More than a century after such legislation was first introduced, President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill to make lynching a federal hate crime, condemning the “pure terror to enforce the lie that not everyone belongs in America, not everyone is created equal.”
Meanwhile, as the president refused to back down from saying Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power, a photo of a list of “tough Putin Q&A talking points” he was carrying at a press conference emerged. Under a question about what he meant when he said Mr Putin “cannot remain in power”, it reads “I was expressing moral outrage I felt toward the actions of this man” and “I was not articulating a change in policy”.
Republicans who have mocked Mr Biden for using notes and said it is a sign of “cognitive decline” have been accused of hypocrisy given that Donald Trump also carried notes. The former president has also restoked the right’s obsession with the current president’s son, making the extraordinary request in the midst of a war for Vladimir Putin to dig up dirt on Hunter Biden’s relationship with Russian oligarchs.
Meanwhile, Mr Biden has unveiled his budget proposal for 2023. It calls for lower federal deficits, more money for law enforcement, and greater funding for education, public health, and housing. Included is a proposal for a minimum tax on the super-rich that could hit Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to the tune of $50bn and $35bn respectively.
