From Katie Adams at the D.C. Office:
Israel/Palestine: More than 200 Palestinians and 10 Israelis have been killed, and thousands have been injured and displaced in Gaza amidst continued violence over the weekend, sparked, in part, by the planned expulsion of Palestinians from Jerusalem. The UN Security Council met virtually on Sunday to seek a ceasefire and end to the escalating violence, but little was accomplished despite calls from world leaders and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for peace. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called for a de-escalation and warned that violations of international law could be occurring. Here is the recent statement from UCC/DOC leaders on the situation. In a call today the President stopped called for a cease-fire.
Democracy Protection: On May 11 the Senate Rules committee held a markup of the For the People Act (S.1) and it was clear there is not a clear path to agreement or consensus and the bill failed to pass out of committee for consideration on the Senate floor. The bill would “would provide minimum standards for early voting, vote-by-mail and automatic voter registration — overriding many of the provisions in the new Republican state laws, and expanding voter access in some Democratic states, as well. But it also would impose a plethora of new federal mandates that include nonpartisan congressional redistricting, public campaign financing, “dark money” disclosures and more.” There is greater bipartisan approval of reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act from Sens. Manchin and Murkowski- but this is limited and scope and doesn’t address the full range of issues that S.1 does.
Abortion: The Supreme Court has said it will hear a case on the Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks. The case is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. At the same time every Republican in the House voted to support a forced vote on the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act:, which would require health care practitioners to provide care to infants who survive an attempted abortion.
Colombia: The situation in Colombia remains tense as widespread protests continue over a proposed tax increase and general government repression. The violence has killed at least 42 people with over 1,000 being injured and hundreds believed to be missing, according to local human rights groups. U.S. groups are denouncing the crackdown on protest and are pressuring the Biden administration to take a more proactive position and call on the Colombian government to respect human rights.
Global Vaccine Equity: Wealthy nations have distributed over 45 percent of global vaccines have many have now vaccinated over 30% or more of their populations. Meanwhile, many developing countries have vaccinated less than one percent of their populations. In a major victory, the U.S. announced last week it would support a temporary waiver on intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines at the WTO, and today, Monday, the administration also announced that it will send an additional 20 million dosesof Covid-19 vaccines overseas to countries in need.
January 6 Attack: The House revealed plans for a commission to examine the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The legislation is called “National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act (H.R. 3233).”
Hate Crimes: The House will vote on a resolution condemning the shootings in Atlanta that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent. It is a non-binding resolution that “reaffirms the commitment of the United States Federal Government to combat hate, bigotry, and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and to prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again.”
Evictions: There is an ongoing battle in the courts about the CDC eviction freeze implemented as a public health order during COVID. Landlords are fighting the freeze and the case may soon arrive at the Supreme Court.