12.53pm EDT
12:53












The Guardian’s Sam Levine has more details on the Texas voting law:

The signing of the bill marks the end of a weeks-long standoff between Democrats and Republicans over the legislation.

In late May, Democrats walked out of the legislature, denying Republicans the necessary quorum to pass the initial version of the bill, which would have made it easier for judges to overturn elections and restricted early voting on Sundays, a day traditionally used by African American churches to encourage people to vote.

Republicans subsequently cut both provisions from the bill. But before a new version could be considered in a July special session, Democrats in the state house left the state and flew to Washington DC, again denying Republicans a quorum to proceed with legislation.

While the Democrats in Washington lobbied federal lawmakers to pass federal voting restrictions, state senator Carol Alvarado undertook a 15-hour filibuster on the senate floor to try and block the measure.

Earlier this month, after Abbott called a second special session to consider the measure, the house speaker, Dade Phelan, signed civil arrest warrants for the Democrats who refused to show up at the capitol (no one was ultimately arrested). But slowly, a trickle of Democrats began to return to the capitol, giving Republicans a majority, and enraging Democrats who wanted to continue to stay away.
































12.44pm EDT
12:44












The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports:

The voting restrictions will only add to those already in place in Texas, which has some of the most burdensome voting requirements in the US and was among the states with the lowest voter turnout in 2020.

The Texas house of representatives gave its approval to a final form of the measure on Tuesday, 80-41. The senate quickly followed with an 18-13 vote Tuesday afternoon.

The bill, nearly identical to a measure that passed the legislature last week, would prohibit 24-hour and drive-thru voting – two things officials in Harris county, home of Houston, used for the first time in 2020.

It would also prohibit election officials from sending out unsolicited applications to vote by mail, give poll watchers more power in the polling place and provide new regulations on those who assist voters.

Here is the Guardian’s report from last week:





Updated
at 12.45pm EDT































12.31pm EDT
12:31








Abbott signs highly controversial voting bill in Texas






Republican governor Greg Abbott as just signed a highly controversial bill to place new restrictions on voting access in Texas.

“Election integrity is now law in the state of Texas,” Abbott said after signing the bill, which voting right advocates have said unfairly targets people of color.


The Texas legislature gave its final approval to the bill last Tuesday, after Democrats delayed the passage of the proposal for weeks by fleeing the state.

The law will prohibit 24-hour and drive-thru voting and place new restrictions on who can assist people as they seek to cast their ballots, making Texas one of the hardest places to vote in the country.




Updated
at 12.35pm EDT































12.23pm EDT
12:23












Jason Miller, a former senior adviser to Donald Trump, has released a statement in response to reports that he was detained by authorities in Brazil.

“This afternoon my traveling party was questioned for three hours at the airport in Brasilia, after having attended this weekend’s CPAC Brasil Conference. We were not accused of any wrongdoing, and told only that they ‘wanted to talk,’” said Miller.

“We informed them that we had nothing to say and were eventually released to fly back to the United States. Our goal of sharing free speech around the world continues!”

Miller previously served as Trump’s spokesperson, but he now runs the company Gettr, a social media platform designed for conservatives.

According to earlier reports, Miller was detained by Brazilian authorities to answer questions over his alleged anti-democratic activities in the country.
































12.02pm EDT
12:02








Biden arrives in New Jersey to receive briefing and tour Ida-affected neighborhoods






Joe Biden has arrived at Central Jersey Regional Airport in Hillsborough Township for a briefing and a tour of neighborhoods impacted by Hurricane Ida.

The president was greeted by New Jersey governor Phil Murphy and his wife, Tammy Murphy, as well as three Democratic House members from the state -- Tom Malinowski, Frank Pallone and Bonnie Watson Coleman.










Joe Biden is greeted by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and others as he arrives for briefing about the impact of Hurricane Ida. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP


Biden will soon receive a briefing on hurricane response at the Somerset County Emergency Management Training Center before touring a neighborhood in Manville, New Jersey.

The president will then travel on to Queens, New York, to deliver remarks on his administration’s efforts to better prepare for and respond to hurricanes, which have become more frequent and more intense due to the climate crisis.
































