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Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported each morning this week: Monday, 567,217; Tuesday, 567,694; Wednesday, 568,470.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin showed little emotion on Tuesday as his eyes darted rapidly around the courtroom above his blue mask, and 12 jurors who deliberated for 10 and a half hours found him guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd.
As Chauvin stood to be removed to jail, he thrust his arms behind him. He kept his wrists together as the sheriff’s deputy clicked the handcuffs shut. Chauvin’s bail was revoked. Sentencing will occur in two months, according to Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill.
Outside the courtroom in a special room outfitted with a television, Floyd’s relatives leaped from their seats and crowded toward the screen as Cahill read each of three guilty verdicts aloud. They cheered, pumped their fists and aimed their cell phone cameras at a scene they viewed as justice.
Out on the city’s streets, which had been fortified against potential violence and looting, crowds supporting Floyd and Black Lives Matter gathered and listened to each verdict. Some appeared incredulous, anticipating that the jurors might have gone the other way. Some wept. Others hugged and celebrated. Church bells rang.
Similar scenes appeared in Washington, D.C., and other cities. The questions began: What’s next for policing, for racial tolerance and for criminal justice reforms? What if there had been no video of a police officer’s knee on a Black man’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds until his breathing stopped?
The Hill: The Congressional Black Caucus sees the guilty verdict as a first step. “We are hopeful that today will be the catalyst to turn the pain, the agony, the justice delays into actions that go far beyond today,” said Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who chairs the caucus.
The Washington Post 2020 special report: George Floyd’s America.
The Hill: Minneapolis crowds celebrated guilty verdicts.
President Biden and Vice President Harris phoned the Floyd family from the White House. “You’ve been incredible. You’re an incredible family,” the president said. “We’re all so relieved. … It’s really important. I’m anxious to see you guys, I really am. And we’re going to get a lot more done” (CNN).
NBC News and The Associated Press: The president called Tuesday’s verdict “a giant step forward in the march toward justice.”
Hours earlier, Biden, who sought the support of law enforcement during his campaign, made it clear he believed the trial evidence showed Chauvin to be guilty of Floyd’s murder (The Hill). He was criticized for his remarks earlier in the day while the jury deliberated.
The Hill: Jury finds Chauvin guilty on all counts in Floyd’s murder.
The New York Times: The counts for which the former officer was found guilty: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The New York Times: How a teenager’s video upended the Minneapolis Police Department’s initial inaccurate tale.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), speaking after the verdict, offered an awkwardly worded statement: “Thank you George Floyd for sacrificing your life for justice.”
NPR: Meet the jurors in the Chauvin trial.
The Washington Post database: 984 people have been shot by police in the past year. African Americans are killed by police at more than twice the rate of white Americans. Hispanic Americans are also killed by police at a disproportionate rate.
Lawmakers in both parties used the word “relief” to describe their reactions.
“There is no question in my mind that the jury reached the right verdict,” Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), the lone African American GOP senator, said in a statement.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), whose comments while in Minneapolis over the weekend in defense of Black Lives Matter became a lightning rod for criticism from House conservatives and resulted in a failed censure motion, said of the Chauvin verdicts, “You know, someone said it better than me. I’m not celebrating. I’m relieved.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), who is Black and a former member of the House, said, “I would not call today’s verdict justice … but it is accountability, which is the first step towards justice.”
The Hill: Celebrities cheered the verdict.
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LEADING THE DAY
CONGRESS: House Democrats rallied to the side of Waters, the chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee, and beat back a GOP attempt to censure her for saying that “we’ve got to get more confrontational” about police brutality against African Americans.
In a strict party-line vote, lawmakers voted 216-210 to table a censure resolution brought up by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). McCarthy and Republicans argued that the California Democrat incited violence with police in the lead-up to Tuesday’s verdict and following Daunte Wright’s death by an officer.
“Chairwoman Waters’ actions are beneath the dignity of this institution,” McCarthy tweeted.
Democrats responded with accusations of hypocrisy after Republicans largely decided against impeaching former President Trump following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol and stood by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
“Clean up your mess, Kevin. Sit this one out. You’ve got no credibility here,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), pointing to Greene, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as examples (The Hill).
The last member of Congress to be censured was then-Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) in 2010, while only four have been in the past four decades.
The Associated Press: Waters’s bold words echo civil rights, draw criticism.
NBC News: “Did I strike a nerve?”: House police reform hearing erupts into shouting match between Reps. Val Demings (D-Fla.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
The Hill: Democrats adopting rule to limit Freedom Caucus delay tactics.
Axios: Senate confirms Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general.
> Infrastructure: The clock is ticking for Republicans to make a substantial infrastructure offer, with the White House giving them until the end of May to come up with a counter proposal as they push to pass a bill over the summer.
GOP talks are being led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), tasked to come up with a $600 billion to $800 billion proposal. However, as The Hill’s Alexander Bolton writes, they have a major hill to climb as they try to form consensus among Republicans on how to pay for the bill.
On the Democratic side, the sales job of the administration’s $2.3 billion infrastructure and jobs proposal continued on as four top members of the Cabinet made their case to the Senate Appropriations Committee. As The Hill’s Niv Elis writes, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge described at length the contours of the plan, making the case for the plan.
The Hill: White House readies another massive spending proposal.
The Hill: Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus say they were energized by their first meeting with Biden.
*****
CORONAVIRUS: The drug regulator for the European Union found a “possible link” between rare blood clot complications and the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) coronavirus vaccine. The European Medicines Agency recommends a warning be added that the blood disorders should be considered “very rare side effects of the vaccine” (The Associated Press).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to meet on Friday to weigh additional information about the J&J vaccine and what increasingly seems to be a correlation between rare, serious blood clot complications and the vaccine’s interaction with some people’s immune responses (ABC News).
The Associated Press: Here’s how one 18-year-old Nevada woman early this month developed blood clots in her brain a week after receiving a J&J dose. Emma Burkey has undergone three brain surgeries.
The Wall Street Journal: Newly reported infections fall in the U.S.
The government’s concerns about the J&J vaccine and the administration’s decision last week to recommend a pause in all 50 states has complicated worries among some Americans about coronavirus vaccines administered in the United States. Forty percent of Republicans have consistently told pollsters they’re not planning to be vaccinated — a group that could undermine the goal of increasing national immunity in order to tamp down the virus’s spread.
A focus group of vaccine-hesitant Trump voters over the weekend urged politicians and pollsters to stop pressuring people who are vaccine holdouts, move away from forecasts of booster shots in the future, and find a more persuasive influencer than the ubiquitous Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (The Washington Post).
Among the most pressing questions public health experts are asking is why so many GOP voters remain opposed to the COVID-19 shots and whether the recent decision to pause J&J vaccinations increased their skepticism.
Biden is scheduled to speak today about the administration’s vaccination rate to date and states’ success in allowing all U.S. adults to make vaccine appointments by May 1 in their communities, as he requested.
The Associated Press: Hitting latest vaccine milestone, Biden pushes shots for all.
The Hill: Connecticut lawmakers voted to rescind a religious exemption for school vaccination requirements.
The New York Times: Some children with COVID-related syndrome develop neurological issues.
The Associated Press: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday extended restrictions that make it mandatory for air travelers to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense when they arrive in Canada. He thanked the country’s two major airlines for extending a voluntary suspension of flights to Mexico and all Caribbean destinations until May 21.
The Wall Street Journal: Japan is preparing to reimplement its state of emergency declaration for Tokyo due to the increase in coronavirus cases as the country prepares to host the Olympics this summer. “We should not fall behind the speed at which variants of the virus are spreading infection,” Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said.
*****
ADMINISTRATION: The president plans to announce the United States will work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at least in half by 2030, according to The Washington Post. The target, timed for Earth Day and a U.S.-led global virtual climate summit on Thursday, is intended to reassert America’s global leadership on greenhouse gas reductions and would require significant U.S. changes. Biden wants to encourage other nations to follow suit. The president’s pledge represents a near-doubling of the U.S. commitment under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, when former President Obama vowed to cut emissions between 26 percent and 28 percent compared with 2005 levels.
The Associated Press: The European Union reaches a major climate deal ahead of the U.S. climate summit.
When the administration recently retreated from a tight cap on refugees to insist the limit will be lifted, progressives and advocates for immigrants said their power at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. was clear. The Hill’s Morgan Chalfant and Mike Lillis report on whether that reading of their West Wing clout holds up. “We take this victory. Now, let’s protect this victory,” said Ezra Levin, co-executive director of progressive group Indivisible. “Now, let’s hold these elected officials accountable.”
The Washington Post: The president’s own misgivings fueled the decision to keep a restrictive refugee cap in place, a decision then reversed by the administration after public outcry.
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday that it will make an additional 22,000 temporary non agricultural worker visas available soon through a temporary rulemaking. The expansion of visas has been sought by companies and employers (The Wall Street Journal). The decision comes weeks after the administration lifted a ban imposed in June on the guest worker visas and other work visas by the Trump administration amid the economic fallout of the pandemic.
Six thousand of those additional visas will be set aside for applicants from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, which together are sending the largest number of migrant families and children to the U.S. border seeking asylum.
IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES
POLITICS: Trump and his allies are making it clear they have no intention of letting up in their continued offensive against Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), a preview of a likely bare-knuckle intraparty brawl in one of the key contests on the 2022 map.
As The Hill’s Max Greenwood writes, Kemp has found himself on the outside looking in after he declined to back Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia in November. Even after he signed the Georgia election bill into law last month, the back-and-forth has not subsided, as Trump argued that it does not do enough to combat voter fraud.
