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Tuesday, June 1, 2021

 JUNE 1, 2021
TUESDAY
 
PROGRESSIVE OPINION AND NEWS 

BERNIE SANDERS PUSHES AGAIN FOR FAIRNESS IN ELECTIONS THROUGH A SENATE BILL CALLED THE “FOR THE PEOPLE ACT.” 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/bernie-sanders-voting-rights-bill-b1857887.html
Bernie Sanders renews call for action on voting rights bill after Texas legislature drama
‘The future of American democracy is at stake’
John Bowden
1 hour ago [June 1, 2021] 

PHOTOGRAPH – Bernie Sanders speaking, (AFP via Getty Images) 

Senator Bernie Sanders called for the Senate to pass S. 1*, a landmark piece of voting rights legislation, on Tuesday while celebrating a walkout by members of the Texas state legislature that resulted in a GOP-led elections bill to be defeated. 

If passed, S. 1, commonly known as the “For The People Act”, would institute a number of nationwide provisions including automatic voter registration and early voting, and would also restore voting rights for federal elections to Americans who are released from prison after felony convictions. 

“Congratulations to Democrats in Texas for protecting democracy and the right to vote. Let's see if Democrats in the U.S. Senate have the same courage,” Mr Sanders tweeted. 

Over the weekend, members of Texas's state House walked out to prevent the passage of a bill Sunday that would have cut back on hours at polling places and reduced access to mail-in voting, which was expanded during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“We MUST pass S. 1, the For The People Act. The future of American democracy is at stake,” the Vermont senator and two-time presidential candidate added. 

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The New York Times
@nytimes
Democrats prevented Texas Republicans on Sunday from passing a major bill to restrict voting. But a special session could be called to restart the process.
EMBEDDED PHOTOGRAPH -- protestors
7:45 AM · May 31, 2021 

The legislation faces a steep path to President Joe Biden’s desk despite widespread support among the Democratic Party’s base due to the split control of the Senate, and the requirement that the For The People Act would need 60 votes to pass the chamber. The bill faces near-total opposition from Republican lawmakers and conservative organisations, which have decried the bill as a federal takeover of election procedures. 

Some activists have pushed Democrats to end the Senate’s legislative filibuster as a means of passing the legislation, a move that is not supported by some centrist members of the party including Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). 

More about -- Bernie Sanders TexasVoter Registration  

 

THIS DOES LOOK LIKE A VERY PROMISING BILL FOR OUR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC TO ENACT TO MAKE OUR NATION MORE DEMOCRATIC AND KEEP IT THAT WAY. READ THE PROVISIONS -  I CAN SEE WHY THE REPUBLICANS HATE IT SO MUCH. GO, BERNIE! 

S[enate] 1* 

S.1 - For the People Act of 2021

117th Congress (2021-2022) | Get alerts 

Sponsor:     Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (Introduced 03/17/2021)

Committees:         Senate - Rules and Administration

Committee Meetings:    05/11/21 10:00AM 03/24/21 10:00AM

Latest Action:       Senate - 05/11/2021 Committee on Rules and Administration. Failed to report favorably.  (All Actions) 

Summary: S.1 — 117th Congress (2021-2022) All Information (Except Text)

There is one summary for S.1. Bill summaries are authored by CRS. 

Introduced in Senate (03/17/2021) 


For the People Act of 2021 

This bill addresses voter access, election integrity and security, campaign finance, and ethics for the three branches of government. 

Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits removing voters from voter rolls. 

The bill requires states to establish independent redistricting commissions to carry out congressional redistricting. 

Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing intelligence information with state election officials, supporting states in securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect U.S. democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems. 

Further, the bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices. 

The bill addresses ethics in all three branches of government, including by requiring a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices, prohibiting Members of the House from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, and establishing additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White House. 

The bill requires the President, the Vice President, and certain candidates for those offices to disclose 10 years of tax returns. 

 

HERE ARE SOME POSSIBLE BIDEN CHANGES TO HELP REDUCE THE RACIAL INCOME AND WEALTH GAP BETWEEN BLACKS AND OTHER GROUPS. 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/01/politics/racial-inequality-biden-proposals/index.html
Here's what Biden can do on his own about racial inequality -- and where he'll need Congress to act
By Tami Luhby and Katie Lobosco, CNN
Updated 5:21 PM ET, Tue June 1, 2021 

VIDEO -- Before Tulsa, this Georgia county forced out nearly all Black residents Source: CNN, 07:55 MIN. 

