Justice Department intervenes to help resolve key sticking point in talks over policing bill to ease path for Hill deal
By Manu Raju, Jessica Dean and Paula Reid A bipartisan group of negotiators is stymied over a key issue in talks on overhauling policing practices nationwide: The standard for charging police officers with crimes. And now, the Justice Department is directly engaged in the talks to help resolve the stalemate and ease the path for a sweeping policing deal to be reached on Capitol Hill, according to several people familiar with the matter. As lawmakers see if they can find consensus before a self-imposed May 25 deadline, the issue continues to be a key point of contention, with Democrats pushing
More GOP states drop federal pandemic unemployment benefits early
By Tami Luhby Five more Republican governors are joining their peers in terminating federal pandemic unemployment benefits early, citing workforce shortages in their states. Jobless residents in Missouri, Iowa, Idaho, Tennessee and Wyoming join those in several other states who will soon lose the $300 weekly federal boost to their state benefits, though Congress has made it available until early September to those in states that continue to participate. The moves will also end the federal expansion of jobless benefits to freelancers, independent contractors, certain people affected by the virus and those who have run out of their regular state
Biden’s Build Back Better plan will improve nearly every community in America
Opinion by Mark Zandi There is a lot to like in the President’s Build Back Better plan. It is big — with a total of $4.5 trillion in increased government spending and tax credits over the next decade — but we have big economic problems. One major issue in the American economy is that underlying growth has been disappointing for a long time. Moreover, the benefits of the growth we have seen in recent decades has mostly gone to high-income and wealthy Americans. Build Back Better is focused on addressing these problems. Of the $4.5 trillion in proposed spending and
Top congressional leaders to meet with Biden for the first time in crucial week for his infrastructure plan
By Maegan Vazquez President Joe Biden faces a crucial moment on Wednesday in what is shaping up as an important week for his infrastructure priorities when he holds his first bipartisan meeting with the top four members of congressional leadership at the White House. According to the White House, the meeting will include Vice President Kamala Harris; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican; and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican. Wednesday’s meeting will mark McConnell and McCarthy’s first time in
Biden hosts two crucial Democratic senators Monday to talk infrastructure at start of critical week
By Phil Mattingly President Joe Biden on Monday hosted two critical Democratic senators for individual meetings at the White House as he entered a crucial week for his legislative agenda. Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Tom Carper of Delaware, two committee chairmen central to the infrastructure legislative process, met separately with Biden at the White House. “The President is having individual meetings today with Senators Carper and Manchin concerning the American Jobs Plan and the ongoing talks in Congress about the urgent need to invest in our infrastructure,” a White House official said earlier Monday. The meetings with
1 million people sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage after Biden reopens exchange
By Tami Luhby One million people have signed up for Affordable Care Act coverage on the federal exchange during the special enrollment period that President Joe Biden launched in mid-February, the administration announced Tuesday. “Since it became law more than a decade ago, the Affordable Care Act has been a lifeline for millions of Americans. The pandemic has demonstrated how badly it is needed, and how critical it is that we continue to improve upon it,” Biden said. “Through this opportunity for special enrollment, we have made enormous progress in expanding access to health insurance.” Sign-ups are open through August
Senators ask airlines to change terms or refund flight credits
By Gregory Wallace Would-be air travelers hold billions of dollars in credits for future flights, and two US senators want airlines to drop restrictions like expiration dates — or to refund the customers in cash. Sens. Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal, both Democrats, are sending a letter to 10 US airlines Monday asking the carriers “commit to providing a cash refund for all tickets that are canceled during the coronavirus pandemic.” “Americans need cash in their pockets to pay for food, housing, and prescriptions during this emergency,” Markey of Massachusetts and Blumenthal of Connecticut wrote in the letter that was
Voting rights fight heads to Senate with committee debate
By Sara Murray and Fredreka Schouten Senate Democrats are moving ahead this week with a sweeping proposal to rewrite US election laws — a longshot bid meant to counteract the voter restrictions Republicans have passed at the state level. The For the People Act, a version of which has already passed the Democrat-controlled House and is set for debate in the Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday, faces steep odds in the Senate. The legislation rewrites federal campaign finance laws, set out new ethics requirements for the President and Supreme Court justices and makes broad changes in election administration, from registration
Clyburn says Democrats should not stall police reform talks over push for ‘perfect’ bill and ending qualified immunity
By Chandelis Duster House Majority Whip James Clyburn on Sunday said Democrats should not delay new policing reform legislation even if a provision on ending civil lawsuit protections currently afforded to police officers is not included, arguing that the party can push to end qualified immunity at another time. “I would never sacrifice good on the altar of perfect. I just won’t do that. I know what the perfect will would be. We have proposed that. I’m willing to see good legislation and I know that sometimes you have to compromise,” the South Carolina Democrat told CNN’s Jake Tapper on
Basketball star Liz Cambage criticizes lack of diversity in Australian Olympic team’s promotional photos
By George Ramsay Australian basketball star Liz Cambage has threatened to boycott the Tokyo Olympics while speaking out against the lack of racial diversity in promotional photos of the Australian Olympic team. Cambage, who helped Australia win bronze at the 2012 Olympics and also competed at the 2016 Games, criticized the images in a series of posts on Instagram using the hashtag #whitewashedaustralia. “I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times,” Cambage wrote under a promotional shot of athletes first posted by clothing brand Jockey, which is sponsoring the Australian Olympic team. “HOW AM I MEANT TO REPRESENT