Federal government to observe Juneteenth holiday on Friday

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The federal government will give employees the day off on Friday after President Biden signs a bill making Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in America, a federal holiday.

“Today @POTUS will sign the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, establishing June 19th as a federal holiday. As the 19th falls on a Saturday, most federal employees will observe the holiday tomorrow, June 18th,” the Office of Personnel Management tweeted on Thursday.

Biden is scheduled to sign legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday on Thursday afternoon during an event with Vice President Harris in the East Room, during which they both will give remarks.  Continue reading.

Critical entities targeted in suspected Chinese cyber spying

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RICHMOND, Va. — A cyberespionage campaign blamed on China was more sweeping than previously known, with suspected state-backed hackers exploiting a device meant to boost internet security to penetrate the computers of critical U.S. entities.

The hack of Pulse Connect Secure networking devices came to light in April, but its scope is only now starting to become clear. The Associated Press has learned that the hackers targeted telecommunications giant Verizon and the country’s largest water agency. News broke earlier this month that the New York City subway system, the country’s largest, was also breached. 

Security researchers say dozens of other high-value entities that have not yet been named were also targeted as part of the breach of Pulse Secure, which is used by many companies and governments for secure remote access to their networks. Continue reading.

Rep. Andrew Carlson (HD50B) Update: June 15, 2021

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Dear Neighbors, 

Our regular work session ended on May 17th. However, final details of our agreement are being ironed out in special session which began this week. House and Senate leaders and Governor Walz have reached a budget agreement that we are using as guidelines in our conference committee negotiations. We have reached agreements on our Energy/Commerce, Taxes, Higher Ed, Agriculture, and Legacy Finance budgets. Some of the more contentious bills like E-12 Education and Public Safety still have a ways to go however. Details on the overall budget agreement and what the special session looks like can be found here.

DFL Releases Eviction Off-Ramp

It is critical that we prevent a massive housing crisis as we begin to return to normal. The House DFL has a common sense plan to give everyone the time they need to catch up on their rent and mortgage. Watch our press conference to learn more about our plan. If you are behind on housing payments, apply for aid here.

Continue reading “Rep. Andrew Carlson (HD50B) Update: June 15, 2021”

White House unveils strategy to battle domestic extremism

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The White House unveiled its plan for addressing domestic terrorism on Tuesday, rolling out a strategy that set goals and acknowledged challenges as much as it outlined specific steps for combating a growing threat. 

The strategy includes a call to bolster law enforcement partnerships and stem extremist recruitment paired with elements deemed more essential after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, including better analysis of social media and programs to boost civics education and battle disinformation.

It also touches on other priorities from President Biden, echoing previous calls for gun control in order to address mass shootings. Continue reading.

In Congress, Republicans Shrug at Warnings of Democracy in Peril

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As G.O.P. legislatures move to curtail voting rules, congressional Democrats say authoritarianism looms, but Republicans dismiss the concerns as politics as usual.

WASHINGTON — Senator Christopher S. Murphy concedes that political rhetoric in the nation’s capital can sometimes stray into hysteria, but when it comes to the precarious state of American democracy, he insisted he was not exaggerating the nation’s tilt toward authoritarianism.

“Democrats are always at risk of being hyperbolic,” said Mr. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut. “I don’t think there’s a risk when it comes to the current state of democratic norms.”

After the norm-shattering presidency of Donald J. Trump, the violence-inducing bombast over a stolen election, the pressuring of state vote counters, the Capitol riot and the flood of voter curtailment laws rapidly being enacted in Republican-run states, Washington has found itself in an anguished state. Continue reading.

Greene apologizes for comparing vaccine rules to Holocaust

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Monday apologized for comparing COVID-19 vaccine and mask rules to the Holocaust, declaring that “there is no comparison” between the safety measures and the genocide of 6 million Jews during World War II.

Greene delivered the public apology following a visit earlier Monday to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum weeks after she drew condemnation from fellow Republicans for the remarks over the long Memorial Day recess.

“I have made a mistake,” Greene told reporters. “I wanted to say that I know that words that I’ve stated were hurtful, and for that I am very sorry.” Continue reading.

House passes bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday

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The House voted 415-14 on Wednesday to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

The big picture: All those voting against the measure were Republicans. The vote comes one day after the Senate unanimously approved the bill and three days before the holiday. 

Catch up quick: Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, memorializes when the last enslaved people in Texas learned about their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation. Continue reading.

Mike Lindell invites Chinese Communist Party to ‘cyber symposium’ for ‘gladiator fight’ on election

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MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell on Monday said that he would invite the Chinese Communist Party to a cyber symposium to prove that it had attacked the United States by stealing the 2020 election for President Joe Biden.

“We’re in a race against time here,” Lindell told host Steve Bannon on Real America’s Voice. “One of the things that we’re going [to do] is a cyber forensic election symposium. We’re bringing all of our evidence to a big venue I haven’t announced yet.”

Lindell said that “any cyber guy that’s got credentials in the country, we’re going to bring them there.” Continue reading.

Coronavirus infections dropping where people are vaccinated, rising where they are not, Post analysis finds

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States with higher vaccination rates now have markedly fewer coronavirus cases, as infections are dropping in places where most residents have been immunized and are rising in many places people have not, a Washington Post analysis has found.

States with lower vaccination also have significantly higher hospitalization rates, The Post found. Poorly vaccinated communities have not been reporting catastrophic conditions. Instead, they are usually seeing new infections holding steady or increasing without overwhelming local hospitals.

As recently as 10 days ago, vaccination rates did not predict a difference in coronavirus cases, but immunization rates have diverged, and case counts in the highly vaccinated states are dropping quickly. Continue reading.

‘They’re not making this up!’ CNN host corners former Bush AG for questioning reports of Trump DOJ spying

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CNN’s Jim Sciutto on Monday put former Bush Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in the hot seat after he seemed to cast doubt on reports that the Trump Department of Justice aggressively subpoenaed records from both politicians and journalists.

While Gonzales acknowledged it would be “really troubling” if the allegations of spying on political rivals were true, he cautioned that a fuller investigation is needed before making conclusions based on current reporting.

“Some of the facts here, again, are bizarre, amazing,” he said. “I don’t know whether or not the reporting is completely accurate because of that reason. Frankly, I am hoping the reporting is inaccurate.” Continue reading.