Archive by Author

Republican requests more information on 'rationale’ for Jan. 6 subpoena

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) is requesting “additional information concerning the rationale” for his subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

In a five-page letter dated last Wednesday to the panel’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), two attorneys representing Biggs outlined objections against the committee and requested information connected to the subpoena.

The investigative committee earlier this month issued subpoenas to Biggs and four other GOP congressmen, all of whom had previously received requests to voluntarily testify before the panel. The lawmakers, however, refused that opportunity, which prompted the subpoenas.

The lawyers are now asking that the committee “facilitate Congressman Biggs’ preparation for any deposition by sharing more information about its intended scope and any documentary exhibits you anticipate using.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who were also issued subpoenas by the committee, have both made similar requests in recent days and criticized the panel.

Reached for comment on Biggs’s letter, committee spokesperson Tim Mulvaney referred The Hill to a statement on Friday regarding McCarthy’s response to the panel. Mulvaney at the time said subpoenaed lawmakers “are hiding behind debunked arguments and baseless requests for special treatment.”

“The refusal of these Members to cooperate is a continued assault on the rule of law and sets a dangerous new precedent that could hamper the House’s ability to conduct oversight in the future,” he added.

Thompson will formally respond to the lawmakers in the coming days, according to Mulvaney.

In its statement announcing the subpoenas earlier this month, the Jan. 6 committee said Biggs took part in meetings involving plans for Jan. 6 and was involved in “plans to bring protestors to Washington for the counting of Electoral College votes.”

The panel also said the Arizona Republican “was involved in efforts to persuade state officials that the 2020 was stolen,” and said he was potentially involved in an effort to receive a presidential pardon for his actions connected to then-President Trump’s attempt to overturn the presidential election results.

In their letter to Thompson last week, the attorneys representing Biggs said the list of topics included in the committee’s initial request for testimony “transgresses the outer perimeter of the Committee’s authority.”

The lawyers also took issue with the subpoena specifically, calling it “legally insufficient” because it did not include an exact location for the testimony. They also said Biggs “has not been properly served with any subpoena emanating from the Committee,” claiming that “no personal service has ever been effectuated on either Congressman Biggs or his attorneys.”

Additionally, Biggs’s lawyers said the panel “Is Not Validly Constituted,” pointing to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) decision to reject two of the GOP lawmakers McCarthy nominated to the committee.

Source: TEST FEED1

A time to realize what unites us, and to abandon our reckless rhetoric

Memorial Day should be a moment of national unity. A time to honor the men and women of our Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice while defending the values, principles and traditions which have made our nation great. 

Yet, at this moment in this year, America is torn with more strife, more discord and more disunity than perhaps at any moment since at least 1968. 

That, of course, was the year of the bloody Tet Offensive during the war in Vietnam. It was the year of President Lyndon Johnson’s decision to not seek reelection and of the shocking, tragic assassinations of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King and U.S. senator and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy (D-N.Y.). Of cities burning during riots and demonstrations, and of street violence and chaos at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Of the hard-fought presidential campaigns of Republican Richard Nixon, Democrat Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace, the segregationist former Democratic governor of Alabama who ran on the American Independent Party ticket.

That year, 1968, was the nadir of our modern experience, and America’s national fabric had not been torn again so badly — until now. 

Today, we are divided into separate camps on issue after issue, with virtually no middle ground or thought of compromise.

Some pro-abortion demonstrators have marched on the homes of Supreme Court justices who may decide in the next month to overturn Roe v. Wade. On the other side, some anti-abortion activists have demonstrated outside or attacked the clinics, offices and homes of abortion providers.

Mass shootings occur with shocking, frightening frequency in all corners of the country. In the wake of these, Democrats demand more gun control while Republicans insist that people, not guns, kill people.

Many cities are suffering dramatic increases in violent crime and attacks on police. In response, Democrats call for bail reform and restrictions on police; Republicans demand more cops and tougher judges.