(CNN)President Joe Biden on Tuesday laid out his most comprehensive plan yet for shrinking the nation's longstanding racial wealth gap, the latest step in his promise to infuse more equity in government policies and in the rebuilding of the economy after the coronavirus pandemic. 

Some measures -- including changes to deal with housing discrimination and directing federal support to small businesses -- he can take on his own, but many of his proposals require congressional approval that could be very tough to secure. 

That includes pouring tens of billions of dollars into communities of color to improve transportation infrastructure, develop more neighborhood amenities, build and rehabilitate affordable housing and support small businesses. All of these proposals are contained in Biden's massive infrastructure package, called the American Jobs Act. 

That package has run into trouble in Congress, with members of both parties concerned about its roughly $2 trillion size -- as well as about the corporate tax increases that would be used to pay for it. The White House is currently negotiating with a group of Republicans in hopes of finding agreement on a smaller package -- with the latest GOP proposal coming in at $928 billion. 

The massive wealth divide between Black and White families is currently in the spotlight because of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst acts of racial violence in US cities. The typical non-Hispanic White family had a net worth of $188,200 in 2019, while the typical non-Hispanic Black family's wealth was $24,100, according to the most recent Federal Reserve Bank data. 

There are many reasons for the gap, including a big difference in home ownership -- a key vehicle to building wealth. About 74% of Whites owned homes in the first quarter of 2021 versus 45% of Blacks, according to the US Census Bureau. 

What executive actions Biden will take 

Combating housing discrimination. The President is charging Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge with leading a first-of-its-kind interagency initiative to address inequity in home appraisals. The effort will include carrying out potential enforcement under fair housing laws, regulatory action, and the development of standards and guidance in partnership with industry and state and local governments. 

To allow the more vigorous enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, the agency also will publish two rules aimed at combating practices that contribute to systemic inequality. The rules would reinstate the agency's discriminatory effects standard and the requirement that municipalities that receive agency funding show that the money's use does not further discrimination. 

These efforts are aimed at reversing efforts by the Trump administration to weaken Fair Housing Act protections and stem from an executive memorandum Biden issued in January that focused on redressing the federal government's history of discriminatory housing policies. 

The moves are a "welcome step" and go part of the way to addressing structural divides in the housing market that have developed over decades, said Michael Neal, senior research associate at the Urban Institute. He would also like to see downpayment assistance, particularly for the historically disadvantaged. 

Directing federal contracts to small businesses. In addition, Biden wants more federal purchasing to be made from small, disadvantaged businesses, many of them minority-owned -- though it could take years to have an impact. His goal is to increase the share of contracts going to them by 50% by 2026. 

The President can direct federal agencies to conduct outreach to smaller businesses and reduce barriers that exist for them to compete in federal contracts. It's unclear whether he will need Congress to pass legislation that changes some of the rules. 

Biden has already set in motion a process to alter federal purchasing rules when he signed an executive order in January. It set a 180-day deadline to change how domestic content is defined and measured for qualifying products as well as increase the required threshold in an effort to boost American manufacturing. Biden also hired the first Made in America Director, Celeste Drake, to help implement the federal procurement process and focus on reaching small businesses and minority entrepreneurs. 

What Biden will need Congress to do 

Create a $10 billion Community Revitalization Fund: The fund would target economically under-served areas and support community-led civic infrastructure projects that develop neighborhood amenities, revitalize vacant land and buildings, spark new local economic activity, provide services, promote civic engagement and build community wealth. 

Invest in transportation infrastructure: The President wants to establish grants totaling $15 billion that would target neighborhoods where people have been cut off from jobs, schools and businesses because of previous transportation investments. The funding would support planning, removing or retrofitting infrastructure that creates barriers to communities. 

Increase affordable housing: Biden is calling for the creation of a Neighborhood Homes Tax Credit to attract private investment in the development and rehabilitation of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income buyers and owners. 

Expand housing choices: The President is asking lawmakers to establish a $5 billion grant program for jurisdictions that take concrete steps to eliminate land-use and zoning barriers to producing affordable housing and that expand housing choices for people with low or moderate incomes. 

