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Blinken’s Zelensky meeting signals momentum for on-the-ground diplomacy

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s surprise meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — reported this evening by the AP — came the same day the only Ukrainian-born member of Congress called for the U.S. to resume diplomatic services in the country.

Why it matters: The trip by Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was fraught with risks — but just the kind Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) said the U.S. must take.

  • “In any job, whether it’s a political job or diplomatic job, you do take some risks — you need to be smart — but, also, that’s a part of your job: to do your service,” she said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
  • “A lot of people, a lot of countries are actually bringing [diplomats] back to Kyiv, but the least we can do actually is bring it maybe to Lviv.”
  • “If you’re not on the ground, it’s very difficult to do your job. So, I think, it’s important, and also sends a strong message for Ukrainian people,” Spartz said.

Blinken and Austin are the highest-ranking U.S. officials to meet with Ukraine’s leader since the war began on Feb. 24.

  • The secretary of State stepped briefly onto Ukrainian soil while visiting Poland in March. He met then with the country’s foreign minister.

Between the lines: Blinken’s trip to Europe — cloaked in such secrecy administration colleagues refused to discuss it prior to him arriving — starts a big week for him.

  • An administration source said the secretary will testify on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
  • Among his stops, Axios has learned, are appearances before both the Senate and House Foreign Relations Committees.
  • He’ll testify Tuesday before the Senate panel, and will appear again on Thursday before the House committee, committee aides confirmed to Axios.

Committee members are eager for ask Blinken publicly about the administration’s response to Ukraine, as well as its decisions regarding the timing and amount of military assistance, as well as the specific weapons the U.S. has sent to Ukraine.

The backdrop: The U.S. closed its embassy in Ukraine in mid-February, as Russia built up its forces along the border.

  • Many staffers went west to Lviv, Ukraine, and then into Poland.
  • Politico reported last week that members of Congress and former diplomats are among those eager for them to return.

The latest: Spartz (R-Ind.) spoke to CNN from Kyiv, where she was visiting her grandmother over the Orthodox Easter holiday.

  • Igor Zhovka, an adviser to Zelensky, used an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” to plead for even more weapons.
  • “We also need anti-missile systems and anti-aircraft systems, because daily and nightly, Ukrainian cities are bombarded by the cruise missiles,” Zhovka said.

The president announced last Thursday the U.S. will send another $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine, including heavy artillery.

  • That will bring the total U.S. military aid since Russian invaded to about $3.4 billion.
  • Appearing separately on “Meet the Press,” U.S. principal deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer said: “We have been announcing deliverables — which is a fancy word for things that we are providing to the Ukrainians to enable their fight — just about every day, and if not every day, every week.”
  • “We will have more to say about that in the week ahead.”



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Kamala Harris heads to Poland amid clash over fighter jets – US politics live | US news

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15:31

Blinken, Truss meet in Washington

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is back in the US after being in Poland and Moldova at the weekend, where he saw the streams of refugees coming across the border from the war to the east, and he stepped onto Ukrainian soil briefly with Ukraine’s foreign minister.




 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) disembarks his plane at Paris-Le Bourget Aiport, north of Paris as he arrives for his visit to Paris yesterday. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

He was in Paris yesterday but right now, Blinken is meeting in Washington with his UK counterpart, British foreign secretary Liz Truss.

The two are expected to hold a press conference about 45 minutes from now (11.15am ET/4.15pm GMT) at the State Department.

They are primarily talking about what more can be done to assist Ukraine (without risking a Russia-Nato war) and how Britain, Europe and the west can reduce their dependency on the Russian energy sector, especially in the short term.

The US and the UK have announced the suspension of imports of Russian oil and gas.

“The Ukraine crisis is a wake-up call for free democracies,” Truss said in a statement.

“I am in the US to talk about what more we can do to deter hostile state actors, reduce strategic dependency on Russian energy – and authoritarian states more broadly – and build stronger economic and security alliances around the world.”

Truss will also meet with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

Updated










14:50

Joan E Greve

Vice president Harris took off from the US this morning in Air Force Two en route to Poland. She is on a trip to the capital, Warsaw, and then on to the Romanian capital, Bucharest, to meet with allied leaders and discuss the war in Ukraine.

“This trip to the eastern flank [of Nato members] is further support to our allies and is also an extremely important opportunity to collaborate with them on next steps in responding to Russian aggression,” a senior administration official said Tuesday night.

The official said Harris will meet Thursday with the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, and the country’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, in Warsaw. Harris will also sit down with the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudueau, who will be in Poland at the same time.

In Bucharest, Harris will meet with the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, as well as embassy staffers.

In addition to her meetings with allied leaders, Harris will have “an opportunity to engage with people who have fled the violence in Ukraine” while in Warsaw, the official said.

More than two million people have now fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion, and many of those refugees have escaped to neighboring countries in eastern Europe.

Polish officials have said that more than 100,000 people from Ukraine are arriving in their country each day.

Harris’s trip was planned before the confusion unfolded over whether and how Poland would supply fighter jets to Ukraine.










14:29

VP Harris flies into middle of Nato debacle over providing fighter jets to Ukraine

Joan E Greve

Kamala Harris’ trip to eastern Europe comes as the US and Poland have publicly clashed over how to handle the transfer of fighter jets to Ukrainian forces.

Poland’s foreign minister announced Tuesday that the country was “ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their Russian-made MiG-29 jets to the [US] Ramstein air base and place them at the disposal of the government of the United States of America”.

It was originally expected that the US would receive the planes and then donate them to Ukraine, but the Pentagon released a statement hours after Poland’s announcement saying that was not a feasible plan.

