Evening summary
That’s all from me today. Here’s a rundown of the biggest stories of the day:
- The White House urged state and local governments to enact protections against evictions after announcing that the CDC lacks the legal authority to put in place a new moratorium after the previous one expired on 31 July. Millions of Americans were protected from eviction during the Covid-19 pandemic thanks to a moratorium imposed by the CDC, but both the White House and Congress failed to act ahead of the weekend deadline.
- Coronavirus cases continued to rise, especially among the unvaccinated, prompting some localities to reinstate indoor mask mandates. Louisiana became the second state to renew a statewide mandate while seven counties in the San Francisco bay area joined Los Angeles and Sacramento in reinstating indoor mask rules. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio declined to reinstitute a mandate, but encouraged New Yorkers to mask up indoors anyway.
- The CDC reported that 70% of adults in the US have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, achieving a milestone that Joe Biden had hoped to hit by 4 July. Vaccination rates plummeted over the summer, but that have increased by 70% in the past week, especially in states with the highest rates of Covid.
- Senators unveiled the text of a nearly $1tn infrastructure package. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said a vote could be held on the bipartisan bill “in a matter of days”.
A National Labor Relations Board hearing officer has recommended that a new union election should be held for the Amazon warehouse workers in Bessamer, Alabama, due to illegal interference by Amazon, the Washington Post reports.
The union drive at the warehouse in a suburb of Birmingham drew national attention in April, as labor leaders and Democratic politicians looked to the workers to revive the hopes of a unionized Amazon.
But the pro-union vote fell well short of the majority required following an intense anti-union campaign by the $1.6 trillion company.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union quickly filed charges against Amazon with the NLRB, the agency tasked with enforcing federal labor law, alleging that Amazon had engaged in “egregious and blatantly illegal” conduct. Amazon denied the claims, which were examined during a three-week hearing before the NLRB this May.
The officer who oversaw the hearing submitted her findings to the NLRB’s regional director on Monday, according to the RWDSU, and recommended that the election results be set aside and a new election be held.
“Throughout the NLRB hearing, we heard compelling evidence how Amazon tried to illegally interfere with and intimidate workers as they sought to exercise their right to form a union. We support the hearing officer’s recommendation that the NLRB set aside the election results and direct a new election,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU, in a statement.
“Amazon’s behavior throughout the election process was despicable. Amazon cheated, they got caught, and they are being held accountable.”
An Amazon spokesman told the Washington Post that it plans to appeal to ensure that the initial election results stand.
Amazon employs nearly 1 million people in the US. While its minimum wage for direct employees is $15 per hour – more than double the federal minimum wage – it is notorious for punishing workloads, high injury rates, and excessive turnover.
Updated
Federal appeals court upholds university vaccine mandate
A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Indiana University’s vaccine mandate for students and staff does not violate the constitution, the highest court decision on the subject to date.
“Indiana does not require every adult member of the public to be vaccinated,” judge Damon R Leichty, a Trump-appointee, wrote in the ruling. “Vaccination is instead a condition of attending Indiana University. People who do not want to be vaccinated may go elsewhere.”
The case was brought by rightwing attorney James Bopp on behalf of a group of Indiana University students, who objected to the school’s decision to require vaccination. Bopp was involved in some of the legal efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election using false allegations of election fraud.
“Once again, the court has affirmed our legitimate public health interest in assuring the safety of our students, faculty and staff and we are excited to welcome our community back for the fall semester,” the university said in a statement Monday, according to the AP.
A Washington DC police officer has become the third law enforcement officer who defended the US Capitol during the 6 January attack to kill himself.
My colleague Hugo Lowell reports:
Officer Gunther Hashida, who was assigned to the emergency response team within the special operations department, was found dead at home on 29 July, the department said.
Hashida, 44, joined the force in May 2003 and was among those who responded to the Capitol attack, spokesperson Brianna Burch confirmed to the Guardian.
“We are grieving as a department and our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Hashida’s family and friends,” Burch said.
Hashida is survived by his wife, Romelia, and three children, his sister and other members of a “wonderful family”, according to an online fundraising campaign established in his memory.
