Quick Facts for a Tuesday
Quick Facts
President Biden delivered remarks yesterday on the state of the U.S. economy. Touting the fact that more than three million jobs have been added to the economy since he was sworn into office, and laughing at a prediction that he would end capitalism, Biden said that the “U.S. economy has experienced the highest economic growth rate in nearly 40 years.” “Folks, it turns out capitalism is alive and very well,” according to the president. Biden also asserted that the recent rise in inflation is temporary.
President Biden walked back his comments from last week about Facebook “killing” people due to COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on its platform. Yesterday, Biden said that “Facebook isn’t killing people.” The 12 people who have been identified as giving out vaccine misinformation are hurting people who are listening to them, according to the president.
The United States, along with the European Union, the United Kingdom, and NATO, joined together to attribute “malicious cyber activity and irresponsible state behavior to the People’s Republic of China.” The Department of Justice is bringing criminal charges against four PRC Ministry of State Security (MSS) hackers, and the U.S. has a high degree of confidence that the March 2021 Microsoft Exchange Server compromise was conducted by actors affiliated with the PRC’s MSS.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., filed cloture on the motion to proceed to consideration of the bipartisan infrastructure framework. This sets up the procedural vote for tomorrow. The problem, however, is that the bill language is not finalized, and several of the Republican members of the so-called G20 are saying that they need more time to draft the bill before having to vote on cloture. If Schumer does not get 10 Republican votes, as well as all the Democratic votes, the motion to invoke cloture will fail. In remarks on the Senate floor yesterday, Schumer said that the cloture vote would be on Wednesday in order to get the legislative process started. It is not, according to Schumer, a “deadline to determine every final detail of the bill.” Schumer is pushing hard to make progress on the bipartisan infrastructure agreement before the August recess, but if he pushes too hard, he risks not having the 60 votes needed for cloture. Stay tuned for Wednesday.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had choice words for Senate Democrats who held a field hearing in Georgia yesterday on the states’ changes to its voting laws and on the need for federal voting standards. McConnell accused the Democrats of “fake outrage” and of taking their “phony hysteria on the road.”
The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol announced the witnesses for its July 27 hearing: Private First Class Harry Dunn and Sergeant Aquilino Gonell from the U.S. Capitol Police and Officer Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. The committee members want to hear firsthand accounts of the law enforcement experience on January 6. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., named five Republican representatives to the select committee: Jim Banks (Ind.) as ranking member, Jim Jordan (Ohio), Kelly Armstrong (N.D.) Troy Nehls (Texas), and Rodney Davis (Ill.). Banks, Jordan, and Nehls voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results. Under the House resolution that established the select committee, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has the power to appoint all of the committee members. She could veto some or all of McCarthy’s picks. The question is, will she?
Paul Allard Hodgkins, who entered the U.S. Capitol and Senate chamber as part of the riot on January 6, was sentenced to eight months in prison. Hodgkins pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding. This is the first sentencing in a January 6 felony case.
The Department of Justice adopted a new policy regarding obtaining information from reporters. The policy “restricts the use of compulsory process to obtain information from, or records of, members of the news media acting within the scope of news gathering activities.” This became an issue when it was revealed that the Department of Justice under then-President Donald Trump obtained records of several members of the media.
Senators Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., introduced the “American Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2021.” The bill aims to reestablish U.S. global leadership in nuclear energy, revitalize America’s nuclear supply chain infrastructure, preserve existing nuclear energy generation, and expand nuclear energy through advanced nuclear technology.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended universal mask wearing in school for all students over the age of two as well as for all staff, regardless of vaccine status. This recommendation is at odds with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) K-12 guidance that only individuals over the age of two who are not fully vaccinated need to wear a mask in school.
Canada will open its border on August 9 to fully vaccinated American citizens and permanent U.S. residents for nonessential travel with no quarantine requirement. The Biden-Harris administration has not said yet if it will reciprocate and allow vaccinated Canadians into the United States. Travel restrictions are currently under review by the administration.
Yesterday was “Freedom Day’ in England with the removal of almost all COVID-19 restrictions. How did Prime Minister Boris Johnson spend Freedom Day…in quarantine due to exposure to a COVID-19 positive person, the British health secretary. At the same time, due to the high level of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom (UK), the CDC has advised Americans to avoid travel to the UK, stating that “even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants.”
Global cases: 190,863,662
Global deaths: 4,095,600
U.S. cases: 34,129,516
U.S. deaths: 609,233