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Let’s save forests to fight climate change
Last week, lawmakers placed a much-needed eye toward an often-overlooked climate solution: forest conservation. The House Foreign Affairs Committeeheld a bipartisan hearing on the topic, where Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) noted, “our global effort to combat the climate crisis depends on” protecting forest ecosystems.
Hoyer is right. The destruction of forests (and other ecosystems) — together with unsustainable land use — constitutes the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions after the burning of fossil fuels. And for many developing countries, land use and deforestation stand alone as the single biggest source of emissions.
Of course, forests also figure into the solutions side of the climate crisis. The Amazon rain forest, for example, contains an estimated 123 billion tons of carbon. For context, the world produced an estimated 36.3 billion tons of CO2 emissions from power generation in 2021. Keeping that carbon in the ground and retaining the rain forest’s ability to absorb new emissions are hugely important. And we also know that keeping forests healthy and standing is more efficient and cost-effective than planting new forests.
When we lose forests, we let loose eons of carbon stored in trees, roots and soil. We also lose ecosystems that are home to most of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. We lose our first line of defense against the spread of infectious diseases from wildlife to humans. And we lose the capacity of those forests to absorb new emissions from other sectors — a double whammy of climate impacts.
That’s why conserving forests should be at the center of any successful climate and nature conservation strategy.
Thankfully, forest conservation has a long bipartisan history in Congress — including the Lacey Act Amendments of 2008 to halt the illegal logging trade and the innovative approach of the Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Act. There are several steps that Congress could take right away to continue that legacy and protect forests here in the U.S. and abroad.
First, let’s dig into the challenges facing the world’s forests.
Why do we keep losing forests? It’s probably not for the reasons you think. While many trees are indeed cut down to produce paper products or timber, the biggest global driver behind deforestation and forest degradation is agriculture — particularly for products like beef, soy and palm oil. Here’s how it works: Ranchers or farmers will clear an area of forest to make room for cattle or plant crops, calculating that these products will be more valuable on the global market and for domestic consumption than an intact forest.
Beyond agriculture, infrastructure development is also increasingly contributing to forest loss in many countries. And illegal logging and associated trade — ranked the third-largest global transnational crime after counterfeiting and drug trafficking — not only destroy forests but also strip the economic livelihoods of local communities and responsible companies.
Whatever the cause, we know that forest loss happens every day, on a massive scale, all over the globe. Indeed, in 2021 we lost more than 42,800 square miles of tree cover globally, an area about the size of Virginia.
So, how can Congress help save the world’s forests? Two recently introduced bills provide an important starting point. Hoyer’s America Mitigating and Achieving Zero-emissions Originating from Nature for the 21st Century (AMAZON21) Act would provide the funding needed to make good on President Biden’s pledge at last year’s COP26 climate conference to halt forest loss and land degradation by 2030. Specifically, it would establish a trust fund to finance projects in strategic U.S. partner countries that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including forest conservation and reforestation efforts.
The bipartisan Fostering Overseas Rule of Law and Environmentally Sound Trade (FOREST) Act, introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) along with Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), would establish a new mechanism to eliminate illegal deforestation from key agricultural products imported into the U.S. In doing so, it would level the playing field for law-abiding producers and help cut off unintentional U.S. economic incentives for products related to harmful forest practices.
The time is now for Congress to act. The effects of climate change are all around us and growing more severe with every day of inaction. And there is no pathway to averting catastrophic climate change that doesn’t require halting deforestation. Congress should build on last week’s Foreign Affairs Committee hearing and pass the AMAZON21 Act and the FOREST Act this year. Doing so would mark an important investment in U.S. interests and the well-being of both people and nature — today and for decades to come.
Kerry Cesareo is senior vice president for forests at World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
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Scientists develop 'smart' pacifier to treat infants in hospitals
Story at a glance
- Researchers at Washington State University have developed a “smart” pacifier that can detect certain minerals in a saliva.
- The new device could potentially help caregivers check if premature infants are dehydrated.
- The device works wirelessly and delivers data via Bluetooth.
Scientists have created the prototype for a “smart” pacifier to help monitor infants in hospitals.
The device tests for electrolyte, potassium and sodium levels in a baby’s saliva, potentially providing health care workers with a less invasive way to test if an infant is dehydrated.
Researchers took a common pacifier and cut out channels where the babies’ saliva could reach small sensors. Once on the sensor, the data is then wirelessly delivered via Bluetooth to the caregiver.
