The Topline: Democracy's Daily Digest
We have a long way to go to heal the bitter divisions in our nation, but if you look a little deeper, there are encouraging signs of growing unanimity. The COVID-19 pandemic, which in many ways has polarized the country for a year, has also necessitated cooperation and, in the best of cases, the laying aside of partisan sniping in the pursuit of what's best for all. Case in point, a consensus is finally being reached on the importance of returning children to regular, in-person schooling amid the pandemic. Most now recognize that it can be done safely, according to CDC guidelines, and should be a national priority. In the business world, Merck is partnering with its direct rival, Johnson & Johnson, to ramp up the production and distribution of J&J's newly authorized coronavirus vaccine. The ability to transcend differences and competitive interests for the greater good is the common theme here, and it should be a guide for all elected leaders tasked with public service. —Mindy Finn
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Putin pays a price
— "More to come." The sanctions are the result of a review the administration has undertaken into Russian behavior, including election meddling efforts, alleged bounties on U.S. service members in Afghanistan, and the SolarWinds hack, in which at least nine federal agencies and 100 private-sector companies were breached. An administration official said punitive actions around these issues are forthcoming.
— Not resetting, nor escalating. Today's action reflects President Biden's effort to confront and penalize Russia for bad behavior while also trying to work with Moscow on matters of mutual concern. The U.S. and Russia agreed to extend the New START nuclear arms treaty with Moscow for five years last month.
— "Our goal is to have a relationship with Russia that is predictable and stable. Where there are opportunities for it to be constructive, and it is in our interest, we intend to pursue them. Given Russia's conduct in recent years, there will also undoubtedly be adversarial elements, and we will not shy away from those," a senior administration official said. —The Hill
MORE: Americans' views of Russia, China at record lows: Gallup —The Hill
Johnson: The lessons of COVID-19
"[T]here is growing support for the idea of investing in our collective future through doubling down on science—and making sure the benefits are spread more broadly. In 2020, it was our good fortune that some biotech firms had developed technologies that speeded the development of effective COVID-19 vaccines. Surely it makes sense to treat such capabilities as a high priority for national security and strengthen them more systematically." —Simon Johnson on Project Syndicate
Simon Johnson, a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, is a professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management and a co-chair of the COVID-19 Policy Alliance.
MORE: Official: Merck to help produce rival J&J's COVID-19 vaccine —Associated Press
Harris tells progressives no
As the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill hits the Senate floor for debate this week, progressive House Democrats are urging Vice President Kamala Harris to ignore the Senate parliamentarian's ruling that a federal minimum wage increase cannot be included in the package. So far, Harris has rightly refused. Such a move, which hasn't been employed since 1975, would generate pushback from senators from both parties, as relying on the parliamentarian's advice is paramount to maintaining order. The demand underscores the pressure on the administration from some Democrats to quickly fulfill the president's campaign promises. —CNN
MORE: GOP may hold keys to Democrats' long-sought minimum wage hike —Politico
Separated families can reunite—and remain—in US
The Biden Administration will allow families separated at the southern border in 2018 to reunite and remain in the U.S., Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas announced yesterday. Under the previous administration's family separation policy, some 2,800 families were separated. While some were reunited, another 550 children were not reconnected with their parents. Mayorkas, head of the family reunification task force established by President Biden, said 105 of those families have since been reunited. It is unclear what legal pathway will be offered to families who elect to remain in the U.S. —The Hill
WaPo Ed Board: Hold Cuomo to the same standard as the rest of us
"[New York Gov. Andrew] Cuomo's version of what occurred between him and Ms. Bennett, a 25-year-old former aide whom he described as a 'hard-working and valued member' of his team, raises troubling questions about his judgment and fitness to serve in public office. ... It is astounding that someone in government as long as Mr. Cuomo wouldn't realize, particularly after the #MeToo movement, the power dynamics of the workplace that make any such talk wrong and not to be tolerated." —The Washington Post
MORE: Women allege sexual misconduct against North Carolina GOP lawmaker as his biography is under new scrutiny —CNN
Focus on global democracy
A Paris court found France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption and influence peddling yesterday and sentenced him to a year in prison. Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012 and still plays an influential role in French conservative politics, was convicted of trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated. It's not the end of his legal troubles either: He faces another trial later this month and is also under investigation in a third case. A preview of things to come? —The Philadelphia Inquirer
— Haiti. Haitians took to the streets on Sunday in a peaceful protest to reject the government of President Jovenel Moise. Haiti is experiencing political turmoil over a dispute as to when Moise's term should end. The U.S. and the United Nations have backed Moise's contention that he only has served four years of a five-year term, but have called for elections this year. —Voice of America
— Hong Kong. Forty-seven Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were charged on Sunday with conspiracy to commit subversion in the largest single crackdown yet under the national security law imposed on the territory by China. The U.S. State Department said yesterday that the detentions demonstrate how the national security law is being used to stifle dissent. —Reuters
— Thailand. A new faction of Thailand's pro-democracy movement staged a protest march on Sunday, in solidarity with demonstrators in neighboring Myanmar, who are battling the country's coup-installed military government. The action was linked to the informal "Milk Tea Alliance" of pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Myanmar. —The New York Post
MORE: Patricio Navia & Lucas Perello: It's not just El Salvador. Democracies are weakening across Central America —Americas Quarterly
Ingraham: Time for a multiparty system?
"While the anti-democratic faction in the GOP is a small slice of the country overall, it is the most powerful group within the party. ... Other democracies have far-right, anti-democratic factions, too. But nearly all of those democracies have multiparty political systems in which it is much more difficult for a single party to obtain a legislative majority on its own." —Christopher Ingraham in The Washington Post
Christopher Ingraham writes about all things data for The Washington Post. He previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the Pew Research Center.
MORE: U.S. faces 'unprecedented assault on democracy,' White House says, backing election reform bill —Reuters
When I hear Republicans talk about "election security," I flash back to those grainy, jumpy, black-and-white videos from 1960s newscasts, where pot-bellied Southern sheriffs wielded billy clubs against Black men in double-breasted suits and Black women in what were then called "house dresses," who had the courage to show up to county courthouses and dare to register to vote.
"Election security" then really wasn't very different, was it? —Jim V., New York
The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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