ensnared in criminal investigations and to target political foes.
Garland will also inherit some investigations that began during the Trump administration, including one by Special Counsel John Durham into the FBI’s handling of its investigation into Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and another criminal tax probe into Hunter Biden, the new president’s son.
Updated
Garland confirmed as attorney general
Merrick Garland, who missed out on becoming a supreme court judge in Barack Obama’s administration, has been confirmed by the US Senate to become Joe Biden’s attorney general.
Once Joe Biden signs the relief bill on Friday, the federal government is expected to move quickly to distribute the benefits included in the legislation.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said she expects most of the $1,400 direct payments to be delivered by the end of this month.
The passage of the bill also ensures that supplemental federal unemployment benefits, which are currently set to expire on Sunday, will be extended through early September.
House passes $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill, sending it to Biden's desk
The House has passed the $1.9trn coronavirus relief bill, delivering Joe Biden his first major legislative victory as president.
The final vote was 220 to 211, and it fell almost exactly along party lines. Only one Democrat, Jared Golden of Maine, voted against the bill. Applause broke out among Democrats on the House floor after the bill passed.
Despite Biden’s hopes of working in a bipartisan fashion to advance his agenda, the bill received no Republican support in the House or the Senate.
The House voted 220-211 to concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 1319 - American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
— House Press Gallery (@HouseDailyPress) March 10, 2021
House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer will hold a bill enrollment ceremony in about an hour, sending the legislation to Biden’s desk.
The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said moments ago that the president will sign the bill on Friday.
The bill will send $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, and it will extend federal unemployment benefits through early September.
According to an analysis from the Urban Institute, the relief package will reduce US poverty in 2021 by more than one-third.
Updated
House has votes to pass coronavirus relief bill
The House now has enough votes to pass the $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill, although the vote remains open.
As of now, the vote stands at 220 to 211, meaning more than half of House members have voted for the passage of the relief bill.
The bill has so far fallen exactly along party lines, with the exception of Jared Golden of Maine, who is the only Democrat to vote against the bill as of now.
The vote is still open, so the bill has not yet officially passed. Stay tuned.
Updated
Congressman Kurt Schrader, one of two House Democrats who opposed the initial version of the coronavirus relief package, has officially voted “yes” on the final version of the bill.
Schrader’s vote confirms that Jared Golden will likely be the only Democratic member of Congress to oppose the final version of the relief bill.
In a statement explaining his vote, Golden said, “While the Senate made modest changes to the legislation, some of those changes undermined parts of the bill I do support, and others were insufficient to address my concerns with the overall size and scope of the bill.”
The blog is following both the House vote on the relief bill and White House press secretary Jen Psaki’s daily briefing, which is still underway.
Psaki said Joe Biden was briefed earlier today by a team of his advisers, who recently traveled to the US-Mexican border to provide an update on the recent surge in unaccompanied migrant children trying to enter the country.
Asked whether the president himself would soon visit the border, Psaki said she did not have anything to preview on that front.
Jared Golden of Maine has become the first Democratic member of Congress to vote against the final version of the coronavirus relief bill.
Golden also voted against the House version of the bill late last month. He told reporters that he believed the legislation was not appropriately targeted enough to respond to the pandemic.
One other House Democrat, Kurt Schrader of Oregon, also voted against the initial version of the relief package, but he is expected to support the final version of the bill.
Updated
Biden will sign coronavirus relief bill on Friday, Psaki says
Joe Biden will sign the $1.9trn coronavirus relief bill on Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki just announced.
“The president will sign the bill at the White House on Friday afternoon,” Psaki told reporters at her briefing.
NEW: White House press. sec Psaki announces Pres. Biden will sign the COVID relief bill on Friday. https://t.co/DSlvYYCmGY pic.twitter.com/nddQPH00x7
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 10, 2021
The final House vote on the relief bill is now underway, and the Democratic-controlled chamber is expected to pass the legislation.
Biden’s signature will come just two days before the federal unemployment benefits are currently set to expire.
Updated
Final House vote on coronavirus relief bill is underway
The final House vote on the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package is now underway, after the chamber concluded two hours of debate on the bill.
The House is voting NOW on concurring in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1319 - American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
— House Press Gallery (@HouseDailyPress) March 10, 2021
The bill is expected to pass the Democratic-controlled House along party lines, similar to the Senate vote on Saturday.
After the House passes the bill, it will go to Joe Biden for his signature. The president is expected to sign the legislation as soon as he receives it.
Ambassador Roberta Jacobson, the coordinator for the southern border, noted that the US has seen surges of migrants at the border before.
“Surges tend to respond to hope,” Jacobson said. “There was a hope for a more humane policy.”
The senior official also argued that the election of Joe Biden allowed smugglers to spread disinformation about migrants’ ability to enter the US right now.
Jacobson then reiterated that the journey to the border is dangerous, and she urged migrants not to come to the US right now.
Ambassador Roberta Jacobson, the coordinator for the southern border, sidestepped a question about whether the situation at the border qualifies as a crisis.
