U.S. to reopen borders to the vaxxed

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Which comes first for members of Congress: their oath to the Constitution or the demands of their constituents? Of course, ideally it should be both. But what if it isn't? Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney is a fitting case study for this question. Wyoming has an at-large congressional district, which is the sole congressional district for the state. Wyoming registered a population of 576,851 in the 2020 Census, making it the least-populated state in the country. Cheney represents them all. Much like her state, Cheney is one of the most conservative members of Congress. She believes in small government, a strong defense, and low taxes. Members of the House take an oath on the opening day of each new Congress. The genius behind the American experiment, which is articulated by the Constitution, is the system of checks and balances the Founders designed and the importance they gave to the rule of law. When members of Congress affirm their oath, they are first and foremost swearing to support and defend
the Constitution, followed by swearing allegiance to the Constitution, and finally to faithfully execute the duties of their office. Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the former president for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Many Wyoming residents reportedly think she betrayed them because of her impeachment vote. Defending it, Cheney said, "Our duty is clear. Every one of us who has sworn the oath must act to prevent the unraveling of our democracy. This is not about policy. This is not about partisanship. This is about our duty as Americans." If conservatives at their core believe in conserving the values of the Founders, perhaps Cheney's actions since Jan. 6 are the most conservative thing she could do. —Lynn Schmidt ([link removed]) , Editorial Board Member, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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** Welcome back to America!
------------------------------------------------------------

But only if you're vaccinated. The Biden Administration has announced it will lift travel restrictions at the borders with Canada and Mexico starting in November for travelers fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Foreign travelers must provide proof of vaccination to enter the U.S., according to senior administration officials. The lifting of the bans will effectively mark the reopening of the U.S. to travelers and tourism, signaling a new phase in the recovery from the pandemic, after the nation closed its borders for nearly 19 months. But unvaxxed travelers are out of luck. They'll continue to be banned from crossing either border. —The New York Times ([link removed])
* — "An epidemic without serious infections is no longer an epidemic." That's the dream, right? Well, according to new research, it could be reality…with more vaccinations. A massive French study of nearly 23 million people found that COVID-19 vaccines cut the risk of severe disease by at least 90% in people who are 50 or older—a particularly vulnerable segment of the population. "This means that those who are vaccinated are nine times less at risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19 than those who have not been vaccinated," said epidemiologist Mahmoud Zureik, who oversaw the research. —Insider ([link removed])
*
* — Get your shots…or else. Last month, President Biden announced that the Labor Department would draft an emergency temporary standard compelling private companies with 100 or more employees to require vaccinations or weekly testing. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, part of the department, submitted the text of the new rule to the Office of Management and Budget yesterday, bringing it one step closer to taking effect. Once OMB concludes its review, the standard will be published in the Federal Register, when it will go into effect. Brace yourselves for a lot more pushback. —CNN ([link removed])
*
* — That's it, I'm outta here. While vaccine mandates have led some workers to quit their jobs rather than get jabbed, a mass exodus from jobs this year has been driven by a different combination of factors. The number of Americans quitting their jobs has surged to record highs—about 4.3 million people quit jobs in August, just shy of 3% of the workforce, according to new Labor Department data released yesterday. The pandemic apparently jolted workers' mindset about inconvenient hours and poor compensation, and they're looking for better opportunities elsewhere. And with 10.4 million job openings in the country by the end of August, they have plenty of leverage. —The Washington Post ([link removed])

MORE: China to test thousands of Wuhan blood samples in COVID-19 probe —CNN ([link removed])


** Fixing the supply chains
------------------------------------------------------------

Tired of near-empty shelves of certain items at the store? There's a bill for that. Bipartisan legislation was introduced in the House last week to boost U.S. supply chains and foster domestic manufacturing of "critical goods" by creating a Supply Chain Resiliency and Crisis Response Office in the Department of Commerce. The Building Resilient Supply Chains Act was introduced by Rep. Tom Malinowski, along with Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Lisa Blunt Rochester, members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill also would authorize $45 billion for the office to create grants and loans that support the "expansion of domestic manufacturing of critical goods and services, industrial equipment, and manufacturing technology." Can't happen soon enough…the holidays are right around the corner. —MeriTalk ([link removed])

MORE: The global supply chain nightmare is about to get worse —CNN ([link removed])


** Marshall: Pass the infrastructure bill
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"Democrats control the White House and, however tenuously, Congress. They don't have the luxury of endless negotiations aimed at appeasing the left. To regain political momentum, Democrats need a win. The best way to get one is to pass the infrastructure bill as soon as possible and work on a pragmatic reconciliation bill that better reflects their philosophically diverse coalition." —Will Marshall in ([link removed]) The Hill ([link removed])

Will Marshall is the president and founder of the Progressive Policy Institute.

