Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day.
(Want to get this newsletter in your inbox? Here’s the sign-up.) Good evening. Here’s the latest. 1. The United States pledged to cut emissions in half from 2005 levels by the end of the decade, a plan that would lead to big changes. At an Earth Day summit, President Biden declared America “has resolved to take action” on climate change. His administration also announced it intends to double the amount of money it offers to help developing countries address the issue. Here’s how the U.S. plan stacks up globally. Canada and Japan also made new commitments to cut emissions. China — currently the world’s biggest greenhouse gas polluter — promised to strictly limit coal consumption and renewed its pledge to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2060. Reaching the new U.S. climate targets would mean changes to virtually every corner of the nation’s economy, transforming the way Americans drive to work, heat their homes and operate their factories. The virtual summit demonstrated that even the world’s most powerful people are not immune from Zoom-induced glitches. 2. President Biden will seek to raise taxes on the rich to fund child care and education. The president is set to outline the plan before his first address to a joint session of Congress next week. It will focus on universal prekindergarten, child care, a national paid leave program for workers and free community college tuition. It will also seek to extend a tax credit for parents through 2025. Above, a classroom in Queens, N.Y. Mr. Biden would offset the $1.5 trillion cost by raising the top marginal income tax rate to 39.6 percent, from 37 percent. He would also significantly raise capital gains taxes for those earning more than $1 million to 39.6 percent, from 20 percent. In Congress, the Senate passed a bill aimed at addressing anti-Asian American hate crimes. The House voted to grant statehood to Washington, D.C., a long-held Democratic priority, but the measure faces an uphill battle in the Senate. 3. With few new clotting cases, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause could be lifted soon. Federal health officials are waiting to act until they hear from a committee of experts who advise the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That committee will meet tomorrow to discuss whether to lift, extend or modify the pause. The Food and Drug Administration is likely to attach a warning to the vaccine’s label about the exceedingly uncommon, but dangerous, possible side effect. As the Biden administration seeks to get most adults vaccinated by summer, men are holding back.
