Biden says he will ‘insist on nothing less than readiness’ during hurricane season

On Tuesday, the Senate will vote on Kristen Clarke, an accomplished civil rights lawyer and former Justice Department official who has engendered some of the most virulent GOP criticism of all of Biden’s nominees. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said Clarke and Vanita Gupta — who oversaw the civil rights division for two and a half years during the Obama administration in an acting capacity after Republicans prevented a confirmation vote in 2014 — are “two of the most radical nominees ever put forward for any position in the federal government.”

Cruz and the 10 other GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted against sending Clarke’s nomination to the full Senate, forcing Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) to use a rare procedural “discharge petition” to bring her candidacy forward. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) cast the lone GOP vote in support of that measure, which passed 50 to 48.

Biden on Monday condemned Belarusian authorities’ forced diversion of a Ryanair flight and the arrest one of its passengers, Roman Protasevich, the founder of an opposition media outlet.

In a statement Monday night, Biden called the move “a direct affront to international norms” and said the United States “condemns in the strongest possible terms both the diversion of the plane and the subsequent removal and arrest” of Protasevich.

“This outrageous incident and the video Mr. Protasevich appears to have made under duress are shameful assaults on both political dissent and the freedom of the press,” Biden said. “The United States joins countries around the world in calling for his release, as well as for the release of the hundreds of political prisoners who are being unjustly detained by the [Belarusian] regime.”

Earlier Monday, European leaders agreed to significantly toughen sanctions on Belarus and to bar European Union airlines from flying over the country’s airspace. The measures, backed by all 27 E.U. leaders, were an unusually fast and powerful response to the brazen move by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who on Sunday sent a MiG-29 fighter jet to snatch the plane out of the sky as it was flying from Athens to Vilnius, Lithuania. Protasevich faces 12 years or more in prison.

In his statement, Biden said he joins calls for an international investigation, welcomes news of the sanctions and has asked his administration to “develop appropriate options to hold accountable those responsible.”

“For months, the Belarusian people have made their voices heard — demanding democracy, respect for human rights, and the preservation of fundamental freedoms. … The United States will continue to stand with the people of Belarus in their struggle,” Biden said.

Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) also weighed in on the incident. In a letter to Biden, the senators voiced concern about what they described as a “state-sponsored hijacking in order to arrest Protasevich” and called for the Biden administration to bar U.S. airlines from flying over Belarusian airspace.

“In an effort to keep passengers and crew safe, we urge you to prohibit all U.S. airlines from entering Belarusian airspace, and encourage our allies and partners to do the same,” the senators wrote. “This outrageous abuse of state power sets a precedent that threatens other Belarusian dissidents and international safety and security.”

Durbin is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rubio is vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

A group of Senate Democrats, led by Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, introduced legislation Monday that would ban political committees from automatically renewing campaign contributions without a donor’s explicit consent.

The online fundraising tactic, which was embraced by former president Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, has allowed federal candidates and political parties to shore up their coffers by prechecking a box online that sets up recurring donations — putting the onus on the donor to opt out.

The practice has been criticized as deceptive and predatory. Many Trump supporters who intended to donate only once unwittingly signed up to give recurring contributions, the New York Times reported in April, resulting in credit card complaints and bank overdrafts.

There have been plenty of indications that Republicans don’t want to see a congressional Jan. 6 commission for one very basic reason: It’s politically bad.

It’s bad because it would necessarily point the finger (to some degree) at Donald Trump, the Republican former president — at whom even many top Republicans previously pointed the finger.

It’s bad because, despite attempts to distance the party from Trump after the Capitol riot, those efforts clearly failed and the GOP is saddled with him.

But mostly it’s bad because it would force Republicans to relive this ugly chapter at a time when, history suggests, their chances of regaining control of Congress in the 2022 elections look increasingly good. It’s a time when focusing on pretty much anything else would be better, as even a top Republican has acknowledged.

Biden invited Republican lawmakers to the White House on Monday as he signed legislation to boost tourism in Alaska.

Emerging from the White House, the three members of the state’s congressional delegation welcomed the president’s action.

“It was a significant priority for the people of the state of Alaska,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski said. “The administration saw this was a priority. The president saw this was a priority.”

Rep. Don Young said, “We feel great as a delegation.”

Sen. Dan Sullivan said the bill would be a boost to the state’s economy.