“We know that premature babies have a better chance of survival if they get a high quality of care in the first month of birth,” said Jong-Hoon Kim, associate professor at the Washington State University School of Engineering and Computer Science and a co-corresponding author on the study. “Normally, in a hospital environment, they draw blood from the baby twice a day, so they just get two data points. This device is a non-invasive way to provide real-time monitoring of the electrolyte concentration of babies.”
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Researchers from Washington State University tested the “smart” pacifier on babies at a hospital and found that the results were comparable to data found from blood draws, according to their findings published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
“You often see NICU pictures where babies are hooked up to a bunch of wires to check their health conditions such as their heart rate, the respiratory rate, body temperature, and blood pressure,” said Kim. “We want to get rid of those wires.”
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Democrats think in the moment. Republicans think in decades
In 2006, Howard Dean, chair of the Democratic National Committee, and Rahm Emanuel, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, had an expletive-laden shouting match on the steps of the Democratic National Committee.
Emanuel was pleading for more money from Dean to pour into competitive congressional races. That year, Democrats had a unique opportunity to seize control of the House for the first time since 1994. President George W. Bush was unpopular, and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were descending into their respective quagmires.
But Dean had a different idea. Elected on a promise of revitalizing and rebuilding the 50 state Democratic parties, Dean invested funds into state legislative and local races in hard-to-reach red states to the delight of those state party chairs.
On Election Day, Emanuel got his wish of a Democratic-controlled House led by its first woman speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). As for Dean, Barack Obama exercised his presidential prerogative and ousted him from his party chairmanship in 2009.
That long-ago shouting match, together with the release of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito overturning Roe v. Wade, highlights an important difference between how Democrats and Republicans think. The Alito draft, if it stands, represents the culmination of a decades-long charge by Republicans to overturn Roe.
Beginning in 1980, the Republican Party adopted a pro-life plank in its platform. This was the beginning of a decades-long quest. In 1982, the Federalist Society was established. Its purpose was to return to an “originalist” interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, a view that had no room for rights, including abortion, not specifically enumerated in the document. Replacing the American Bar Association’s gold standard endorsement by which prospective judges once were measured, the Federalist Society became an essential seal of approval that Republican presidents needed when it came to nominating federal judges. Lists of prospective candidates were drawn up by the society, and the organization achieved its goal by not only supporting the current Supreme Court justices nominated by Republican presidents but adding hundreds of its approved judges to the federal courts.
During his term as president, President Trump slavishly adhered to the lists submitted by the Federalist Society’s president, Leonard Leo. Leo told others it was easy to come up with names for Trump because there were decades of conservative lawyers in the pipeline. Of the six names that Leo submitted to Trump, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett made the cut. Taking pride in his ability to confirm these judges, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says, “If you prefer America right of center, which I do, and you’re looking around at what you can do to have the longest possible impact on the kind of America you want, it seems to me you look at the courts.” While McConnell boasts about his judicial confirmation record, he would be the first to acknowledge that he had plenty of help.
Democrats think very differently. Instead of planning for the long term, Democrats think in the moment. Once the Alito decision was leaked, the outrage was palpable. Outside the Supreme Court, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) shouted, “I am angry because we have reached the culmination of what Republicans have been fighting for, angling for, for decades now!” Her colleague Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said she was “pissed.”
Demonstrations erupted outside the homes of Supreme Court justices, and spontaneous marches were held in cities around the nation. Standing in front of a Planned Parenthood office, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) captured the anger of his fellow Democrats: “Where’s the Democratic Party? Why aren’t we standing up more firmly, more resolutely? Why aren’t we calling this out? This is a coordinated, concerted effort. And yes, they’re winning. They are. They have been. Let’s acknowledge that. We need to stand up. Where’s the counteroffensive?”
That counteroffensive is lacking because Democrats, unlike Republicans, have not built the organizations needed for long-term victories. The Federalist Society is only one example of how Republicans have constructed apparatuses designed to reshape American life in the long term, even if the immediate results were not apparent. Besides the Federalist Society, in 1992 the Susan B. Anthony List was formed. Following the victories of several female Democratic senators and Bill Clinton that year, this organization was established with the purpose of electing more pro-life Republican women into office.
Another example of long-term Republican thinking is the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Formed in 1973, ALEC describes itself as “dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets, and federalism.” ALEC writes proposed bills and encourages conservative state legislators to copy their formulaic texts and push for their enactment. Should the issue of abortion be referred to the state legislatures for adjudication, expect ALEC to write bills strictly limiting abortion with the goal of having it adopted in as many states as possible.
