A week after Andrew Cuomo resigned as the governor of the state of New York, Jonathan Freedland revisits a conversation he had with Alexis Grenell back in March. The pair discuss how Cuomo rose to the top, and then fell spectacularly from grace.
Continue reading...Category Archives: Democrats
What I learned from an unlikely friendship with an anti-masker
Frank’s views were disturbing, a brazen assertion of white privilege. But with our fates more clearly tied together than ever, I needed to understand him
On 11 March 2021, I took a selfie at the Baltimore Convention Center and pressed send. I’d just received my first dose of a Covid vaccine. “Feels pretty momentous,” I texted an acquaintance. “It was exactly one year ago that our university shut down.” Frank wrote back immediately from his small town in southern Michigan. “Momentous, yes. But not for the reasons you subscribe to,” he wrote.
Related: Battle for the Soul: can Joe Biden beat Trump’s Republicans in the war of words?
Continue reading...US recommends Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccine boosters – live
- Officials recommend booster eight months after receiving second shot
- Full story: US to offer booster shots starting 20 September
- Research continues on boosters for Johnson & Johnson vaccine
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Joe Biden will host Israel’s new prime minister Naftali Bennett in Washington on August 26, the White House has just announced.
Students in Florida’s Broward County went back to school under a mask mandate today, even as their school board faced threats of severe penalties for defying Republican governor Ron DeSantis.
And school officials in Hillsborough and Miami-Dade counties planned to address the public health measure later Wednesday, hoping to reduce infections in classrooms.
In Miami, Florida’s largest school district with 334,000 students, a task force of medical experts recommended students should be required to wear masks when they return to classrooms next week.
Continue reading...Biden says ‘I stand squarely behind my decision’ after insurgents take Afghan capital – as it happened
President acknowledges his decision would be criticized by many but says he would not ‘shrink from my share of responsibility’
- Biden faces biggest crisis of presidency over botched withdrawal
- Follow the latest Afghanistan news updates in our live blog
– Joan E Greve and Maanvi Singh
The South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham called Joe Biden after his victory over Donald Trump to tell the president he only joined attacks on his son, Hunter Biden, as a “bare minimum” to satisfy Trump supporters.
The detail was included in a lengthy profile of Graham and his Washington manoeuvres published by the New York Times. It said the call, intended to “revive a friendship damaged by [Graham’s] call for a special prosecutor to investigate the overseas business dealings” of Hunter Biden, was “short, and not especially sweet”.
Related: ‘Short and not especially sweet’: Lindsey Graham called Biden over Trump support
Continue reading...Joe Manchin voices ‘serious concerns’ about $3.5tn budget after Senate approval – live
- Centrist Democrat says it ‘irresponsible’ to spend at that level
- Senate approves blueprint in early morning vote along party lines
- Schumer acknowledges hurdles ahead for spending bill
- Assange loses court battle to stop US expanding extradition appeal
Joe Biden held a virtual meeting today with business, university and healthcare leaders to discuss strategies to get more Americans vaccinated against coronavirus.
The meeting included the CEOs of Kaiser Permanente, United Airlines and DESA, Inc., as well as the president of Howard University. All four have already announced vaccine requirements for their employees or students.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention said on Wednesday that pregnant women should get vaccinated after an analysis of data that showed no increased risk of miscarriage among women who received it.
The advice comes as hospitals in hot spots around the US are see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus, the Associated Press reports.
Related: CDC urges pregnant women to get Covid vaccine, finding no increased risk of miscarriage
Continue reading...Senate approves $3.5tn budget plan in crucial step on economic package
Lawmakers approve Democrats’ budget resolution on party-line 50-49 vote hours after passing $1tn infrastructure bill
Democrats pushed a $3.5tn framework for bolstering family services, health and environment programs through the Senate early Wednesday.
The overnight vote advances Joe Biden’s plans for reshaping federal priorities, and came hours after passing a $1tn infrastructure package.
Continue reading...Biden predicts ‘infrastructure decade’ as Senate passes bipartisan bill – live
- Bill passes in 69-30 vote, with 19 Republicans supporting plan
- President says of Cuomo resignation: ‘I respect the governor’s decision’
- Infrastructure bill lauded as a victory for bipartisanship – but is it?