Last week, several officers who were on duty on 6 January testified about the intense trauma of the day before a special committee investigating the events.
“I was grabbed, beaten, Tased, all while being called a traitor to my country. I was at risk of being stripped of and killed with my own firearm, as I heard chants of ‘Kill him with his own gun,’” said Michael Fanone, during the hearing. Fanone, an officer with the Metropolitan police department, was beaten by the pro-Trump mob and suffered a heart attack and brain injury. “I can still hear those words in my head today.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condolences for MPD Officer Gunther Hashida, calling him a hero: “All Americans are indebted to him for his great valor and patriotism on Jan. 6 and throughout his selfless service.”
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) August 2, 2021
- In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 and online chat is also available. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org
Hello everyone, this is Julia Carrie Wong in Oakland, California, picking up the live blog for the rest of the afternoon.
Public health officials for seven San Francisco Bay area counties have just announced that they are reinstating an indoor mask mandate amid a “sharp increase” in coronavirus cases attributed to the highly transmissible Delta variant.
The indoor mask rules, which will apply to everyone regardless of vaccination status, will go into effect Tuesday and cover more than 7 million people across the region, which includes San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose.
“Indoor masking is a temporary measure that will help us deal with the Delta variant, which is causing a sharp increase in cases, and we know increases in hospitalizations and deaths will follow,” said Dr Naveena Bobba, San Francisco’s acting health officer, in a statement. “When we all wear face coverings indoors, we are protecting our fellow residents and helping our healthcare workers.”
Bobba stressed that Covid-19 vaccines are highly effective at preventing serious illness and hospitalization, but noted that the CDC has found that even fully vaccinated people may spread the Delta variant to others.
The reinstatement comes just six weeks after California relaxed coronavirus restrictions on 15 June. The Bay Area counties follow Los Angeles, Yolo and Sacramento counties in reinstating indoor mask mandates since then.
Daily cases of Covid-19 in the Bay Area have increased more than 500% since 1 July, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, while hospitalizations have increased about 400%.
Updated
Afternoon summary
Here’s a quick summary of everything that’s happened so far today:
- The White House released a statement saying that Joe Biden does not have the executive authority to extend the eviction moratorium, contradicting Congressional lawmakers who have said he has the authority and urged executive action.
- Senate Lindsay Graham said he tested positive for Covid-19 despite being vaccinated. Graham said that his symptoms, which are akin to a sinus infection, would be worse had he not gotten the vaccine.
- Louisiana reinstated its indoor mask mandate, becoming the second state to renew a statewide mandate.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said, as of today, 70% of the population has gotten at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Health officials say that vaccination rates are going up as people in states with high case numbers are going in to get their shots.
Stay tuned for more live updates.
Coronavirus cases rising fast among unvaccinated, while vaccination rates improve
The US is seeing an average of 72,000 new cases of Covid-19 per day, a 44% increase compared to the last seven-day moving average, said Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at a White House coronavirus task force press briefing. Hospitalization and deaths are also seeing increases.
“While we desperately want to be done with this pandemic, Covid-19 is clearly not done with us, and so our battle must last a little longer,” Walensky said.
Walensky said that the science is making it clearly that Delta variant is highly contagious – someone with the Delta variant can infect twice as many people compared to if they had the original virus strain.
The CDC director emphasized that while vaccinated people can spread the virus if they get a breakthrough infection, “the odds of them getting sick in the first place are far lower than those who are unvaccinated.”
Speaking about breakthrough infections, Dr Anthony Fauci said that the number of breakthrough cases is “not a critical number” and those with breakthrough infections are having asymptomatic or mild cases.
Updated
Health officials say that there are hopeful signs that more people are getting vaccinated as the highly contagious Covid-19 Delta variant spreads throughout the country.
The seven states with the lowest vaccination rates make up 17% of new Covid cases, though their populations make up 8.5% of the country’s total population, said Jeffrey Zients, coordinator of the White House’s coronavirus task force, during a task force press conference. One in three new cases are coming from Florida or Texas, he added. About 19m Americans who are eligible for the vaccine remain unvaccinated.