Until Democrats start thinking long-term, they will be reduced to being a party prone to primal screams and symbolic votes, while Republicans accomplish goals they have spent decades working assiduously to achieve.
John Kenneth White is a professor of politics at the Catholic University of America. His latest book is titled “What Happened to the Republican Party?”
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Trucker convoy planning return to DC protest staging area
The People’s Convoy announced that the trucker protest group will return on Tuesday to Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland, which was used as a staging area for demonstrations earlier this year in Washington, D.C.
During a Sunday rally in Ohio, which was live-streamed on YouTube page “1st Responders Media“, the group announced that it would return to Hagerstown to protest. The People’s Convoy confirmed on its Facebook page and website that trucks would arrive at the speedway on Tuesday evening.
“May 17th. WE ARRIVE AT HAGERSTOWN SPEEDWAY!!!” the Facebook post reads. “We greatly appreciate them having The People’s Convoy back!!”
According to WUSA9, the director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency said that authorities are “aware of reports that this demonstration activity may return to our city.”
“While we do not discuss operational tactics, [Metropolitan Police Department] will take appropriate enforcement action against those who engage in unlawful behavior in the District of Columbia,” Chris Rodriguez added in a statement.
A representative of the speedway told the Washingtonian that it expects about “15 to 20” trucks for a “week or two.”
The group left the Washington area in late March after protesting COVID-19 restrictions by looping around highways.
“We’re not done here,” co-organizer Mike Landis told truckers at the time, The Washington Post reported.
Several senators met with the convoy, including Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who was seen riding shotgun with truckers while at the speedway.
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Feehery: The new big tent party
When I came to Washington a thousand years ago, all the leading lights of the Republican Party talked about the necessity of being a “big tent party”. The theory back then was that the GOP could successfully integrate the pro-life and pro-choice wings, while still attracting Hispanic voters who hated communists, despite being largely anti-immigration.
But these days, Republicans, overwhelmingly anti-abortion and pro-border control, are attracting more African American and Hispanic voters than they have in generations, so it might be time to revisit what it means to be a big tent. Here are seven principles for the new big tent party:
1) Respect for the Constitution: Without our founding documents, we are lost as a nation. The Democrats have grown especially tired of the First, Second and 10th Amendments and seem intent on rewriting the Constitution in the name of diversity, equity and inclusion, the new dogma of the left. Republicans need to not only embrace the Constitution but truly understand what it means and why it must be protected.
2) Respect for a culture of life: Now that Roe v. Wade looks to be on the chopping block, Republicans need to embrace what it truly means to be pro-life. This means making sure that children are adequately cared for after they are born.
3) Respect for law and order: Defunding the police was terrible for local communities and helped to cause a spike in crime, but it has been good for Republicans. A bedrock principle for the big tent GOP must be an appreciation for those who serve and protect. Law enforcement is not infallible, though, so while we should embrace the men in blue, we should also be cognizant that bad actors happen in every profession and those who break the law must be held accountable, no matter who they are.
4) Respect for the primacy of the family: The Democratic Party may not be overtly trying to destroy the family unit, but at every instance, they favor the state over parents. Their policies favor teacher unions over school choice. They seek to indoctrinate rather than educate. Their agenda isn’t about giving families more power to take care of themselves, but instead to give the state more power in the name of taking care of families.
5) Respect for individual agency and local communities: Democrats are the party of victimization. Their coalition is a giant amalgam of groups who have been done wrong by American history. But stoking resentment and playing the race card doesn’t make this country a stronger or better place to live. Our citizens need to understand that they can succeed by working hard and by being personally responsible for their actions. The 10th Amendment also promotes the idea that most major decisions should be made by local communities, not by the federal government
6) Respect for both free enterprise and fair play: The Republican Party should not continue to pray at the altar of the free market. Markets are not infallible. Monopolies arise that seek to destroy their competitors. Doing business with dangerous dictators may be necessary but we don’t need to be naive about the downsides that come from consorting with the communists. At all times, we need to think through the lens of protecting the livelihoods of our own citizens first. Fair play, of course, is in the eye of the beholder, and there is always a tension when it comes to the proper role of government intervention in the marketplace. We can respect the tension but never forget who matters most: The American people.