Oil and energy prices, along with the prices of most other consumer commodities, are surging at rates not seen since the 1970s. Meanwhile, many Democrats are calling for the Green New Deal to be enacted, while most Republicans are demanding more oil exploration and pipelines.

On education, debates over critical race theory and gender fluidity seemingly predominate over schools’ emphasis on “the Three R’s.”

On race, many Democrats see systemic racism at work throughout our country’s institutions and systems, while many Republicans blame reverse bias for any lack of progress in race relations.

This listing of what divides us could go on ad infinitum (or ad nauseum). But what makes today’s divisions different from previous times is our seeming inability or unwillingness today to reach compromise in the halls of Congress, over the backyard fences in our neighborhoods, or even at the family dinner table. That, along with our inattention to what really matters: Much of our citizenry is more focused on, say, the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard courtroom spectacle than on the struggle to defend democracy in Ukraine. 

Social media unquestionably helps to foster the political silos and echo chambers that feed these divisions and distractions. And yet, polls continually show that voters claim they want Washington to come together while, at the same time, too many Americans assail those who seek compromise as “RINOs” (Republicans in name only) or as sell-outs to “the Democratic establishment.” 

It is time to pause during this Memorial Day, to take a breath and realize what unites us as Americans. To cease tearing away at our institutions, to put aside mindless rhetoric, and to begin an honest debate and a search for meaningful compromise on the issues that truly matter. Otherwise, the America that both sides claim to want will never be achievable — and the ideal of a united people risks coming to an end.

Peter King was the U.S. representative of New York’s 2nd and 3rd congressional districts for 28 years, including serving as chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Follow him on Twitter @RepPeteKing.

Source: TEST FEED1

Juan Williams: Murder, lies and the internet

Are we living through the movie “Idiocracy”? 

In that spoof, Americans were dumbed down by a diet of silly television shows and stupid advertising, as well as porn stars and wrestlers famous for being famous. That led voters to elect political leaders who took the nation to the verge of starvation because they did not know to water crops. 

Well, that’s an old satire. 

But what can you say about today’s real life congressional leaders? 

It is no joke to watch them standing by in the last month as social media companies give platforms to gunmen to plan violence online. One even live-streamed murder. 

After the massacres, the social media platforms featured lies about the shootings being phony “false flag” operations staged by actors. Fake photos were posted to mislead people into thinking one gunman was transgender.  

And this comes on top of the daily online flood of hate speech, conspiracies, racism and outright lies that divide Americans. 

This crisis of disinformation demands a response from Congress to protect the American people against a threat to democracy and national security. 

But in the last month, Washington politicians looked the other way while Nina Jankowicz, a 33-year-old cybersecurity expert, was forced to halt her effort at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to alert Americans to the lies, propaganda, and conspiracies on social media. 

She was forced to quit by the online bullies she was assigned to control. 

She was subjected to “mischaracterizations across social media and websites [run by far-right operatives] with the aim of discrediting and attacking anyone who seeks to challenge them,” according to The Washington Post. 

Jankowicz’ foes tarred her as potential censor with the power of dystopian novelist George Orwell’s ominous “Big Brother,” a big government enforcer deciding what is true and what is false.  

Pure nonsense. 

No government official was given the power to take down anything. The new agency had no power of enforcement. It was simply an attempt to keep track of all the online trash being found by various law enforcement agencies. 

Yet Republicans in Congress played politics. They blamed the Biden administration for failing to anticipate smears coming from the right. And they faulted DHS for giving the new agency an awkward name: “Disinformation Governance Board.” Not a word about the trolls or the bots. 

In the last decade, leaked documents from big tech companies, congressional testimony and news investigations all prove that the free market has not been able to curb the bullying, smears, phony images, and political manipulation being allowed by social media companies like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat.   

That leaves government as the only viable route to the regulation and oversight necessary to stop these companies from destroying democracy for profit. 

I am sympathetic to the “slippery slope” argument. I detest censorship in any form, either from government or from private companies. 

