Joe Biden 7 , CD3 DFL

White House official throws GOP senators’ words back in their faces after Republicans fake outrage

The White House has agreed to a sweeping, bipartisan compromise on infrastructure with at least 11 Republican senators saying they are in favor of the deal — but already, many Republicans are complaining because of President Joe Biden’s comment that he would only sign the bill if paired with a reconciliation bill that can be passed with Democratic votes alone.

The problem for Republicans, however, is that passing a reconciliation bill alongside the bipartisan bill was always on the table — and in fact some Republicans even suggested they were fine with Biden pursuing such a strategy.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), who unsuccessfully headed up the first round of infrastructure talks, said that “we know that they have that option, we used that option in 2017,” and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) said “My advice to the White House has been, take that bipartisan win … and then if you want to force the rest of the package on Republicans in the Congress and the country, you can certainly do that.” Continue reading.

After controversy, U.S. Catholic bishops say there will be ‘no national policy on withholding Communion from politicians’

Days after a vote that triggered a tsunami of Catholic debate about Communion and politics, leading U.S. Catholic bishops working on an upcoming document about the sacrament are now de-emphasizing direct confrontation with President Biden or other Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.

Seventy-five percent of members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted during their annual spring meeting on June 17 to go ahead with the drafting of a position paper on the “meaning of the Eucharist,” the core ritual of the Catholic faith, believed to be the presence of Jesus. Before the vote, live on Zoom, dozens of bishops debated the fact that the proposal for the document was a response to the election of Biden, a weekly Mass-attending Catholic who supports abortion rights.

Catholic teaching opposes abortion. Continue reading.

Justice Dept. sues state of Georgia over new voting restrictions

Justice Department officials announced a federal lawsuit Friday against Georgia over new statewide voting restrictions that federal authorities allege purposefully discriminate against Black Americans, the first major action by the Biden administration to confront efforts from Republican-led jurisdictions to limit election turnout.

The legal challenge takes aim at Georgia’s Election Integrity Act, which was passed in March by the Republican-led state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp (R). The law imposes new limits on the use of absentee ballots, makes it a crime for outside groups to provide food and water to voters waiting at polling stations, and hands greater control over election administration to the state legislature.

The action came as GOP-led state governments across the country have been seeking to impose broad new voting restrictions in the wake of President Biden’s victory over Donald Trump last November. Trump has spent months waging a baseless effort to discredit the result, making false and unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud. Continue reading.

Biden administration removes Rodney Scott as head of U.S. Border Patrol

The Biden administration has forced out the head of the U.S. Border Patrol, Rodney Scott, clearing a path for a leadership overhaul at an agency strained by a 20-year high in illegal border crossings, and whose top officials were broadly sympathetic to President Donald Trump.

Scott, a 29-year veteran, published a statement on social media Wednesday saying he had received a letter offering him the option to resign, retire or relocate. He said the notice did not provide a rationale for his removal, describing it a pro forma notice “so the new administration can place the person they want in the position.”

Scott’s departure was widely anticipated, with several of his current and former colleagues surprised he remained in the post long after President Biden’s inauguration. During last year’s presidential campaign, Scott appeared several times alongside Trump, eagerly defending his hard-line policies, leading some colleagues to privately express concern that Scott’s enthusiasm occasionally veered into partisanship. Continue reading.

Biden-bashing doctor resigns after his rant about the ‘Black race’ ignites a backlash

A Texas doctor is resigning from his position as a county official after receiving backlash from a Facebook post many see as racist, 12News reports.

Dr. George Zuzukin still has not admitted that he’s the one behind the Facebook posts, which attack the Black community and local city officials. Zuzukin oversaw the Jefferson County Employee Health Clinic, which was a position where his salary was paid by taxpayers.

Screenshots of his rant were posted to Twitter, showing his suggesting that Beaumont City Councilman Audwin Samuel was only getting votes because he is Black. He also shared a meme that disparaged the Black community. Continue reading.

DFL Party Statement on President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, President Biden announced that he reached a deal with a bipartisan group of Senators on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal that will be the largest long-term investment in American infrastructure in almost a century.

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement in response:

“The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal President Biden just negotiated is a tremendous accomplishment that will deliver tangible results for the American people. This historic deal will make lives better for millions by creating good-paying jobs, connecting every home to high-speed internet, removing our nation’s lead service lines, repairing countless roads and bridges and so much more. The deal also makes significant investments in clean, green technology that will help make the United States a global leader in tackling the climate crisis.

Move by Catholic bishops against Biden brings howls of hypocrisy

Catholic bishops who voted to advance an effort that could deny President Biden Communion over his stance on abortion are being accused of hypocrisy by critics of the decision.

Biden, just the second Catholic U.S. president in history, regularly goes to church and touts his faith as a deeply personal aspect of his life.

Yet the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted last week to proceed with drafting a formal statement on the meaning of Communion, which will include whether pro-choice politicians such as Biden should be denied it. Continue reading.

Senators say White House aides agreed to infrastructure ‘framework’

Senators involved in bipartisan negotiations say they and White House officials have agreed to an infrastructure “framework,” and they’ll meet with President Biden Thursday to brief him.

“Republicans and Democrats have come together, along with the White House, and we’ve agreed on a framework and we’re gonna be heading to the White House tomorrow,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told reporters after a meeting Wednesday.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), another member of the group, confirmed the White House officials in the meeting signed off on the framework and that they “came to an agreement.” Continue reading.

White House announces allocation plan for 55M more global vaccine doses

The White House on Monday announced where the U.S. would send 55 million additional COVID-19 vaccine doses allocated for other countries.

The Biden administration had already committed these doses as part of a pledge to allocate 80 million by the end of June, and an initial 25 million doses, announced earlier this month, have “begun shipping,” the White House said.

Officials gave more details Monday on where the remaining 55 million doses would be headed and the timeline for their shipment. Continue reading.

Garland tries to untangle the Trump legacy at the Justice Department

Three months into his new job, judge-turned-attorney-general Merrick Garland, who inherited a demoralized and politicized Justice Department, is facing criticism from some Democrats that he is not doing enough to quickly expunge Trump-era policies and practices.

On a host of issues ranging from leak investigations to civil and criminal cases involving former president Donald Trump, Garland has been beset by a growing chorus of congressional second-guessers, even as he insists he is scrupulously adhering to the principles of equal justice under the law.

How he charts his way through the current controversies and still-unresolved politically sensitive cases is likely to determine how much of a long-term impact the Trump presidency has on the Justice Department. Continue reading.

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DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement in response:

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