Biden Pushes for U.S. Voting Rights Law As Restrictions Mount Associated Press Among the Top Priorities of WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- His Administration
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Sterilization suspended Thursday June 3, 2021 T: 582-7800 www.arubatoday.com facebook.com/arubatoday instagram.com/arubatoday Page 8 Aruba’s ONLY English newspaper Biden pushes for U.S. voting rights law as restrictions mount Associated Press among the top priorities of WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- his administration. dent Joe Biden used the "We're not giving up," Biden 100th anniversary of Tulsa's said. "I'm going to fight like race massacre to make a heck with every tool at my plea for sweeping legisla- disposal for its passage." tion in Congress to protect Republican state legislators the right to vote as Repub- are pushing what experts lican-led governments in say is an unprecedented Texas and other states pass number of bills aimed at re- new restrictions making it stricting access to the bal- tougher to cast ballots. lot box. While Republicans Biden, marking the centen- say the goal is to prevent nial in Oklahoma on Tues- voter fraud, Democrats day, called out lawmakers contend that the measures in Congress — including are aimed at undermining two senators in his own minority voting rights. party — for holding up ac- Most recently, the Texas tion on voting bills. Invoking Legislature moved closer the words of the late Rep. to passing a bill that would John Lewis, Biden said the reduce early voting hours, right to vote is "precious" tighten voter identification and must be protected. He requirements for absentee pledged that June will be a ballots and eliminate ballot "month of action" on Capi- drop boxes and drive-thru President Joe Biden speaks as he commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race mas- tol Hill as Congress consid- voting centers. sacre, at the Greenwood Cultural Center, Tuesday, June 1, 2021, in Tulsa, Okla. ers the legislation, which is Continued on next page Associated Press A2 THURSDAY 3 JUNE 2021 UP FRONT Continued from Front er than a little bit of com- The bill was blocked only mentary on TV punditry," when Texas Democrats Psaki told reporters after walked off the House floor being pressed to explain on Sunday night; Republi- what Biden meant. can Gov. Greg Abbott has But it's not just Manchin and said he will order a special Sinema who oppose doing session to ultimately ensure away with the filibuster, As its passage. many as 10 Democratic Senate Republican leader senators are reluctant to Mitch McConnell played change the rules even for down the ability of the new must-pass legislation such state laws to quash voter as the voting rights bill. turnout. Biden has not said he wants "I don't think any of these to end the filibuster. efforts at the state level are It's unclear whether Biden's designed to suppress the comments will change the vote based upon race," views of any senators, who McConnell said at a news are facing tough choices conference Wednesday in ahead as pressure mounts Kentucky. on them. McConnell promised to Senate Majority Leader block the federal voting Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., left, pauses to speak with Sen. Richard Burr, R- rights bill, characterizing N.C., as they leave a Republican luncheon for votes ahead of the approaching Memorial Day told colleagues that he it as undue government recess, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 26, 2021. would be bringing the vot- overreach into state elec- Associated Press ing rights bill to a vote the tion systems. He said no week of June 21, in effect GOP senators support it. ing why he hasn't enacted ate who voted more with fused to sign on, calling the testing where senators Biden addressed the fed- some of the most ambitious my Republican friends." measure "too broad." stand. Schumer warned eral voting rights legislation elements of his agenda, It appeared to be a refer- White House press secre- in a letter to colleagues during an event marking noting that slim majorities ence to Democratic Sens. tary Jen Psaki on Wednes- last week to brace for the the 100th anniversary of in the House and evenly Joe Manchin of West Vir- day denied that Biden was month ahead. the Tulsa race massacre, in divided Senate have ham- ginia and Kyrsten Sinema blaming Manchin and Sine- Biden has tasked Vice Pres- which a white mob looted strung legislative negotia- of Arizona, both of whom ma for holding up the legis- ident Kamala Harris with and burned Tulsa's Green- tions around key issues like have frustrated Democrats lation. She said Biden does leading the administra- wood district, which was voting rights. with their defense of the not see "eye to eye on ev- tion's efforts to defend