July 16, 2021

19 Jul July 16, 2021

Top News

• Democrats Roll Out $3.5 Trillion Budget to Fulfill Biden’s Broad Agenda. New York Times
• Senate Democrats unveil bill to decriminalize marijuana. The Hill
• Cuba lifts customs restrictions on food and medicine after biggest protests in decades. CNN
• COVID cases rise again in US amid lagging vaccination rates. Al Jazeera English
• The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics. Politico

Energy & Natural Resources

• Biden wanted a climate alliance with Europe. He’s getting a fight. Politico
• Sprawling wildfires scorch Western U.S. amid severe heat wave. Axios
• U.S. Senate panel passes energy measure likely to shape infrastructure bill. Reuters
• Too few companies advocate for climate-friendly policies despite lofty goals: report. Smart Cities Dive
• The U.S. Climate Envoy Went To Moscow And Talked About More Than Climate. NPR

Indian Affairs

• Western fires threaten parched American Indian tribal lands. ABC News
• Indian boarding school investigation faces hurdles in missing records, legal questions. NBC News
• How Did Allison Highwolf Die? Distrust Fuels a Mystery in Indian Country. New York Times
• Native Americans continue to boast highest vaccination rates in the US. The Hill

Labor 

• Democrats’ Budget Deal Seeks to Penalize Labor Law Violators. Bloomberg Law
• Poll: 1.8 million Americans have turned down jobs due to unemployment benefits. Axios
• Union workers get higher pay, if they can join. Reuters
• Fed’s Powell Concedes Anxiety About Higher Inflation but Resists Policy Shift. Wall Street Journal
• Tensions Await Julie Su in Shaping Role as Labor’s Deputy. Bloomberg Law

Taxation & Trade

• Senior Democrats prepare Medicare and climate initiatives as well as tax increases on wealthy as details of $3.5 trillion budget deal emerge. Washington Post
• U.K. Trade Secretary Downplays Outlook for U.S. Trade Deal Soon. Bloomberg
• Democrats Call for a Tax on Imports From Polluting Countries. New York Times
• IRS Announces $15 Billion In Child Tax Credit Payments Have Been Delivered To Families—Here’s What To Know About The New Relief. Forbes
• As Dems push SALT cap repeal, many states have OK’d workaround. Fox Business

Technology 

• FCC finalizes program to rip and replace Huawei, ZTE telecom equipment in the U.S. CNBC
• Homeland Security funding package pours millions into migrant surveillance. The Hill
• Biden finds an ally against Big Tech. Fortune
• U.S. Competition Policy Is Aligning With Europe, and Deeper Cooperation Could Follow. Wall Street Journal

Transportation & Infrastructure 

• Transportation Stakeholders Renew Calls for Congressional Action. Transport Topics
• These are America’s 10 worst states for infrastructure. CNBC
• GOP infrastructure negotiators rankled by Schumer’s deadline. Roll Call
• Buttigieg, DeFazio test drive electric LTD bus to promote transit infrastructure legislation. Register-Guard

Sign up for the Weekly Trek