11.46am EDT
11:46












Joe Manchin wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed last week calling for a “strategic pause” in advancing the spending package.

“While some have suggested this reconciliation legislation must be passed now, I believe that making budgetary decisions under artificial political deadlines never leads to good policy or sound decisions,” Manchin said in the op-ed.

“I, for one, won’t support a $3.5tn bill, or anywhere near that level of additional spending, without greater clarity about why Congress chooses to ignore the serious effects inflation and debt have on existing government programs.”


Bernie Sanders, the leftwing chairman of the Senate budget committee, responded to Manchin’s warning in kind, threatening to torpedo the bipartisan infrastructure bill if the spending package is not approved.

“Rebuilding our crumbling physical infrastructure – roads, bridges, water systems – is important,” Sanders said on Twitter. “Rebuilding our crumbling human infrastructure – healthcare, education, climate change – is more important. No infrastructure bill without the $3.5tn reconciliation bill.”

As Congress prepares to return from its August recess, Democratic leaders are scrambling to figure out how to advance both bills, which encompass much of Joe Biden’s economic agenda. If centrists and progressives don’t reach an agreement, both proposals may fail.

































11.28am EDT
11:28








Pelosi disagrees with Manchin over $3.5tn spending package






House speaker Nancy Pelosi said she did not agree with Democratic senator Joe Manchin’s call for a “strategic pause” in negotiations over the $3.5tn budget bill due to concerns about deficit spending.

“Well, obviously I don’t agree,” Pelosi said on Capitol Hill. “I’m pretty excited about where we are. Everybody’s working very hard. The committees are doing their work. We’re on a good timetable. And I feel very exhilarated by it.”


A CNN reporter asked Pelosi whether she believed the topline cost of the final bill would be less than $3.5tn because of the criticism from Manchin and fellow Democratic senator Kyrsten Sinema.

“Well, you have to go talk to the Senate about that,” Pelosi said. “But we’re going to pay for as much of it as possible, and it will have far less impact on the national debt than the Republican 2017 tax scam.”




Updated
at 11.28am EDT































11.06am EDT
11:06












Joe Biden will head to California “early next week” to campaign with governor Gavin Newsom, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said moments ago.

Newsom is facing a difficult recall election in California, and a number of prominent Democrats have been offering their assistance as the governor fights to remain in office.

Vice-President Kamala Harris is also scheduled to travel to her home state of California tomorrow to campaign with Newsom.
































10.54am EDT
10:54












According to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, there are now less than 100 Americans remaining in Afghanistan who still need to be evacuated.

Psaki said Joe Biden is receiving regular updates from his national security team as the administration works to evacuate all US citizens seeking to leave Afghanistan.

The Kabul evacuation mission formally ended last week, but Biden pledged the US would continue to work past the deadline to help all Americans still in Afghanistan.
































10.43am EDT
10:43












The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, is now gaggling with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to New Jersey and New York, where Joe Biden will tour neighborhoods affected by Hurricane Ida.

Psaki confirmed that the president will use the tour as an opportunity to highlight how average Americans are being affected by extreme weather, which has intensified due to the climate crisis.

In a tweet, Biden said of his administration’s response to Hurricane Ida, “We’re working around the clock to ensure impacted areas have the support they need to recover and rebuild.”

































10.33am EDT
10:33












Another White House reporter asked Joe Biden whether he planned to meet with any of the Afghan refugees who have come to the US since the Taliban takeover.

“Well, they’re all over the country, and I’m sure I’ll be seeing some of them. And they’re welcome,” Biden said.

The US military evacuated more than 65,000 Afghans out of the country last month, and tens of thousands of them have already arrived in America.

































10.14am EDT
10:14












Joe Biden is now en route to New Jersey and New York, where he will tour neighborhoods affected by Hurricane Ida and deliver remarks on hurricane preparedness.


The president took a couple questions from reporters before boarding Air Force One. Asked what he wants to see on his trip today, Biden said, “I’m hoping to see the things we’re going to be able to fix permanently with the bill that we have in for infrastructure.”

Another reporter asked Biden how he will get all congressional Democrats on board with his infrastructure proposals, as progressives and centrists argue over the price tag of the $3.5tn spending package.