Invest $31 billion to support minority-owned small businesses: Biden wants to provide $30 billion to the Small Business Administration to increase access to capital for the smallest companies, develop new loan products to support small manufacturers and businesses that invest in clean energy and launch a Small Business Investment Corporation to make early stage equity investments, placing a priority on small firms owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. It would also establish a $1 billion grant program through the Minority Business Development Agency aimed at helping minority-owned manufacturers access private capital. 

What else Biden could do 

Several policy experts say canceling student debt would help close the racial wealth gap because Black Americans are more likely to take on student debt and then struggle to repay it. More than 200 advocacy groups, including the Center for Responsible Lending and the American Federation of Teachers union, called on Biden to use his executive powers to cancel student debt on day one of his administration. 

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, also called on Biden to take action and cancel $50,000 per borrower. The move would be unprecedented, but a memo from lawyers at Harvard's Legal Services Center and its Project on Predatory Student Lending says the Department of Education has the power to do so. 

Biden has resisted the pressure so far but has said he would support a move by Congress to cancel $10,000 per borrower. It's unlikely that legislation would pass the Senate where Democrats have a razor thin majority. 

Taking executive action does not appear to be off the table, though. Biden directed Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to write a memo on the president's legal authorities to cancel debt, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said in an interview with Politico in April. 

Biden did not include a student debt cancellation provision in his $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, which calls for making community college free and expanding Pell Grants for low-income college students, or in his proposed budget. NAACP's National President Derrick Johnson criticized Biden for failing to address the student loan crises, which he said was at the core of the racial wealth gap. 

CNN's Kate Sullivan contributed to this story.


TO GET A MORE DETAILED VIEW OF KNOWN CAUSES FOR INCOME AND WEALTH INEQUALITY IN REGARD TO RACE AND ETHNICITY, I STRONGLY SUGGEST THIS PRODUCT FROM THE URBAN INSTITUTE. STRANGELY, HOWEVER, MOST SITES I LOOKED AT, INCLUDING THIS ONE, GIVE VERY LITTLE DATA ON GROUPS WHO ARE NEITHER WHITE, BLACK NOR HISPANIC. I AM ESPECIALLY CONCERNED ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS WHO HAVE CONSIDERABLE POVERTY PROBLEMS IN MANY CASES. AN “OTHER” CATEGORY DOES APPEAR IN THIS WORK FROM THE FEDERAL RESERVE:   https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/disparities-in-wealth-by-race-and-ethnicity-in-the-2019-survey-of-consumer-finances-20200928.htm. IT CONCERNS ME THAT NOT BEING MENTIONED SPECIFICALLY MAY WORK AGAINST THEM IN THE LAW MAKING PROCESS.  

https://apps.urban.org/features/wealth-inequality-charts/
Features : : Nine Charts about Wealth Inequality in America (Updated) 

Why hasn’t wealth inequality improved over the past 50 years? And why, in particular, has the racial wealth gap not closed? These nine charts illustrate how income inequality, earnings gaps, homeownership rates, retirement savings, student loan debt, and lopsided asset-building subsidies have contributed to these growing wealth disparities. 

This story was updated with new data on October 5, 2017. 

Wealth inequality is growing

1963 1983 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013 2016

Source: Urban Institute calculations from Survey of Financial Characteristics of Consumers 1962 (December 31), Survey of Changes in Family Finances 1963, and Survey of Consumer Finances 1983–2016. 

Notes:  2016 dollars. No comparable data are available between 1963 and 1983. 

1.Average wealth has increased over the past 50 years, but it has not grown equally for all groups. 

Between 1963 and 2016, families near the bottom of the wealth distribution (those at the 10th percentile) went from having no wealth on average to being about $1,000 in debt,

those in the middle more than doubled their wealth,

families near the top (at the 90th percentile) saw their wealth increase fivefold,

and the wealth of those at the 99th percentile—in other words, those wealthier than 99 percent of all families—grew sevenfold. 

These changes have increased wealth inequality significantly. In 1963, families near the top had six times the wealth (or, $6 for every $1) of families in the middle. By 2016, they had 12 times the wealth of families in the middle. 