“Whatever you call it wouldn’t change what we’re doing,” Jacobson said.
The secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, previously said he does not consider the situation to be a crisis, which sparked intense criticism among Republicans.
Ambassador Roberta Jacobson, the coordinator for the southern border, emphasized the need to address the “root causes” for the recent surge in unaccompanied migrant children at the border.
Jacobson outlined the Biden administration’s proposal to send $4 billion in aid to Central America to help those countries improve the conditions that have pushed many of its citizens to flee.
The senior official also reiterated that now is not the time to come to the US, as the Biden administration restarts the Central American Minors program to reunite migrant children with their parents.
“The border is not open,” Jacobson said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki is now holding her daily briefing, as the House continues to debate the coronavirus relief bill.
Ambassador Roberta Jacobson, the coordinator for the southern border, joined the briefing to discuss Joe Biden’s immigration agenda.
Jacobson said the president is committed to building a fair immigration system, but she emphasized the administration cannot undo the damage of the Trump administration “overnight”.
Jacobson’s comments come as border officials have reported a surge in the number of unaccompanied migrant children trying to enter the US.
Today so far
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- The House is debating the $1.9tn coronavirus relief package. The chamber is expected to pass the bill in the next hour, sending the legislation to Joe Biden’s desk. The president will likely sign the bill later today.
- The US will procure an additional 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, Biden is expected to announce later today. The president is holding a meeting at the White House with the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Merck this afternoon.
- Marcia Fudge was confirmed as the next secretary of housing and urban development. The Senate approved the Democratic congresswoman’s nomination in a vote of 66 to 34. Two of Biden’s other cabinet nominees, attorney general nominee Merrick Garland and EPA administrator nominee Michael Regan, are expected to be confirmed today as well.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Updated
Democrats will hold a bill enrollment ceremony at 3 pm ET today to celebrate the House passage of the coronavirus relief bill, which should happen in the next hour.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer have advised reporters that the ceremony will take place on the upper west terrace of the Capitol this afternoon.
Joe Biden is then expected to sign the bill later today, marking his first major legislative victory since becoming president in January.
Marcia Fudge confirmed as HUD secretary
The Senate has confirmed Democratic congresswoman Marcia Fudge as the next secretary of housing and urban development.
The final vote was 66 to 34. Sixteen Republicans, including minority leader Mitch McConnell, joined Democrats in supporting her confirmation.
Confirmed, 66-34: Executive Calendar #12 Marcia Louise Fudge to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development @HUDgov
— Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) March 10, 2021
Progressives had called upon Joe Biden to nominate Fudge as the secretary of agriculture, but that post ultimately went to Tom Vilsack.
With Fudge now joining the cabinet, her House seat will be up for grabs, and it is expected to remain in Democratic control.
Two of Biden’s other cabinet nominees, attorney general nominee Merrick Garland and EPA administrator nominee Michael Regan, are expected to be confirmed today as well.
US is 'at a critical point' in the coronavirus pandemic, CDC director says
Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), urged Americans to carry on taking precautions against spreading coronavirus, and to get vaccinated when available because the US is “at a critical point” in the pandemic.
At the White House coronavirus response team briefing earlier today, Walensky said: “We are at a critical point in this pandemic and on the cusp of having enough vaccine to protect every adult in the United States. We ask for your patience in practicing proven prevention measures for just a little longer.”
She added that earlier this week, the US saw the number of daily deaths from coronavirus drop below 1,000 for the first time since November.
NEW: "Earlier this week, we saw the number of deaths per day drop below 1,000 for the first time since November," CDC Dir. Walensky says. https://t.co/48t0k4MJjH pic.twitter.com/6Reerl5CfF
— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) March 10, 2021
There are indications that cases are starting to trend downwards on a national basis again because people are taking the right precautions, she added.
This despite Texas, for example, ending its state mask mandate from today and allowing businesses to open at 100% normal operation.
Dr Anthony Fauci expressed concern about Texas relaxing its coronavirus-related restrictions in a CNN interview earlier today.
“We understand people’s need to get back to normal, and we’re going in that direction. But when you start doing things like completely putting aside all public health measures as if you’re turning a light switch off, that’s quite risky,” Fauci said. “We don’t want to see another surge, and that’s inviting one when you do that.”
Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are decreasing at the moment. Walensky warned, however, that relaxing and traveling more could just lead to another surge in disease.
The government announced an increase in supplies of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and plans to double its order for the single shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, procuring an additional 100 million doses.
Vaccinations are being administered at the rate of around two million a day, with a record three million shots given last Saturday.
Meanwhile, Alaska has become the first US state to make Covid-19 vaccines available to anyone there aged 16 or older.
The Senate is now voting on the nomination of Marcia Fudge to lead the department of housing and urban development.
The Democratic congresswoman, who has been championed by progressives, is expected to be confirmed.
