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Biden: Federal government to fund ‘100 percent’ of recovery for wildfire sparked by Forest Service
President Joe Biden on Saturday said the federal government is “covering 100 percent of the cost” for the response to a massive wildfire in New Mexico that was started by federal burns.
“We have a responsibility as a government to deal with the communities who are put in jeopardy,” Biden said in remarks at the emergency operations center in Santa Fe, N.M. “And today I’m announcing the federal government is covering 100 percent of the cost of debris removal and emergency protective measures for the next critical months.”
The White House later released a statement announcing the president had amended the New Mexico Disaster Declaration to push the percentage of those costs to be covered by the federal government from 75 percent, set by the disaster declaration in May, to 100 percent “for the first 90 days of the incident period.”
The White House said that the 90-day coverage period is meant to serve as a “bridge” from emergency operations to the potential passage of the Hermits Peak Fire Assistance Act, a piece of legislation that has not yet been approved by Congress.
If passed, the act would require the Federal Emergency Management System to create a claims office to provide full compensation to those who have been injured or suffered financial losses due to the fire.
“This additional support will help ensure that New Mexico has no financial limitations related to immediate lifesaving and life sustaining operations related to the ongoing wildfires, including urgent debris removal,” the White House said of Biden’s order.
This comes after the Forest Service last month said it was responsible for the two fires that merged last month to form the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire, which Biden emphasized in his address is the “largest, most destructive wildfire in America so far this year and the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s history.”
The Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires each formed as a result of escaped federal pile burns, the agency said.
Biden acknowledged the role that the Forest Service played in the fire, saying the agency conducts 4500 prescribed burns each year and that “99.8 percent go as planned.”
“This time, tragically, it did not,” he said.
— Updated at 9:35 p.m.
Source: TEST FEED1
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Pence’s lawyer told him blocking vote certification would likely lead to court loss, ‘standoff’ with Congress
Former Vice President Pence’s attorney advised him on Jan. 5, 2021, that if he blocked the certification of electoral votes the following day as then-President Trump was urging him to do he would likely face a loss in court or a “standoff” with Congress, according to a memo released for the first time on Saturday.
In the memo, which was obtained by Politico, Pence lawyer Greg Jacob evaluated a proposal from Trump legal adviser John Eastman on how Pence could refuse to count electoral votes from “any state for which an alternate but uncertified slate of electors has been submitted.”
“If the Vice President implemented Professor Eastman’s proposal, he would likely lose in court,” Jacob concluded. “In a best-case scenario in which the courts refused to get involved, the Vice President would likely find himself in an isolated standoff against both houses of Congress, as well as most or all of the applicable State legislatures, with no neutral arbiter available to break the impasse.”
Pence’s ultimate decision to go against Trump and continue as normal with the certification of votes led to tension between the two and made the then-vice president a target amid the violent insurrection on Jan. 6, where many Trump supporters expressed anger toward Pence over his refusal to overturn the election results.
Pence has since reiterated that he did not have the authority to do so. “President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election,” the former vice president said earlier this year. “The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone. Frankly, there is almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president.”
The release of Jacob’s memo to Pence comes days after the first of a series of public hearings held by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
In Thursday’s prime-time hearing, the committee laid out the framework of its case asserting that Trump was at the center of an effort to remain in power that directly led to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Jacob, who met with the House panel in February, is expected to testify in an upcoming hearing.
In the memo to Pence, Jacob noted that Eastman himself acknowledged his proposal would violate the 1887 Electoral Count Act and laid out multiple provisions of that law Pence would be breaking if he held up the certification as Eastman urged.
Jacob also said that Eastman’s advice was contradicted by the Electoral Commission of 1877 decision authored by a Supreme Court justice.
In that decision, Republican Supreme Court Justice Joseph Bradley wrote of the vice president: “He is not invested with any authority for making any investigation outside of the joint meeting of the two Houses.”
Jacob further noted that the proposal was “strongly in tension” with a federal district court ruling issued the previous day.
During the Capitol attack, Jacob emailed Eastman.
“And thanks to your bullshit, we are under siege,” he wrote.
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What rights do US children have? None.
