JUNE 23, 2022: Former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx testified before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis about the Trump administration’s pandemic response. She repeated her claim that up to 130,000 deaths were preventable and explained that beginning in April of 2020, there were “parallel streams of data coming into the White House and parallel analyses that I was not privy to.” She named Dr. Scott Atlas, former White House Coronavirus Task Force adviser, as someone who gave former President Trump COVID-19 misinformation, which resulted in unnecessary deaths. Dr. Birx also addressed other issues regarding the Trump administration’s pandemic response, such as White House officials being preoccupied with the 2020 election, misguided data collection amid asymptomatic individuals, and some officials downplaying the pandemic. She also emphasized that too many deaths are still occurring. [*This text was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.]

“The Supreme Court has eliminated an established right that has been an essential component of women’s liberty for half a century – a right that has safeguarded women’s ability to participate fully and equally in society. And in renouncing this fundamental right, which it had repeatedly recognized and reaffirmed, the Court has upended the doctrine of stare decisis, a key pillar of the rule of law." “The Justice Department strongly disagrees with the Court’s decision. This decision deals a devastating blow to reproductive freedom in the United States. It will have an immediate and irreversible impact on the lives of people across the country.

"The Internal Revenue Service announced today that more forms can now be amended electronically. These include people filing corrections to the Form 1040-NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return and Forms 1040-SS, U.S. Self-Employment Tax Return (Including the Additional Child Tax Credit for Bona Fide Residents of Puerto Rico) and Forms 1040-PR, Self-Employment Tax Return – Puerto Rico." "Taxpayers can also amend their return electronically if there is change to their filing status or to add a dependent who was previously claimed on another return."

DPS Director Steve McCraw on Uvalde shooting and police response: " I don't believe, based on the information that we have right now, that that door was ever secured," Mr. McGraw said. "There's no way to lock the door from the inside. And there's no way for the subject to lock the door from the inside." "I challenge this chief to testify in public."Why didn’t someone try to a least check the door handle to make sure it was locked?"

"Survivors and experts highlighted the offline impact of online abuse, ranging from psychological distress and additional negative health impacts, to self-censorship, disruptions to education and economic loss, as well as experiences of other forms of physical and sexual violence. Participants noted that online harassment and abuse disproportionately impacts women, girls – especially women and girls of color – and LGBTQI+ individuals. Participants also provided concrete recommendations to prevent and respond to online harms."

"So, it should not have been a surprise that the policy rate would rise fast in 2022. Rate hikes would need to be larger and more frequent, relative to the 2015-2018 tightening pace, to get back to neutral. Looking back, should the Committee have signaled a steeper rate path once the liftoff criteria had been met? Perhaps another lesson is that giving forward guidance about liftoff should also include forward guidance about the possible path of the policy rate after liftoff."

For the first time since the Watergate scandal broke nearly 50 years ago, the paper records, exhibits, and artifacts from the United States v. G. Gordon Liddy trial are digitized and available to view in the National Archives Catalog. A new website serves as a portal to browse the newly digitized records as the country marks the 50th anniversary of the break-in on June 17, 1972, an event that rocked the U.S. political landscape and led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Among the records are images of screwdrivers, lockpicks, business cards, surgical gloves, a room key for the Watergate, and the now-infamous ChapStick microphone.

"Overall economic activity appears to have picked up after edging down in the first quarter. Job gains have been robust in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low. Inflation remains elevated, reflecting supply and demand imbalances related to the pandemic, higher energy prices, and broader price pressures..." "The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. In support of these goals, the Committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate to 1‑1/2 to 1-3/4 percent and anticipates that ongoing increases in the target range will be appropriate. In addition, the Committee will continue reducing its holdings of Treasury securities and agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities, as described in the Plans for Reducing the Size of the Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet that were issued in May. The Committee is strongly committed to returning inflation to its 2 percent objective."     

Ferida Wolff writes: "And then one day, while trimming the bushes on the other side of the yard, a nest with blue eggs appeared! Was this robin protecting that nest even though it was away from the house? And were these eggs actually the robin’s eggs? Other birds lay blue eggs. Plus, within the bush was a different bird that was warning us to stay away. I guess we will have to let nature take its course. If this nest is the robin’s, then when the birds hatch and eventually fly off, the aggressive window banging should stop. After all, parents need to protect their young. But wait, did I just see another robin gathering bits of dry grass and bringing them to the bush by the window?"

"(1) To investigate and report upon the facts, circumstances, and causes relating to the January 6, 2021, domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol Complex (hereafter referred to as the “domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol”) and relating to the interference with the peaceful transfer of power, including facts and causes relating to the preparedness and response of the United States Capitol Police and other Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies in the National Capital Region and other instrumentalities of government, as well as the influencing factors that fomented such an attack on American representative democracy while engaged in a constitutional process. (2) To examine and evaluate evidence developed by relevant Federal, State, and local governmental agencies regarding the facts and circumstances surrounding the domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol and targeted violence and domestic terrorism relevant to such terrorist attack. (3) To build upon the investigations of other entities and avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts by reviewing the investigations, findings, conclusions, and recommendations of other executive branch, congressional, or independent bipartisan or nonpartisan commission investigations into the domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol, including investigations into in ...

"Compared to a typical school year, teachers reported that more of their students started the 2020-21 school year behind and made less academic progress, according to GAO's generalizable survey of K-12 public school teachers. Teachers also reported that many students ended the year behind grade level expectations (see figure). Educators and parents also shared their insights and experiences about student struggles and learning loss during the year."

Jo Freeman writes: Bill Browder has written a political thriller. Covering roughly the decade ending in 2018, he traces his efforts to sanction corrupt Russian officials who had murdered his friend and Moscow lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. Law enforcement is a continuous theme. But whose laws and whose enforcement? Of course, Browder and his family had to be constantly on guard against being attacked and even kidnapped by those working for Russia, or even police who thought they were acting on a legitimate arrest order. These “adventures” are what make this book exciting.

"The Secretary of Labor should develop and execute a transformation plan that meets GAO's high risk criteria for transformation; the plan should outline coordinated and sustained actions to address issues related to providing effective service and mitigating financial risk, including ways to demonstrate improvements. Planned actions may include addressing audit recommendations, and determining whether legislative changes are needed, as appropriate. Planned actions may also include achieving quantifiable results in reducing improper payment rates, including those related to fraud; improving efficiency in claims processing and restoring pre-pandemic payment timeliness levels; better reaching current worker populations; and enhancing equity in benefit distribution." (Recommendation 1, Publicly Released: Jun 07, 2022.) 

"A bill to authorize assistance to train and retain obstetrician-gynecologists and sub-specialists in urogynecology and to help improve the quality of care to meet the health care needs of women in the least developed countries; A bill to provide for the expedited and duty-free importation of infant formula that may be lawfully marketed in the European Union, Canada, Japan, or the United Kingdom; A bill to authorize assistance to aid in the prevention and treatment of obstetric fistula in foreign countries, and a bill to authorize assistance to train and retain obstetrician-gynecologists and sub-specialists in urogynecology; A bill to require group health plans and group or individual health insurance coverage to provide coverage for over-the-counter contraceptives. Family Support - On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing, “A 2022 Review of the Farm Bill: Stakeholder Perspectives on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).”