The Hill Articles: July 8, 2021

John Kerry to visit Moscow officials to discuss ‘global climate ambition’ Zaila Avant-garde becomes first African American Spelling Bee winner Suspect arrested in death of pro golfer, two others 2 Seattle police officers illegally trespassed while rioters stormed the Capitol Microsoft to give $1,500 in pandemic bonuses to employees Senate GOP campaign arm to run ads against Warnock during MLB games Minnesota AG asks judge to acknowledge trauma of children who witnessed Floyd’s death Civil rights leaders find meeting with WH ‘encouraging’ amidst voting rights battle Pentagon eyes places to send Afghan interpreters as Biden pledges evacuations by end of July Rand Paul vows to introduce public transportation mask mandate repeal California governor asks residents to cut water use John Lewis voting rights bill must be amended to meet Supreme Court test Michigan man sentenced to five years in prison for beating Black teen with bike chain Brian Concannon explains the importance of waiting for ‘verifiable facts’ about Moïse’s killing Podcast host Katie Halper: Trump opponents should be against Assange extradition Former lawmaker says repealed Florida law could have prevented Surfside condo collapse OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Biden defends course on Afghanistan | Most British troops are already out | Rockets fired on US embassy in Iraq The USMCA shifts into high gear, but still needs testing Civil rights groups raise concerns over police reform bill talks Overnight Health Care: FDA narrows use for controversial new Alzheimer’s drug after criticism | Pfizer to seek FDA authorization for booster of COVID-19 vaccine | House report: Drug companies spent more on buybacks, dividends than research Housekeeper alleges Chris Brown had dog euthanized after mauling To solve the climate crisis, look to the leaders on the front lines Indiana man charged with murdering federal agent outside FBI building Researchers estimate COVID-19 vaccines have saved over 280K lives On The Money: Business, labor groups endorse bipartisan infrastructure deal | Conservatives oppose IRS funding | Jobless claims rise, stocks fall GA charter school administrator placed on leave following child molestation charge Overnight Energy: Climate change linked to record temperatures | Progressive groups warn of risk to climate from US approach to China  Hillicon Valley: Warren asks SEC to take closer look at cryptocurrency exchanges | Maryland town knocked offline as part of massive ransomware attack | Huawei hires three new lobbying firms Death toll following Surfside condo collapse reaches 64 California Gov asks residents to cut water usage by 15 percent amid drought Digital divide: We must end the struggle of being ‘under-connected’ 27M still under storm warning as Elsa moves north Pfizer to seek FDA authorization for booster of COVID-19 vaccine Equilibrium/Sustainability — Presented by NextEra Energy — In the era of legal cannabis, K-9s go to pot Scientists now racing to study heat conditions that spontaneously kill humans UFOs are an intriguing science problem; Congress must act accordingly A Leonardo da Vinci drawing of a bear the size of a Post-it note sold for more than $12M Advocacy groups urge school administrators to ban eproctoring Netflix signs producer Shonda Rhimes to new multiyear deal Lawyers for Sandy Hook families say Remington turned over thousands of ‘random cartoons’ in lawsuit US Supreme Court hits a home run for civil rights Judge rules 47 Hong Kong democracy activists cases to resume in September What’s in the new Texas voting rights overhaul Graham calls Biden’s Afghanistan decision a ‘disaster in the making’ Pelosi’s office knocks Trump in statement: ‘Twice-impeached Florida retiree’ Beyond ample supply, hurdles abound in the race to vaccinate the globe Abbott campaign says it raised $18.7M in 10 days Firefighters spend over 12 hours dousing flames from Dubai container explosion TikTok blocked creators from using ‘Black Lives Matter’ in bios At least seven states report mosquitoes carrying disease that can paralyze humans US to provide investigative assistance to Haitian police in president’s assassination Left-wing groups criticize Biden Treasury nominee over work for Exxon, Wall Street The Supreme Court donor ruling is a defeat for Kamala Harris House report: Drug companies spent more on buybacks, dividends than research Wells Fargo closing all personal lines of credit