Summary
- FBI director Christopher Wray testified before the House Judiciary Committee. He faced criticism for failing to prevent the attack, which he characterized to lawmakers as “an act of domestic terrorism”.
- A bipartisan group of 10 senators reached an agreement on a $1tn infrastructure package. This new deal comes after negotiations between Joe Biden and the Republican party reached an impasse. But it’s unclear whether most legislators will accept the plan. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said “Questions need to be addressed particularly around the details of both policy and pay fors, among other matters.”
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the shelf life of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, saving millions of doses from going to waste. The agency approved an extension of the vaccine’s shelf life by six weeks, according to J&J.
- Earlier today, Joe Biden and Boris Johnson sealed their nations’ special relationship by signing a 21st-century version of the Atlantic Charter. And they sealed their relationship with a diplomatic gift exchange.
Updated
Andrew Brown Jr died of 'homicide' state autopsy concludes
Andrew Brown Jr, a Black man who was shot by North Carolina deputies in April, died of a gunshot to the head, a state autopsy confirmed.
An independent autopsy commissioned by Brown’s family had found the same. But a North Carolina prosecutor said Brown’s death at the hands of officers “while tragic, was justified”. The prosecutor also would not release body-camera video of the confrontation.
“The autopsy results prove what we’ve always known to be true: Pasquotank county deputies executed Andrew Brown Jr with a kill shot to the back of the head,” attorneys for Brown’s family said. “The false narrative that [the district attorney] has attempted to weave is completely discredited by this autopsy report.”
Updated
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said that the president has seen the senators’ infrastructure plan.
“The president appreciates the senators’ work to advance critical investments we need to create good jobs, prepare for our clean energy future and compete in the global economy,” he said in a statement. “Questions need to be addressed particularly around the details of both policy and pay-fors, among other matters.”
Updated
Bipartisan group reaches infrastrucure deal
A bipartisan group of 10 senators reached an agreement on a $1tn infrastructure package.
This new deal comes after negotiations between Joe Biden and the Republican party reached an impasse. A group of five Democrats and five Republicans – Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Joe Manchin, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Mitt Romney, Jeanne Shaheen, Kyrsten Sinema, Jon Tester, and Mark Warner – developed the $1.2tn plan.
“This investment would be fully paid for and not include tax increases,” the senators said. “We are discussing our approach with our respective colleagues, and the White House, and remain optimistic that this can lay the groundwork to garner broad support from both parties and meet America’s infrastructure needs.”
It is unclear whether the deal will work for the White House, or for legislators from both parties. Biden had been adamant that a sweeping infrastructure bill should be funded by increasing the corporate tax rate, a move that Republicans vehemently opposed. Many Democrats are also firm that an infrastructure package should include investment in clean energy and projects to combat climate change – which again, Republicans vehemently oppose.
Green for hugs, red for no touching: US events introduce pandemic color coding
To encourage better respect towards people’s boundaries, event hosts are using colored accessories to help people communicate their comfort around physical touch, reports the Wall Street Journal.
As coronavirus restricts continue to be lifted, many physical acts of socializing – hugs, handshakes and everything in between, have become less comfortable for people. While some are excited to begin up-close-and-personal socializing, others are fiercely protective of their physical space. Hence, the creation of color-coded accessories, sometimes stickers, lanyards or bracelets, to differentiate who is comfortable with what kind of touch.
At in-person events like the ones hosted by the Chesterfield chamber of commerce, located near Virginia’s capital, hosts have been giving out red, yellow and green stickers to attendees, with signs explaining the colors’ code. At an event hosted by the chamber, a sign explained that red means no physical contact wanted, “no exceptions”. Those wearing a yellow band are only OK with elbow contact, like an elbow bump. Green means that “hugs [are] welcome”.
Danielle Fitz-Hugh, president of the chamber, noted the variety of comfort levels around physical touch as in-person gathering becomes more frequent. “The greens are just ready to party,” said Danielle Fitz-Hugh to WSJ.
