Coronavirus, Cabinet, immigration, China, Russia

We’re approaching the peak of tornado season, and the next few days will bring an increased threat of storms (oh, and flooding) to the middle of the US.

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1. Coronavirus 

It’s been one year since the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus to be a pandemic. Since that time, 29 million cases have been reported in the US, and 529,000 people have died as a result. Across the world, at least 118 million people have been infected and 2.6 million have died. President Biden will make his first prime-time address to the nation this evening commemorating the anniversary and encouraging the American people to stay strong to beat the virus. Biden yesterday announced the purchase of 100 million more doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. And Congress passed the stimulus bill, so it shouldn’t be long before Biden signs it and we start seeing its first effects.

2. Cabinet 

The Senate has confirmed a new wave of Biden Cabinet members. Merrick Garland, who spent nearly 24 years as a federal appellate judge, was finally confirmed as attorney general. He now faces tough decisions on controversial issues like the Capitol riot, criminal justice reform and the FBI’s Russia probe. Rep. Marcia Fudge was sworn in as secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and Michael Regan will lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Regan worked at the EPA in the Clinton and Bush years and will be the first Black man to head up the agency. He’ll be a lead figure in implementing some of this administration’s aggressive plans to tackle the climate crisis.

3. Immigration 

The overwhelming numbers of migrants arriving at the southern border, especially children, are challenging the Biden administration’s commitment to humanitarian immigration policies. Internal documents reveal thousands of unaccompanied migrant children are being held in US Border Patrol custody for more than four days on average in facilities unfit for minors. The law doesn’t permit such detentions exceeding 72 hours. On average over the past 21 days, Customs and Border Protection encountered 435 unaccompanied children daily, up from a previous average of around 340 children. The Biden administration is hoping to address the root causes of these arrivals by improving situations in Central American countries and restarting a program allowing at-risk Central American youth to live with relatives in the…