Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop

TODAY'S HEADLINES:

New photos taken by Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar show the desperate, inhumane, and all-too-familiar conditions children and families are living in while in Border Patrol’s custody under the Biden administration.

Meanwhile, the House holds a hearing on the possibility of Washington D.C. becoming a state. You’ll never believe what the Republicans thought of all that!

And lastly, the Biden Administration is reportedly planning another massive $3 trillion economic stimulus package, this time anchored by a large-scale infrastructure plan and green energy initiatives.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The pictures coming out of Customs and Border Protection facilities will not shock you -- not anymore at least. They’re almost exactly the same as the horrific ones that came out when Trump was in power, only this time, we’ve supposedly got a kinder and gentler executive in power.

Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar released photos on Monday from inside a CBP facilities, which he accessed on a tour for lawmakers. The photos, taken at a facility in Donna, Texas, show the conditions that many of the around 4,900 children in CBP custody are living in. They show crowded tent facilities, with children and adults wrapped in the aluminum emergency blankets lying on thin mattresses on the floor.

As we discussed last week, CBP is basically blowing every federal guideline they’re supposed to uphold, keeping children for more than the allotted three days and stopping media and lawyers from accessing the buildings. Their facilities are also very publicly overwhelmed, and the Biden administration is still scrambling to contain the growing crisis.

The Washington Post reports that the Administration is frantically searching for ways to slow down the surge of migrants and refugees, reverting back to sterner warnings not to come to migrants who have been lured by smugglers promising lax enforcement. Meanwhile, right wing groups are feeding into this chaos, distorting the real narrative of the need for better conditions for migrants in custody by feeding fake footage of border crossings to media outlets, including CNN, according to the American prospect.

And what CBP does in these situations of course is pass the pain down to the migrants in their custody. When things get tight, it’s not the laws on who can go where that bend, it’s the ones that govern how desperate people at our border should be treated.

Republicans Sputter About D.C. Statehood

The House of Representatives convened a key panel to discuss the issue of statehood for Washington D.C. on Monday, leading to several absurd showdowns with Republicans.

The issue has become a central part of the Democrats agenda on voting rights, particularly as Republican state legislatures seek to cement their power by passing the most draconian voter suppression laws as possible.

Having two Senators from D.C. wouldn’t give those people back their rights, but it would give the Democrats a massive leg up in the precarious balance of Congress. Not to mention, it would also give everyone who lives in D.C. their proper constitutional rights.

Republicans are terrified of this, of course, and their arguments against it are becoming so desperate and weak it’s pitiful to watch. Georgia Rep. Jody Hist, for instance, argued that D.C. could not be state because it didn’t have any car dealerships. It does, of course.

Meanwhile, Zack Smith, a fellow at the neocon slime-factory Heritage Foundation, said in his opening statement that D.C. residents impacted the national conversation not through voting -- because their votes don’t count, remember -- but because lawmakers can see their lawn signs when they drive to work. We’re not making this up, people.

Wisconsin Rep. Glenn Grothman then rounded out the three stooges act by arguing that D.C. could not be a state because it doesn’t have any manufacturing, agriculture, mining or drilling. Again, farms do not actually vote, but go off I guess.

Biden Plots Big Spending Plan

The New York Times reports that the Biden Administration is putting together a massive $3 trillion economic spending bill, anchored by a huge infrastructure plan that might be funded at least in part by more taxes on corporations and the rich.

The plan right now is still being passed around advisor’s desks, though a version of it is expected to be in front of the president and congressional leaders this week. It would reportedly spend heavily on clean energy development, rural broadband, and affordable housing, all of which are sorely needed priorities.

But it may be too early to get completely excited. The Times also reports that the first package of spending may be tailored to appeal to republicans and centrist democrats, so it’s probably best to temper our expectations.

Instead of one big bill, it’s also likely that the administration will try to push different aspects of a wider plan through in pieces.

We’ll know more about what that will look like in the coming weeks, so we’ll be sure to keep a close eye on what looks good and what appears to be consolation offerings to the myth of bipartisanship.

Still, the Times says this is expected to be Biden’s big push to make his mark on the nation’s economy, so it’s going to be a big one. We’ll see what he does with it.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Nina Turner, a former Ohio State Senator and long-time Bernie Sanders surrogate, in her campaign for the state’s 11th Congressional district. If Turner’s successful, she’ll certainly become a fast member of AOC’s growing progressive squad inside the House.

A new mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado unfolded on Monday afternoon, when a gunman opened fire inside a grocery store. Denver’s ABC affiliate reported that at least six people were killed, and that the suspect had fired on police officers as well when they arrived.

The Supreme Court has agreed to review a lower court decision that overturned the death sentence handed down to Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnev [ZHO-HAR SAR-NAI-EV], reopening the possibility that he will be executed by the state.

The Senate confirmed Marty Walsh as Joe Biden’s new labor secretary on Monday night, which had the side-effect of making Boston City Council President Kim Janey the first black mayor of the city.

MAR 23, 2021 - AM QUICKIE

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Jack Crosbie

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn