POTUS answers questions about Covid, gun violence, the border, and more

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In 2020, America saw record voter turnout, and now Republicans across the country are working to ensure it never happens again. Since losing the White House and control of Congress, the GOP has decided its only course of action is to make it harder for Americans to vote. Roughly 250 new laws have been proposed to restrict access to voting across 43 states, but it doesn't stop there. The right to vote is now hanging in the balance as Republicans in the Senate work to obstruct the passage of the For the People Act. It is at moments like these when I am reminded of the fragility of democracy and the importance of protecting our institutions. As a nation we have overcome so much, and the great experiment has been possible because of citizens, like you, committed to defending our institutions—as Timothy Snyder reminds us through rule 2 in his book "On Tyranny." While the 2020 election is in our rearview, we must remain vigilant and protect our institutions by ensuring access to voting remains
available to every eligible American citizen.

Speaking of Timothy Snyder, I hope you'll join me back here tomorrow for our monthly Book Corner. Spoiler Alert: This month’s read is Snyder's book "On Tyranny." —Mary Anna Mancuso, Media Manager, Stand Up Republic

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** 'I'm here to solve problems, not create division'
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President Biden held the first press conference of his administration today, addressing sometimes difficult questions from the media about the crisis at the border, the status of the Senate filibuster, gun control, and foreign policy, among other issues. The president also promised that the nation will administer 200 million COVID-19 shots in his first 100 days in office, doubling his original goal, which he met on his 58th day. The coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 545,000 Americans, continues to be a primary focus of the administration. —Associated Press ([link removed])
* — Alarming spike in Michigan. A disturbing trend is emerging in Michigan, where coronavirus hospitalization rates are surging among younger people, the group with the lowest vaccination rates among the state's populations. The Michigan Health & Hospital Association said yesterday that from March 1 through Tuesday, hospitalizations in the state increased by 633% for those aged 30 to 39 and by 800% for those aged 40 to 49. —Detroit Free Press ([link removed])
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* — The kids aren't alright. A new NBCLX/Morning Consult poll reveals a growing number of young adults are disinterested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. The March 2021 poll found that Gen Z and Millennial adults between 18 and 34 are now the most likely generations to say they will either not get vaccinated (23%) or they don't yet know (21%), with Gen Z adults (18-23 years old) particularly indifferent. —NBCLX ([link removed])
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* — A grim milestone for the Keystone State. Pennsylvania became the eighth state in the country to surpass more than one million coronavirus cases yesterday. The state plans to roll back coronavirus restrictions on April 4, with broader openings of restaurants, bars, and large venues. Philadelphia, which has seen Pennsylvania's highest number of cases and deaths, will not follow in the state's footsteps however. —NBC News ([link removed])

MORE: U.S. Senate confirms former Pa. Health Sec. Rachel Levine, a transgender doctor, for key post —The Philadelphia Inquirer ([link removed])


** Harris to tackle 'huge problem' at border
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As the Biden Administration grapples with a surge of unaccompanied migrant children crossing the southern border, President Biden announced yesterday that Vice President Kamala Harris will lead efforts to stem the tide by establishing a partnership with Mexico and the northern triangle of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. An increased number of children are currently being accepted into the U.S., leading to overcrowding in short-term, jail-like facilities run by Customs and Border Protection. By law, children are supposed to be moved into Health and Human Services facilities within 72 hours. —USA Today ([link removed])

MORE: Deseret News Ed. Board: As migrants surge over the border, America must respond with compassion —Deseret News ([link removed])


** Lister & Feltman: Russia's deadly game in Syria
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"In propping up Bashar al-Assad, Russia has worked intimately with Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps. And, crucially, it has secured the diplomatic backing of China, another UN Security Council member, which maintains a blanket opposition to Western support for democratic change abroad... The warfare component of the Syrian fight has been well documented, but Russia's exploitation of its diplomatic clout in the UN to further a siege-and-starve strategy is less well known. By cutting millions of people off from vitally needed aid, Russia seeks only one goal: to force populations to surrender to a regime that has shot, shelled, bombed, and gassed them for a decade." —Charles Lister & Jeffrey Feltman in ([link removed]) Politico ([link removed])

Charles Lister is a senior fellow and the director of the Syria and Counterterrorism programs at the Middle East Institute. Jeffrey Feltman, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, is former UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.

