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A curated weekday guide to major national security news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
More than half of fatal encounters with the police between 1980 and 2018 were listed as another cause of death rather than a police killing, raising pointing questions about racial bias among medical examiners and highlighting the lack of reliable record keeping. “The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Washington and published on Thursday in The Lancet, a major British medical journal, amounts to one of the most comprehensive looks at the scope of police violence in America, and the disproportionate impact on Black people. Researchers compared information from a federal database known as the National Vital Statistics System, which collects death certificates, with recent data from three organizations that track police killings through news reports and public records requests,” Tim Arango and Shaila Dewan report for the New York Times.
Suicides among U.S. troops rose by 15% in 2020 compared to 2019, according to an annual report released yesterday by the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the new numbers “troubling,” and said suicide prevention is “a paramount challenge” for the military. Mychael Schnell reports for The Hill.
“Widespread” failures to follow key rules have been identified in how the FBI handles some of its most sensitive surveillance work, according to a report issued yesterday by the Justice Department inspector general. Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s most recent findings, suggest that errors or omissions with the surveillance application targeting a former President Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page (released in 2019), were “not the result of anti-Trump scheming within the FBI, but part of a broader pattern of failure by agents to adhere to their own standards on a wide variety of espionage and terrorism cases,” Devlin Barrett reports for the Washington Post.
A federal court in Washington D.C. has seemed reluctant to find that suspected terrorists who remain prisoners in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba have due process rights under the U.S. Constitution. A full complement of 11 judges on the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit reviewed the case of Abdulsalam al-Hela, a Yemeni businessman held at Guantánamo since 2004. The judges pressed President Biden’s administration about safeguards for prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, as Justice Department lawyers urged the court to rule narrowly and avoid deciding a constitutional question that has remained unanswered for decades. Ann E. Marimow and Missy Ryan report for the Washington Post.
A lawsuit is alleging that computer outages from a 2019 cyberattack at Springhill Medical Center in Alabama led staff to miss troubling signs, resulting in a baby’s death — allegations that the hospital denies. If proven in court, the case will mark the first confirmed death from a ransomware attack. Kevin Poulsen, Robert McMillan and Melanie Evans report for the Wall Street Journal.
A Texas man has pleaded guilty to opening fire on a Minneapolis police station last year during the protests over the death of George Floyd. Ivan Harrison Hunter, is a self-proclaimed member of the anti-government “boogaloo” movement, and is accused of firing 13 rounds from a semi-automatic assault-style rifle on the Third Precinct police station while protesters were inside the building. Associated Press reports.
Cities across California are ramping up efforts to try to stop the flow of so-called “ghost guns,” weapons built from firearm parts sold without serial numbers, making them difficult to trace, into their jurisdictions. The weapons are appearing with increasing frequency at homicide scenes, traffic stops and community gun buybacks, and “as state and federal laws meant to bring ghost guns into compliance with traditional firearm laws await implementation, local officials and prosecutors across California are increasingly resorting to bans and lawsuits to regulate the weapons in their cities,” Abené Clayton reports for the Guardian.
FBI RUSSIA PROBE
The indictment against Michael Sussman, the cybersecurity lawyer indicted on a single count of lying to the FBI, as part of Special Counsel John H. Durham’s probe into the FBI’s Russia investigation, also suggests that researchers who found strange internet links between a Russian bank and the Trump Organization did not really believe their own work. Durham has used the 27-page indictment to set out how four computer scientists who were not charged in the case “exploited” their access to internet data to develop an explosive theory about cyber connections in 2016 between Trump’s company and a Kremlin-linked bank; a theory, Durham insinuated, the scientists did not really believe. However, lawyers for the scientists say that their clients believed, and still do believe, that their hypothesis was a plausible explanation for the odd data they had uncovered and “emails obtained by The New York Times and interviews with people familiar with the matter…provide a fuller and more complex account of how a group of cyberexperts discovered the odd internet data and developed their hypothesis about what could explain it,” Charlie Savage and Adam Goldman report for the New York Times.
