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House passes George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

The House voted 220-212onWednesday evening to pass a policing bill named for George Floyd, the Black man whose death in Minneapolis last year led to nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

Why it matters: The legislation overhauls qualified immunity for police officers, bans chokeholds at the federal level, prohibits no-knock warrants in federal drug cases and outlaws racial profiling.


  • It would also establish a national registry of police misconduct to be managed by the Department of Justice.

What they're saying: "Sadly, despite mass protests across America and a renewed focus on the crisis of racial injustice, the epidemic of police brutality continues — with more police killings occurring last year than in the year before, and with communities of color and vulnerable groups disproportionately bearing the brunt of this cruelty," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement introducing the bill last week.

  • "The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act will address systemic racism, curb police brutality and save lives."

Of note: The White House backed the legislation on Monday.

  • "We cannot rebuild that trust [between law enforcement and communities] if we do not hold police officers accountable for abuses of power and tackle systemic misconduct – and systemic racism — in police departments," the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement.

The big picture: Law enforcement was responsible for the killings of 1,127 people in 2020, according to the Mapping Police Violence project. Black people comprised 28% of those who were killed, despite making up 13% of the population.

  • The House passed a similar police reform bill last year, but it was not considered by the Republican-led Senate and was opposed by President Trump.
  • Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who killed Floyd after kneeling on his neck for over eight minutes, is set to face trial next Monday.

Zoom out: The vote on the bill was rescheduled as the U.S. Capitol Police warned of a possible attack on Thursday.

What to watch: "We will begin ... discussions with the Senate immediately after the bill is passed," adding, "Over the last several weeks, discussions especially with Sen. Tim Scott and Sen. Cory Booker have been under way," Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) who is leading police overhaul efforts in the House, told reporters on Wednesday, per CNN.

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New coalition forms to fight Republican legislature in Texas

Texas advocacy and political groups will launch a new coalition Monday to fight Republican efforts to change voting laws in their state and support Texans in need after the pandemic and last winter's paralyzing storm, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: While Democratic lawyers are fighting proposed or enacted changes in voting laws in battleground states, a grassroots response will be critical if the party and its backers hope to have any effects on the 2022 midterms and 2024 presidential election.

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Britain to end mask and distancing requirements on July 19 despite increase in COVID-19 cases

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday said that England will lift mask requirements and social distancing rules later this month amid rising coronavirus cases, AP reports.

Driving the news: Individuals in England will no longer be required by law to wear face masks in indoor public spaces. Businesses can still require masks and remove distancing restrictions, but Johnson said fighting the pandemic would now be a matter of "personal responsibility," and Britain would have to “learn to live with this virus," per the AP.

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"An Ugly Truth" gives sneak peek as Zuckerberg becomes wartime leader

Mark Zuckerberg surprised a council of top Facebook executives in July 2018 by declaring: "Up until now, I’ve been a peacetime leader ... That’s going to change."

Driving the news: The account appears in a closely held book that'll be out Tuesday, "An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination," by the N.Y. Times' Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang.

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