The Hill Articles: June 18, 2021

Obama: Ensuring democracy ‘continues to work effectively’ keeps me ‘up at night’ DC to offer $51 gift cards to those getting first COVID-19 shot New Jersey landlords prohibited from asking potential tenants about criminal records Former Fla. Gov calls for an investigation into the state’s ‘outsized role’ in the Jan. 6 riot Abbott vetoes funding for Texas legislature over Democrats’ walkout Man shot next to two children in New York Arizona man charged with 1st-degree murder after shooting spree ‘Aggressive individual’ arrested after interaction with Newsom Hollywood goes all in for the For the People Act New Jersey erects 700-pound bronze statue of George Floyd Overnight Defense: Pentagon pulling some air defense assets from Middle East | Dems introduce resolution apologizing to LGBT community for discrimination | White House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine White House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine Wisconsin lawmaker offers bill to ban teaching of critical race theory in DC schools Poll: 30 percent of GOP voters believe Trump will ‘likely’ be reinstated this year What America’s Thinking: June 18, 2021 Celebration and retribution: 100 years of the Chinese Communist Party Black Secret Service agent told Trump it was offensive to hold rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth: report Canadian ambassador calls for close coordination in handling of US border Ted Cruz says critical race theory is as racist as ‘Klansmen in white sheets’ Pentagon pulling ‘certain forces and capabilities,’ including air defenses, from Middle East Time to tackle the pandemic’s economic disruptions Overnight Health Care: Biden touts 300 million vaccine doses in 150 days | Biden warns of ‘potentially deadlier’ delta variant | Public option fades with little outcry from progressives Dow falls more than 500 points, capping worst week since October Overnight Energy: Lake Mead’s decline points to scary water future in West | White House leads opposition to raising gas tax | Biden taps ex-New Mexico lawmaker for USDA post Monica Lewinsky responds to viral HBO intern’s mistake: ‘It gets better’ Fear of link to Trump motivated expert skepticism of lab leak theory, scientist says UN assembly condemns military coup in Myanmar Policymakers’ inconsistent energy approach could bring blackouts New England Aquarium honors nearly four-decade-old ticket Newest Boeing 737 Max takes first test flight The Supreme Court again refuses to strike down ObamaCare and its unconstitutional mandate Lieu calls Catholic bishops ‘hypocrites’ for move to deny Biden communion Biden dismisses Catholic bishops potentially banning him from communion Biden warns of ‘potentially deadlier’ delta variant, urges public to get vaccine How the GOP can extend an ‘America First’ trade policy to US farmers and ranchers California residents given digital record of COVID-19 vaccine Court sets Smartmatic dismissal date on Giuliani, Bartiromo, others US-Canada border restrictions extended until July 21 On The Money: Centrists gain leverage over progressives in Senate infrastructure battle | White House rules out gas tax hike Ukraine sanctions two businessmen tied to Giuliani Inflation concerns spark new political fights Harris signals a potential breakthrough in US-Mexico cooperation Iowa governor signs bill increasing punishment for protest-related crimes Biden nominates HHS official targeted by Trump Sidney Powell summoned to Detroit for sanctions hearing Trump against boycotting Beijing Olympics in 2022 With Washington recommitted to innovation, cryptocurrencies need a congressional fix Watch live: President Biden delivers remarks on vaccination effort From imagination to impact White House reiterates opposition to raising gas tax amid infrastructure debate Palestinian Authority calls off vaccine exchange with Israel Graham quips key to working with Trump: We both ‘like him’ Catholic bishops advance effort that could deny Biden communion Watch live: Harris delivers remarks on vaccination efforts US officials: Iranian ships changing course away from Venezuela It’s well past time for strategic defenses and counterpunches on cybersecurity Trump endorses Murkowski challenger Pence heckled with calls of ‘traitor’ at conservative conference Democrats introduce resolution apologizing to LGBT community for government discrimination Biden taps ex-New Mexico lawmaker for USDA post House Democrat: Republicans ‘treating Capitol Police like shit’ were ‘the most scared’ during riot As market frets over inflation, small businesses are already adapting Charges dismissed against trucker who drove into George Floyd protest Irish finance minister seeks compromise on global minimum tax Anti-vaxxers protest vaccine requirements at Foo Fighters show Georgia releases names of over 100K people at risk of having voter registration canceled St. Louis Fed President sees first interest rate hike in 2022 Fox Corp names McGahn, Bannon attorney to board of directors North Carolina sheriff’s office settles for $6M in excessive force lawsuit The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Nation marks first Juneteenth as national holiday Time is running out to evacuate Afghan translators with US troops Lake Mead’s decline points to scary water future in West Biden touts vaccine success US-led war games in Africa wrap up after two weeks of exercises A bipartisan solution to address chronic kidney disease in America Tokyo Olympics organizers plan to distribute 160K condoms, tell athletes not to use them Carnival Cruise says customer data exposed in breach Bear in Japan shot dead after rampage through streets leaves four injured Japanese medical experts: No spectators is least risky option for Olympics A NATO action plan for China Grad student lauds professor who placed crib in his office so she could bring baby to school North Carolina death row inmate freed after newly discovered evidence Recent inflation figures should not be ignored Rising: June 18, 2021 UN: Nearly 3 million fled homes in 2020 despite COVID-19 pandemic Joe Rogan slams CNN’s Stelter: ‘Your show is f—ing terrible’ After talks with Putin, Biden must act to support democracy and human rights China mulls end to childbirth restrictions by 2025: report Commemorating Juneteenth: Learn from the past to improve the present and future Trudeau nominates first person of color to Canada’s Supreme Court Biden raised key concerns with Putin, but may have overlooked others Israel to give one million vaccines to Palestinian Authority Get exclusive deals on wireless earbuds, drones, and more that you won’t find on Amazon’s Prime Day AstraZeneca, EU both say they won out in court dispute over vaccine supply Illinois governor signs law expanding curbside voting, permanent vote by mail Poll finds just 21 percent extremely worried about COVID-19 breaking into their inner circle Poll: 46 percent of unvaccinated say they will definitely not get vaccine The Senate is where dreams go to die Authorities identify remains of Kentucky sailor killed in WWII House Democrats’ campaign arm raises almost $10 million in May Hong Kong newspaper prints 500,000 copies in face of Chinese crackdown Gillibrand: Military must make changes beyond sexual assault cases Enter for a chance to win this amazing Amazon entertainment prize package Portland police protest response unit resigns following officer’s indictment Congress should invest in nature to build disaster-resilient communities Jan. 6 defendant becomes first to face firearms charge under riot law Inflation becomes political threat to big-spending Democrats European Union opens up to nonessential travel from US End the practice of hitting children in public schools The Hill’s Morning Report – ObamaCare here to stay Public option fades with little outcry from progressives Centrists gain leverage over progressives in Senate infrastructure battle Democrats scramble to unify before election bill brawl Lawmakers rally around cyber legislation following string of attacks Democrats have turned solidly against gas tax 40-year march: Only one state doesn’t recognize Juneteenth