Washington teen testifies on the Equality Act to expand protections for LGBTQ+ Americans – as it happened
by Maanvi Singh (now) Tom McCarthy and Martin Belam ( from on (#5FESN)
- People of color, religious groups, women and immigrants would also be shielded
- Comments come after report bolstered claims of Putin involvement
- Activists call on Coca-Cola and Delta to fight Georgia anti-voting bills
- Biden: Cuomo should resign if inquiry confirms claims
- 21 states threaten legal challenge to Biden's $1.9tn rescue plan
- Sign up to receive First Thing - our daily briefing by email
11.54pm GMT
Here's a recap of today:
11.23pm GMT
Joe Biden said the passage of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act should not be a Democratic or Republican issue".
After the House passed the legislation, he asked the Senate to do the same. Growing evidence shows that Covid-19 has only exacerbated the threat of intimate partner violence, creating a pandemic within a pandemic for countless women at risk for abuse," he said in a statement. In short, this is an urgent crisis."
Continue reading...