Friday
JUNE 11, 2021 -- CONGRESS APPOINTS COMMITTEE OF FIVE TO DRAFT DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, 1776
President Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were “all smiles,” The Washington Post says, meeting Thursday ahead of the G7 Summit in Cornwall, England. The G7 is expected to formally approve a 15% minimum global tax rate on corporations, and tonight’s first formal get-together includes a reception with members of the Royal Family.
The Braver Angels National Community Debate on the role of violence in the political process is on Zoom June 17. Our home page supports this event with a debate outlining the arguments from the left and right. Go to https://thehustings.news. The Braver Angels debate is free, but you must register in advance. To sign up, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-debate-violence-in-the-political-process-registration-156741667547
Atlantic Charter Updated for 21st Century — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and American President Joe Biden signed an updated Atlantic Charter during their first meeting, underlining a mutual commitment to between the two countries as well as to the members of NATO.
Note: The original charter was signed August 14, 1941 by Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Recognize that at the time World War II was raging (the U.K. declared war on Nazi Germany on September 3, 1939; a few months after the charter was signed, on December 11, 1941, the U.S. declared war on Germany). This charter has eight points, starting out with a statement against aggrandizement, territorial or otherwise. Then it goes on to a commitment to make no territorial changes unless the people involved are in favor of it—and that people are free to make decisions of that nature. It promoted freer trade for economic benefit of countries, as well as improved labor standards.
The new charter isn’t wholly different. It is mainly updated to reflect political, economic, social and economic changes that have occurred in the years following the signing of the original.
One of the most important points is the fifth, which reflects Biden’s oft-heard comment that “America is back,” and is a commitment to NATO, which Donald Trump seemed not to have. The point reads in full:
Fifth, we affirm our shared responsibility for maintaining our collective security and international stability and resilience against the full spectrum of modern threats, including cyber threats. We have declared our nuclear deterrents to the defen[s]e of NATO and as long as there are nuclear weapons, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance. Our NATO Allies and partners will always be able to count on us, even as they continue to strengthen their own national forces. We pledge to promote the framework of responsible State behavior in cyberspace, arms control, disarmament, and proliferation prevention measures to reduce the risks of international conflict. We remain committed to countering terrorists who threaten our citizens and interests.
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Trump Justice Department Seized Schiff, Swalwell Metadata – “Hunting leaks,” the Trump administration’s Justice Department seized Apple records for metadata on Democratic Reps. Adam B. Schiff and Eric Swalwell, The New York Times reports. The Department of Justice imposed a gag order on its subpoena of Apple, which handed over records of phone calls made and received (but not actual recordings) for the two congressmen, both from California, as well as aides and family members, including at least one minor, the newspaper says.
“Prosecutors, under the beleaguered attorney general, Jeff Sessions, were hunting for the sources behind news media reports about contacts between Trump associates and Russia,” the Times says. Schiff and Swalwell were both members of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee. Schiff was the ranking minority member at the time and became committee chairman after the 2018 midterm elections.
The NYT says investigators under Sessions found no evidence of leaks and considered closing the inquiry. But Sessions’ replacement, William Barr, reignited the probe, and moved an investigator from New Jersey with little relevant experience to investigate Schiff and about a half dozen others. The Trump Justice Department also subpoenaed Apple for phone metadata records of reporters for CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times, as previously reported. The Biden administration Justice Department allowed the gag order on Apple to expire last month, which is when Schiff and Swalwell first learned their phone records had been seized.
Note: This story sparked another round of outrage against Trump, Sessions, and Barr when it broke Thursday night among Congressional Democrats and mainstream news media, but to Trump supporters and right-wing media, it amounts to part of a “witch hunt” against a president whose ties to Russia in the 2016 presidential election has been “disproved.”
And on That Note – Donald J. Trump sent President Biden a message warning him not to “doze off” during an upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the president’s European trip just underway, The Sun (based in the U.K.) reports, although it does not indicate how the former president passed on the message. We know it was not via Twitter or Facebook. “Good luck to Biden in dealing with President Putin,” Trump said. In perhaps what was Trump’s most sincere sentiment in the message, he asked Biden to send Putin his “warmest regards.”
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Bipartisan Senators Offer Infrastructure Proposal – Five Republican and five Democratic senators late Thursday unveiled the latest compromise to President Biden’s signature infrastructure proposal, which would “be fully paid for and not include tax increases, Roll Call reports. The senators’ proposal comes with a $974-billion price tag, of which $579 billion is new spending, with no money for social programs or electric vehicle charging stations, or anything else outside “traditional” infrastructure programs. Sen. Mitch Romney, one of the five Republicans offering the compromise, has reportedly indicated that the federal gas tax would be indexed to inflation, and the overall package has already drawn criticism from progressives, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT. In addition to Romney, Republican senators who signed a joint statement supporting the compromise were Bill Cassidy (Louisiana), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Rob Portman (Ohio). Democrats are Joe Manchin III (West Virginia), Jean Shaheen (New Hampshire), Krysten Sinema (Arizona), Jon Tester (Montana) and Mark Warner (Virginia).
Note: The White House wants a bill for Biden to sign this summer, and Manchin has indicated he is unlikely to provide the critical 50th Democratic vote if the bill is advanced under the filibuster-proof reconciliation process. This proposal should provide the bipartisan cover Manchin needs, but even with five Republicans on board, it’s five votes short of cloture. This proposal might work in today’s Senate (where Minority Leader Mitch McConnell almost certainly will offer some resistance) through reconciliation anyway, with five moderate Republicans to offset progressive Democrats. Why is infrastructure so hard?
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Omar’s Middle East Comments Continue to Split Democrats – Infighting has grown between moderate and progressive Democrats over Rep. Ilhan Omar’s questioning of Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Monday, much to the Republicans’ delight. Omar queried Blinken about International Criminal Court cases over incidents by the Taliban and the U.S. in Afghanistan, and Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip, The Hill reports.
On Wednesday, a dozen Jewish Democrats asked Omar to “clarify” her statements.
“I was in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems,” Omar responded, in a statement.
Note: Omar’s questioning of Blinken has been Fox News commentators’ fodder all week. While Republicans are still dealing with a schism of their own, a la Rep. Liz Cheney, recent history indicates the GOP will much more effectively use the Omar divide to its advantage. – Edited by Todd Lassa, Gary S. Vasilash and Nic Woods