Similarly, at an annual conference hosted by the south-east chapter of the American Association of Airport Executive in Georgia, guests could grab a wristband. Placards explained that green was for those “Celebrating like it’s 2019”, yellow for anyone feeling “2020 has me confused”, and red for “Wake me up in 2022”.
In addition to public events, some offices have also started implementing the red-yellow-green systems to better support those working in person.
The red-yellow-green accessories are one of many pandemic-era tools that have been created to help people feel more comfortable at in-person gatherings. Other innovations include directive signs, sometimes customized, that inform others to remain socially distanced from someone.
Updated
Americans who survive a terrorist attack should get an automatic one-year deferment on their federal student loan payments, according to a bill introduced by Marco Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida.
“We should do everything in our power to help those who survive a terrorist attack to get their life back on track,” Rubio said in a statement. “Giving survivors some time to regroup by delaying their student loan payments is just commonsense.”
The Terrorism Survivors Student Loan Deferment Act would “provide a one-year pause for victims,” allowing them time to “get back on their feet,” or to apply for additional loan deferments, according to Rubio’s office.
Rubio first introduced the legislation in 2016, and said the bill was inspired by his office’s work to help a survivor of Florida’s Pulse Nightclub shooting secure a temporary delay on his student loan payments.
The attack on a gay bar in Orlando five years ago left 49 people dead and more than 50 injured.
While the Pulse survivor’s injuries were serious and life-changing enough that he had considered asking for complete forgiveness of his student loans, Rubio said at the time, the young man changed his mind, and decided to only ask for a delay in his payments, a choice Rubio called “a testament to his resilience and determination.”
Rubio’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how “terrorist attack” is defined in the legislation, and which mass shootings or other violent attacks would count as “terrorist attacks.”
Some of the reactions to Rubio’s bill were strongly negative, with commenters suggesting the policy proposal was an insulting response to America’s sweeping student loan crisis.
https://t.co/3zlTvnmqCN pic.twitter.com/H4RgZBU69y
— Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) June 10, 2021
Congratulations to Marco Rubio for literally doing the least that he could possibly do to address the student loan crisis. https://t.co/c0SqWuY0sD
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) June 10, 2021
Nearly 43m Americans have federal student loan debt, and they owe an average of $39,406 each, according to EducationData.org.
In recent years, the number of victims killed annually in US domestic terrorism attacks has ranged from 22 to 66 people, according to data assembled by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the shelf life of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, saving millions of doses from going to waste.
The agency approved an extension of the vaccine’s shelf life by six weeks, according to J&J. “The decision is based on data from ongoing stability assessment studies, which have demonstrated that the vaccine is stable at 4.5 months when refrigerated at temperatures of 36 – 46 degrees Fahrenheit (2 – 8 degrees Celsius),” the drug manufacturer said.
The government has been trying to ramp up vaccination rates, with the target of getting 70% of Americans at least partially by Independence Day. But that deadline looks increasingly unlikely, due to vaccine hesitancy. The pace of vaccinations has dropped from a peak of about 2m per day, to about 400,000 per day.
Some 10m vaccine doses sent to states remain unused, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
After fully vaccinating at least 70% of all residents over the age of 12 against Covid-19, Seattle has become the most vaccinated city in America, the mayor said.
Jenny Durkan announced that Seattle has fully vaccinated 70% of its population, beating out San Francisco, who previously held the title, to become America’s most inoculated big city.
Seattle, Washington state’s largest city with a population of roughly 750,000, administered over 250,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, vaccinating almost 131,000 people. In February, Durkan had previously announced a goal of getting 70% of all Seattle adults vaccinated.
“Seattle is America’s most vaccinated major city, and it would not have been possible without our residents’ commitment to protecting themselves, their loved ones and our entire community,” said Durkan.
Durkan also stated that since vaccination goals have been reached, the city can begin re-opening efforts, encouraging Seattle residents to support local businesses, and enjoy Seattle’s art and culture.
“Now that we have reached community protection, we can lead the nation in safely reopening and recovering in earnest,” Durkan said.
The city has offered vaccinations in a variety of places: adult nursing homes, affordable housing units, pop-up clinics and other sites. Seattle, along with Washington state, has also offered vaccine incentives to residents, including cash lotteries with a $1m grand prize.
Though now the second most vaccinated American city, San Francisco is on track to be the first major US city to reach herd immunity, as 80% of eligible residents have received the vaccine.
Updated
Earlier today, Joe Biden and Boris Johnson sealed their nations’ special relationship by signing a 21st-century version of the Atlantic Charter. And they sealed their relationship with a diplomatic gift exchange.
Biden presented Johnson with a US-made bicycle (plus a helmet for safety), while Johnson presented Biden a framed photograph of a British mural depicting the abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Douglass, who escaped slavery in the US in the 1830s, spent two years in Ireland and Britain.
How it started. How it's going.
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) June 10, 2021
➔ https://t.co/JZMAYdSzBL pic.twitter.com/WPOlCwS7i3
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Today so far
- House speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the attack on representative Ilhan Omar, asking for a clarification on her remarks about the US, Israel, Hamas, Afghanistan and the Taliban. Yet when it came to Senator Joe Manchin and his stance on voting rights and the For The People Act, Pelosi said she still had not “given up” on him.
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FBI director Christopher Wray continued testifying before the House judiciary committee. He answered questions about the Capitol riot and reiterating that Donald Trump’s claims about a stolen presidential election were nothing more than a lie.
Updated
Some recent Pew Research Center surveys conducted in 16 countries found that show more than 6 in 10 people in each country expressed confidence in Joe Biden to “do the right thing” in world affairs, the Associated Press is reporting.
The ratings have rebounded by more than 30 percentage points in most countries since Donald Trump was in office.
France, for example, had a 34% favorable view of the US last year, while now it is at 65%. Twelve of the countries surveyed in 2020 and 2021, the gap in confidence in the two presidents is at least 40 percentage points, in Biden’s favor.
House Democrats have divided over representative Ilhan Omar, with some attacking her for saying, “We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan and the Taliban” and others coming to her defense and calling such attacks on her Islamaphobic.
Reminder that the party was already divided this week over voting rights, with West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin declaring he would not vote for the For The People Act. In a conference call about voting rights today, House speaker Nancy Pelosi said she has not “given up” on Manchin just yet.
House Democrats held a conference call today to talk next steps on voting rights. I’m told @SpeakerPelosi told the group that she is still holding out hope Senate Democrats can push through HR1.
— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) June 10, 2021
“I have not given up on Joe Manchin,” she said.
Updated
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team put out a joint statement on representative Ilhan Omar:
House Democratic leadership puts out a statement attacking Rep. Ilhan Omar, saying her remark "foments prejudice and undermines progress toward a future of peace and security for all." pic.twitter.com/PusWVzVNfL
— aída chávez (@aidachavez) June 10, 2021
Updated
Wray: No evidence of election fraud
FBI director Christopher Wray continued his testimony before the House judiciary committee, reiterating that Donald Trump’s claims about a stolen presidential election were nothing more than a lie: “We did not find evidence of fraud that could’ve changed the outcome of the election.”
Today, I asked FBI Director Wray if there was any evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) June 10, 2021
His response?
"We didn't see evidence of fraud sufficient to change the outcome of the presidential election." pic.twitter.com/4NGcmBcNdm
Wray testified more as well about the 6 January attack on the US Capitol:
FBI Director Christopher Wray on the Capitol attack: “We are treating it as an act of domestic terrorism and investigating it through our Joint Terrorism Task Force — and I would expect to see more charges.”
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) June 10, 2021
FBI Director Christopher Wray rejects House Republican Andrew Clyde’s characterization of the Capitol attack as a tourist visit — in part because insurrectionists were armed and carried gear like handcuffs.
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) June 10, 2021
Moderna has filed with the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for its Covid-19 vaccine for adolescents ages 12 to 17.
