Optimism on police reform in the Capitol collides with anguish in the streets
Analysis by Maeve Reston As President Joe Biden looks to build momentum for police reform in his address to a joint session of Congress this week, there is some optimism in Washington about the potential for a bipartisan compromise that would finally create more accountability for law enforcement. But beyond the beltway, there is also deep frustration and anger in the streets of America as young men and women of color keep getting injured and killed by police. The murder conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who killed George Floyd last May, demonstrated accountability in one case that
Biden will seek to raise taxes on richest Americans to fund sweeping education and child care proposals
By Kaitlan Collins, Jeff Zeleny and Kate Sullivan President Joe Biden is preparing to outline the next step of his economic agenda during a joint session to Congress next week and his proposal to pay for it is expected to include new taxes on the wealthiest Americans. Multiple sources familiar with the discussions underway tell CNN that Biden’s forthcoming American Family Plan could nearly double the capital gains tax for people who make more than $1 million a year by taxing it like wages and salaries, and raise the top marginal income tax rate from 37% to 39.6% for households
Bush says he wrote in Condoleezza Rice for president in 2020
By Veronica Stracqualursi Former President George W. Bush wrote in the name of his former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on his 2020 presidential ballot rather than voting for his own party’s nominee Donald Trump for reelection, he told People magazine. “She knows it,” Bush told the magazine, referring to Rice, one of his closest advisers during his presidency. “But she told me she would refuse to accept the office.” It’s the latest example of how the 43rd president and patriarch of one of the Republican Party’s most prominent dynasties has become estranged from the modern GOP, though in the
Congress faces busy week of negotiations as Biden prepares for joint address. Here’s what to watch.
By Paul LeBlanc Lawmakers on Capitol Hill will juggle a slate of competing priorities this week as both parties wrestle with tense negotiations over infrastructure and police reform. Deliberations will play out during a week set to be defined by President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, which will serve as a kind of call to action for lawmakers to meet the moment with bipartisan solutions for the country’s most pressing issues. “It’s a basic question,” the President said last month in rolling out the first part of the package outlining his infrastructure goals.
States tackling ‘qualified immunity’ for police as Congress squabbles over the issue
By Emma Tucker The fight in Congress to reform how the nation’s police officers go about their jobs has reinvigorated a discussion over so-called “qualified immunity,” a controversial federal doctrine that protects officers accused of violating the Constitution while on duty. While abolishing the more than 50-year-old doctrine remains one of the main sticking points between Republicans and Democrats over any deal on passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a look at reform efforts around the country shows that several states have forged ahead with eliminating the protection. Since Floyd was killed last May by then-Minnesota police officer
Harris casts first tie-breaking vote for a Biden nominee after Senate splits on Pentagon pick
By Jeremy Herb and Ted Barrett Vice President Kamala Harris cast her first tie-breaking vote related to a Biden administration nominee on the Senate floor Wednesday evening, voting to advance the nomination of Colin Kahl to be the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy. The Senate deadlocked 50-50 on a straight party-line procedural vote to discharge Kahl’s nomination from the Armed Services Committee, requiring Harris to break the tie. She’ll likely have to cast two more tie-breaking votes on Kahl’s nomination before he is confirmed to the No. 3 civilian position at the Pentagon. Wednesday was the first time Harris had to
Biden aims to make the economic case for fighting climate change on second day of virtual summit
By Maegan Vazquez President Joe Biden on Friday aims to highlight the economic opportunities of climate action a day after announcing an ambitious new goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at his Leaders Summit on Climate from the White House. On Thursday, the President committed the US to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% to 52% below its 2005 emissions levels by 2030. While the goals are a part of the Paris climate agreement that Biden rejoined upon taking office, they are non-binding and the administration has not rolled out a plan on how the US will meet them.
Republican Sen. Tim Scott to deliver GOP response for Biden address to Congress
By Clare Foran Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina will deliver the GOP response following President Joe Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress next Wednesday. The decision will give Scott, the lone Black Republican senator and the lead Republican negotiator on Congress’ policing reform efforts, a prominent national platform from which to speak to the country and counter Biden’s message. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy announced on Thursday that Scott had been chosen to give the speech. “Senator Tim Scott is not just one of the strongest leaders in our Senate
Hopes rise for a police reform compromise, but huge political hurdles loom
Analysis by Maeve Reston and Stephen Collinson Real hope for police reform — even in the rancorously divided US Senate — shows the seismic impact of the guilty verdict in the trial for George Floyd’s murder. A day after former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on all counts, both sides in Washington sought common ground. The Senate’s lead Republican negotiator, South Carolina’s Tim Scott, put forward a potential deal on a sticking point that has stalled talks for the much of the past year. But hope goes only so far, and the feverish desire among Democratic activists to
House passes bill that would grant DC statehood
By Clare Foran The House of Representatives voted on Thursday to pass a bill that would grant statehood to Washington, DC, a Democratic priority that faces obstacles to final passage even with the party now in control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. The party line vote was 216-208. The legislation now faces an uphill fight in the Senate, where it is unlikely to get enough Republican support to clear a 60-vote threshold for passage. It’s unclear whether even every Senate Democrat would support the measure. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia indicated on Thursday that