Durham has issued a new set of subpoenas, including to a law firm with close ties to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 election campaign, as part of his probe into the FBI’s Russia investigation. The new subpoenas, which seek additional documents from Sussman’s law firm Perkins Coie are “an indication that Durham could be trying to build a broader criminal case, according to people briefed on the matter…[and] investigators from the special counsel’s office appear to be sharpening their focus on the Democratic political machinery during the 2016 campaign and efforts to tie Trump to Russia,” Evan Perez and Katelyn Polantz report for CNN.
JAN. 6 ATTACK
Newly obtained recordings show that U.S. Park Police (USPP) were overwhelmed on Jan. 6, hours before the U.S. Capitol was attacked. The tapes show how USPP were unprepared for the threat of a riot, and lacked manpower, resources, plans and supplies to control the fray across the city. USPP “got so overwhelmed during the attack on the Capitol itself that after an officer was attacked with a pipe, USPP could not make the arrest, wishing instead for another agency to step in,” Jordan Libowitz and Lauren White report for CREW.
The House Select Committee probing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol subpoenaed a current House staffer working in the office of Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV) on Wednesday. “Amid a round of 11 subpoenas targeting the organizers of a rally that preceded the violent attack on the Capitol, the Jan. 6 select committee demanded documents and testimony from Maggie Mulvaney, a former Trump campaign aide who was listed on permitting paperwork as ‘VIP Lead’ for the event,” Kyle Cheney and Olivia Beavers report for POLITICO.
Analysis of what the Jan. 6 committee subpoenas targeting organizers of the rallies on Jan. 6 and Jan. 5 did not include, including that the subpoenas do not include those who sought permits from the Capitol Police for rallies there, is provided by Philip Bump reporting for the Washington Post.
U.S. RELATIONS
The U.S. and rights groups have condemned the killing by gunmen of a prominent Rohingya Muslim leader at a refugee camp in Bangladesh, and are calling for a full investigation into Mohib Ullah’s death. “Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. was saddened by the murder and praised Mohibullah as a brave and fierce advocate for Rohingya rights. ‘We urge a full and transparent investigation into his death with the goal of holding the perpetrators of this heinous crime accountable. We will honor his work by continuing to advocate for Rohingya and lift up the voices of members of the community in decisions about their future,’ Blinken said in a statement,” Jennifer Jett and Emanuel Stoakes report for NBC News.
Iran is continuing to stall a return to talks to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, despite publicly insisting that it wants to return to the negotiating table. “In recent days, Iranian officials have held dozens of meetings with foreign officials to discuss the nuclear talks — but revealed few details about when they will return and what they want. And the regime continues to play a game of brinkmanship with the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency, striking deals to avoid censures, only to block access for inspectors days later. The push-pull tactics have fueled worries in diplomatic circles that a return to the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran is becoming increasingly difficult,” Stephanie Liechtenstein reports for POLITICO.
IMMIGRATION
New guidelines are to give U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers more discretion in deciding which immigrants in the U.S. illegally should be targets for arrest or deportations, following complaints from ICE officers and some Republicans that President Biden’s administration’s initial approach was too restrictive. Under the new guidelines, “which will become effective in 60 days, ICE officers would have the latitude to decide which immigrants pose a public-safety threat, rather than follow strict categories the administration put in place earlier this year making only immigrants who have committed aggravated felonies — a term used in immigration law that captures some of the most severe crimes, including murder, rape and human trafficking—eligible for arrest or deportation,” Michelle Hackman reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Hundreds of migrants are being held for weeks without charge in Texas, as the border crackdown by Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) has overwhelmed the justice system. “The federal government is in charge of immigration enforcement. But the state, said Abbott, could lock migrants up for trespassing…Hundreds of migrants have been detained in repurposed state prisons without formal charges, many in limbo for so long that they legally must be released. Prosecutors are backlogged with unprecedented caseloads as more arrests roll in each day. Alarmed defense attorneys accuse the state of creating a ‘separate and unequal’ legal system for undocumented immigrants deprived of due process,” Arelis R. Hernández, Neena Satija, and Hannah Knowles report for the Washington Post.
