Democrats look to renew push for voting rights protections bill – as it happened

The Red Cross is facing a blood crisis. Drives have been canceled, donors have stopped showing up, and with Covid surging across the US, the organization has struggled with staffing. In 2021, new donations were down 34% and shortages are imminent, CBS News reports. Some blood centers have less than a one-day supply left of certain blood types.

“If the nation’s blood supply does not stabilize soon, life-saving blood may not be available for some patients when it is needed,” the agency said in a joint statement with America’s Blood Centers and the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies.

The shortage is the worst it’s been in over a decade and hospitals have already been forced to “defer patients from major surgery, including organ transplants” according to a statement posted on the agency’s website.

Those interested in donating can schedule an appointment at https://www.redcrossblood.org/ or contact their local hospital.

Insurance companies will have to foot the bill for over-the-counter Covid tests starting on Jan 15, the Biden Administration announced today, enabling the roughly 150 million privately insured Americans to get them for free.

This is all part of our overall strategy to ramp-up access to easy-to-use, at-home tests at no cost,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement, adding that the half a billion at-home rapid tests will be purchased and provided for “Americans who need them,” made available later in the month.

The new requirement will enable people with proof of private health coverage to get tests from some pharmacies and online retailers without any upfront costs or to file a claim for reimbursement.

As Covid cases continue to surge across the country, the tests have become a vital — and costly — resource. A two-test pack can run anywhere from $14 to $34. Still, as demand spikes, they have become increasingly harder to find. While covering costs is a step that may help some check for Covid more easily and regularly it won’t do much for those encountering empty shelves.

“If reimbursement exists but there aren’t tests to purchase,” Lindsey Dawson, an associate director at the Kaiser Family Foundation told the New York Times, “that doesn’t help an individual consumer.”

Some civil rights groups are planning to boycott Biden’s voting rights speech in Atlanta tomorrow to protest what they see as a failure of the Administration to make significant moves on the issue.

“It is very disappointing that we use our voice and our vote to elect the Democrats to handle this issue and it just hasn’t been given the priority that it should,” April England Albright, legal director for activist group Black Voters Matter, told Reuters.

The organization and a coalition of others, including New Georgia Project Action Fund, the Asian American Advocacy Fund and the GALEO Impact Action Fund, were instrumental in getting out the vote for Democrats in 2020. But in a joint statement, the groups said the president’s visit meant little unless it included “an announcement of a finalized voting rights plan that will pass both chambers, not be stopped by the filibuster, and be signed into law”.

The filibuster rule was utilized by Republicans to stop voting-rights legislation from getting a floor vote 4 times last year after the bills were introduced by Democrats.

Some GOP donors are growing frustrated that the party continues to cover the legal bills for former president Donald Trump, ABC News reports. According to campaign finance records, The Republican National Committee spent close to $720,000 last October and November to pay law firms aiding Trump in numerous lawsuits.

While it’s not unusual for political parties to doll out donor’s funds for legal costs related to presidential campaigns, this is different. From ABC:

But experts say the GOP’s recent payments of Trump’s attorney fees after he left the White House, for investigations that are not relevant to the next presidential campaign, is a very unusual move that’s indicative of the ongoing influence that the former president has over the party.

“Campaign finance law does not strictly prohibit a national party committee from paying for private legal expenses, but it is very rare for a party committee to use donor money in that way,” said Brendan Fischer, federal reforms director at nonpartisan government ethics group Campaign Legal Center.”

Fischer continued saying that it’s unprecedented for the party to cover legal expenses that “arise out of an investigation into activity that preceded Trump’s time in the White House, and when Trump is sitting on millions of his own PAC funds”.

In response, RNC spokesperson Emma Vaughn characterized the costs as political battles. “As a leader of our party, defending President Trump and his record of achievement is critical to the GOP,” Vaughn told ABC. “It is entirely appropriate for the RNC to continue assisting in fighting back against the Democrats’ never ending witch hunt and attacks on him.”

The party has also taken on lawsuits they characterize as an “election integrity program” doubling down on a fabrication from the former president that voter fraud cost him the election. No evidence was ever found to validate those claims, but that hasn’t stopped Trump and his supports for continuing to spread misinformation.

Even with the high costs, the GOP is sitting on a significant amount of cash. With big donors still in their camp, the RNC reportedly had more than $65 million in its coffers at the end of November.