NOW VOTING: Confirmation of Executive Calendar #12 Marcia Louise Fudge to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development @HUDgov
— Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) March 10, 2021
Plaskett denounces Republican who claimed BLM opposes 'old fashioned' families
Democrat Stacey Plaskett denounced her Republican colleague, Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, after the congressman baselessly claimed the Black Lives Matter movement opposes “old fashioned” families.
Arguing against the coronavirus relief bill, Grothman said that the legislation would result in a tax penalty for married couples.
“I bring it up because I know the strength that Black Lives Matter had in this last election. I know it’s a group that doesn’t like the old fashioned family,” Grothman said. “I’m disturbed that we have another program here where we’re increasing the marriage penalty.”
Stacey Plaskett goes after Grothman for his weird comments about Black Lives Matter supporters not supporting traditional families pic.twitter.com/KlGsrbeJJL
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 10, 2021
Plaskett, a delegate who represents the US Virgin Islands and previously served as an impeachment manager, then spoke on behalf of Democrats, and she asked Grothman to remain in the chamber as she delivered her remarks.
Plaskett said she had intended to speak in support of the relief package, but she refused to let Grothman’s words stand.
“How dare you? How dare you say that Black Lives Matter, Black people do not understand old fashioned families?” Plaskett said. “We have been able to keep our families alive for over 400 years.”
She went on to say, “That is outrageous. That should be stricken down.”
After Plaskett concluded, her Democratic colleagues applauded her.
Lauren Boebert, a Republican congresswoman who has previously voiced support for the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory QAnon, denounced the coronavirus relief bill in a floor speech.
The Colorado lawmaker dismissed the $1.9 trillion relief package as a “trashy spending spree” that would do nothing to help Americans who have “suffered the most from this China virus”.
Experts have said the elevation of phrases like “China virus,” which Donald Trump has also used to blame Beijing for the coronavirus pandemic, has contributed to the recent rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans.
Speaking on the House floor, minority leader Kevin McCarthy condemned the coronavirus relief bill as the latest sign that socialism has overtaken the Democratic party.
“I’ve watched socialism grow in this country; I’ve watched it grow in this body. I see it within your own party,” McCarthy told Democrats.
House budget committee chairman John Yarmuth dismissed the Republican leader’s comments as a shallow attempt to sow doubt about a broadly popular bill.
“If Democrats had a potluck picnic, the Republicans would call it socialism,” Yarmuth said.
Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) responds to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s criticism of COVID relief bill:
— The Recount (@therecount) March 10, 2021
“If Democrats had a potluck picnic, Republicans would call it socialism.” pic.twitter.com/WeSuA6COIT
Updated
Jay Ashcroft, the Missouri secretary of state, has said he does not plan to run for the US Senate next year.
“After intense, prayerful consideration we have decided to remain devoted to the work Missouri voters have entrusted to me as secretary of state,” Ashcroft, a Republican, said in a statement.
Jay Ashcroft's Statement on How Best To Serve Missourians. pic.twitter.com/omiqs64Aw8
— Jay Ashcroft (@JayAshcroftMO) March 10, 2021
The news comes two days after Republican Senator Roy Blunt announced that he would not run for reelection next year.
Blunt narrowly won his 2016 reelection race, but Republicans are largely expected to maintain control of the Senate seat, given that Donald Trump won the state by 15 points in November.
Over in the Senate, minority leader Mitch McConnell has announced that he will oppose Joe Biden’s nominations of Deb Haaland and Michael Regan.
Haaland has been nominated to lead the interior department, and Regan has been selected to serve as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
“I’ll be voting for American families and against both of their nominations,” McConnell said.
McConnell has supported most of Biden’s cabinet nominees so far, with the exception of Alejandro Mayorkas, who was ultimately confirmed to lead the department of homeland security.
Haaland and Regan are also still expected to be confirmed, despite McConnell’s opposition. If confirmed, Haaland will be the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, and Regan will be the first African-American man to lead the EPA.
As the House debates the coronavirus relief bill, another analysis has been released showing the legislation would substantially lower US poverty, particularly among Americans of color.
According to the Urban Institute, the relief package will reduce projected US poverty for 2021 by more than one-third.
Here’s an excerpt from the abstract of the think tank’s analysis:
In an earlier analysis, we projected that without this legislation, the 2021 annual poverty rate would be 13.7 percent. We project that key elements of the American Rescue Plan would reduce that annual poverty rate to 8.7 percent. The policies would reduce poverty by more than half for children and for people in households experiencing job loss. Poverty would fall about 42 percent for Black, non-Hispanic people, 39 percent for Hispanic people, and 34 percent for white, non-Hispanic people, reducing the disparities in poverty rates for Black, non-Hispanic people and Hispanic people relative to white, non-Hispanic people.
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to adjourn the House has failed, after 40 Republicans joined Democrats to defeat the extremist congresswoman’s proposal.
The House rejected the motion to adjourn by a vote of 149-235. https://t.co/sGIGEODWUY
— House Press Gallery (@HouseDailyPress) March 10, 2021
The House has now started its two hours of debate on the coronavirus relief bill, and the chamber will then move on to a final vote on the legislation.
