It’s Wednesday.
For Wednesday, June 23, 2021, President Biden will have received his daily brief. President Biden will have delivered remarks at the funeral of former Senator John Warner (R-VA), who passed away in May at the age of 94. This afternoon he will meet with the Attorney General and “stakeholders” to discuss what his admin can do to keep our cities and neighborhoods safer. Later this afternoon President Biden and the Attorney General will deliver remarks on the Administration’s gun crime prevention strategy.
From the fact-sheet posted by the White House on Wednesday.
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing a comprehensive strategy to combat gun violence and other violent crime. This strategy implements preventative measures that are proven to reduce violent crime, and attacks the root causes – including by addressing the flow of firearms used to commit crimes.
This strategy will use the Rescue Plan’s historic funding levels and clear guidance to help state, local, territorial, and tribal governments get the money they need to put more police officers on the beat – with the resources, training, and accountability they need to engage in effective community policing – in addition to supporting proven Community Violence Intervention programs, summer employment opportunities, and other investments that we know will reduce crime and make our neighborhoods safer.
The strategy will also address the direct link between gun violence and the rise in violent crime by taking immediate steps to keep guns out of the wrong hands, including by strengthening ATF’s efforts to stem the flow of firearms used in crimes, and by launching multijurisdictional firearms trafficking strike forces to stop illegal gun trafficking across state lines.
Combined, the Administration’s comprehensive strategy will:
White House.gov. 06/23/2021.
- Stem the flow of firearms used to commit violence, including by holding rogue firearms dealers accountable for violating federal laws;
- Support local law enforcement with federal tools and resources to help address summer violent crime;
- Invest in evidence-based community violence interventions;
- Expanding summer programming, employment opportunities, and other services and supports for teenagers and young adults; and
- Help formerly incarcerated individuals successfully reenter their communities.
We move to the portion related to the Department of Justice.
As part of the Justice Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime, the Justice Department is committed to supporting law enforcement in local communities in addressing gun violence. In preparation for a possible increase in violence typically seen over the summer months, where needed and appropriate, the Justice Department is providing the following law enforcement support:
White House.gov. 06/23/2021.
- The FBI is making available cutting-edge analytical resources to support state and local law enforcement efforts to identify the most violent offenders and most dangerous criminal organizations in communities. The FBI is also deploying agents to assist with enforcement operations targeting these entities.
- Where feasible, the ATF is embedding with local homicide units and expanding the availability of its National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) Correlation Center, which matches ballistics from crime scenes to other ballistic evidence nationwide.
- The DEA is focusing its efforts, in coordination with state, local and Tribal law enforcement, to disrupt the activities of the most violent drug trafficking gangs and egregious drug-trafficking organizations operating in the highest-crime areas.
- The United States Marshals Service, in coordination with state and local authorities, is conducting fugitive sweeps throughout the country focused on individuals subject to state or local warrants for homicide, aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated robbery, robbery with a firearm, rape or aggravated sexual assault.
From the Community Violence Intervention (CVI) section of the fact-sheet:
Community violence intervention (CVI) programs have been shown to reduce violence by as much as 60%. These programs are effective because they leverage trusted messengers who work directly with individuals most likely to commit gun violence, intervene in conflicts, and connect people to social, health and wellness, and economic services to reduce the likelihood of violence as an answer to conflict.
Last month, the Treasury Department announced that the American Rescue Plan’s $350 billion in state and local funding can be used to invest in evidence-based community violence interventions. The Department of Education also released guidance clarifying that ARP’s $122 billion in K-12 funds can be used for CVI strategies. To date, the Administration has transferred more than $190 billion of state and local recovery funds and $81 billion in education funds, and additional support is on the way.
Today, the President is announcing that the Administration will convene and support a CVI Collaborative of 15 jurisdictions that are committing to use a portion of their ARP funding or other public funding to increase investment in their CVI infrastructure, including to anticipate and respond to the potential rise in violence this summer. These jurisdictions include:
White House.gov. 06/23/2021.
Over the next 18 months, the Administration will convene meetings with officials from these communities, facilitate peer-to-peer learning, and provide technical assistance. This effort will support both proven and new strategies that reduce gun violence and strengthen community-based infrastructure to enhance public safety for children, families, and communities and to advance equity. A group of philanthropies that have been leaders on this issue will support this collaborative learning network by deploying CVI experts to provide training and technical assistance, identify best practices, integrate proven and innovative public-health approaches, and help local community-based organizations scale CVI efforts this summer and beyond.
White House.gov. 06/23/2021.
There is more at the link.
President Biden has not tweeted for Wednesday so far.