Hello readers! Gabrielle Canon here, taking over from the west coast.

Clay Aiken — who came to fame in the early aughts after placing second on American Idol — is officially running for Congress. The self-described “loud and proud Democrat” shared the news in a twitter video posted today, where he sat on a stool and talked openly to would-be voters.

Telling viewers that his life, these days, looks much more “like yours than Justin Bieber’s” Aiken outlined the reasons he is running, including health-care access, inclusion, climate change, and income equality.

“North Carolina is where I discovered first that I had a voice — and it was a voice that could be used for more than singing” he says, adding that the state was once the progressive beacon in the south. “Back then the loudest voices in our government were progressives who made sure our state was moving forward. But then things changed.”

Aiken is seeking a seat in a newly drawn district that includes areas represented by retiring Democrat David E. Price. “One of my first experiences in politics and government was asking Congressman Price to speak to my eighth grade class — an invitation he graciously accepted,” Aiken wrote on his website adding, “I’d be honored to take his place.”

This is Aiken’s second try to represent the state, after losing to a Republican incumbent in 2014.

The 2022 primary was recently postponed until May 17, according to the New York Times, which also reports that the new legislative districts are facing lawsuits from Democrats and voting-rights advocates.

Aiken is entering a crowded field but has already gotten some high-profile vocal support. “My amazing friend @clayaiken is running for Congress in NC!” New York City Council Member, Erik Bottcher tweeted urging followers to donate to the campaign. “If elected he’ll be the first LGBTQ member of congress from the south.”

Meghan McCain also shared Aiken’s campaign video, tweeting, “Congratulations on your campaign launch @clayaiken! We love you!”

For students across the US, the return from winter break has been marked by chaos and confusion as the Omicron variant has exacerbated staff shortages and sparked fierce debates about how to reopen classrooms safely.

In Chicago, classes resumed and then were canceled abruptly last week as the teachers’ union and school district failed to agree on safety protocols, while teachers in San Francisco and other Bay Area schools staged a “sickout” to demand more N95 face masks, testing and paid sick leave for those who contract the coronavirus.

For Los Angeles Unified – the second largest public school system in the US – classes are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, and educators, students, and parents alike are bracing for another winter of anxious uncertainty.

Schools here are grappling with coronavirus conundrums that institutions across the country are facing – but on a huge scale. Vaccination rates continue to lag among children, and tests are in short supply.

And all this comes as rates of Covid surge in the surrounding community, with about one in every five coronavirus tests in Los Angeles coming back positive.

Read the Guardian’s full report:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged Americans to avoid travel to Canada due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in the neighboring country.

Reuters reports:

The CDC elevated its travel recommendation to ‘Level Four: Very High’ for Canada, telling Americans they should avoid travel to its northern neighbor. The CDC currently lists about 80 destinations worldwide at Level Four. It also raised the island of Curaçao to Level Four on Monday.

The United States in November lifted restrictions at its land borders with Canada and Mexico for fully vaccinated foreign nationals, ending historic curbs on non-essential travelers in place since March 2020 to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, US coronavirus hospitalizations have hit a new record of 132,646, surpassing the country’s previous record set in January of last year.

Mitt Romney came to the defense of fellow Republican senator Mike Rounds, after Donald Trump attacked him for acknowledging the former president lost the 2020 election.

“Mike Rounds speaks truth knowing that our Republic depends upon it. Republicans like Govs Hutchinson, Baker & Hogan; Sens McConnell, Thune & Johnson; Bush & Cheney; plus 60+ courts and even the right-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial page agree: Joe Biden won the election,” Romney said in a tweet.

Romney’s tweet came a day after Rounds acknowledged the reality that Trump had lost the 2020 race, telling ABC News, “The election was fair, as fair as we’ve seen. We simply did not win the election, as Republicans, for the presidency.”

In response, Trump released a statement accusing Rounds of being “woke,” saying he will never endorse the South Dakota senator again.

“Is he crazy or just stupid?” Trump said. “Even though his election will not be coming up for 5 years, I will never endorse this jerk again.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s opposition to amending the filibuster, which Republicans have repeatedly used to block voting rights bills.

“I think that everyone is going to have to take a hard look at where they want to be at this moment in history, as we’re looking at efforts across the country to prevent people from being able to exercise their fundamental rights,” Psaki said.

