Curated by: Jon Michael Raasch
News
What’s up Washington?
White House Happenings:
1:40 p.m. - President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden meet with Former President Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter in Plains, GA.
2:40 p.m. - Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks regarding Covid-19 vaccinations at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD.
4:45 p.m. - The President and First Lady participate in a drive-in car rally in Atlanta, Georgia on his 100th day in office.
Congressional Currents:
9:30 a.m. - WORLDWIDE THREATS: Senate Armed Services Committee
10:00 a.m. - SENATE FLOOR DEBATE: The Senate resumes consideration of S. 914 - Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021, voting on passage of the bill.
10:45 a.m. - PELOSI WEEKLY: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks with reporters.
11:00 a.m. - MARS PERSEVERANCE ROVER: House Science Space and Technology Committee, Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee.
SCOTUS Schedule:
Nothing scheduled.
Department Debrief:
Nothing scheduled.
Domestic Dispatches
BIDEN EMBRACES INNER ROBIN HOOD: In his first address before a joint session of Congress, the president embraced a tax-and-spend mantra to frame his next big legislative fight, walking right up to a third rail that has terrified Democrats for decades and forced his predecessors to triangulate and retreat to safer middle ground. (POLITICO)
SENATOR TIM SCOTT’S BIDEN REBUTTAL: Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina criticized President Joe Biden and argued he is failing to deliver on his promises in the GOP rebuttal to the President's first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday evening. (CNN)
FBI RAIDS RUDY GIULIANI’S APARTMENT: Prosecutors obtained the search warrants as part of an investigation into whether Rudy Giuliani broke lobbying laws when he was President Donald J. Trump’s personal lawyer. (NEW YORK TIMES)
International Intrigue
6 NATIONS PANDEMIC PLAYBOOK: Vox explores the successes — and setbacks — in six nations as they fought Covid-19. (VOX)
FACEBOOK BLOCKS AND RESTORES MODI CRITICISM: Social-media giant said it erroneously censored posts tagged with #ResignModi as India faces devastating Covid-19 surge. (WALL STREET JOURNAL)
CHINA’S SPACE STATION COUNTDOWN: China on Thursday launched the main module of its first permanent space station that will host astronauts long-term, the latest success for a program that has realized a number of its growing ambitions in recent years. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Things
Bible Verse: 1 John 1:5-7 NIV This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
This Day in History: On April 29, 2004, the World War II Memorial opens in Washington, D.C. to thousands of visitors, providing overdue recognition for the 16 million U.S. men and women who served in the war. The memorial is located on 7.4 acres on the former site of the Rainbow Pool at the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. The Capitol dome is seen to the east, and Arlington Cemetery is just across the Potomac River to the west.
Quote: “You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” - Jack London
Environment: Fine-particle pollution disproportionately hurts people of color: research (THE HILL)
Culture: Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins Dies (NPR)
Sports: Every Team's Biggest Need Entering 2021 NFL Draft (BLEACHER REPORT)
Health: How the COVID-19 Vaccines Were Made So Quickly (HEALTH)
Bad Joke: “What do you call an alligator detective? An investi-gator.”