“The prospect of fighter jets ‘at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America’ departing from a US/Nato base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire Nato alliance,” said John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary.

“We will continue to consult with Poland and our other Nato allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one.”

A senior administration official said Tuesday night that the White House has been in consistent communication with the Polish government about how to best provide security assistance to Ukraine.

“That’s a dialogue that absolutely will continue up to and as part of the vice-president’s trip,” the official said. “This is a key priority for us and for all of our Nato allies, and so we expect that we will continue talking about how to achieve this really important objective.”

Ramstein air base in south-western Germany is headquarters for the US air forces in Europe and Nato allied air command.

Updated










14:20

Harris flies to Poland amid confusion over foreign fighter jets for Ukraine

Good morning to the readers of our US politics live blog. There’s a busy day ahead and we’ll have all the developments in American politics news here, including much related to Ukraine, while the Guardian’s global, round-the-clock blogging of the Russian invasion of Ukraine can be read separately here.

Here’s what’s happening so far today:

  • US vice-president Kamala Harris is on her way to Poland right now, on a high-profile trip amid the war in Ukraine. She will visit Warsaw and also Bucharest, Romania, to meet with allied leaders and discuss the crisis, including the issue of Poland’s suggestions that it supply the Ukrainian military with second-hand, Russian-designed fighter jets – but via the US, which has raised fears once again about the US being drawn into what could be interpreted in Moscow as military action with Russia.
  • The US House of Representatives is considering a large spending bill that includes almost $14bn in emergency aid for Ukraine. It’s part of a $1.5tr spending bill finalized overnight, which the House will take up today.
  • A report finds that the authorities in Minneapolis failed to respond correctly to the mass protests, with rioting involved, that erupted in the Minnesota city in late spring 2020 after a white police officer murdered Black resident George Floyd.
  • Donald Trump was scared of Vladimir Putin but nevertheless admired the Russian autocratic president’s capacity to kill whomever he wanted, according to former White House press sec during the Republican president’s single term, Stephanie Grisham.

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Biden to reportedly impose sanctions on Russian oligarchs and their families – live | US news

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The House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol believes Donald Trump violated multiple federal laws to overturn the 2020 election, including obstructing Congress and defrauding the United States.

The revelations came as part of a filing that intended to force John Eastman to turn over thousands of emails and records, arguing that Trump’s participation in potential crimes destroyed his argument that the material is protection by attorney-client privilege.

House counsel Douglas Letter said in the 61-page filing that the select committee had a basis for concluding Trump violated the law by obstructing or attempting to obstruct an official proceeding and defrauded the United States by interfering with lawful government functions.

The former president knew he had not won enough electoral college votes to win the 2020 election, yet nevertheless sought thenvice-president Mike Pence to manipulate the results in his favor, the filing said about Trump’s obstruction.

Had the effort to pressure Pence into returning Trump to power succeeded, the certification of Joe Biden’s win would have been impeded. “There is no genuine question that the president and plaintiff attempted to accomplish this specific illegal result,” the filing said.

The select committee said in the court submission that it believed Trump defrauded the United States by interfering in the certification process, disseminating false information about election fraud, and pressuring state officials to alter state election results.

House investigators also said there was evidence to suggest that the conspiracy to defraud extended to the Capitol attack, arguing it was plausible to argue Trump entered a conspiracy with the rioters to disrupt Biden’s certification on 6 January.

The Guardian first broke the news earlier this year that the select committee was investigating whether Trump oversaw a criminal conspiracy that connected the “political elements” of his scheme to return himself to office with the violence perpetrated by far-right militias.

Letter also said in the filing that the select committee believed Trump and his associates appeared to have violated the law by engaging in common law fraud as they sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The select committee’s findings came as part of a 16-part court submission to persuade a federal judge to force Eastman, a central figure in Trump’s scheme to return himself to office, to at least allow the panel to confidentially review his records.

Eastman helped lead a team of lawyers at a Trump “war room” at the Willard hotel in Washington DC, which Trump called from the White House the night before the Capitol attack to discuss ways to stop Biden’s certification from taking place, the Guardian has reported.

He has so far turned over about 8,000 pages of emails and documents from 4-7 January to the panel, but has withheld an additional 11,000 documents on the basis that they are protected by attorney-client privilege or constitute confidential attorney work product.

The panel also said in the filing that Eastman’s attorney-client privilege claims were undercut by his inability to show he had been formally retained as Trump’s lawyer. An ‘engagement letter’ that Eastman produced last week was unsigned.

Through Letter’s submission, the select committee added Eastman could not claim to assert attorney-client privilege over emails he sent on his Chapman university email server, and those messages were not protected by the attorney work product protection.

House investigators said the evidence against Trump – and Eastman’s role in counselling Trump to engage in potentially criminal activity – meant that Eastman’s claims of attorney-client privilege were destroyed by the so-called “crime-fraud exception”, among other arguments.

“The attorney-client privilege does not shield participants in a crime from an investigation into a crime,” select committee member Jamie Raskin told the Guardian. “If it did, then all you would have to do to rob a bank is bring a lawyer with you and be asking for advice.”

The select committee said that in the first instance, it simply wanted to examine Eastman’s records “in camera” – a process that takes place when a reasonable person would agree a review of the materials may help establish whether the crime-fraud exception applies.