In 1989, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) brought together world leaders to recognize that childhood is “a special, protected time, in which children must be allowed to grow, learn, play, develop and flourish with dignity.” This led to the development of an international legal framework which made clear that children are more than simply possessions of their parents; they have their own rights as individuals, and these rights should be protected. It is the most supported human rights framework in history and 196 countries have ratified the treaty. Yet, one nation is conspicuously missing — the United States.
The reasons for this omission are not as important as its implications for how we craft policies and practices that shape the everyday experiences of children and youth.
The UNCRC’s basic tenet is written in §Article 3: “In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.” This seems an unqualified public good. Who could argue with maintaining the best interests of the child?
Other articles move into more contested terrain in the U.S. For example, there is §Article 13: “The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’s choice.” If the U.S. had ratified the UNCRC, perhaps all children and youth in every state would have access to books, medical information, and historical perspectives of all kinds, even those that legislators claim are not in their best interests.
Considering refugees, §Article 22 states: “…whether unaccompanied or accompanied by his or her parents or by any other person, [refugee children will] receive appropriate protection and humanitarian assistance.” We have many examples in the U.S. where this intention has not been met, most recently the atrocities at the U.S.-Mexico border involving Latin American children. What would this look like if the UNCRC had been ratified?
A signpost from our perspective as people who study school recess is §Article 31: “Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child…” Given the inequities in access to recess and the frequent withholding of recess for punishment and missed schoolwork, the U.S. educational system has not embraced the right to play for all children, as the UNCRC says it should.
Yet the most tragic failure of the U.S.’s unwillingness to recognize the rights of children is illustrated by §Article 19: “Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation…”
We have failed U.S. children and youth in so many ways on this human right: Sexual, physical, and emotional abuse in churches, sports, and homes; child welfare systems that destroy families rather than support them; educational systems that harm children by reinforcing existing biases. And, importantly today, by creating a society in which children can never be safe from gun violence wrought by those who are seeking to harm innocents.
The ratification of the UNCRC would not automatically reverse the scourge of gun violence against minors in the U.S. But it would give children and their supporters recourse to use this international framework to challenge a government that refuses action. As Dr. Roy Guerrero, Uvalde’s only pediatrician, testified before Congress: “Keeping [children] safe from preventable diseases, I can do. Keeping them safe from bacteria and brittle bones, I can do…But making sure our children are safe from guns, that’s the job of our politicians and leaders. In this case, you are the doctors and our country is the patient.”
Probably many readers have never heard of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and did not know that the U.S. stands alone in its unwillingness to ratify it. It is an epic failure on the part of our country and one that could be rectified, if only we truly believed that children have rights: rights which deserve to be made explicit so as to be considered paramount in our institutions and policies. The time to act is now.
Rebecca A. London, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Sociology and Faculty Director of Camus + Community at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Catherine Ramstetter, Ph.D., is the founder of Successful Healthy Children and founding member of the Global Recess Alliance.
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Here are ways to protect yourself and others from monkeypox
The number of monkeypox cases in non-endemic countries is continuing to rise, but health authorities say the outbreak is containable and poses a low risk to the general public.
As of this week, over 1,300 monkeypox cases have been detected in countries where the virus is not endemic. In the U.S., 45 cases have been confirmed so far, only two cases fewer than what was detected during the 2003 outbreak.
The White House is currently shoring up doses of vaccines believed to be effective against the monkeypox virus while also expanding testing capacity for orthopoxvirus, the family of viruses that monkeypox falls within.
The monkeypox virus has a very low mortality rate and no deaths have been reported in non-endemic countries so far this year. Infections typically last between two to four weeks and an individual is considered to no longer be infectious once the characteristic lesions are fully healed over.
Monkeypox is primarily spread through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, though it can occasionally be spread through respiratory droplets if sores develop inside an infected individual’s mouth or throat.
With the start of summer, more people will be spending time outdoors in large crowds. Health experts have so far said that people should not change their plans due to monkeypox but have advised some caution.
Here are some simple ways to stay safe and limit the spread of monkeypox amid the current outbreak.
Check yourself and others for symptoms
As many have likely become accustomed to doing over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, assess yourself for symptoms of monkeypox before attending an event or meeting someone else.
Symptoms tend to be flu-like and include fever, headache, fatigue, muscle aches and chills.
However, healthcare officials have noted that some cases have appeared to have mild or no symptoms shortly after getting infected.
The most notable sign of monkeypox is the characteristic rash that forms on various part of the body and face. The lesions go through several stages before eventually scabbing over. The scabs will eventually fall off and the skin will heal over, at which point a person is considered non-infectious.
Most of the cases have so far been identified among men who have sex with men and health officials have noted that many infected individuals have presented with rashes around their groin area or anus. As the anal area is difficult to see on your own, make use of mirrors, camaras or an understanding friend if you feel that you might have contracted the virus but haven’t seen lesions on body parts visible to you.
Before initiating a sexual encounter, you should also perform a visual examination of your prospective partner’s skin for lesions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published photos of what monkeypox lesions can look like.
Wash your hands, do your laundry
Standard methods of cleaning and sanitation are still considered to be effective at limiting the spread of monkeypox.
Thoroughly wash your hands with soap or handwash after going out in public. Make sure to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, get under your fingernails as well as between your fingers. The CDC has published a video on handwashing that can be seen here.
Another common pathway of transmission for monkeypox is through the clothing or bedsheets of an infected individual. If you are recovering from a monkeypox infection or believe you may be infected, washing your linens and clothing with laundry detergent in a standard washing machine with warm water should get rid of the virus.
Avoid high-risk situations
The CDC considers festivals and events where attendees are fully clothed to be safer in terms of monkeypox transmission. However, people should also be aware other forms of contact like kissing.
Enclosed spaces where minimal to no clothing is worn — such as saunas or raves — do present a higher risk of transmission. The initial monkeypox outbreak in Europe has been speculatively linked to raves that took place in multiple countries.
While it is rare, monkeypox can be spread through respiratory droplets, which is why events where attendees are closely packed together in an enclosed space should be avoided.
Speak to a healthcare provider about getting tested
U.S. health authorities have said they are working to expand the testing capacity for orthopoxvirus. If you believe you have had a close contact with someone who tested positive for monkeypox, contact a healthcare provider about getting tested for orthopoxvirus.
According to Raj Panjabi, the White House’s senior director for global health security and biodefense, public health labs currently have the capacity to perform over a thousand tests per day.
“We are working to make testing through public health labs more convenient and expand testing beyond public health labs through commercial partners. But testing can only happen when people with symptoms seek care,” Panjabi said during a press briefing on Friday.
As monkeypox is very rarely seen in the U.S., some healthcare providers may not be familiar with signs of the virus, which is why it is important for you to recognize potential symptoms and specifically request a test for monkeypox if you believe you might have caught it.
Smallpox vaccines like Jynneos and ACAM2000 are believed to be effective against monkeypox and have already been mobilized to states where infections have been identified. Smallpox medications like brincidofovir and tecovirimat can also be used to treat monkeypox, with recent studies supporting their potential effectiveness against the virus.
Most people recover from an infection within two to four weeks.
Consider wearing a condom if you catch the virus
Monkeypox spreads through contact with the body fluid of an infected individual. However, health officials are unsure on whether the virus can be spread through vaginal fluids and semen.
While this possible pathway of transmission remains unclear, health authorities in the U.K. have recommended that people who recover from monkeypox wear a condom during sex for up to eight weeks after their infection is over.
Any sexual contact, even with a condom, should be avoided if the infection is still ongoing and active lesions are still on the skin.
While monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection, any sustained skin-to-skin contact, such as during sex, can lead to an infection.
Source: TEST FEED1
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Ukrainian officials push back on Biden claim that Zelensky ‘didn’t want to hear’ invasion warnings
Ukrainian officials on Saturday pushed back against President Biden’s claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky brushed off U.S. warnings of an impending Russian invasion before the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Responding to Biden’s comment during a Democratic fundraiser Friday evening that Zelensky “didn’t want to hear” warnings from the U.S., a spokesman for the Ukrainian president said that “the phrase ‘did not want to hear’ probably needs clarification.”
Spokesman Sergei Nikiforov told Ukrainian news outlet LIGA.net that the two leaders spoke over the phone “three or four” times leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, saying that Biden and Zelensky exchanged “detailed” assessments of the relationship between Ukraine and Russia.