Four U.N. agencies have called for countries to “refrain” from deporting Haitian migrants without “proper assessment of their individual protection needs.” The U.N. Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the UN Human Rights Office called for states to “uphold the fundamental human rights of Haitians on the move, and to offer protection mechanisms or other legal stay arrangements for more effective access to regular migration pathways,” citing “various catastrophes affecting Haiti,” as factors countries should consider before immediately expelling Haitians. Joseph Choi reports for The Hill.
CHINA AND HONG KONG
U.S. and Chinese defense officials have held two days of talks, the Pentagon has revealed. “Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China Michael Chase led the secure video conference on Tuesday and Wednesday with Maj. Gen. Huang Xueping, deputy director of the People’s Liberation Army’s Office for International Military Cooperation. ‘During the talks, the two sides held a frank, in-depth, and open discussion on a range of issues affecting the U.S.-[People’s Republic of China] defense relationship,’ according to a Defense Department statement. ‘Both sides reaffirmed consensus to keep communication channels open. The U.S. side also made clear our commitment to uphold shared principles with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region,’ [the statement added]’,” Ellen Mitchell reports for The Hill.
“U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in an interview on Thursday that the Biden administration plans to ‘build on’ existing tariffs on billions of dollars in Chinese imports and confront Beijing for failing to fulfill its obligations under a Trump-brokered trade agreement,” Steven Overly reports for POLITICO.
LinkedIn blocked a number of journalists’ profiles from being visible in China this week. The journalists join other academics and researchers who have received letters informing them that their profiles will no longer be accessible in China in recent months. Unlike other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube, LinkedIn has agreed to Chinese government demands to provide a filtered version of their platform. Chinese regulators punished LinkedIn for failing to censor political content in March, and the company has been more aggressive in its censoring of academics and journalists since June. LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft. Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, whose profile was among those blocked this week, reports for Axios.
China levelled serious allegations against a once senior Chinese law-enforcement official who was ejected from the Communist Party yesterday. Sun Lijun, as vice minister of public security, had wide-ranging connections throughout the legal system as well as connections with high-profile alleged corruption cases in Hong Kong and internationally. “Party investigators, who in April 2020 said that Sun was under investigation, in Thursday’s notice didn’t specify any focus of its probe but accused him of numerous personal, financial and political improprieties and ejected him from the political organization, which indicates a formal prosecution against him will follow,” James T. Areddy reports for the Wall Street Journal.
China has reacted furiously to Lithuania’s government advising officials to stop using certain Chinese-made phones due to a hidden dormant censorship registry of 449 terms banned by the Chinese Communist Party in the phones. Lithuania has also embraced Taiwan and pulled out of a Chinese-led regional forum that it scorned as divisive for the E.U. In response, Beijing has recalled “its ambassador, halted trips by a Chinese cargo train into the country and made it nearly impossible for many Lithuanian exporters to sell their goods in China. Chinese state media has assailed Lithuania, mocked its diminutive size and accused it of being the ‘anti-China vanguard’ in Europe….[however] Lithuania, which does little trade with China, has caused enough of a stink that its fellow members in the European Union are expected to discuss the situation at a meeting next week,” Andrew Higgins reports for the New York Times.
China has marked its National Day of the People’s Republic of China with a large air inclusion near Taiwan, forcing Taiwan’s air force to scramble aircraft to warn away the 25 Chinese aircraft, including two nuclear-capable H-6 bombers. Reuters reporting.
Police in Hong Kong have halted a four-person pro-democracy protest on China’s National Day. Four members of the opposition party League of Social Democrats attempted to march to where the official celebrations were being held, chanting pro-democracy slogans and carrying a placard calling for the release of Hong Kongers arrested in the crackdown. “Dozens of officers, part of a massive police presence deployed to prevent any disruptions on the day, surrounded them and kept them out of sight and earshot of officials attending a flag-raising ceremony,” Associated Press reports.
China has appointed a new governor for its Xinjiang region, where the ruling Communist Party is accused of carrying out mass detentions and other abuses against Uyghur Muslims and other minority groups. A former vice governor, Erkin Tuniyaz, is an ethinc Uyghur, who “gained some notoriety for delivering a vociferous defense of Chinese policies in the northwestern region, particularly the use of facilities critics call detention centers but which China says are intended for vocational training and deradicalization and turning the region’s residents away from terrorism and extremism,” Associated Press reports.