 Lanterns on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building during a prayer vigil to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington. One year ago, supporters of President Donald Trump, believing the election had been stolen, attacked the U.S. Capitol Building in an attempt to stop a congressional vote to confirm the electoral college win for Joe Biden. Photograph: Paul Morigi/REX/Shutterstock

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‘Very real risk’ US democracy won’t exist in a decade, says Ocasio-Cortez – live | US news

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16:13

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer had sounded off on the funding issue:

Craig Caplan
(@CraigCaplan)

Schumer from Senate floor on 3-wk CR ahead of Fri’s gov’t shutdown deadline: “No one & certainly not my Republican colleagues want a Republican gov’t shutdown. So I’m hopeful they will cooperate will cooperate with us to pass this necessary CR which every single Democrats wants.” https://t.co/XnW3AQKPji pic.twitter.com/eLJBXbPWPZ

February 15, 2022










15:34

Remington to settle some liability claims in 2012 Sandy Hook shooting

Remington, the manufacturer of an assault rifle used to kill 20 schoolchildren and six adults in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut, has agreed to settle liability claims for the families of nine of the victims.

This will be the first time a gunmaker is held responsible for a mass shooting in the US, and comes one day after the four-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, when Joe Biden called for such accountability to take place.

“Congress must do much more – beginning with requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers,” Biden said.

Aaron Katersky
(@AaronKatersky)

Remington has agreed to settle liability claims from the families of 9 people killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, according to a new court filing, marking the first time a gun maker is held to account for a mass shooting in the United States.

February 15, 2022

Details of the settlement are still unclear, but in July, Remington offered $33m, which was substantially less than what the victims’ families were seeking. In a February court filing, their attorneys estimated the wrongful death claims likely totalled in excess of $225m, rising above $1bn with punitive damages.

Updated










15:19

The federal government runs out of money at the end of the week, but the usual tense will-they, won’t-they drama of a government shutdown has been muted with by the situation in Ukraine.

Punchbowl News is reporting that the senate is currently stuck on two unrelated government funding snafus.

One of the two snafus stems from Marsha Blackburn, the Republican senator from Tennessee, who is holding out on a three-week stopgap funding bill because she believes that the Biden administration is trying to set aside money to hand out crack pipes. Though the White House has denied this, Blackburn is allegedly waiting on the Biden administration to formally respond to her concerns before she allows the bill to go through.

The last tussle comes from several Republican senators, led by Mike Lee of Utah, who are demanding a vote on the amendment to ban the federal government from funding a vaccine mandate for federal workers, contractors and the military.

However, Punchbowl News noted that these last-minute disputes have become standard for the senate ahead of funding talks, and will likely be resolved – there likely won’t be a shutdown.










14:39

Yesterday we reported on how Mazars, the longtime accountancy firm for the Trump Organization, had cut ties with Donald Trump after admitting in a court filing that nearly a decade’s worth of Trump’s filings should “no longer be relied upon”.

The Guardian’s Dominic Rushe has more details here:










14:26

AOC: ‘very real risk’ US democracy will not exist in 10 years

Ahoy there, live blog readers. Happy the Valentine Candy is on Sale Day.

As it has been in recent weeks, much of the focus in Washington has been on Ukraine, and the imminent threat of a Russian invasion. Make sure to check out our live blog here for live updates as the situation unfolds.

Meanwhile, in the US, progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been making waves as she campaigns for progressive candidates in Texas and talks about turning the once staunchly red state blue.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(@AOC)

Ted Cruz could never pic.twitter.com/lGAO45uuy2

February 13, 2022

Today, her New Yorker interview raised more eyebrows when she said there was a “very real risk” that democracy would not exist in the US 10 years from now.

David Rothkopf
(@djrothkopf)

“What we risk is having a government that perhaps postures as a democracy, and may try to pretend that it is, but isn’t.”–@AOC in a must-read interview with David Remnick @NewYorker. She is what a Member of Congress & a leader should be.https://t.co/BxH04JZwIl via @NewYorker

February 14, 2022

Read more about her comments here:



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Democrats sue Kansas officials over Republican redistricting law – live | US news

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18:45

Daily Show host and comedian Trevor Noah is set to host the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this year – after two years of the annual media shindig being cancelled due to the pandemic.

According to Politico:

“The announcement of Noah as the dinner’s featured entertainer represents a return to normalcy for the highly anticipated gathering of Washington journalists, politicians and elite society, which in the past drew big-name comedians to preside over the event known as “Nerd Prom.”

But after [Michelle] Wolf’s performance in 2018 — which saw the comedian savage Trump administration officials such as then-press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders — proved too polarizing for some attendees, the WHCA selected presidential biographer Ron Chernow to speak at the 2019 dinner. The dinner was then canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to coronavirus-related concerns.”




 Trevor Noah is due to host the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2022 Photograph: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Updated










17:56

A person shot at a mayoral candidate today in Louisville, Kentucky.

While candidate Craig Greenberg was uninjured, a round came close enough to him to pierce his clothing. The suspect is in custody, but police have not released a motive.

Grace McKenna
(@GraceMcKennaTV)

NEW: Council President David James confirms someone shot at mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg.

We’re told Greenberg was in his office in Butchertown — he wasn’t hit and isn’t hurt. @WHAS11

February 14, 2022

Grace McKenna
(@GraceMcKennaTV)

HAPPENING NOW: Chief Shields giving an update.

Shields reports NO injuries, confirms Craig Greenberg was targeted. Says a round struck his clothes. @WHAS11 pic.twitter.com/fmPHR1IIYr

February 14, 2022

This shooting takes place on the fourth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school – the deadliest shooting in the country that killed 17 people.

Joe Biden issued a statement earlier today calling on Congress to pass more stringent gun control legislation.










17:41

Meanwhile, Washington is lifting its mask mandate in places like restaurants and businesses beginning 1 March, but it will remain in place for schools and healthcare facilities.

davidshepardson
(@davidshepardson)

Breaking: DC will lift mask mandate in places on March 1 pic.twitter.com/MQ3CEmGzeN

February 14, 2022










17:03

Democrats sue Kansas officials over Republican redistricting law

The Associated Press is reporting that Democrats have sued Kansas officials today over a Republican redistricting law that cost the state’s only Democrat in Congress some territory in her Kansas City-area district that she carried by wide margins in elections.

A team of attorneys led by Democratic attorney Marc Elias’ firm are arguing that Republican map drawers “explicitly set out to gerrymander the state in their favor” by splitting up two Democratic strongholds and heavily minority counties and redistricting their populations into heavily white and Republican districts.

Elias had promised that the new Kansas map would be challenged when the Republican-controlled legislature overrode the veto of the Democratic governor, Laura Kelly. Elias has been involved in lawsuits in multiple states, including Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio.

Updated










16:39

Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee are urging Joe Biden to hurry up and choose someone for his supreme court nomination while they still have the narrow 50-50 majority vote, the Hill reports.

Earlier this month, Ben Ray Luján, a 49-year-old freshman Democratic senator from New Mexico, suffered a stroke and will likely need to miss four to six weeks of work to recover.

Senator Ben Ray Luján
(@SenatorLujan)

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. The outpouring of support from New Mexicans and folks all around the country gives me strength every day. Excited to get back to work. pic.twitter.com/qRH2JjLTpp

February 13, 2022

With this one medical emergency already putting a strain on the Democrats’ narrow majority, Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate judiciary committee, told the Hill: “I think we understand the importance of the responsibility we have and we’re anxious to get this senate moving forward. We started to pick up speed recently and we want to continue that,” he said.

Updated










15:36

In sports news, there was a widely televised football game yesterday. During the Super Bowl half-time show, the rapper Eminem took a knee and held his head in apparent tribute to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality during the 2016 season.

After other players followed suit – in other sports as well – the move became a cultural controversy, with many believing that Kaepernick has been blackballed by the league’s teams and owners for taking his stance.

Immediately after Eminem took a knee, rumors began flying that the National Football League had attempted to stop him from doing so ahead of the game – in 2020, following the widespread protests over the police murder of George Floyd, the NFL famously had to apologize for not listening to its players earlier in their peaceful protest.

Today, however, the NFL has come out strong in denying the rumors that it tried to stop Eminem from taking a knee.

“We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said.

Updated










15:06

Meanwhile, majority leader Chuck Schumer is saying that a bill looking to reform the post office is set to hit the senate floor.

Chuck Schumer
(@SenSchumer)

I’m standing together today with postal workers from NYC, postal workers from Long Island, and an Etsy entrepreneur who depends on the USPS.

We will move forward in the Senate to pass the Postal Service Reform Act and help strengthen one of America’s most important institutions. pic.twitter.com/kSDiilHkV4

February 13, 2022

But Punchbowl News is reporting that senate likely won’t be able to take up the legislation until March: House clerks mistakenly enrolled the wrong version of the bill, meaning that Schumer filed cloture on the wrong version.










14:42

Today is the fourth anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people and wounded 17 more – the deadliest school shooting in the country.

Manuel Olivier, whose son Joaquin was one of the 17 killed that day, is now apparently on top of a construction crane a block from the White House, surrounded by police.

Bob Barnard
(@barnardfox5dc)

On this 4th anniversary of the #Parkland shooting Manuel Olivier whose son Joaquin was killed at Stoneman Douglas High School in FL is on top of a construction crane a block from the White House surrounded by police. @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/KgfZgn55IB

February 14, 2022

It is unclear if Olivier is staging a protest, but he has been outspoken in the past in his crusade against gun violence.

Joe Biden released a statement today acknowledging that “out of the heartbreak of Parkland a new generation of Americans all across the country marched for our lives and towards a better, safer America for us all”.

“Together, this extraordinary movement is making sure that the voices of victims and survivors and responsible gun owners are louder than the voices of gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association,” the statement reads.

Biden continued: “I’ve asked Congress to pass a budget that provides an additional half billion dollars for proven strategies we know reduce violent crime – accountable community policing and community violence interventions. I have also requested increased funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the US marshals. And Congress must do much more – beginning with requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers.

“We can never bring back those we’ve lost,” Biden said. “But we can come together to fulfill the first responsibility of our government and our democracy: to keep each other safe. For Parkland, for all those we’ve lost, and for all those left behind, it is time to uphold that solemn obligation.”

Updated










14:27

Senate unlikely to pass Russia sanctions bill ahead of military action

Howdy, live blog readers. Happy Valentine’s Day.

All eyes in Washington continue to be on the growing threat that Russia will invade Ukraine, with Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, set to brief House and Senate leaders later today on the situation. Tune into our live blog on the tensions here for updates.

While Senate is in session today, Punchbowl News is reporting that the odds are pretty low on whether there could be any legislative action taken on sanctions against Russia ahead of military action. Though the majority leader, Chuck Schumer, told reporters last week that lawmakers were getting “closer and closer” to agreement on a Russia sanctions bill, the minority leader, Mitch McConnell, downplayed the impact of it, saying it was up to Joe Biden to decide the importance of such action.

Last week, the major hangup was over whether the sanctions would be imposed on all Russian banks and over Nord Stream 2, according to Bob Menendez, chair of the Senate foreign relations committee.



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Senate poised to take up Democrats’ doomed voting rights bill – live | US news

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These members have argued to top House leaders in recent days — so far, to no avail — that holding votes on narrow measures such as curbing prescription drug costs and extending the child tax credit would help Democrats make a case that they can improve voters’ lives economically despite soaring inflation and other issues that have dragged down Biden’s approval ratings.

The tension was surfaced in a meeting early this month with House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), the second-highest ranking member of their caucus. Members pushed back when Hoyer, reflecting the continued view of House leadership, argued that breaking up the spending bill would mean abandoning the potentially transformative giant package, which he said still has a chance of passage.

‘I don’t care,’ Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) shot back, telling Hoyer that House Democrats should spend the year sending bills to the Senate with the hope that bipartisan deals could be reached on issues important to a broad range of voters.

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4.5m Americans quit their jobs in November as openings near record highs – live | US news

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“The reasons for quitting or dropping out of the labor force are quite varied. The top reasons cited by experts continue to be lack of adequate childcare and health concerns about Covid, now exacerbated by Omicron. And while the framing of the Great Resignation places some emphasis on the idea that even knowledge workers are quitting from burnout or a sympathy with the budding anti-work movement, there are just as many reasons to suspect that many quit in search of better work opportunities, self employment, or, simply, higher pay.

Tellingly, some industries are seeing higher rates of quitting than others – leisure and hospitality, retail and healthcare being among the most affected.”

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Manchin and Sinema continue to stand in way of Build Back Better and voting rights – live | US news

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20:57

The principal deputy White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, is now holding the daily briefing with reporters, and she is joined by deputy national climate advisor Ali Zaidi.

Zaidi outlined the Biden administration’s plans to replace lead pipes across the US, which he described as a “centerpiece of the bipartisan infrastructure law”.

The climate adviser noted that Kamala Harris met with child health advocates and labor leaders today to share the White House’s pledge to eliminate lead pipe and lead paint threats.










20:45

David Smith

She is married to former US president Donald Trump but now you, too, can stare into the “cobalt blue eyes” of Melania Trump at the touch of a button and with your very own piece of trendy, digital art.

The former first lady has jumped into the latest internet craze by launching a non-fungible token (NFT) just in time for Christmas. It puts Melania right in the middle of a fashion frenzy in hi-tech art circles – though critics may regard it as the latest attempt by the Trump family to cash in on political success.

An NFT is a digital asset – typically pictures, songs or videos – bought in an online marketplace and stored on blockchain, a secure public ledger. Blockchain allows anyone to verify the NFT’s authenticity and keeps a record of who owns what.

In Melania’s first public venture since leaving the White House almost a year ago, an NFT named Melania’s Vision can be bought between 16 and 31 December with the SOL cryptocurrency or an old-fashioned credit card.

An irony-free statement from her office says it is “a breathtaking watercolor art by Marc-Antoine Coulon, and embodies Mrs Trump’s cobalt blue eyes, providing the collector with an amulet to inspire.”

“The limited-edition piece of digital artwork will be 1 SOL (approximately $150) and includes an audio recording from Mrs Trump with a message of hope.”










20:26

Joe Biden will attend South Carolina State University’s commencement ceremony tomorrow, the White House has just announced.

In its advisory, the White House said the president will travel to Orangeburg, South Carolina, to celebrate the graduates of the historically Black university.

Of course, South Carolina holds special significance for Biden, whose struggling presidential campaign was able to launch a successful comeback last year after his victory in the state’s primary.










20:06

Joe Biden posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Army Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe, and the medal was received by Cashe’s widow, Tamara Cashe.

CSPAN
(@cspan)

Army Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe is posthumously awarded the #MedalofHonor for his distinguished service in Iraq.

Watch: https://t.co/0bpjpa4HYw pic.twitter.com/wmRswHfISI

December 16, 2021

The medal was also posthumously awarded to Army Sergeant First Class Christopher Celiz, whose wife Katherine and daughter Shannon accepted the award on his behalf.

Army Master Sergeant Earl Plumlee received the award for “acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on August 28th, 2013,” when he was serving in Afghanistan.

CSPAN
(@cspan)

Army Master Sergeant Earl Plumlee is awarded the #MedalofHonor for his distinguished service in Afghanistan.

Watch: https://t.co/0bpjpa4HYw pic.twitter.com/dkSSBrTI7l

December 16, 2021










19:47

The Medal of Honor was also awarded to Sergeant First Class Christopher A. Celiz of the US Army and Master Sergeant Earl D. Plumlee of the US Army, both of whom served in Afghanistan.

According to a White House statement, Celiz participated in a July 2018 mission during which he “voluntarily exposed himself to intense enemy machine gun and small arms fire to retrieve and employ a heavy weapon system, thereby allowing U.S. and partnered forces to regain the initiative, maneuver to a secure location and begin treatment of a critically wounded partnered force member”. He later died of injuries sustained during the mission.

Plumlee was recognized for his actions in Afghanistan in August 2013, when he “instantly responded to a complex enemy attack that began with a massive explosion that tore a sixty-foot breach in the base’s perimeter wall,” according to the White House.










19:25

Biden awards Medal of Honor to three troops who fought in Iraq and Afhganistan

Joe Biden is now awarding the Medal of Honor, America’s highest military award to valor, to three troops who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The three troops receiving the award are:

  • Sergeant First Class Alwyn C. Cashe, United States Army
  • Sergeant First Class Christopher A. Celiz, United States Army
  • Master Sergeant Earl D. Plumlee, United States Army

Biden noted that Cashe, who was killed in Iraq in 2005, is the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.