“In addition, if you remember, the President of Ukraine called on partners to impose a package of preventive sanctions to encourage Russia to withdraw troops and de-escalate the situation. And here we can say that our partners ‘did not want to hear us,’” said Nikiforov.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak corroborated Nikiforov’s claims that Zelensky was consistently presented with complicated evidence regarding Russia’s intentions and criticized Biden for putting “blame” on Ukraine over the situation.
“And finally, the key, I think it is pointless to blame the country, which is more than 100 days a full-fledged war against a much more resourceful opponent, if key countries have failed to prevent the militaristic appetites of the Russian Federation, knowing them well,” Podoliak said, according to independent Russian outlet Interfax.
“Undoubtedly, the volume of the invasion, which we saw on February 24, shocked many countries, including our partners,” added Podoliak, arguing that Ukraine was equally as aware of Russia’s threat as its Western allies.
He added: “Volodymyr Zelensky constantly had an analyst on the table based on high-quality intelligence. The President also responded carefully to all the words and warnings of our partners. The question was always: what will be the scope of the invasion?”
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Gas prices present glaring problem for Biden
Skyrocketing gas prices are a glaring problem for the White House with no clear, immediate solution.
While the administration began the month by pivoting heavily toward its economic message, political watchers say the attempt has so far fallen flat, especially as the national average for a gallon of gas hits a record $5.
That, along with inflation, presents a major political challenge for Biden and Democrats going into the midterms. Eighty-five percent of voters said they think inflation is a very serious or somewhat serious problem, according to an Economist-YouGov poll from earlier this month. In the same poll, 44 percent of respondents said Biden has “a lot” of responsibility for the inflation rate and 31 percent said he has “some.”
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CBS News this week that Americans should brace for a rough summer, with a top energy agency predicting fuel prices may not come down to less than $4 per gallon until the fall or winter.
“There will be some relief on the horizon, but during the summer driving season, it is going to be rough, no doubt about it, because we have such a demand and supply mismatch on the global market for oil,” Granholm said.
The president and his administration have pointed to steps they’ve taken in recent months to try to pump the brakes on rising gas prices.
Biden has ordered the release of millions of barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to boost supply, pushed for nations in the Middle East to boost production, lifted restrictions on the sale of fuel with higher ethanol content, and promoted renewable energy sources such as electric vehicles and solar power.
But the reality, as even some Biden administration officials acknowledge, is the president has little sway over day-to-day gas prices, which are often at the mercy of global supply chains and have been impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“This is, in large part, caused by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s aggression,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on CNN this week. “Since Putin moved troops to the border of Ukraine, gas prices have gone up over $1.40 a gallon, and the president is asking for Congress and others for potential ideas. But, as you say, the reality is that there isn’t very much more to be done.”
Friday delivered another blow to the Biden administration with the release of a poor inflation report that showed consumer price growth spiked in May. The Labor Department’s consumer price index rose 1 percent last month alone and 8.6 percent in the 12-month stretch ending in May.
Republican strategist Doug Heye argued the Biden administration has had a lackluster response to inflation that has contributed to the hit his approval rating has taken and the low marks he has received on the economy.
“There seems to be, on some of these issues, just a shrugging of the shoulders, and that’s why you see, overwhelmingly, Biden’s handling of the economy is unpopular,” he said. “Obviously what’s happened in Ukraine has caused a spike, and there’s nothing wrong with talking about that, but that seems to be the entire explanation when inflation has gone up every month that Biden has been president.”
Biden on Friday stressed that he is sympathetic to the impact of high inflation on American families.
“I understand Americans are anxious, and they’re anxious for good reason,” he said in remarks at the Port of Los Angeles.
“Make no mistake about it: I understand inflation is a real challenge to American families,” he added. “Today’s inflation report confirmed what Americans already know: Putin’s price hike is hitting America hard. Gas prices at the pump, energy and food prices account for half of the monthly price increases since May.”
He called on Congress to pass legislation to cut shipping costs and the costs of energy bills and prescription drugs as well as tax reform so big corporations pay more.
Part of the challenge for the White House, however, is that many Americans don’t realize Biden doesn’t control gas prices, said Matt Bennett, a strategist with centrist think tank Third Way.
“I think he needs to get caught trying to do everything possible. Haul the CEOs of the oil companies in to the White House and demand that they tell him exactly what they need to get production up in the short term,” Bennett said.
The White House said it was shifting gears toward a monthlong campaign in June to talk up the economy and to show the White House is prioritizing inflation while pushing the positives it has delivered on the economy.
Much of the focus has been on strong jobs numbers and consistent messaging that the White House is aware of the impact of inflation on families. The president penned a Wall Street Journal op-ed outlining his ideas to tame inflation, and he has repeatedly contrasted his push for lower family care costs with that of Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), whose economic agenda calls for potential cuts to programs such as Medicare and Social Security.
Biden reiterated on Friday that the U.S. is dealing with inflation from a position of strength, touting again the low unemployment rate.
Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright argued that the president’s focus on the positives of the economy will resonate with voters in the midterm elections this fall.
“From a messaging standpoint, I think [Democrats] have to demonstrate district by district, race by race, what efforts we have done to save the economy,” Seawright said. “Make sure we tell the story and not let the story be told about us.”
Source: TEST FEED1
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White House nationwide zoning reform effort needs data
The U.S. housing shortfall is painfully evident in cities and towns across the country. Soaring rents and home prices are hitting pocketbooks and prohibiting homeownership, with the biggest burdens falling on the poorest and most marginalized.
Outdated and unsustainable zoning policies nationwide have contributed to the crisis, and the White House’s ambitious plan to respond rightly includes zoning reform as a key pillar. The administration intends to reward local governments that engage in reforms through certain discretionary federal spending programs.
As the White House fills in the details, let’s hope it prioritizes an essential ingredient for the initiative’s success: data. Without nationwide zoning data, the initiative risks being stymied.
The truth is we actually know very little about zoning. For the White House to effectively promote zoning reform, it must know towns’ starting point. Do they already allow small-scale multifamily housing? If so, how much land do they devote to this kind of housing? Are there hidden constraints – things like minimum lot-size requirements, minimum parking mandates, and minimum unit sizes?
The Biden administration needs this information across tens of thousands of jurisdictions with zoning to understand the status quo and to assess which reforms will make a difference. But current information about zoning is both unreliable and scarce.
The National Longitudinal Land Use Survey and other surveys have told us what planners think their codes say. It turns out, sometimes they are mistaken. There have been a few attempts to analyze what the texts of codes actually say. Four projects (in Connecticut, eastern Massachusetts, the San Francisco Bay area, and the Los Angeles region) tie textual analysis to digitized zoning maps. But we need more information about the codes across more jurisdictions, and we need that information to be standardized.
Connecticut offers a cautionary tale. Through a program launched in 2009, the State gave nearly $2 million to towns to create incentive housing zones. Yet as of 2020, the program had resulted in just 28 units of housing being permitted. Some towns wrote zoning text that theoretically created a new zone, but never mapped the zone into existence. What’s worse, exclusionary towns have touted their re-zonings, despite their limited impact. They got away with it because, until the 2021 assembly of a statewide zoning atlas, the State lacked accurate zoning data that exposed these issues.
The White House can avoid the Connecticut experience by first investing in resources to acquire the full scale of data we need.
At my lab at Cornell University, we’ve embarked on an effort to establish a National Zoning Atlas that — once completed — will document important district-specific characteristics, particularly about housing, and will give that information to the public and policymakers in easy-to-understand maps.
Our effort — and the contributions to it from researchers and policymakers nationwide — could help Washington make data-driven decisions. Teams from universities, nonprofits, think tanks, and local and regional agencies are already working on statewide and regional atlases, from Hawaii to Montana to New York. Notably, these efforts are bipartisan, and the Biden administration points out in its announcement that zoning reforms nationally have long been so. (See, for example, the 1991 “Not in My Backyard” report under the first Bush administration.) Our atlas teams include libertarian leads like Montana’s Frontier Institute and right-leaning funders like the Charles Koch Foundation and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
A National Zoning Atlas will enable users to determine whether each district allows one-, two-, three, or four-or-more-unit housing, or accessory dwelling units. Perhaps more importantly, it will identify the hidden constraints on housing — the “zoning by a thousand cuts” that include lot and parking constraints, as well as height caps, lot coverage requirements, and floor-to-area ratios, along with occupancy limitations that dictate who can live in what kinds of housing.