2.One reason for rising wealth inequality is income inequality 

Income is money coming into a family, while wealth is a family’s assets—things like savings, real estate, businesses—minus debt. Both are important sides of families’ financial security, but wealth cushions families against emergencies and gives them the means to move up the economic ladder. Also, wealth disparities are much greater than income disparities: three times as much by one measure. 

Income inequality can worsen wealth inequality because the income people have available to save and invest matters. Focusing on private income, such as earnings and dividends, plus cash government benefits, we see that the income of families near the top increased roughly 90 percent from 1963 to 2016, while the income of families at the bottom increased less than 10 percent. 

3.Racial and ethnic wealth disparities persist 

Families of color will soon make up a majority of the population, but most continue to fall behind whites in building wealth. In 1963, the average wealth of white families was $121,000 higher than the average wealth of nonwhite families. By 2016, the average wealth of white families ($919,000) was over $700,000 higher than the average wealth of black families ($140,000) and of Hispanic families ($192,000). 

Put another way, white family wealth was seven times greater than black family wealth and five times greater than Hispanic family wealth in 2016. Despite some fluctuations over the past five decades, this disparity is as high or higher than it was in 1963. 

4.The racial wealth gap grows sharply with age 

White families accumulate more wealth over their lives than black or Hispanic families do, widening the wealth gap at older ages. In their 30s, whites have an average of $147,000 more in wealth than blacks (three times as much). By their 60s, whites have over $1.1 million more in average wealth than blacks (seven times as much). 

Median wealth by race is lower. Though the dollar gap grows with age, the ratio doesn’t grow in the same way: whites have seven times more median wealth than blacks in their 60s and 70s. 

5.Differences in earnings add up over a lifetime and widen the racial and ethnic wealth gap 

Why is the racial and ethnic wealth gap so big? People with lower earnings may have a harder time saving. The average white man earns $2.7 million over a lifetime, while the average black man earns $1.8 million and the average Hispanic man earns $2.0 million. The difference in lifetime earnings is lower for women: the average white woman earns $1.5 million, while the average black woman earns $1.3 million and the average Hispanic woman earns $1.1 million. These disparities partly reflect historical disadvantages that continue to affect later generations.          

 6.Black and Hispanic families lag behind on major wealth-building measures, like homeownership 

Blacks and Hispanics are less likely to own homes, so they more often miss out on this powerful wealth-building tool. Homeownership makes the most of automatic payments—homeowners must make mortgage payments every month—to build equity. 

In 1976, 68 percent of white families owned their home, compared with 44 percent of black families and 43 percent of Hispanic families. By 2016, the homeownership gap had narrowed slightly for Hispanics but widened for blacks. Black and Hispanic families were also less likely to own homes than white families with similar incomes. 

7.Black and Hispanic families have less in liquid retirement savings 

In 2016, white families had about $130,000 more (or six times more) in average liquid retirement savings than black and Hispanic families. In sheer dollar terms, this disparity has increased more than fivefold over the past quarter-century: in 1989, white families had about $25,000 more (or five times more) in average retirement savings than black and Hispanic families. This gap is becoming more important as liquid retirement savings vehicles, like 401(k)s, replace more traditional defined-benefit pension plans. 

Why does this gap exist? It’s not just income differences; even at the same income level, gaps remain. Black and Hispanic families have less access to retirement saving vehicles and lower participation when they have access. But lower access and participation isn’t the full story. 

Black workers are somewhat less likely to participate in employer retirement plans than white workers (40 percent versus 47 percent in 2013, respectively) but have much lower average liquid retirement savings. This suggests that simply having more employers offer retirement plans will not be enough to close the gap, especially if lower-income groups contribute smaller portions of their income to retirement plans and are more likely to withdraw money early to cover financial emergencies. Lower-income families may also get lower returns on average if they invest in safer, shorter-term assets. 

8.Black families carry more student loan debt than white families 

Since the mid-2000s, black families, on average, have carried more student loan debt than white families. This is driven in large part by the growing share of black families that take on student debt. In 2016, 42 percent of families headed by black adults ages 25 to 55 had student loan debt, compared with 34 percent of similar white families. 

Because black families, on average, have less wealth and fewer private resources, they may be more likely to turn to loans to finance their education. White families are five times more likely than black families to receive large gifts or inheritances, which can be used to pay for college. 

However, black students also have lower graduation rates than white students. Student loan debt doesn’t always translate into a degree that promotes economic mobility—and income and wealth—in the long run. 

9.Federal policies fail to promote asset building by lower-income families 

The federal government spends over $400 billion to support asset development, but those subsidies primarily benefited higher-income families—exacerbating wealth inequality and racial wealth disparities. 

About two-thirds of homeownership tax subsidies and retirement subsidies go to the top 20 percent of taxpayers, as measured by income. The bottom 20 percent, meanwhile, receive less than 1 percent of these subsidies. Blacks and Hispanics, who have lower average incomes, receive much less of these subsidies than whites, both in total amount and as a share of their incomes. 

Low-income families benefit from safety net programs, such as food and cash assistance, but most of these programs focus on income—keeping families afloat today—and do not encourage wealth-building and economic mobility in the long run. What’s more, many programs discourage saving: for instance, when families won’t qualify for benefits if they have a few thousand dollars in assets or when they have to give up rent subsidies to own a home. 

Promising policies to shrink wealth inequality and racial wealth gaps 

Federal asset-building subsidies disproportionately benefit high-income families that need them the least. Here are six recommendations that could help reduce wealth inequality and racial wealth disparities: 

*Limit the mortgage interest tax deduction and use the revenues to provide a credit for first-time homebuyers.

*Establish automatic savings in retirement plans.

*Reduce reliance on student loans while supporting success in postsecondary education.

*Offer universal children's savings accounts.

*Reform safety net program asset tests, which can act as barriers to saving among low-income families.

*Provide subsidies to promote emergency savings, such as those linked to tax time. 

By more efficiently and equitably promoting saving and asset building, more people will have the tools to protect their families in tough times and invest in themselves and their children. 

*This chart title was updated on Oct. 24, 2017, to reflect the full range of years presented in the chart. 

 

SAYING THAT THIS MAN “FELL IN WITH THE WRONG PEOPLE” IS THE SAME AS AN AFFLUENZA DEFENSE, IT SEEMS TO ME. THE FACT THAT THE KILLER’S FAMILY HAD MATERIALLY SUPPORTED GOVERNOR BEVIN FOR HIS ELECTION, AND ANOTHER REPUBLICAN SPONSORED THE MAN FOR A PARDON MAKES THIS SITUATION LOOK PRETTY DAMNING. I AM DELIGHTED TO SEE THAT THE US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE HAS STEPPED IN AND ARRESTED HIM ON FEDERAL CHARGES NOW. THE PRINCIPLE INVOLVED IS CALLED THE “DUAL SOVEREIGNTY DOCTRINE.” 

https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-fcfe4dcd0b8b97aee27b010e5961115c
Pardoned Kentucky man faces new federal charges in slaying
By BRUCE SCHREINER
50 minutes ago [JUNE 1, 2021] 

PHOTOGRAPH -- 1 of 3, In this Dec. 17, 2019 photo, Patrick Baker, right, who was recently pardoned by Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, looks down as his attorney Amy Robinson Staples listened during a press conference in Lexington, Ky. Baker, convicted of reckless homicide in a 2014 home invasion and then pardoned two years later by then-Gov. Matt Bevin, has been arrested on federal charges in connection to the same crime, according to court records unsealed Tuesday, June 1, 2021. (Sam Upshaw Jr. Courier Journal via AP) 

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man convicted of reckless homicide in a 2014 home invasion and pardoned two years later by then-Gov. Matt Bevin has been arrested on federal charges in connection to the same crime, according to court records unsealed Tuesday. 

Patrick Baker is charged with murder committed during a robbery and kidnapping related to drug trafficking, the records show. 

A not-guilty plea was entered at Baker’s initial court appearance Tuesday in London, Kentucky. He remained in federal custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Friday. Attorney Steve Romines, part of Baker’s legal defense team at Tuesday’s hearing, declined comment afterward. 

If convicted on the new federal charges in the shooting death of Donald Mills, Baker could face the death penalty or a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to his indictment. 

We’re very pleased with the federal (government) taking it and indicting him ... because now he may have stiffer penalties,” Mills’ sister, Melinda Mills, said in a phone interview Tuesday. She said she would like Baker to face the death penalty if he’s convicted of a crime that allows it. 

