Evening summary
That’s all from me today. Here’s a rundown of the day’s biggest stories:
- The International Panel on Climate Change released a report warning that human activity had done “irreversible” damage to the environment. The White House said the report underscored the urgent need to address the climate crisis and lower greenhouse gas emissions. “We can’t wait to tackle the climate crisis,” Biden said on Twitter. “The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. And the cost of inaction keeps mounting.”
- Defense secretary Lloyd Austin is seeking Joe Biden’s approval to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for all members of the US military. In a message to service members today, Austin said he hopes to make vaccinations mandatory “no later than mid-September, or immediately upon the U.S. Food and Drug Agency (FDA) licensure, whichever comes first”.
- Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said the bipartisan infrastructure bill is “on a glide path for passage tomorrow morning”. In a 68-29 vote last night, the Senate agreed to end debate on the legislation, setting up the final vote. If enacted, the bill would invest $550bn in new federal funds for roads, bridges and other physical infrastructure projects.
- Senate Democrats unveiled the framework for their $3.5tn reconciliation bill, which would approve major investments in childcare, healthcare and climate-related initiatives. Schumer has said he wants Democrats to approve the legislative vehicle for the reconciliation bill before the Senate goes into recess.
- Covid-19 hospitalizations continued to surge across the American south, as public officials urged residents to get vaccinated. Local officials in Austin, Texas warned of a “catastrophe” as available ICU beds dwindled. Texas governor Greg Abbott called for hospitals to cancel elective surgeries; Abbott has banned local governments and schools from enacting vaccine or mask mandates.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an alleged victim of the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, on Monday filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew in federal court in New York.
She accused the British royal of sexually abusing her at Epstein’s mansion in Manhattan and at other locations in 2001 when she was under the age of 18, according to court records. Prince Andrew has denied having sex with her.
“If she doesn’t do it now, she would be allowing him to escape any accountability for his actions,” Giuffre’s attorney, David Boies, told ABC News, the US news network reported.
He added: “And Virginia is committed to trying to avoid situations where rich and powerful people escape any accountability for their actions.”
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. Giuffre accuses Andrew of sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“Twenty years ago, Prince Andrew’s wealth, power, position, and connections enabled him to abuse a frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her. It is long past the time for him to be held to account,” according to the lawsuit.
In late 2019, Prince Andrew told BBC Newsnight that he never had sex with Giuffre, saying: “It didn’t happen.”
Read the full report here:
Texas governor Greg Abbott has just announced that the state is seeking health care workers from out of state and calling on hospitals to voluntarily postpone elective surgeries in order to address a surge of Covid-19 patients.
Breaking: Gov. Greg Abbott announces Texas will be seeking out-of-state health care personnel to help with the latest surge, and he is asking hospitals to voluntarily postpone elective medical procedures. pic.twitter.com/bNltNhYvT4
— Jesus Jiménez (@jesus_jimz) August 9, 2021
The announcement comes as the coronavirus situation in Austin, Texas has become “critical”, with just six ICU beds available in a city of 2.4m. Infections across the state have risen 132% over the last 14 days, while hospitalizations have more than doubled.
It also comes less than two weeks after Abbott issued an executive order banning government agencies from mandating vaccines, and banning schools from mandating masks.
Read more about the situation in Texas by my colleague Alexandra Villarreal here:
Texas legislators who fled the state can return home without risking arrest after a state judge signed a temporary restraining order blocking their arrest, the Austin American-Stateman reports.
Democratic lawmakers fled the state in July in order to deny a quorum to a special legislative session, called by governor Greg Abbott in an attempt to pass legislation that would restrict voting rights.
Republicans responded by ordering state law enforcement to compel the quorum-busters to return to the state capitol, using arrest warrants if necessary. But the Democrats had fled to Washington DC, outside the jurisdiction of Texas state police.
Per the Austin American-Statesman:
In his order, [state district judge Brad] Urrutia blocked Gov Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, from “detaining, confining, or otherwise restricting a Texas House Democrat’s movement without his or her consent.” It also bans them from “issuing any warrant or other instruments” that would cause them to be detained or confined ...
His order also applies to the Texas House sergeant-at-arms, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers, Capitol police and other law enforcement agencies. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for later this month, and the order is set to expire in two weeks if it is not extended.
Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze called Monday’s order an overstep and said the governor’s office is confident that it will be overturned.
“The ruling by the Travis County judge is contrary to the Texas Constitution and violates the separation of powers between the different branches of government,” she said in a statement. “Texas Democrats need to stop the charades and get back to work.”
Updated
With New York governor Andrew Cuomo facing down a possible impeachment over allegations that he sexually harassed at least 11 women, lieutenant governor Kathy Hochul is reportedly preparing for the possibility that she will become the state’s first female governor, Rebecca Klein reports:
As lieutenant governor, the Buffalo-raised politician has rarely sought the spotlight and maintained a characteristic distance from her boss. In recent months, as scrutiny around Cuomo intensified over his treatment of women and accusations that his administration intentionally downplayed the true number of New York nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hochul further separated herself from him.
She called his behavior toward women “repulsive” in the wake of a report from the state attorney general released last week, which detailed allegations that he had sexually harassed 11 women.
“Sexual harassment is unacceptable in any workplace, and certainly not in public service,” Hochul said in an early August statement, according to the New York Times. “The attorney general’s investigation has documented repulsive and unlawful behavior by the governor towards multiple women. … No one is above the law.”
Read more about the woman in the wings here:
The infrastructure bill is being lauded as a victory for bipartisanship – but is it?
The Biden administration’s infrastructure proposal is still making its way through the congressional sausage-making process but it has already been lauded as a rare victory for bipartisanship in a divided America.
Pledging to unify America after his 2020 election win, Biden and his top supporters see the roughly $1tn package not just as a chance to repair America’s tattered and torn infrastructure but also as a model for reaching across the US’s political divide and getting things done.
Some Republicans meanwhile, tout it as showing their party remains relevant in opposition and committed to doing what it can to constructively help get America back on its feet in a competitive global economy recovering from the shock of the coronavirus pandemic.
But the truth of how the bill has come to be largely supported by both sides is a little more self-interested. Already lawmakers have been pointing to aspects of the bill that help their specific constituents back in their home states.
In speeches, press releases, and public appearances these lawmakers are arguing the benefits of the roughly $1tn package as it applies to the voters back home who elected them: they are acting less in the national interest, and more out of self-interest.
Hello everyone, this is Julia Carrie Wong in Oakland, California, picking up the live blog for the rest of the afternoon.
Hospitalizations for Covid-19 hit a new record in Arkansas on Monday, surpassing the previous record from January, the AP reports.
The state reported 103 new coronavirus hospitalizations on Monday – the largest one-day increase – for a total of 1,376 patients, including 509 in intensive care units and 286 on ventilators.
Just 47% of the state’s adult population is fully vaccinated.
In April, Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law a bill banning governmental entities – such as schools – from mandating masks. On Friday, a state judge temporarily blocked enforcement of the law, saying it violated the state constitution.
Today so far
That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Julia Carrie Wong, will take over the blog for the next few hours.
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- Defense secretary Lloyd Austin is seeking Joe Biden’s approval to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for all members of the US military. In a message to service members today, Austin said he hopes to make vaccinations mandatory “no later than mid-September, or immediately upon the U.S. Food and Drug Agency (FDA) licensure, whichever comes first”.
- The International Panel on Climate Change released a report warning that human activity had done “irreversible” damage to the environment. The White House said the report underscored the urgent need to address the climate crisis and lower greenhouse gas emissions. “We can’t wait to tackle the climate crisis,” Biden said on Twitter. “The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. And the cost of inaction keeps mounting.”
- Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said the bipartisan infrastructure bill is “on a glide path for passage tomorrow morning”. In a 68-29 vote last night, the Senate agreed to end debate on the legislation, setting up the final vote. If enacted, the bill would invest $550bn in new federal funds for roads, bridges and other physical infrastructure projects.
- Senate Democrats unveiled the framework for their $3.5tn reconciliation bill, which would approve major investments in childcare, healthcare and climate-related initiatives. Schumer has said he wants Democrats to approve the legislative vehicle for the reconciliation bill before the Senate goes into recess.
Julia will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
The continues spread of the Delta variant of coronavirus is sending some children to emergency rooms, worrying pediatricians as they treat young victims of the virus.