Twelve years ago, I was fired by NPR for telling my then-colleague Bill O’Reilly on Fox News that in the days after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, I got nervous when I saw people dressed in Muslim garb boarding an airplane. 

By acknowledging my personal fears, I was making the case for honest debate in the face of online bigotry and fearmongering about construction of an Islamic mosque near the site of the 9/11 attacks. 

My point was to prevent Americans from falling into policy mistakes again, like the denial of constitutional rights for Japanese-Americans who were interned during the Second World War. 

But my argument was lost on the politically correct crowd who quickly labeled me an anti-Muslim bigot in need of psychiatric help.  

As I wrote in my book about that episode, “Muzzled — The Assault on Honest Debate,” many people only want to hear news and opinion that confirms their preexisting point of view. 

But there is a difference between disinformation and censorship. 

For the last decade, the internet has created a feast of disinformation, sending people down rabbit holes of anger, hate and mockery where they never hear a different point of view. 

Now Congress says constitutional protection of free speech prevents any step to rein in online hate or, in the case of the Buffalo and Uvalde massacres, bullying trolls who carry out murder. 

In the past, Congress refused to do anything while bots under the control of foreigners interfered in U.S. politics. They are similarly silent about human traffickers using the internet for evil. 

Studies have shown that tech firms employ algorithms to elevate hateful, violent content because it is addictive, money-making clickbait. 

Meanwhile, Congress acts as if Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes never wrote that the Constitution’s protection of free speech is not a license for anyone to yell fire in a crowded theatre. 

Today’s provocateurs yell much worse on the internet. 

Yet the politicians are standing idle. 

They refuse to confront disinformation. They look away from the shower of white supremacist hatred toward Black people, immigrants, Asians and Jews. 

And from Uvalde to Buffalo and beyond, the online attacks continue. Some lead to real blood and death. 

This is no movie — we are living the real “Idiocracy.” 

Juan Williams is an author, and a political analyst for Fox News Channel. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Honor those whose sacrifice makes them worthy

Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor those who have died in service to our country during peacetime and at war. Unfortunately, I remember too many. Every time I hear a bugler play “Taps” or a piper play “Amazing Grace,” memories and tears are autonomic responses.  Memorial Day brings my cumulative experiences of loss to the front of my mind. 

I can’t give speeches. I’d never get through them. For I see faces, not just of the men and women with whom I served but also of the moms, dads, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends whom I have met at scores of memorial services. 

For those who gave the full measure, death most often was random and instantaneous. For some, death was a decision because they suffered from unseen wounds. I mourn every loss and honor these comrades-in-arms for being the kind of people who stepped forward to say, “I’ll serve.” It’s a privilege to live and work among such citizens-turned-soldiers — “soldiers” being shorthand for members of all services. 

Most of them would say that they’re just ordinary people. Maybe so, but once they donned the uniform, they became far from ordinary. Whatever they were before, they became trustworthy members of a team — those who could be counted on regardless of difficulty or danger. By action, not just words, they subordinated themselves to their fellow soldiers and to the common good — people willing to do their part not for reward, but because they believed in service to their country. And they were courageous. They served even while acknowledging their fear, the danger of circumstance, and for some, the potential of their death.

Some of those whom I remember died training under tough and harsh conditions; some by suicide. Most died in combat. I honor them not because of their rank or the position they held, but because, by their service, their sacrifice to our nation makes them worthy of honor. 

These military members were not a homogenous lot. They represented every race, color, religious belief, national origin and ethnicity. Some came from prosperous backgrounds and were well educated; some had neither. Background didn’t matter. What did matter was that — when they were sweaty hot or shivering cold, dirty, wet, hungry and sometimes so tired they were falling asleep while standing up — they still “drove on” to accomplish whatever the common task was, not wanting to let their buddies or their unit down. That’s what I remember. 

And I remember the pride-filled yet anguished families who came to celebrate and mourn their fallen soldiers. Their faces revealed the holes in their hearts; their eyes asked the unanswerable question, “Why?” and their arms just wanted to hug. No lofty words count among these mourners; witness does. Communication takes place through the silence that says, “I understand, and I hurt with you.” Tears say more than tongues and lips ever could. 

