What's at stake when Biden and Putin meet?
Good morning. The Sun is up and we get another chance to read some great opinion pieces thanks to your subscription to this newsletter.
We have many words to get through, so let's get it started.
Russian influence must be checked
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is a Democrat representing New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate and is co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group. She offers up a column on Biden’s upcoming meeting with Putin and the danger Russia poses.
“We cannot allow Putin’s attempts to divide us succeed. President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe, preceded by Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s previous trips, have re-ignited the energy of our bilateral relationship. And Putin’s plans cannot succeed against a West that stands together.”
Respect religious diversity
Companies spend a good deal of time worrying about how to better cater to customers. But what about the religious preferences or values of those customers?
“One 2020 analysis of Fortune 100 companies from the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation found that religion receives less attention than all other major identity categories, including race/ethnicity, women/gender and sexual orientation. And more than half of those companies make no mention of religion or faith on their diversity homepages.
That’s a costly mistake, in both human and financial terms.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
- June editorial cartoons: Cartoons on Biden, COVID-19, politics and more
COVID response: Biden or Trump?
Andy Slavitt was President Joe Biden's White House senior adviser for COVID response. He offers up some comparisons to how former President Donald Trump responded to the pandemic. He has also written a book on the topic.
“The Biden team has been guided by his strong sense of personal accountability and integrity. Whatever the circumstance, we anchored ourselves to public commitments – without excuse. If we beat them, as we did with our goal of delivering 100 million shots in 100 days, we raised the goal. Even when surprise storms shut down vaccine deliveries and distribution sites, we remained publicly accountable for rapidly vaccinating the country, reporting on each delay and when it would be made up.”
Can cruise lines mandate vaccines?
A court case in Florida last week may not only decide the financial fate of America’s cruise industry, in ports from Miami to Anchorage but also the political fate of a governor (and 2024 presidential contender) who now finds himself caught in its wake.
Beyond the lawsuit, the overriding issue is whether cruise lines can mandate vaccinations and other safety measures if they conflict with state law. Meanwhile, an industry nearly shuttered by COVID-19 is held at anchor while solutions are held at bay.
Philip Levine looks at how the industry is handling restarting.
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- Ramadan at Starbucks: How companies can profit by respecting religious diversity
Subpoenas are bad enough, but government has other ways to go after journalists
This newsletter was compiled by Louie Villalobos