Updated
A CNN reporter asked House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office about Marjorie Taylor Greene’s repeated attempts to adjourn the House to delay votes on Democratic bills.
A spokesperson for Pelosi told CNN, “That’s a question for the Minority Leader who has lost control.”
I asked Speaker Pelosi's Deputy Chief of Staff Drew Hammill to provide a comment on MTG's repeated moves for a motion to adjourn and if the Speaker plans to do anything about it: “that’s a question for the Minority Leader who has lost control.”
— Annie Grayer (@AnnieGrayerCNN) March 10, 2021
Pelosi has repeatedly clashed with House minority leader Kevin McCarthy in recent weeks. Last month, the speaker sharply criticized the Republican leader’s failure to remove Greene from her committee assignments over her extremist views.
McCarthy’s refusal to do so forced Democrats to hold a full-chamber vote to remove Greene from her committees.
At the time, Pelosi mocked McCarthy as a member of the “Q” party, meaning QAnon, the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Greene has previously voiced support for.
Marjorie Taylor Greene has sent a menacing tweet urging Republicans to support her motion to adjourn the House.
“The GOP has messaged against this ridiculous bill,” the extremist congresswoman said of the relief package . “We should do everything to stop it. Pay attention if Rs vote to adjourn. Or with the Dems.”
I just made a motion to adjourn to stop Congress from passing the $1.9 trillion dollar massive woke progressive Democrat wish list.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) March 10, 2021
The GOP has messaged against this ridiculous bill.
We should do everything to stop it.
Pay attention if Rs vote to adjourn.
Or with the Dems.
When Greene introduced a motion to adjourn last week, 18 House Republicans joined Democrats in voting to keep the chamber in session.
That number may increase this rime, given that a number of Republicans have told reporters they are growing tired of Greene’s delay tactics.
Marjorie Taylor Greene has repeatedly introduced motions to adjourn the House in recent weeks, in order to delay votes on Democrats’ bills.
The motion forces members to return to the floor for an extra vote in order to keep the House in session.
And it appears that even Republicans are not thrilled with the extremist congresswoman’s delay tactics. When Greene introduced a motion to adjourn last week, 18 House Republicans joined their Democratic colleagues to keep the chamber in session.
This time around, even more of Greene’s Republican colleagues may vote against the motion.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican congressman who was removed from her committee assignments over her extremist views, has now introduced a motion to adjourn the House.
The House is voting NOW on a motion to adjourn requested by @RepMTG.
— House Press Gallery (@HouseDailyPress) March 10, 2021
The motion will force House members to return to the floor to take an extra vote in order to keep the chamber in session.
Democrats will be able to defeat the motion, but Greene will successfully delay the timing of the final vote on the coronavirus relief bill for about an hour.
The House will likely not pass the relief bill until 1 pm ET or later at this point.
House to soon take final vote on coronavirus relief bill
This is Joan Greve in Washington, taking over for Martin Belam.
The House is now in session, and the chamber will soon take its final vote on the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill.
The Democratic-controlled House is expected to pass the bill, but the vote will likely fall along party lines, as it did in the Senate on Saturday.
The House convened at 9:00 AM for legislative business. @RepCuellar presided. House Chaplain Kibben led the opening prayer. The Journal was approved. @RepJuanVargas led the House in the Pledge of Allegiance.
— House Press Gallery (@HouseDailyPress) March 10, 2021
The House is proceeding with up to 5 one-minute speeches per side.
Once the House passes the bill, it will go to Joe Biden for his signature, and the president has said he intends to sign the legislation as soon as it reaches his desk.
If the House passes the bill as expected, it will mark Biden’s first major legislative victory as president.
The relief package will send $1,400 checks to most Americans, and it will authorize federal unemployment benefits through the beginning of September.
The blog will have more details on the vote coming up, so stay tuned.
US to double its order of single-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine – reports
A quick snap here from Reuters, that a White House official has told them that the US plans to double its order of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.
President Joe Biden will make the announcement at a meeting with the chief executives of Johnson & Johnson and Merck later in the day.
Merck has agreed to partner with Johnson & Johnson to produce its vaccine. Johnson & Johnson’s manufacturing has been slower than expected, and the company was not expected to be able to deliver any doses of its vaccine this week. It is expected to resume shipments later in March.
Joe Biden’s press team have been very vocal on social media already this morning about what they regard as good news from a CNN poll out today about public attitudes to the coronavirus relief package.
The American Rescue Plan continues to gain support across the country from Democrats and Republicans. https://t.co/fxPqiYtmlr
— Sabrina Singh (@SabrinaSingh46) March 10, 2021
In particular, they’ve been keen to emphasise the extent to which Republican supporters appear to be backing many of the measures, even if not a single Republican in the House or Senate could bring themselves to vote for the bill. Jennifer Agiesta, CNN’s Polling Director, writes:
61% support the $1.9 trillion economic relief bill proposed by Biden, and several key provisions of the bill are even more popular. 85% say they support policies in the bill that would provide larger tax credits for families and make them easier for low-income households to claim, including majorities across party lines (95% of Democrats and 73% of Republicans support it).