On the flip side, states with low vaccination rates and high Covid-19 case counts are seeing an increase in new vaccination. In the last seven days, 3m Americans got their first shot, Zients said, a 70% increase in the average number of people getting vaccinated over the last few weeks. The eight states with the highest Covid rates have seen a 171% increase of people getting vaccinated over the last three weeks, he said.
“Americans are seeing the risk and impact of being unvaccinated and responding with action, and that’s what’s going to take to get us out of this pandemic,” Zients said.
Updated
Louisiana reinstates statewide indoor mask mandate
The state of Louisiana will be under an indoor mask mandate starting Wednesday, governor John Bel Edwards announced this afternoon. The state will be the second state to reimplement a mandate after Nevada reinstated its mandate last week.
“Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise across Louisiana, threatening the ability of Louisiana’s hospitals to deliver care during this fourth surge of Covid. Louisiana is currently in the worst surge of the Covid-19 pandemic so far in terms of case growth rate, percent positivity and hospitalizations,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
The mandate will apply to everyone ages five and older and will be in place until 1 September, with the potential of an extension.
Today, I am reinstating Louisiana’s statewide mask mandate indoors for all people ages 5 & up as COVID-19 cases & hospitalizations continue to rise across Louisiana, threatening the ability of hospitals to deliver care. #lagov pic.twitter.com/bFrI4y6MxT
— John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) August 2, 2021
Though the White House released a statement this afternoon that says Joe Biden does not have the executive authority to extend the eviction moratorium, Biden “has not given up the option of legal action”, Jen Psaki said at a press briefing this afternoon.
“We are using every tool we have … We’re still looking at legal authorities to see what is possible but he’s not going to take a step without the legal authority to do so,” Psaki said. “The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) extended the moratorium, not once but three times. We made clear when we did the last extension that that would likely be the last extension because of legal limitations.”
Psaki said that the White House has been in contact with state and local officials about the delays in federal aid assistance, criticisms of which have bolstered calls to extend the moratorium.
The White House is fielding questions on its statement that Joe Biden does not have the executive authority to extend the eviction moratorium – which expired 31 July – without congressional authorization.
The statement, released this afternoon, leaves Democrats pointing fingers at each other on who can extend the moratorium. House speaker Nancy Pelosi at a press conference yesterday said the White House has the authority to extend the authorization without Congress.
Gene Sperling, White House coordinator for implementing the $1.9tn American Rescue Plan that was passed in the spring, said at a press briefing this afternoon that the White House is urging state and local governments to extend their own eviction moratorium. Sperling cited a Supreme Court decision from June that upheld the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eviction moratorium until the end of July.
“We are doing whatever we can with the tools we have,” Sperling said, citing federal aid that is meant to help struggling renters. Responding to criticism that the government has been slow on distributing the $46bn of rental aid, Sperling said, “Our country did not have a national infrastructure for doing this” and said that some state and local governments have made it difficult to access the funds.
Gene Sperling says the admin believed the Supreme Court ruling on the CDC’s eviction freeze (from June) made clear congressional action was needed. He says the surge of the Delta variant, which has been dominant for weeks, drove the last-minute push to find a workaround.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 2, 2021
Lindsay Graham tests positive for Covid-19 breakthrough case, says symptoms "would be far worse" without vaccine
Senator Lindsay Graham just announced on Twitter that he is sick with a breakthrough case of Covid-19. Graham said that he feels like he has a sinus infection and that he will be quarantining for 10 days.
In a Tweet, he said he is “glad I was vaccinated because without vaccination I am certain I would not feel as well as I do now. My symptoms would be far worse.”
I was just informed by the House physician I have tested positive for #COVID19 even after being vaccinated.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) August 2, 2021
I started having flu-like symptoms Saturday night and went to the doctor this morning.
I feel like I have a sinus infection and at present time I have mild symptoms.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) August 2, 2021
I will be quarantining for ten days.
I am very glad I was vaccinated because without vaccination I am certain I would not feel as well as I do now.
