The Hill Articles: July 13, 2021

Norwegian Cruise Line line sues Florida over COVID-19 vaccine passport ban Texas Senate passes voting bill after House Democrats flee state COVID-19 infections rising in 45 states: report Seven Mississippi children hospitalized as delta variant surges Democrats reach deal on $3.5T price tag for infrastructure bill Texas family arrested for role in Capitol riot Tokyo governor says medical system ready, vows ‘safe and secure’ Olympics ‘SNL’ cast member Bowen Yang makes history with Emmy nomination Poll: McAuliffe holds 2-point lead over Youngkin in Virginia governor’s race Key Senate Democrats undecided on Biden’s ATF nominee  Feds say Iran backed plot to kidnap US-based journalist Idaho governor warns of ‘mega-fires,’ urges public help Schumer set to unveil new federal marijuana legalization bill Democrats’ bid to remove the Hyde Amendment from proposed budget must be rejected Overnight Defense: $706B Pentagon spending bill advances | Navy secretary nominee glides through hearing | Obstacles mount in Capitol security funding fight On The Money: Inflation spike puts Biden on defensive | Senate Democrats hit spending speed bumps | Larry Summers huddles with WH team Mississippi health department blocks Facebook comments over COVID-19 misinformation European sporting body asks for probe of England fan violence Larry Summers, White House officials meet to discuss Biden agenda Arkansas sees biggest increase in COVID-19 cases in five months Democrats under new pressure to break voting rights stalemate Miles of Southern California beach closed following discharge of 17M gallons of sewage Overnight Energy: Democrats seek to counter GOP attacks on gas prices | EPA: 11,000 facilities illegally discharged pollutants into nearby waters in 2018 | Warren presses Army Corps of Engineers nominee on Dakota Access Pipeline​​ Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca researching vaccine modification to address rare blood clot risk Defense lawyers: Don’t force-feed 9/11 suspect at Guantanamo Bay Democrats seek to counter GOP attacks on gas prices Tropical Storm Elsa unearths ancient megalodon teeth NAACP offers to pay bail for Texas Democrats who left state in effort to block election bill Senate Democrats hit speedbumps with big spending plans Overnight Health Care: New COVID-19 cases up 94 percent in two weeks | Nurses union calls on CDC to bring back universal mask guidelines | Texas sued over law that lets citizens enforce ‘fetal heartbeat’ abortion ban Postal reform should deliver better results  National security and cybercrime: This is not your grandpa’s battleground Group of attorneys general ask for better child car seat, side-impact standards Equilibrium/ Sustainability — Burn a forest in Oregon, smell it in Boulder Tennessee to stop outreach promoting adolescent vaccines for all diseases including COVID-19: report Hillicon Valley: Russian hacking group believed to be behind Kaseya attack goes offline | DHS funding package pours millions into migrant surveillance | Jen Easterly sworn in as director of DHS cyber agency Chicago-area mayors plan 80 percent cut in emissions by 2050 House panel advances $706B Pentagon bill on party-line vote Warren presses Army Corps of Engineers nominee on Dakota Access Pipeline House panel votes to repeal 2001, 2002 war authorizations Texas Democrats are fighting harder than Biden or congressional Democrats Cruz trolled on Twitter for slamming Democrats who fled Texas Business group backs filibuster exception for voting rights Groups push for health worker COVID-19 vaccine mandates Two officers shot in Baltimore trying to apprehend homicide suspect VMI superintendent: Alleged attacks on female cadets ‘unacceptable’ Ocasio-Cortez knocks McCarthy after he claimed critical race theory ‘goes against everything’ MLK taught Appeals court rules 21-year minimum age for handgun purchases is unconstitutional Massive COVID-19 benefit concert will star The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, BTS and Coldplay Two suspects arrested in shooting of crime reporter Biden speech unlikely to quash progressive angst Police say man in fake bomb scare at airport was mad about baggage fee Hawaii giving away goats that have overrun national park Emerging tech’s ‘Sputnik moment’ requires private and public sector cooperation Former bank CEO convicted of bribery in scheme to land Trump admin job Senate Republicans’ campaign arm raises $10.5M in June Spiking inflation weighs on Biden economic agenda France urges citizens to leave Afghanistan over security concerns Company unveils kit encasing handguns in Lego blocks Russia warns US against deploying troops in Central Asia after Afghanistan withdrawal Miami Beach apartment building evacuated over concerns about deteriorating concrete House Democrats include immigration priorities as they forward DHS funding bill Watch live: Blinken speaks at global technology summit Investors more pessimistic about