NBC News reports:
The Covid surge is also stacking upon an unseasonable spike in respiratory illnesses among children typically seen only in winter. That has shrunk the bed space further in children’s hospitals and expanded on the unrelenting demand on doctors and nurses.
‘It is scary, especially for kids who don’t fully understand what’s going on. They’re air hungry, struggling for breath, and it’s just scary,’ said Dr. Kelechi Iheagwara, medical director of the pediatric intensive care unit at the Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. ‘You have the illness, the fear, they can’t breathe, they’re isolated — that’s hard for anyone to understand, but can you imagine what it’s like for a kid?’
Her hospital has treated Covid in children ages from 3-week-olds to 17-year-olds in recent weeks. Iheagawara said that for the past month, her unit has had to treat 25 or 26 patients in a space designed for 20. And things are getting worse.
Multiple doctors in the half-dozen children’s hospitals NBC News reached out to said they have seen children infected because a member of their household, often a parent, brings the coronavirus home. Oftentimes, it is because an adult in the home is unvaccinated.
The heightened spread of the virus among children could pose problems for schools as they look to reopen with in-person instruction this fall.
Updated
Covid-19 hospitalizations continued to surge among America’s deep south states on Monday as health officials urge unvaccinated residents to receive the shot and intensive care units near capacity in multiple locations, prompting fears of a surge close to the numbers of last winter.
Louisiana now leads the nation in new Covid cases as the Delta variant rips through a region with some of the lowest vaccination rates in the US. Last Friday, the Louisiana department of health announced a daily increase of 6,116 positive Covid cases, with 2,421 people now hospitalized with the virus, including 277 on ventilators.
With just 37% of residents fully vaccinated, state data indicated that unvaccinated people accounted for 90% of hospitalizations in the state. One hundred and eighty one people died from the virus in Louisiana last week.
On Sunday, organizers of the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival announced that the event had been cancelled, citing “the current exponential growth of new Covid cases in New Orleans and the region and the ongoing public health emergency”.
The event had already been rescheduled due to the pandemic, and marks a significant blow to the city’s local economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism.
Last week, Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards reintroduced a statewide indoor mask mandate in an effort to curb the spread of the delta variant. The mandate follows updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] that recommends mask wearing indoors in areas of “substantial or high transmission”.
As the Pentagon prepares to mandate coronavirus vaccinations for members of the US military, it’s worth noting that the majority of active-duty service members are already fully vaccinated.
Defense secretary Lloyd Austin said last month that 70% of active-duty service members have received at least one vaccine dose, while 62% of active-duty service members are fully vaccinated.
I’m pleased to report that as of today, 70% of active duty service members have received their first COVID-19 vaccination, and 62% of active duty are fully vaccinated. #WeCanDoThis pic.twitter.com/UHsXzR3KED
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) July 16, 2021
Alexandra Villarreal reports for the Guardian from Austin, Texas:
With Covid-19 cases skyrocketing exponentially and intensive care unit capacity in hospitals dwindling to single digits, officials in the Austin area are warning of “catastrophe” as Texas again becomes an center of the pandemic.
Austin’s local governments issued an urgent message through their emergency notification system Saturday, imploring residents to stay home, mask up and get vaccinated.
The entreaty comes mere days after Austin Public Health elevated its risk-based guidance to stage 5, the highest possible tier.
“The situation is critical,” Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis county’s health authority, said in a statement. “Our hospitals are severely stressed and there is little we can do to alleviate their burden with the surging cases.”
The Texas trauma service area that includes Austin only has six available ICU beds, 499 available hospital beds and 313 available ventilators – a stunning dearth of resources for a population nearly 2.4 million strong.
In Austin’s metropolitan statistical area, 510 Covid patients are currently hospitalized, 184 are in the ICU, and 102 are on ventilators.
John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, is now holding a briefing to take reporters’ questions on the defense department’s new policy mandating coronavirus vaccinations.
Kirby said the Pentagon did not anticipate an issue with vaccine inventory as defense secretary Lloyd Austin seeks Joe Biden’s permission to make coronavirus vaccinations mandatory starting next month.
Taking questions about how the policy will be implemented, Kirby noted that Austin is giving leaders of each military branch a couple of weeks to determine the best implementation plan for their specific service members.
There will also be a reporting requirement for military leaders to provide the defense secretary with updates on how the policy’s implementation is going, Kirby said.
