Category: National Issues

Delta faces boycott threats for stance on new Georgia voting law

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Social media users said they would no longer give the airline their business

Georgia’s new voting law, which puts barriers in place for absentee and mail-in voting and makes it illegal for third-party groups to hand out food and water to voters in line, has earned widespread criticism from Democrats and voting rights advocates. President Biden called it “Jim Crow in the 21st Century.”

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, on the other hand, put out a statementon Friday saying the bill — which was signed into law Thursday night — had “improved considerably during the legislative process” and noted some elements for praise.

That statement from CEO Ed Bastian has prompted a #BoycottDelta trend on social media. Continue reading.

Biden calls on states to keep mask mandates, pause reopenings

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President Biden on Monday urged state and local officials to reconsider lifting their coronavirus restrictions and to reinstate mask mandates that have lapsed as the U.S. faces an increase in cases.

“I’m reiterating my call for every governor, mayor and local leader to maintain and reinstate the mask mandate,” Biden said at an event intended to highlight the rapid increase in vaccine eligibility. “Please, this is not politics. Reinstate the mandate if you let it down.

Asked later if some states should pause reopening efforts, Biden said “yes.” Continue reading.

Sen. Dibble, Rep. Hornstein, and Rep. Long statement on President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment Plan

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis), DFL-Lead on the Senate Transportation Committee, Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Minneapolis), Chair of the House Transportation Committee, and Rep. Jamie Long (DFL-Minneapolis), Chair of the House Climate and Energy Committee released the following statement this afternoon following President Biden’s announcement of a $2.2 trillion infrastructure investment plan:

“We applaud President Biden for today’s release of a bold, visionary plan to invest in America’s infrastructure. We support the President’s emphasis on improving roads, bridges, public transportation, and building a clean energy economy. As Minnesota state legislators, we strongly agree with the plan’s focus on building a strong economy and addressing the climate crisis.

Next week, House and Senate DFLers will release detailed plans to invest in Minnesota’s transportation and energy infrastructure with a focus on job creation, equity, and action to address climate change.”

Biden nominees are cruising to confirmation with GOP votes

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Republican senators have not mounted the same opposition that Democrats did with Trump’s picks

ANALYSIS — With the confirmation of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh on March 22 as Labor secretary, Joe Biden’s Cabinet is complete. And with all 15 of his department heads in place, it’s fair to say that Biden had the easiest time getting his team of any president in recent history.

Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, who is considering a rules change to weaken the Senate’s filibuster because he expects Republicans will soon block legislation to set national standards for federal elections, painted a different picture of bipartisanship on the day Walsh was confirmed.

“Every single member of President Biden’s Cabinet has received a bipartisan vote in favor of confirmation,” he said. “It’s a tribute to President Biden and his team that they have chosen such a fine Cabinet, and a tribute to the senators here that we have moved in such a quick fashion despite so many other responsibilities.” Continue reading.

US death rate jumps by nearly 16 percent

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The death rate in the United States jumped by 15.9 percent between 2019 and 2020, fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday. 

The coronavirus was responsible for about one in ten deaths in the country in 2020, and was the third-leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer. 

Overall, COVID-19 was the underlying cause of about 345,000 deaths last year, and was a contributing cause for another roughly 32,000, which together is 11.3 percent of all deaths in the country last year, the CDC said.  Continue reading.

Pfizer says COVID vaccine was 100% effective in trial of children ages 12 to 15

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Pfizer and BioNTech announced Wednesday that their coronavirus vaccine was found to be 100% effective at protecting against COVID-19 in a trial of more than 2,200 children between the ages of 12 and 15.

The big picture: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the companies plan to submit clinical trial data to the FDA for emergency use authorization in the coming weeks, with the hope of vaccinations for adolescents beginning before the start of the next school year.

  • The trial’s data will also be submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for emergency use authorization. Continue reading.

CDC director warns of ‘impending doom’ on potential new COVID-19 surge

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The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday warned of “impending doom” over rising coronavirus cases, telling the public that even though vaccines are being rolled out quickly, a fourth surge could happen if people don’t start taking precautions.

“I’m going to lose the script, and I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom. We have so much to look forward to so much promise and potential of where we are, and so much reason for hope. But right now I’m scared,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said during a White House briefing Monday.

“We do not have the luxury of inaction,” Walensky added. Continue reading.

Biden plans to dramatically increase offshore wind energy development

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The White House rolled out initiatives Monday aimed at jump-starting the development of large offshore wind farms that together would power over 10 million homes.

Why it matters: The target of 30 gigawatts of generating capacity by 2030 would go well beyond the big projects already on the drawing boards.

  • Research firm BloombergNEF currently forecasts that the U.S. will have 19.64 gigawatts of offshore wind power capacity in 2030. Continue reading.

Two Capitol Police officers sue Trump for ‘physical and emotional injuries’ suffered in riots

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Two Capitol Police officers who battled the mob of Donald Trump supporters that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 are suing the former president for the physical and emotional injuries they say they suffered in the attacks.

In a federal suit filed Tuesday in D.C., Officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby allege that for months, Trump rallied the insurrectionists with baseless election fraud claims that eventually culminated in the breach of the Capitol that left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer. About 140 police officers were injured, according to the police union, and two officers who had been on duty at the Capitol that day later died by suicide. 

“Both United States Capitol Police Officers reported for duty on January 6, 2021, without any suspicion that they would soon become the targets of Trump’s followers,” according to the suit. Continue reading.

Democrats gear up for major push to lower drug prices

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Democrats are planning a major push to lower drug prices as part of a coming infrastructure package, seeing an avenue to move forward on a long-held goal for the party.

House Democratic leaders are intent on including a measure that would allow the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, sources say.

That bill, first passed by the House in 2019, would provide about $450 billion in savings that in turn could help fund a spending package with a price tag as high as $3 trillion. Continue reading.