Most of all, I remember that every single soldier — even those who had yet to become citizens — was an American in the finest sense of Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American” or Toby Keith’s “American Soldier.”

My Memorial Day is filled with memories of these men and women. It’s a sad day, because they no longer are here to share their quality with the rest of us. Americans may be rugged individualists, but there are many who are willing to put aside self and personal gain for the common good, swallow fear on behalf of others, and risk it all to achieve something greater than themselves. The Minutemen and Continental soldiers were our first examples of such Americans.  But that spirit of service to the nation has continued throughout our history.

Memorial Day is also a day to reflect on what brings us together as a nation — that’s what soldiers’ sacrifices are for. There is no division among soldiers digging a trench or a foxhole together, or standing in a bouncing plane waiting to jump into the night, or sitting in armored vehicles traveling down a contested road or across a field toward an enemy, or providing covering fire for the medic crawling toward a wounded comrade. All are united by the circumstance and task. Self-interest and personal gain, social standing or income, religious or political beliefs — none of these matters when the going gets tough, or when they’re doing what the nation sent them to do. 

Being there for the other, shouldering more than one’s share of the load, relying on others who you know have your back — this is what matters. More of us who remain at home might follow this example.

On Memorial Day, I remember and honor Americans like this. I was lucky to serve with and command such men and women. Living among them and their families gave meaning to my life.

All Americans are lucky to be served by them. They provide the space for us to live our lives, raise our families, make our money, have our political disagreements, and espouse our beliefs.  Some may wonder if what we’re doing behind their protection is worthy of their sacrifices. But in the end, I know it is. Providing that space is why America needs uniformed citizens and it’s why they serve. 

James M. Dubik, Ph.D., a retired lieutenant general of the U.S. Army, is a senior fellow at the Institute for the Study of War. He served in military command and operational roles in Bosnia, Haiti and Iraq, and helped train forces in Afghanistan, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Honduras, and many NATO countries.

Source: TEST FEED1

Colorado's Jared Polis is one Democrat not sweating November

Despite the midterm election season looking increasingly grim for Democrats, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) says his focus on the empowerment of individual voters has him in a good spot in a notoriously “purplish” state.

“Colorado is a very independently minded, freedom-oriented state, and they don’t want Republicans or Democrats telling them what to do,” Polis told The Hill.

“They value accurate information, they value facts, and people should be empowered to make their own decisions, whether that’s marijuana, whether it’s wearing a mask — we’re a state that values freedom.”

While Polis was quick to affirm that he has no magic recipe for races in other purplish or red states, he pointed to a national imperative to save Americans money amid rising costs, and to ensure that they feel free to act on their own volition.

During his three years as governor, Polis has gained popularity not only in Colorado but also on a national scale — particularly for his pandemic-era policies that have favored voluntary incentives rather than government-issued mandates.

Prior to taking office in January 2019 — becoming both the first openly gay man and first Jewish person to lead the Centennial State — the former tech entrepreneur served five terms in Congress, where he was among the top three richest members.

This November, 36 governorships, including Polis’s, are up for grabs, alongside all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats. Colorado’s Republican primary takes place on June 28, with several candidates vying to take on the Democratic incumbent.

Thus far, however, most projections forecast Polis’s reelection. A February Denver Post story described the governor as “more popular in Colorado than his State Capitol colleagues and President Joe Biden,” citing data from the Republican State Leadership Commission.

That data, release by the polling firm Cygnal, showed negative net favorability ratings for Democratic Coloradan state legislators, at a net negative 13.1 percent, for Biden, at negative 14.5 percent, and for elected Democrats in Washington, at negative 19 percent, according to the Post. But Polis landed a net favorability of 6.6 percent.

Asked about the country’s political divisions, Polis said that he still believes that “both parties are broad tents,” although he described “an ascendancy in the Republican Party” of efforts to “manage everybody’s lives.”

