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| Biden says he’s willing ‘to compromise’ with Republicans on infrastructure bill – live | Biden says he’s willing ‘to compromise’ with Republicans on infrastructure bill – live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| President meets with a bipartisan group of lawmakers and says ‘I am prepared to compromise’ | President meets with a bipartisan group of lawmakers and says ‘I am prepared to compromise’ |
| Gabrielle Canon here, signing on from the west coast to take you through the rest of Monday afternoon’s news. | |
| As the the jury begins deliberations in Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd, president Biden is privately planning how best to respond, the Associated Press reports. | |
| The Administration is considering whether the new president should address to the nation and could possibly deploy specially trained community facilitators from the Justice Department. | |
| “Our objective is to ensure there is space for peaceful protest,” press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday, explaining that there have been a range of preparations laid out for how the White House will respond. “Of course we’ll let the jury deliberate and we’ll wait for the verdict to come out before we say more about our engagements,” Psaki said. | |
| From AP: | |
| For breaking news updates on the trial, you can follow along here: | |
| That’s it for me. I’m passing the blog over to my colleagues on the West Coast. To review: | That’s it for me. I’m passing the blog over to my colleagues on the West Coast. To review: |
| Surrogates for Joe Biden are mounting a pro-vaccine push. | Surrogates for Joe Biden are mounting a pro-vaccine push. |
| Congressman Steve Stivers of Ohio is not running for Senate or reelection, he announced today. | Congressman Steve Stivers of Ohio is not running for Senate or reelection, he announced today. |
| Kimberly Guilfoyle has joined former Missouri governor Eric Greitens’ Senate campaign as national campaign chairman. | |
| Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia signed on as a co-sponsor to the PRO Act, aimed at overhauling workers’ rights and empowering them in disputes, he announced today. | |
| Apple Inc. is planning to reinstate Parler in its app store. | Apple Inc. is planning to reinstate Parler in its app store. |
| The Wall Street Journal has more: | The Wall Street Journal has more: |
| Mike Lindell (a.k.a. the MyPillow guy) kicked his feud with Dominion Voting System Inc. up a notch on Monday, according to Bloomberg News: | Mike Lindell (a.k.a. the MyPillow guy) kicked his feud with Dominion Voting System Inc. up a notch on Monday, according to Bloomberg News: |
| Lindell is one of the closest allies to former president Donald Trump who has continued to loudly trumpet the debunked conspiracy theory that Dominion’s voting machines were used to secretly switch votes from Trump to Joe Biden. | Lindell is one of the closest allies to former president Donald Trump who has continued to loudly trumpet the debunked conspiracy theory that Dominion’s voting machines were used to secretly switch votes from Trump to Joe Biden. |
| Dominion has already sued Lindell over his claims: | Dominion has already sued Lindell over his claims: |
| CNN has an extensive deep dive into the acrimonious breakup between the business community and the Republican Party. Even before the 6 January Capitol riots, which provoked a batch of major U.S. companies to either withhold donations to all federal lawmakers or ones who fought certifying the election results, there was a fraying between the longtime Republican-business community alliance. | CNN has an extensive deep dive into the acrimonious breakup between the business community and the Republican Party. Even before the 6 January Capitol riots, which provoked a batch of major U.S. companies to either withhold donations to all federal lawmakers or ones who fought certifying the election results, there was a fraying between the longtime Republican-business community alliance. |
| There’s no better example than the disunion between the GOP and the Chamber of Commerce. Per CNN: | There’s no better example than the disunion between the GOP and the Chamber of Commerce. Per CNN: |
| There’s more: | There’s more: |
| Pressure among the left for Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer to retire is growing. | Pressure among the left for Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer to retire is growing. |
| The Women’s March’s call is just the latest in a series of lawmakers and activists expressing support for Breyer, 82, to retire. Last week Congressman Mondaire Jones of New York, Democrat, said “there’s no question that Justice Breyer, for whom I have great respect, should retire at the end of this term.” | The Women’s March’s call is just the latest in a series of lawmakers and activists expressing support for Breyer, 82, to retire. Last week Congressman Mondaire Jones of New York, Democrat, said “there’s no question that Justice Breyer, for whom I have great respect, should retire at the end of this term.” |
| Pressuring the justice to retire is not a consensus opinion within the Democratic Party, as Politico reported recently. | Pressuring the justice to retire is not a consensus opinion within the Democratic Party, as Politico reported recently. |
| White House press secretary Jen Psaki said earlier this month that Joe Biden would not pressure Breyer to retire. | White House press secretary Jen Psaki said earlier this month that Joe Biden would not pressure Breyer to retire. |
| Top Republicans are saying they are open to some kind of bipartisan infrastructure bill and Joe Biden himself says he is too. | Top Republicans are saying they are open to some kind of bipartisan infrastructure bill and Joe Biden himself says he is too. |
| During his meeting with a bipartisan group with lawmakers today the president said: “I am prepared to compromise... It’s a big package but there are a lot of needs,” according to a White House pool report. | During his meeting with a bipartisan group with lawmakers today the president said: “I am prepared to compromise... It’s a big package but there are a lot of needs,” according to a White House pool report. |