inflation: Gallup survey California makes huge investment to combat anti-Asian hate incidents Biden nominates Jeff Flake as ambassador to Turkey ‘Jackass’ star bitten by shark while filming ‘Shark Week’ stunt Making Medicare Work Better for Patients Biden slams state voting restrictions as ’21st-century Jim Crow’ Texas state Democrat on leaving to protest bill: ‘Democracy is at stake’ Cuba lost more than $13M during its internet shutdown Burger King employees go viral for sign to management: ‘We all quit’ Charles Booker: Rand Paul is ‘a joke’ Homeland Security funding package pours millions into migrant surveillance Mel Gibson spotted saluting Trump at UFC fight The possibilities of #SOSCuba in US-Cuban relations Kaseya hack proves we need better cyber metrics Virginia named top state for business in CNBC rankings FAA approves Blue Origin launch with Bezos, others aboard US personnel sent to protect embassy in Haiti Bipartisan Senate group to finalize infrastructure bill this week Trump said whoever leaked information about stay in White House bunker should be ‘executed,’ author claims Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo to appear in tribal ‘pandemic town hall’ NY lawmaker seeks to keep Chick-fil-A out of state rest stops Schumer: Democrats considering option to pay for all of infrastructure agenda Hunter Biden art work creates ethical concerns for White House: reporter Biden rips Trump’s ‘big lie’ in voting rights address Ohio football coaches sue for defamation in pizza incident Bill O’Reilly accuser details alleged harassment, says she felt bullied into NDA Forgiving student loans isn’t enough — Congress must double Pell Grants Former DEA informant arrested in assassination of Haiti president: report Oklahoma cracks down on critical race theory — but Tulsa is defiant Putin hosts Belarusian president for talks Acknowledging few options at home, Texas Democrats urge congressional action Roy Moore loses lawsuit against Sacha Baron Cohen Scott sets July deadline for passing police reform CDC official says more information needed on boosters Russian hacking group believed to be behind Kaseya cyber attack goes offline EPA: 11,000 facilities illegally discharged pollutants into nearby waters in 2018 Bezos receives federal approval for space launch Illinois orders Asian American history to be taught in all its public schools Free Britney movement calls for congressional hearing ahead of DC rally United Airlines is buying 100 new electric planes Sacha Baron Cohen sues company over ‘Borat’ billboard Judge frees QAnon supporter held six months in Jan. 6 riot West Virginia to vote against Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan 1 million people in France make vaccine appointments after Macron warning Navy secretary nominee pledges to be ‘exclusively focused on the China threat’ Boulder, Colo., named best place to live for second year in a row Harris to meet with Texas Democrats Here’s what Congress is reading at the beach this summer Hassan raises record $3.25M in second quarter China warns US about interfering in internal affairs after Hong Kong report Washington Monument set to reopen Wednesday after six-month closure Watch live: Biden delivers remarks on protecting voting rights New COVID-19 cases up 94 percent in two weeks: NYT The Atlantic on pace to lose $10M this year: report Olympic contractors arrested on drug use charges Former Georgia ethics official to challenge McBath Former Trump campaign adviser leaving GOP in protest Is Washington missing the real sign of the times with Israelis and Palestinians? Families sue after theme park character flashes white supremacist sign in pictures White House shifts to biweekly calls with governors on coronavirus First major union boss breaks with Cuomo Watch live: McConnell press conference Watch live: WH deputy press secretary holds gaggle aboard Air Force One Watch Live: Sen. Schumer holds press conference Why the World Anti-doping Agency should revisit its cannabis ban English soccer player thanks supporters after racist attacks Manchin draws red line in infrastructure talks Biden chooses former WVa health official to serve as drug czar Texas House votes to have law enforcement track down absent Democrats Volkswagen shifting half of vehicles sales to BEVs by 2030 Iraq hospital fire kills more than 90 in COVID-19 ward Miami Beach condo building ordered to evacuate over structural concerns The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Presented by Facebook – Texas Dems flee to Washington Texas sued over law that lets citizens enforce ‘fetal heartbeat’ abortion ban Poll: 44 percent want more police in their community; 7 percent say less Dozens of weapons seized in Colorado hotel room before MLB All-Star Game The national debt limit is a greater threat than the debt itself Mark Levin urges Americans to boycott ‘woke’ businesses Nikki Haley calls for ‘every governor’ to ban funding for critical race theory Taliban kills 22 Afghan