June 25, 2021: Biden Strikes Infrastructure Deal; Cause Unknown In Florida Condo Collapse; Vaccines Drive Down Covid Fatalities

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TODAY'S HEADLINES:


The Biden administration strikes its first significant deal with
Republican members of Congress, and it’s for an infrastructure
package. But progressive Democrats say the deal doesn’t offer
enough to win their support.


Meanwhile, the search for answers begins after a
terrifying and sudden residential building collapse in Surfside,
Florida. The death toll is uncertain but as many as ninety nine
people are missing.


And lastly, a new analysis of government data
shows that almost everyone who’s dying of the coronavirus in the
United States now is unvaccinated. Which means those deaths don’t
need to happen at all.


THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:


This report from the political sausage factory comes from the
Washington Post. President Joe Biden signed off yesterday on a
bipartisan agreement crafted by ten senators that would pump
hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending into
infrastructure projects across the country. We have a deal, Biden
said alongside the five Democrats and five Republicans who had
negotiated for weeks on a package to revitalize the nation’s road
and transit systems, while upgrading broadband and investing in
other public-works projects. The proposal was crafted by Senators
Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio; Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat of
Arizona; and eight others in the Senate. The new agreement is
nowhere near as expansive as the $2.2 trillion American Jobs
Plan, Biden’s own infrastructure measure that he detailed in
April. But Democratic leaders have made it clear that they hope
to push through a separate package encompassing priorities such
as climate initiatives, paid leave and expanded education.


The Post says the bipartisan agreement will spend $973 billion
over five years, with $579 billion of that being new spending.
That includes $312 billion for transportation projects, $55
billion for water infrastructure and $65 billion for broadband.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus polled its ninety five
members on the infrastructure package and found a strong majority
prepared to vote against the bill without a separate package that
moves simultaneously and includes key priorities, such as funding
for eldercare, expanding Medicare, and affordable housing.
Because bipartisanship for bipartisanship’s sake helps no one –
except a few politicians.


Cause Unknown In Florida Condo Collapse


This report of crumbling infrastructure comes from the Miami
Herald. Lightning streaked the skies yesterday afternoon as
search-and-rescue teams picked their way through a pile of rubble
nearly two stories high – the remains of a collapsed twelve-story
condo – hoping to hear the cries of survivors. As many as ninety
nine people are reported missing. The oceanfront Champlain Towers
South Condo crumpled with a bang a little after 1:30 am, trapping
an unknown number of sleeping residents inside the wreckage.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called it, "a
terrible, terrible nightmare." Footage of the sudden collapse
looked eerily similar to a demolition, minus the flash of
explosives. The cause is unknown, with one expert deeming it "an
oddity of biblical proportions."


According to the Herald, nearly twelve hours after the collapse,
the death toll was uncertain. Officials confirmed at least one
death, and said thirty five people were pulled from the wreckage,
with ten injured people treated at the scene and two sent to a
hospital. Officials estimated that fifty five units were involved
in the collapse. Surfside Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer said the
building was undergoing a required forty-year recertification to
ensure its structural integrity, and that the building’s roof was
being redone. It is unknown if any construction activity
contributed to the disaster. President Biden said it’s up to
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency so
federal resources, including FEMA help, can be deployed. Here’s
hoping they find more survivors.


Vaccines Drive Down Covid Fatalities


We’re in a new phase. The Associated Press reports that nearly
all Covid-19 deaths in the US now are in people who weren’t
vaccinated. It is a staggering demonstration of how effective the
shots have been. It’s also an indication that deaths per day –
now down to under three hundred – could be practically zero if
everyone eligible got the vaccine. An AP analysis of government
data from May shows that breakthrough infections in fully
vaccinated people accounted for fewer than twelve hundred of more
than eight hundred and fifty three thousand Covid-19
hospitalizations. That’s about zero point one percent.


The AP analyzed figures provided by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. CDC Director Doctor Rochelle Walensky
said on Tuesday that the vaccine is so effective that nearly
every death, especially among adults, is, at this point, entirely
preventable. She called such deaths particularly tragic. About
sixty three percent of all vaccine-eligible Americans – those
twelve and older – have received at least one dose, and fifty
three percent are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Experts
predict the preventable deaths will continue, with unvaccinated
pockets of the nation experiencing outbreaks in the fall and
winter. In Arkansas, which has one of the lowest vaccination
rates in the nation – with only thirty three percent of the
population fully protected – hospitalizations and deaths are
rising. To the extent that people aren’t getting vaccinated
because they can’t get paid time off, that must be addressed, so
we can beat Covid once and for all.


AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:


The Guardian reports that a First Nation in Canada’s Saskatchewan
province is treating a defunct residential school as a crime
scene following the discovery of seven hundred and fifty one
unmarked graves. The total of unmarked graves discovered in the
past month is about one thousand, with experts predicting more
will come as provincial governments announce funding to help
Indigenous communities conduct their own searches. This reckoning
is long overdue.


Politico reports that the Biden administration unveiled a raft of
measures to prevent people who lost income during the pandemic
from losing their homes yesterday, including by extending
nationwide eviction and foreclosure bans until July 31st. Maybe
it’s time to commit to keeping everyone in their homes
permanently – sound good?


According to the Washington Post, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced
yesterday that the House will form a select committee to
investigate the January 6th attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump
mob, one month after Senate Republicans blocked an effort to form
a bipartisan commission. The panel will provide recommendations
to prevent similar attacks in the future. Keeping Donald Trump’s
movement far from power should help.


The New York Times reports that Rudy Giuliani faces the
possibility of disbarment after a court ruled yesterday that he
made demonstrably false statements while fighting the results of
the 2020 election on behalf of Trump. The New York State
appellate court suspended Giuliani’s law license after finding he
had sought to mislead judges, lawmakers and the public. Better
late than never!


AM QUICKIE - JUNE 25, 2021


HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner


WRITER - Corey Pein


PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw


EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn