(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 909,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 64.2% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing Wednesday. All times Eastern:
Feb 09, 7:55 am
US reported more cases, deaths than any country last week, WHO says
The United States reported the highest number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths from the disease last week out of any country in the world, according to a weekly epidemiological update released Tuesday by the World Health Organization.
More than 1.8 million new cases were reported in the U.S. during the week of Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, a 50% decrease compared to the previous week. Over 14,000 new fatalities were also reported, a 15% decrease, the WHO said.
France had the second-highest number of new cases with more than 1.7 million, a 26% decrease, while India had the second-highest number of new deaths with nearly 8,000, a 69% increase, according to the WHO.
Meanwhile, the global number of new cases during that same period decreased by 17% compared to the previous week, while fatalities increased by 7%, the WHO said.
(NEW YORK) — Four months after the Taliban seized power, Obaidullah Alikhil found himself unemployed and struggling to make ends meet as his son laid in bed with no strength to even open his eyes as he battles malnutrition.
Weighing around 12 pounds, 2-year-old Mohammed Alikhil was first admitted to the hospital in the summer of 2021, as the U.S. prepared to retreat its troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s power continued to grow. He was hospitalized for 21 days due to severe diarrhea, Alikhil told ABC News in December.
At the end of his stay, he was brought back home. But his condition, according to Alikhil, only got worse, leading to another hospital visit.
Several hospital visits and medications did not help with Mohammed’s recovery. With no solution, the bills continued to pile up, and the family’s financial situation became even more challenging.
Mohammed is one out of millions of Afghans on the brink of starvation as their families run out of money. More than 23 million Afghans face acute hunger, including nine million who are nearly famished, according to the UNICEF World Food Program.
By mid-2022, the U.N. Development Program estimates that 97% of Afghanistan’s population will “plunge” into poverty. Up to one million children under 5 could die by the end of the year due to the country’s food crisis and the lack of water and sanitation services, according to UNICEF.
The cold weather brought by the winter season makes the situation even more complicated. To keep Mohammed warm, Alikhil boils water and sets the kettle near his bed.
The struggle to keep their homes warm could increase the risk of illnesses, according to UNICEF. If a child is malnourished, the risks of getting sick are higher, and the recovery could take longer.
“We are approaching a critical juncture for Afghanistan’s children, as winter brings with it a multitude of threats to their health,” Abdul Kadir Musse, a former UNICEF Afghanistan representative, said in a Jan. 15 press release.
“There is no time to lose. Without urgent, concerted action — including ensuring we have the resources to deploy additional cash transfers and winter supplies — many of the country’s children will not live to see spring,” he said.
The financial situation among Afghans becomes even more challenging, following the freezing of more than $9 billion in assets after the Taliban took power last August.
The measure to freeze foreign reserves was taken as a way to prevent the resources from falling into the Taliban’s hands. The U.N. has about $135 million in aid in Afghanistan but it can’t access the money since the Taliban-run central bank lacks the infrastructure to convert it to afghani, the country’s currency.
As a way to meet the needs of families, UNICEF launched a $2 billion appeal in December as a way to respond to the needs of over 24 million Afghans. The appeal will “help avert the collapse of health, nutrition, WASH, education and other vital social services for children and families.”
The U.S. is also taking part in providing aid to Afghanistan as it deals with a growing humanitarian crisis. In January, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced a contribution of over $308 million in humanitarian assistance for Afghans, bringing the total amount of aid in the country to nearly $782 million since October 2020.
“The United States continues to urge the Taliban to allow unhindered humanitarian access, safe conditions for humanitarians, independent provision of assistance to all vulnerable people and freedom of movement for aid workers of all genders,” a press release stated at the time. “We will continue to work to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people and call on other donors to continue to contribute to this international response.”
The U.S., however, is under growing pressure to unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets. The Taliban met with western diplomats from the U.S., Britain, France, Italy and Norway in January during a series of closed-door meetings in Oslo to discuss the humanitarian crisis affecting millions of Afghans.
It marked the first official talks since the group seized power six months ago.
For people like Alikhil, they struggle to find opportunities in a country under conflict and the Taliban’s leadership.
