The bill passed by the House includes sweeping measures to try to tackle deep-rooted racial, gender and class inequalities in the USThe US House on Wednesday passed the huge $1.9tn coronavirus relief and economic stimulus package that represents Joe Biden’s first major legislative victory.Related: Biden poised for first major legislative victory with House vote on $1.9tn Covid relief – live Continue reading...
The House of Representatives gave final approval on Wednesday to one of the largest economic stimulus measures in US history, a sweeping $1.9tn Covid-19 relief bill that gives Joe Biden his first major victory in office. The measure provides $400bn for $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, $350bn in aid to state and local governments, an expansion of the child tax credit, and increased funding for vaccine distribution. ‘This is the most consequential legislation that many of us will ever be a party to,’ the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said at a ceremony to sign the bill before it goes to the White House
Jamie Raskin calls on FBI director to brief Congress on longstanding issue after police officers were involved in Capitol attackThe FBI must develop a strategy to respond to white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement agencies and address its past failures to take the issue seriously, a prominent Democratic congressman has argued in a letter to the FBI director, Christopher Wray.Multiple internal FBI reports over the past 15 years have labeled white supremacist infiltration of police departments as a serious threat. But last year, FBI officials refused to testify in a hearing about the topic, repeatedly telling congressional staffers that “it did not believe that this threat was supported by evidence” and “that there would not be any utility in the bureau offering testimony”, the Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin wrote in a letter to Wray on Tuesday. Continue reading...
A boost for Joe Biden’s drive against racial discrimination in the criminal justice systemMerrick Garland has been confirmed as America’s top law enforcement officer, a boost for Joe Biden’s drive against racial discrimination in the criminal justice system.Garland’s rise to attorney general, approved 70-30 by the US Senate in a strongly bipartisan vote, turns the page on former president Donald Trump’s harsh “law and order” rhetoric and efforts to bend the justice department to his will. Continue reading...
Analysis: Reagan’s presidency undermined faith in government. The stimulus package helps restore FDR’s legacyJoe Biden reflected recently on the last time a Democratic administration had to rescue an economy left in tatters by a Republican president.“The economists told us we literally saved America from a depression,” Biden told the House Democratic Caucus last week. “But we didn’t adequately explain what we had done. Barack was so modest; he didn’t want to take, as he said, a ‘victory lap’. I kept saying, ‘Tell people what we did.’ He said, ‘We don’t have time. I’m not going to take a victory lap.’ And we paid a price for it, ironically, for that humility.” Continue reading...
Vital decisions about Wales and Scotland are being unilaterally taken in Westminster, fuelling the arguments for devolutionIt is often rightly claimed that Boris Johnson is determined not to lead the United Kingdom out of the European Union only to preside over the UK’s own breakup. Johnson is not as indifferent to the UK’s survival as some around him. The problem is that his chosen UK survival strategy is increasingly having the opposite effect. It is threatening to aid the breakup of the UK not to prevent it.The problem goes far beyond Johnson’s Marmite personality. It even goes beyond the facts that he is a Conservative and led the break with Europe. Johnson’s centrifugal destructiveness to the UK rests increasingly on the particular kind of unionism he embraces and on the measures that he takes to promote it. Continue reading...
Move came after heavy rains and dam overflowed on island of Maui, forcing evacuations and destroying homesHawaii’s governor, David Ige, declared an emergency in the US state after heavy rains brought floods, landslides and fear of dam failures, and authorities ordered the evacuation of several thousand people from communities threatened by rising waters.The move came after a dam overflowed on the island of Maui, forcing evacuations and destroying homes, with the dam’s “unsatisfactory” condition leading to it being scheduled for removal this year, the land department has said. Continue reading...
Greg Abbott says state can ‘open 100%’ without masks – but millions remain unvaccinated and navigating the state’s vaccine bureaucracy is fraughtIn Houston, a long line of cars wraps around a cluster of white tents in the parking lot of NRG Stadium – a Texas-sized vaccination hub. Texans roll up to the drive-through, hang an arm out of the window to get their shot, and leave as if the vaccination site were one of many fast-food restaurants sprawled across the state.Men and women in army green and face shields direct traffic, scan QR codes and administer shots containing the ticket to a renewed social life and some peace of mind. Continue reading...
Far from Oprah’s masterclass of empathy with Harry and Meghan, the ITV presenter’s chastising response is the latest chapter in a long, self-destructive cycleJust before 10am today, Piers Morgan finally posted the tweet of which he has surely long dreamed: “Good Morning Britain beat BBC Breakfast in the ratings yesterday for the first time.”The ITV show’s Tuesday figure was almost three times the average of when the former Daily Mirror editor and CNN host joined the programme six years ago. But his peak performance was also his last. Ratings had rocketed this week, as viewers tuned in to watch Morgan implode. Continue reading...
One buyer says he bought statue of former US president on Taobao as reminder not to be ‘too Trump’Donald Trump is not known for his calm and peaceful demeanour, but that hasn’t stopped one entrepreneurial furniture-maker in China from casting a statue of the former US president in a pose more readily associated with the Buddha.The Trump Buddha statue, listed on the Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao, is priced at 999 Chinese yuan (£110 GBP/$150 USD) for the small version, which measures 1.6 metres tall. A larger version, listed as 4.6 metres tall, is available for 3,999 yuan (£440/$610). Continue reading...
Marmite references came thick and gloopy but Good Morning Britain’s aim after Morgan’s exit was to fill timeYou are not supposed to be able to avoid having an opinion about Piers Morgan, and on the first edition of Good Morning Britain after his exciting departure, the references to Marmite were thick and gloopy. “Unique is the word to describe Piers Morgan,” his esrtwhile co-host Susanna Reid said. “You either loved him or, you know, in some cases, people hated him.”Whenever in doubt, she returned to the binary: “Some of you may cheer and others may boo … He has been a voice for many of you and a voice that many of you have railed against … He has many critics, and many fans.” Continue reading...
Viewers like me are quite familiar with the royals’ passive-aggression. As former ‘subjects’, we know all too well the damage they’ve doneIn Oprah Winfrey’s much-awaited interview with Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the couple detailed their unfavorable treatment by the British monarchy and tabloid press. That experience ultimately influenced their decision to relinquish official duties from the British royal family. Responses via live tweeting from people of color around the world were of course funny and meme-worthy, but also intense and nuanced. They revealed layered reflections on race, power and the enduring legacy of colonialism.Many dismissed the entire interview as “rich people’s business” and claimed not to be invested. To them, Meghan and Harry’s plight seemed a luxury. Others hailed Meghan’s royal marriage as an American celebrity fairytale – one certainly enhanced by her biracial identity and simultaneous proximity to whiteness – while recognizing that fairytale as crown sympathizers’ source of disdain for her. Meanwhile, viewers like me from former British colonies were quite familiar with the British monarchy’s systemic passive-aggression. As former subjects of the crown, we know all too well the damage they’ve done. Continue reading...
South Africa’s former president calls for the pandemic to be a turning point in strengthening the rule of law and empowering survivorsViolence and sexual assault have surged across the globe since the onset of Covid-19, in what the UN has called a “shadow pandemic”. Even before the pandemic, one in three women experienced physical or sexual assault globally, the World Health Organization reported this week.In Africa, the impact has been particularly acute. In the first half of 2020, a rise in reported cases prompted Liberia’s President Weah to declare rape and all forms of gender-based violence a national emergency. Continue reading...
The new DA, George Gascón, wants to undo ‘the machine of mass incarceration’. Powerful law enforcement groups are fighting to stop himGeorge Gascón was elected Los Angeles district attorney after promising to end “tough on crime” prosecutions, free people from overcrowded prisons and hold police accountable for misconduct.But three months into his tenure, law enforcement leaders across California have launched an aggressive campaign to thwart his signature reforms. Gascón is facing court challenges and a rightwing backlash, and some are now pushing to recall him from office. Continue reading...
Owners want to create a safe environment, instead they encounter animosity and clashes with customers who don’t complyI spent a few weeks in Florida this past January, right in the middle of the pandemic. Florida has no mask mandate. Although there are city and county-level requirements, the state’s governor suspended all fines and penalties associated with non-compliance back in September. So people are free to do what they want.I’m not going to argue whether this is good policy or not. I wear a mask, but no one is ever going to fully agree on whether governments should require their citizens to wear one. One thing is for certain: not having a state mask mandate makes it tougher for small businesses in that state. Continue reading...
Pelosi hails $1.9tn plan ahead of final House vote on bill on Wednesday. Plus, Buckingham Palace breaks silence on Meghan and Harry claimsGood morning.President Joe Biden’s stimulus plan is on the verge of being cleared by the House of Representatives in a vote on Wednesday morning, providing a lifeline for millions of American families and businesses. The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has hailed the $1.9tn Covid relief bill as “transformative”, and Biden said he would rubber-stamp the sweeping bill – which, if it passes, will be the president’s most significant early legislative achievement – as soon as it lands on his desk. Continue reading...
Marshall said he would ‘examine my blindspots’ after endorsing a book by controversial US commentator Andy NgoWinston Marshall, the banjo player and lead guitarist with Mumford and Sons, has said he is “taking time away from the band” after his praise for far-right agitator Andy Ngo prompted a backlash.On 7 March, Marshall tweeted of Ngo’s book Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy: “Finally had the time to read your important book. You’re a brave man.” The tweet was soon deleted as criticism mounted. Continue reading...
The Covid-19 pandemic has only added to the burnout felt by US physicians but many fear losing their career if they seek helpDr Mary Dinh, 31, described her medical training during the pandemic as a soul-crushing experience. She constantly feared that she would bring home the virus from lack of PPE, used one N95 mask until it disintegrated and saw 13 patients die in one day at her Pennsylvania hospital. Dinh felt hopeless seeing unprecedented death, her colleagues struggle with depression and a fellow resident attempt suicide.“Residency is already one of the most difficult and challenging times in a physician’s life,” Dinh said, referring to the three to four years of training after medical school. “Throw a pandemic on top of that, a shortage of doctors, and residents are essentially slave labor for the hospital.” Continue reading...
The news that the AfD is now under observation is a vital step towards dealing with an endemic problem of fascist tendenciesSince the anniversary of the killings in Hanau, which took place a little over a year ago, my Berlin neighbourhood has been plastered with posters featuring simple but compelling line drawings of Ferhat Unvar, Gökhan Gültekin, Hamza Kurtović, Said Nesar Hashemi, Mercedes Kierpacz, Sedat Gürbüz, Kalojan Velkov, Vili Viorel Păun and Fatih Saraçoğlu, the nine victims of the far-right terrorist attack that continues to shape German discussions of rightwing extremism. The posters have been part of a broader campaign committed to drawing attention to and naming the victims of these crimes.The campaign came to mind when news broke on Wednesday 3 March that the Verfassungsschutz, Germany’s internal state security service, has placed the entirety of the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) under observation. More than an empty formality, the step has concrete consequences for Germany’s largest opposition party in parliament, which must now expect to be monitored by confidential informants, and have its mail intercepted and its phones tapped. It’s a radical step, and is unsurprising that it’s been met by a series of legal challenges. Continue reading...
Former Detroit Lion broke barriers at college and in the pros but less is known of his life than other pioneering athletes“Just so you know, I am a negro.”That was the Wally Triplett’s reply after he received a scholarship offer from the University of Miami’s football program in 1945. Excited but wary, Triplett harbored no illusions as to what would happen when they inevitably discovered that he was in fact, a black man. Continue reading...
Tyres, tattoos ... and a car turned into a Prince album! Kirstin Bedford’s images of LA’s Mexican American car scene reflect decades of political and cultural self-expression Continue reading...
We’ve been conditioned to think feminine expressions of gender diminish women’s authority, but remaking our own image is powerfulI don’t understand why the patriarchy let women have makeup. It took most of the good stuff; why would it let us have the sparkle? Actually, everyone used to wear makeup (powder, beauty spots and wigs) but it went out of fashion because Queen Victoria thought it vulgar. When she was off mourning Albert in Balmoral, a few brave women whispered, “If she’s not coming back, shall we crack out the rouge?” but the men never bothered. Now most men have to wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and think, “Well, that’s as good as I’m going to look all day.”With makeup, you can conceal, reveal, accentuate and play. The game I play at the opening of my podcast, The Guilty Feminist, is called “I’m a feminist but …” It’s like feminist confessional – a playful admission of where our actions and values don’t meet: “I’m a feminist but if I saw Priti Patel leaving a public loo with her dress tucked into her knickers, I wouldn’t tell her.” Sometimes makeup gets put into the frivolous category by feminists guesting on the show: “I’m a feminist but if I had to give away all my Virginia Woolf books or my liquid eyeliner for ever, I’d really miss Mrs Dalloway.” We’ve all been socially conditioned to think feminine expressions of gender diminish women’s authority a little and put us in a submissive or sexually objectified role. Continue reading...
A story declaring California bagels the best sparked a war between east and west coasts, but the list doesn’t end thereA New York Times article is claiming the unthinkable: that California bagels are better than their counterparts in the five boroughs. The headline – The Best Bagels Are in California (Sorry, New York), was an affront to the newspaper’s own home town, and sparked an east coast-west coast flame war the San Francisco Chronicle called “the perfect storm of internet drama”. “Yeah, absolutely not,” wrote New York’s mayor, Bill De Blasio, on Twitter. Brooklyn’s borough president called the claim “madness”. The owner of one of the California shops in question, Berkeley’s Boichik Bagels, told NBC Bay Area she “basically fell over” when she heard the news.As an east coast transplant to the west, I feel it’s my duty to add more fuel to the fire. Here are five other things California does better than New York: Continue reading...
Video emerged showing an unmasked woman coughing and screaming into Subhakar Khadka’s face on SundayAn attack on a San Francisco Uber driver over the weekend by a passenger who allegedly refused to wear a face mask has drawn outrage after video of the incident emerged on Tuesday.The incident occurred on Sunday in the city after the driver, Subhakar Khadka, picked up three women. In a 43 second video clip shot by Khadka and posted to Twitter by local news outlets, an unmasked woman in the back of the car is seen coughing into Khadka’s face and screaming at him. Seconds later the woman snatches Khadka’s cell phone out of his hand and plucks his mask from his face. She and another passenger continue to yell at the driver and threaten to beat him up. Khadka claims he then got out of the car before being pepper sprayed by one of the passengers. Continue reading...
Lawmakers poised to approve $1.9tn measure on Wednesday, sending it to Biden for his signatureThe House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has hailed the massive $1.9tn Covid relief bill as “historic” and “transformative” as the House stood poised to give the legislation final approval with a vote on Wednesday morning.Joe Biden, who will mark a year since the pandemic brought shutdowns across the nation with a primetime speech on Thursday, has said he will sign the bill as soon as it lands on his desk. Continue reading...
Law, which supporters hope will force the supreme court to revisit Roe v Wade, does not provide exceptions for cases of rape or incestArkansas has passed a new law banning nearly all abortions in the state, a sweeping measure that supporters hope will force the US supreme court to revisit Roe v Wade but opponents vow to block before it takes effect later this year.The state’s Republican governor, Asa Hutchinson, said he was signing the bill because of its “overwhelming legislative support and my sincere and long-held pro-life convictions”. Continue reading...
by Joanna Walters in New York and agencies on (#5F4G9)
Former Minneapolis police officer is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the killing of George FloydThe first three jurors were seated and several rejected by Tuesday afternoon in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in the killing of George Floyd began on Tuesday, after a 24-hour delay for legal reasons.The first potential juror was excused after she revealed during questioning that she thought the way the officer acted was “not fair”. Continue reading...
Bridgett Floyd, George Floyd’s sister, said that her family was glad the trial had finally arrived and was 'praying for justice' as the hearing continued on Monday.The trial of a former police officer in the US city of Minneapolis charged with George Floyd's murder has begun jury selection on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Jen Psaki says Major, one of two German shepherds, left person with minor injuries after being startled in encounter last weekThe White House has confirmed that Major, one of Joe Biden’s two German shepherd dogs, was involved in an incident which left an unidentified person with a minor injury.Related: House will vote Wednesday morning on $1.9tn Covid relief bill – live Continue reading...
Derick Almena, who has been on house arrest because of coronavirus concerns, is unlikely to serve his time in jailThe master tenant of the Oakland Ghost Ship warehouse, where a fire killed 36 people in 2016, received a 12-year sentence – but he is not likely to see the inside of a state prison.Already on house arrest after being released from jail last year because of coronavirus concerns, Derick Almena, 50, on Monday was ordered to serve the rest of his term under electronic monitoring, followed by three years of probation. Continue reading...
Demand for US tech stocks pushes Dow above 32,000 while Stoxx 600 closes at highest in over a yearShare prices in the US and Europe have reached their highest levels since the start of the pandemic as optimism grows that Joe Biden’s $1.9tn stimulus package can reflate a battered global economy without triggering a surge in inflation.Demand for US tech stocks sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average above the 32,000 level for a brief period while the Stoxx 600, a key index of European shares, closed at its highest level since late February last year. Continue reading...
John Schnatter resigned as pizza chain’s chairman in 2018 after Forbes report detailed conference call where he used wordJohn Schnatter, the founder and former chief executive of Papa John’s pizza, has been trying “to get rid of this N-word in my vocabulary” ever since he lost his role as the public face of the company for using it – more than two years ago.Schnatter resigned as Papa John’s chairman in July 2018, after an explosive report by Forbes detailed a conference call in which he “used the N-word” and “reflected on his early life in Indiana, where, he said, people used to drag African Americans from trucks until they died”. Continue reading...
Luke Wilson said his body camera was on when he arrested Andrea Sahouri and that he wrongly believed it had recorded incidentAn Iowa police officer who pepper-sprayed and arrested a journalist covering a Black Lives Matter protest acknowledged on Tuesday that he failed to record the interaction on his body camera and did not notify a supervisor as required.Related: Case of reporter facing trial over BLM coverage seen as attack on press rights Continue reading...
I became my country’s youngest ever captain at 25 and have been planning to coach for years. Let’s see where it takes meBy The Coaches’ Voice for the Guardian Sport NetworkLove. That’s the reason I played for Ireland for so long. It’s pretty simple. I loved watching players in the green jersey growing up, and when I put it on, it just fit. It always felt right. That didn’t change from my debut in 1998 through to my final appearance in 2016; 146 caps, 68 goals and three major tournaments later.Growing up, I saw what tournament football can do for a country. The 1990 and 1994 World Cups brought the whole country together when times were tough for a lot of people. You see what it means to everyone. All I ever wanted to do was play for Ireland and score goals. I broke Ireland’s scoring record in 2004, when I scored my 22nd goal at 24 years old. As soon as I did that, I wanted 30 goals. As soon as I scored my 30th goal, I wanted 40. And on it went. Continue reading...
Before the pandemic, I crammed my schedule to the point of exhaustion. I hope I remember the lessons the past year has taught meI have to believe in 21 June. Friends keep warning me it is only a proposed date for the end of England’s lockdown and no promises have been made by a government that isn’t famous for keeping its promises anyway. Frankly, though, I would believe it even if Boris Johnson personally spray-painted it on to the side of a bus and drove around, shouting: “Not really!” out of the window.I have to believe it, because I need the thing with feathers (that is hope, for those who aren’t fans of Emily Dickinson). If I give up on the feathers, I fear I may never fly again. I long to stand in platform shoes, half a size too small, being rigorously ignored by a handsome barman. I would pay to have a glass of wine knocked down my cleavage as Jason Derulo underscores everything so loudly that my friend has to keep repeating the story of her lockdown breakup. I would even go to a music festival. Continue reading...
New York governor has been accused of conspiring to cover up Covid-19 deaths in nursing homesThe publisher of American Crisis, Andrew Cuomo’s book about the coronavirus pandemic, will cease promotional efforts as the governor struggles under a New York crisis of his own making.Related: The New York attorney general holding Trump and Cuomo accountable Continue reading...