My symptoms would be far worse.
The White House has released a new statement saying Joe Biden was considering a new 30-day eviction moratorium over the weekend, given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and its economic fall out. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was not able to find legal justification for executive action, the statement says.
“Given the rising urgency of containing the spread of the Delta variant, on Sunday, the President asked the CDC to consider once again the possibility of executive action. He raised the prospect of a new, 30-day eviction moratorium—focused on counties with High or Substantial case rates—to protect renters,” the statement from White House press secretary Jen Psaki reads.
“To date, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and her team have been unable to find legal authority for a new, targeted eviction moratorium. Our team is redoubling efforts to identify all available legal authorities to provide necessary protections.”
Tennessee’s Department of Education released guidance late last week on the state’s new law that bans critical race theory.
The department says that only current students, parents and employees can file complaints if they feel like the law has been violated. Complaints must be filed within 30 days of a concept being introduced in a classroom.
The law, which came into effect on 1 July, bans instructors from saying that “an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously.” The state’s education commissioner can withhold from schools that are found to be violating the law.
In its guidance, the department put forth a formula for how the state should withhold funds from schools depending on how many violations a state has been cited for. Each violation would result in an additional 2% of funding or $1m – whichever is less – of funds being withheld from the school.
Denver has become the latest US city to mandate that all its employees and private sector workers in high-risk settings must be vaccinated against Covid-19, as delta variant cases continue to rise.
The move applies to more than 10,000 municipal employees like police officers, firefighters, teachers and sheriff’s deputies.
Mayor Michael Hancock said the order included nursing homes, homeless shelters, hospitals, and correctional facilities. It also applies to employees of public and private schools and higher education institutions in the county.
The measure will come into force on 30 September, after which, workers who do not get vaccinated but are required to do so under the mandate will not be allowed to work on site.
“Denver is now experiencing the most infectious strain of the virus – the delta variant, which is responsible for 90% of new cases statewide,” Hancock said.
“To achieve the highest level of protection and recovery from the pandemic, especially among high-risk and vulnerable groups, we need to maximize vaccinations as quickly as possible, and mandates will do just that.”
Nearly a fifth of Americans in a new Monmouth University poll said that they will never get the vaccine if they can avoid it.
In a survey taken at the end of July, 17% of respondents said that they will not get the vaccine – a drop from June when 21% of respondents said they will not get the vaccine. tHe vast majority – 70% – of those who said they will not get the vaccine identified as Republicans.
Opinions on whether mask and social distancing mandates should be reinstated differed widely by party, with 85% of Democrats being at least somewhat supportive of stricter measures and 73% of Republicans opposed. Most respondents agreed that messaging from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which updated its guidelines last week to say that everyone should wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.
To mask or not to mask? - New Monmouth poll:
— Chris Jansing (@ChrisJansing) August 2, 2021
52% say they support reinstating mask and social-distancing guidelines; 46% oppose.
85% of Dems support it while 73% of Republicans oppose it.
Afternoon summary
Here’s a quick summary of everything that’s happened today so far:
- House speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote a letter urging the White House to extend the eviction moratorium, saying that even if the House passes an extension, there would be no extension without it passing in the Senate.
- Senate leader Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell said that bipartisan talks on the $1tn infrastructure will begin as the Senate negotiates possible amendments to the bill, the text of which was released last night.
- The US reached a milestone of 70% of adults with at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Joe Biden had originally wanted to reach this milestone by the Fourth of July.
- New York City mayor Bill de Blasio fell short of instituting an indoor mask mandate at a press conference Monday, though the mayors of cities like Atlanta, Washington DC and St. Louis have reimplemented such measures. The director of the National Institutes of Health said that officials are trying to “avoid lockdowns at all costs” though Americans will need to take precautions as the Delta variant continues to spread.
Stay tuned for more live updates.
CDC reports 70% of adults have gotten at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting that 70% of adults over the age of 18 in the US have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccination, a milestone that the White House was hoping to achieve nearly a month ago.