“All I want from them is to create a job opportunity [for us] so our lives get better. I am an educated person. I need a job so I can serve the country,” he said. “There is no job, no money.”
Without money and resources, some families are forced to make horrific decisions to make some money — even if it means selling their children.
“As of now, this child belongs to me; I have the right to sell him,” Khoday Ram, who is struggling to feed himself and his family, told ABC News. “If things would have been better, I would have let him study. But we’ve been left like this.”
“It’s normal to sell our daughters, but the situation is so bad, I have to sell my son because we’re hungry,” he said. “What happens to my son once I sell him is not up to me. He could end up being killed, or he could be allowed to go to school.”
Others are left with the choice to sell their organs in exchange for some money to buy a meal.
“I couldn’t go out and beg for money, I was not able to beg. Then I decided to go to the hospital and sell my kidney, so I could at least feed my children for some time,” Ghulam Hazrat told ABC News.
With over 2.5 million registered Afghan refugees, they consist of one of the largest refugee populations in the world. Approximately 2.2 million have relocated to Iran and Pakistan, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. Due to the growing conflicts and the rise of the Taliban to power, the UNHCR predicts the number will continue to rise.
While Alikhil struggles to find a job so he can provide for his family, what keeps him hopeful is Mohammed and his recovery after getting the strength to open his eyes once again.
“Only God knows the future, what will happen, whether we will get help or not,” he said. “In our community here, until now, we didn’t get any kind of help yet, neither money or flour. So far no one has helped us.”
“All I want is to earn something so I can take care of my family’s expenses, that’s it,” Alikhil said.
(WASHINGTON) — It’s a move that would have been unthinkable last year: Weeks after a holiday surge crushed hospitals and more people died in a single month than a typical annual flu season, four Democratic governors this week declared an end date to statewide mask mandates in schools.
The new changes won’t take effect for several weeks. Gov. Ned Lamont’s Connecticut mandate will expire Feb. 28, followed by New Jersey on March 7, and Oregon and Delaware on March 31 — presumably after the omicron wave has ended and case counts are low. Their decisions also leave local school districts the option of keeping their mandates in place.
Still, the message from the Democratic governors to President Joe Biden was unmistakable: With the midterms nine months away, Democrats are now joining the chorus of Republicans who say the nation must learn to “live with the virus” and are pressing Biden to chart a path forward.
“Democratic voters have run out of empathy for unvaccinated people dying of COVID,” said Brian Stryker, a partner at Impact Research, a Democratic polling firm. “They are ready to live their lives.”
If 2021 was the year of the vaccine, 2022 is already shaping up to be the year voters demand the U.S. moves on.
For health experts, living with COVID means paying attention to local case counts and “dialing” up or down restrictions as needed. It also means taking steps to protect people who are immunocompromised and are at higher risk for breakthrough cases, as well as children under the age of 5 who still don’t qualify for a vaccine.
For many Americans, though, including a growing number of Democratic voters, living with COVID means loosening restrictions regardless of case counts or vaccination status.
According to a new Axios/Ipsos poll, two-thirds of Americans say they do not believe it’s possible for the U.S. to eradicate the coronavirus within the next year, although they are divided about how to handle that.
That reality puts unique pressure on Biden ahead of his State of the Union address on March 1 — a speech typically used by sitting presidents to declare victory and look toward the future.
“The public is saying ‘enough.’ The politicians are saying ‘enough,'” said Frank Luntz, a longtime Republican pollster and strategist.
“If Biden doesn’t say ‘enough’ at the SOTU, he’ll be digging a hole he can’t climb out. The (Democratic) governors know this because they’re closer to the people,” he wrote in an email to ABC News.
A Democratic official familiar with the thinking of the governors said they have been talking for a while now about offering COVID-wary Americans a “light at the end of the tunnel” after the omicron wave — and pressing the White House to do the same in Biden’s upcoming national address.
“The governors are acutely aware that there’s a need to provide people some optimism and give people some sense of ‘here’s the path forward,'” said the official, who agreed to be interviewed on the condition of anonymity in order to speak more openly.
“They want him to talk about his wins, and there are good ones to talk about” like job growth and infrastructure investments that aren’t COVID related, the person said.