Around three-quarters favor provisions to provide funding to facilitate a return to the classroom for K-12 students (77%), and sending stimulus checks worth up to $1,400 per person to most families and individuals (76%). Both of those policies also have majority support across party lines (55% of Republicans support each, among Democrats, support tops 90% for each one).
A smaller majority, 59%, say they back providing $350 billion in aid to state and local governments. That policy sparks the sharpest partisan divide among the four tested, with 88% of Democrats in favor vs. just 28% of Republicans.
One measure not in the bill – raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour – also has majority support. Overall, 55% favor such an increase in the minimum wage, including 85% of Democrats, 52% of independents and 20% of Republicans.
Sam Levin in Los Angeles reports for us today on California’s new DA, George Gascón:
George Gascón, a former LA police official and district attorney in San Francisco, won his race last November after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor brought mainstream attention to systemic problems in law enforcement.
Gascón gained traction as he explicitly spoke about the harms of California’s racist prison system. “We’ve created this machine of mass incarceration for the last 40 years, that we have normalized what is really abnormal anywhere else in the world,” Gascón recently told the Guardian. “What I’m doing is radical for the US … but sending people to prison for 60 years, 100 years, 150 years, or to death row, or prosecuting a 15-year-old as an adult – these are all concepts that in most of the rest of the world would be inconceivable.”
The stakes are enormous. Gascón’s success or failure could determine whether young people in LA are sentenced to life behind bars, whether elderly people get a chance to come home after decades in prison, and whether the DA’s office pursues criminal cases against police for misconduct and unjust killings.
And what happens in LA could affect the future of mass incarceration and reform policies across the US. The LA district attorney’s office is the largest in the country, with jurisdiction over a county larger than most US states, and Gascón’s term has become a crucial test for a growing movement of progressive prosecutors.
“The norm is changing, and the police can’t accept that,” said Helen Jones, an organizer with the group Dignity and Power whose 22 year-old son died in LA sheriff’s custody in 2009. “They don’t want to have to worry about being held accountable, that one of them might go to jail for murdering somebody’s child. They know that change is coming. So they fight back.”
Read more of Sam Levin’s report here: Can LA’s top prosecutor transform the criminal justice system?
Hillary Clinton has got some experience of receiving a barrage of misogyny-driven abuse in the media, so as you may imagine she has had some strong words to say about the fall-out from Oprah Winfrey’s interview at the weekend with Meghan Markle and her husband, the UK’s Prince Harry.
Clinton says, of the treatment of Meghan by the media that it was “cruelty”, and was full of praise for her, saying “This young woman was not about to keep her head down. You know, this is 2021.”
Clinton also made a wider point, about institutions beyond the British royal family:
These two young people are not only standing up for themselves, and for their children, but they’re really trying to send a message about what institutions – including the one that they were part of – need to do to be more dynamic and forward looking than they currently are. Every institution has got to make more space, and acceptance for young people coming up, particularly young women, who should not be forced into a mould that is no longer relevant, not only for them, but for our society.
You can watch the clip here:
‘This young woman was not about to keep her head down. This is 2021 and she wanted to live her life,’ Hillary Clinton said as she slammed UK tabloids' treatment of Meghan pic.twitter.com/KQqy4fpjdq
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 10, 2021
Arkansas passed a sweeping ban on abortion yesterday, but as Michelle Broder Van Dyke in Honolulu reports for us, Guam is moving closer to restoring abortion access after an ACLU lawsuit:
Guam has taken a significant step toward restoring abortion access, after the ACLU scored a victory in a lawsuit that seeks to ensure residents of the US territory can turn to remote healthcare providers for abortion medication.
Getting an abortion on Guam has been impossible since 2018, when the last abortion doctor retired and moved off the island. Before then, at least 200 abortions occurred on Guam every year. Today, accessing the closest legal abortion clinic requires a flight to Hawaiʻi, an expensive and difficult undertaking especially during a pandemic.
Telemedicine medication abortions, which allow doctors to remotely prescribe the abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol to patients up to 10 weeks pregnant, would be an obvious solution, if it were not for a 1978 Guam law that says abortions must be “performed” in a “medical clinic or hospital”. The ACLU lawsuit is fighting, in part, to block that law from being enforced.
“We know that many people have reached out to physicians in Hawaiʻi about accessing abortions and that not all of them have been able to overcome the enormous financial and logistical obstacles to traveling several thousand miles,” said Vanessa Williams, a Guam lawyer working with the ACLU.
Historically, it has not been easy to access abortions on Guam despite them being legal, due to stigma and past restrictive laws. In the 1990s, the mostly Catholic US territory, where 165,000 people live, passed a law that prohibited abortion except when the mother’s life was endangered. Eventually, the US ninth district court of appeals struck down the law, citing Roe v Wade.
“There are very polarizing points of view within our small community on this emotionally charged issue,” said Williams.
Read more here: Guam moves closer to restoring abortion access after ACLU lawsuit
Alexandra Jaffe at Associated Press has set out a scorecard this morning of what Joe Biden has so far achieved in his early days in office. He had set some ambitious targets for his first 100 days. In the “done” column Jaffe places these policies:
- Prioritized addressing the coronavirus pandemic during his first weeks in office. He’s on pace to hit his goal of 100 million vaccine doses administered in his first 100 days.
- Several early actions fulfilled pledges on climate policy. He signed an executive order on Inauguration Day that revoked the permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, halted development of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and ordered the review of Trump-era rules on the environment, public health and science.
- Delivered on top campaign pledges that involved rolling back Trump administration moves. The Biden administration rejoined the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord, halted construction of the border wall, ended travel restrictions on people from a variety of Muslim-majority countries and created a task force to reunite families separated at the US-Mexico border.
- Biden pledged to deliver a comprehensive immigration reform bill to Congress within his first 100 days, and it was unveiled last month.
- He made early moves to deliver on a pledge to tighten ethical standards in his administration, including a 20 January executive order imposing an ethics pledge on appointees.
Jaffe identified these as areas where Biden is yet to meet goals:
- Yet to take significant action on criminal justice reform, aside from an executive order terminating private prison contracts. Biden pledged to set up a police oversight board within his first 100 days, but there’s been no clear movement in that direction.
- Other 100-day pledges also awaiting movement: creating a Cabinet-level working group focused on promoting union participation, and ordering an FBI review of issues with gun purchase background checks.
- Some of Biden’s 100-day pledges will require congressional action, like his promise to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and increase taxes on corporations. Biden also promised to make passage of the Equality Act, which bars discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, a priority in his first 100 days. That bill has passed the House but not the Senate.
- And some of his promises are waiting on Biden’s Cabinet secretaries to be confirmed by the Senate. On gun control, Biden has said he would direct his attorney general to deliver recommendations to restructure key Justice Department agencies to more effectively enforce the nation’s gun laws. He also pledged to have his secretary of Housing and Urban Development lead a task force to create recommendations for making housing a right for all Americans.
Blinken and Austin to make joint trip to Japan and South Korea
Secretary of state Antony Blinken and Defense secretary Lloyd J Austin III have just jointly announced that they will be travelling together at the weekend on their first in-person overseas trip – to Japan and South Korea.
I look forward to meeting our friends and allies in Japan and the Republic of Korea in my first in-person visit overseas as Secretary of State. @SecDef will join me in both countries as we work to promote peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 10, 2021
Austin has additionally said that he will then travel on to visit India. He’s also got a stop to vist the Indo-Pacific Command Headquarters in Hawaii on his itinerary.
I’ll then travel to India to meet with my counterpart, Minister of Defense @RajnathSingh, and other senior national security leaders to discuss deepening the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership and advancing cooperation between our countries. https://t.co/WXPAe3m5cC
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) March 10, 2021
Covid precautions have restricted the opening meetings of a new administration. Joe Biden’s first foreign dignitary in the White House was – as is traditional – the Canadian prime minister. However, Justin Trudeau attended by video link, leading to some distinctly untraditional images of the event.
Updated
Texas ends mask mandates, lifts business occupancy restrictions
Texans are waking up this morning to a new dawn, with statewide mask mandates and occupancy restrictions in businesses lifted, a move that some have heralded as long-overdue freedom, while others have criticised it as foolishness.
Brad Brooks reports for Reuters that on paper, Texas’ rollback of coronavirus mitigation efforts is the most sweeping seen in the United States, along with a similar measure in Mississippi. In practice though, vast swaths of Texas have rarely enforced mask or occupancy mandates in the past year, anyway.
Several major retailers, grocery and restaurant chains in Texas said they would still require that masks be worn in their stores, which under Abbott’s order relaxing restrictions is their right to do. Some expected to see standoffs between maskless customers and store employees.
Texas was one of the first states to reopen its economy after the first wave of pandemic cases last May, and the nation’s second most populous state led the way again last week when Governor Greg Abbott announced the relaxation amid declines in new daily Covid-19 cases and with the rollout of vaccines.
County officials in regions where Covid patients take up 15% or more of hospital beds for seven consecutive days can enact new mask and occupancy restrictions, under Abbott’s order, but no regions are currently in that situation.
Austin’s city council voted to still require masks - and dared state officials to sue the city. “In Austin, we’re committed to saving lives,” city council member Greg Casar wrote on Twitter.
The Dallas Jewish Conservatives organization plans to host a party Wednesday evening with about 200 people. There will be a moment of silence for the pandemic’s dead, refreshments for the guests and a bonfire into which folks will be encouraged to toss masks.
“It’s about freedom, liberty and personal responsibility,” said Benjie Gershon, founder of the group. “The act of throwing a mask into the bonfire ... is in no way meant to belittle or undermine the tragic numbers of individuals who have fallen ill to Covid.”