Updated
Joe Biden applauded defense secretary Lloyd Austin for taking steps to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for members of the US military starting next month.
“I strongly support Secretary Austin’s message to the Force today on the Department of Defense’s plan to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for our service members not later than mid-September,” the president said in a new statement.
“Secretary Austin and I share an unshakable commitment to making sure our troops have every tool they need to do their jobs as safely as possible. These vaccines will save lives. Period. They are safe. They are effective.”
Biden argued that requiring coronavirus vaccinations will help to “ensure that our force is ready to operate anywhere in the world” as the Delta variant continues to spread across the US.
“I am proud that our military women and men will continue to help lead the charge in the fight against this pandemic, as they so often do, by setting the example of keeping their fellow Americans safe,” Biden said.
Pentagon to mandate coronavirus vaccines for service members starting next month
Defense secretary Lloyd Austin is seeking the president’s approval to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for all members of the US military by next month.
In a message to service members today, Austin noted that Joe Biden had asked him to consider how and when coronavirus vaccines might be added to the military’s list of mandatory vaccinations. The defense secretary has since been consulting with senior Pentagon leaders and health experts about the best timeline for the new policy.
“Based on these consultations and on additional discussions with leaders of the White House COVID Task Force, I want you to know that I will seek the President’s approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon the U.S. Food and Drug Agency (FDA) licensure, whichever comes first,” Austin said.
The defense secretary added that he will be keeping a close eye on coronavirus case numbers, which have been on the rise as the Delta variant continues to spread, to determine whether to push up that timeline.
“To defend this Nation, we need a healthy and ready force. I strongly encourage all DoD military and civilian personnel - as well as contractor personnel - to get vaccinated now and for military Service members to not wait for the mandate,” Austin said.
“All FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective. They will protect you and your family. They will protect your unit, your ship, and your co-workers. And they will ensure we remain the most lethal and ready force in the world.”
Updated
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has given an interview to Vogue, published online today, in which she says she hates being described as nice.
“It is like nails on a chalkboard,” Vogue quotes Psaki as saying. “I’m like, Really? You can’t think of a better description?”
In the profile interview, Lizzie Widdicombe writes: “The word is sexist and a little diminishing, but, she says, ‘it’s also this desire to put people in a box. Yes, sometimes I’m friendly and joyful, and sometimes I’m tough, and sometimes I’m straightforward.’
“After shadowing Psaki for a bit, I start to think that her real gift is her ability to be several of these things at the same time. Many of her cheerful quips are actually ways of shutting down a line of questioning.”
Updated
Joe Biden has said the US will levy new sanctions against Belarus on the one-year anniversary of Alexander Lukashenko’s election to a sixth term in office. The election was marred by widespread accusations of fraud and vote-rigging and prompted mass protests. More than 35,000 people were arrested and thousands were beaten and jailed.
Announcing the sanctions on Monday, the White House also noted the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in May that had been traveling through Belarus airspace in order to arrest Roman Protasevich, a prominent opposition journalist and organizer who had been aboard.
The Associated Press reports:
Among those the Treasury Department cite in the new sanctions are Belaruskali OAO, which is one of Belarus’s largest state-owned enterprises and a source of wealth for the regime; the Belarusian National Olympic Committee; and 15 private companies, including the prominent Belarusian bank Absolutbank, that have ties with the Lukashenko regime.
The Belarus Olympic committee has been accused of facilitating money laundering, sanctions evasion and the circumvention of visa bans. The International Olympic Committee has also reprimanded it for its failure to protect Belarusian athletes from political discrimination and repression.
“It is the responsibility of all those who care about human rights, free and fair elections and freedom of expression to stand against this oppression,” Biden said in a statement.
“The United States will continue to stand up for human rights and free expression, while holding the Lukashenka [regime] accountable, in concert with our allies and partners.”
Last week, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, an Olympic sprinter who feared reprisals at home for criticizing her coaches, fled from the Tokyo Olympics to Poland.
Updated
Today so far
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- The International Panel on Climate Change released a report warning that human activity had done “irreversible” damage to the environment. The White House said the report underscored the urgent need to address the climate crisis and lower greenhouse gas emissions. “We can’t wait to tackle the climate crisis,” Joe Biden said on Twitter. “The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. And the cost of inaction keeps mounting.”
- Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said the bipartisan infrastructure bill is “on a glide path for passage tomorrow morning”. In a 68-29 vote last night, the Senate agreed to end debate on the legislation, setting up the final vote. If enacted, the bill would invest $550bn in new federal funds for roads, bridges and other physical infrastructure projects.
- Senate Democrats unveiled the framework for their $3.5tn reconciliation bill, which would approve major investments in childcare, healthcare and climate-related initiatives. Schumer has said he wants Democrats to approve the legislative vehicle for the reconciliation bill before the Senate goes into recess.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Bipartisan infrastructure bill is 'on a glide path for passage tomorrow morning,' Schumer says
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said he expects the bipartisan infrastructure bill to pass tomorrow morning, after senators spent the weekend hammering out the final details of the legislation.
“It may have taken all weekend, but the Senate is now finally on the precipice of passing major bipartisan infrastructure legislation,” Schumer said.
“Last night, an overwhelming bipartisan majority of senators voted to surmount the final few procedural hurdles and put the bill on a glide path for passage tomorrow morning.”
In a 68-29 vote last night, the Senate agreed to end debate on the legislation, setting up a potential final vote for the early hours of Tuesday morning.
However, Senate minority whip John Thune told Punchbowl News that there would be an agreement to hold the final vote at a more normal hour tomorrow morning.
Good news: Thune says there will be an agreement to vote on the infrastructure package not at 4a tomorrow morning. Meaning at some normal hour.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) August 9, 2021
Brian Deese, who serves as the director of the White House’s National Economic Council, described the IPCC report as “a stark, sobering assessment of the climate crisis”.
“It also underscores our opportunity: if we act [with] urgency [and] ambition, we can innovate, create millions of good jobs and build a more durable, equitable economy,” Deese said in a thread on Twitter.
A PM thread on climate and economic opportunity:
— Brian Deese (@BrianDeeseNEC) August 9, 2021
The IPCC report is a stark, sobering assessment of the climate crisis
It also underscores our opportunity: if we act w/urgency + ambition, we can innovate, create millions of good jobs and build a more durable, equitable economy
Deese noted that dozens of states have already proven that it’s possible to decrease greenhouse gas emissions while growing the economy, thus creating jobs and simultaneously working to build a healthier and safer environment.
“At the end of the day, this report is a reminder of the importance of our task at hand,” Deese said. “The President’s infrastructure plan and his Build Back Better agenda will harness this economic opportunity for decades to come.”
Joe Biden weighed in on the climate crisis after the International Panel on Climate Change released a report warning that human activity had done “irreversible” damage to the environment.
“We can’t wait to tackle the climate crisis,” the president said on Twitter. “The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. And the cost of inaction keeps mounting.”
We can’t wait to tackle the climate crisis.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 9, 2021
The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. And the cost of inaction keeps mounting.
The IPCC report came as Senate Democrats unveiled the blueprint for their $3.5tn reconciliation bill, which would fund many of Biden’s climate-related initiatives.
The White House has already called a lid for the day, so we won’t be seeing Biden today, as the president spends some time in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
Roberta Kaplan, the chairwoman of Time’s Up, has reportedly resigned amid criticism of her efforts to aid Andrew Cuomo’s team as the governor sought to discredit one of the women who accused him of sexual harassment.
The New York Times reports:
In a report from the state attorney general’s office, which that found Mr. Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women, most of them current or former state employees, investigators said Ms. Kaplan had reviewed a draft of a disparaging op-ed letter that was aimed at attacking the character of Lindsey Boylan, the first woman to publicly accuse Mr. Cuomo of sexual harassment.
Ms. Kaplan, in a letter submitting her resignation from the group, founded to promote gender equality and fight sexual abuse, said that her work as a practicing lawyer meant that she could not openly answer questions about her involvement with Mr. Cuomo or Melissa DeRosa, a former top aide to the governor who Ms. Kaplan represented in the attorney general inquiry.
‘I therefore have reluctantly come to the conclusion that an active law practice is no longer compatible with serving on the Board at Time’s Up at this time and I hereby resign,’ Ms. Kaplan said.
Aide who accused Cuomo of groping: ‘What he did to me was a crime’
The Guardian’s Edward Helmore reports:
A former executive assistant who filed a criminal complaint against New York governor Andrew Cuomo last week for allegedly groping her has said he “needs to be held accountable”.