soldiers trying to surrender: report This $20 SQL training package can help begin your data science career Conservative group to defend Georgia election law in All-Star Game ads Biden to participate in CNN town hall in Ohio Former Cummings staffer unveils congressional bid Mj Rodriguez of ‘Pose’ becomes first transgender best actress Emmy nominee Employer and health groups push Congress to pass drug price revamp Former Pentagon official selected to oversee export control at Commerce Dept. Congress must act now to pass a bipartisan federal privacy law Jen Easterly sworn in as director of DHS cyber agency US warns businesses of heightened risks on China’s Xinjiang province Olivia Rodrigo to visit White House as part of effort to boost vaccinations among the young First lady to attend Olympics opening ceremony What America’s Thinking: July 13, 2021 UN unveils massive plan to ‘reset humanity’s relationship with nature’ TikTok audio contributes to ‘feedback loop of anti-vaccine narratives,’ researchers say Idaho and Montana’s wolf slaughter must be stopped before it’s too late Quitting work in retirement? Fuhgeddaboudit! Eight NFL teams above 85 percent threshold for vaccinations: report Texas Democrat on governor’s threat: ‘I have not committed a crime, so I can’t get arrested’ French president orders COVID-19 health pass for restaurants, cafes Miles of California beaches closed after 17M gallons of sewage spills More than a million acres now on fire — the size of the entire Grand Canyon Cheney tops Stefanik in fundraising Schumer to meet with Texas Democrats on voting rights Dismantling the military justice system will not reduce sexual assault White House announces new head of climate assessment after ousting Trump-era pick McCarthy: Critical race theory ‘goes against everything Martin Luther King Jr. taught us’ Porter on melee at town hall: ‘Hard to feel safe’ New book reports Trump Air Force One meeting transformed US pandemic response Transgender sports bills advance in Texas Senate Justice Department files civil complaint against shuttered oil refinery Florida man planned to blame Black Lives Matter for ex-girlfriend’s death Julie Su’s nomination is a blow to the nation’s freelancers Rising: July 13, 2021 US’s largest registered nurses union calls on CDC to bring back universal mask guidelines Experts say western US now trapped in death cycle of extreme heat, drought, fire Cornel West rips ‘decadence’ in ‘market-driven universities’ in Harvard resignation letter Japan and the US are still sorting out their China-Taiwan policies ESPN analyst apologizes after criticizing baseball star because he ‘doesn’t speak English’ Newsom can’t identify himself as Democrat on recall ballot Israel starts administering third Pfizer dose to people with weak immune systems French competition authority fines Google $550M Megyn Kelly: Media’s portrayal of Jan. 6 ‘so much worse than it actually was’ Youngkin skipping Virginia gubernatorial debate over moderator’s donation New COVID-19 surge will cause ‘surprising amount of death’ in several US regions, says expert Richard Branson’s launch changes the way we look at space Trump warns GOP to not erode his tax cuts This refurbished 16GB iPad Air 2 is on sale for over 30% off US Conference of Mayors backs bipartisan infrastructure deal France, Greece order health workers to be vaccinated China knocks Yellen over call for ‘unified front’ between US, Europe Cuba arrests activists after rare protests Five years of price hikes show the scope of inflation’s surge MLB cracks down on players wearing sunscreen FAA: New manufacturing issue discovered in undelivered Boeing 787 Dreamliners WHO says ‘catastrophic waves’ of new delta variant cases are driven by greed Business groups lobby against key Biden labor nominee Iran says prisoner exchange talks underway with US Consumer prices rise 0.9 percent, inflation up 5.4 percent in June Abbott says Democratic lawmakers will be arrested when they return to Texas Hunter Biden, family and politics: Where should the line be drawn? Trump ‘very disappointed’ in Kavanaugh votes: ‘Where would he be without me?’ Texas Democrats launch a war they probably cannot win Jill Biden to lead US delegation at Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony ‘Just say we won,’ Giuliani told Trump aides on election night: book Feehery: The value of money Press: Ice cream’s back — thank you, Joe! Branson, Bezos and Musk: A new space race for a new generation Virginia suburb of DC extends streak as ‘America’s Fittest City’ The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Goldman Sachs – Biden backs Cuban protesters, assails ‘authoritarian regime’ Consumer Reports launches crowdsourced campaign for internet service transparency Obstacles mount amid Capitol Police funding fight Trump getting tougher for Senate GOP to ignore Democratic tensions simmer in House between left, center Virginia county to test power of GOP culture wars at ballot box Bottom line