| Today, the president added, the group would discuss how the infrastructure plan would be paid for. | Today, the president added, the group would discuss how the infrastructure plan would be paid for. |
| “That’s what we’re going to try to figure out today...” Biden said. | “That’s what we’re going to try to figure out today...” Biden said. |
| This is yet another sign that negotiating signs are still open. | This is yet another sign that negotiating signs are still open. |
| The former attorney general William Barr and supreme court justice Amy Coney Barrett have reportedly signed book deals – with Barrett paid a reported $2m for a volume on how judges should not bring their personal feelings into the way they rule. | The former attorney general William Barr and supreme court justice Amy Coney Barrett have reportedly signed book deals – with Barrett paid a reported $2m for a volume on how judges should not bring their personal feelings into the way they rule. |
| Barrett was appointed to the court in a hurried, politicized and bitter process last year, after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a champion of progressive values. | Barrett was appointed to the court in a hurried, politicized and bitter process last year, after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a champion of progressive values. |
| The new justice is a strict Catholic and her presence on the 6-3 conservative court has given rightwing campaigners hope it will soon strike down Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling which established the right to abortion. | The new justice is a strict Catholic and her presence on the 6-3 conservative court has given rightwing campaigners hope it will soon strike down Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling which established the right to abortion. |
| An unnamed source who spoke to Politico said Barrett’s advance was “eye-raising”. A spokesperson for the court did not comment. | An unnamed source who spoke to Politico said Barrett’s advance was “eye-raising”. A spokesperson for the court did not comment. |
| An “anti-riot bill” signed today by Florida governor Ron DeSantis is “racist at its core”, one opponent of the Republican said. | An “anti-riot bill” signed today by Florida governor Ron DeSantis is “racist at its core”, one opponent of the Republican said. |
| DeSantis is prominently placed in polls regarding the next Republican presidential nomination if Donald Trump doesn’t run again. As the Associated Press reported on Monday, he “cited events around the US but not the 6 January riot in Washington as he signed a bill to create tougher penalties for people who participate in violent protests. | DeSantis is prominently placed in polls regarding the next Republican presidential nomination if Donald Trump doesn’t run again. As the Associated Press reported on Monday, he “cited events around the US but not the 6 January riot in Washington as he signed a bill to create tougher penalties for people who participate in violent protests. |
| “The so-called anti-riot bill was a response to protests around the country because of police violence against African Americans. After the Capitol attack, Republicans pushing the legislation used it as an example to support the effort.” | “The so-called anti-riot bill was a response to protests around the country because of police violence against African Americans. After the Capitol attack, Republicans pushing the legislation used it as an example to support the effort.” |
| Five people died and more than 400 were charged as a result of the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters told to “fight like hell” in Trump’s attempt to overturn his election defeat, based on the lie that Joe Biden’s victory was the product of electoral fraud. | Five people died and more than 400 were charged as a result of the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters told to “fight like hell” in Trump’s attempt to overturn his election defeat, based on the lie that Joe Biden’s victory was the product of electoral fraud. |
| But the Capitol riots weren’t mentioned as the Florida bill was signed by DeSantis, who criticised the Minnesota attorney general at the same time closing arguments were taking place in the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, the Black man who died after Chauvin put a knee on his neck for almost 10 minutes. | But the Capitol riots weren’t mentioned as the Florida bill was signed by DeSantis, who criticised the Minnesota attorney general at the same time closing arguments were taking place in the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, the Black man who died after Chauvin put a knee on his neck for almost 10 minutes. |
| “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I can tell you that case was bungled by the attorney general there in Minnesota. They didn’t handle it properly, so there may be some people disappointed,” DeSantis said. | “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I can tell you that case was bungled by the attorney general there in Minnesota. They didn’t handle it properly, so there may be some people disappointed,” DeSantis said. |
| Senator John Thune of South Dakota penned an op-ed published in USA Today saying a bipartisan infrastructure is possible if Democrats work with Republicans: | Senator John Thune of South Dakota penned an op-ed published in USA Today saying a bipartisan infrastructure is possible if Democrats work with Republicans: |
| On the one hand, the fact that Thune, the second highest ranking Republican says a deal is a sure sign Republicans are open for discussion. At the same time though this is the latest example of the rhetorical stalemate between Democrats and Republicans on most policy initiatives the Biden administration has prioritized -Democrats say they want a bipartisan deal, Republicans say the same but say Democrats are offering too many nonstarters. | On the one hand, the fact that Thune, the second highest ranking Republican says a deal is a sure sign Republicans are open for discussion. At the same time though this is the latest example of the rhetorical stalemate between Democrats and Republicans on most policy initiatives the Biden administration has prioritized -Democrats say they want a bipartisan deal, Republicans say the same but say Democrats are offering too many nonstarters. |