Over 45,000 deaths have been recorded in the state from coronavirus. Texas is currently averaging around 500 news cases and 200 further deaths per day.
Alaska becomes first state to drop eligibility requirements for Covid vaccines
Alaska has become the first state to drop eligibility requirements for Covid-19 vaccines, and will now allow anyone 16 or older who lives or works in the state to get a vaccine, Gov Mike Dunleavy said Tuesday.
Dunleavy made the announcement after his own bout with COVID-19, which he described as an inconvenience and said underscored his own desire to be vaccinated. He said he did not become severely ill but did not want “to be laid up in the house again,” impact his family or possibly spread the virus to others.
Becky Bohrer reports for Associated Press that he described expanding eligibility for vaccines in Alaska as a “game changer,” particularly with the summer tourist season looming and as the state seeks to rebuild its pandemic-tattered economy.
He said he respects those who do not wish to get a vaccine and wanted to relay his personal experience for those mulling vaccination. “I would ask that you give some due consideration,” the Republican said.
Dr Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer, said officials were seeing open vaccine appointments and wanted to act to allow as many people who want a vaccine to get one. More appointments will be added as vaccine is moved around the state and additional doses come in, she said.
“This does feel like a gigantic milestone in so many ways to get to the point where we can offer protection for anyone who wants it in the state,” Zink said during a news conference with Dunleavy.
Alaska has led states in the percentage of its population to have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. At least 25% of the adults in the state have already received at least one dose. The state has reported about 57,300 resident Covid-19 cases and 301 related deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Peter Stone reports for us on how US far-right extremists are making millions via social media and cryptocurrency:
Dozens of extremist groups and individuals, including some involved in the Capitol attack, have used social media platforms, cryptocurrencies, tax-exempt status and other fundraising tools to rake in about $1.5m in the last year, according to experts.
Two recent studies by groups that track extremist financing, the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), underscore the growing threat posed by far-right extremists, including those who attacked Congress to stop the certification of the 2020 election results.
The recent studies and testimony delivered to a House committee by representatives from the SPLC and GDI in late February showed that the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and others with white supremacist and anti-immigrant bias, reaped windfalls via the streaming platform DLive, cryptocurrencies and other fundraising methods.
Megan Squire, a computer science professor at Elon University and a senior fellow at the SPLC, found that from 15 April to early February, 55 extremist individuals and groups used the video streaming platform DLive, which allows cryptocurrency-based donations for content, to pull in just under $866,700.
“The idea that multiple hate groups could raise tens of thousands of dollars a month from bleeding-edge technology and a tiny donor pool should be terrifying, not ho-hum,” Squire said in an interview. “This is the canary in the coalmine, and we ignore it at our peril.”
In a statement, DLive noted its guidelines prohibit hate speech and inciting violence, and that after the Capitol attack it “indefinitely suspended the accounts of the individuals who used DLive to livestream from the riots,” and their access to any “tokens given to them by community members”.
According to GDI co-founder Daniel Rogers, 44% of the 73 hate groups he has studied have benefited by securing tax exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service.
Read more of Peter Stone’s report here: US far-right extremists making millions via social media and cryptocurrency
The exchanges between potential jurors, attorneys and the judge at the outset of Derek Chauvin’s murder trial illustrated yesterday the challenges in seating a jury in such a well-known case. Judge Peter Cahill has set aside at least three weeks for jury selection. Opening statements are scheduled no sooner than 29 March.
Amy Forliti, for the Associated Press, writes that the three jurors who were selected yesterday – two men and one woman – all said they had heard some details about the case against Chauvin but would be able to put aside what they heard or opinions they had formed and make a decision based on evidence in court.
One of the selected jurors said he hadn’t seen the bystander video of George Floyd’s arrest at all, while the others described seeing it minimally. A person who worried about the divisiveness of the case was dismissed, as was a potential juror who feared his family could be targeted.
The first man who was selected to serve on the jury, a chemist who says he works to find facts and thinks analytically, said he has never watched the video of Floyd’s arrest but that he has seen a still image from it. When asked if he could decide the case based on the evidence, he said, “I’d rely on what I hear in court.”
The man, whom prosecutors said identifies as white, said he supports the Black Lives Matter movement, but views the organization itself unfavorably. He also has an unfavorable view of the Blue Lives Matter movement. He said everyone should matter the same.
“The whole point of that is that all lives should matter equally, and that should include police,” he said.
Another juror, a woman who is related to a police officer in greater Minnesota, said she initially had a negative perception of Chauvin because of what she saw in the bystander video, but said she doesn’t know him and could be proven wrong. “That video just makes you sad,” said the woman. “Nobody wants to see somebody die, whether it was his fault or not.”
The third juror selected, an auditor, also told the court he would be open-minded.
Outside the proceedings this week members of Floyd’s family have spoken. Bridgett Floyd, his sister, said that her family was glad the trial had finally arrived and was ‘praying for justice’.