Adding to his problems, several county Republican parties in Georgia last week voted to censure him, and he received a formal primary challenge from Vernon Jones, a staunchly pro-Trump Republican.
The Hill: Montana Democrats sue over new voting laws.
The Hill: Republican National Committee raises nearly $18 million in record off-year March donations.
The Texas Tribune: Texas state Rep. Jake Ellzey faces mounting opposition from his right — including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) — in a special election to fill the late Rep. Ron Wright’s (R-Texas) seat.
The Hill: Groups see new openings for digging up dirt on Trump.
The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@digital-staging.thehill.com and aweaver@digital-staging.thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE!
OPINIONS
Chauvin’s Conviction is the exception that proves the rule, by David A. Graham, staff writer, The Atlantic. https://bit.ly/3xeDc4z
Shedding masks — and a bit of our pandemic selves, by Molly Roberts, editorial writer, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/3dyDk6U
Tax hikes will stifle the recovery, by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), The Wall Street Journal. https://on.wsj.com/3n3eWxB
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WHERE AND WHEN
The House meets at noon.
The Senate will convene at 10:30 a.m. and resume consideration of the nomination of Vanita Gupta to become associate attorney general.
The president and Vice President Harris will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 9:50 a.m. The president will deliver remarks on the COVID-19 response and the state of vaccinations at 1:15 p.m.
First lady Jill Biden will travel to Albuquerque, N.M., for an event with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) at a community health center and Window Rock, Ariz., for events with the Navajo Nation.
Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff at 11 a.m. will visit a community health center in Burlington, Vt., for a listening session to discuss targeted vaccination outreach efforts. Gov. Phil Scott (R), Lt. Governor Molly Gray (D), and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) will participate.
The White House press briefing will take place at 12:15 p.m. The administration’s coronavirus briefing is scheduled at 11 a.m.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will be a featured speaker about global clean energy at 9 a.m. during an event sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Information is HERE.
Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://digital-staging.thehill.com/hilltv or on YouTube at 10:30 a.m. ET at Rising on YouTube.
ELSEWHERE
➔ INTERNATIONAL: Queen Elizabeth II is 95 today. Following the death of her husband, Prince Philip, her celebration will be subdued (People). … U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan plans to return to Washington for consultations with the Biden administration as the two superpowers trade sanctions and Russia recommended he depart. He says he will return to Moscow within weeks (The Associated Press). His statement is HERE. … Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver his annual address to the nation today. Demonstrations about the precarious health and continued imprisonment of Putin critic Alexei Navalny are expected (CNBC). According to The Associated Press, Navalny’s doctors have been unable to see him in a prison hospital after he was moved there. Navalny released a letter to his legal team that was posted to social media: “If you saw me now, you would laugh. A skeleton walking, swaying, in its cell.” … Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno, who ruled the central African nation for more than three decades, died Tuesday of wounds suffered on the battlefield during a fight against rebels (The Associated Press).
➔ STATE WATCH: The GOP-led North Carolina state Senate will not move ahead to advance a bill supported by multiple members that would limit medical treatments for transgender individuals under age 21. A spokesman for Phil Berger, the GOP leader in the North Carolina state Senate, said that the bill will not receive a vote in the chamber. The legislation, which would have ultimately been vetoed by Gov. Roy Cooper (D), would have precluded doctors from prescribing puberty blockers, gender confirming hormone treatment or surgery to people under 21 (The Associated Press). … From voting laws to transgender athletes, companies are pushing back against red state legislatures. Amazon, IBM and Marriott are among corporations opposed to a Texas bill that would place restrictions on transgender people in athletics (Houston Chronicle). Other states, including Missouri and Tennessee, are considering similar legislation. The companies are getting out in front of such bills after public criticism that they didn’t condemn Georgia’s voting law until it was enacted. Republicans say corporate America should not play an active role in the politics of policy (The Hill).
➔ TECH: Apple and Google’s market power over digital app stores will be in the hot seat Wednesday at the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee’s hearing on app store fairness. The Silicon Valley giants have come under fire over the app store policies, especially over the 15 to 30 percent fees they collect from app developers. As Congress continues to weigh the market power of the companies, the controversial app store policies have led to proposed state legislation to allow apps to circumvent the fees, as well as a key trial between EpicGames and Apple that is set to go to trial next month (The Hill).
THE CLOSER
And finally … Little Steven is here to help students, and music is the vehicle.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) rolled out a new public school effort on Tuesday to re-engage students in their studies intended to educate them via music and the history of song. The curriculum, known as “TeachRock,” is the creation of a collaboration led by Steven Van Zandt, the longtime Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band guitarist, and will touch on the Vietnam War and the influence of blues and hip-hop on the political scene, among other issues.
“Statistics show that if a kid likes one single teacher or one single class, they will come to school, and we want to be that class,” Van Zandt told The Associated Press. “The days of dragging young people to some old-school education methodology I think are over.”