Brittany Commisso is one of 11 women Cuomo is accused of sexually harassing, according to a devastating investigative report released by the state attorney general’s office last week.
The former aide identified herself publicly in an interview with CBS which is set to be broadcast in full on Monday morning.
In an exclusive interview with @CBSThisMorning & @timesunion, Brittany Commisso, an Executive Assistant at NY Gov. Cuomo's office says he groped and sexually harassed her — allegations he denies.
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) August 9, 2021
"The governor needs to be held accountable... What he did to me was a crime." pic.twitter.com/uPuZiuEKq9
“What he did to me was a crime. He broke the law,” Commisso said in an excerpt released ahead of its broadcast. Coming forward, she said, was “the right thing to do. The governor needs to be held accountable.”
Commisso, identified only as “executive assistant no.1” in the report, told state investigators that Cuomo fondled her breast on one occasion. She also said he rubbed her backside while taking a photo. She has said the alleged incident took place at the governor’s mansion in Albany.
Albany county sheriff Craig Apple told reporters on Saturday that Cuomo could face a possible misdemeanor charge. Apple said the investigation is in its “infant stages” and the complaint made against Cuomo is “criminal in nature” and the alleged conduct was “sexual in nature”.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi said the dire report from the International Panel on Climate Change proved that the climate crisis “has reached Code Red for humanity”.
The Democratic speaker said the warning from the IPCC underscored the need to pass Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposals, which include large investments in climate-related initiatives.
Pelosi argued those proposals, which the Senate is working on advancing, “will help prevent a catastrophic future for our children”.
The @IPCC_CH shows the undeniable truth: the #ClimateCrisis has reached Code Red for humanity. Bold, immediate climate action is an essential part of @POTUS & Congressional Democrats’ #BuildBackBetter Agenda and will help prevent a catastrophic future for our children.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 9, 2021
“It is unequivocal.” Those stark three words are the first in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s new report. The climate crisis is unequivocally caused by human activities and is unequivocally affecting every corner of the planet’s land, air and sea already.
The report, produced by hundreds of the world’s top scientists and signed off by all the world’s governments, concludes that it could get far worse if the slim chance remaining to avert heating above 1.5C is not immediately grasped.
The scientific language of the report is cold and clear but cannot mask the heat and chaos that global heating is unleashing on the world. We have already caused 1C of heating, getting perilously close to the 1.5C danger limit agreed in the Paris climate deal. Downpours of rain have been accelerating since the 1980s.
Accelerating melting of ice has poured trillions of tonnes of water into the oceans, where oxygen levels are falling – suffocating the seas – and acidity is rising. Sea level has already risen by 20cm, with more now irreversibly baked in.
So what of the future? Some heating is already inevitable. We will definitely hit 1.5C in the next two decades, whatever happens to emissions, the IPCC finds. The only good news is that keeping to that 1.5C is not yet impossible.
Major climate changes inevitable and irreversible – IPCC’s starkest warning yet
Human activity is changing the Earth’s climate in ways “unprecedented” in thousands or hundreds of thousands of years, with some of the changes now inevitable and “irreversible”, climate scientists have warned.
Within the next two decades, temperatures are likely to rise by more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, breaching the ambition of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, and bringing widespread devastation and extreme weather.
Only rapid and drastic reductions in greenhouse gases in this decade can prevent such climate breakdown, with every fraction of a degree of further heating likely to compound the accelerating effects, according to the International Panel on Climate Change, the world’s leading authority on climate science.
The comprehensive assessment of climate science published on Monday, the sixth such report from the IPCC since 1988, has been eight years in the making, marshalling the work of hundreds of experts and peer-review studies.
It represents the world’s full knowledge to date of the physical basis of climate change, and found that human activity was “unequivocally” the cause of rapid changes to the climate, including sea level rises, melting polar ice and glaciers, heatwaves, floods and droughts.
World leaders said the stark findings must force new policy measures as a matter of urgency, to shift the global economy to a low-carbon footing. Governments from 197 countries will meet this November in Glasgow for vital UN climate talks, called Cop26.
According to Senate Democrats’ background materials on the $3.5tn reconciliation bill, the judiciary committee will receive an instruction of $107bn to establish “lawful permanent status for qualified immigrants”.