7) Respect for national borders and for the role of legal immigration: It is not a contradiction to be both for gaining control of our southern border and for the immigrants who continue to build this country every day. The idea that legal immigrants somehow undermine the essential nature of this country is ridiculous. Immigrants are the essential nature of this county. What undermines this nation is a breakdown of the legal immigration process and the flood of illegal and dangerous drugs that are killing our young people that comes from an open border.
Feehery is a partner at EFB Advocacy and blogs at www.thefeeherytheory.com. He served as spokesman to former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), as communications director to former House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas), and as a speechwriter to former House Minority Leader Bob Michel (R-Ill.).
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Zelensky, German chancellor discuss war, sanctions
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he spoke to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about the ongoing war with Russia and further actions that can be taken against Moscow.
“Held productive talks with @Bundeskanzler. Discussed the situation on the frontline, further pressure on Russia, sanctions increase, the prospects of peace,” Zelensky tweeted.
He thanked Olaf for his support of Ukraine and said Germany would be supporting Kyiv’s efforts to join the European Union.
At the beginning of the Russian invasion, Germany halted the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Germany has since continued its support of Ukraine, implementing sanctions in line with other European countries.
The discussion between Zelensky and Scholz came as many of the last fighters in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol surrendered, The Associated Press reported.
Fighters were holding out in a steel factory as Russian forces overtook the city, but the Ukrainian troops left the factory to receive medical assistance as the number of wounded increased.
While Russia said it was a mass surrender, as the Ukrainian forces are getting treatment in areas controlled by Moscow, Kyiv described it as the soldiers completing their mission and staying alive.
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The Hill's Morning Report — Primary night: All eyes on Pennsylvania
It’s primary night in America, and all eyes are on a spate of GOP contests that could determine the future of the Senate in November and former President Trump’s impact on the Republican Party for the foreseeable future.
Chief among the states to watch is Pennsylvania, which features the event of the evening: a rough-and-tumble Senate GOP primary among Mehmet Oz, Kathy Barnette and David McCormick, all of whom have a shot at victory. According to strategists and the latest polling, Oz is considered the slight favorite, but Barnette’s late charge has changed the calculus and thrown a fresh sense of uncertainty into what will be the final result.
“Oz with a slim lead, but he’s by no means out of the woods,” one Keystone State-based GOP operative told the Morning Report on Monday, adding that the worst-case scenario involves Barnette and state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R), the Trump-endorsed candidate for governor, emerging victorious and handing Democrats a lifeline in November. “With Barnette and Mastriano at the top of the ticket, every seat in Pennsylvania is more up for grabs.”
In the last two weeks, the lion’s share of scrutiny has fallen on Barnette as she has surged amid the two-way ad war between Oz and McCormick. NBC News on Monday unearthed photos that showed Barnette marching with members of the Proud Boys on Jan. 6. A number of those individuals were later arrested for breaking into the Capitol and attacking police officers.
“She may have peaked a little too early,” one GOP operative told the Morning Report. “She had floated under the radar for so long that no one attacked her. Now that some of her negatives are coming out, some are less inclined to support [her].”
In his final pitch to voters, Trump on Monday recorded a robocall intended to boost Oz and criticize Barnette and McCormick, saying that the latter two “are not candidates who put America first” (The Washington Post).
Across the aisle, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is expected to win handily in the state’s Senate Democratic primary over Rep. Conor Lamb (Pa.). Fetterman announced on Sunday that he suffered a minor stroke on Friday and has been off the campaign trail.
■ Niall Stanage, The Memo: Democrats cross their fingers in Pennsylvania.
■ The Hill: Fetterman stroke throws curve into Pennsylvania primary.
■ Politico: Trump works overtime to push Oz over the finish line.
■ The Hill: Five things to watch in North Carolina, Pennsylvania primaries.
Voters will also take to the polls in North Carolina and determine the future of Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R) after a never-ending string of unflattering stories and questionable remarks turned his race into a competitive one (NBC News).
Cawthorn is facing an eight-way primary tonight, including a challenge from state Sen. Chuck Edwards, who has earned the support of Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and other influential figures in the Tar Heel State. However, if Cawthorn holds on, it might be because of Trump’s help, as the former president on Monday reiterated his endorsement for the 26-year-old lawmaker, saying that the incumbent has made “foolish mistakes, which I don’t believe he’ll make again” (The Wall Street Journal).
“Let’s give Madison a second chance!” he added.
© Associated Press / Chris Seward | GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn in Selma, N.C., April 9.
■ The New York Times: Rep. Ted Budd (R) thrives in North Carolina Senate primary as two key backers squabble.
