When digital divide

Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin Joseph (Joe) Manchin Hoyer: House will vote on COVID-19 relief bill Friday Haaland courts moderates during tense Senate confirmation hearing Democrats in standoff over minimum wage MORE (D-W.Va.) is the most pivotal vote in the evenly divided Senate, and his power could spark prolonged intraparty feuds among Democrats. Concerned about simmering friction, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck Schumer Congress holds candlelight vigil for American lives lost to COVID-19 The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - Lawmakers investigate Jan. 6 security failures Senate confirms Thomas-Greenfield as UN ambassador MORE (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday strongly urged his Democratic caucus to unify around a pending $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. Manchin appears to have derailed President Biden Joe Biden Hoyer: House will vote on COVID-19 relief bill Friday Pence huddles with senior members of … [Read more...] about Manchin flexes muscle in 50-50 Senate

Children’s hospitals and pediatricians are calling on the Biden administration to prioritize children’s mental, emotional and behavioral health in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. The Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) launched an awareness campaign on Wednesday to ask the administration and lawmakers to provide more funds to programs to address the escalating crisis among children and youth. The group is seeking increased funding for existing mental and behavioral health programs, through the Department of Health and Human Services’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Health Resources and Services Administration. ADVERTISEMENT They also think Congress should provide new funding for activities at the state and local level to support children, like telehealth, training for crisis response and school-based services. The digital advertising campaign is expected to run for several weeks with an … [Read more...] about Children’s hospitals, pediatricians urge Biden to prioritize youth mental health

Sen. Bob Menendez Robert (Bob) Menendez Senate confirms Thomas-Greenfield as UN ambassador The Memo: Biden bets big on immigration Biden pushes expanded pathways to citizenship as immigration bill lands in Congress MORE (D-N.J.) on Tuesday reintroduced legislation that would require public companies to disclose the racial, ethnic, gender and veteran composition of their corporate boards and senior management. The bill, the Improving Corporate Governance Through Diversity Act, aims to address shortcomings in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) diversity disclosure rule. “For too long corporate America has fallen short in racial, ethnic and gender diversity. Without greater diversity in top corporate positions, the U.S. will fail to compete with other leading economies and stall our nation’s progress towards full inclusivity,” said Menendez, the highest-ranking Latino in Congress. ADVERTISEMENT The House passed the legislation in 2019, … [Read more...] about Menendez reintroduces corporate diversity bill

Photo: Damon Winter/The New York Times/DAMON WINTER/The New York Times/ When Laura Poitras co-founded First Look Media with Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill in 2013, the venture had immediate prestige: Poitras and Greenwald shared a Pulitzer Prize for their work at the Guardian on Edward Snowen’s NSA leaks, and Scahill’s reporting illuminated the excesses of the U.S. global war on terror. Now Scahill is the only co-founder who remains. Greenwald left in November, accusing the Intercept’s editors of “censorship,” claiming that the outlet had refused to publish a column concerning Hunter Biden’s business dealings, because they were in the tank for Biden. Intercept editor-in-chief Betsy Reed said Greenwald was making himself out to be a “victim, rather than a grown person throwing a tantrum,” she wrote in a scathing public statement. In January, Poitras announced that she, too, had left First Look — but not by choice. In an open letter, Poitras wrote the company fired after … [Read more...] about Why Did First Look Let Go of Laura Poitras?

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has a fresh spring in his step after the Republicans defied the odds and professional political prognosticators by picking up 15 seats in the 2020 congressional elections. McCarthy, who has his eyes on the majority in November 2022, approached the 2020 congressional elections differently than Republicans in recent history have traditionally targeted congressional electoral efforts, and his moves paid off—and not only infuriated but befuddled the beltway pundit class. For the first time since 1994, in 2020 no GOP incumbent running for reelection lost. Meanwhile, McCarthy blew away fundraising records previously set by former House Speaker Paul Ryan—astonishing since he did it from the minority. Usually, House political leaders do better raising money from the majority. That’s not to mention the most significant development which is a freshman class entering Congress in 2021 that represents perhaps the most diverse in party history with the most … [Read more...] about Exclusive: After 2020 Gains, Kevin McCarthy Eyes House GOP Majority, Speaker’s Gavel in Midterms