As the United States approaches nearly 3 million vaccinations and is slowly reopening, India has seen the opposite. 350,000 Indians are contracting COVID every day, and in New Delhi, the positivity rate is 36%. Oxygen and medicine are running out, and vaccine supplies are absurdly low. Although India had delivered raw materials and vaccines to other countries earlier in the pandemic, it now lacks the resources to supply its own citizens, with just 2% fully vaccinated. If wealthy nations like the U.S. do not step in, this could become a global problem that introduces new variants to the world.
Statehood for the people of DC
After years of work by organizers, a bill supporting DC statehood—H.R. 51—is looking like the best chance to achieve representation for the more than 700,000 residents of the District. The bill passed the House on Thursday and was endorsed by the Biden administration earlier in the week. All eyes will now be on the Senate, where H.R. 51 may bring the filibuster issue to a head.
The year of Anti-Trans legislation
Trans people are the latest target in the right-wing culture wars. According to the Human Rights Campaign, there are currently more than 200 anti-transgender rights bills under consideration by state legislatures around the country. Last week, Arkansas became the first state to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender and nonbinary youth, a move that looks to be imitated by other legislatures soon.