Most Americans prioritize making lawful voting easier, Washington Post-ABC poll finds
By a roughly 2-to-1 margin, Americans prioritize making lawful voting easier rather than making voter fraud more difficult, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released Thursday.
The poll finds 62 percent of adults saying it is more important to pass new laws “making it easier for people to vote lawfully,” while 30 percent say it’s more important to pass new laws “making it harder for people to vote fraudulently.”
The poll was conducted just before the Supreme Court upheld two Arizona voting restrictions that a lower court had said discriminated against minority voters, with experts saying the decision could make it harder to challenge some new voting restrictions being passed following former president Donald Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud.
The Post-ABC poll finds sharp partisan and racial differences on what new voting laws should focus on. A 59 percent majority of Republicans say it’s more important to pass new laws making it harder to vote fraudulently, while 62 percent of independents and 89 percent of Democrats say new laws should make it easier for people to vote lawfully.
An 82 percent majority of Black adults say it’s more important to make it easier for people to vote lawfully, compared with 67 percent of Hispanic adults and 58 percent of White adults.
The Post-ABC poll was conducted June 27-30 among a random national sample of 907 adults; the margin of sampling error for overall results is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points and error margins are larger among subgroups.
130 countries sign on to global minimum tax plan, creating momentum for Biden push
The Biden administration claimed an important victory on Thursday in its drive for a global minimum corporate tax with an announcement from Paris that 130 countries had signed on to the plan.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) made the announcement, which includes an agreement on taxing the American giants of the Internet economy, such as Google, Facebook and Amazon.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called the agreement “a historic day for economic diplomacy” and said it represented one of the administration’s core foreign policy goals.
Analysis: Nineteen Republicans didn’t even vote on forming a Jan. 6 committee
When the House voted largely along party lines yesterday to create a select committee to investigate the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the final tally included one curious number: 19.
That was the number of Republican lawmakers who didn’t even vote on whether to impanel a handpicked group of their colleagues to examine the worst attack on the federal legislature since 1814, which left more than 100 Capitol Police officers injured and interrupted the certification of Biden’s victory.
As of 11:45 a.m. Thursday, none had issued a statement on their official websites explaining to their constituents why they were absent, when being in the chamber for an important vote (or at least voting by proxy) is a fairly basic House member responsibility.
Biden says Supreme Court’s decision on Arizona voting rules underscores need for new federal laws
“In a span of just eight years, the Court has now done severe damage to two of the most important provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — a law that took years of struggle and strife to secure,” Biden said in a statement. “After all we have been through to deliver the promise of this Nation to all Americans, we should be fully enforcing voting rights laws, not weakening them.”
The Voting Rights Act was first passed in 1965 to forbid laws that result in discrimination based on race.
The court case involved two voting regulations from Arizona that are in common use across the country. One throws out the ballots of those who vote in the wrong precinct. The other restricts who may collect ballots cast early for delivery to polling places, a practice that then-President Donald Trump denounced as “ballot harvesting.”
“The attack we are seeing today makes clearer than ever that additional laws are needed to safeguard that beating heart of our democracy,” Biden said. He called on the Senate to pass a pair of voting rights bills that have cleared the House.
“The Court’s decision, harmful as it is, does not limit Congress’ ability to repair the damage done today: it puts the burden back on Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act to its intended strength,” Biden said.
Robert Barnes contributed to this report.
House passes more than $700 billion transportation and water bill, making its pitch on infrastructure
The House passed a more than $700 billion transportation and water infrastructure bill Thursday, a measure that stakes out the chamber’s position in a debate over how to rebuild the nation’s roads, transit networks, water pipes and sewers.
The package provides $343 billion for roads, bridges and safety programs, $109 billion for transit agencies and $95 billion for rail. It also includes $117 billion for drinking water programs and $51 billion for wastewater infrastructure. The bill passed 221-201, with two Republicans joining Democrats.
Much of the debate over infrastructure has played out between Biden and negotiators in the Senate, who outlined a bipartisan plan last week. But Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said this week that the spending envisioned in that bipartisan plan and the House bill were close enough that he saw the potential for an agreement.
Pelosi names Republican Cheney to select committee investigating Jan. 6 attack on Capitol by pro-Trump mob
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Thursday that Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) will chair the select committee that will probe the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) will serve as a member.
Cheney has been outspoken in her criticism of former president Donald Trump and was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him for “incitement of insurrection.”
The House on Wednesday approved legislation establishing the 13-member committee, with all but two Republicans — Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) — opposing the measure.
Supreme Court strikes down California law requiring charities to disclose top donors to attorney general
The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down California’s law that required charities to privately disclose their top donors to the state’s attorney general.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. delivered the splintered opinion. All six of the court’s conservatives agreed with the outcome, while the court’s three liberals dissented.
California law requires the approximately 100,000 charitable nonprofits that fundraise in the state to file the identities of their most generous donors with the attorney general. The same information is sent to the Internal Revenue Service, which determines tax-exemption status.
McCarthy threatens to strip GOP members of committee seats if they accept spot on Jan. 6 committee
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is threatening his members that if they accept an offer from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to sit on a new select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, he will remove them from their other committee assignments.
McCarthy warned freshmen GOP members on Wednesday night and has been relaying the message to Republican members on and off the floor, according to two House Republican aides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The House voted Wednesday to create a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection after efforts to appoint an independent commission failed in the Senate. Only two Republicans, Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) voted with Democrats to start this separate congressional probe.
The bill allows Pelosi to appoint eight members and McCarthy five, with Pelosi’s consultation. Pelosi has said that she may appoint a Republican herself.
Cheney and Kinzinger are the most likely choices for Pelosi. Asked about McCarthy’s threat on Thursday, Kinzinger told reporters, “Who gives a s---?”
Supreme Court upholds Arizona voting laws a lower court found were unfair to minorities
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld two Arizona voting restrictions that a lower court had said discriminated against minority voters.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion in the 6 to 3 ruling, which divided the court along ideological lines.
The court was considering the shield provided by the Voting Rights Act, first passed in 1965 to forbid laws that result in discrimination based on race.
The cases involved two voting regulations from Arizona that are in common use across the country. One throws out the ballots of those who vote in the wrong precinct. The other restricts who may collect ballots cast early for delivery to polling places, a practice then-President Donald Trump denounced as “ballot harvesting.”
Biden spokeswoman declines comment on Trump Organization indictments but says wealthy should pay fair share of taxes
A White House spokeswoman declined Thursday to comment directly on grand jury indictments against former president Donald Trump’s company and its chief financial officer but quickly pivoted to say that “it’s long past due for the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share” of taxes.
The comments from White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre to reporters traveling on Air Force One came shortly after Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg surrendered to authorities. Charges against Weisselberg and the Trump Organization are expected to be unsealed later in the day in New York’s Supreme Court. People familiar with the case said the charges are related to allegations of unpaid taxes on benefits for Trump Organization executives.
“You know, we’ve seen the coverage clearly for the past 12 hours or so, but I refer you to the parties involved” for further comment, Jean-Pierre said in response to a question about the developments. “We’re not going to comment on any specific case at this time. And generally, this is a president, you know, [who] believes and has made clear that it’s long past due for the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share. And he’s announced a number of initiatives to crack down on tax evasion by high-income individuals and big corporations.”
Asked if the White House thinks it’s appropriate for Trump to hold a political rally this weekend in Sarasota, Fla., Jean-Pierre demurred.
“We are not focused on the former president at all,” she said. “We are focused primarily on the American people.”
Analysis: Oklahoma is the first state to pocket extra new Medicaid dollars
An enticement of new federal money hasn’t yet furthered Democrats’ efforts to finally get Medicaid expansion in every state.
But one state — Oklahoma — will become the first to start pocketing the extra money provided by Congress. Its voters had already decided to expand the health insurance program before the incentive money was ever on the table.
Oklahoma’s Medicaid expansion takes effect Thursday.
Analysis: As U.S. falls short of Biden’s July 4 vaccination goals, delta variant spreads
The delta variant, a highly infectious strain of the coronavirus, is rapidly spreading through unvaccinated areas. Caseloads and hospitalizations in rural parts of the country are on the rise, and experts are warning of a potential surge this fall — even if 75 percent of the eligible population in the United States is vaccinated.
TLDR: The pandemic is not over.
Top White House officials, including first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, have been traveling the country to counter vaccine skepticism that has stalled vaccination rates. The White House in recent weeks has tamped down expectations that the administration will reach Biden’s goal of getting shots to at least 70 percent of adults by July 4.
Pride in being an American ticks upward, survey finds
Pride in being an American has ticked upward after hitting a historic low last year, driven by a big jump among Democrats, according to a new Gallup survey.
Gallup found that among U.S. adults overall, 69 percent are either “extremely” or “very” proud to be Americans, up from 63 percent last year.
The increase is driven almost entirely by the views of Democrats.
In the latest survey, taken five months after Biden took office, 62 percent of Democrats said they are proud to be Americans. That’s up from 42 percent a year ago.
Numbers among Republicans and independents are virtually unchanged from a year ago. In the new survey, 87 percent of Republicans said they are proud to be Americans, compared to 88 percent a year ago. Among independents, 65 percent said they are proud, compared to 63 percent last year.
According to Gallup, U.S. national pride peaked in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, with at least 90 percent of Americans saying they were extremely or very proud between 2002 and 2004.
Supreme Court expected to release term’s final decisions as speculation swirls around possible Breyer retirement
The Supreme Court on Thursday is scheduled to release its final opinions of its term, with decisions expected on cases involving voting rights and charitable donations, as speculation swirls around whether Justice Stephen G. Breyer will retire.
Among the decisions expected is one regarding two Arizona voting rules that a lower court said disadvantage minorities. The Democratic National Committee has argued that the rules violate the federal Voting Rights Act, which prohibits laws that result in racial discrimination.
One Arizona rule rejects ballots cast in the wrong precinct, while another limits people who may deliver another voter’s ballot to a polling place.
The court has also been weighing a challenge to a California law that requires charities to privately disclose their top donors to the state attorney general.
Meanwhile, Breyer, 82, the court’s oldest justice, has been under unprecedented pressure to retire while Democrats have narrow control of the Senate, which must confirm Supreme Court nominees.
Breyer’s exit would also give Biden the chance to make his mark on the court by nominating the first African American female justice and reinforcing the court’s liberal minority.
Breyer was chosen for the court in 1994 by President Bill Clinton, a year after Clinton picked Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
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