In May, the company released results from a trial of 3,732 children ages 12 to 17 whose blood tests showed that the vaccine produced an immune response that was equivalent to earlier findings in adults. None of the children in that trial who received the vaccine got sick with Covid-19 starting 14 days after their second dose, while four of the children who received the placebo tested positive for Covid-19.
Moderna is currently authorized only for people 18 years or older.
Summary
- Joe Biden met with Boris Johnson in Cornwall while Jill Biden wore a “love” blazer.
First Lady Jill Biden, sporting a jacket with the words 'love' on the back, poses for a photograph looking out over the sea, at Carbis Bay, in Cornwall ahead of the G7 summit. https://t.co/EYoMGkWUu1 pic.twitter.com/cm3wx2Hha4
— ABC News (@ABC) June 10, 2021
- Meanwhile, talks deadlocked on, well, a lot of things - but mostly the bipartisan negotiations around the infrastructure plan. Lawmakers on both side were expressing frustration Thursday with the concept of bipartisanship, but Senator Mitt Romney hinted at a possible agreement.
- Representative Ilhan Omar received death threats as members of her own party condemned her for saying that “we have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan and the Taliban.”
Today in San Francisco, Rob Bonta, California’s attorney general, said that his office has filed an appeal of the recent federal court decision that struck down the state’s assault weapon restrictions.
Standing alongside Governor Gavin Newsom, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and representatives from Brady United and the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Bonta said that while the opinion was of “great concern”, “we are not deterred by this ruling.”
This appeal comes after a 4 June ruling from Judge Roger Benitez that ruled that California’s 32 year-old restrictions were unconstitutional. The decision drew immediate criticism for Benitez’s comparison of assault weapons to “Swiss army knives” and false claim that more Californians have died from the Covid-19 vaccine than mass shootings.
Bonta is also extending the 30-day-stay, so that the current laws stay in effect throughout the appeal process.
Learn more about what Judge Benitez’s ruling mean for the state here:
Florida public schools ban teaching of critical-race theory
The Florida Board of Education has approved tougher guidelines for teaching US history in public schools that prohibits teachers from discussing critical-race theory or the 1619 Project.
The reactive push against the movement to teaching non-whitewashed versions of American history that don’t downplay the role of slavery and racism in the founding of the country has long been a conservative rallying point. Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, tweeted that critical-race theory was “state-sanctioned racism and has no place in Florida schools”.
History classes in Florida now will just be students coloring in a picture of white Jesus carrying an American flag while gazing upon a bald eagle soaring through the fireworks-filled sky.
— Travis Akers (@travisakers) June 10, 2021
Class concludes with a rousing rendition of Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American.”
Something may have happened. Or not. But that’s pretty much the state of it this week, isn’t it?
Some newsy developments: Per @MittRomney, the infrastructure Gang of 10 have reached an agreement on the overall size of the package, how much it’ll spend on each provision and how they’ll pay for it. He and other Rs will brief other Republicans, Ds will brief admin officials
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) June 10, 2021
We’re back on the infrastructure plan, and the hopes of a bipartisan agreement. Joe Biden ended negotiations with Republicans before he left on his first overseas trip, but said he planned to stay in touch. People on both sides are saying the time for bipartisanship is done, whether related to the infrastructure plan or otherwise.
But! Possibly an agreement, per Republican Utah Senator Mitt Romney. Except someone forgot to tell Montana Senator Jon Tester.
Well. Tester, a member of the Infra 10, said an agreement was “news to me”
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) June 10, 2021
So could there be an agreement? Unclear. We’ll see.
Updated
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio set Twitter ablaze today when he decided to preview a commercial for ranked-choice voting with a giant ballot of pizza toppings.
Ranked-choice voting is when you rank a number of candidates for each race. If none wins an outright majority in the first round of counting, the last-place candidate is eliminated, and then the second-place votes are counted, and this keeps going until someone earns at least 50% of the votes plus one.