The bill allows cruise ships bound for Alaska to bypass a required Canadian stop for the rest of this year. Large cruise companies had ceased Alaska operations after the pandemic began, but ticket sales to the region resumed after the bill gained support in Congress. Summer travel to Alaska is expected to stimulate the state’s tourism industry.

“This has been a struggle to get everyone pulling together, but I think we are at a place where there is a glimmer of hope for Alaska’s tourism industry,” Murkowski said this month in a Senate speech.

The Bidens on Monday thanked members of the National Guard who have “put their lives on hold to stand as a shield” at the U.S. Capitol since the Jan. 6 insurrection.

“The Biden family is a National Guard family, and we are forever grateful and in awe of those who, like our son Beau, understand that duty and service to others is what makes us who we are as Americans,” the president and first lady Jill Biden said in a statement. “To all the National Guard members and their families who sacrifice so much for our country, like all our service members: we owe you and we will always have your backs.”

National Guard personnel will fully depart the Capitol grounds this week, military officials and congressional aides said Monday, bringing an end to the security mission that began when armed troops were dispatched to help quell the attack by supporters of former president Donald Trump.

The National Guard was deployed Jan. 6 to help beat back a crowd of about 10,000 rioters who had besieged the building and clear out the approximately 800 who had broken inside. Why it took the National Guard more than three hours to arrive after the breach continues to be a matter of contentious discussion on Capitol Hill, where House lawmakers recently grilled Trump’s former acting defense secretary for details about that day.

In their statement Monday, the Bidens noted that the National Guard members have kept the Capitol “secure over the past nearly five months.”

“Since the insurrection on January 6, thousands of proud service members, from states and territories all across our Union, have stood watch over the citadel of our democracy,” they said. “As they return now to their homes and families, we salute each of them for their commitment to country.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Monday called on the Senate to take up legislation to form an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, saying that “there is no time to waste.”

The legislation was approved by the House last week, with all Democratic lawmakers and 35 Republicans voting in favor. But it faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where Democrats need the support of 10 Republicans to reach a final vote and avoid a possible filibuster.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Monday that the chamber would vote “very soon” on establishing the commission. The Senate has until the end of the week before the Memorial Day break.

Where Republican senators stand on voting for a Jan. 6 commission

“It is imperative that Congress continues to take action to honor the sacrifice of law enforcement and to protect the Capitol and ensure that an attack can never again be perpetrated against it,” Pelosi said in a statement Monday. “Now that the House has passed bills to establish an independent bipartisan January 6th Commission and to fund additional security for the Capitol, the Senate must act.”

“There is no time to waste or room for partisanship in keeping our Capitol and Country safe,” she added.

In her statement, she praised the National Guard on the final day of its deployment at the Capitol. “Their presence in our temple of Democracy following January 6th, one of the most harrowing and horrific days in our history, has brought security, safety and healing to the Congress and indeed the country. The United States Congress is profoundly grateful for their selfless service,” she said.

During the day Monday, Pelosi personally thanked several Guard members who joined her on the Speaker’s Balcony, overlooking the Mall.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) said Monday they are continuing to work toward a bipartisan compromise on police reform legislation, but a deal remains elusive ahead of a Tuesday deadline proposed by Biden.

“One year ago, George Floyd’s murder awakened millions of people around the world who had never before witnessed the deadly consequences of the failures in our policing system,” the lawmakers said in a statement. “This anniversary serves as a painful reminder of why we must make meaningful change. While we are still working through our differences on key issues, we continue to make progress toward a compromise and remain optimistic about the prospects of achieving that goal.”

Biden last month urged lawmakers to aim for a May 25 deadline to deliver a long-discussed overhaul of police practices meant to stem the killings of Black citizens at the hands of law enforcement officers.

Scott, the lead Republican negotiator, has worked with Democrats on a possible compromise that would maintain immunity for individual police officers but allow those alleging gross misconduct to sue police departments instead.

But people familiar with the talks said last week it was not yet clear there was a path to a deal.

Members of both parties told The Washington Post last week that they expect other matters under discussion — including the banning of chokeholds, the creation of a national database of suspect officers and the imposition of new training standards — to quickly fall into place if there is an accord on qualified immunity.

Even so, multiple Republican senators have expressed deep skepticism about the prospect of rolling back that doctrine and exposing officers or the jurisdictions that hire them to new litigation.