Day 58: At the Ready

Self-determination is at the core of United States ideology and it was all that could get the nation through this week of highs, like historic confirmations and reaching President Biden’s goal of 100 million vaccines in 100 days, along with the lows of domestic violence and foreign tension.

Backlash from two of the U.S.’s most formidable competitors followed shortly after a mass shooting in Georgia left eight dead — six of whom were of Asian descent, seven of whom were women — and stoked another wave of divisiveness in American culture.

Chinese officials cited the racial strife, in particular, as reason why the U.S. needn’t be too staunch in their criticism of China’s policies in a heated first day at the first meeting of senior officials from both countries, since Biden took office.

“We expected to have tough talks on a wide range of issues and that’s exactly what we had,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

Meanwhile, Russian president Vladimir Putin, in response to tough words and allegations of election tampering and other security hacks that came with the transition of power from the 45th to Biden’s presidency, delivered an eerily cold rebuke (followed by a more warm invitation to keep the conversation going).

None of it slowed the Biden-Harris Administration’s momentum, however. Approximately one week after the successful administering of 100 million vaccines including those delivered during last year, the team reached it’s own 100 million total delivered with the first few months of Biden’s term and still with some 40 days left in his target timeframe.

Biden, denying the opportunity to yield to pressure from Russia and China, only paused his American Rescue Plan promotional tour to pay respects to those who were killed in the Georgia attack and to admonish anti-Asian sentiment and violence against women.

“Silence is complicity,” he said.

In D.C., local officials are, too, ready for the momentum of self-determined change. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton entered the weekend with 215 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and 41 in the Senate for the DC Statehood bill with Georgia’s recently elected Senator Rev. Warnock signing on. A hearing in the House shall be held Monday.