■ Hanna Trudo, The Hill: Democrats brace for uncertain House primary in Oregon.
■ Idaho Statesman: Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) says record speaks for itself. His challenger calls him a “fossil.”
■ The New York Times: There is a fracture in Idaho’s GOP as the far right seeks control in the state’s governor’s race.
Outside of today’s primary contests, there was some major political news emanating from the Supreme Court on Monday as justices sided with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and struck down a portion of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law that caps loan repayments to candidates at $250,000. In 2018, Cruz loaned his campaign $260,000 and was suing to be able to recoup the additional $10,000.
Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said that the provision “burdens core political speech without proper justification.” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in dissent that the decision “greenlights all the sordid bargains Congress thought right to stop” with the 2002 law, adding that it “can only bring this country’s political system into further disrepute.” The Biden administration had defended it on an anti-corruption basis (The Associated Press).
Related Articles
■ The Hill: Proposed New York maps create House battleground.
■ NBC New York: Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) to face off in blockbuster Manhattan primary.
■ The Hill: President Biden’s job approval hits another low in new survey.
Virtual Event Invite
The Hill’s Mental Health Summit, Today, 1 p.m. ET
The pandemic and its toll on the mental health of Americans is often described as a “dual crisis.” What is being done to address the mental health crisis in our country? During Mental Health Awareness Month, The Hill hosts a discussion on policy recommendations that promote prevention and care for Americans experiencing mental illness. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), National Institute of Mental Health Director Dr. Joshua Gordon, Headspace CEO Russ Glass and more. RSVP today.
LEADING THE DAY
➤ PRESIDENT, CONGRESS, MASS SHOOTINGS
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will fly to Buffalo, N.Y., today to console grieving families and offer reassurances to a predominantly Black community that the government is intent on preventing, if possible, and investigating and punishing any accused mass shooters, such as the white teenager who traveled to an east Buffalo supermarket on Saturday and killed 10 people and injured three others with an assault rifle while live streaming the murders.
The president’s message is that racism, hate crimes and domestic terrorism will be prosecuted to the full extent of federal and state laws and that Americans everywhere must counter the radicalization of individuals who act out their hatreds and fears of Blacks, Latinos and Jews, among other victims. Biden often warns that white supremacy and America’s democracy cannot coexist. It’s why he sought the presidency for a third time in 2020, he says (The Associated Press).
■ The Hill: Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) will accompany Biden and others to Buffalo today.
■ The Associated Press: The accused Buffalo gunman scoped out Saturday’s supermarket target and plotted an attack for months.
© Associated Press / Matt Rourke | Buffalo, N.Y., supermarket following Saturday’s shooting.
In California, authorities on Monday said a Las Vegas gunman who shot and killed an Orange County physician and injured five other people at a Taiwanese Presbyterian Church was a Chinese immigrant and U.S. citizen who was motivated by hatred of Taiwanese (The Associated Press). The 68-year-old suspect drove from Nevada to the Southern California church, where he was not a regular attendee, secured the doors with chains, fast-drying glue and nails, and started shooting. The gunman also placed four Molotov cocktail-like devices inside the church.
In Congress on Monday, lawmakers accused some GOP colleagues of fomenting violence by condoning or espousing divisive white nationalist views. Republicans, in turn, accused their critics, including Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), of playing politics (The Hill).
The 18-year-old shooter in Buffalo, who surrendered to police and has pleaded not guilty, posted a lengthy manifesto describing his plans for a mass attack and his fears that whites in America are being “replaced” by Blacks and Jews, according to authorities (The Hill).
Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) urged House leadership on Monday to schedule a vote on the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, which calls for the creation of new domestic terrorism offices in the departments of Homeland Security and Justice and at the FBI. The House Rules Committee made it possible for the bill to come to a vote today (The Hill).
“The government and law enforcement have failed to catch these signs, just as Congress has failed to appropriately combat domestic terrorism,” Schneider said. “As a result, 10 people, most of them Black, are dead at a Buffalo supermarket. … We cannot continue making excuses.”
➤ UKRAINE CRISIS
Will the Senate, after a delay last week, follow the House and approve $40 billion in additional U.S. assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday? Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), just back from a visit to Kyiv with Senate colleagues, predicts the answer will be yes, reports The Hill’s Alexander Bolton. McConnell has assumed a prominent role in maintaining Republican support for Ukraine’s fight for independence, arguing publicly that the U.S. must do its utmost to help Ukraine win against Russia.
