Biden administration sues Texas over six-week abortion ban
3.03pm EDT 15:03
Charter flight from Kabul safely lands in Qatar, White House says
2.27pm EDT 14:27
Federal workers will have 75 days to get fully vaccinated under Biden’s new policy
5.36pm EDT 17:36
“We have the tools. Now we just have to finish the job,” Biden said in his concluding remarks.
More details of his pandemic plan will be revealed in the coming weeks, he said. He ended his speech with a whisper: “Get vaccinated”.
He did not take questions from the press.
5.27pm EDT 17:27
The president said he will also enact measures to disincentivize those seeking to undermine vaccine and masking mandates.
Implicitly referring to leaders like Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who threatened to withhold salaries from school board members and superintendents in districts with mask mandates, Biden said: “Talk about bullying in schools.”
“Right now, local school officials are trying to keep children safe in a pandemic while their governor picks a fight with them and even threatens their salaries or their jobs,” he said.
If teachers’ pay is withheld by states, the federal government will step in to pay it, he said. “I promise you, I will have your back.”
The president also said that the TSA will double fines for passengers who refuse to wear masks. “And by the way, show some respect,” he said.
5.18pm EDT 17:18
“My message to unvaccinated Americans is this: what more is there to wait for? What more do you need to see?” Biden said. “We’ve made vaccinations free, safe and convenient.”
“We’ve been patient but our patience is wearing thin and your refusal has cost all of us,” he said.
Here’s an overview of vaccination stats across the US:
5.14pm EDT 17:14
Key points: Biden’s pandemic plan
David Smith
The Labor Departmentwill require all employers with more than 100 employees to ensure their workers are vaccinated or tested weekly. Employers must also provide paid time off to allow workers to get vaccinated. This will affect more than 80 million workers in private sector businesses. Companies that do not comply could face fines of up to nearly $14,000 per violation.
Workers in healthcare settings that receive Medicaid or Medicare reimbursement must be vaccinated, a move that applies to 50,000 providers and covers more than 17 million healthcare workers.
All federal government workers, as well as employees of contractors that do business with the federal government, must get vaccinated, or regularly tested.
Updated at 5.14pm EDT
5.09pm EDT 17:09
“We are in a tough stretch and it could last for awhile,” Biden said, stressing that the Delta variant had complicated the US recovery.
Stressing that vaccines protect people from hospitalizations and deaths from the Delta variant, he called the surge in cases a pandemic of the unvaccinated.
A quarter of adults still haven’t gotten any vaccine shot, he said. “That 25% can cause a lot of damage, and they are,” he said. He implicitly called out the Republicans who are hindering a vaccination push – calling the behavior “unacceptable”.
Updated at 5.50pm EDT
5.05pm EDT 17:05
Biden explains Covid-19 strategy
“We can and will turn the tide of Covid-19,” the president said.
Speaking from the White House, Biden started by recapping progress made so far in getting Americans vaccinated.
“We have the tools to combat the virus if we come together and use those tools,” he said, acknowledging frustrations with the 80m who are unvaccinated.
5.00pm EDT 17:00
Today so far
That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Maanvi Singh, will take over the blog for the next few hours.
Here’s where the day stands so far:
Joe Biden will soon lay out his new strategy to combat the spread of coronavirus. The White House has said the president will outline six steps to boost vaccinations and limit the spread of the Delta variant. Biden is expected to announce he is requiring coronavirus vaccinations for all federal workers, without the option to undergo regular testing instead of getting vaccinated.
The justice department filed a lawsuit against Texas over its six-week abortion ban, a week after the supreme court declined to block the law’s implementation. “The act is clearly unconstitutional under longstanding supreme court precedent,” attorney general Merrick Garland said at a press conference this afternoon.
Biden confirmed he will withdraw the nomination of David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Chipman had attracted intense criticism from Republicans and a handful of Democrats for his advocacy work with the gun control group Giffords. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the White House is in “active discussions” with Chipman to find another role for him in the administration.
Liz Cheney signaled she is ready for a fight following Donald Trump’s endorsement of one of her primary opponents, Harriet Hageman. After Trump mocked Cheney as the “number one provider of sound bites” for Democrats, the Republican congresswoman replied, “Here’s a sound bite for you: Bring it.” Cheney has repeatedly criticized Trump over his lies about fraud in the 2020 election, and she supported his impeachment for inciting the Capitol insurrection.