According to a statement from the White House, Cashe’s squadron was attacked on October 17, 2005, during a nighttime patrol in Iraq.

Cashe sustained second- and third-degree burns trying to help his teammates reach safety, and he selflessly insisted that other injured troops be evacuated before he was. His actions saved several lives and cost him his own.










19:03

Supreme court returns Texas abortion case to federal appeals court

The supreme court has returned the case involving Texas’ six-week abortion ban to a federal appeals court, but much to the disappointment of abortion rights advocates, the case was sent to a court that has twice upheld the controversial law.

The AP reports:

Justice Neil Gorsuch on Thursday signed the court’s order that granted the request of abortion clinics for the court to act speedily. But the clinics wanted the case sent directly to U.S. Judge Robert Pitman, who had previously though briefly blocked enforcement of the Texas abortion ban known as S.B. 8.

When Pitman ordered the law blocked in early October, the appeals court countermanded his order two days later.

Texas has said it will seek to keep the case bottled up at the appeals court for the foreseeable future.

The supreme court ruled last week that abortion providers can move forward with their lawsuit over the ban, but the court, which skews six to three in favor of conservatives, allowed the law to remain in effect for now.










18:34

Joanna Walters

Republican political fixer Roger Stone is going to appear tomorrow before the House special committee investigating the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6 by extremist supporters of Donald Trump, but Stone will plead the fifth, according to reports.

Zachary Cohen
(@ZcohenCNN)

New: Roger Stone’s attorney suggests his client will appear before the Jan 6 committee to plead the 5th.

“Mr. Stone will be complying w/ the subpoena & will … assert his 5th Amendment rights to each question posed,” he told @SaraMurray.

Deposition is scheduled for Dec. 17.

December 16, 2021

The committee issued a subpoena last month for Stone and others, demanding documents and testimony to expand the select committee’s inquiry focused on the planning and financing of the rally at the Ellipse, near the White House, by Trump on January 6, at which he exhorted his supporters to go to the Capitol and try to stop the certification by Congress of Joe Biden’s election victory.

Now the panel members faced with the prospect of Stone sitting down with them but deflecting all of their questions, exercising his constitutional right to protection against self-incrimination.

Kyle Cheney
(@kyledcheney)

CONFIRMED: Roger Stone will appear for a Jan. 6 committee deposition tomorrow and plead the Fifth to each question asked, his lawyer says.

Confirming @SaraMurray / CNN report.

December 16, 2021










18:08

Biden signs bill raising the debt ceiling, averting potential default

Joe Biden has officially signed the bill raising the debt ceiling by $2.5tn, averting a default that would have had disastrous effects on the domestic and global economy.

In a statement, the White House noted that Biden also signed a bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the US troops who were killed during the Kabul evacuation mission earlier this year.

The House approved the debt ceiling bill yesterday in a vote of 221 to 209, sending the legislation to the president’s desk.

The House vote came after Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and minority leader Mitch McConnell reached an agreement to approve a temporary rule change allowing Democrats to end a Republican filibuster of the bill with just 51 votes. The debt ceiling bill ultimately passed the Senate in a vote of 50 to 49.

The one-time change to the filibuster has led to suggestions from some Senate Democrats that the chamber should be able to make similar adjustments to approve a voting rights bill.

“We think it’s so important that we change the rule in order to save the economy,” Senator Raphael Warnock told NBC News this week.

“Well, the warning lights on our democracy are blinking right now, and we seem unwilling to respond with the same urgency to protect the democracy that we have to protect the economy.”










17:49

Tommy Vietor, who previously served as National Security Council spokesperson under Barack Obama, criticized Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer for his new deadline to pass a voting rights bill before the 2022 elections.

Tommy Vietor
(@TVietor08)

I don’t understand making pronouncements like this without any discernible path to success. I would love for the Senate to focus on and pass voting rights legislation, but this just feels like lurching from one rhetorical cul de sac to another… https://t.co/vnDoGmVJRj

December 16, 2021

“I don’t understand making pronouncements like this without any discernible path to success,” Vietor said on Twitter. “I would love for the Senate to focus on and pass voting rights legislation, but this just feels like lurching from one rhetorical cul de sac to another.”

As of now, Schumer does not have the votes to pass a voting rights bill because centrist Senator Kyrsten Sinema remains opposed to altering the filibuster, which would be necessary to approve such a bill.










17:31

Today so far

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said he wants to pass a voting rights bill “in time for the 2022 elections,” per CNN. As of now, the Democratic leader does not have the votes to pass voting rights legislation because centrist Senator Kyrsten Sinema remains opposed to altering the filibuster to clear the way for such a bill.
  • Centrist Senator Joe Manchin’s concerns about the Build Back Better Act have stalled negotiations, essentially eliminating the possibility of Democrats passing the bill before the end of the year. Manchin has reportedly expressed concern about the cost of the bill’s provision to continue the expanded child tax credit program.
  • US hospitals are bracing for another potential surge in coronavirus cases as the Omicron variant spreads across the country. Omicron now accounts for nearly 3% of all Covid cases in the US as of Saturday – up from only 0.4% the week before, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.



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Capitol attack committee: ‘no choice’ but to advance contempt proceedings for Meadows – live | US news

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18:01

Today so far

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • The House select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection indicated it will move forward with plans to hold Mark Meadows in criminal contempt. The news comes one day after Meadows, the former chief of staff to Donald Trump, announced he would no longer cooperate with investigators out of deference to the former president’s claims of executive privilege over certain records.
  • Lab tests indicate three doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine provide effective protection against the Omicron variant. In response to the news, Joe Biden encouraged all eligible Americans to get their vaccine booster shot as quickly as possible. “This reinforces what my medical advisors have been emphasizing: that boosters give you the highest protection yet,” the president said.
  • The House passed a $768bn defense bill last night, in a vote of 363-70. The bill passed despite criticism from progressive lawmakers, who had hoped to curb military spending now that Democrats control both chambers of Congress and the White House.

The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.










17:42

Despite his severe warnings to Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden said he is not currently considering deploying US troops to Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion.

“That is not on the table,” Biden told reporters this morning. “We have a moral obligation and a legal obligation to our Nato allies, if they were to attack, under article 5. It’s a sacred obligation. That obligation does not extend … to Ukraine.”

The president added that the US response to a Russian invasion of Ukraine would also depend upon the reactions of fellow Nato allies.

“But the idea that the United States is going to unilaterally use force to confront Russia invading Ukraine is not in the cards right now,” Biden said. “What will happen is, there will be severe consequences.”

Updated










17:24

Biden warns of ‘economic consequences like none he’s ever seen’ if Putin invades Ukraine

Joe Biden took a few questions from reporters this morning, as he left the White House to start his trip to Kansas City, Missouri.

Asked about his summit yesterday with Vladimir Putin, Biden said, “I was very straightforward. There were no minced words.”

JM Rieger
(@RiegerReport)

BIDEN: “If in fact he invades Ukraine, there will be…economic consequences like none he’s ever seen…His immediate response was he understood that…The idea the United States is going to unilaterally use force to confront Russia invading Ukraine is not in the cards right now.” pic.twitter.com/W9pXoMy2t1

December 8, 2021

Regarding Russia’s increased troop presence along its border with Ukraine, Biden said, “If in fact he invades Ukraine, there will be severe consequences, severe consequences – economic consequences like none he’s ever seen or ever have been seen.”

Biden said he believed that Russia’s president understood the significance of the warning, and he noted their teams have been in “constant contact”.

Updated










16:54

Joe Biden celebrated the news of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine’s effectiveness against the omicron variant and encouraged all eligible Americans to get their booster shot.

“The new data from Pfizer on vaccine effectiveness against Omicron is encouraging. This reinforces what my medical advisors have been emphasizing: that boosters give you the highest protection yet,” the president said on Twitter.

“Anyone who is eligible and has not been boosted should go get a booster today.”

President Biden
(@POTUS)

The new data from Pfizer on vaccine effectiveness against Omicron is encouraging. This reinforces what my medical advisors have been emphasizing: that boosters give you the highest protection yet.

Anyone who is eligible and has not been boosted should go get a booster today.

December 8, 2021

Updated










16:37

Three Pfizer jabs likely to protect against Omicron, tests suggest

Hannah Devlin

Three shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are likely to provide effective protection against the Omicron variant, laboratory tests suggest.

The vaccine makers said they were keeping the option of an updated Omicron-based vaccine on the table, however, and could produce it by March 2022 if needed.

In the first official statement from vaccine manufacturers on the likely efficacy of their shot against Omicron, BioNTech/Pfizer said that two vaccine doses resulted in significantly lower neutralising antibodies but that a third dose of their vaccine appeared to bring antibody protection up to a level equivalent to two vaccine doses against the original strain.

The findings are broadly in line with a preliminary study published by researchers at the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa on Tuesday, showing that Omicron can partially evade protection from two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Updated










16:15

Mark Meadows has officially failed to appear for his scheduled deposition with the House select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection, per ABC News.

Ben Siegel
(@bensiegel)

And Mark Meadows is officially a no show for his rescheduled deposition, clearing the way for the @January6thCmte to recommend he be held in contempt as early as Friday.

December 8, 2021

Meadows, the former chief of staff to Donald Trump, indicated yesterday he would no longer cooperate with investigators, and the panel is now moving forward with plans to hold him in criminal contempt.










15:59

In his letter to Mark Meadows’ attorney, select committee chair Bennie Thompson noted the former Trump aide turned over some documents to investigators before deciding to stop cooperating.

“The text messages you did produce include a November 6, 2020, text exchange with a Member of Congress apparently about appointing alternate electors in certain states as par of a plan that the Member acknowledged would be ‘highly controversial’ and to which Mr. Meadows apparently said, ‘I love it’; an early January 2021 text message exchange between Mr. Meadows and an organizer of the January 6th rally on the Ellipse; and text messages about the need for the former President to issue a public statement that could have stopped the January 6th attack on the Capitol,” Thompson said.

“All of those documents raise issues about which the Select Committee would like to question Mr. Meadows and about which you appear to agree are not subject to a claim of privilege. Yet, despite your recent agreement to have Mr. Meadows to come in and answer questions in a deposition, Mr. Meadows now, once again, refuses to do so.”

Updated










15:40

The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly and David Smith report:

Mark Meadows’ attorney, George Terwilliger, wrote in a letter on Tuesday that a deposition would be “untenable” because the 6 January select committee “has no intention of respecting boundaries” concerning questions that Donald Trump has claimed are off-limits because of executive privilege.

Executive privilege covers the confidentiality or otherwise of communications between a president and his aides. The Biden administration has waived it in the investigation of 6 January. Trump and allies entwined in events leading up to the storming of the Capitol, around which five people died, have invoked it.

Terwilliger also said he learned over the weekend that the committee had issued a subpoena to a third-party communications provider that he said would include “intensely personal” information.

In an interview on the conservative Fox News network, the attorney added: “We have made efforts over many weeks to reach an accommodation with the committee.”

But he said the committee’s approach to negotiations and to other witnesses meant Meadows would withdraw cooperation.










15:24

Capitol attack committee has ‘no choice’ but to advance contempt proceedings against Meadows

The House select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection has indicated it will advance a measure to hold former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in criminal contempt for refusing to cooperate with the panel.

The Democratic chair of the committee, Bennie Thompson, has released a letter to Meadows’ attorney, George Terwilliger, indicating the panel’s plans.

“The select committee is left with no choice but to advance contempt proceedings and recommend that the body in which Mr Meadows once served refer him for criminal prosecution,” Thompson said.

The news comes one day after Meadows indicated he would no longer cooperate with investigators, claiming the committee is disrespecting Donald Trump’s claims of executive privilege over certain records.

Updated










14:57

A group of senators held a press conference this morning to voice their criticism of the overhaul of the military justice system included in the House-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who has been pushing for an overhaul for years, argued the House’s proposal would not deliver justice for sexual assault survivors in the military.

Republican Senator Joni Ernst, a military veteran and a sexual assault survivor, said she was “disappointed” in the efforts to change Gillibrand’s original proposal and called for a standalone vote on that measure.

Under Gillibrand’s bill, the prosecution of serious crimes, including sexual assault, would be entirely removed from the chain of command. Under the House-passed approval, military commanders would still conduct the trials.

“As someone who’s been a prosecutor, it makes no sense,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said of the House proposal.










14:57

The House-passed version of the defense bill includes an overhaul of the military justice system aimed at combating sexual assault against service members.

The final version of the bill calls for the appointment of special prosecutors outside the chain of command to handle the prosecution of sexual assault, murder and kidnapping, among other crimes.

However, the new system would still allow military commanders to conduct the trials and choose jury members, a provision that sparked fierce criticism from advocates.

Kirsten Gillibrand
(@SenGillibrand)

Four men behind closed doors gutted our landmark military justice reform bill in the NDAA — ignoring the calls of survivors, service members, and veterans. Enough is enough. Our bill has the support of a majority of Congress. I’m calling for a full floor vote to #PassMJIIPA.

December 7, 2021

Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who has pushed for an overhaul of the military justice system for years, argued the proposal was grossly insufficient and pledged to keep fighting for further change.

“As sexual assault survivor advocates warned would happen for months, House and Senate Armed Services leadership have gutted our bipartisan military justice reforms behind closed doors, doing a disservice to our service members and our democracy,” Gillibrand said in a statement.

“This bill represents a major setback on behalf of service members, women and survivors in particular. However, we will not stop seeking true military justice reforms for our brave service members and I will continue to call for an up or down floor vote.”










14:57

House passes $768bn defense bill in bipartisan vote, despite progressive criticism

Greetings from Washington, live blog readers.

The House passed a $768bn defense bill last night, in a vote of 363-70, with 169 Democrats and 194 Republicans backing the compromise measure.

The National Defense Authorization Act includes a 2.7% pay raise for troops, an overhaul of the military justice system aimed at combating sexual assault and a $25bn bump in spending over what Joe Biden had requested.

Some progressives, who had hoped to curb military spending now that Democrats control both chambers of Congress and the White House, complained about the higher price tag of the bill.

“It is astounding how quickly Congress moves weapons but we can’t ensure housing, care, and justice for our veterans, nor invest in robust jobs programs for districts like mine,” congressman Jamaal Bowman said.

Congressman Jamaal Bowman
(@RepBowman)

$770 Billion to the Pentagon just easily passed the house 363-70.

I voted No.

It is astounding how quickly Congress moves weapons but we can’t ensure housing, care, and justice for our veterans, nor invest in robust jobs programs for districts like mine.

December 8, 2021

But Democratic leaders defended the final version of the bill, arguing it will help ensure America’s military readiness in a rapidly changing world.

“The House, under the leadership of Chairman Adam Smith, has passed a strong, bipartisan defense bill that will keep America safe, defend our servicemembers and their families and advance our nation’s leadership in the world,” House speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

“As the House sends this legislation to the Senate, we will continue to deliver results for the people.”

The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.



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Mark Meadows will stop cooperating with Jan. 6 panel, attorney says

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Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows will no longer cooperate with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, his attorney told Fox News Tuesday.

Why it matters: Meadows, who failed to appear before the panel last month, is believed to have insight into former President Trump’s role in efforts to stop the certification of President Biden’s election win.

  • Last week, the committee and Meadows’ attorney, George Terwilliger, said the parties had reached an understanding on how to exchange information.

What he’s saying: “We have made efforts over many weeks to reach an accommodation with the committee,” Terwilliger told Fox News.

  • Terwilliger said Meadows believed he would not be answering questions he said were protected by executive privilege. However, he said the committee indicated it wanted to address such matters, per Fox News.
  • Terwilliger and the committee did not immediately respond to Axios’ requests for comment.

Details: “We agreed to provide thousands of pages of responsive documents and Mr. Meadows was willing to appear voluntarily, not under compulsion of the Select Committee’s subpoena to him, for a deposition to answer questions about non-privileged matters. Now actions by the Select Committee have made such an appearance untenable,” Terwilliger said in a letter to the committee obtained by CNN.

  • “[T]he Select Committee has no intention of respecting boundaries concerning Executive Privilege,” he added.
  • “As a result of careful and deliberate consideration of these factors, we now must decline the opportunity to appear voluntarily for a deposition.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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