Progressives had called on Democratic leaders to include immigration reform in their massive spending package, as immigration bills have proven very difficult to advance in the evenly divided Senate.
However, even if Senate Democrats do attempt to include immigration reform in their spending package, it is likely that the Senate parliamentarian will rule the provision does not meet the budgetary requirements to be part of a reconciliation bill.
Senator Bernie Sanders, the chairman of the Senate budget committee, said the $3.5tn reconciliation bill would be “the most consequential piece of legislation for working people, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor since FDR and the New Deal of the 1930s”.
“It will also put the U.S. in a global leadership position to combat climate change and make our planet healthy and habitable for future generations,” Sanders said in a statement.
“Further, and importantly, this legislation will create millions of good paying jobs as we address the long-neglected needs of working families and saving the planet.”
NEWS: Senate Budget Chairman Sanders and Majority Leader Schumer Introduce Historic Budget Resolution
— Senate Budget Committee (@SenateBudget) August 9, 2021
Read the full legislative text below:https://t.co/seCplg6G85
Sanders acknowledged that the bill will likely pass without any Republican support, but he preemptively dismissed any criticism of a party-line vote by noting how Republicans used the filibuster to approve tax cuts during Donald Trump’s presidency.
“Today, with Democrats in control of the Senate, we will use reconciliation to benefit the working class, not the billionaire class,” Sanders said.
“For too many decades, Congress has ignored the needs of the working class, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor. Now is the time for bold action. Now is the time to restore faith in ordinary Americans that their government can work for them, and not just wealthy campaign contributors.”
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer told his Democratic colleagues that the caucus will meet during the week of September 15 to discuss the details of the $3.5tn reconciliation bill.
“The Budget Resolution provides a target date of September 15th to the committees to submit their reconciliation legislation. We will work towards this goal and meet, as a caucus, during the week of the 15th to review the bill,” Schumer said in a letter to fellow Democrats this morning.
The majority leader also made clear that Democrats would have ample opportunity to negotiate over the bill and make their opinions known about what should (or should not) be included in the spending package.
“Please remember that the resolution only includes ‘top-line’ reconciliation instructions to the committees, and that every Senator will have opportunities to shape and influence the final reconciliation bill after adoption of the Budget Resolution,” Schumer said.
Schumer to Senate Democrats on $3.5T budget resolution: "The resolution only includes 'top-line' reconciliation instructions to the cmtes, and that every Senator will have opportunities to shape and influence the final reconciliation bill after adoption of the Budget Resolution." pic.twitter.com/XRZjFWOoFo
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) August 9, 2021
Senate Democrats release $3.5tn reconciliation bill framework
Senate Democrats have released the framework for their $3.5tn reconciliation bill, which they are hoping to pass without any Republican support.
If it can pass the Senate, the bill would approve major investments in childcare, healthcare and climate-related initiatives.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer has indicated he wants the upper chamber to approve the legislative vehicle for the reconciliation bill before senators leave for recess.
It is worth noting what the text of the bill does not include, which is a provision about raising the debt ceiling.
Senate Republicans have indicated they will not help Democrats raise the debt ceiling, which needs to happen to avoid severe turmoil in US markets.
If Democrats do not include a debt ceiling hike in their reconciliation bill, they will need 10 Republican votes to help them raise the debt ceiling with a separate bill.
Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has indicated he has no interest in doing that, and now it appears that Schumer is calling his bluff. We’re facing a very high-stakes game of chicken in the Senate.
Senate expected to pass bipartisan infrastructure bill in late-night vote
Greetings from Washington, live blog readers.
The Senate is expected to (finally) pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which lawmakers have been negotiating over for months.
In a 68-29 vote last night, the Senate agreed to end debate on the legislation, setting up a final vote for late tonight or early Tuesday morning.
If the Senate passes the bill, it will go the House and eventually to the desk of Joe Biden, who has wholeheartedly endorsed the legislation.
And if enacted, the bill would invest $550bn in new federal funds in roads, bridges and other physical infrastructure projects.
But there could still be trouble ahead. Some House Democrats have indicated they are interested in tweaking the bill, which would force the Senate to hold another vote on the legislation, potentially threatening the fragile bipartisan coalition that crafted the current proposal.
The blog will have more details on the vote coming up, so stay tuned.