“I don’t think it plays well with voters,” he said.

Although Democrats are also facing internal divisions, Polis, who married last year, said he feels the party still supports “personal freedom, whether it’s choice for a woman, whether it’s ability to live your life as you want, as who you are, as who you love.”

“And that’s a core American value,” he added.

Polis expressed confidence in his Democratic colleagues in the midterms, saying there are “terrific candidates across the country working hard,” trying to help people hold onto their income and improve their quality of life.

To ensure that this strategy remains “a winning message,” he suggested that candidates continue to speak on local issues of importance. In Colorado, for example, that could mean prioritizing wildfire preparedness, he added.

“That might not be the same in Maryland or in other states,” Polis said.

“There’s going to be a national backdrop of saving people money and costs, but that by no means diminishes from local issues — where you stand on a particular road project and what you’re going to get done for your community,” the governor continued.

Democrats who “espouse responsibility and empowerment,” could see voters “flocking from the Republican Party,” if the GOP continues “telling them how to live their lives and when and if they can have children,” according to Polis.

Asked his views on the potential repeal of one Trump-era dictate, the Title 42 border management policy, Polis first emphasized that Colorado is “not a border state.” 

Title 42, which enables officials to expel foreign nationals quickly under pandemic rules, was supposed to end last week, but a federal judge appointed by former President Trump temporarily halted the rollback.

While Polis did not comment further on that specific policy, he said that officials in Colorado have been careful “to end any emergency actions related to the pandemic as quickly as possible.”

“We ended the state of emergency quite a while ago,” he said, acknowledging that some non-emergency health care measures are still in place.

“Voters in general and the people of the country don’t want the pandemic used as an excuse for overreaching government control in other areas,” he said.

Nationwide, Polis maintained that “the biggest challenge people face right now is rising costs.” Among the solutions he offered were a gas-tax suspension, a reduction of tariffs and fiscal responsibility.

Looking ahead at Biden’s prospects, Polis said that the current environment includes “a lot of strong economic indicators, economic growth, low unemployment.”

“Sometimes that takes a while to kind of catch up with people’s lives, and hopefully that’s occurring sooner rather than later,” he said.

One Biden administration triumph was November’s bipartisan infrastructure bill, which Polis said could address “a real need in a very forward-looking way.”

“It’s something that’s eluded the last three congresses and presidents, and finally, this Congress and President Biden got it done,” he said.

The governor said he believes that roads and bridges are something people do care about — particularly during an era in which reducing costs has become so important.

“It’s a strong thing to run on, for Democrats and for Republicans who supported it, wherever they are,” Polis said.

While the infrastructure bill was able to pass, Biden’s additional reconciliation package stalled out in the Senate following Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) opposition.

While the governor said he cares strongly about parts of the package, including funding for preschool, he has embraced the approach of “get done what you can get done.”

On the state level, Polis said some things he’s gotten done have included implementing the “biggest property tax cut in over 40 years” and distributing $500 refund checks to every Coloradan. 

He also cited efforts to reduce costs in the ObamaCare-related health insurance exchange by more than 20 percent, as well as decrease costs for state park passes from $84 to $29.

“Colorado is a great place to live. People love the quality of life. There’s near full employment, people have jobs, but money doesn’t go as far as it used to,” he said.

“We want to help people hold on to more of their hard-earned money,” the governor added.

Countering media speculation about his political future, Polis said he has no intentions of running for president and doubts that he would “ever think about” doing so.

“I love Colorado, and frankly, being governor of Colorado, I feel, is the best job in the world,” Polis said. “I’d be deeply honored to do it for another four years.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Holiday weekend flight cancellations stretch into Memorial Day

Thousands of flights have been cancelled or delayed this holiday weekend, with multiple flights disrupted on Memorial Day.

As of 9 a.m. on Monday, 553 flights had been delayed within, into or out of the United States. Another 286 flights had been canceled in the U.S., with the numbers still rising, according to FlightAware.

Delta Air Lines and American Airlines had canceled 106 and 88 flights, respectively, as of Monday morning.