vot- known as Black Wall Street. Responding to critics who filibuster. The rule requires ery single detail of every is- ing rights. It adds another Despite Biden's pledge to question why he hasn't most legislation to win 60 sue" with every lawmaker, high-profile fight to Harris' keep fighting to pass leg- been able to get a wide- votes to pass, making many but that he simply was ref- fast-expanding portfolio, islation protecting voting reaching voting rights bill of Democrats' biggest pri- erencing the commentary which includes addressing rights, he acknowledged passed, Biden lamented, orities like voting rights and he often hears on cable TV the root causes of migra- that his biggest obstacle "Well, because Biden only gun control dead on arrival about the slow progress on tion from Central America, may be within his own par- has a majority of effectively in the 50-50 Senate. While legislation he wants to sign leading the National Space ty. four votes in the House, and Sinema is a sponsor of the into law. Council and working on ex- Biden called out two fel- a tie in the Senate — with voting rights bill that passed "I don't think he was intend- panding access to broad- low Democrats in explain- two members of the Sen- the House, Manchin has re- ing to convey anything oth- band internet.q Black students in Washington upset by school project SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A remove the 14-year-old Black students in the class sued a statement saying ing, ‘We don’t need slaves family in Spokane, Wash- twins from their social stud- that day, my daughters the students were learning anymore,’ ” one of the girls ington, is demanding that ies class when their mother already felt singled out about the industrial revo- said. “That really hurt be- a school administrator be called to raise concerns during an activity that re- lution and the cotton gin, cause it felt like she was removed after he suggest- about the cotton lesson, quired them to clean cot- and the incident is being saying there was a time ed he could segregate two according to a statement ton,” Brandi Feazell said. investigated. “We take all when slavery was OK.” Black middle school stu- Wednesday from ACLU of “Separating them from the complaints very seriously The twins have been out of dents who were directed Washington and Team- rest of the class would only and are committed to in- school since the cotton les- to clean freshly picked cot- Child, a legal firm. compound their pain and vestigating them fully,” son and do not feel com- ton as part of a classroom Mother Brandi Feazell said isolation and do nothing to the district said. “There are fortable going back until assignment, according to she was shocked at Skid- change the racist culture conflicting reports regard- the incident is addressed, lawyers for the family. more’s suggestion to seg- and policies that led to this ing this incident.” their mother said. Taylor Skidmore, assistant regate her daughters from inappropriate and harmful “Once the third-party in- In addition to asking that principal at Sacajawea their class,. lesson in the first place.” vestigation is completed, Skidmore be removed, Middle School, offered to “As two of the only three Spokane Public Schools is- we look forward to com- the family wants the social ing back to share the out- studies teacher and other comes,” the district said. school administrators who LIKE US ON On May 3, the twins said failed to act promptly to their fifth-period social stud- face discipline. ies teacher took out a box They are also asking for of raw cotton and told the a public apology from class they were going to Spokane Public Schools see who could clean cot- and for anti-racism train- Facebook.com/arubatoday/ ton the fastest. ing to be implemented “The teacher kept say- districtwide.q A3 U.S. NEWS THURSDAY 3 JUNE 2021 Harvard researchers recommend Census not use privacy tool By MIKE SCHNEIDER ers said the Census Bureau entist — simulated drawing Associated Press should rely on a privacy a large number of realistic A group of Harvard re- method used in the 2010 maps of political districts in searchers has come out census, when data in some different states. They used against the U.S. Census Bu- households were swapped data from the 2010 cen- reau's use of a controversial with other households. sus, applied the most re- method to protect privacy "Over the past half century, cent Census Bureau version with the numbers used for the Supreme Court has firm- of the privacy technique, redrawing congressional ly established the principle and followed rules that the and legislative districts, say- of One Person, One Vote, political districts needed ing it doesn't produce data requiring states to mini- to have equal population good enough for redistrict- mize the population differ- and be compact and con- ing.