The president replied with a quote from the musical “Annie”: “The sun’s going to come out tomorrow.”
































10.02am EDT
10:02












Congress will return from its summer recess later this month, and some Democrats are already gearing up for a political fight – with each other.

Democratic lawmakers are looking to pass their $3.5tn spending package, after the House and the Senate approved the blueprint for the budget bill last month. The ambitious legislation encompasses much of Joe Biden’s economic agenda, including proposals to expand access to affordable childcare, invest in climate-related initiatives and broaden Medicare coverage.

But to get the bill passed, Democrats will first need to reach an agreement on the cost of the legislation. Centrist Democrats, including Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, have expressed concern about the bill’s $3.5tn price tag, while progressives have indicated they will fiercely oppose any attempt to cut funding in the proposal.

With his entire economic agenda hanging in the balance, Biden will need to convince the two fractious wings of his party to come together and pass a comprehensive spending package. And given Democrats’ extremely narrow majorities in both the House and the Senate, there is virtually no room for error.

Despite warning signs of intra-party friction over the cost of the budget bill, congresswoman Suzan DelBene, who chairs the centrist New Democrat Coalition, said the House’s focus right now should still be on the content of the legislation.

“I think discussion of a number is more distracting when the focus really needs to be on, what is the substance going to be of this legislation?” DelBene told the Guardian. “If we have strong legislation the people support, I think we can find the path forward.”

































9.36am EDT
09:36












During his trip to New Jersey and New York, Joe Biden will underscore how the climate crisis is affecting average Americans.

“President Biden will highlight how one in three Americans have been impacted by severe weather events in recent months, and that no one is immune from climate change,” a White House official told CNN.

“He will speak about the economic impacts of extreme weather, while driving home the urgent need for key investments to fight climate change and in resilient infrastructure, critical investments included in the President’s Build Back Better agenda.”

Biden’s trip comes as Congress prepares to return from its August recess and take up the bipartisan infrastructure bill and Democrats’ $3.5tn spending package, which the president has argued will make the country better prepared for extreme weather events.




Updated
at 9.44am EDT































9.36am EDT
09:36

















Oliver Laughland








As they sifted through the wreckage of their childhood home in Mount Airy, Louisiana, members of the Robinson family were hunting for memories.

They came in the form of a dozen family photo albums, somehow preserved amid the rubble. There was nothing much else to salvage as most of the house was destroyed. It had been in the family for generations, built and preserved with toil and hard work.

Judy Robinson, 70, had raised her two children here, working as a plant operator at a nearby Marathon Oil refinery and then living on income support as a retiree.

Her daughter, Gayle Robinson, struggled as she watched Judy’s reaction to seeing home for the first time since Hurricane Ida struck seven days ago.

“I have never seen her look how she looked,” she said, outside in the oppressive heat. “Confused. Lost for words. It’s like someone threw a grenade into the house.”

As cable news channels pivoted away from Ida’s destruction in south-east Louisiana over the weekend, the storm only a week into history, thousands of people, including the Robinson family, were still coming to terms with a new reality.

































9.36am EDT
09:36








Biden to tour New York and New Jersey neighborhoods affected by Ida






Greetings from Washington, live blog readers.

Joe Biden will travel to New York and New Jersey today to tour neighborhoods affected by Hurricane Ida, which hit the US last week.

The president will receive a briefing on hurricane response from local leaders in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey, and tour a neighborhood in Manville, New Jersey, before delivering remarks in Queens, New York.










The flooded area of Southwest Hoboken, New Jersey, after a night of high winds and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Photograph: Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images


Biden’s visit comes after the hurricane caused widespread flooding in the New York metropolitan area, leading to at least 50 deaths from Virginia to Connecticut.

The president is expected to deliver remarks on his administration’s efforts to prepare for and respond to hurricanes, which are becoming more intense and more common due to the climate crisis.

While touring hurricane-impacted Louisiana last week, Biden said, “Hurricane Ida is another reminder that we need to be prepared for the next hurricane and superstorms that are going to come, and they’re going to come more frequently and more ferociously.”

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

Source: The Guardian

Powered by NewsAPI.org