Biden and Putin meet in Geneva

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Through my work with various pro-democracy organizations, I've had the opportunity to engage in advancing reforms at the state and local levels. What a refreshing change it is from our national politics. On local issues, there's greater opportunity to transcend the partisanship that defines the issues on the national stage. This positive dynamic doesn't get enough attention in the national media or on social media, but it should. If you ever feel helpless about the state of our nation, do yourself a favor: get involved on the local level. Not only will you be doing the very important work of supporting our democracy at its most foundational level, but you may also see a side of America that's pragmatic, open-minded, and functional—and gets far too little recognition. —Mindy Finn

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** The no-drama summit
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President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their summit in Geneva today a bit earlier than expected, spending a total of about four hours together. The pair met first for a small session that included Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Putin's foreign minister, and later for a larger meeting with more officials from both sides. In his solo press conference, Biden struck an optimistic tone, saying he let Putin know where America stands and how the two countries can work together. "My agenda is not against Russia," Biden said. "It's for America." As for Putin, at his own press conference, he described the meeting as "constructive" and said there were no hostilities between the two leaders. ([link removed])
* — Arms control. Biden said he and Putin discussed the "next steps our countries should take on arms control measures" to reduce the risk of war. Those steps would entail diplomats and military experts from both countries meeting for a "strategic stability dialogue" to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures. The aim is to set the stage for negotiations on an arms control deal to succeed the New START Treaty, which is set to expire in 2026. Biden did not say when the talks would begin. ([link removed])
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* — Cybersecurity. Biden said that he and Putin discussed keeping certain types of critical infrastructure off-limits to cyberattacks, and that the two will have additional talks on the pursuit of criminals carrying out ransomware attacks. Biden specified 16 types of critical infrastructure—including the energy and water sectors—that should be off limits to cyberattacks, "period." ([link removed])
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* — Human rights. Biden said he stressed human rights issues in the meeting, bringing up the cases of two Americans who are imprisoned in Russia. Biden also said he will continue to raise concerns about Alexei Navalny, the jailed leader of the Russian opposition. Putin refused to acknowledge Navalny by name, claiming he "deliberately moved to be arrested." Biden added that he'll continue to focus on "fundamental human rights because that's what we are." —Associated Press ([link removed])

MORE: Why Biden and Putin won't hold a joint press conference —CNN ([link removed])


** 'The system was blinking red'
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FBI Director Christopher Wray faced tough questioning by the House Oversight Committee yesterday over the intelligence and law enforcement failures at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Rep. Carolyn Maloney confronted Wray with messages from the social media site Parler, which she said reported to the FBI specific threats of violence made on its network more than 50 times before the attack. "I'm not aware of Parler ever trying to contact my office," Wray replied, but went on to suggest that the bureau might revisit current limits on its ability to monitor social media for threats. Wray said the FBI is pursuing potentially hundreds more suspects in the insurrection, characterizing the effort as "one of the most far-reaching and extensive" investigations in FBI history. —The New York Times ([link removed])

MORE: Rep. Liz Cheney: 'It is disgusting and despicable' to see Gosar 'lie' about Jan. 6 —The Hill ([link removed])


** WaPo Ed Board: Why we can't forget Jan 6
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"Given Mr. Trump's reckless actions after losing the 2020 vote, and the violence they spurred, the newly released emails are unsurprising. But consider that fact for a moment: It is unsurprising that the President of the United States leaned on the Justice Department to help him try to steal an election. The country cannot forget that Mr. Trump betrayed his oath, that most Republican officeholders remain loyal to him nonetheless—and that it could be worse next time." —The Washington Post ([link removed])

MORE: Former GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher confirms he was at the Capitol on Jan. 6 —Yahoo! News ([link removed])


