Biden bans Russian oil imports in response to Ukraine invasion – US politics live | US news

The first Capitol rioter to go to jury trial has been convicted on all five charges he faced.

Charges against Guy Reffitt, of Texas, included bringing a gun onto the Capitol grounds and obstructing an official proceeding.

Jurors began deliberating after a trial lasting nearly a week which many saw as a litmus test for the effort to bring Capitol rioters to justice. Around 200 of more than 770 defendants have reached plea deals but prosecutors hoped a guilty verdict for Refitt might encourage more to do so.

As reported by Reuters, jurors in court in Washington were shown video in which Refitt “repeatedly urged rioters to drag the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and other lawmakers out of the Capitol building.

“I didn’t come here to play – I’m taking the Capitol,” the video showed Reffitt saying. “I just want to see Pelosi’s head hitting every stair on the way out.”

Refitt, a member of the Three Percenters far-right group, was also charged with threatening his own children if they turned him in. His son, now estranged, testified against him.

More controversy from Florida, where a bill critics have labelled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill has passed the state legislature.

That means it will head for the desk of Ron DeSantis, the governor and rising Republican star seeking to make a name for himself (and evidently succeeding if polling is to be believed) by fighting culture war battles on the road to the presidential primary in 2024.

As described by the Associated Press, the bill will “forbid instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade”.

The bill says: “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade three or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

It also says parents will be able to sue school districts over violations.

Tina Polsky, a Democratic state senator, said: “What we really need to be doing is teaching tolerance, caring, loving, anti-discrimination, anti-bigotry. Tell me how this bill does that. Tell me how this bill is helping us create kind, giving, tolerate adults. I don’t see it. I see it as exactly the opposite.”

Jason Pizzo, another Democrat, said: “We have failed as a legislature if hundreds of kids stand outside screaming for their rights and you can’t explain to fifth-graders and sixth-graders and eighth-graders simple definitions of your bill. You’ve failed.”

On Monday, DeSantis said: “We’re going to make sure that parents are able to send their kid to kindergarten without some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum.”

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Joe Biden’s decision to ban imports of Russian oil increases the economic pressure on Vladimir Putin – but it is not without risk.

On the face of it, the announcement from the White House looks like a bit of a free hit, given the fact that Russia accounts for just 7% of the oil imported by the world’s biggest economy. Three-fifths of Russia’s oil exports go to the EU, only 8% to the US.

Even so, Biden is taking a gamble for three important reasons.

• The first risk is that a toughening up of sanctions has given another upward twist to oil prices. American motorists were already paying higher pump prices and as the US president admitted, they will soon be paying even more. Oil prices are up by 70% since the start of the year. The Oslo-based consultancy Rystad Energy has predicted a complete ban on Russian oil and gas could send crude prices to $200 a barrel. The previous milestone was $147, reached in 2008.
• The second risk is that Biden’s action fractures the western coalition against Putin, which has been solid. While support from the UK means the US is not going it alone , other European countries have misgivings. That is hardly surprising, because the EU gets 40% of its gas and just over a quarter of its oil from Russia.
• The third risk is that Putin gets in his retaliation first by cutting off supplies. The EU has announced steps to reduce its dependency on Russian oil and gas, and the crisis could well have the effect of speeding up the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. But in the short term the loss of such a big chunk of its energy supply would result in weaker growth and higher inflation.

Here’s our story on Biden’s ban:

Health experts have widely denounced Florida’s decision to recommend against Covid-19 vaccinations for children, describing it as “irresponsible”, “reckless” and “dangerous”.

In a pronouncement which stunned experts on Monday, Florida’s controversial surgeon general, Dr Joseph Ladapo said the state would be the first to “recommend against” Covid-19 vaccination for “healthy children”.

The move followed two recent Covid-19 surges in which pediatric hospitalization was believed to be higher because of low vaccination rates among children.

“It’s very generous to call it a recommendation, because recommendations come with supporting evidence and transparency,” said Saad B Omer, director of the Yale Institute of Global Health and professor of medicine in infectious diseases.

“Trying to interpret that is trying to create a GPS map from a dream. You don’t know where it’s coming from, what is the scientific rationale, if any,” said Omer.

He also called the announcement “irresponsible … inappropriate and … dangerous”.

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Enrique Tarrio, a leader of the Proud Boys far-right group, has been charged with conspiracy over the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.

The news follows charges of seditious conspiracy against 11 members of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers militia, which were announced in January.

Tarrio and his group rose to prominence in support of Donald Trump and through violent confrontations with leftwing protesters in the past few years.

On 6 January 2021, Trump supporters gathered in Washington DC to protest Trump’s election defeat by Joe Biden. Trump told them to “fight like hell” in service of his lie about electoral fraud in that defeat. The Capitol was then attacked. Seven people died around the riot and more than 100 police officers were hurt.

More than 700 people have been charged. The first jury trial arising from the attack, involving a Texas man who was a member of the Three Percenters rightwing group, reached jury deliberations on Tuesday.

Tarrio was not in Washington on 6 January 2021, having been arrested for vandalising a Black church and for carrying two high-capacity rifle magazines.

In August last year, he was sentenced to five months in prison. He has also been revealed to have previously been an FBI informant.

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