Because the Senate is evenly divided between the two parties, majority leader Chuck Schumer needs all 50 Democrats on board before he can move forward with changing the filibuster, so he will need to convince Sinema to support the proposal.

A reporter asked Jen Psaki about whether Joe Biden believes he has the political influence to get a voting rights bill across the finish line, amid unified Republican opposition to Democrats’ proposals.

“It’s a hard question to answer because really what we’re talking about is whether we can get enough votes in Congress to get this done,” the press secretary said.

Psaki described access to the ballot box as a “fundamental right for all Americans,” noting that voting rights bills have historically attracted bipartisan support in Congress.

“I think we would dispute the notion that the president hasn’t been active or vocal” on voting rights, Psaki said “He’s given a range of speeches. He’s advocated for voting rights to pass.”

But the press secretary added that the White House understands advocates’ frustration about Democrats’ failure to get a voting rights bill passed as of now.

The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, is now holding her daily briefing with reporters, and she provided a preview of Joe Biden’s remarks in Atlanta tomorrow.

The speech is focused on the need to pass national voting rights legislation, although Republicans have repeatedly blocked Democrats’ voting rights bills by invoking the Senate filibuster.

Psaki said the president would use the Atlanta speech to underscore what is at stake in the fight for voting rights, but she acknowledged Biden will not be able to sign any bill until he has the votes in the Senate, which will almost certainly require amending the filibuster.

Another House Democrat has announced his retirement, continuing a worrisome trend for the party as it braces for the possibility of widespread losses in the midterm elections.

Ed Perlmutter, who has represented Colorado’s 7th Congressional District since 2007, said today that he will not seek reelection in November.

“After much thought and consideration, I have decided not to run for reelection,” Perlmutter said in a statement announcing his decision.

“I’ve never shied away from a challenge but it’s time for me to move on and explore other opportunities. There comes a time when you pass the torch to the next generation of leaders.”

Perlmutter is the 26th House Democrat to announce he will not seek reelection, compared to just 12 House Republicans who have decided to leave the chamber.

Planet-heating emissions roared back in the US in 2021, dashing hopes the pandemic would prove a watershed moment in greening American society and addressing the climate crisis, new figures show.

Following the onset of the pandemic in 2020, millions of people switched to working from home, car and airplane travel plummeted and industrial output slowed. This led to a sharp drop in greenhouse gas emissions, spurring predictions that a newly shaped American economy would emerge to help banish the era of fossil fuels.

These forecasts may well have been baseless, however, with new research showing US emissions rose by 6.2% last year, compared to 2020. While emissions were still 5% down from 2019, the jump in pollution as people returned to previous rhythms of life was greater than last year’s overall economic growth.

Full story:

As Reuters reported this morning, a New York man has been criminally charged for threatening to kill Donald Trump.

According to a complaint unsealed on Monday, Thomas Welnicki of Rockaway Beach expressed interest in killing the then president in an interview with US Capitol police in July 2020 and in several calls to the Secret Service the following year.

Trump was identified as “Individual-1” in the complaint, filed in Brooklyn federal court. A footnote said “Individual-1” was president from 20 January 2017 to 20 January 2021.

According to the complaint, in one voicemail left with the Secret Service, Welnicki said he would “do anything I can to take out” Trump.

“Oh yeah, that’s a threat to come and arrest me,” he was quoted as saying. “I will do anything I can to take out [Trump] and his 12 monkeys … if I had the opportunity to do it in Manhattan, that would be awesome … tomorrow [Trump] will be in Georgia, maybe I will.”

The complaint said the “12 monkeys” were unnamed members of Congress who Welnicki believed supported Trump. It also said Welnicki believed there was a $350,000 reward available for killing Trump.

Given the codename “Mogul” by the Secret Service, Trump was the subject of security scares.

In June 2016, for example, a British man was arrested at a rally in Las Vegas after trying to steal a police officer’s gun. The man told police his aim had been to kill Trump, then a candidate for president.

In March 2017, an intruder who said he hoped to speak to the president breached the White House walls via the US treasury next door.

Here’s some further reading about the Trumps and the Secret Service:

Joe Biden spoke today to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, as the country continues to suffer through a bloody civil war that has attracted international condemnation for alleged war crimes.

