Biden’s heartfelt plea for gun control adds to daunting policy wish list
Analysis by Stephen Collinson Joe Biden’s call for an assault weapons ban and a wave of other gun control measures adds a daunting new policy challenge to a progressive agenda that is already shaping up as the most ambitious by a Democratic president for decades. The President has already passed a $1.9 trillion Covid rescue plan that reflects the reality that his administration will be mostly defined by his ability to conquer the pandemic that has killed more than half a million Americans. What comes next could be even bigger, as CNN reported on Monday that the White House is
Kamala Harris’ campaign trail gun rhetoric meets Biden’s reality
By Jasmine Wright and Maegan Vazquez Presidential candidate Kamala Harris campaigned aggressively on gun control reform — making the case that if Congress couldn’t act to make changes, the president could. A California senator without much to lose as she fought to define herself in the 2020 Democratic primary, Harris at the time made bold claims about presidential power that then-candidate Joe Biden did not agree with and is unlikely as president to take on. Biden on Tuesday urged Senate action on two House-passed bills on background checks and an assault weapons ban in the wake of two mass shootings
Why you may have to wait until next year’s tax season to claim all your stimulus benefits
By Tami Luhby and Katie Lobosco Millions of struggling Americans are already accessing the assistance from the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion relief packagethat President Joe Biden signed earlier this month — including stimulus payments and enhanced unemployment benefits. But not all the aid in the massive law will be available right away. In fact, eligible Americans won’t fully benefit from several of the provisions — such as the new child tax credit — until a year from now, when they file their 2021 tax returns. “We are going to see these waves of relief,” said Kathy Pickering, chief tax officer at
Celebrities join Michelle Obama in urging Americans to support sweeping voting rights bill
By Fredreka Schouten and Devan Cole Former first lady Michelle Obama and a host of celebrities, including Tom Hanks, Tracee Ellis Ross and Kerry Washington, are calling on Americans to encourage their senators to support a sweeping voting rights package that would thwart efforts by Republican state lawmakers to curb access to the ballot box. In an open letter published Tuesday by When We All Vote, a nonpartisan organization committed to voter registration that Obama co-chairs, the former first lady and a slew of celebrity signatories urge “Americans of conscience and goodwill to join us in taking a stand for
Sunrise Movement endorses Jennifer Carroll Foy for Virginia governor
By Rachel Janfaza, CNN Sunrise Movement, the progressive youth-led climate activist group, on Monday announced it is endorsing Jennifer Carroll Foy in the Virginia gubernatorial race. If elected, Carroll Foy would be the first Black female governor in the United States. In a statement, Sunrise said it believes that Carroll Foy, a former Virginia delegate, will be a leader “committed to investing in green energy production, bringing diverse, high paying jobs to every corner of the Commonwealth and passing a Virginia Green New Deal.” But with less than three months until the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Carroll Foy is one of
Martin Luther King III: This is what my father would have done
Opinion by Martin Luther King III Over the past several months, we have seen state legislatures around the country move swiftly to try to limit the rights of Americans — and particularly Black Americans — at the ballot box. In doing so, Republicans in these legislatures are pushing a modern-day Jim Crow agenda. Congress must now move to stop them quickly, decisively and by any legislative means necessary. Unfortunately, America has a long, troubled history when it comes to voter suppression. After Reconstruction, Southern states disenfranchised African Americans from voting with poll taxes and unanswerable questions on “literacy tests.” These
White House aides prep $3 trillion jobs package for Biden
By Phil Mattingly, CNN White House advisers are expected to present a two-part, $3 trillion jobs and infrastructure proposal to President Joe Biden as soon as this week, according to two people familiar with the plan. The proposal, which Biden’s top advisers have been deliberating over for weeks, would be segmented into two separate parts — one focused on infrastructure and clean energy, and a second focused on what’s being termed the “care economy” with a focus zeroed in on key domestic economic issues. In full, it would mark a sweeping move toward enacting the key elements of the “jobs”
Warnock’s seat comes into focus amid battle over voting laws and filibuster rules
By Manu Raju, Ali Zaslav and Ted Barrett, CNN Freshman Sen. Raphael Warnock, whose surprise victory in Georgia helped give Democrats the narrowest of majorities, now finds himself squarely in the center of an intensifying battle over tightening election laws and protecting the Senate’s filibuster — a debate that could directly affect his own chances of keeping his seat next year. Republicans in Georgia are moving quickly to pare back many of the rules that eased access for voters in the 2020 election, with GOP lawmakers in the state pushing to finalize new restrictions before week’s end to ensure they
Warnock slams GOP-controlled Georgia Legislature for bill that would restrict voter access
By Daniella Diaz, CNN Georgia US Sen. Raphael Warnock, in his first Sunday show interview since being elected to Congress in January, slammed the Republican-controlled Georgia Legislature for a massive voting bill that would restrict voter access. “I think it’s unfortunate that some politicians have looked at the results and, rather than changing their message, they’re busy trying to change the rules,” the Democrat said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Warnock was referring to a key committee in the Georgia Legislature, which began work this week on a massive new voting bill that would give the state broad powers over
Biden moves rapidly to shore up Obamacare and erase Trump’s changes
By Tami Luhby, CNN President Joe Biden is wasting no time establishing his vision for the Affordable Care Act and reversing many Trump-era measures aimed at weakening it. In his first two months in office, Biden has taken several steps to bolster the landmark health reform law, which marks its 11th anniversary on Tuesday, and to embed it even more firmly in the nation’s health care system. Former President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak Monday about how the Affordable Care Act has benefited Americans and how the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion relief package, which Biden signed into law earlier this