Pope Francis Pope Francis Religious leaders reassure faithful over Johnson & Johnson vaccine Biden can build on Pope Francis's visit to Iraq Bishops discourage Catholics from receiving Johnson & Johnson vaccine if alternatives available MORE is set to make history as he embarks on an apostolic journey to Iraq. The focus of his visit, entitled “ You are all brothers and sisters ,” signifies a clear objective of reconciliation between Iraqis. The nation since 2003 has been defined by Sunni-Shia conflict over domestic politics and finds itself struggling to recover after the genocide that ISIS committed against Christians, Yazidis, Shia Turkmen and Shabaks. The situation for these communities is particularly dire. Iraqi Christians numbered more than 1.5 million before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and, by 2017, their numbers had fallen to fewer than 250,000 because of sectarianism and genocide. It was a little over five years ago when ISIS targeted Iraq’s Christian heartland of the Nineveh Plains and the Yazidi bastion of Sinjar. ISIS killed many of these people, or sold them at sex slave markers, burned villages and crops, and desecrated and destroyed holy sites to erase these communities from the face of the earth. As a consequence, Christian and Yazidi communities there are weakened and divided, an effect of longstanding persecution and genocide. ADVERTISEMENT Yousif Kalian, with the U.S. Institute of Peace, has remarked that Pope Francis’s visit will give a “huge vote of confidence” to these communities that are in desperate need of hope. Leading the international community in genocide response is the best way that President Biden Joe Biden Trump State Department appointee arrested in connection with Capitol riot FireEye finds evidence Chinese hackers exploited Microsoft email app flaw since January Biden officials to travel to border amid influx of young migrants MORE could build upon this ...
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The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Virus relief bill headed for weekend vote
Presented by Facebook Welcome to The Hill’s Morning Report. Today is Friday! We get you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver are the co-creators. Readers can find us on Twitter @asimendinger and @alweaver22. Please recommend the Morning Report to friends and let us know what you think. CLICK HERE to subscribe! Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported each morning this week: Monday, 513,091; Tuesday, 514,657; Wednesday, 516,608; Thursday, 518,453; Friday, 520,356. Senate Democrats voted by the narrowest margin on Thursday to take up a sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus bill, teeing off what's expected to be a sprint through the weekend to help millions of struggling Americans. President Biden Joe Biden Trump State Department appointee arrested in connection with Capitol riot FireEye finds evidence Chinese hackers exploited Microsoft email app flaw since January Biden officials to travel to border amid influx of young migrants MORE could sign a measure into law by early next week. The Senate voted 50-50 to proceed to the relief legislation, with Vice President Harris breaking a tie to advance the bill ( The Hill ). Momentum slowed on Thursday as senators awaited a required assessment from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to ensure rules are being followed to permit the majority to bypass a 60-vote filibuster. The Senate's version of the coronavirus bill strips out House-passed language that would have increased the minimum wage to $15 per hour. It also provides less generous income allowances for those who would receive $1,400 direct payments from the government. A Senate Democratic aide said on Thursday that the bill also includes $510 million for Federal Emergency Management Agency homeless shelter providers, increases the total amount of Amtrak relief funding by $200 million and ...
Rick Scott caught in middle of opposing GOP factions
Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.), the head of the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, has found himself squeezed between opposing factions of the GOP. As the leader of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Scott has pledged to protect his party’s incumbents, especially as Republicans aim to recapture the Senate in 2022. But in doing so, he risks upsetting former President Trump Donald Trump Trump State Department appointee arrested in connection with Capitol riot Intelligence community investigating links between lawmakers, Capitol rioters Michelle Obama slams 'partisan actions' to 'curtail access to ballot box' MORE , the de facto leader of the GOP who has vowed political revenge on Republican lawmakers whom he views as insufficiently loyal. Any missteps could deal damage not only to the GOP’s campaign to win back the Senate majority, but also to Scott’s own political ambitions. ADVERTISEMENT He is widely seen as a prospective contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and running afoul of Trump could prove fatal in a primary race in which several candidates will be jockeying for the former president’s support. There’s also the possibility that Trump decides to mount another bid for the White House. “There are battle lines [in the GOP], and I think Scott is doing his best to stand in the middle,” one Florida-based Republican consultant said. “Maybe he can pull it off. I don’t know. I wouldn’t want that job.” Scott has downplayed the notion of a serious conflict within the GOP after Trump’s presidency, saying repeatedly in recent weeks that the Republican “civil war is canceled.” In a widely distributed NRSC memo last month, Scott urged unity among Republicans, warning that “now is not the time for division.” Republicans are plotting their return to the Senate majority after narrowly losing it early this year in two runoff elections in Georgia. On paper, winning control of the upper chamber appears easy; ...
The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Presented by ExxonMobil – Increased security on Capitol Hill amid QAnon’s March 4 date
Presented by ExxonMobil To view past editions of The Hill's 12:30 Report, click here: http://bit.ly/1M1mIfw To receive The Hill's 12:30 Report in your inbox, please sign up here: http://bit.ly/1Tt4hqN --> A midday take on what's happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* *Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha--breaks down crying hysterically. The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Increased security on Capitol Hill amid QAnon’s March 4 date | House leaves early | Sights and sounds | House passes election reform bill | Summer could be ‘normal,’ but experts warn that US risks delaying that | Urge remaining vigilant in the homestretch | Biden’s COVID-19 bet | Dolly Parton gets vaccine | Leslie Jones on Steve Kornacki’s election coverage HAPPENING TODAY 00 Days Since The Last Big Threat Of Violence To The US Capitol ... ^ we had been doing SO well: Via The Hill’s Cristina Marcos and Rebecca Beitsch , “Alarming revelations of threats to the Capitol and members of Congress prompted House Democratic leaders to wrap up their legislative work for the week on Wednesday night, underscoring the security concerns that remain nearly two months after the Jan. 6 insurrection.” https://bit.ly/3e64nqT Why today : March 4 was the date of presidential inaugurations until 1933. QAnon conspiracy theorists believe that former President Trump Donald Trump Trump State Department appointee arrested in connection with Capitol riot Intelligence community investigating links between lawmakers, Capitol rioters Michelle Obama slams 'partisan actions' to 'curtail access to ballot box' MORE will return to office today. YESTERDAY’S HEARING ON JAN. 6 — FIVE TAKEAWAYS: Timeline delays come into focus National Guard was hamstrung ahead of the attack Summer protests loomed large Pressure is on for DOD testimony The FBI’s top brass was unaware of warnings Context and details for each : ...