The Hill: Here are 11 Republicans who vote against a motion to advance the Ukraine aid bill.
© Associated Press / Martin Meissner | Swedish flag and Russian double-headed eagle, Helsinki, May 13.
Sweden, long a neutral country, today signed its application for NATO membership (The Washington Post), following in the footsteps of Finland to seek security from Russia, the aggressor on Finland’s border. Both nations have run into a problem that surprised Western allies: vehement opposition from NATO member Turkey (The Associated Press and Reuters). All 30 current NATO countries must agree to open the door to new members.
The Associated Press explainer: Next steps for Finland and Sweden and NATO membership.
In Ukraine’s southern port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian troops holed up in the last stronghold began evacuating a steel plant on Monday, ceding control of the once-prosperous city to Russia after months of bombardment. Ukraine is avoiding the word “surrender” (Reuters and The New York Times).
The Associated Press reports today that efforts are still underway to try to rescue the last of Mariupol’s defenders inside the plant who remained behind after Ukraine conceded there was no military way to retake the plant from Russian troops. Ukraine’s deputy defense minister said more than 260 fighters, including some badly wounded, were evacuated from the plant Monday and taken to areas under Russia’s control.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the withdrawal of forces to separatist-controlled territory was intended to save their lives. He said the “heavily wounded” were getting medical help near Mariupol. “Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes to be alive. It’s our principle,” he said. “The work continues to bring the guys home and it requires delicacy and time.”
■ Reuters: Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met today to discuss the war and the possibility of increasing sanctions pressure on Russia.
■ The Associated Press: McDonald’s said on Monday it will sell its 850 restaurants in Russia and exit the country. The company seeks a buyer who will employ its 62,000 workers there and will continue to pay those workers until a deal closes.
■ The Washington Post: Russian oligarchs loved luxe Sardinia, Italy. Now they’re frozen out of paradise.
IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES
➤ ADMINISTRATION
🍼 The Food and Drug Administration and infant formula maker Abbott reached an unspecified agreement on Monday to soon restart production at Abbott’s largest domestic factory, which is in Michigan, a key step toward easing a nationwide shortage tied to the plant’s shutdown earlier this year for safety problems after two babies died. Abbott has said it will take at least eight weeks to begin shipping new product to stores (The Associated Press).
Abbott is one of just four companies that produce roughly 90 percent of U.S. baby formula. The FDA also is working to ease import rules to bring in supplies from overseas if instructions are in languages U.S. consumers can safely follow. Separately, House members have been advised to anticipate taking up two measures this week that deal with the infant formula shortage.
The government on Monday said the FDA’s “best current assessment is that with all of the current actions … and the potential for Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, Michigan, facility to safely resume production in the near-term, the supply of infant formula will continue to improve over the next couple of months.”
The White House last weekend offered formula manufacturers and retailers transportation and logistics support with encouragement to all major formula producers to boost production.
At commissaries on U.S. military bases, stock levels of baby formula are at 50 percent domestically and 70 percent at bases overseas, the Pentagon said on Monday. “We are not immune to the same supply chain problems that other families across America are experiencing,” spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
👉Consumers trying to locate infant formula can refer to information compiled by the Department of Health and Human Services HERE or tips from The New York Times published on Monday HERE.
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OPINION
■ Gun rights advocates do themselves no favors by not addressing gun violence, by Henry Olsen, columnist, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/3FOKIYk
■ After three stormy decades, some reasons to still find optimism, by Gerald F. Seib, executive Washington editor, The Wall Street Journal (final column). https://on.wsj.com/3Nzde39
WHERE AND WHEN
The House meets at 10 a.m. It will host a joint session of Congress at 11 a.m. to hear an address by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The prime minister will also meet today with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). A House Intelligence subcommittee will question Pentagon witnesses at 9 a.m. about years of evidence of unidentified aerial sightings.
The Senate convenes at 2:30 p.m. and will resume consideration of the Ukraine Supplemental Aid Package.
The president and the first lady will depart at 8:10 a.m. to Buffalo to meet with community members impacted by the mass shooting deaths on Saturday of 10 people and injuries to three others. They will pay their respects and meet with families, law enforcement and community members at 11 a.m. Biden will make remarks at 1 p.m. at Delavan Grider Community Center. They will return to the White House and, alongside Vice President Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, host a Rose Garden reception at 4 p.m. to mark Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The vice president will attend Mitsotakis’s address to a joint session of Congress.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias at 1:30 p.m. at the State Department. He meets with Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak at 3:15 p.m.
Economic indicators: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell at 2 p.m. will discuss the economy in New York at the Wall Street Journal Future of Everything Festival. … The Census Bureau at 8:30 a.m. reports on U.S. retail sales and food services in April. Economists expect to see retail sales growth in today’s report (The Wall Street Journal).
🖥 Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://thehill.com/hilltv, on YouTube and on Facebook at 10:30 a.m. ET. Also, check out the “Rising” podcast here.
ELSEWHERE
➤ CORONAVIRUS
Testing: The White House today announced another distribution round of free, at-home rapid COVID-19 tests available to U.S. households through COVIDTests.gov. The third distribution makes available an additional eight test kits, bringing the total available free since the start of the government’s program to 16. Information about ordering by phone in multiple languages is HERE (NPR).
The White House, in its statement today, criticized the legislative branch: “Due to Congress’s failure to provide additional funding for the nation’s COVID-19 response, the Administration cannot continue making the types of federal investments needed to sustain domestic testing manufacturing capacity, and this may jeopardize the federal government’s ability to provide free tests moving forward.”
Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported as of this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (trackers all vary slightly): 999,824. Current average U.S. COVID-19 daily deaths are 263, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
➤ ECONOMY
During his first term at the Fed, Powell faced a president who sought to remove him, a COVID-19-induced economic downturn and the subsequent inflation the country has experienced in the past year. As The Hill’s Sylvan Lane writes, the issues are unlikely to get easier for Powell, who was reconfirmed to the post last week. Top on the list for the immediate future: leading a successful effort to raise interest rates high enough to curb inflation without derailing an otherwise strong economy.
Outside observers are skeptical this can be done. Former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke, who led the bank during the Great Recession, suggested that the nation might be in for a period of “stagflation” not unlike the U.S. experienced in the 1970s.
“Even under the benign scenario, we should have a slowing economy,” Bernanke told The New York Times. “And inflation’s still too high but coming down. So there should be a period in the next year or two where growth is low, unemployment is at least up a little bit and inflation is still high. … So you could call that stagflation.”
As The Hill’s Karl Evers-Hillstrom writes, the continued climb of costs is also expected to create more problems for U.S. families this summer who want to travel. However, rising costs could make vacation plans prohibitively expensive, as airfares experienced the largest-ever annual increase in April and rental car, hotel and vacation rental prices continue to rise.
■ The Hill: Here’s why gasoline prices are spiking again.
■ The Hill: Facing geopolitical pressure, chipmakers look to expand U.S. production.
➤ TECH
Elon Musk this morning said that his deal to acquire Twitter for $44 billion “cannot move forward” unless the company paints a clearer picture about how many daily active users are bots (The Wall Street Journal). Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal on Monday sought to quell the Tesla CEO’s concerns after Musk said last week that he is putting his $44 billion acquisition “on hold,” a remark that tanked the company’s share price (The Hill). Musk added during a tech event Monday in Miami that purchase of Twitter at a lower price is “not out of the question” (Bloomberg News).
THE CLOSER
© Associated Press / Carlos Rene Perez | Rolling Stones, New York, 1983.
And finally … The Rolling Stones’s 60th anniversary tour through Europe beginning June 1 and into July is not without merch, mega-promotion, fans’ Tokyo fireworks extravaganza (sans an actual Stones concert) in July, and some newly released 1977 music from the band’s El Mocambo club performance wayback machine (Variety and Rolling Stone).
Touring: Mick Jagger, who will be 79 in July; Keith Richards, 78; Ronnie Wood, who will be 75 the day the tour starts, and drummer Steve Jordan, 65, (joining the tour in place of Charlie Watts, who died last summer).
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Bottom line
TECHNOLOGY
Lyft Inc. hired Alpine Group Partners LLC to provide counsel on implementation of the bipartisan infrastructure bill and proposals related to electric vehicles and home- and community-based services. Lauren Bazel, former senior tax policy adviser to Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), will work on the account.
Hertz Global Holdings Inc. hired Subject Matter to lobby on issues related to the rental car industry. Steve Elmendorf, former senior adviser to former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.), will work on the account.
The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration hired Federal Science Partners LLC to lobby on consolidated appropriations and the NASA Authorization Act. Former Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas), a former chairman of the House Appropriations science subcommittee, will work on the account.