Biden’s initial plan to liberate Americans from the pandemic by last Fourth of July centered on vaccinations and ensuring widespread and equitable access. Eventually, he turned to workplace mandates. Yet one year later, tens of millions of eligible Americans remain unvaccinated and his mandates for large businesses have been scuttled by the Supreme Court.
COVID hospitalizations and deaths also have eclipsed any comparisons to the flu. For example, more than 60,000 people died from complications of COVID in January alone — one of the highest monthly COVID-19 death tolls on record. By comparison, a typical flu season might result in 20,000 to 50,000 deaths in an entire year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. in the last week averaged about 614 new cases a day per 100,000 residents — 61 times what the CDC considers to be low transmission. The CDC still recommends masks indoors, including in schools, for people ages 2 and up.
“I’m sure they’re facing a lot of pressure, both internally and externally, to try to make sure the pandemic is over,” Andy Slavitt, a former Biden adviser on COVID, said on ABC’s “Start Here” podcast of the Democratic governors. “It’s just not quite clear that it is.”
While the Democratic governors insist public health remains the priority, it’s hard to ignore this week’s rollbacks as a political calculation as Democrats look toward the midterm elections. Connecticut’s Lamont is up for reelection this fall. Oregon Democratic Gov. Kate Brown’s term limit expires this fall, leaving her seat up for grabs.
In New Jersey, Democratic Gov. Philip Murphy is coming off a narrow victory last fall, a race that surprised many pundits by how close it was. Also worth noting was Republican Glenn Youngkin’s victory in Virginia last fall, flipping enough Democratic voters to win the governor’s race there by promising to keep schools open and empower parents to make education decisions.
Celinda Lake, a Democratic strategist and lead pollster for Biden in the 2020 presidential election, said overall polling in the country still suggests strong support among Americans for masks in schools, with moms and women in particular erring on the side of caution. So Biden will have to take into account that majority of voters when addressing the nation, even if they aren’t as vocal, she said.
“Voters are also very worried about the learning loss and social learning loss associated with closing schools,” she said. “Democrats are on the right side of this issue and should make the argument forcefully that we are going to protect our children, work with parents and teachers to get the best schooling for our children, and follow the science to get this under control.”
Stryker said he still thinks the goal — at least from a political standpoint — is to move away from talking about the pandemic as much as Democrats are.
“If Democrats can stop talking about COVID every day, treat it like the long-term problem it is and start talking about more immediate concerns of voters” like the high cost of living, “the better they will do in the midterms,” he said.
(WASHINGTON) — Republican lawmakers are divided on what could become a defining issue for the GOP after the Republican National Committee passed a censure resolution last week including language critics said suggested the Jan. 6 attack was “legitimate political discourse” — with the top Republican in Congress rebuking the RNC Tuesday.
The resolution, censuring GOP Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois — members of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack — said the incumbent lawmakers were “participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse” — a phrase that has since come under fire and Cheney juxtaposed on social media with images of violence at the Capitol.
Asked about the RNC move at a weekly leadership press conference on Capitol Hill, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell did not address the “legitimate political discourse” language used directly, but offered his characterization of Jan. 6 and suggested the RNC was out of line to single out sitting members.
“Well, let me give him my view of what happened January the 6th. We all were here. We saw what happened. It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent a peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election from one administration to the next. That’s what it was,” McConnell said.
“With regard to this suggestion that the RNC should be in the business of picking and choosing Republicans who ought to be supported, traditionally, the view of the national party committee is that we support all members of our party, regardless of their positions, and some issues,” he added.
Asked if he had confidence in RNC Chairperson Ronna McDaniel, McConnell said, “I do — but the issue is whether or not the RNC should be sort of singling out members of our party who may have different views from the majority. That’s not the job of the RNC.”
In an interview with Spectrum News in December, McConnell signaled his personal interest in the House committee’s work, despite blocking the formation of an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the attack last year, and said, “I think that what they’re seeking to find out is something the public needs to know.”
ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott asked House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who has struggled to maintain GOP infighting on his quest to become House speaker, whether he thought there was was “legitimate political discourse” on Jan. 6 after he dodged reporters questions on the topic last week.
“Everybody knows there was — anyone who broke inside,” McCarthy replied Tuesday.
McCarthy’s office called later to clarify that he meant that “anybody who broke inside was not” engaged in legitimate political discourse.
Asked also if he was supportive of the censure of Cheney and Kinzinger, McCarthy said, “I think I’ve already answered that question — there’s a reason why Adam is not running for reelection,” in an apparent reference to an earlier interview with OAN.
The No. 3 House Republican Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. — who replaced Cheney as a member of leadership after an internal revolt last year — told reporters Tuesday, “The RNC has every right to take any action and the position that I have is you’re ultimately held accountable to voters.”
Asked also if she believes the violence on Jan. 6 was “legitimate political discourse,” Stefanik condemned the violence but proceeded to equate the violence of Jan. 6 to the “violence of 2020” — seemingly a reference to the national protests that took place following George Floyd’s murder.
But while House Republicans and close allies of Trump have defended the resolution, several members of Senate Republican leadership sought to distance themselves from it, with a number refuting the “legitimate political discourse” description.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas — a key ally of McConnell — told reporters Monday that the language in the resolution wasn’t appropriate.
“I just I think being accurate is really important, particularly when you are talking about something that sensitive, and I just think it was not an accurate description,” Cornyn said.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., also on the Hill Monday for an evening leadership meeting with McConnell, reacted as if the RNC’s action is wholly apart from him and the Senate GOP.
“I mean it’s what they want to say. I’m clear what I believe has been,” said Scott, who has condemned rioters on Jan. 6 as “disgraceful and un-American.”
But Florida’s other senator, Sen. Marco Rubio, fell in line with messaging of the RNC and former President Donald Trump, condemning the Jan. 6 committee, instead, on CBS’ Face the Nation Sunday as “a partisan scam.”
Other senators have wiggled around taking a clear stance.
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who announced last month he is not running for reelection to the Senate, told reporters Monday, “Everybody has the right to peacefully protest, but they don’t have the right to be violent. Of course, there was protest that day that was not violent, but there was also a terrible violent and criminal part of it.”
Pressed on whether the RNC resolution and specific language was appropriate, he said, “I haven’t read what they said, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to call violent and criminal activity.”
Senate GOP Whip John Thune, R-S.D., up for reelection this year and often a target of former President Donald Trump — was pressed repeatedly on whether he supports the censure resolution, but demurred, saying the focus, instead, should “be forward, not backward.”
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., echoed the sentiment but in a more critical tone, saying, “We’ve got a lot of issues that we should be focusing on besides censuring two members of Congress because they have a different opinion.”
The RNC has come under intense questioning since Friday about the inclusion of the “legitimate political discourse” phrase in its censure resolution to Cheney and Kinzinger.
Asked Friday to elaborate on the description, the RNC official said the party is talking about “legitimate political discourse that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol.”
“Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger crossed a line,” McDaniel said in a statement. “They chose to join Nancy Pelosi in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol. That’s why Republican National Committee members and myself overwhelmingly support this resolution.”
McDaniel’s statement notably attempted to clarify the resolution’s “legitimate political discourse” language, adding the words, “that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol,” though that additional phrasing did not appear in the resolution that was passed Friday.
Senate and House Democrats have come out swinging against the RNC’s decision.
“Ronna McDaniel should be ashamed of herself,” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries told reporters during a press conference Tuesday. “What makes it worse is that our Republican colleagues here in the Capitol refuse to denounce it because they are a part of the cult, as well.”
Republican Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas, meanwhile, sought to pivot away from the issue on ABC’s This Week when pressed by co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday, condemning the violence of Jan. 6 but unwilling to denounce the resolution.
“My understanding is [the statement] pertains to the legitimate protesters that I saw that day,” McCaul said.
Republican Rep. Don Young of Alaska, who voted against both of Trump’s impeachments, weighed in over the weekend to say that what transpired on Jan. 6 “was criminal, un-American, and cannot be considered legitimate protest.”
A handful of the seven Senate Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for “incitement of insurrection” last year were also among the first to condemn the RNC language.
“What happened on January 6, 2021 was an effort to overturn a lawful election resulting in violence and destruction at the Capitol. We must not legitimize those actions which resulted in loss of life and we must learn from that horrible event so history does not repeat itself,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, tweeted.
Hers followed Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, writing Friday morning that “shame” falls on the party, that his niece, McDaniel, currently presides over.
“Shame falls on a party that would censure persons of conscience, who seek truth in the face of vitriol. Honor attaches to Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for seeking truth even when doing so comes at great personal cost,” Romney tweeted.
And Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., also reacted with apparent shock, tweeting, “The RNC is censuring Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger because they are trying to find out what happened on January 6th – HUH?”
The move to censure Cheney and Kinzinger marks the first time the national RNC has had a formal censure for an incumbent member of Congress backed by its members.
The day before the RNC vote, Kinzinger tweeted he has “no regrets about my decision to uphold my oath of office and defend the Constitution.”
Kinzinger, who is not running for reelection but has said his political career is not over, said in a statement that GOP leadership had allowed “conspiracies and toxic tribalism” to cloud “their ability to see clear-eyed.”
“I’ve been a member of the Republican Party long before Donald Trump entered the field,” Kinzinger said in a statement Thursday night. “Rather than focus their efforts on how to help the American people, my fellow Republicans have chosen to censure two lifelong Members of their party for simply upholding their oaths of office.”
Cheney also spoke to her identity as a “constitutional conservative” in a statement and said, “I do not recognize those in my party who have abandoned the Constitution to embrace Donald Trump.”
(NEW YORK) — A growing number of states are lifting mask mandates in schools, but Education Secretary Miguel Cardona says that prematurely easing restrictions could lead to more issues for in-person learning.
“We have to have our health experts at the table,” Cardona told ABC News Live on Tuesday. “Most importantly, we have to keep our schools open; our students cannot afford another round of disruption.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Delaware Gov. John Carney announced Monday that students will no longer be required to wear a mask in schools by mid-March.
Since a few months after the pandemic hit the United States, local politicians have come under pressure from parents and communities on both sides of the debate over children wearing masks in schools.
“We have people that are very passionate about what they believe,” Cardona said. “We have to remember to engage the perspectives of different parents, teachers.”
Cardona responded to claims of parents who argue that wearing a face mask negatively impacts their child’s learning, by pointing to a likely outcome of lifting restrictions too soon.
“You know what hinders kids’ learning? Being quarantined because they have COVID, or not having a teacher because their teacher has COVID,” he said.
Some experts say it is too soon to end mask mandates in schools because vaccination rates are not high enough among children and new cases are still being reported. Experts are especially concerned for children under 5 who are not yet eligible for the vaccine. Pfizer requested emergency use authorization for children 6 months old to 5 years old on Feb. 1, and a Food and Drug Administration advisory meeting is scheduled for Feb. 15.
“Many of our educators have children under the age of 5 that they go home to,” said Cardona. “We need to make sure our schools are safe for them to work. We have to honor and respect our educators and leaders who have difficult decisions.”
The education secretary said the easing of coronavirus protocols in the classroom are making some educators feel uncomfortable coming to work. Since the pandemic began, there’s been a teacher shortage, due to fears of contracting the virus, remote learning and an overall shift in how our nation’s educators teach and interact with young people.
“It’s been tough to be an educator the last couple years, not only because of the changes that they’ve had to experience in terms of being in-person one day and being fully remote the next, but they’ve been under a lot of pressure,” said Cardona. “There’s strong feelings in the community, oftentimes teachers are being blamed schools are not open.”
He noted that the country has made progress in keeping schools open throughout the last year, stating that in the beginning of President Joe Biden’s term, less than 50% of classes were held in person. Now, all schools have opened their doors, though some are still operating on a hybrid schedule.
Cardona said it’s important for school districts and politicians to remember what has succeeded in keeping students and educators safe in schools.
“What I’m hearing from educators is that they just want to make sure that their work environment is safe for their students,” he added. “But they also understand this pandemic has taken a toll and that we’re ready to move forward, but we can only do so if we protect our students and our staff, including the students who are not yet in our schools, the little ones that parents are going back home to.”
(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told lawmakers on Tuesday that the pandemic has had a “devastating” impact on the mental health of America’s young people.
“I’m deeply concerned as a parent and as a doctor that the obstacles this generation of young people face are unprecedented and uniquely hard to navigate and the impact that’s having on their mental health is devastating,” Murthy told the Senate Finance Committee.
Senators expressed bipartisan support for addressing mental health issues among young people, with chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Ranking Member Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, raising alarm over recent increases in suicide attempts among American youth.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last year that emergency department visits for suicide attempts among teen girls were up more than 50% at the beginning of the pandemic, compared to the same period in 2019.
“Millions of young Americans are struggling under a mental health epidemic, struggling in school, struggling with addiction or isolation, struggling to make it from one day to the next. Our country is in danger of losing much of a generation if mental health care remains business as usual,” Wyden said. “And that means the Finance Committee has got to come up with solutions.”
A main issue, Murthy said, is access to care. He said that on average it takes 11 years from the onset of symptoms before a child begins receiving treatment.
Murthy’s main recommendations are to ensure access to “high-quality, culturally competent care,” focusing on prevention with school and community-based programs and developing a better understanding of the impact technology and social media have on young people.
“Currently there is a grand national experiment that is taking place upon our kids when it comes to social media and we need to understand more about what is happening, which kids are at risk, what impact these algorithms and the broader platforms are having on our children,” Murthy said.
He explained that, in addition to the positive effects social media platforms have had on young people, they have also, “exacerbated feelings of loneliness, futility and low self esteem for some youth,” and increased potential for negative messaging and bullying.
“Our obligation to act is not just medical, it’s moral,” Murthy said. “It’s not only about saving lives, it’s about listening to our kids who are concerned about the state of the world that they are set to inherit. It’s about our opportunity to rebuild a world that we want to give them, a world that fundamentally refocuses our priorities on people and community and builds a culture of kindness, inclusion and respect.”
If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts, The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support. Call 1-800-273-8255 for help.
(WASHINGTON) — Two Senate Democrats up for reelection introduced a bill on Wednesday to temporarily suspend the federal gas tax through the end of 2022, as millions of Americans grapple with the economic impacts of surging oil prices.
The Gas Prices Relief Act from Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., would suspend the $18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax through Jan. 1, 2023, according to a summary of the proposal shared with ABC News.
The senators, who are both on the ballot in November, released the proposal at a time when gas is roughly $3.45 a gallon nationwide, about $1 more expensive than a year ago, according to AAA.
“Arizonans are paying some of the highest prices for gas we have seen in years and it’s putting a strain on families who need to fill up the tank to get to work and school,” Kelly said in a statement. “This bill will lower gas prices by suspending the federal gas tax through the end of the year to help Arizona families struggling with high costs for everything from gas to groceries.”
“We need to continue to think creatively about how we can find new ways to bring down costs, and this bill would do exactly that, making a tangible difference for workers and families,” Hassan said in a statement.
At least four other Democrats, Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and Raphael Warnock of Georgia, have already signed on as co-sponsors of the measure. (Cortez Masto and Warnock, like Hassan and Kelly, are up for reelection in the fall.)
With inflation at a nearly 40-year high and Americans frustrated about the rising cost of many staples, Republicans have seized on the issue of gas prices as they try to retake the House and Senate in the midterms, pointing to the Biden administration’s economic agenda.
According to Gallup, just 33% of Americans are satisfied with the state of the economy — a 10-point drop from 2021 — and just 27% are satisfied with the nation’s energy policies.
Around the country, Democratic and Republican governors have proposed their own changes to state gas taxes ahead of the summer — by either freezing state gas tax collection or stopping planned increases from taking effect.
The Biden administration in November released 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help fight high gas prices before the holidays.
Cold weather and the possibility of sanctions against Russia over a potential invasion of Ukraine have both played a role in keeping the price of oil high, according to AAA.
Despite inflation, the Biden administration has touted the latest job numbers, arguing that the stronger-than-expected addition of 467,000 jobs in January signaled that the economy is weathering the pandemic as the latest wave of COVID-19 recedes.
(WASHINGTON) — Republican Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky, the second-most senior lawmaker in the House, told ABC News he has apologized to Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, after she said he refused to put on his mask Tuesday when she asked him to and, instead, poked her and told her to “kiss my ass.”
“This afternoon, I met with Congresswoman Beatty to personally apologize. My words were not acceptable and I expressed my regret to her, first and foremost,” Rogers said in a statement.
Beatty, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, tweeted a thread about their exchange Tuesday afternoon that got more than 10,000 likes and 5,000 retweets in less than an hour from its posting.
“Today, while heading to the House floor for votes, I respectfully asked my colleague @RepHalRogers to put on a mask while boarding the train. He then poked my back, demanding I get on the train. When I asked him not to touch me, he responded, ‘kiss my ass,'” the Ohio lawmaker tweeted.
“This is the kind of disrespect we have been fighting for years, and indicative of the larger issue we have with GOP Members flaunting health and safety mandates designed to keep us and our staff safe,” she wrote.
In a third and final tweet, Beatty tagged Rogers’ Twitter account and said, “when you are ready to grow up and apologize for your behavior, you know where to find me.”
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus held a press conference on the Capitol steps Tuesday evening to demand Rogers apologize for what they suggested was a physical and verbal “assault” on Beatty and described overall incivility in the halls of Congress.
“I will not give Hal Rogers a pass,” said Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., who is running for Senate. “Look, we’re all dealing with the same thing, but his racist, inappropriate behavior against Joyce Beatty is totally unacceptable. And we will not tolerate it.”
Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., first vice chair of the caucus, added, “We are here in solidarity to call on that member to formally apologize to our chair and to understand the seriousness of his actions and the lack of decorum that he exhibited today.”
The apology from Rogers, a Republican, to Beatty, a Democrat, marks a rarity in today’s hyper-partisan Congress.
Republicans have rebelled against mask requirements at the Capitol since they were imposed last year with the change of congressional leadership amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with some publicly questioning the efficacy of masks despite public health experts recommending them.
In a directive issued last month amid looming fears of the omicron variant, the Office of the Attending Physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, said it was required that all members and staff wear “medical-grade” masks throughout the House, unless members are speaking in the halls of the House or someone is alone. There is no mask requirement for the Senate chamber or the halls of Congress.
While Rogers not wearing a mask did not break any Capitol rules, Democrats have for months blasted Republicans for flouting COVID-19 precautions and what they say is a lack of concern over the health and safety of their congressional colleagues, especially with many in a higher age bracket.
Several Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for refusing to wear masks on the House floor but have characterized the rebukes as badges of honor.
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend all Americans still wear masks in crowded indoor areas, such as on trains.
(WASHINGTON) — Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, attending an event at Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, was escorted out of the room by a U.S. Secret Service agent because of a reported “security threat.”
Emhoff was ushered out of the room at 2:18 p.m. by a Secret Service agent, according to a press pool report. Dunbar’s principal followed a few minutes later, the report said.
His staff informed the pool there was a security threat reported by the school to the Secret Service.
A school announcement came over the intercom at 2:34 p.m. calling on teachers to evacuate the school and reporters left the building as well.
Enrique Gutierrez, the press secretary for DC Public Schools, said, “It was an apparent bomb threat … It was a bomb threat. We’re taking precautions, evacuation — evacuating everybody. Seems like all the students are out and safe.”
Earlier, Emhoff’s office put out a news release saying that, in commemoration of Black History Month, Emhoff would visit the school “to meet with students who are participating in a program that helps them relate to history on a personal level.”
His wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, was not with him at the time.
Emhoff’s communications director, Katie Peters, said in a statement that Emhoff is safe after the U.S. Secret Service had been “made aware of a security threat” at the school.
“U.S. Secret Service was made aware of a security threat at a school where the Second Gentleman was meeting with students and faculty,” the statement said. “Mr. Emhoff is safe and the school has been evacuated. We are grateful to Secret Service and D.C. Police for their work.”
“This afternoon during an event attended by a Secret Service protectee, the Secret Service was made aware of a threat to the venue and immediately evacuated the protectee,” a Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement.
“At this time there is no information to indicate the threat was directed toward our protectee. In order to maintain operational security, the Secret Service does not discuss our protectees or the means and methods used to conduct our protective operations,” the spokesperson said.
During a news conference later Tuesday, D.C. police said that the bomb threat at Dunbar High School during Emhoff’s visit appeared to be unrelated to previous bomb threats recently against Historically Black Colleges and Universities and that Emhoff wasn’t targeted, based on a preliminary investigation.
The bomb threat “doesn’t appear related and tied to what happened over the last few weeks but again, can’t rule it out,” Ashan M. Benedict, executive assistant chief of police with the Metropolitan Police Department, told reporters.
(WASHINGTON) — The Maryland Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on Tuesday over whether Lee Boyd Malvo, the last living D.C.-area sniper, should be given a revised sentence under new federal and state laws that apply to those convicted of crimes as juveniles.
In 2002, Malvo, who was then 17, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after a sniper spree nearly 20 years ago in which 10 people were killed and another three wounded in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia over a span of 22 days.
In 2009, Malvo pleaded guilty for his role in killing six people in Montgomery County, Maryland, and received six life sentences without the possibility of parole. That same year, Malvo’s co-conspirator, John Allen Muhammad, was executed by lethal injection after being sentenced to death in Virginia.
However, because Malvo committed the crimes as a juvenile in 2002, new laws have given his attorneys fresh arguments to try to gain Malvo’s release.
Kiran Iyer, a lawyer for Malvo, claimed that his client’s age was not considered when he was sentenced to the six life sentences in Maryland in 2006.
Iyer claimed the judge who sentenced Malvo did not take into account Malvo’s immaturity and what the law terms the “diminished capacity” of juvenile offenders.
Malvo’s lawyer argued the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court case Miller v. Alabama, which said mandatory life sentences without parole for juvenile offenders is unconstitutional and violates the 8th Amendment, should be applied in Malvo’s case.
Iyer also argued new Maryland laws, including the Juvenile Restoration Act (JUVRA) that lets prisoners convicted as juveniles seek release after serving at least 20 years in prison, should apply. Juvenile offenders imprisoned at least 20 years can now file motion three times to attempt to receive a reduced sentence.
In recent years, lawmakers in Maryland and Virginia have passed similar legislation to abolish sentences of life without parole for crimes committed by juveniles.
Malvo, who is currently serving four life sentences for his conviction in Virginia, could be paroled in that state under new JUVRA laws. However, as things now stand, he’d then have to begin serving his Maryland sentence, needing to wait another 20 years to be considered for JUVRA consideration in Maryland.
On Tuesday, Malvo’s attorney asked the court to consider his sentences in Virginia and Maryland as one, noting, because of his conviction in Virginia, Malvo may never enter Maryland state custody. Iyer asked “for a meaningful opportunity for release from [Malvo’s] Maryland sentences.”
Carrie J. Williams, a Maryland assistant attorney general, attempted to poke holes in Malvo’s appeal to Maryland’s highest court. She argued that under Virginia laws, Malvo will have a meaningful opportunity for release starting later this year in Virginia due to a state law there that allows juvenile offenders to have a parole hearing after 20 years. She added that Maryland and Virginia did not violate the 8th Amendment or the Supreme Court ruling in Miller v. Alabama, because of the way JUVRA laws work.
She also argued that Malvo was nearly 18 when he committed the crime and noted, because of his age and laws at the time of the killings, he isn’t serving life without parole.
Williams told the court, “Mr. Malvo was nearly 18 when he committed these crimes is certainly relevant, it is certainly relevant for consideration when deciding whether he could be appropriately sentenced to life without parole. But in this case, because of JUVRA. He’s not serving life without parole, and in fact, because his sentence should not be considered in the aggregate. And in fact, no one is any longer serving life without parole in Maryland for crimes that they committed as a juvenile.”
She went after Malvo’s attorney’s plea that his sentencing in Maryland and Virginia should aggregate, noting the planning and length of the crimes he committed.
Williams argued “Mr. Malvo had multiple, multiple opportunities to reflect upon each one of his 10 bad decisions and the bad decisions that have not been prosecuted but to which Mr. Malvo has confessed. If Mr. Malvo’s sentences aggregate — if this court holds that Mr. Malvo’s sentences must be considered as one single sentence — it will be close to a per se rule that all juvenile sentences must aggregate. Because it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the where the– argument against aggregation would be stronger.”