A charter flight carrying US citizens out of Kabul has safely landed in Qatar, the White House said. The flight’s departure was facilitated by the US government, as the Biden administration continues its efforts to evacuate American citizens out of Afghanistan, even after the military formally ended its Kabul mission last week.
Maanvi will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
4.44pm EDT 16:44
DeSantis suffers legal defeat over anti-riot law
Richard Luscombe
It’s been another busy day in court for Florida’s litigious Republican governor Ron DeSantis, who followed up yesterday’s rebuff by a federal judge over his ban on mask mandates in schools with another defeat on Thursday – this time over his flagship anti-riot law.
US district court judge Mark Walker, in a 90-page ruling, determined that the state’s HB 1, which DeSantis signed into law in April, is unconstitutional. Touted by the governor as a means of enhancing public safety and clamping down on mob violence in the wake of protests nationwide in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, the law created, among other provisions, a new crime of “mob intimidation” and protected motorists who hit protestors during a riot.
Walker, however, was not impressed with the language contained in the law. “[Its] new definition of ‘riot’ both fails to put Floridians of ordinary intelligence on notice of what acts it criminalizes, and encourages arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement, making this provision vague to the point of unconstitutionality,” he wrote.
His temporary injunction effectively prohibits enforcement of the law while legal challenges to it make their way through the courts.
If DeSantis’s recent actions are anything to go by, it won’t be long before the issue is back in the courtroom. On Thursday, DeSantis filed an emergency appeal to reverse Wednesday’s mask mandate ruling, asserting a “high likelihood” of winning the case on appeal, and claiming that the court of district judge John Cooper “abused its discretion” by lifting a stay the governor had previously won that halted Cooper’s earlier order freeing school districts to require masks.
A decision is likely within the next few days.
4.27pm EDT 16:27
Kamala Harris sharply criticized the Texas abortion law this afternoon, as the vice-president met with reproductive health providers and patients to discuss abortion rights.
Harris noted many US states beyond Texas have enacted restrictive laws that have made it extremely difficult to access abortion services, underscoring the need for a robust response to such policies.
Tim Perry (@tperry518)
NEW: @VP Kamala Harris makes first on camera comments about the DOJ lawsuit filed against the state of Texas following TX Senate Bill 8. Harris says the DOJ understands that the TX law is “patently unconstitutional” pic.twitter.com/LUJrAxibQp
September 9, 2021
“The United States department of justice has spoken loudly in saying that this law is patently unconstitutional,” Harris said of the new federal lawsuit against Texas.
Asked what other steps the Biden administration can take to protect abortion rights, the vice-president said, “We need to codify Roe v Wade.”
4.10pm EDT 16:10
The abortion rights group NARAL praised the Biden administration for filing a lawsuit against Texas over its six-week abortion ban.
“We are pleased to see the Biden administration taking action to fight for Texans’ reproductive freedom by filing a lawsuit to block SB 8—the harshest and most extreme ban on abortion in the country,” NARAL acting president Adrienne Kimmell said in a statement.
“Let’s be clear: Texas is the tip of the iceberg. This lawsuit sends a strong message to anti-choice lawmakers across the country who are racing to enact copycat versions of SB 8 in their own states. The threat to the future of safe, legal abortion is looming larger than ever, and safeguarding reproductive freedom requires bold and immediate action.”
3.54pm EDT 15:54
Merrick Garland noted the justice department is seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent enforcement of the Texas abortion law, out of concern for private citizens acting as “bounty hunters” to ensure the statute is respected.
“The department of justice has a duty to defend the Constitution of the United States and to uphold the rule of law,” the attorney general said at his press conference.
“Today, we fulfill that duty by filing the lawsuit I have just described.”
3.41pm EDT 15:41
A reporter asked Merrick Garland whether he expected the justice department to file additional lawsuits against states threatening to pass laws similar to Texas’ six-week abortion ban.
“The additional and further risk here is that other states will follow similar models with respect not only to this constitutional right but theoretically against any constitutional right,” the attorney general said.
“So if another state uses the same kind of provisions to deprive its citizens of their constitutional rights, and in particular to deprive their citizens of the ability to seek immediate review, we will bring the same kind of lawsuit.”
3.23pm EDT 15:23
Biden administration sues Texas over six-week abortion ban
The Biden administration is suing Texas over its six-week abortion ban, which went into effect last week after the supreme court declined to block the law’s implementation.