MORE: Faced with sanctions and condemnation from the West, China becomes bedfellows with Russia —The Washington Post ([link removed])


** Chinese hackers target Uighurs abroad
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Facebook said yesterday that it has blocked a group of hackers in China who used the platform to distribute malware that would infect targets' devices and enable surveillance. The hackers targeted activists, journalists, and dissidents who belong to the Uighur Muslim ethnic group, which faces genocidal persecution in China. The targets were largely from China's Xinjiang region but currently living in countries including Turkey, Kazakhstan, Syria, Australia, Canada, and the U.S. —Reuters ([link removed])

MORE: Big tech CEOs back in Congress, facing questions on how social media promotes extremism and misinformation —The Washington Post ([link removed])
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** Lessig: For the People Act would save our democracy
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"Americans are deeply skeptical of their government. Overwhelmingly, they believe that Congress serves not them, but the special interests who pay for campaigns. Many are deeply and rightly angry at the efforts by states to suppress their vote. Others are frustrated with legislatures that draw districts to permanently entrench a political minority as a majority. And practically everyone thinks that every branch of our government must commit to higher ethical ideals. We are told we have the greatest democracy in the world. Yet very few who know anything about how it actually functions believe this. H.R. 1 responds to these frustrations by addressing each aspect directly." —Lawrence Lessig in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Lawrence Lessig, the Roy L. Furman professor of law and leadership at Harvard Law School, is the author of "They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy."

MORE: Senate panel dukes it out over voting rights —The Hill ([link removed])


** Focus on the insurrection
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According to new evidence submitted by federal prosecutors yesterday, a leader of the Oath Keepers said he "organized an alliance" between his militia group and other far-right, anti-government organizations ahead of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The court filing included Facebook messages that show Kelly Meggs discussing the alliance among the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, and the Florida 3%ers in the weeks leading up to the riot. ([link removed])
* — Prosecutors allege that Meggs, the Florida leader of the Oath Keepers, "engaged in extensive planning and financing to come to Washington, D.C., and coordinate with his co-conspirators and others on how to accomplish his goals of disrupting Congress." Their aim was to stop the certification of Joe Biden as president. ([link removed])
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* — On Jan. 3, Meggs told an associate that he believed they were being "called" to Washington because Vice President Mike Pence would present evidence of voter fraud to Congress and that the situation "checks all the boxes." He also said he expected Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. "Then wait for the 6th when we are all in D.C. to insurrection," he said. ([link removed])
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* — Attorneys for the Oath Keepers have argued that preparations discussed by the defendants, including a "provisions list" that included mace, batons, and body armor, were in anticipation of potential clashes with antifa—not part of a plan to storm the Capitol. —Axios ([link removed])

MORE: Experts share how the U.S. can save our democracy…and avoid a civil war —NBCLX ([link removed])


** King: Fate of the filibuster is in GOP’s hands
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"As we enter this new Congress with a new president and a new Senate majority (barely), the question for me is how Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues will play their hand; if they are willing to work to find compromise and consensus on important initiatives (infrastructure, voting rights, or immigration reform, for example), the importance of getting rid of the filibuster diminishes. If, on the other hand, they just say no, the necessity—and likelihood—of filibuster reform would only increase. That is to say, in large measure the outcome is in their hands." —Angus King in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Angus King represents Maine in the U.S. Senate.

MORE: Dick Gephardt, Timothy E. Wirth & Tom Rogers: The Big Lie exception to the filibuster rule —Newsweek ([link removed])

There is an obvious tie between voting and the survival of a democratic form of government. Reducing voter participation deprives our nation of the judgment that all Americans can offer to their fellow citizens through the process of selecting our leaders. If President Trump were to have been re-elected in 2020, we could have expected more of what we experienced during the past four years. That was not acceptable to a majority of Americans.

Like many Americans, I did not like the blatant submissiveness that Trump displayed before Vladimir Putin. A billboard could not have made his tilt toward policies that favored Russia any clearer. He advocated relieving sanctions that were imposed on Russia because of its ongoing illegal occupation of Crimea. He paid homage to Putin's desire to see NATO degraded. Among his first guests to the White House were Russians, not Canadians, nor any of our other allies. His campaign had numerous contacts with Russians. Paul Manafort, his volunteer campaign manager, was once paid to help Putin install a puppet as president of Ukraine. Where is the controversy?

So what is the tie between voting rights and national security? If it were not for African-American voters, Trump would very likely have been re-elected. They deserve respect, not Jim Crow laws. Taking away anyone's rights will take away all of our rights. All Americans should be grateful and proud that we have such dedicated patriots to stand with in defense of our country. —Bill M., Pennsylvania
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** 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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