
House passes bill to counter rise in anti-Asian hate crimes
CNN
The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to pass legislation intended to counter a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The legislation, known as the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, was introduced by Democratic Rep. Grace Meng of New York and Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii. It passed the Senate by a vote of 94-1 last month. President Joe Biden has voiced his support and now that it has passed the House, it will be cleared for his signature. "The past year and a half has been one of pain and struggle marked by despicable and sickening acts of hate and violence against the Asian-American community," Meng said at a news conference on Tuesday. "Those of Asian descent have been blamed and scapegoated for the outbreak of Covid-19 and as a result Asian Americans have been beaten, slashed, spat on and even set on fire and killed."
The alleged drug traffickers killed by the US military in a strike on September 2 were heading to link up with another, larger vessel that was bound for Suriname — a small South American country east of Venezuela – the admiral who oversaw the operation told lawmakers on Thursday according to two sources with direct knowledge of his remarks.

The two men killed as they floated holding onto their capsized boat in a secondary strike against a suspected drug vessel in early September did not appear to have radio or other communications devices, the top military official overseeing the strike told lawmakers on Thursday, according to two sources with direct knowledge of his congressional briefings.