Business, labor groups endorse bipartisan infrastructure deal FAA fines airline passenger more than $10K for refusing to wear mask Toyota hits reverse on donations to lawmakers who objected to 2020 results Nadal to play for first time in DC What to do with cyber vulnerabilities? Advocacy groups press Biden to name new watchdog at housing agency Elon Musk’s company submits bid to construct transit tunnel in Fort Lauderdale Five people indicted on charges of assaulting law enforcement during Capitol riot Biden defends Afghanistan withdrawal, says Taliban takeover ‘highly unlikely’ McConnell: House, Senate GOP wins in 2022 would check Biden Youngkin says in video he can’t discuss abortion for fear of losing independent votes NBA commentators’ racial bias is showing, according to a new study Michael Avenatti sentenced to 30 months in Nike extortion case Nearly all COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths occurring among unvaccinated Americans, White House says The Chinese Communist Party centennial is something to fear, not celebrate Maine governor permanently bans offshore wind projects in state waters Consumer safety agency sues company over elevators blamed for crushing children Competitive eater scarfs down 50 chili dogs in 22 minutes at Michigan bar Racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccination rates persist as delta variant gains steam Scientists create calculator that tells you when you are going to die Wasteful local stimulus funding could mark the end of competitive federalism Laura Jane Grace to perform concert at Four Seasons Total Landscaping US citizens among suspects arrested in Haitian president’s assassination: reports Experts say heat wave cooked 1B marine animals to death Trump on Big Tech lawsuit: ‘If they can do it to me, they can do it to you’ GOP women’s group dismisses Greene and Boebert as ‘carnival barkers’ Bipartisan think tank: Key debt limit deadline will be hard to predict BMW, VW fined over emissions collusion More than one-third of former hospitality workers won’t return: survey Clean hydrogen can fuel industrial decarbonization and environmental justice Warren asks SEC to take closer look at cryptocurrency exchanges Virginia school appealing reinstatement of teacher suspended over gender pronoun policy California state Capitol toughens mask policy after recent COVID-19 cases 12-year-old Indian American becomes youngest chess grandmaster in history FDA narrows use for controversial new Alzheimer’s drug after criticism Britney Spears’s case brings up complex legal questions Haley to stump for Youngkin in Virginia Johnson says most British troops have left Afghanistan Race relations and empathy, through a white autistic lens Missouri governor knocks Biden’s door-to-door vaccination push White House not lifting travel bans soon: report The ‘Eye of Fire’ in the Gulf and a path forward away from fossil fuels Minnesota congressman announces kidney cancer has resurfaced Maine prohibiting offshore wind projects in state waters Harris’s stepdaughter makes Paris Fashion Week debut 1 in 4 adults with depression or anxiety lack access to mental health services The New START extension lacks critical points for strategic stability While life returns to normal in the US, developing nations may remain shattered for years Harris announces $25 million investment in DNC voting rights program UN watchdog to monitor release of water from Fukushima nuclear plant Conservatives say bipartisan infrastructure deal shouldn’t include IRS funding Watch Live: Biden speaks on Afghanistan policy as US withdraws troops New study shows need for full vaccination to protect against delta variant Rubio, Demings rake in cash as Florida Senate race heats up Progressive groups warn of risk to climate from US confrontational approach to China Human rights groups commend imprisonment of South Africa’s Zuma Data should dictate voting rights Wandering elephant returned to reserve in China Ben Crump to represent family of Darnella Frazier’s uncle Marilyn Manson turns himself in to authorities over alleged spitting incident Trump appointee erred in firing Voice of America whistleblowers: watchdog California wildfires on track to exceed record-breaking 2020 season Vaccinated UK residents returning to England will be allowed to bypass quarantine Naomi Osaka in op-ed defends withdrawing from French Open: ‘Athletes are humans’ Cyber Command lawyer calls for military operations against hackers