The social media channels of Delta, American and United Airlines were inundated with passengers reaching out over flight changes, cancelations and their changing travel plans within the U.S. and abroad.

“For Memorial Day weekend, we are enacting cancelations at least 24 hours in advance of departure time wherever possible,” a Delta spokesperson told The Hill. “Delta notifies customers through Fly Delta App notifications, email and text message, and automatically rebooks them on the next best available option to their final destination.”

An American Airlines spokesperson, meanwhile, told The Hill: “Those delays and cancellations were the result of severe weather in Miami. The cancellations accounted for less than 2% of our operation yesterday.”

The Hill has also reached out to United for comment.

Sunday saw 5,077 delayed flights and 546 cancellations in the country, with major U.S.-based airlines accounting for the majority of the delays.

Around 23 percent of Delta’s flights were either cancelled or delayed Sunday, compared to 31 percent of United’s flights and 20 percent of American’s flights.

Delta, however, had the most cancellations of U.S.-based airlines with 164 flights scrapped from its schedule. In comparison, American Airlines had 74 and United 33.

Atlanta-headquartered Delta had announced ahead of Memorial Day that it would be reducing its service by approximately 100 daily departures from July 1 to Aug. 7, mainly in the U.S. and Latin America. Chief Customer Experience Officer Allison Ausband had cited various factors impacting its operation, including “weather and air traffic control, vendor staffing, and increased COVID case rates” for the change.

The cancelations and delays come ahead of what analysts are predicting will be a busy summer for the travel industry as flight prices have risen exponentially as demand outpaces supply.

Prices of both diesel and jet fuel, have continued to rise since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine impacted oil markets and global gas prices.

–Updated at 10:04 a.m.

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden pays Memorial Day visit to son’s grave on anniversary of his death

President Biden on Memorial Day visited the grave of his son Beau, a former major in the Delaware Army National Guard, who died seven years ago Monday.  

Biden and first lady Jill Biden attended a half-hour morning mass at St. Joseph on the Brandywine in Wilmington, Delaware. The first lady carried a bouquet of pink flowers as she entered the church.  

After the service, the Bidens walked slowly to Beau Biden’s grave in the church cemetery. He died on May 30, 2015.  

President Biden’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens, and his grandchildren joined him at the gravesite.  

The presidential motorcade returned to the president’s residence before 8 a.m.  

The graveside visit came a day after the Bidens visited Uvalde, Texas, to pay their respects at a memorial site at Robb Elementary School and meet with the families of 21 victims who were killed by an 18-year-old gunman last week.  

President Biden also spoke of the pain of losing a child the night of the Texas shooting.  

“To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away. There’s a hollowness in your chest, and you feel like you’re being sucked into it and never going to be able to get out. It’s suffocating. And it’s never quite the same,” he said.  

He also lost his one-year-old daughter in a car crash in 1972.  

Source: TEST FEED1

WHO labels monkeypox a 'moderate' public health risk

The World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled monkeypox a “moderate” public health risk, after more than 250 confirmed cases were reported across the globe.

In a statement on Sunday, the health agency said monkeypox is a “moderate” public health risk because it has been reported in varying geographical locations for the first time. The illness had typically been found in central and western African regions.

“Currently, the overall public health risk at global level is assessed as moderate considering this is the first time that monkeypox cases and clusters are reported concurrently in widely disparate WHO geographical areas, and without known epidemiological links to non-endemic countries in West or Central Africa,” the health agency wrote.

A total of 257 laboratory confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported throughout the world since May 26, according to the WHO. Roughly 120 suspected cases were reported to the health agency. There have been zero reported deaths.

Ten cases have been confirmed in the U.S., with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky saying last week that some of the infections were connected to individuals who traveled to areas that are experiencing monkeypox outbreaks.

The WHO on Sunday said it expects more cases of the disease to pop up “as surveillance expands in non-endemic countries, as well as in countries known to be endemic who have not recently been reporting cases.”