Also coming down the track from the House of Representatives this week has been the PRO Act, which was passed yesterday. It will almost certainly face a filibuster attempt from Republicans in the Senate, which hasn’t stopped Sen Bernie Sanders urging all of his colleagues to get behind it. David Brenna writes for Newsweek:
The act would strengthen the rights of American workers to strike for better wages and working conditions, introduce new protections for union elections, and give the National Labor Relations Board the power to fine employers who violate workers’ rights, among other reforms.
Sanders appealed to colleagues on Twitter to take up the bill on Tuesday. “The trade union movement is the last line of defense against a billionaire class that won’t be satisfied until they have it all,” Sanders said.
But the legislation is highly unlikely to win the 60 Senate votes needed to avoid a Republican filibuster. Five House Republicans voted for the legislation, but the vast majority of GOP members stood against the bill, despite recent claims from prominent party members that the GOP has become the true party of the working class.
Exchanges in the House were quite testy. In response to Republican objections that the regulations might limit the freedoms of small buisness oweners, Ohio’s Tim Ryan said “Heaven forbid we pass something that’s going to help the damn workers in the United States of America.”
Rep Pramila Jayapal has added to her words overnight with a tweet emphasising that it was only the election results – particularly those in Georgia which allowed the Democrats to take control of the Senate in January – which have made passing this coronavirus relief bill possible.
Tomorrow the House will vote to send a robust relief package to the president’s desk.
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) March 10, 2021
Tonight I’m thinking of all the organizers who made this moment possible — winning the White House, flipping the Senate, keeping the House, and delivering a powerful mandate for change.
US House poised to approve Joe Biden's $1.9tn Covid relief plan
The House of Representatives is poised to give final approval to Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.9tn coronavirus stimulus and relief plan, a giant aid package the president has said is critical for lifting the US out of the pandemic and reviving its battered economy.
If passed by the House on Wednesday, as Democratic leaders expect, the first major legislative initiative of Biden’s presidency will rush assistance to families struggling under a year-long public health crisis and provide the most generous expansion of aid to low-income Americans in a generation.
It will send direct payments of up to $1,400 to most Americans, expand aid to state, local and tribal governments, provide federal subsidies for those struggling to afford health insurance, housing and food and deliver money to boost Covid-19 vaccine distribution and testing and to safely reopen schools.
Economists predict that as one of the largest emergency rescue packages in American history, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) will accelerate economic recovery, boosting growth to levels not seen in recent decades and dramatically reducing numbers living in poverty.
According to one estimate, the ARP could cut child poverty by as much as half, through an expansion of a tax credit for families with children that many Democrats want to make permanent.
House Democrats, who hold a slim majority, were confident the measure would pass on Wednesday morning, despite changes made in the Senate that threatened to alienate some progressives.
The New York congressman Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic Caucus chair, said he was “110% confident” of success. Once passed by the House, the bill will be sent to Biden for signature.
The Senate passed the bill on Saturday in a 50-49 vote, Democrats overcoming unified Republican opposition and a last-minute objection by Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a member of their own party.
The package before the House on Wednesday was narrower than Biden’s initial proposal, which included progressive priorities subsequently either stripped out or scaled back to appease moderates like Manchin, who echoed Republicans with concerns that the infusion of aid was too big in an economy showing signs of revival.
A provision to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour was deemed inadmissible under a budget process Democrats used to bypass Republican opposition.
The Senate-approved version tightens eligibility for stimulus checks and restructures a proposal for unemployment benefits that Biden hoped to raise to $400 a week. Under the new plan, unemployment benefits will remain at $300 a week but will be extended through the beginning of September, rather than August. The first $10,200 of supplements from 2020 will be made tax-free.
Though disappointed with some of the amendments, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called them “relatively minor concessions” and said the overall package remained “truly progressive and bold”.
Read more of Lauren Gambino’s report here: US House poised to approve Joe Biden’s $1.9tn Covid relief plan
Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of US politics on a day when Congress is expected to give a final approval to the Democrats $1.9 trillion coronavirus economic relief bill. Here’s where we are and what we expect to see later today…
- The House will convene at 9am today (1400 GMT), to hold its final vote on the $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill. Democrats are expected to quickly pass the bill in a party-line vote. Joe Biden has already said he will sign the legislation as soon as it reaches his desk.
- The first three jurors were seated and several rejected in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in the killing of George Floyd which began yesterday after a 24-hour delay.
- Arkansas has passed a new law banning nearly all abortions in the state. Supporters hope challenges to the sweeping measure will force the US supreme court to revisit Roe v Wade.
- A sixth woman has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo.
- The FBI released a video of the suspect who planted pipe bombs in Washington on 5 January, the day before the Capitol insurrection. The bureau is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person.
- Biden will be hosting an event this afternoon at the White House with the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Merck, who have collaborated on the manufacture of a Covid vaccine to ramp up supplies in the US.
- There will be a coronavirus press briefing at 11am, and Jen Psaki will give her press briefing at 12.30pm. She’ll be accompanied by Roberta Jacobson, who is special assistant to the president & coordinator for the Southern Border Ambassador.