AFGHANISTAN
The Pentagon has sought to reduce concerns around Afghan refugees, as former President Trump and Republicans question the security and medical vetting. “Of 53,000 Afghan refugees being housed on U.S. military bases, all have now been inoculated against measles, and 84 percent have received coronavirus vaccinations, a senior military official said Thursday… Security incidents, he said, have been minimal,” Karen DeYoung and John Wagner report for the Washington Post.
Flights carrying Afghan refugees to the U.S. are expected to start in “the very near future,” following a three-week pause to administer measles shots, the head of U.S. Northern Command Gen. Glen VanHerck has told reporters. VanHerck explained that “potentially, next week we could see something,” due to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirement that evacuees wait for 21 days after vaccination so it can take effect. Ellen Mitchell reports for The Hill.
The Taliban has ordered their fighters to leave private homes that they had taken over as the group seized control of Afghanistan. The decree by Taliban Prime Minister Hasan Akhund told members to “report back to military bases.” The move is an additional step in an apparent effort to impose order among their members by the Taliban, which has also recently begun wearing military fatigues in order to project authority. Samya Kullab reports for AP News.
The Taliban have displaced hundreds of families belonging to Afghanistan’s Shiite Hazara community in central Afghanistan, reinforcing fears of renewed persecution against a minority that suffered under Taliban rule in the past. “Residents said the Taliban and people supported by them had also seized livestock and crops like wheat and almonds. The Taliban have denied illegally evicting Hazara villagers, saying that the ownership of the land on which the affected families lived is legally disputed. Locals reject that claim,” Sune Engel Rasmussen and Ehsanullah Amiri report for the Wall Street Journal.
ETHIOPIA
Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it is expelling seven senior U.N. officials, accusing them in a Tweet of “meddling in the internal affairs of the country.” The move comes two days after Martin Griffiths, the head of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that the famine affecting hundreds of thousands of people in the northern region of Tigray is likely due to a “de-facto blockade” created by the Ethiopian government. The Ethiopian government has previously accused international aid workers of supporting Tigrayan rebel forces, and in August suspended the operations of the Dutch branch of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) as well as the Norwegian Refugee Council. Dawit Endeshaw, Ayenat Mersie and Giulia Paravicini report for Reuters.
The U.S. condemned “in the strongest possible terms” Ethiopia’s decision to expel seven senior U.N. officials. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday that Ethiopia’s actions were “unprecedented” and that the United States would not hesitate to apply sanctions against “those who obstruct humanitarian assistance.” Psaki noted that in September President Biden had signed an executive order “enabling the U.S. government to impose financial sanctions on those prolonging the conflict in northern Ethiopia.” Trevor Hunnicutt, Alexandra Alper and Daphne Psaledakis report for Reuters.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres voiced his shock after the Ethiopian government declared that seven U.N. staff had to leave the country within 72 hours. Guterres’ statement reacting to the expulsion order, highlighted that in Ethiopia, “the U.N. is delivering lifesaving aid – including food, medicine, water, and sanitation supplies – to people in desperate need,” adding that 5.2 million people in the Tigray region are in need of urgent assistance as malnutrition rises. Guterres also explained that the U.N. is engaging with the Government of Ethiopia to advocate for the easing of blockade-like conditions and to allow for sustained and regular access to aid convoys. UN News Centre reports.
The U.K. has also called for Ethiopia’s decision to be reversed with immediate effect, BBC News reports.
NORTH KOREA AND SOUTH KOREA
North Korea has test-launched a newly developed anti-aircraft missile, the latest test in a recent flurry of weapons tests, even as North Korea declared earlier this week its openness to dialogue with South Korea. The launch yesterday “tested a land-to-air missile that has greater range, speed and accuracy than previous missiles, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said on Friday. The South Korean government has not commented publicly about the North’s missile test, and it did not report the launch when it took place,” Choe Sang-Hun reports for New York Times.