“President Biden commended Prime Minister Abiy on the recent release of several political prisoners, and the two leaders discussed ways to accelerate dialogue toward a negotiated ceasefire, the urgency of improving humanitarian access across Ethiopia, and the need to address the human rights concerns of all affected Ethiopians, including concerns about detentions of Ethiopians under the state of emergency,” the White House said in a readout of the call.

“President Biden expressed concern that the ongoing hostilities, including recent air strikes, continue to cause civilian casualties and suffering, and he reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to work alongside the African Union and regional partners to help Ethiopians peacefully resolve the conflict.”

Over the weekend, an airstrike in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray killed 56 people and wounded many others, including children.

The Ohio Republican Jim Jordan is the second sitting congressman to refuse a request for cooperation from the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack.

In a Sunday night letter to the committee chair, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the Trump ally accused the panel of “an outrageous abuse” of its authority.

He also claimed “an unprecedented and inappropriate demand to examine the basis for a colleague’s decision on a particular matter pending before the House of Representatives”.

“This request is far outside the bounds of any legitimate inquiry,” he said, “violates core constitutional principles and would serve to further erode legislative norms.”

Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who was also closely involved in Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his election defeat, has also refused to cooperate.

Some North Carolina voters are pushing for Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn to be barred from seeking reelection because of his involvement in the rally that culminated in the January 6 insurrection.

The AP reports:

Lawyers filed a candidacy challenge of the Republican on behalf of 11 voters with the State Board of Elections, which oversees a process by which a candidate’s qualifications are scrutinized. The voters contend that Cawthorn, who formally filed as a candidate for the 13th District seat last month, can’t run because he fails to comply with an amendment in the U.S. Constitution ratified shortly after the Civil War.

The 1868 amendment says no one can serve in Congress ‘who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress . . . to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same.’

At the rally on January 6, Cawthorn addressed a crowd of Donald Trump’s supporters, praising their “courage” and criticizing Republicans who opposed efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

“The Democrats, with all the fraud they have done in this election, the Republicans, hiding and not fighting, they are trying to silence your voice,” Cawthorn told the crowd. “Make no mistake about it, they do not want you to be heard.”

Symone Sanders, a former top adviser to Kamala Harris, is joining MSNBC as an anchor, the network announced this morning.

According to MSNBC’s press release, Sanders will host MSNBC on the weekends and anchor “The Choice” on NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock.

“Sanders will bring her expertise, spirited rhetoric and sharp political insight to MSNBC’s multi-platform channels,” the press release says.

“Her program will explore issues at the intersection of politics, culture and race and break down how decisions made in Washington impact electorates, industries, and communities across the country. She will also interview law and policy makers, top government officials, scholars, and thought leaders.”

The announcement comes one month after news broke that Sanders was leaving the Biden administration, amid a broader staff shake-up in Harris’ office.

Sanders previously served as an adviser to Joe Biden during the 2020 campaign, and she was a spokesperson for Bernie Sanders during the 2016 campaign.

Joe Biden has now arrived back at the White House after spending the weekend at Camp David.

The president did not take any questions from reporters upon his arrival, although one journalist took the inventive approach of writing her question on a sheet of paper and displaying it for the president to read.

Sadly, Biden did not take the bait.

Both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are scheduled to deliver remarks tomorrow, as the president and the vice-president travel to Atlanta to address the urgent need to pass national voting rights legislation.

Biden selected Harris as the administration’s point person on voting rights last year, but Democrats have so far been unable to make substantial progress on the issue because of Senate Republicans’ filibustering.

“Our democracy is being threatened by an attack on voting rights,” Harris said in a tweet this morning. “We must fight to save our democracy by fighting for the right for all people, whoever they vote for, to vote.”

The Republican official who famously resisted Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his election defeat in Georgia has said he will run for re-election on a platform of “integrity and truth”, against an opponent who as a churchman “should know better” than to advance the former president’s lies.

Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, became a household name after he turned down Trump’s demand that he “find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have [to get]” in order to overturn Joe Biden’s win in the southern state. It was the first victory by a Democrat in a presidential race in Georgia since 1992.

This year, Raffensperger will run for re-election against Jody Hice, a pastor, US congressman and Trump acolyte.

“Congressman Hice, he’s been in Congress for several years,” Raffensperger said on Sunday, on CBS’s Face the Nation. “He’s never done a single piece of election reform legislation.