When Tuesday’s Open Thread was published, President Biden had 0 tweets and 0 retweets. He added 6 tweets and no retweets giving him a Tuesday Tweeting Total of 6 tweets and 0 retweets.
His first tweet explains that while we won’t reach the set coronavirus vaccine goal by July 4th, 2021, the vaccination program has still been successful.
COVID-19 Task Force Coordinator Jeff Zients, on Tuesday said during the COVID-19 press briefing that while vaccination goals of 70 percent of all adults have been made in some states, in some age groups, the concern and work that still needs done is among young adults.
*note, Zients does a lot of “rah rah” President Biden, before he gets to the actual important information*
Where the country has more work to do is particularly with 18- to 26-year-olds. The reality is: Many younger Americans have felt like COVID-19 is not something that impacts them and they’ve been less eager to get the shot.
However, with the Delta variant now spreading across the country and infecting younger people worldwide, it’s more important than ever that they get vaccinated.
We are working with state and local leaders to reach them. We think it’ll take a few extra weeks to get to 70 percent of all adults with at least one shot, with the 18- to 26-years-olds factored in.
So, to recap: With respect to the first goal of getting at least one shot to 70 percent of American adults, already we’re at almost 90 percent for 65 and older, over 75 percent for 40 and older, and 70 percent for 30 and older.
We will meet the 70 percent goal for ages 27 and older by end of July 4th weekend, with a few extra weeks needed for the 18- to 26-year-olds to get vaccinated.
White House.gov. 06/22/2021.
The video is cued to his remarks quoted above.
In his next tweet he pushes For the People Act.
He sent another tweet regarding the voting rights bill.
President Biden offered the following statement:
Today, Democrats in Congress unanimously came together to protect the sacred right to vote.
In supporting the For the People Act and defending the rights of voters, they stood united for democracy. They stood against the ongoing assault of voter suppression that represents a Jim Crow era in the 21st Century.
Unfortunately, a Democratic stand to protect our democracy met a solid Republican wall of opposition. Senate Republicans opposed even a debate—even considering—legislation to protect the right to vote and our democracy.
It was the suppression of a bill to end voter suppression—another attack on voting rights that is sadly not unprecedented.
The creed “We Shall Overcome” is a longtime mainstay of the Civil Rights Movement. By coming together, Democrats took the next step forward in this continuous struggle—not just on Capitol Hill, but across the country—and a step forward to honor all those who came before us, people of all races and ages, who sacrificed and died to protect this sacred right.
I’ll have more to say on this next week. But let me be clear. This fight is far from over—far from over. I’ve been engaged in this work my whole career, and we are going to be ramping up our efforts to overcome again—for the people, for our very democracy.
White House.gov. 06/22/2021.
Here’s my thing; In all this talk about killing the filibuster nobody says the thing that is the elephant in the room. The R’s in power today in the Senate led by Mitch the Bitch McConnell are refusing to even debate merits of the bills being brought to the floor.
And why? Because they do not want to be seen as doing anything that might favor the Democrats to please their ever shrinking balls, I mean base.
But sure let’s focus on the Purpled Haired (this week I think it’s not Purple) Senator from Arizona and the Manchin from Virginia who voted in favor of debating the bill. Instead of focusing on who is actually being the obstructionist party and working toward getting them fired.
And yeah before I get the “but but but” Democrats do the same thing when in the minority, yeah, don’t care, they should be fired too then. It’s wrong, regardless the side doing it. Have the debate argue the bill itself, obstructionists have no business being in any form of government service.
*Note the above is my opinion not on the merits of the bill as I haven’t read the whole thing, it’s just I feel there should at the very least be a debate on the bill itself before it’s defeated.*
He sends two tweets to push the American Jobs Plan.
For his last tweet he says he’s proud of two athletes that have publicly come out as gay and transgender.
Las Vegas Raiders (boy that felt weird to type) defensive lineman Carl Nassib, a 5-year NFL veteran came out publicly as gay on Monday via Instagram.
Kumi Yokoyama who plays forward for the Washington Spirit, came out over a YouTube post on the channel of former teammate Yuki Nagasato.
Yahoo!sports reported Tuesday; Yokoyama appeared in the video, which includes English subtitles. Yokoyama — who uses they/them pronouns — explained they dated women in the past, but felt they had to remain closeted in Japan. It wasn’t until they started playing in the United States and Germany when they felt more compelled to come out. Yokoyama also credited their girlfriend for inspiring them to come out.
Yokoyama joined the Spirit in December of 2019.
White House press briefing is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. D.C., time.
President Biden and Attorney General Garland’s remarks are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. D.C., time.
This is an Open Thread.