South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong has called on the U.S. government to detail more specific incentives it might offer North Korea in face-to-face negotiations, warning that Pyongyang is strengthening its missile and nuclear capabilities as the talks continue to be stalled. “If we let the status quo continue, it will lead to the strengthening of North Korean missile capabilities,” Chung said during an interview at the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly last week, “we are very concerned about it,” he added. John Hudson reports for the Washington Post.
MYANMAR
The U.N.’s top humanitarian official in Myanmar, Andrew Kirkwood, said yesterday that Myanmar’s people are living in “a severe crisis,” with a level of poverty not seen for at least 20 years. Kirkwood told U.N. correspondents in a virtual briefing that “the number of people in the country needing aid has tripled to 3 million since the military takeover on Feb. 1 while a total of 20 million are living in poverty, or nearly half the population,” Edith M. Lederer reports for AP.
Myanmar’s military-installed government has defended its 4-month detention of a U.S. journalist. The military spokesperson did not offer any details of the crimes alleged against Danny Fenster who is awaiting trial on a charge of incitement, also called sedition. Asked about the reason for the arrest, the spokesperson responded: “as for journalists, if they do only journalist’s work, there is no reason to arrest them. Danny Fenster did more than just what a journalist does.” Grant Peck reports for AP.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Israel’s Foreign Minister visited Bahrain yesterday in the first official visit by an Israeli cabinet official since the nations established diplomatic ties last year. Yair Lapid was welcomed by Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani at the airport, before meeting King Hamad Al Khalifa and opening the Israeli embassy in Manama. Lapid and Zayani also signed several memoranda of understanding. Since the inception of Naftali Bennett’s government in June, Lapid has also visited the UAE and Morocco. Bahrain, Morocco, the UAE, and Sudan normalized relations with Israel under the U.S.-brokered deals known as the Abraham Accords, although relations with Sudan have not progressed since. While Lapid was welcomed by the Bahraini government, protestors against the visit burned tires at the outskirts of the capital. BBC News reports.
A demonstration by an estimated 20,000 people in Khartoum in support of a civilian-led transition to democracy was broken up by security forces firing tear gas. The demonstrators included many who came to the capital on Thursday on trains from around Sudan. The demonstration comes a week after an attempted coup, which has been blamed on soldiers loyal to the previous government of Omar El-Bashir, and which “laid bare divisions between military and civilian groups sharing power during a transition that is meant to run to 2023 and lead to elections.” Reuters reports.
Head of the World Bank David Malpass held talks yesterday with Sudan’s transitional leaders, focusing on the country’s economic challenges and a reform program to overhaul the battered economy. Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok called the visit “a historical moment” for Sudan, saying that the economy “requires deep, fundamental reforms.” Samy Magdy reports for AP.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted of violating campaign finance laws on Thursday and sentenced to one year of house arrest. The charges stemmed from actions Sarkozy took during his unsuccessful campaign for reelection in 2012. The sentence was the maximum available and Sarkozy has already asked his lawyer to appeal the decision. Sarkozy was separately found guilty in March of corruption and influence peddling, where he was sentenced to one year in prison and two years suspended. He is currently free pending appeal in the case. Sylvie Corbet and Nicolas Vaux-Montagny report for AP News.
Mali received four helicopters, weapons and ammunition from Russia late yesterday, Malian Interim Defence Minister Sadio Camara has said. Camara told local media that “Mali had bought the helicopters in a contract agreed in December 2020 to support its armed forces in their battle alongside French, European and U.N. troops with insurgents linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda,” Reuters reports.
“About 1,900 fighters belonging to Colombian rebel and crime groups are operating from Venezuela, where they plan attacks and participate in drug trafficking, the commander of Colombia’s armed forces said,” Reuters reports.
The U.N. Security Council has voted unanimously to extend the U.N. political mission in Libya until after the country’s critical presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for late December. “However, the U.N.’s most powerful body remained divided over the withdrawal of all mercenaries and foreign forces from the oil-rich North African nation and the mission’s leadership,” Edith M. Lederer reports for AP.