MORE: House passes bill to raise U.S. debt ceiling through early December —The Guardian ([link removed])


** 'The deck is shuffled again after an election'
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The Supreme Court appeared willing yesterday to allow Kentucky's Republican attorney general to defend restrictions on abortion that two courts have found unconstitutional. In Cameron v. EMW Surgical Center, justices across the ideological divide seemed to think Attorney General Daniel Cameron, elected after the fight over a state abortion law began, should be able to play a role in the legal battle now. The justices are not considering the merits of the law, which would ban the most common second-trimester abortion procedure, effectively outlawing abortion after 13 weeks. Instead, the debate is over which government official gets to decide enough is enough now that the law has lost twice—in federal district court and before a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals. —The Washington Post ([link removed])

MORE: Justice Department again presses to halt Texas abortion law —ABC News ([link removed])
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** Ronaghi: Iran's opposition cries out to be seen
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"For us, it is as if there are two Irans—the one where we live and another that you read about. Your Iran is defined by a pesky nuclear negotiation. Ours is much worse. It is a religious police state where we live in fear, with countless red lines that most dare not cross. It is a country of repression, censorship, and violence. I would know—I have spent six years in its jails." —Hossein Ronaghi in ([link removed]) The Wall Street Journal ([link removed])

Hossein Ronaghi is an Iranian blogger and freedom-of-speech activist.

MORE: Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is inspiring Americans online, FBI says —Defense One ([link removed])


** Focus on voting and elections
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Our lead story in yesterday's issue was about Fulton County, Ga., and ongoing problems with its election board. Well, we're back there again today, but the news is better. According to a court brief filed by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, election investigators were unable to find any counterfeit ballots among batches of absentee ballots cast in Fulton County in last year's presidential election. The finding deals a blow to a lawsuit based on sworn statements by four Republican election auditors, who alleged they saw suspicious ballots during a statewide audit that recounted every ballot by hand last November. —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ([link removed])
* — Massachusetts. Working to reflect a rapidly diversifying state, Massachusetts lawmakers yesterday proposed substantially redrawing state legislative districts to increase the number of so-called majority-minority districts in both the State House and Senate. Coming on the heels of a Census showing Black, Hispanic, and Asian residents driving the state's population growth, the new maps promise a major overhaul. But don't expect much political drama to result. Few if any incumbents will be forced to compete within the same district lines, and the new districts are not expected to substantially alter the Democratic dominance in either chamber. —The Boston Globe ([link removed])
*
* — Michigan. State Rep. Daire Rendon wore a button to a rally outside the Capitol yesterday that featured an American flag with a gold "Q" on it, a letter that has become a symbol for the far-right conspiracy theory movement QAnon. The rally was attended by hundreds of people demanding another audit of Michigan's 2020 election. Rendon spoke at the gathering and questioned why others don't want to see "evidence" of election fraud. Previously, she was one of two GOP members of the Michigan House listed among the plaintiffs in an unsuccessful federal lawsuit that aimed to require state legislatures to certify the results of presidential elections. —The Detroit News ([link removed])

1. — Pennsylvania. Finally some good election news out of Pennsylvania—a voting reform bill that would address election concerns and improve voting and voter access. In a state where the GOP-led Senate has controversially subpoenaed sensitive voter information in yet another attempt to prove "fraud," the legislation is a breath of fresh air. Introduced by State Rep. Scott Conklin, it was written in concert with county commissioners who oversee elections. "This is legislation that Republicans and Democrats alike can agree to. This is a piece of legislation that will make it safer, easier, more convenient [to vote]," Conklin said. Sounds good to us. —CBS News ([link removed])

MORE: Pam Anderson and Molly Fitzpatrick: Colorado's voter-registration system is a model of accessibility for the country —The Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** Rubin: Preventing the next coup attempt
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"Lawmakers must address attempts to strong-arm or threaten election officials and interfere with a state's counting process. Candidates themselves should be barred from private contacts with any official involved in election administration. (No calls, for example, to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.) Issues should be resolved by legal representatives of the parties, and representatives of both campaigns must be present for any such contact. As bizarre as it sounds, federal legislation must also make clear that it is illegal for a president to incite others to interfere with vote counting or to overthrow the election." —Jennifer Rubin in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Jennifer Rubin is an attorney and political opinion columnist at
The Washington Post.

MORE: Democrats scrutinize Pennsylvania congressman's efforts to help overturn 2020 election —CNN ([link removed])

Democrats risk defeat in expanding their reach without concern for economic balance. Voting rights are essential, but pushing too far on and ignoring Republicans will wound them in the 2022 and 2024 elections. —Noma N., New Mexico

I couldn't disagree more with Roxanne R. of Utah. She is speaking from a time long in the past. From what I read, most Americans are moderates. There are wingnuts among the Democrats, and a struggle is going on between responsible lawmakers and some immature folks who are tired of waiting for utopia (notwithstanding Bernie Sanders, who has always had the same beliefs, but people can generally live with him because his tirades are against the mega-rich, while he cooperates in legislation that serves Americans).

It's Republicans and out-and-out charlatans who are riding the whirlwind of destroying the U.S. government. They are so corrupt and ignorant, they think they will survive and maintain power through such devastation. They think the country will be functioning and as open as always, but with them reaping unlimited power. My quarrel with Democrats is that they are so timid, they never get around to being heard. Maybe it's because the leadership on both sides is so old. —Anna K., Washington
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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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