Biden backs filibuster change on voting rights as last resort
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden would support changing Senate filibuster rules to enact voting rights legislation as a last resort if Congress can’t do something otherwise, though there aren’t enough votes to do so right now, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
Biden, speaking Wednesday in an interview with ABC News, said he supported eliminating the filibuster if it’s all that stood in the way of passing voting rights legislation. Psaki then said Thursday that Biden’s full answer, which wasn’t aired in its entirety, added that he didn’t think they’d have to resort to that, but that voting rights legislation remains a priority.
“He said, I would just reiterate, that he doesn’t think we’ll have to go that far,” Psaki said when asked about the filibuster. “I think the key thing we know at this point in time, which you know, is that there aren’t enough votes to change the Senate rules at this point in time.”
In portions of the interview broadcast by ABC, Biden said he supported doing “whatever it takes” to enact voting rights reform. “If the only thing standing between getting voting rights legislation passed, and not getting it passed, is the filibuster, I support making the exception of voting rights for the filibuster,” he said.
The president has regularly spoken about seeing voting rights as a “fundamental priority” for him, Psaki said. “As he said in his answer last night, we may not have to go to that, but he is prepared to support changes if that’s the only thing standing in the way of getting this done.”
—Bloomberg News
Italy's COVID-19 cases hit highest point so far in pandemic
ROME — Italian health authorities logged about 44,600 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest level recorded since the pandemic struck the country.
The previous record had been just under 41,000 cases, on Nov. 13, 2020.
Officials also recorded 170 deaths due to the virus.
But there were many more tests performed in the days leading up to the Christmas holiday, with the ministry reported 900,000 on Thursday, with the number of positive results ranging from 3.6% and 4.9%.
Italy has implemented rules requiring people who are neither vaccinated against or recovered from the disease to provide proof of a negative test to do things like use public transport. The negative tests are also needed for access to places like museums.
The country's highest health agency, the ISS, says its initial estimates point to 28% of all new cases in the country being due to the new omicron variant. It noted that cases are rising quickly and that omicron is likely to soon be the dominant strain in Italy.
Responding to the health threat, the country announced a series of updated health rules to keep the disease's spread under control.
Health Minister Roberto Speranza said that, starting Feb. 1, proof of vaccination would only be recognized for six months after the jab, instead of the current nine. People in Italy need the proof of vaccination for everything from using public transportation to getting into museums.
—dpa
Teen charged in carjacking of Pa. congresswoman
PHILADELPHIA — A 19-year-old from Wilmington, Delaware, was charged in federal court Thursday with participating in Wednesday’s gunpoint carjacking of U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon in FDR Park.
Josiah Brown pleaded not guilty during a virtual arraignment to charges including carjacking and firearms violations. He will be held in custody as his case moves forward.
Federal authorities said Brown, along with a still-unidentified coconspirator, pointed a gun at Scanlon’s chest in the park around 2:30 p.m. and demanded her car keys. Scanlon handed over her belongings and was not physically harmed, they said, while Brown and his accomplice drove off in her 2017 Acura MDX.
Unbeknownst to the robbers, the SUV had a tracking device in it, according to charging documents filed in the case, and that allowed police to locate the vehicle within a few hours — first outside Brown’s house in Wilmington, and then at the Christiana Fashion Center in Newark.
It was there that Brown was taken into custody along with four other teens around 8:30 p.m., police said. State troopers and federal agents initially saw Scanlon’s SUV unoccupied, but officers watched it and eventually saw the teens getting in. The teens tried to flee as police approached the car, officials said, but all were eventually arrested.
Only Brown was facing charges connected to the carjacking.
And U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams — whose office is prosecuting Brown — said the crime had national security implications due to Scanlon’s standing as an elected official.
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
NYC’s Times Square New Year’s bash still on, but with limits
NEW YORK — The New Year’s Eve bash in Times Square will take place as scheduled — but attendees must wear face masks and maintain social distancing in addition to being fully vaccinated as COVID-19 continues to batter the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday.
Roughly 58,000 revelers are usually allowed into Times Square viewing areas for the iconic Dec. 31 ball drop, but de Blasio said the crowd will be capped at about 15,000 this year to allow for social distancing.
Attendees — who must wear masks at all times and show proof that they’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — also won’t be allowed to enter Times Square until 3 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, far later than past years, according to de Blasio.
“There is a lot to celebrate and these additional safety measures will keep the fully vaccinated crowd safe and healthy as we ring in the New Year,” de Blasio said.
Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who’s set to be sworn in on New Year’s Day, lauded de Blasio’s move as the city continues to see a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant.
—New York Daily News