When complete, the atlas will enable comparisons across jurisdictions, illuminate regional and statewide trends, and strengthen national planning for housing production, transportation infrastructure, and climate response. Such data will give policymakers in Washington and elsewhere key insight into what’s working, where reforms are needed most, and where funding is best allocated.
Zoning reform itself won’t fix all of the nation’s housing problems. We still need to address the other issues, including financing, that research shows constrains housing supply. But for President Biden’s incentives for zoning reform to be most effective, we’ll need to collect a lot more data about zoning. Hopefully efforts will accelerate as this announcement gives them new urgency.
Sara Bronin, architect and attorney, is a professor in the department of city and regional planning at Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning and an associated member of Cornell’s Law School.
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Protesters pledge to fight for gun reform as long as necessary at DC rally
Thousands of protesters gathered on the National Mall Saturday to demonstrate against gun violence in a March for Our Lives rally, vowing to continue to push for gun reform as long as necessary to achieve progress.
The rally was one of more than 450 protests taking place around the country and the world in the aftermath of multiple high-profile mass shootings over the past month. Speakers at the Washington, D.C., rally called on political leaders to act on gun legislation to save lives and ensure these incidents become much less frequent.
Mass shootings are defined as incidents in which at least four people are shot. There have been about 1.5 mass shootings per day and more than 10 mass shootings weekly so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla., and co-founder of March for Our Lives, said he chose to speak at the rally because he did not want anyone else to live the “nightmare” of being a survivor of gun violence or a family member of a victim.
“All Americans have a right to not be shot, a right to safety,” Hogg said. “Nowhere in the Constitution is unrestricted access to weapons of war a guaranteed right.”
Both gunmen in the shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas, used AR-15-style rifles in carrying out their attacks. Activists have called for banning these weapons and other so-called assault weapons.
Hogg said seeing “tiny coffins” for the students killed in Uvalde should lead to demands for change, not “endless debate.”
A bipartisan group of senators is working to reach a deal on some form of gun legislation, with Democrats saying they are “very close” to reaching an agreement.
The discussions are focused on modest reforms such as increasing funding for mental health and incentivizing states to pass red flag laws, which allow those around an individual to petition for their guns to be temporarily taken away if they are deemed a threat to themselves or others. Senate negotiators have said more expansive proposals to institute universal background checks and ban assault weapons are not part of the discussions.
Hogg said since March for Our Lives’s first rally in 2018 following the Parkland shooting, more than 150 pieces of gun safety legislation have passed in various states throughout the country. He said this makes him believe “this time is different.”
A couple political leaders also spoke at the rally, including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), who opened her remarks by saying, “Enough is enough.”
Bowser said Americans are frustrated because they have previously seen little change on gun reform despite repeated mass shootings.
“We’re not asking for a lot,” she said. “We’re asking to drop off our children at school without having to worry that someone will bring an AR-15 into the classroom.”
She said those who stand with the values of this movement need to talk to their congresspeople to demand they support gun legislation or “get out of our way.”
She added that passing universal background checks and red flag laws are common sense, but “common sense ain’t that common in the Senate.”
The House passed multiple bills to expand background checks last year, but they stalled in the Senate. Senate Democrats are overwhelmingly in favor of passing stricter gun laws, but in the evenly divided Senate they would need at least 10 additional votes to overcome a Republican-led filibuster to approve such legislation.
Democratic negotiators in the bipartisan group are hoping a deal they reach will receive enough votes to end a possible filibuster on the bill. If all GOP lawmakers in the group vote in favor of a potential agreement in addition to all 50 Democratic senators, four additional Republicans will need to vote for it to reach the necessary 60-vote threshold.
Bowser encouraged the rally participants to keep fighting for progress and said she knows the solution to the issue lies with young people.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) spoke at the demonstration as well, sharing her personal experience being a survivor of gun violence. She said she was in an abusive relationship and knew her partner had guns but did not think he would use them against her. As she ran away from him one day, she said he fired at her. She said the “horror” of that moment stays with her, just as it does with others who have experienced gun violence.
She said a red flag law or universal background checks could have helped save her and others from a “near-lethal” experience with guns.
