U.S. Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland said her department is launching an investigation into the more-than-150-year history of government-run American Indian boarding schools to “uncover the truth about the loss of human life and lasting consequences” of the schools.Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary and a former congresswoman from New Mexico, announced the investigation Tuesday during comments to the National Congress of American Indians, and then formally in a news release and a letter to other cabinet heads.Haaland noted that beginning with the Indian Civilization Act of 1819 and running through the 1960s, the U.S. enacted laws and policies establishing and supporting Indian boarding schools across the nation. Thousands of young native children were sent to the schools, and researchers say many were abused and never heard from again.Haaland said the schools were overseen by the Interior Department she now runs, and it is therefore appropriate the department carry out the investigation.She said, “At no time in history have the records or documentation of this policy been compiled or analyzed to determine the full scope of its reaches and effects. We must uncover the truth about the loss of human life and the lasting consequences of these schools.”Such boarding schools gained international attention earlier this year when indigenous tribal leaders in Canada, which had a similar policy, announced the discovery of the unmarked graves of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops residential school for indigenous children. Canada carried out a full investigation into its schools through a truth and reconciliation commission.In its release, the Interior Department said Canada’s process inspired its investigation, with the goal of shedding light on the schools – where they were, who attended them – and to find any remains of children who may have died there.The department is scheduled to issue a final written report on the investigation in April of 2022.
 
…

Former police officer Eric Adams was leading all candidates in Tuesday’s preliminary election to select the Democratic Party’s nominee for New York City mayor.   With nearly 85% of all voting precincts reporting, Adams, the president of the city’s historic neighborhood of Brooklyn, emerged in first place out of 13 candidates with nearly 32% of those who voted in person or during the early voting period. Maya Wiley, a former civil rights attorney and top aide to outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio, was in second place with 22% of the vote, followed by former city sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia with over 19%.   Tuesday’s preliminary election was the first to be conducted under the ranked-choice voting system, which allows voters to choose up to five candidates in order of preference. With no candidate winning more than 50% of first-choice votes, the votes that went to the last-place candidate will be reallocated to the voters’ second choices.Supporters cheer during an election party for New York mayoral candidate Eric Adams, late Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in New York.The city’s Board of Elections will announce the first round of ranked-choice results on June 29, and will continue to release further results as absentee ballots are counted.  The final results are expected to be announced sometime in mid-July.   Adams, who could become the city’s second Black mayor, acknowledged late Tuesday night that it was too soon to declare outright victory.  But he told a crowd of jubilant supporters “there’s something else we know — that New York City said our first choice is Eric Adams.” Adams campaigned on a platform of increasing police resources to combat the city’s surging crime rate as it begins its post-pandemic recovery period. Wiley gained support from the city’s more liberal elements when she proposed shifting some of the police department’s massive $6 billion budget to social services, while Garcia based her campaign on her previous experience in city government. Andrew Yang, the millionaire entrepreneur who attracted widespread support during his campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and was considered a top contender in the mayoral race, conceded Tuesday after finishing in fourth place with nearly 12% of the vote.   The eventual Democratic nominee will be the overwhelming favorite to win the November general election in the predominantly Democratic city. He or she will face Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels civilian patrol group and winner of Tuesday’s Republican nominating election.   
…

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Berlin for talks Tuesday with German leaders and to take part in a conference on Libya’s political future. Germany and the United Nations are hosting Wednesday’s Berlin conference, seeking to build on earlier efforts to bring about a lasting halt in fighting in Libya and support a stable government.  U.S. Special Envoy for Libya Richard Norland said the talks would provide momentum for steps that need to be taken soon for elections to be held in December, including establishing a constitutional and legal basis for the vote.    Norland told reporters Monday the conference will also feature an emphasis on foreign fighters leaving Libya.  Libya has experienced political instability since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi from power. Rival governments operated in separate parts of the country for years before a cease-fire deal in October that included a demand for all foreign fighters and mercenaries to leave Libya within 90 days, or about 3 months.  “On the foreign forces, you’re quite right that forces have not departed yet, and our basic position is we should not wait until after the elections to try to make some progress on this goal,” Norland said. “One of the reasons elections are so important is so that a fully empowered, credible, legitimate Libyan government can turn to foreign actors and say, ‘It’s time to take your troops out.'”U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at the Berlin Brandenburg Airport in Schonefeld, Germany, June 23, 2021, to travel to Berlin. Blinken begins a week long trip to Europe traveling to Germany, France and Italy.   Norland said those attending the Berlin conference would also discuss “destabilizing actions by armed groups and terrorism,” citing recent attacks in Libya claims by Islamic State militants.    U.S. State Department officials also highlighted the need to counter those who are denying or distorting the Holocaust, which will be the subject of talks between Blinken and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas this week.    “As knowledge of the Holocaust wanes, nefarious individuals, organizations, and occasionally governments engage in Holocaust denial and distortion for all manner of ends,” U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Cherrie Daniels told reporters.  Daniels said promoting greater education about the Holocaust, its consequences and its origins will help government officials and the public “recognize modern manifestations of anti-Semitism and even other forms of hatred” and push back against them.  Defeating Islamic State will be the focus of another conference co-hosted by Blinken and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio as Blinken visits Rome on a later stop during his European trip. Blinken is also due to take part in a ministerial meeting in Italy concerning Syria and the humanitarian needs in that country.  The European trip also takes Blinken to France to meet with President Emmanuel Macron, following up on U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent meetings with allies in the region to boost trans-Atlantic relations.  “This is really an opportunity for Secretary Blinken to reiterate the President’s message and speak with our oldest ally about areas of cooperation, including global security, again, the pandemic’s — recovery from the pandemic, and repairing and modernizing our alliances,” Acting Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker told reporters Monday.    Blinken is also scheduled to visit the Vatican, where Reeker said the agenda for meetings includes combatting climate change and human trafficking. 
…

