| "Is there a lingering effect after a couple of centuries of racism and discrimination in this nation? The answer is absolutely." - Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) on whether America is a racist country
Welcome to "Face the Nation"'s Five at Five newsletter. Scroll down for your five takeaways from today's broadcast of "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan on CBS. Did someone forward you this? Sign-up at cbsnews.com/email. 1. Klain says reports of deal with Iran for release of American hostages "not true"  Ron Klain, President Biden's chief of staff, said the U.S. has not reached an agreement with Iran to secure the release of four American hostages held in the country, refuting a report from Iranian state media that said a deal had been struck. What Klain said: "Unfortunately, that report is untrue. There is no agreement to release these four Americans. We're working very hard to get them released. We raise this with Iran and our interlocutors all the time. But so far, there's no agreement to bring these four Americans home." Why it matters: The Associated Press reported Sunday morning that Iranian state television said the country had reached a deal to release Western prisoners in exchange for other prisoners and billions of dollars from the U.S. and the United Kingdom. The Iranian report cited an anonymous official who said the U.S. and U.K. would release four Iranians and $7 billion in frozen Iranian funds. 2. Tim Scott says "significant numbers" of Republicans willing to support police reform  South Carolina Senator Tim Scott said Sunday that he has heard from many of his Republican colleagues who are willing to support his efforts to craft a compromise on police reform. The Republican senator, who says he has experienced being racially profiled by police, is working with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to negotiate reform legislation. What we asked: When you talk about changing the culture, I wonder what your assessment is of in your own party. How many people think that there is a need for police reform at all? Tucker Carlson is very influential with Republicans. And he quoted you and many others who said after the Chauvin verdict, there's more work to be done. You're talking about changing that culture. And he seemed to think that was not a legitimate position. What's your feeling about that? What Scott said: "Significant numbers in my party have already said to me, 'We will go where you go on this issue,' as long as I can explain my position. And we're going to do that." Why it matters: Scott said that he is "more optimistic" about the likelihood of police reform legislation passing in Congress because he feels Democrats are now looking for a "solution" rather than an "issue." Last year, Scott introduced police legislation as a GOP counteroffer to the George Floyd Policing Act of 2020, but it was blocked by Senate Democrats who argued it did not go far enough. 3. Face the Nation Focus Group: Voters spar over race, recovery  With 100 days in the hopper, we wanted to see how Biden's performance thus far has resonated with voters of all backgrounds. Needless to say, discussions got interesting. Have a look here: 4. Gottlieb says U.S. "locking in" gains against COVID-19 as vaccinations continue  Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said the continuing COVID-19 vaccination effort should lead to a rapid decline in new infections in the coming weeks as more and more Americans become fully vaccinated against the virus. What Gottlieb said: "I think that right now the gains that we're seeing across the country are locked in. We're entering warm months, when this is going to create a backstop against continued spread of the coronavirus. And so, we're locking in these gains." Why it matters: According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 146 million Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, representing 44% of the total American population. More than 103 million Americans, or 31.2% of the country, are said to be fully vaccinated. 5. Shot to the heart: A thank you for vaccines  "We are grateful beneficiaries, whose gratitude is tempered by the stark sorrow of the pandemic that is still shaking our world. The links in the chain of vaccination have given those of us who received it a chance at the future," John Dickerson so eloquently put the medical marvel that is the COVID-19 vaccine. From those who have received it, we thank you to the volunteers, scientists, front line workers and beyond for helping make our world a little safer.
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment