January 6 Investigation Begins
Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, in testimony before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol (Select Committee), recounted in vivid detail his battle with the “armed mob” on January 6. Fanone said that he was beaten, repeatedly tased, and called a traitor by the angry mob. At one point, as he was laying on the ground after being beaten, he could hear someone say, “Kill him with his own gun.” Fanone was one of four law enforcement officers to testify at the first hearing of the Select Committee earlier this week. U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn described how flag poles, metal bike racks, and chemicals were used by the rioters as weapons against the law enforcement officers. He spoke of being bombarded with racial epithets like, “This n***** voted for Joe Biden” and “Boo fucking n*****.” When asked what he would like this committee to do, Dunn responded, “If a hit man is hired and he kills somebody the hit man goes to jail, but not only does the hit man go to jail but the person who hired him does…I want you to get to the bottom of that.”
Rep. Liz Cheney from Wyoming, one of two Republicans on the Select Committee and who was appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., asked U.S. Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell how he felt when he heard former President Donald Trump say that it was a loving crowd at the Capitol on January 6. Gonell said that he was “still recovering from those hugs and kisses” from the loving crowd. The Select Committee is expected to issue subpoenas shortly and interview witnesses before having another public hearing, according to its chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).
Vaccine Mandates & Masks
Masks are back and vaccine mandates are becoming more common place. Why? The Delta variant is so highly transmissible it is surging across the United States, less than half of the population of the country is vaccinated, and new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the Delta variant shows it is causing more breakthrough infections. On Tuesday, the CDC revised its mask guidance to say that people, regardless of vaccination status, should wear a mask inside public venues if they are in areas of substantial or high transmission, which is currently nearly 75% of the country. In announcing the revised guidance, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the CDC, said that the Delta variant represents a serious health threat to all Americans and called the new data “worrisome.” What Walensky did not do on Tuesday is provide details on the new data. The country had to find out about the specifics of the data from a Thursday night Washington Post story that reported on a leaked internal CDC document.
The information contained in the CDC document is breathtakingly concerning. The document states that “the war has changed,” and that the Delta variant is more transmissible than Ebola, SARS, MERS, polio, bird flu, seasonal flu, the common cold, the Spanish flu, and smallpox and as transmissible as chickenpox. Vaccinated people who are infected with the Delta variant can transmit the virus because they have similar viral loads in their nose and throat as unvaccinated people who get infected. The Delta variant may also result in more severe disease. The document estimates that symptomatic infections among the vaccinated are running about 35,000 per week, which means there are actually more breakthrough infections because this number does not include those who are asymptomatic. Yesterday’s CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report stated that nearly 75% of the people infected with COVID-19 in a July outbreak in Barnstable County, Massachusetts were fully vaccinated. This additional data influenced the CDC’s decision to change its mask guidance.
President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that federal workers and contractors will need to attest that they are vaccinated or be subject to one or two weekly COVID-19 tests, mask wearing, social distancing, and limited or no business travel. Biden made it clear that getting vaccinated is a matter of “life and death,” that someone’s decision not to get vaccinated impacts others, and that “with freedom comes responsibility.” Even before the updated CDC mask guidance and President Biden’s recent announcement, jurisdictions like Los Angeles County and St Louis implemented mask requirements in public places even if vaccinated. Corporations such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and news organization like the Washington Post are now requiring its employees to be vaccinated before returning to the office, and the list is growing by the day. California and New York are requiring their state employees to be vaccinated or subject to weekly COVID-19 tests and mask wearing.
When Broadway reopens, all audiences, performers, and staff must be vaccinated, and audience members must wear masks. Children under 12 can show a negative COVID-19 test to get into the theater. Anyone who wants to attend performances at the Metropolitan Opera or Carnegie Hall when they reopen will have to be vaccinated, and these venues are barring children under 12 since they are not eligible to get the vaccine. The dam seems to have been broken, and we can expect more and more businesses, states, counties, hospitals, organization and others to require vaccinations for their employees and customers as well as more locations requiring masks as the Delta variant threatens all of us. I have said it before, and I will keep on saying it, unless this country pulls together as Americans and not as red states or blue states and not as Republicans or Democrats, we are looking at a very dangerous and deadly future.
Infrastructure
The Senate took a giant step forward on Wednesday when it invoked cloture on the motion to proceed to consideration of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure agreement by a vote of 67-32. Seventeen Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) joined all of the Democrats in voting for the motion. The Senate passed another procedural motion yesterday to proceed to consideration of the infrastructure agreement by a bipartisan vote of 66-28. Sixteen Republicans voted with all of the Democrats on this motion. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has stated that he wants to pass the bipartisan infrastructure agreement before the Senate heads out of town for its August recess, which is slated to start next Friday, but which could be delayed. Once the actual bill language is finalized, Schumer plans to offer it as a substitute amendment for the placeholder language, making it the base bill to which amendments could be offered. It is expected that numerous amendments will be offered from both Republicans and Democrats, and that will result in some very long sessions if Schumer’s deadline is to be met.
The majority leader also wants to hold a vote prior to the recess on the $3.5 trillion budget resolution that would be the basis for a reconciliation bill that would include many of President Biden’s so-called “human infrastructure” priorities. He may have the votes to get the budget resolution passed, which is the next step in the reconciliation process, but Senator Krysten Sinema, D-Ariz., has stated that she is opposed to the $3.5 trillion price tag. Nothing in Washington is a done deal until it is actually done, so lots of long days and nights ahead. Stay tuned.
Quick Facts
More than six months after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Congress passed a $2.1 billion emergency supplemental bill. The bill, which was signed yesterday by President Biden, includes funding for Capitol security, the National Guard, the Capitol police, and relocation of Afghan allies, among other provisions.
The House of Representatives passed what is referred to as a “mini-bus,” where several appropriations bills are combined into one larger bill. By a vote of 219-208, the House passed H.R. 4502, making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for fiscal year 2022. With the current fiscal year coming to a close on September 30, it seems almost certain that Congress will have to pass a continuing resolution to fund the federal government after the end of FY21 since it is unlikely that the 12 appropriations bills will have made it through Congress.
U.S. GDP growth for the second quarter of 2021, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, came in at 6.5%, which is below the estimate of 8.4%. However, the economy is now above its pre-pandemic levels.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium that was put into place due to COVID-19 will end today, putting millions of Americans in jeopardy of being evicted from their homes.
The Biden-Harris administration released its Collaborative Migration Management Strategy that details its efforts to have a safe, orderly, and humane migration in North and Central America. The strategy includes efforts to stabilize populations with acute needs, expand access to protection in countries of origin, and expand access to international protection, among other lines of action.
The first flight of Afghan nationals, along with their families, who helped American troops and diplomats in Afghanistan, arrived in the United States as part of Operation Allies Refuge.
The Department of Justice issued an opinion yesterday stating that the Department of the Treasury must turn over the requested tax returns of former President Trump to the House Ways and Means Committee.
If you are interested in who visited the White House in April, click here.
Individuals who have Long COVID-19 may be considered to have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal statutes and be entitled to protection from discrimination according to new guidance issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice.
Global cases: 197,309,601
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U.S. deaths: 613,012