Milestone Monday just in: Today we hit 70% of adults w/ at least one dose! +468K doses reported administered, incl. 320K newly vaccinated (vs. 257K last Monday). 7-day average of newly vaccinated highest since July 4. Let's continue working to get more eligible vaccinated! 🇺🇸
— Cyrus Shahpar (@cyrusshahpar46) August 2, 2021
Joe Biden said he wanted 70% of adult Americans to have one dose of the vaccine by the Fourth of July, but by the time the holiday came around, the country was stuck around 67% with one dose of the vaccine.
According to CDC data, just over 60% of the adult population is fully vaccinated. When accounting for vaccination of young Americans 12 and older, almost 50% of the entire population is fully vaccinated.
Updated
Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell just spoke on the Senate floor, hinting at the debate that’s to come over the next few days as the chamber irons out amendments to the $1tn infrastructure bill.
Schumer encouraged Senators from both parties to submit amendments to the bill and said that the Democrats plan to put together a package of amendments for the Senate to vote on in the coming days.
McConnell praised the work of the bipartisan infrastructure group who wrote the text of the legislation, but quickly warned Democrats against cutting off debate through “any artificial timetable”. The Senate minority leader said that there needs to be a “robust” amendment process, adding that a bill passed through the reconciliation process would be “reckless”.
McConnell says there needs to be a “robust” amendment process and Dems must not take steps to “choke off” debate via “any artificial timetable.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) August 2, 2021
This is going to be the point of contention this week: When to shut down debate. Schumer wants to move to the budget resolution next
New York City mayor Bill de Blasio this morning strongly encouraged New Yorker to get vaccinated and “wear masks in indoor settings even if you’re vaccinated” but did not issue a mask mandate – as other cities in the US have – in light of the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant.
“If you don’t know the people around, if you’re not sure if they’re vaccinated or not, or if you know some are unvaccinated, it’s absolutely crucial to wear a mask even if you are vaccinated,” de Blasio said at a press conference.
On Friday, de Blasio said that he would give further guidance on masks during this morning’s press conference, leading some to wonder whether the mayor would reinstate the city’s mask mandate. As Covid cases continue to rise across the country, a handful of major cities have put indoor mask mandates back in place, including Los Angeles, Washington DC and Atlanta.
De Blasio said that while masks are important for curbing the spread of the virus, “everything we do is vaccine-centric.” The city has recently offered $100 to anyone who gets their first dose of the vaccine at a city-run vaccination site and has required all city employees to be vaccinated by 13 September in an effort to raise vaccination rates. About 66% of adult New Yorkers are fully vaccinated.
Pelosi urges White House to extend eviction moratorium
House speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to House Democrats today urging the White House to extend the federal evictions moratorium, echoing a call she made at a press conference yesterday saying that action “must come from the administration”.
“It is unfathomable that we would not act to prevent people from being evicted. Overwhelmingly, our Members agreed to extend the moratorium and universally, to distribute the funds. But the House passing the eviction moratorium without the Senate acting does not extend the moratorium,” Pelosi wrote in the letter.
NEW Pelosi letter to lawmakers on eviction moratorium. pic.twitter.com/sNFHPCVqzo
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) August 2, 2021
In her letter, Pelosi mentions that treasury secretary Janet Yellen will give a presentation to House Democrats tomorrow on the work the department is doing to bring $46bn in federal rental assistance to Americans.
Updated
Confidence that Covid-19 is getting better in the United States dropped dramatically in July compared to June, according to a new Gallup poll released today.
In June, 89% of American polled said the situation around coronavirus was getting better, while 3% said it was getting worse. In a huge shift, 45% of those polled in July said it was getting worse while just 40% said it was getting better.
This is the first time since January when pessimism about the virus has outweighed optimism.
The drop in confidence is likely tied to the increase in Covid-19 cases seen over the last few weeks. Last Tuesday, the US saw over 100,000 new cases of Covid. Over the weekend, Florida reported over 21,000 cases in a single day – the highest since the pandemic started.
Details of Barack Obama’s birthday party, which is taking place this weekend, reveal that the bash is set to be huge even as concerns of the Delta variant have made health officials weary of large gatherings.
