Intelligence leaders defend efforts to promote diversity in face of Republican attacks
By Katie Bo Lillis, The Biden administration’s most senior intelligence officials defended their push to boost diversity in the ranks of the intelligence community in a congressional hearing on Wednesday, amid attacks from Republicans that such efforts are a distraction from core national security priorities. Diversity and inclusion “is not only the smart thing to do for an agency with a global mission, it’s the right thing to do for an agency that represents and defends our diverse society,” CIA director Bill Burns told the House Intelligence Committee. “Simply put, we can’t be effective and we’re not being true to our nation’s
Senate Democrats working on a Medicaid compromise to cover those in coverage gap through Obamacare plans
By Jessica Dean and Ali Zaslav, The creation of a federal Medicaid expansion program is likely not going to be in the Democrats’ sweeping social safety net package. Instead, lawmakers are discussing a plan to subsidize private insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchanges for those who are in the coverage gap, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin told CNN. “The best solution, since it’s already there, is to have people that are in the coverage gap be able to get marketplace insurance,” Baldwin said, noting that this is something that’s already done in other states. Lawmakers had initially wanted to create
House Democrats again delay infrastructure vote amid party divisions
By Clare Foran, Manu Raju, Daniella Diaz and Annie Grayer, House Democratic leaders on Thursday were once again forced to push back the timeline for a vote on a $1 trillion infrastructure bill, a sign of ongoing divisions within the party and a major blow to President Joe Biden and party leaders eager to show they can deliver on their agenda. The decision to delay the vote came just hours after Biden appealed directly to House Democrats in a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill, pitching them on a framework for a separate, larger climate and economic package. The problem for party leaders
At a time of historic change, Virginia will elect a woman of color for the first time as lieutenant governor
By Chandelis Duster, Virginia is primed to elect a woman of color as its next lieutenant governor at a time when the commonwealth is facing a series of challenges that directly affect its Black and brown communities. Regardless of whether it will be Democrat Hala Ayala or Republican Winsome Sears, they’ll draw from their personal experiences as the next administration tackles challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, crime, education and racial justice, even if they don’t agree on the political remedies. She will also face the aftermath of a racial reckoning that has brought the commonwealth into a national spotlight. The
Biden to detail core elements of $1.75 trillion economic and climate package in effort to jumpstart action on the Hill
By Clare Foran, Daniella Diaz, Phil Mattingly, Kevin Liptak and Jeremy Diamond, President Joe Biden will lay out long-awaited details of his $1.75 trillion economic and climate package to House Democrats on Thursday when he attends a caucus meeting on Capitol Hill as leaders press progressives to vote for a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. While the proposal isn’t finalized in its entirety, days of negotiations have brought it to a place where the key elements are all locked in and Biden plans to impress upon Democrats the scope and scale of what those elements represent, even in the face of several
Justice Clarence Thomas: the Supreme Court’s influencer
By Ariane de Vogue, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas took his seat on the far end of the bench in 1991 feeling — he once said — “beat up” by the workload. A bitter confirmation battle marked by allegations of sexual harassment by Anita Hill was over, but liberals still lamented the fact that a 43-year-old conservative would take the place of retired civil rights icon Justice Thurgood Marshall. Flash forward to 2021 and the most momentous term in recent history. The justices are poised to decide a major abortion case as well as broaden gun rights in a dispute out of New York. Thomas,
Family members of Americans detained abroad call on Biden administration to do more
By Jennifer Hansler, The families of roughly two dozen US citizens and legal permanent residents detained abroad penned a letter to President Joe Biden on Monday urging him to do more to secure the release of their loved ones. “Every day we wonder how much longer our loved ones must endure their captivity, not knowing when they will return home, and not being able to fully understand the efforts the United States government is undertaking to secure their freedom,” the families wrote in the open letter, which was distributed by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation. The signatories, including those with family members
A key Cabinet role isn’t filled nine months into Biden’s presidency. Here’s why that matters
By Kate Sullivan, Nine months after taking office, President Joe Biden still doesn’t have a permanent director of a critical agency in his administration. The last Cabinet-level position that hasn’t been filled is the director of the Office of Management and Budget — an agency that not many Americans are familiar with but is an incredibly powerful part of the federal government. Shalanda Young has been serving as the acting director since March, after the White House pulled Neera Tanden’s nomination for the role because she didn’t have enough support in the Senate. Tanden was named as the White House staff secretary on Friday. “When you’re
The quotable words of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
By Joan Biskupic, Justice Clarence Thomas‘ unconventional ideas, daring rhetoric and booming baritone have distinguished him from his Supreme Court colleagues over the past 30 years. From the start, his image at the 1991 Senate confirmation hearings went beyond the world of the law. The 73-year-old Thomas remains a cultural icon, especially on issues of race and sex. He is an enduring subject of books, movies and all manner of political debate, related to Anita Hill’s accusations of sexual harassment, the expectations of civil rights leaders and Thomas’ own views of racial stereotypes and constitutional conservatism. Thomas himself has vividly filled in
Biden says US facing an inflection point in the battle for the soul of America
By Betsy Klein, President Joe Biden cast the fight for voting rights in sweeping terms Thursday after the Senate failed to advance a bill on the matter this week, casting blame on Republicans for stymieing the effort in the Senate. During an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, Biden said, “We now face an inflection point in the battle, literally, for the soul of America” over voting rights, specifically calling out former President Donald Trump’s efforts to subvert democracy. “Today, the right to vote and the rule of law are under unrelenting assault from Republican governors, attorneys general, secretaries