CBS News (@CBSNews)
Garland says Texas’ abortion ban is “clearly unconstitutional” and the state doesn’t dispute that. He says the ban creates “bounty hunters” who can file lawsuits “to prevent women from exercising their constitutional rights by thwarting judicial review for as long as possible” pic.twitter.com/jPwMJHFf02
September 9, 2021
Attorney general Merrick Garland confirmed the news at a press conference this afternoon.
“The act is clearly unconstitutional under longstanding supreme court precedent,” Garland said.
The attorney general warned that the law “deputizes all private citizens, without any showing of personal connection or injury, to serve as bounty hunters” to ensure the law is respected.
“The obvious and expressly acknowledged intention of this statutory scheme is to prevent women from exercising their constitutional rights by thwarting judicial review for as long as possible,” Garland said.
Joe Biden had previously promised that he would pursue a “whole-of-government effort” to respond to the supreme court’s decision, specifically looking at what tools the justice department may have to push back against the Texas law.
Updated at 5.04pm EDT
3.03pm EDT 15:03
Charter flight from Kabul safely lands in Qatar, White House says
A charter flight carrying American citizens out of Kabul has now safely landed in Qatar, the White House said in a new statement.
The flight’s departure was facilitated by the US government, as the Biden administration continues its efforts to evacuate American citizens out of Afghanistan, even after the military formally ended its Kabul mission last week.
“The Taliban have been cooperative in facilitating the departure of American citizens and lawful permanent residents on charter flights from HKIA,” Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said in the statement.
“We will continue these efforts to facilitate the safe and orderly travel of American citizens, lawful permanent residents, and Afghans who worked for us and wish to leave Afghanistan.”
It’s unclear how many US citizens were on the charter flight and how many Americans remain in Afghanistan. Ron Klain, the White House chief of staff, said on Sunday that there were roughly 100 Americans still in Afghanistan.
2.45pm EDT 14:45
Jen Psaki hinted that Joe Biden will be pursuing actions to put pressure on major employers to set coronavirus vaccine requirements for their workers.
A reporter asked the White House press secretary at her briefing, “Can the Department of Labor or anybody else compel major employers, large employers, to force the vaccine mandates on their employees?”
Psaki replied, “Yes. Stay tuned. More to come this afternoon.”
CBS News (@CBSNews)
Reporter: “Can the Department of Labor or anybody else compel major employers, large employers, to force the vaccine mandates on their employees?”
Jen Psaki: “Yes. Stay tuned. More to come this afternoon.” https://t.co/yRbPtR0ZVi pic.twitter.com/HsNZGEDUWb
September 9, 2021
The president is scheduled to deliver a speech on his new strategy to boost coronavirus vaccinations and limit the spread of the Delta variant in about two hours.
Biden is expected to sign an executive order requiring coronavirus vaccinations for all federal workers, without a testing alternative to opt out of the mandate.
Some major private-sector employers, including McDonald’s, Google and United Airlines, have already established vaccine mandates for their workers.
2.27pm EDT 14:27
Federal workers will have 75 days to get fully vaccinated under Biden’s new policy
Jen Psaki offered some details on Joe Biden’s speech this afternoon, in which he will outline his new strategy to boost coronavirus vaccinations and limit the spread of the Delta variant.
The White House press secretary said federal workers will have 75 days to get fully vaccinated under an executive order that Biden will sign later today.
Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake)
Federal employees will have about 75 days to get fully vaccinated under the executive order Biden will sign Thursday, Psaki says https://t.co/jYfQW3U8gY pic.twitter.com/jNVpgN4qng
September 9, 2021
Psaki noted the vaccine order will include “limited exceptions for legally recognized reasons,” such as religious objections and disabilities that prevent vaccinations.
Biden announced in July that federal workers would be required to get vaccinated or undergo regular coronavirus testing, but the newest order will not include a testing option.
Psaki confirmed that federal workers who do not comply with the vaccination mandate will go through the “standard HR process,” which could include facing “progressive disciplinary action”. She later added that employees could potentially be terminated if they do not get vaccinated.
2.08pm EDT 14:08
One reporter asked Jen Psaki whether Joe Biden intends to name another nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, now that David Chipman’s nomination has been withdrawn.
“We certainly would at an appropriate time,” the White House press secretary said. “I don’t have a timeline on that at this point in time.”
As Psaki previously noted, there has only ever been one Senate-confirmed ATF director in the history of the bureau, so it will likely be extremely difficult to get any nominee confirmed.