“I want those members of Congress who are complicit in every mass shooting that happens because of their own perpetuation of policy violence, I want them to know those of us who are gun violence survivors, who will not let up until change happens, we are everywhere,” Bush said.
A range of other survivors of gun violence also detailed their experiences at the rally.
RuQuan Brown, a survivor of gun violence in D.C. and a March for Our Lives organizer, said he was “sad” to be present at the rally but needed to be there because of “intentional ignorance” from elected officials on gun violence.
He said those in attendance are demanding politicians’ love, which he said is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect and trust.
“We must live in a nation where love is the norm,” he said. “We must live in a nation where love takes us by storm. We must live in a nation where love keeps us warm because that is what we deserve.”
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Catholic group launches 'Hide the Pride' anti-LGBTQ library campaign
(NEXSTAR) — A controversial conservative Catholic organization is urging parents to “Hide the Pride” during Pride Month — by checking out any LBGTQ-related books they see at their local libraries so that no children will see them.
The group, CatholicVote, says “recent polls” show “American moms and dads do not want their children exposed to sexual and ‘trans’ content as part of their education.” The group says parents can inconspicuously check out materials and place them away from children at home.
The campaign comes after a sharp rise in book challenges and bans over the past year: Literary and free-expression advocacy group PEN America‘s Index of School Book Bans has recorded 1,586 instances of individual book bans between July 1, 2021 and March 31.
As Washington Post explains, there’s a difference between “challenges” and “bans”: Bans are complete restriction of materials from libraries, but challenges are merely attempts to restrict access. While many libraries have had to review their materials and/or remove them, nationally, many public libraries stand firmly on keeping contested materials available to the public.
In Texas, the Austin Public Library says many of its branches feature Pride displays. Additionally, APL is hosting a series of summer events called “Banned Camp,” a representative told Nexstar. These events are intended to spark conversations about book-banning overall.
“Freedom to read is a right that must be protected in our schools and public libraries, and we must not give in to the vocal few that want to speak for the many,” Austin Public Library Director Roosevelt Weeks said in previous statement about limiting access.
The library’s “Banned Camp” begins with one particularly notable LGBTQ title, George M. Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue.” The book of essays explores Johnson’s experiences growing up as Black and queer, according to publisher Farrar, Strauss and Giroux. While the book has been widely celebrated, it has also been a major target for crusades against LGBTQ youth books. Earlier this year, the American Library Association listed the memoir as one of the 10 most challenged books of 2021.
In an April Global Citizen article, Johnson, who uses they/them pronouns, explained they wrote the book so Black and queer youth could see themselves and their own experiences in the material, which contains stories based on Johnson’s experiences as an adolescent.
It’s a feeling shared by author Adam Sass, whose 2020 young-adult novel “Surrender Your Sons” focused on a group of queer youths shipped off to an island-based conversion camp.
“Restricting access to LGBTQ-centered books hurts kids,” Sass says. “It hurts queer kids because it robs them of the various mirrors they need to figure out who they are, give voice and form to their feelings, and feel less alone. It also hurts straight kids because it robs them of insight they might get into their queer siblings or friends.”
Sass continued, saying the aim of these campaigns is to erase queer youth.
“They want kids afraid, and they want them in hiding — not because Jesus said it. They do it because they like it.”
In addition to checking out materials, CatholicVote also suggests parents write letters complaining about Pride Month displays and materials, LGBTQ outlet Into explains. Writer Johnny Levanier notes the campaign could backfire for the group, since libraries may believe the mass checkouts means increased need for more LGBTQ books.
Pride Month books
Denver Public Library’s Pride Month 2022 book guide includes recommendations for LGBTQ titles broken down by age group.
Children: “Adventures with My Daddies,” by Gareth Peter; “Being You: A First Conversation about Gender,” by Megan Madison; “A Church for All,” by Gayle Pitman; and “Heather Has Two Mommies,” by Lesléa Newman.
Teen: “The Black Flamingo,” by Dean Atta; “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” by Maia Kobabe; “The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School,” by Sonora Reyes; “The Chandler Legacies,” by Abdi Nazemian; “Date Me, Bryson Keller,” by Kevin Van Whye; and “Two Boys Kissing,” by David Levithan.
Source: TEST FEED1