** A new federal holiday
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There may be an additional federal holiday on the calendar in 2022. The Senate unanimously passed a resolution yesterday establishing June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. The legislation gained momentum during the Black Lives Matter protests last year, but Sen. Ron Johnson blocked the bill in 2020, saying that the day off for federal employees would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Johnson dropped his objection this week, paving the way for the bill's passage in the Senate. The legislation must still pass the House and be signed by President Biden before it becomes law. —CNN ([link removed])
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** Torsner & Harrison: Pandemic weakens freedom of the press
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"The wide spectrum of assaults on press freedom covers a range of restrictive measures on journalistic reporting on COVID-19. These are many and varied. In Iran, authorities imposed measures to prevent news media from scrutinizing the pandemic-related death toll. In Hungary and elsewhere, anti-fake news laws effectively criminalize legitimate journalistic reporting on the pandemic in those countries. In Egypt, the government has banned the dissemination of any pandemic-related statistics except the ones produced and released by the government. In some countries, including Serbia and Zimbabwe, new legislation restricting the right of the media to inform on sensitive topics such as the pandemic has led to the detention of some journalists." —Sara Torsner and Jackie Harrison in ([link removed]) The Milwaukee Independent
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Sara Torsner is a research fellow at the Centre for Freedom of the Media, University of Sheffield. Jackie Harrison is a professor of public communication at the Centre for Freedom of the Media, University of Sheffield.

MORE: Boris Johnson condemns 'disgraceful hounding' of BBC journalist —BBC News ([link removed])


** Focus on global democracy
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Just days into its new coalition government, Israel carried out airstrikes on the Gaza Strip after militants in the Palestinian territory sent incendiary balloons into the south of the country. It was the first flare-up between the two sides since the ceasefire struck last month, following a conflict that killed hundreds. The strikes came shortly after more than 1,000 ultranationalist demonstrators bearing Israeli flags poured into Jerusalem's Old City, with scores of police deployed and international monitors urging calm. —CBS News ([link removed])
* — India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had an opportunity to participate in the G-7 outreach sessions over the weekend. He affirmed that India, as the world's largest democracy, is committed to freedom of thought and individual liberty—though some of his own troubling moves as prime minister have defied that commitment. Modi also expressed concerns shared by other world leaders that open societies are particularly vulnerable to disinformation and cyberattacks. —The Economic Times ([link removed])
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* — Mexico. Losing a legislative supermajority just over a week ago hasn't deterred populist Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador from proceeding with his planned constitutional changes. He will present an initiative to Congress to modify the Mexican constitution to restrict the participation of private companies in the country's electricity market. The reform is the first of three major constitutional amendments planned before the end of his term in 2024. —S&P Global ([link removed])
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* — Nicaragua. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has launched a campaign of repression against his political opposition ahead of the country's November elections. At least 13 prominent opposition members have been arrested in the past two weeks, and some have been beaten. The crackdown presents another challenge to the Biden Administration as it struggles to deal with a region mired in poverty and corruption, forcing thousands of migrants to the U.S. —The Wall Street Journal ([link removed])

MORE: Asbed Kotchikian: Armenia Elections: Democracy and security on the ballot —Al Jazeera ([link removed])


** Opal: What the Constitution says about voting
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"Our fundamental laws didn't just stop in 1787 or 1791. Instead, they improved with the destruction of slavery in the 1860s, the triumph of women's suffrage in the 1910s, and the Civil Rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s. Our Constitution now embraces a much larger and more generous definition of 'the people' than what the leading men of the 1780s could have imagined or would have allowed. Democrats should embrace this fact. They should make a national constitutional issue of any state or local effort to inhibit democratic rights." —Jason Opal in ([link removed]) New York Daily News ([link removed])

Jason Opal is an associate professor of history at McGill University.

MORE: Texas Democrats to make their case on voting rights bill —The New York Times ([link removed])

None of the revelations about Donald Trump using the DOJ to seize people's data are remotely surprising. After all, it's Donald Trump. But let's be honest, some of this stuff was going on at a less outrageous level under other presidents for years, and we didn't do anything about it. The only useful purpose the Trump presidency served is to make Americans acutely aware of the many areas of reform needed up and down the government. Hopefully we'll take this opportunity to plug the gaps. —Carole L., New York
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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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