Biden to huddle with Senate Democrats on Covid relief ahead of push for passage
By Clare Foran, CNN President Joe Biden is expected to huddle with Senate Democrats on Tuesday as the chamber gears up to pass the White House’s top legislative priority: a major pandemic relief plan. Biden is slated to join Senate Democrats virtually during their caucus lunch Tuesday afternoon, a meeting that comes as Democrats face pressure to stick together to pass the sweeping rescue package. Biden also held a virtual meeting with a group of Senate Democrats on Monday. The President’s ongoing outreach underscores the important role the narrow Democratic majority will play in getting the Covid package across the
UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield: Congress’ work in wake of Capitol riot ‘shows that our democracy is resilient’
By Caroline Kelly, CNN US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Monday that Congress’ work in the immediate wake of the US Capitol insurrection confirmed to her that American democracy had survived the January 6 attack. Asked by CNN’s Don Lemon how, as ambassador, she would calm allies’ potential concerns over what happened that day, Thomas-Greenfield replied: “What they saw on that day was extraordinarily painful for all of us. But what they also saw on that day that made us extraordinarily proud is that … after the riots ended, the Senate came back to their chambers and
Progressive House Democrats pressure Harris to invoke rarely employed move to ignore parliamentarian decision on wage hike
By Manu Raju, Chief Congressional Correspondent Liberal House Democrats are pleading with Vice President Kamala Harris to ignore the ruling of the Senate’s parliamentarian and decide that the $15 federal minimum wage can stay in the Covid relief package during Senate floor debate this week. Such a move has not been employed since 1975 — and taking that tack would generate pushback from senators from both parties who say relying on advice of the parliamentarian is paramount to maintaining order in the Senate. Moreover, the White House has been leery of taking that step, which would also generate staunch opposition
Lawmakers to revive proposal for federal commission tasked with examining America’s history of racism
By Nicquel Terry Ellis Two Democratic lawmakers will reintroduce legislation Thursday calling for the formation of the first federal racial justice commission tasked with examining the country’s history of systemic racism against Black people, addressing inequities and backing efforts to provide reparations for slavery. Rep. Barbara Lee of California, who first proposed the creation of a US Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation last summer following the police killing of George Floyd, will bring the bill back to the House and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey will revive it in the Senate. The bill garnered 169 co-sponsors in
Harris addresses vaccine hesitancy in DC pharmacy visit
By Kate Sullivan and Betsy Klein, CNN Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday visited a local pharmacy in Washington, DC, to highlight the Biden administration’s retail pharmacy vaccination program and combat vaccine hesitancy. Harris stressed the importance of all Americans, particularly those in communities of color hesitant about getting the vaccine, signing up for it as soon as it becomes available. The vice president spoke to a woman who was at the pharmacy receiving her second dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. After getting the shot, the woman told Harris she was looking forward to being able to see her
Senate parliamentarian rules against including minimum wage in Covid relief bill
By Lauren Fox, Ryan Nobles, Manu Raju and Phil Mattingly, CNN The Senate parliamentarian has ruled against including the increase in the minimum wage in the Covid relief bill. While Democrats had pushed for the increase to be included — and leadership expressed its disappointment in the ruling Thursday evening — its removal may actually make it easier to pass the bill, senior Democratic sources believe, because it’ll avoid a messy fight over whether to strip it out of the bill and whether to compromise. “President Biden is disappointed in this outcome, as he proposed having the $15 minimum wage
Blinken says he aims to create a more diverse State Department
By Nicole Gaouette, CNN Secretary of State Antony Blinken will launch a diversity initiative to make the US’ oldest Cabinet agency look more like America itself, an effort he is framing as a national security imperative to make the country’s diplomacy “stronger, smarter, more creative and more innovative.” Blinken announced Wednesday that he will appoint a chief diversity and inclusion officer for the department who will report directly to him, will soon release a ‘Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan,’ and will create a “D&I Leadership Council.” In his statement, the secretary also said he will require each of the State
White House lifts Trump order that temporarily banned certain immigrant visas during pandemic
By Priscilla Alvarez, Donald Judd and Paul LeBlanc, CNN President Joe Biden on Wednesday revoked a Trump-era executive order that temporarily banned some immigrant visas during the coronavirus pandemic. The move opens up legal avenues to migrate to the US that former President Donald Trump had closed off, arguing at the time that it was in the best interest of the economy in the early months of the pandemic. Biden charged in a proclamation Wednesday that Trump’s order “does not advance the interests of the United States. To the contrary, it harms the United States, including by preventing certain family
Democratic women poised to shake up male-dominated industry with new political media firm
By Simone Pathe, CNN Recent success stories about women in politics are about candidates breaking barriers. There’s a female vice president. More women than ever before serve in Congress. But when it comes to the people who help get them elected — specifically the people who tell their stories in the still wildly influential form of TV advertising — diversification has taken much longer. Political consulting is still a male-dominated world, and that’s particularly true for ad making. The number of female-owned TV ad firms, on both sides of the aisle, can practically be counted on one hand. That’s beginning
Linda Thomas-Greenfield confirmed as US Ambassador to the UN
By Jennifer Hansler and Richard Roth, CNN The Senate confirmed Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be the next US Ambassador to the United Nations Tuesday. The vote was 78-20 and her confirmation comes less than a week before the United States’ presidency at the UN Security Council for the month of March. Following her swearing-in, she will travel to New York and is expected to present her credentials to UN Secretary General António Guterres Thursday. Thomas-Greenfield, a respected career ambassador who was jettisoned under the Trump administration, was one of President Joe Biden’s first picks for his national security team. At the