Day 6: Reform

The first full week of the Biden-Harris Administration ends with somewhat eased worries about the pandemic, an unmasking of the diverse roots of the United States’ history, and continued pushback from Republicans intent on sweeping an investigation into former President Trump’s alleged misdeeds under the rug of his “America First” policies.

While it won’t be soon enough, President Biden announced today an order for 200 million vaccines — enough for every adult in the nation. In the trenches there are still battles, however, over who gets them and when. Distribution of the vaccines, so far, has gone the way of wealth with just as many disparities. Teachers and others who work with children are among the most vocal in their requests.

The day also saw an announcement of an overhaul to Vice President Harris’s former “stomping grounds” — the criminal justice system — starting with an undoing of our dependence on privately-owned detention centers. The ultimate goal is to decrease the incarceration rate, the highest in the world with some two million Americans.

“I believe we are in a battle for the soul of this nation,” Biden said.

A Texas judge has already blocked Biden’s reversal of Trump’s “Muslim ban.”

The new week started with a revocation of the 2018 Memorandum banning transgenders from serving in the Armed Forces, and with restoration of the plan to adorn the $20 bill with a portrait of Harriet Tubman. The latter plan, introduced by the Obama Administration, had been otherwise delayed from a 2020 release to 2028, under Trump.