“The sudden appearance and wide geographic scope of many sporadic cases indicates that widespread human-to-human transmission is already underway, and the virus may have been circulating unrecognized for several weeks or longer,” the health agency added.

Monkeypox is spread through prolonged skin-to-skin contact. Symptoms include lesions, which spread the disease, fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue.

The WHO on Sunday said cases of monkeypox have primarily been reported among men who have sex with men.

While the top monkeypox expert at the WHO, Dr. Rosamund Lewis, has said she does not think the disease will turn into a pandemic, she recognized that much remains unknown about the illness, including how it is spreading across the globe and if stopping smallpox vaccinations several years ago is driving the transmission of monkeypox.

Source: TEST FEED1

Climate activists frustrated as another deadline passes without spending deal

Climate advocates are frustrated that Democrats will miss yet another major deadline to pass a spending bill advancing environmental priorities. 

The apparent lack of progress ahead of Memorial Day further raises tensions between the left flank of the party’s base and its leadership as the window for a deal is closing. 

“Every day that passes without a deal, is a day that young people grow more and more disillusioned with the party and its ability to do anything about the crises that confront us and the crises that they promised to get solved,” said John Paul Mejia, a spokesperson for the Sunrise Movement. 

For months, Democrats have been trying to get a spending bill that includes several of their desired policies across the finish line. 

The House has passed an iteration of what’s known as a budget reconciliation bill, which only requires 50 votes to advance in the Senate instead of the upper chamber’s usual 60. But the legislation was effectively killed when key swing vote Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced in December that he opposed it.

In the months since, lawmakers have sought to renegotiate with Manchin to revive the package, with some indicating that they hoped to secure a deal by this weekend. 

While Manchin appears to be in talks with Democratic leadership — a person familiar said that he met Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Wednesday to discuss reconciliation — it’s unclear whether those discussions will ultimately amount to anything. 

Experts previously told The Hill that passing the bill would be paramount to achieving President Biden’s climate goals, saying the necessary emissions reductions would be difficult to achieve otherwise. 

For his part, Manchin reiterated openness to a deal this week, telling Axios he’s serious about talks with Schumer on a climate, energy and deficit reduction package.

The news outlet reported that some Democrats now believe that $300 billion in energy tax credits are possible. Manchin has previously praised some of the clean energy tax credits that his colleagues have pushed. 

But, with another key date gone, skepticism is growing among climate advocates. 

Brett Hartl, chief political strategist at the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, compared Manchin’s actions to “Charlie Brown and Lucy pulling the football away over and over again.”

“It just seems less and less likely that a big package is going to come together,” Hartl said. 

And Democrats will soon be running short on time, as lawmakers are expected to leave town again in August for recess and will have to focus on campaigning for the November election.

Meanwhile, other issues that are important to Democrats, such as gun violence and abortion, may take up political capital and space on the calendar.

While activists also want to see action on these issues, they’re pushing Congress to achieve a climate deal. 

“The Democratic Party’s failure to pass reconciliation is abysmal,” Mejia said. 

“We are on tight timelines as a country and a generation,” he added. “We are facing very dangerous prospects for the future if we fail to act now.”

Yet some remain optimistic that they will find a compromise.

“There is a recipe for stew that is acceptable to 50 Democratic senators,” said Sam Ricketts, co-director of climate group Evergreen Action. “It’ll have to congeal quickly, but there is some more time.”

But Ricketts acknowledged that the window for action is limited, saying, “It’s pretty clear that we’re going to need to see movement in June if something’s going to materialize.”

And some activists say that it’s not only important for the planet that something gets done — it could also help turn out the Democrats’ base in November. 

“It is discouraging for young people and for the base because they just look at the world and they see the utter dysfunction of the Senate and the inability of the Democrats to play hardball and the inability of Joe Biden to do bold executive action,” Hartl said. 

“Yes, the alternative is far, far worse, but how many times do we have to have that calculus?” he added. “That’s not what excites people to vote.”

Source: TEST FEED1