Human-caused climate change behind deadly western heat wave: report Five ways to stay in shape while dealing with a busy schedule Watch live: Harris discusses voting rights at Howard University The courts are not the place to craft or regulate climate policy Lincoln Project shifting focus to corporations that have donated to ‘Sedition Caucus’ Maryland town knocked offline as part of massive ransomware attack Quick-thinking neighbors, police lead to rescue of kidnapped Kentucky girl Nearly 2 in 3 say violent crime has increased in past year: poll Michigan school district: No racial bias found after employee cut child’s hair Watch live: White House holds press briefing Self-driving vehicles: A greater challenge than we thought Cancer death rates fall amid warnings about obesity Death toll rises to 60 in Florida condo collapse DeSantis won’t commit to new review of Florida buildings after condo collapse Communal peacock shot and killed after hit taken out on Craigslist Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, and Joaquin Phoenix lead A-list protest against Line 3 What America’s Thinking: July 8, 2021 GOP rep demands Air Force Academy professor be removed for teaching critical race theory Taiwan asks US to avoid ‘unnecessary speculation’ after flag tweet is deleted Olympics to run without spectators JD Vance: Trump views people who ‘kiss his a– all the time’ as ‘weak’ China will be the next empire to enter the Afghan ‘graveyard’ Rockets land near US Embassy in Baghdad California AG announces protocols for probes of police shootings of unarmed people COVID-19 cases surging in nearly half US states as delta variant takes control Minneapolis Fed requiring employees to be vaccinated Alarming new study finds extreme temps killing 5M people each year—with deadly heat growing worse Expect political consequences from higher oil prices during the summer driving season Rising: July 8, 2021 15 states drop opposition to OxyContin maker Purdue’s bankruptcy plan TIm Ryan raises $2.28 million for Ohio Senate bid Climate change exacerbated record heat last week: Analysis 2020 Hispanic voter participation surged 30 percent compared to 2016: Analysis NRA appealing Florida ban on gun sales to people under 21 WSJ to Biden: Inaction on Russian cyberattacks would prove your ‘words are empty’ Olympic sponsors canceling promotional events: report HHS head: ‘Absolutely the government’s business’ to know people’s vaccine status Biden to issue executive order on consolidation in railroads, ocean shipping Pelosi husband won big on Alphabet stock Watchdog group calls for Supreme Court reforms Watch live: White House COVID-19 response team holds press briefing Dangerous hand sanitizers need immediate FDA attention Tokyo Olympics will not have spectators New California heat wave to soar past 115 degrees in some places Meghan McCain to join Jewish groups for solidarity rally in DC Trump golf club charged Secret Service $10K for rooms in May: report Stocks fall as fears about growth, delta variant shake market Federal court approves only school in US using electroshock on students Democrats and Republicans will agree on climate change Hunter Biden artwork attracts ethics scrutiny: report Clean the brush that cleans your mouth with this UV sanitizer that’s on sale for 46% off World’s biggest sandcastle breaks record set just two years ago Stock futures plummet on global economic concerns Teen who recorded George Floyd’s death now has uncle killed at ‘hands of the police’ The steady erosion of Trump-hate is a growing problem for Team Biden Olympic Games will be played under state of emergency Dallas County reaches herd immunity, nonprofit says Weekly jobless claims tick up to 373,000 China’s WeChat deletes accounts on LGBT topics Arizona secretary of state seeks investigation into Trump, allies Strict social distancing at pandemic low of 18 percent: Gallup An economist’s perspective on ‘gain-of-function’ virus research South Dakota governor sending more troops to US-Mexico border Student parents are key to our post-pandemic recovery State of emergency declared in Tokyo ahead of Olympics The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden renews families plan pitch; Senate prepares to bring infrastructure package to floor Fetterman raises more than $2.5M in second quarter The Memo: Biden and Democrats face dilemma on vaccine mandates Biden, Obama 10 minutes apart but rarely together Trump-allied GOP chairs turn on fellow Republicans