- Cuomo resigns in wake of damning report on sexual harassment
- New York governor’s resignation will take effect in 14 days
The $1tn infrastructure bill that passed the Senate takes some steps toward addressing the climate crisis and building resiliency – through environmental activists and progressive Democrats say it falls short. In California, where global heating has helped fuel extreme wildfires, Dani Anguiano reports on the devastation of the Dixie fire:
After weeks of fire, smoke and warnings, Kimberly Price’s beloved hometown had run out of time.
With wind driving the Dixie fire directly into Greenville, Price’s longtime partner, John Hunter, told her she needed to leave. Price, 58, had spent most of her life in the close-knit Sierra Nevada community. She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving, but the flames were everywhere.
Related: ‘I still feel it isn’t real’: Gold Rush town residents reckon with wildfire devastation
White House press secretary Jen Psaki clarified the president’s earlier comments praising Andrew Cuomo’s legacy as governor.
Earlier, a reporter had asked Joe Biden to assess Cuomo’s decade-long career as governor. “I thought he’s done a hell of a job – and both on everything from access to voting to infrastructure to a whole range of things. That’s why it’s so sad,” Biden responded.
@potus responded to a specific question today about @NYGovCuomo work on infrastructure. He also made clear it was right for @NYGovCuomo to step down, reiterated his support for women who come forward, and made clear you can’t separate personal behavior from other work.
Continue reading...Andrew Cuomo resigns after sexual harassment allegations – video
The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, has resigned after an investigation by the state attorney general that found he sexually harassed multiple women, most of whom worked for him, and also retaliated after some made complaints. The Democratic governor had lost the support of the party establishment, with Joe Biden calling on Cuomo to resign and similar demands issued by House speaker Nancy Pelosi
- Andrew Cuomo resigns in wake of damning report on sexual harassment
- Cuomo: how governor went from Covid hero to furious fall from grace
Pentagon to mandate vaccines for US military – live
- Defense secretary moves to require inoculation by next month
- IPCC report: major climate changes inevitable and irreversible
- Senate expected to pass bipartisan infrastructure bill in late-night vote
- The infrastructure bill being lauded as a victory for bipartisanship – is it?
Joe Biden applauded defense secretary Lloyd Austin for taking steps to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for members of the US military starting next month.
“I strongly support Secretary Austin’s message to the Force today on the Department of Defense’s plan to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for our service members not later than mid-September,” the president said in a new statement.
Defense secretary Lloyd Austin is seeking the president’s approval to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for all members of the US military by next month.
In a message to service members today, Austin noted that Joe Biden had asked him to consider how and when coronavirus vaccines might be added to the military’s list of mandatory vaccinations. The defense secretary has since been consulting with senior Pentagon leaders and health experts about the best timeline for the new policy.
Continue reading...The infrastructure bill is being lauded as a victory for bipartisanship – but is it?
The truth of how the bill – which is not yet finished – has come to be is a little more self-interest than national interest
The Biden administration’s infrastructure proposal is still making its way through the congressional sausage-making process but it has already been lauded as a rare victory for bipartisanship in a divided America.
Pledging to unify America after his 2020 election win, Biden and his top supporters see the roughly $1tn package not just as a chance to repair America’s tattered and torn infrastructure but also as a model for reaching across the US’s political divide and getting things done.
Continue reading...Texas Democrats still absent as Republicans make third bid to pass vote laws
A month after fleeing the state to thwart passage of restrictive voting laws, Democrats again refused to appear at the state Capitol
Texas Democrats have refused to return to the state Capitol as governor Greg Abbott began a third attempt at passing new election laws, prolonging a months-long standoff that ramped up in July when dozens of Democratic state lawmakers left the state and hunkered down in Washington, DC.
“A quorum is not present,” said Republican house speaker Dade Phelan on Saturday, who then adjourned the chamber until Monday.
Continue reading...Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO union president, dies aged 72 – as it happened
- Chuck Schumer says ‘working people have lost a fierce warrior’
- US Senate to vote Saturday on passage of infrastructure bill
- Top Republicans move to protect Trump from Capitol attack fallout
We’re wrapping up today’s live politics coverage. Here’s an updated summary of the day’s key political news:
Los Angeles County public health officials argue indoor mask policy is working
New numbers from the Los Angeles public health department suggest the county’s requirement that people once again wear masks indoors is working, the public health director argued today.
LA County public health director Barbara Ferrer cites these numbers as evidence that LA's mask law is working.
While cases in LA have increased 22%, they increased in the rest of CA by 57% in the same time frame. pic.twitter.com/NHt9wVXi3l
Ferrer also said that the rate of increase in cases in LA has slowed since the mask order went into effect.
Continue reading...Andrew Cuomo tries to battle on as demands pour in for him to quit
- New York governor found to have sexually harassed 11 women
- Support crumbles as state impeachment cogs begin to turn
Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York who was found by the state’s top prosecutor to have violated the law by sexually harassing 11 women, continued to brave the storm on Wednesday while political support crumbled around him and moves for impeachment gathered pace.
The third-term Democratic governor – the longest-serving chief executive of any state in the nation – showed no sign of capitulating in the face of almost universal calls for his resignation from the Democratic establishment after the state’s top prosecutor released the results of the five-month investigation this week. Demands for him to stand aside poured in from individuals and institutions that had formed the bedrock of his empire.
Continue reading...Ohio Democratic primary election: Shontel Brown defeats progressive Nina Turner
Victory in the safe Democratic district will be interpreted by moderates as proof the party should hold centre ground and not shift to left
The Democratic establishment scored a major victory over the party’s progressive wing on Tuesday when Shontel Brown defeated Nina Turner in a primary election in Ohio.
Conceding defeat, Turner told supporters: “Tonight my friends, we have looked across the promised land, but for this campaign, on this night, we will not cross the river.”
Continue reading...Biden calls on Andrew Cuomo to resign after sexual harassment report – video
Joe Biden has called on Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday to resign after a report found he sexually harassed 11 women. New York’s attorney general Letitia James unveiled the results of an investigation that showed the governor engaged in unwanted groping, kissing and hugging and made inappropriate comments to multiple women
- Cuomo faces calls to quit after inquiry finds he sexually harassed 11 women
- Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment: the key testimony from the report
Biden calls on Cuomo to quit after damning sexual harassment report
- New York governor accused of harassment by 11 women
- President leads calls from both parties for Cuomo’s resignation
Joe Biden has led calls from both parties for New York governor Andrew Cuomo to resign after an investigation found he had sexually harassed 11 women.
Related: Biden calls on Cuomo to resign after report corroborates harassment allegations – live
Continue reading...Cuomo denies sexual harassment claims in New York attorney general report – video
The governor of New York state, Andrew Cuomo, faced demands to resign on Tuesday after an investigation found he sexually harassed 11 women. An explosive 165-page report released by the state attorney general, Letitia James, delivered a mountain of damning and often graphic evidence that Cuomo created a 'climate of fear' in a 'toxic' workplace and violated federal and state civil laws. But the governor released a defiant video address, insisting that 'I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances' and making clear he still has no intention of stepping down
- Cuomo faces calls to quit after inquiry finds he sexually harassed 11 women
- Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment: the key testimony from the report
Senate convenes for rare weekend session over infrastructure deal
- Schumer: ‘We’re going to get the job done’
- Republican Cornyn predicts a long ‘grind’
The Senate convened for a rare weekend session on Saturday with the majority leader, Chuck Schumer, encouraging the authors of a bipartisan infrastructure plan to finish writing their bill.
Related: Trump tries to defend ‘just say the election was corrupt’ demand to DoJ
Continue reading...Biden calls on Congress to extend pandemic moratorium on evictions – live
House speaker Nancy Pelosi noted in a letter to colleagues that only $3bn of $46bn allocated for rental aid in the American Rescue Plan had been spent
Here’s where the day stands so far:
Democratic congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, the chair of the House oversight committee, said the notes painted a damning picture of Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election.
“These handwritten notes show that President Trump directly instructed our nation’s top law enforcement agency to take steps to overturn a free and fair election in the final days of his presidency,” Maloney said in a statement.
Continue reading...Sheila Jackson Lee is third Black lawmaker to be arrested during voting rights protests
Congress members Joyce Beatty and Hank Johnson were previously arrested for participating in separate demonstrations
Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democratic representative of Texas, was arrested in Washington DC on Thursday while protesting lawmakers’ delay in passing legislation to protect voting rights, becoming the third member of the Congressional Black Caucus to be arrested for civil disobedience in recent weeks.
Related: Voting curbs enacted in 18 US states this year despite none finding widespread fraud
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