Trade talks between Australia and the E.U. have been postponed amid the diplomatic row between Australia and France over the Aukus security partnership between the U.S., Australia and the U.K., which led Canberra to cancel a submarine deal with France. “Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan declined to comment on what part, if any, the submarine deal had played in delaying negotiations but confirmed that the next round of talks, which were scheduled to start on Oct. 12, had been postponed until the following month. In June, after the last round of talks over a free trade deal, the European Commission said negotiations had ‘progressed in most areas of the future agreement.’ The next round of talks was expected to include a number of subjects including trade, investment and intellectual property rights,” BBC News reporting.
A law has been passed in New Zealand which makes planning a terrorist attack a crime. The law which addresses a legal loophole has been months in the planning but it was hurried through New Zealand’s parliament after a knife attack in early September where the police, despite having concerns that the attacker was going to launch an attack, had not previously been able to find a legal reason to detain him. Nick Perry reports for AP.
The police have entered a prison in Ecuador where more than 100 inmates died in battles between criminal drug cartels within the prison. “The announcement follows the president’s declaration of a state of emergency that would give military personnel control of the facilities and put inmates in strict lockdown,” José María León Cabrera reports for the New York Times.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that hundreds of people have been detained following a shooting incident in Minsk in which an IT worker and a KGB officer died, the state news agency has reported. “We will not forgive them for the death of this guy,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying, referring to the death of the KGB officer. Human rights group Viasna-96 has said that 84 people have been detained after the shooting incident. Reuters reporting.
Belgium will help provide funding for women in Poland to access abortions abroad. Poland’s abortion laws are among the most restrictive in Europe, and are a part of a dispute between Poland and the European Union about human rights and the independence of the judiciary in the nation. Belgium pledged about $12,000 to the group Abortions Without Borders, which helps women in Poland access abortions outside the country. Poland began implementing an almost-total ban on abortions this year, after a decision by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal made abortion illegal except in cases of incest, rape or when the mother’s life is in danger. Claire Parker reports for the Washington Post.
It has been reported that Dutch police have increased security around Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte after suspicious movements around him by people believed to be connected to the Netherlands’ notorious drug gangs. Rutte has, for years, cycled or walked to his city-center office, unencumbered by the large security details that surround other world leaders, and the news that there are concerns for Rutte’s security has “rattled many in the Netherlands,” Elian Peltier reports for the New York Times.
CORONAVIRUS
The coronavirus has infected over 43.46 million and has now killed over 697,800 people in the United States, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Globally, there have been over 233.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and over 4.78 million deaths. Sergio Hernandez, Sean O’Key, Amanda Watts, Byron Manley and Henrik Pettersson report for CNN.
The majority of African nations have missed a goal of vaccinating 10% of their populations by the end of September, the World Health Organization has announced. The goal had been previously set by the World Health Assembly. Fifteen out of fifty-two African nations reached the benchmark, while 90% of wealthy countries worldwide have exceeded it. Half of the African countries have vaccinated no more than two percent of their citizens. Adam Barnes reports for The Hill.
A group of lawsuit plaintiffs, including four Air Force officers and a Secret Service agent, have asked a federal court to block the Biden administration’s Covid-19 vaccination mandates. The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington seeks an injunction halting vaccination requirements for workers in federal executive-branch agencies, including contractors, as well as U.S. troops. Paul Duggan and Alex Horton report for the Washington Post.
School boards have asked for federal assistance as tensions rise over Covid-19 policies. In a letter to President Biden, the National Schools Board Association “pointed to more than 20 instances of threats, harassment and acts of intimidation toward school board members, students, and district staff and leaders. The upheaval stems largely from opposition to Covid-19 rules such as mask-wearing and to critical race theory, according to association leaders,” Jennifer Calfas reports for the Wall Street Journal.
A map and analysis of the vaccine roll out across the U.S. is available at the New York Times.
A map and analysis of all confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S. is available at the New York Times.
U.S. and worldwide maps tracking the spread of the pandemic are available at the Washington Post.
A state-by-state guide to lockdown measures and reopenings is provided by the New York Times.
Latest updates on the pandemic at the Guardian.