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday said, for the first time, that he will support long-debated changes to the military justice system that would remove decisions on prosecuting sexual assault cases from military commanders.  In a statement obtained by The Associated Press, Austin said he supported taking those sexual assault and related crimes away from the chain of command and letting independent military lawyers handle them. The Pentagon has long resisted such a change, but Austin and other senior leaders are slowly acknowledging that the military has failed to make progress against sexual assault and that some changes are needed. Austin pledged to work with Congress to make the changes, saying they would give the department “real opportunities to finally end the scourge of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military.” His public support for the shift has been eagerly awaited, sending a strong signal to the military and boosting momentum for the change. The statement came a day before Austin testifies to the House Armed Services Committee amid escalating pressure from Congress to take concrete steps to address sexual assault. Austin’s memo, however, does not express any view on legislation that would make broader changes to the military justice system and require that independent lawyers handle all major crimes. Senator’s proposal Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York, has the support of 66 senators for a bill that would have independent prosecutors handle felonies that call for more than a year in prison. But other key lawmakers and leaders of the military services have balked at including all major crimes, saying stripping control of all crimes from commanders could hurt military readiness, erode command authority, and require far more time and resources. FILE – Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference in New York, March 14, 2021.Until now, Austin said publicly that he was open to changes recommended by an independent review commission that he had appointed to take a look at sexual assault and harassment in the military. The panel said sexual assault, sexual misconduct, domestic violence, stalking, retaliation, child sexual assault and the wrongful distribution of photos should be removed from the chain of command. In the statement, Austin finally makes public that he supports the change, and says those additional crimes should be included because there is a strong correlation between them and the prevalence of sexual assault. According to a Defense official, Austin has reservations, like those expressed by his senior leaders, about the more expansive change outlined in Gillibrand’s bill. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Military leaders hesitant In recent weeks, military service secretaries and chiefs, in memos to Austin and letters to Capitol Hill, said they were wary about the sexual assault change and laid out greater reservations on more broadly revamping the military justice system. FILE – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon, May 6, 2021.General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said removing commanders from prosecution decisions “may have an adverse effect on readiness, mission accomplishment, good order and discipline, justice, unit cohesion, trust, and loyalty between commanders and those they lead.” In a letter to Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Milley acknowledged that the military hadn’t made sufficient progress in combating sexual assault. He has repeatedly said, though, that he’s open to the sexual assault change. The independent review panel on Monday presented Austin with an expansive set of recommendations to combat sexual assault in the military, including prevention, command climate, victim care and support. “Generally, they appear strong and well-grounded,” Austin said in his statement. “I have directed my staff to do a detailed assessment and implementation plan for my review and approval.” Next steps Austin said he will present his recommendations to President Joe Biden in the coming days. But he also noted that the changes will require additional personnel, funding and authorities. The ones that can be done under existing authority will be given priority, he said, and other changes may take more time and will need help from Congress. “As I made clear on my first full day in office, this is a leadership issue. And we will lead,” he said. “Our people depend upon it. They deserve nothing less.” In a recent interview with the AP, Gillibrand said the wider change is necessary to combat racial injustice within the military, where studies have found that Black people are more likely to be investigated and arrested for misconduct. Gillibrand has argued against limiting the change to sexual assault, saying it would be discriminatory and set up what some call a “pink” court to deal with crimes usually involving female victims. “I’m deeply concerned that if they limit it to just sexual assault, it will really harm female service members. It will further marginalize them, further undermine them, and they’ll be seen as getting special treatment,” she told the AP. 
 
…

Thousands of asylum-seekers whose claims were dismissed or denied under a Trump administration policy that forced them to wait in Mexico for their court hearings will be allowed to return for another chance at humanitarian protection, the Homeland Security Department said Tuesday.Registration begins Wednesday, June  23, 2021, for asylum-seekers who were subject to the “Remain in Mexico” policy and either had their cases dismissed or denied for failing to appear in court, The Associated Press has learned.Under that criteria, it is unclear how many people will be eligible to be released into the United States pending a decision on their cases, according to a senior Homeland Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made public.FILE – A group of migrants mainly from Honduras and Nicaragua wait along a road after turning themselves in upon crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, in La Joya, Texas, May 17, 2021.But Michele Klein Solomon, the International Organization for Migration’s director for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, told the AP that she expected at least 10,000. Her organization is working closely with the administration to bring people to the border and ensure they test negative for COVID-19 before being allowed in the country.The estimate could be low. There are nearly 7,000 asylum-seekers whose cases were dismissed — the vast majority in San Diego — and more than 32,000 whose cases were denied, mostly in Texas, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. It is unknown how many cases were denied for failure to appear in court.Many are believed to have left the Mexican border region, thinking their cases were finished, raising the possibility that they will make the dangerous trek to return. The official said the administration is aware of those dangers and considering bringing people to the United States, as it is doing to reunite families that remain separated years after Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy on illegal crossings.The move is another significant effort at redress for Trump policies that Biden administration officials and their allies say were cruel and inhumane and defenders say were extremely effective at discouraging asylum-seekers from coming to the U.S.Biden halted the policy his first day in office and soon allowed an estimated 26,000 asylum-seekers with active cases to return to the United States while their cases play out, a process that can take years in a court system backlogged with more than 1.3 million cases. More than 12,300 people with active cases have been admitted to the U.S. since February, while others who have registered but not yet entered the country bring the count to about 17,000.That still leaves out tens of thousands of asylum-seekers whose claims were denied or dismissed under the policy, known officially as “Migrant Protection Protocols.” Advocates have been pressing for months for them to get another chance, but the administration has been silent, leaving them in legal limbo. 
…

The United States will miss President Joe Biden’s goal of having 70% of U.S. adults partially or fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, but the White House says it expects to hit that mark “in a few extra weeks.”In a new assessment Tuesday of the country’s vaccination effort, COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said the federal government expects that 70% of those 27 and older will have gotten at least one vaccination shot by the July 4 holiday, which he described as “a remarkable achievement.”“The virus is in retreat,” Zients said, with the country regaining a sense of normalcy. “We are entering a summer of joy, a summer of freedom.”Now, he said, a renewed effort is being made to inoculate more younger adults in the 18-to-26 age group. Many of the younger adults, for various reasons, have shown little interest in getting vaccinated, especially since the number of new coronavirus cases and deaths has fallen sharply in the country in recent weeks and many businesses have reopened without facemask and social distancing restrictions that had been in place for more than a year.“Our effort does not end on July 4,” Zients said. “It’s more important than ever that they get the shot,” along with others who have yet to be inoculated. The coronavirus causes the COVID-19 disease.Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, “We are seeing a dramatic decline in deaths and hospitalizations.”She said that with the proven success of available vaccines, including against variants of the original coronavirus, “At this point, every death is entirely preventable.”But Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert and Biden’s chief medical adviser, warned there is a “real danger” for the U.S. if there is “a persistent reluctance” to get vaccinated.Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, May 11, 2021.Overall, since the pandemic first spread widely in the U.S. in March 2020, the nation has recorded more than 602,000 deaths and 33.5 million infections, more than in any other country, according to the Johns Hopkins University. Biden, who set the 70% vaccination goal for the July 4 holiday, has not publicly acknowledged it is unlikely to be met.Like on many divisive political issues in the U.S., a sharp split has developed on getting vaccinated, with numerous Democratic states that voted for Biden in last November’s election showing higher vaccination rates than Republican states that voted for his predecessor, President Donald Trump.  Some of the lowest vaccination rates have been recorded in southern states that Trump won handily and where skepticism is widespread about the need to be vaccinated. Four states – Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama in the South, and Wyoming in the West – all have yet to reach a 50% vaccination level. A total of 16 states and the national capital city of Washington have topped 70% with at least one shot administered.Trump and former first lady Melania Trump, who both contracted the virus, were privately vaccinated before he left office in January, but Trump often downplayed the spread of the infection in the U.S. Both Biden and first lady Jill Biden were vaccinated on live television before he took office. They have made numerous appeals to Americans to get the shot.Zients said 70% of Americans 30 and older already have received at least one shot. But the pace of inoculations has fallen markedly in recent weeks, even though plenty of shots are available at 81,000 vaccination sites across the country.The White House is planning a large July 4 celebration on the South Lawn with about 1,000 guests expected to attend a picnic and watch a fireworks display celebrating the country’s 1776 independence from Britain.Even as Biden likely misses the 70% vaccination rate for adults, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said this week, “We’ve made tremendous progress in our vaccination efforts to date, and the ultimate goal has been to get America back to normal … and we’re looking forward to doing that even here at the White House.” 
…