Baker was convicted in 2017 of reckless homicide and other crimes in connection with Mills’ death and sentenced to 19 years in prison. Prosecutors said Baker posed as a law enforcement officer and killed Mills in his Knox County home. Baker had served two years of his sentence before being pardoned by Bevin. 

In bringing the federal charges, authorities pointed to the “dual sovereignty doctrine,” which allows state and federal officials to prosecute the same defendant for the same actions without infringing on double jeopardy protections, said law professors at the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky. 

Baker’s pardon was among hundreds Bevin issued in the time between his electoral defeat in November 2019 and his final day in office a month later. It drew widespread attention after the Courier Journal reported that Baker’s family held a fundraiser at their home for Bevin in 2018 and that another GOP donor who gave thousands to Bevin urged the former governor to pardon Baker. 

Bevin wrote in his pardoning order that Baker’s drug addictions led him to fall in with the wrong people and that the evidence against Baker was “sketchy at best.” 

After the pardon, Baker released a statement declaring his innocence and defending Bevin’s decision to grant him clemency. 

“I did not kill Donald Mills and my family did not pay for my release,” he said. 

The Kentucky Court of Appeals reviewed Baker’s case and ruled that there was “overwhelming” evidence to convict him. 

 

https://apnews.com/article/alaska-arctic-wildlife-refuge-oil-gas-drilling-biden-b9f20088957d42e99b791ff94169198f
Biden suspends oil leases in Alaska’s Arctic refuge
By MATTHEW DALY
2 hours ago [JUNE 1, 2021] 

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH -- 1 of 2, This undated aerial photo provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows a herd of caribou on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. The Biden administration is suspending oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as it reviews the environmental impacts of drilling in the remote region.(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP) 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Tuesday suspended oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reversing a drilling program approved by the Trump administration and reviving a political fight over a remote region that is home to polar bears and other wildlife — and a rich reserve of oil. 

The Interior Department order follows a temporary moratorium on oil and gas lease activities imposed by President Joe Biden on his first day in office. Biden’s Jan. 20 executive order suggested a new environmental review was needed to address possible legal flaws in a drilling program approved by the Trump administration under a 2017 law enacted by Congress. 

After conducting a required review, Interior said it “identified defects in the underlying record of decision supporting the leases, including the lack of analysis of a reasonable range of alternatives″ required under the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental law. 

The remote, 19.6 million-acre refuge is home to polar bears, caribou, snowy owls and other wildlife, including migrating birds from six continents. Republicans and the oil industry have long been trying to open up the oil-rich refuge, which is considered sacred by the Indigenous Gwich’in, for drilling. Democrats, environmental groups and some Alaska Native tribes have been trying to block it. 

Former President Bill Clinton vetoed a GOP plan to allow drilling in the refuge in 1995, and the two parties have been fighting over the region ever since. 

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an Interior Department agency, held a lease sale for the refuge’s coastal plain on Jan. 6, two weeks before Biden took office. Eight days later the agency signed leases for nine tracts totaling nearly 685 square miles (1,770 square kilometers). However, the issuance of the leases was not announced publicly until Jan. 19, former President Donald Trump’s last full day in office. 

Biden has opposed drilling in the region, and environmental groups have been pushing for permanent protections, which Biden called for during the presidential campaign. 

The administration’s action to suspend the leases comes after officials disappointed environmental groups last week by defending a Trump administration decision to approve a major oil project on Alaska’s North Slope. Critics say the action flies in the face of Biden’s pledges to address climate change. 

The Justice Department said in a court filing that opponents of the Willow project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska were seeking to stop development by “cherry-picking” the records of federal agencies to claim environmental review law violations. The filing defends the reviews underpinning last fall’s decision approving project plans. 

Kristen Miller, acting executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, hailed suspension of the Arctic leasing program, which she said was the result of a flawed legal process under Trump. 

“Suspending these leases is a step in the right direction, and we commend the Biden administration for committing to a new program analysis that prioritizes sound science and adequate tribal consultation,″ she said. 

More action is needed, Miller said, calling for a permanent cancellation of the leases and repeal of the 2017 law mandating drilling in the refuge’s coastal plain. 

The drilling mandate was included in a massive tax cut approved by congressional Republicans during Trump’s first year in office. Republicans said it could generate an estimated $1 billion over 10 years, a figure Democrats call preposterously overstated. 