It wasn’t the type of voting that stirred controversy, but de Blasio’s ranking: 1. Green peppers 2. Green olives 3. Sausage 4. Mushrooms 5. Pepperoni
has the mayor eaten a pizza https://t.co/M3TKG13Lek
— AJ (@ajchavar) June 10, 2021
The mayor is now YELLING about pineapple on pizza. "THIS IS NOT CALIFORNIA," he says, adding it's offensive to his Italian ancestors.
— katie honan (@katie_honan) June 10, 2021
Clams on pizza? "We're not in New Haven," he says. Life has certainly been strange over the last 15 or so months.
TRASH! deblasio should stay in his lane. He eats pizza with a fork and knife AND he's a red sox fan. https://t.co/EsUL17H8Ki
— Brittny Pierre (@sleep2dream) June 10, 2021
And also, there’s also the fact that pizza is not quite the right analogy for an election.
pizza toppings are an especially fitting choice of example for ranked-choice voting because, as everybody knows, a finalized pizza can only include precisely one (1) topping https://t.co/FIKWPS2pC6
— Ariel Edwards-Levy (@aedwardslevy) June 10, 2021
The FBI director, Christopher Wray, is testifying before the House judiciary committee on oversight of the FBI. Hate violence and white supremacist ideology were large focuses, and Wray received a number of questions about the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.
“On the days leading up to the January 6th attack, did the FBI simply miss evidence, or did it see the evidence and fail to piece it together?”
— House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudiciary) June 10, 2021
Chairman @RepJerryNadler questions @FBI Director Wray pic.twitter.com/JdV3aXxWJ1
FBI’s Wray says unaware of any investigation specifically looking at Trump’s rhetoric in advance of the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6
— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) June 10, 2021
Updated
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is apparently pretty done with bipartisanship too.
Pres. Biden & Senate Dems should take a step back and ask themselves if playing patty-cake w GOP Senators is really worth the dismantling of people’s voting rights, setting the planet on fire, allowing massive corporations and the wealthy to not pay their fair share of taxes, etc
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 9, 2021
During the Obama admin, folks thought we’d have a 60 Dem majority for a while. It lasted 4 months.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 9, 2021
Dems are burning precious time & impact negotiating w/GOP who won’t even vote for a Jan 6 commission. McConnell’s plan is to run out the clock.
It’s a hustle. We need to move now.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who thinks “the era of bipartisanship is over”, doesn’t seem particularly fazed.
Mitch McConnell responds to AOC's tweet on Fox News: "Well, to satisfy that particular member of Congress, I think the Democrats would have to have 60 votes in the Senate and all of them would have to be as far left as she is. I think her big complaint is with her own party." https://t.co/mLGMGwjMxi
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) June 10, 2021
Updated
More Democrats are joining together to condemn Minnesota Ilhan Omar for saying that “we have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan and the Taliban.” Meanwhile, more of her allies are rallying behind her in support as well.
— Tom Suozzi (@RepTomSuozzi) June 10, 2021
Muslim Americans are fed up of constantly being accused of supporting terrorism - including by liberals and Democrats! - when they/we simply make factual points about international law or foreign policies or war crimes.
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) June 10, 2021
It’s cynical, dehumanizing, and, yes bigoted.
Once again #IStandWithIlhan 👇🏽 https://t.co/QJOdvPFP91
— Jamil Dakwar (@jdakwar) June 10, 2021
Here’s our first look at the meeting between Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and First Lady Jill Biden and Carrie Johnson.
“It’s gorgeous, I don’t want to go home,” said President Biden of seaside view in Carbis Bay with PM Boris Johnson. pic.twitter.com/Sbv9uQCJRV
— Steve Holland (@steveholland1) June 10, 2021
Biden and Boris Johnson pic.twitter.com/ZkVj3j74zw
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) June 10, 2021
First Lady Jill Biden sports a “LOVE” jacket while meeting with UK PM Boris Johnson and Carrie Johnson. pic.twitter.com/dGV5C62RVp
— The Recount (@therecount) June 10, 2021
Updated
A lot has been hyped about bipartisanship this week. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said “the era of bipartisanship is over”, with every bill the Democrats have introduced in June including something he said Republicans could not support. Democratic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin gave it as the reason why he wasn’t voting for the For The People bill that would voting rights, because he believed such legislation needed to be bipartisan.
Then there was the bipartisan negotiations between Joe Biden and Republicans over an infrastructure plan. On Tuesday, Biden ended negotiations. Despite his willingness to reduce his plan by more than $1 trillion, Republicans had increased their proposed new investments by only $150bn. And then there was the issue of tax increases.
Though Biden said he would stay in touch with Republicans during his trip, things aren’t looking great.
“No,” Angus King, one of the bipartisan negotiators on infrastructure, said when I asked if he were confident a bipartisan deal could be reached among the group. Said he’s “hopeful”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 10, 2021
About 90 advocacy groups have since called on Biden and the Democrats to use the partisan reconciliation process instead of relying on negotiations.
Reconciliation is a rule that allows Congress to pass new budget resolutions with new spending priorities with a simple 51-vote majority in the Senate without having to worry about a filibuster.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats are already working on a plan to pass an infrastructure measure via the reconciliation process.
Omar receives death threats as lawmakers condemn her comments
Democratic Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar is once again receiving death threats as 12 members of her own party condemn her for appearing to liken Hamas and the Taliban to Israel and the United States.
“We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity,” she tweeted in a question to Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing about the International Criminal Court on Monday. “We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.”
Equating the U.S. and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban is as offensive as it is misguided. Ignoring the differences between democracies governed by the rule of law and organizations that engage in terrorism discredits one’s intended argument and reflects deep-seated prejudice. https://t.co/KOdgPqvQdT
— Rep. Brad Schneider (@RepSchneider) June 10, 2021
Group of House Democrats is out with a statement tonight condemning Ilhan Omar’s recent comments, saying they “give cover to terrorist groups.” pic.twitter.com/kDxSkb7OCi
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) June 10, 2021
Omar responded by calling out the “shameful” Islamaphobic tropes in her colleagues’ statement.
“The constant harassment and silencing from the signers of this letter is unbearable,” she tweeted.
Citing an open case against Israel, US, Hamas & Taliban in the ICC isn’t comparison or from “deeply seated prejudice”. You might try to undermine these investigations or deny justice to their victims but history has thought us that the truth can’t be hidden or silenced forever.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) June 10, 2021
I am tired of colleagues (both D+R) demonizing @IlhanMN. Their obsession with policing her is sick. She has the courage to call out human rights abuses no matter who is responsible. That's better than colleagues who look away if it serves their politics. https://t.co/5n9OxZbK8Q
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) June 10, 2021
Biden to meet with Johnson as party clashes continue back home
Howdy, liveblog readers. Happy Thursday.
We begin today with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden departing for Cornwall in the United Kingdom to meet with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie Johnson.
It’s expected that everyone will use the meeting as a chance to reaffirm the “special relationship” between the US and the UK - though Johnson has confirmed that he thinks the term seems “needy and weak” and Biden has been quoted calling Johnson a “physical and emotional clone” of Donald Trump.
It’s also likely that Biden and Johnson will speak about the working groups the two governments have formed to look into lifting travel restrictions between the US and UK.
But in addition to these niceties, this meeting takes place with the US issuing a warning to the UK’s Brexit negotiator, Lord Frost, over negotiations over border checks in Northern Ireland.
The Guardian’s Patrick Wintour delves into the situation more here:
Meanwhile, back home, talks on a bipartisan infrastructure deal remained at an impasse, with Republicans refusing to raise taxes to pay for the plan and Biden insisting on it.
Lots of discussion today on the Hill about how to pay for much needed infrastructure.
— Ronald Klain (@WHCOS) June 9, 2021
I'm just going to leave this here. pic.twitter.com/MwzLtUguNn
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