Biden sets ambitious climate goals

The Biden administration has announced a new slate of ambitious climate goals, with a focus on cutting methane emissions, protecting tropical forests, and speeding the development of new, green technologies. The announcement comes as President Biden attends the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. 

• — The Biden administration is seeking to cut U.S. methane emissions to about 50 percent of their 2005 levels. The United States and the European Union are leading a coalition of 70 countries to cut global methane levels by at least 30 percent by 2030. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and the second most abundant after carbon dioxide.
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• — While his plans are ambitious, what President Biden seeks to accomplish on climate is in the hands of Congress. Legislation on cutting methane levels is currently stalling in Congress and its future is uncertain. Congressional Republicans are balking at proposed legislation, leaving it in limbo.
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• — "The president wants to kill abundant and affordable U.S. energy sources like oil, natural gas, and coal that Americans depend on," said Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming. The oil and gas industry is divided over the proposed regulations, with some offering tepid support of the climate goals and others showing worry. —The New York Times

MORE: Brazil and China pledge to end deforestation by 2030 —CNBC

Longwell and Parker: Biden needs to talk to America

"Voters [in 2020] weren’t looking for procedural normality, but for rhetorical normality. In our hundreds of hours of focus groups leading up to the election, Trump’s reliance on acting officials and his abuse of the pardon power hardly ever came up. His tweets came up reliably. Voters didn’t choose Biden over Trump because they thought he’d be a better manager. They chose him because they wanted him to be a better leader." —Sarah Longwell and Benajmin Parker in The xxxxxx

Sarah Longwell is publisher of The xxxxxx. Benjamin Parker is a senior editor at The xxxxxx.

Election Day 2021

Across the country, voters head to the polls to pick their next local and state leaders. There are gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, special congressional races in Ohio and Florida, and even some mayoral races. The Virginia race is of special interest to politicos, as many wait to see if Republican Glenn Youngkin can beat Democrat Terry McAuliffe, signaling a possible shift to the right among voters in Virginia.

• — Early in the Virginia gubernatorial race, Democrat Terry McAuliffe looked like he would easily win, but the polling and the momentum now seem to show Glenn Youngkin pulling ahead. Should Youngkin win, Democrats in Virginia will have some soul searching to do, as Joe Biden won the state last year by 10 points.
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• — In Ohio's 15th congressional district, Trump-endorsed coal lobbyist Mike Carey seeks to win in the special election against Democrat opponent Allison Russo. The seat, which is solidly Republican, was vacated by former Rep. Steve Stivers who left to become president and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
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• — Voters in Boston will elect the first woman of color to serve as mayor of the city. City council members, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George, are both vying for the seat. Wu is the child of Taiwanese immigrants and Essaibi George is a first generation Arab Polish American.  —USA Today

MORE: Minneapolis residents vote today on whether to replace police department with a new Department of Public Safety—Star Tribune

Olsen: If Glenn Youngkin pulls off a win, he’ll likely have Hispanic and Asian voters to thank

"The 2021 polls all show the race essentially tied. What’s interesting is that the shifts they show among White and Black voters do not explain why the race is so close. Youngkin’s 16.4 percent advantage with White voters is not much more than Gillespie’s 15 points. And given that White and Black voters have not changed much in terms of the share of likely voters, McAuliffe should be well ahead of Youngkin, even if his margin is tighter than Northam’s.

The fact that this is not the case means other forces must be at play: Hispanics, Asians and other non-White voters must have shifted dramatically toward the GOP since 2017." —Henry Olsen in The Washington Post

Henry Olsen is a Washington Post columnist and a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Putin vows to build up Russia's military, citing NATO activities

While speaking with military leaders and arms makers in Sochi, Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to improve Russia's military might against what he considers a growing threat from NATO. Putin's speech was given in Sochi, a location that carries significance as the southern Russian city sits on the coast of the Black Sea, a sea where the USS Porter is currently sailing.

• — “Even now, a U.S. warship has entered the Black Sea, and we can see it in binoculars or crosshairs of our defense systems,” Putin said. The USS Porter is set to be joined by USS Mount Whitney in the Black sea, as the U.S. seeks to conduct freedom of navigation exercises.
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• — Putin also cited the deployment of NATO's U.S.-led missile defense components in Eastern Europe as he discussed the need to bulk up Russia's military might. Putin even seemed to reference hypersonic weapons in his remarks saying, "We must further improve our air and space defense system as leading powers have been developing prospective high-speed strike weapons."
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• — Tensions between Russia and NATO continue to rise. Just last month, Russia suspended its mission at NATO and ordered the closure of NATO's Moscow office over NATO's withdrawal of accreditation of eight Russian officials at NATO's Brussels headquarters believed to be working for Russian intelligence. —ABC NEWS

MORE: Three individuals investigating Russian agents' role in Navalny poisoning detained —Radio Free Europe

Beamer: The case for renewing the Global Magnitsky Act

"The Global Magnitsky Act sunsets in December 2022. If not renewed, this powerful tool to fight the scourge of corruption and human rights abuse will be lost. At the United Nations General Assembly, President Biden called corruption 'nothing less than a national security threat in the 21st century.' We must make it a bipartisan priority to preserve the authorities of Global Magnitsky and, frankly, should resource the State Department and Treasury Department to implement them more aggressively." —Katharine M.R. Beamer in The Hill

Katharine M.R. Beamer is a National Security Affairs Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and a career Senior Foreign Service officer at the Department of State.

Taylor: Inside the fight for the GOP’s soul

"It’s much too soon to write a eulogy for the Party of Lincoln. A nucleus of conservative leaders are still working to steer the Republican Party away from vitriol and violence and back to its roots — to a common foundation built around reverence for free minds, free markets and free people. And new conservative candidates are entering races around the country with a similar message." —Miles Taylor in Deseret News

Miles Taylor is the co-founder of the Renew America Movement, the former chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and author of The New York Times bestselling memoir, “A Warning.”

MORE: Rep. Adam Kinzinger continues to stand up to Trump after announcing he will not run for re-election —Mother Jones

Regarding the Jan. 6 committee, I'm not sure about the primacy of any given conclusion, but I do know that there must be consequences—serious consequences—for those responsible, especially the higher-ups, both as a deterrent against future similar acts and to help repair Americans' faith in justice. —Scott K., California

The decision-making is too compartmentalized. One person should be a central command person in charge of Capitol security—ideally the head of Homeland Security. —Dave S., Louisiana

What they need to learn is what George Washington told us in his Farewell Address about 240 years ago: The greatest danger to this republic is extreme partisanship, especially when unethical people use the engines of government to further their own agenda over the welfare of the country. —Mike C., Utah
 

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