| As I mentioned earlier in the day, for many Republican candidates running for office means also making a pilgrimage to Donald Trump or Mar-a-Lago (or both). That’s exactly what’s happening for multiple statewide candidates around the country. | As I mentioned earlier in the day, for many Republican candidates running for office means also making a pilgrimage to Donald Trump or Mar-a-Lago (or both). That’s exactly what’s happening for multiple statewide candidates around the country. |
| The Long and Mandel fundraisers underscore the influence Trump still has within the party even after presiding over Republicans losing control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. | The Long and Mandel fundraisers underscore the influence Trump still has within the party even after presiding over Republicans losing control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. |
| Breaking news on the prosecution front of the 6 January Capitol riot: | Breaking news on the prosecution front of the 6 January Capitol riot: |
| Background on the arrests and alleged involvement of Ethan Nordean and Joe Biggs here: | Background on the arrests and alleged involvement of Ethan Nordean and Joe Biggs here: |
| White House press secretary Jen Psaki is holding a media briefing. As closing arguments continue in the trial of Derek Chauvin, accused of murdering George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Psaki said it was important that people were able to protest peacefully. | White House press secretary Jen Psaki is holding a media briefing. As closing arguments continue in the trial of Derek Chauvin, accused of murdering George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Psaki said it was important that people were able to protest peacefully. |
| “We’re not going to get ahead of the verdict,” Psaki said. The jury will be sequestered as it considers its verdict, a process that is expected to begin at the end of closing arguments, later today. | “We’re not going to get ahead of the verdict,” Psaki said. The jury will be sequestered as it considers its verdict, a process that is expected to begin at the end of closing arguments, later today. |
| The jury was told to bring a packed bag with them today, ready to be sequestered. | The jury was told to bring a packed bag with them today, ready to be sequestered. |
| Psaki said the White House wanted to make sure that “there is space for peaceful protest, but we will allow the jury to deliberate”. | Psaki said the White House wanted to make sure that “there is space for peaceful protest, but we will allow the jury to deliberate”. |
| Guardian US has a separate live blog dedicated to covering the Chauvin trial and related topics. There’s a livestream from court. You can read that here. | Guardian US has a separate live blog dedicated to covering the Chauvin trial and related topics. There’s a livestream from court. You can read that here. |
| The Republican leader in the House and an extremist congresswoman who champions “Anglo-Saxon political traditions” have demanded action against the Democrat Maxine Waters, after she expressed support for protesters against police brutality. | The Republican leader in the House and an extremist congresswoman who champions “Anglo-Saxon political traditions” have demanded action against the Democrat Maxine Waters, after she expressed support for protesters against police brutality. |
| On Saturday, Waters spoke in Brooklyn Center, the Minneapolis suburb where Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by police last week. | On Saturday, Waters spoke in Brooklyn Center, the Minneapolis suburb where Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by police last week. |
| The California congresswoman spoke before final arguments on Monday in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis officer who knelt on the neck of George Floyd for more than nine minutes last May, resulting in the Black man’s death and global protests. | The California congresswoman spoke before final arguments on Monday in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis officer who knelt on the neck of George Floyd for more than nine minutes last May, resulting in the Black man’s death and global protests. |
| “I’m going to fight with all of the people who stand for justice,” said Waters, who is Black. “We’ve got to get justice in this country and we cannot allow these killings to continue.” | “I’m going to fight with all of the people who stand for justice,” said Waters, who is Black. “We’ve got to get justice in this country and we cannot allow these killings to continue.” |
| Tensions are high in Minneapolis. | Tensions are high in Minneapolis. |
| Waters said: “We’ve got to stay on the street and we’ve got to get more active, we’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.” | Waters said: “We’ve got to stay on the street and we’ve got to get more active, we’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.” |
| Reuters reports from this morning’s Covid briefing by the White House, in which it has been announced that the US “is reviewing reports of potential additional cases of severe side effects among people who received Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 shot, beyond the half-dozen cases of serious blood clots that caused it to pause administration of the vaccine earlier this month”. | Reuters reports from this morning’s Covid briefing by the White House, in which it has been announced that the US “is reviewing reports of potential additional cases of severe side effects among people who received Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 shot, beyond the half-dozen cases of serious blood clots that caused it to pause administration of the vaccine earlier this month”. |
| Here’s more on the subject from our health reporter, Jessica Glenza: | Here’s more on the subject from our health reporter, Jessica Glenza: |