ENERGY
Bill Gates-founded group Breakthrough Energy hired Tiber Creek Group to lobby for funding for clean energy programs and technology. Matt Leffingwell, former GOP director of coalitions and member services for the House Appropriations Committee, will work on the account.
Electric vehicle charging company SemaConnect hired Capitol Counsel LLC to lobby on federal procurement. Robert Diamond, special assistant to the president and director of private sector engagement in the Obama administration, will work on the account.
RETAIL
The Consumer Brands Association hired Coler Consulting to lobby on supply chains, food safety, “copycat” marijuana edibles and other issues. Kate Coler, former Republican senior policy director for the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, will work on the account.
HEALTH CARE
The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology hired Crossroads Strategies LLC to lobby on issues related to reimbursement, rural access to care and veterans affairs. Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) will work on the account.
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Biden to call Buffalo shooting terrorism but policy response to tragedy uncertain
President Biden will visit Buffalo on Tuesday, seeking to console a grieving community reeling from a mass shooting over the weekend that police say was racially motivated.
The president will reprise the role of consoler-in-chief, a hat he’s worn plenty of times during his tenure as the country has battled the COVID-19 pandemic amid several other tragedies.
But any offer Biden has in the way of a robust policy response to either the proliferation of firearms or the spread of hate speech and white supremacist ideology remains to be seen, after a gunman opened fire on customers at a grocery store, killing 10 people and wounding three, most of them Black.
A White House official said Biden is expected to condemn the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and push for congressional action on gun control.
But past efforts to enact gun control legislation have repeatedly failed on Capitol Hill for years, no matter the degree of tragedy or death from regular mass shootings around the country, and there’s no sign the latest massacre will make a difference in that regard.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va), who has regularly broken with Democrats to block gun control bills, said late Monday that he would support a measure he’s sponsored with Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) that would expand background checks but ultimately admitted its stall in Congress in the nearly one decade since the Sandy Hook school shooting.
“We can’t even get Manchin-Toomey, which didn’t violate anyone’s rights. It just said there should not be a commercial transaction unless there’s a background check,” Manchin said. “It’s the most, I think it’s the most agreed upon, it’s the most accepted in the country and we can’t even get that done.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, in response to a question about whether he would push for any specific gun legislation in light of the tragedy in Buffalo, suggested Monday that Biden’s main goal on the trip would be to meet with those affected by Saturday’s shooting.
“He wants to go there and comfort the people who went through this violence on Saturday and wanted to offer some comfort and listen to them, talk to them, see how they’re doing,” Jean-Pierre said.
Biden is scheduled to meet with families of the victims, community leaders, and first responders while on the ground in western New York.
The White House official said the president “will call this despicable act for what it is: terrorism motivated by a hateful and perverse ideology that tears at the soul of our nation. He’ll call on all Americans to give hate no safe harbor, and to reject the lies of racial animus that radicalize, divide us, and led to the act of racist violence we saw on Saturday that took the lives of 10 of our countrymen,” the official said.
“President Biden will call on Congress to take action to keep weapons of war off our streets, and keep guns out of the hands of criminals and people who have a serious mental illness that makes them a danger to themselves or others,” the official said.
Biden on Sunday gave a forceful speech in which he called hate “a stain on the soul of America.” Local and federal authorities are investigating the shooting as a racially-motivated hate crime.
Biden has repeatedly called on Congress to ban assault-style weapons and pass background checks legislation in the wake of other mass shootings, such as the Atlanta spa incident last year.
But those calls have gone unanswered as other priorities have piled up at the White House and on Capitol Hill.
The legislative filibuster, a 60-vote threshold, also prevents Democrats from passing most pieces of legislation through the Senate if they do not have support from 10 Republicans.
Kris Brown, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, criticized inaction on part of the Senate to get any gun legislation through and encouraged Biden to use the latest shooting in Buffalo to call on Congress to do something.
“It’s important for Joe Biden to lay out that he is doing everything he can, but to save lives requires this be treated as a public health epidemic,” Brady said.
Other advocates are also calling on Biden to do more with his executive authority to root out white supremacy.
Luis Hernandez, executive director of Youth Over Guns, urged Biden to establish a committee to analyze the threat posed by white supremacy and bring with him to Buffalo concrete policy solutions for addressing hate crimes.
“The community needs commitment, real commitment about what he’s going to do, plans that he will implement, and things that he will work with the state and local government to make happen,” Hernandez said. “We can’t have him come in, give a policy message that three months in turn has led to no results, nothing tangible for the community.”
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