Progress on policing, climate, infrastructure, and more

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Our lawmakers frequently fail to move legislative solutions through Congress due to rank partisanship. So when Democrats and Republicans work together, and government functions as it should, it's important to highlight it. Last night, the Senate passed the bipartisan COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act by a vote of 94-1. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, hate crimes targeting Asian Americans have soared by as much as 145%, according to a study ([link removed]) . The bill is designed to expand the investigation of these crimes and increase resources toward that end. The House will take up this vital piece of legislation next, and President Biden has vowed to sign it, sending a clear message that there is no place in America for bigotry and hate. —Evan McMullin

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** Graham: Still a long way to go
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"Derek Chauvin's conviction is an important instance of accountability, and will come as a relief to the millions of people outraged by George Floyd's death, but it doesn't make for much of a model. Police leaders don't usually feel such a need to make an example of an officer, and they don't typically testify so bluntly against a former officer. There isn't always video evidence so clear and compelling. Despite all of these factors, prosecutors still felt the need to portray their case as pro-law enforcement. If all of this is necessary to convict a former officer, convictions will remain rare—and reform will have to take place outside the courts." —David Graham in The Atlantic ([link removed])

David Graham is a staff writer at The Atlantic.

MORE: Andrew Brown Jr. was unarmed and fleeing when fatally shot by North Carolina police, family attorney says —USA Today ([link removed])


** Tharoor: Climate challenge vs global power competition
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"Climate is seen as perhaps the sole arena for substantive U.S.-Chinese cooperation, given the wider animosities that now define the relationship between the two powers. But even there, numerous challenges abound. ... Pang Zhongying, an international affairs specialist at the Ocean University of China, told the South China Morning Post: 'With both China and the U.S. hardening their stance towards each other, it's getting harder by the day for them to still cooperate on climate in the middle of deepening, across-the-board competition.'" —Ishaan Tharoor in The Washington Post ([link removed])

Ishaan Tharoor is a columnist on the foreign desk of The Washington Post, where he authors the Today's WorldView newsletter.

MORE: Biden calls for climate action as Xi renews carbon neutral pledge —Al Jazeera ([link removed])


** Altschuler: Biden must convince Dems on infrastructure too
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"Popular with voters (if not politicians) across the ideological spectrum, the infrastructure bill would provide billions of dollars to upgrade and modernize roads, mass transit, bridges, airports, schools, hospitals, reservoirs and water pipes, federal buildings, manufacturing plants, the electric grid, and broadband access; facilitate a shift from fossil fuels to greener sources of energy; and expand funding on research and development. Nonetheless, passage is by no means certain. ... Although the Senate parliamentarian has kept the legislation alive by ruling that it fits the criteria for 'budget reconciliation,' which excludes filibusters, not all Democrats are on board." —Glenn Altschuler on The Hill ([link removed])

Glenn Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies at Cornell University. He is the co-author of "Rude Republic: Americans and Their Politics in the Nineteenth Century."

MORE: Republicans unveil $568 billion infrastructure package to counter Biden —Reuters ([link removed])


** Bush: Immigration is our defining asset. It must be reformed
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"We should never forget that the desire to live in the United States—a worldwide and as powerful an aspiration as ever—is an affirmation of our country and what we stand for. Over the years, our instincts have always tended toward fairness and generosity. The reward has been generations of grateful, hard-working, self-reliant, patriotic Americans who came here by choice. If we trust those instincts in the current debate, then bipartisan reform is possible. And we will again see immigration for what it is: not a problem and source of discord, but a great and defining asset of the United States." —George W. Bush in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

George W. Bush was the 43rd President of the United States.

MORE: Cornyn, Sinema unveil bill aimed at confronting border surge —The Hill ([link removed])
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** Waldman: How far will the anti-democracy movement go?
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"Everywhere you look, Republicans are defining democracy as a threat to be defeated. They're attempting not only to suppress Democratic votes but to seize control from local election officials who can't be relied on to favor the GOP. The most popular Fox News host tells viewers night after night that there's a nefarious plot afoot to 'replace' true (i.e., White) Americans with 'Third World' immigrants who after becoming citizens will prove their unworthiness by voting for Democrats." —Paul Waldman in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Paul Waldman is a political columnist at
The Washington Post.

MORE: GOP Arizona state senator rejects controversial voting bill pending election audit —NPR ([link removed])


** NYT Ed Board: Putin's national address leaves much unsaid
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"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin's address did touch, relatively briefly, on international affairs, but it was largely a familiar plaint about Russia being picked upon 'without any reason,' along with chest-thumping about an 'asymmetric, fast, and tough' response should anybody think to cross a 'red line' against Russia. That flourish raised eyebrows in the West, even though Putin never said where the red line was. But there was no mention of the current situation around Ukraine—nor of Alexei Navalny, the dissident said to be in serious condition in a prison clinic..." — ([link removed]) The New York Times ([link removed])

MORE: Russia pulls back troops after massive buildup near Ukraine border —CNN ([link removed])


** Georgescu: An unholy attack on democracy
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"[I]n my life I saw up close and very personally the alternatives to democracy. Those regimes are ugly, exploitive, winner-takes-all, Darwinian forms of government. That's where the vast majority of the people suffer and the few cling to power and thrive by exploiting others. These other forms of government always end up in an authoritarian totalitarianism, to protect the elites in power. In those alternate visions, voting is a sham by institutional design." —Peter Georgescu in ([link removed]) Forbes ([link removed])

Peter Georgescu is a marketing executive, author, and chairman emeritus of Young & Rubicam, Inc. An inductee of the Advertising Hall of Fame, he emigrated from Romania to the U.S. in 1954.

MORE: Support for voting access plunges among Republicans: poll —The Hill ([link removed])
Welcome to our Earth Day edition of Book Corner! This week's read is: "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" by Bill Gates

Americans are no strangers to the alarm bells we hear ringing daily about the ongoing climate crisis and the need for us to reach net zero by 2050. But is it possible? Bill Gates thinks it is. In fact, Gates has dedicated his most recent book, "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," to laying out exactly how we go from 50 billion to zero by providing a clear picture of the problems our world faces in solving the climate crisis.

While Gates leans in to his optimism for our ability to solve climate change, it's not all rainbows and sunshine. It will require a multitude of forces working together, investment in research and development, and innovation focused on achieving key climate breakthroughs. For a technologist who began learning about climate change in 2006, he is a quick study, and the suggested solutions he provides are insightful and fact-based, and offer a sneak peek into what it could look like if the world came together on this existential threat.

At first blush, the title of the book may cause readers to shy away, thinking there is no way they can impact or help end climate change—but that is not the case. Woven throughout Gates' book are suggested solutions and various ways individuals can make an impact, by reducing their emissions and making climate-friendly choices right at home. As the globe puts to rest the existential threat of the novel coronavirus, we must turn our attention the next looming threat on our planet, climate change. There is no better way to get started in learning what we can do locally and globally than by picking up a copy of Mr. Gates' book today!
Have you read this? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @StandUpRepublic and Facebook: facebook.com/standuprepublic.com

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Have a suggestion for our next monthly read? Send them to Mary Anna Mancuso, Stand Up Republic Media Manager: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Washington, D.C., pays the highest federal taxes in the U.S. and has no say on how it's spent. It's time for statehood. —Brian G. via Facebook

I am in favor of the residents of Washington, D.C., gaining representation, but I think that statehood is the wrong call. Return the residential portions of the city to Maryland and Virginia for representation. It is a city, not a state. —Kimberly D., Georgia
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