An anonymous source told Axios that 475 guests and over 200 staff will be at the party, which will take place outside on Martha’s Vineyard. Guests are asked to be vaccinated and there will be coordinators ensuring guests are following proper protocols, but it is unclear whether guests will be expected to wear masks or how planners will be ensuring people at the party are vaccinated. Rock band Pearl Jam is expected to perform during the party.
The White House told Axios that Joe Biden will not be in attendance but will be catching up with Obama soon and looks forward to “properly welcoming him into the over-sixty club”.
While there are no restrictions for large outdoor gatherings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that guests of such events wear masks, social distance and be vaccinated.
NIH director: Health officials trying to 'avoid lockdowns at all costs'
The director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said the federal government is trying to “avoid lockdowns at all costs”, but emphasized that people are going to have to take precautions to stop the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant.
Francis Collins, director the NIH, told Good Morning America this morning that people are going “to have to do some things that won’t necessarily be welcomed by people” like wearing masks indoors, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended in guidance released last week.
Collins also said that health officials are currently assessing whether Americans will need booster shots but said there is so far no evidence that booster shots are needed.
“That’s an ongoing debate… We will do that if it’s necessary to do that,” he said.
National Institute of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins speaks with @GStephanopoulos about the potential of booster shots.https://t.co/E5rklA7EFq pic.twitter.com/3WLCPgAMvn
— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 2, 2021
Updated
In the aftermath of the presidential election last year, Donald Trump quickly drew up arsenals for financial support, creating a new political action committee called “Save America” that he said would challenge the election results in court.
But the Pac has not spent any money on litigation, despite these promises. Here’s Peter Stone with more for the Guardian:
Critics note Trump has built an arsenal of political committees and nonprofit groups, staffed with dozens of ex-administration officials and loyalists, which seem aimed at sustaining his political hopes for a comeback, and exacting revenge on Republican congressional critics. These groups have been aggressive in raising money through at times misleading appeals to the party base which polls show share Trump’s false views he lost the White House due to fraud.
Just days after his defeat last November, Trump launched a new political action committee, dubbed Save America, that together with his campaign and the Republican National Committee quickly raked in tens of millions of dollars through text and email appeals for a Trump “election defense fund”, ostensibly to fight the results with baseless lawsuits alleging fraud.
The fledgling Pac had raised a whopping $31.5m by year’s end, but Save America spent nothing on legal expenses in this same period, according to public records. Run by Trump’s 2016 campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, Save America only spent $340,000 on fundraising expenses last year.
Democrats urge action on federal evictions moratorium
Good morning, and welcome to the politics live blog.
House Democrats are rallying around calls to members of their own party to address the federal evictions moratorium, which expired on Saturday night.
“We cannot in good faith blame the Republican party when House Democrats have a majority,” US representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told CNN yesterday. She said the House had the opportunity to vote to extend the moratorium, but there was “a handful of conservative Democrats in the House that threatened to get on planes rather than hold this vote”. AOC went on to call these conservative Democrats “cowards” who should come back to DC to put their names on a vote.
Three representatives – Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley – have been sleeping on the steps of the Capitol since Friday night to protest the expired eviction moratorium.
“It’s not OK to just sit back and allow 7m people, possibly upwards of 7 million people, to be at risk for eviction in a little more than 24 hours,” Bush told local news station WUSA over the weekend.
Here’s what else we’re keeping an eye on today:
- The Senate will soon begin amending the text of the $1tn bipartisan infrastructure bill after Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer announced Sunday that the bipartisan group that was working on the text of the bill is near completion. Schumer said the bill should pass the Senate in the next few days after negotiations.
- Health officials have been hinting at support for renewed mask mandates as the Covid-19 Delta variant spreads across the country. Dr Anthony Fauci, chief White House medical adviser, pushed back on the ban of mask mandates in Florida, which saw over 21,000 new cases of Covid Sunday. Fauci said while people should be able to make independent decisions, they are “part of the transmission chain”.
Stay tuned for more live updates.
