26 August 2021
It's just over two months until a pivotal United Nations climate summit, and if Capitol Hill's importance to the equation wasn't already clear, it sure is now.
Catch up fast: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released an analysis showing the Democrats-only reconciliation plan — and to a much lesser degree the bipartisan infrastructure deal — would essentially put the U.S. on track to meet President Biden's pledge under the Paris Agreement.
- The April pledge, called a "nationally determined contribution (NDC)," vows a 50%-52% cut in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Why it matters: Schumer's analysis Wednesday of the energy and climate parts of the wider $3.5 trillion plan — which his office says is based on expert input — could help the U.S. show the pledge has teeth.
- But that's only true if the bill avoids lots of political landmines and passes. If it fails or gets gutted, that would raise doubts about the U.S. ability to make good on the NDC.
- If other big polluters think the U.S. is serious about slashing planet-warming emissions, it may help spur more tangible action.
Between the lines: White House officials say there are multiple ways to achieve the NDC, and the administration has an expansive executive agenda.
- But Schumer's analysis says the quiet part out loud: The tough path runs straight through Capitol Hill.
The big picture: The Beltway debate comes as scientists are issuing dire findings about effects of climate change already arriving and danger in store absent immediate, deep and sustained global emissions cuts.
- The outcome of the reconciliation plan is uncertain on both sides of Capitol Hill.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi needs to corral restive moderates while keeping support from progressives, while Schumer can't lose a single Democrat.
What we're watching: Whether Schumer's move helps convince moderates wary of the bill's size that it's worthwhile spending and progressives — who have angled for more aggressive measures — that it achieves plenty.
How it works: Two key parts of the Senate reconciliation plan are focused on electricity: payments and penalties that push utilities to speed up zero-carbon power deployment, and new and expanded clean energy tax credits.
- "It will be much harder to claim we are on track for our own NDC commitment without the program to achieve 80% clean electricity by 2030 and the very significant clean energy incentives that are part of the reconciliation package," Jason Bordoff, head of a Columbia University energy think tank, tells Axios.
What they're saying: A White House spokesperson said the reconciliation bill and the bipartisan plan are "critical to unlocking the full economic opportunities that come with taking on the climate crisis."
"Congress can and must position our communities and workers to seize these opportunities and meet the moment.”
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.