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., a longtime opponent of drilling in the refuge, accused the Trump administration of trying to “shortcut environmental laws.″ The effort “fell apart when exposed to the facts that federal scientists say Arctic Refuge drilling cannot be done safely and oil companies don’t want to drill there,” Cantwell said. 

“Now it is up to Congress to permanently protect this irreplaceable, million-year-old ecosystem and facilitate new economic opportunities based on preserving America’s pristine public lands for outdoor recreation,” she said. 

Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of the Gwich’in Nation Steering Committee, said in a statement that tribal leaders are heartened by the Biden administration’s “commitment to protecting sacred lands and the Gwich’in way of life.” 

She thanked Biden and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland “for hearing our voices and standing up for our human rights and identity.″ 

 

I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO SEE HOW THIS ARTICLE CAME TO BE CLASSIFIED AS “ENTERTAINMENT.” 

https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-83fb55ea7ec0bf7b10b6151484304666
18-year-old woman charged with murder in cemetery death
May 30, 2021 

PHOTOGRAPH -- This photo provided by the Raleigh Police Department shows Maria Elizabeth Pena-Echeverria, 18, charged with murder after the body of a 69-year old man was found in a North Carolina cemetery. (Raleigh Police Department via AP) 

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An 18-year-old woman has been charged with murder after the body of a 69-year old man was found in a North Carolina cemetery. 

Raleigh Police on Saturday night announced the arrest of Maria Elizabeth Pena-Echeverria. She has been charged with murder and is being held at the Wake County Detention Center. 

Police were called to Mount Olivet Cemetery in the city Friday night, where they found a seriously injured man. He was declared dead later at a nearby hospital. 

On Saturday, police identified the man as James Lacy Taylor. 

The investigation is ongoing. 

The cemetery is adjacent to Schenck Forest, which is magaed by North Carolina State University. Campus Police had put out an alert Friday night saying witnesses saw a woman and two men leaving the scene. 

 

THE FACT THAT THIS RULING HAD TO BE MADE AT ALL SHOWS HOW FAR BENEATH ANY BENCHMARK OF JUSTICE OUR LAW STANDS ON NATIVE AMERICANS. 

PHOTOGRAPH -- FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2020, file photo the Supreme Court is seen in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that tribal police officers can stop and search non-Indians on tribal lands for potential violations of state or federal law. 

The justices unanimously reversed an appellate ruling in favor of a non-Native motorist who was charged with drug-related crimes after a tribal officer searched his pickup truck on a public road that crosses the Crow reservation in Montana. 

The Supreme Court has previously held that tribal police have little authority over non-Indians, but Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the court that allowing a temporary stop and detention — so that state or federal authorities can be called in — enhances public safety. 

“To deny a tribal police officer authority to search and detain for a reasonable time any person he or she believes may commit or has committed a crime would make it difficult for tribes to protect themselves against ongoing threats,” Breyer wrote. 

The case involved a traffic stop in 2016 in which Officer James Saylor of the Crow Tribe Police Department came upon a pickup truck with its headlights on and motor running, parked on the shoulder of U.S. Route 212. 

The driver, Joshua Cooley, had watery, bloodshot eyes, Saylor said. Cooley also had two semiautomatic rifles and a handgun in the pickup, as well as methamphetamine. 

Saylor called for help from federal and county officers, who eventually arrested Cooley. 

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Cooley, saying that non-Indians can be detained only if evidence of a crime is “apparent” or “obvious.” 

The Justice Department appealed during the Trump administration and maintained its position after President Joe Biden took office. 

 

OFFICER SICKNICK AND HIS PARTNER WERE TRUMP VOTERS, BUT THE EX-PRESIDENT CHOSE NOT TO MENTION HIS NAME. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/sicknick-family-criticizes-gop-lawmakers-trump-over-january-6-commission-opposition/#x  

Sicknick family still searching for answers

The family of deceased Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick is continuing their criticism of lawmakers opposed to the creation of a commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol assault.

CBS News congressional correspondent Nikole Killion joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" host Elaine Quijano to discuss her interview with Sicknick's mother and longtime companion.

1H AGO, [JUNE 1, 2021]

  

END OF JUNE 1 TUESDAY

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