Vox Sentences - 100 million cases

President Biden makes racial equity a focus of his executive orders; the world has reached 100 million coronavirus cases.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum.

• In a series of executive orders aimed at creating racial equity through efforts across government agencies, President Biden made clear that combating racism is a cornerstone of his administration’s vision for government. [CNN / Stephen Collinson]
• Biden’s executive orders ranged from symbolic measures to agency directives. He condemned racism toward Asian Americans, directed the Department of Housing and Urban Development to enforce the Fair Housing Act, strengthened tribal sovereignty recognition, and ended the Justice Department’s contracts with private prisons. [Vox / Fabiola Cineas]
• With his Housing and Urban Development directive, Biden will return the department to Obama-era interpretations of litigating discrimination cases based on impact, rather than intent. [Housing Wire / Alex Roha]
• Activists praised Biden’s efforts as a first step, but aim to create urgency around going further. The private prison order, for example, will affect 9 percent of federal inmates — but does not apply to Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. [NPR / Brian Naylor]
• Susan Rice, the head of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said racial equity is critical to two of Biden’s top priorities: creating unity and improving the economy. [Politico / Nick Niedzwiadek]
• Biden’s embrace of using executive orders to confront racial inequities mark a relatively new use of the power of the president, which officials say is unprecedented in its scope and immediacy. [Politico / Maya King]
• Racial justice will factor into Biden’s Wednesday climate executive orders as well. He will create an interagency council on environmental justice, create an environmental justice office in the Justice Department, and tell agencies to invest in communities that have experienced greater pollution. [Washington Post / Juliet Eilperin, Brady Dennis, and Darryl Fears]
• Under the new policies, 40 percent of sustainability investments will be spent in disadvantaged communities. [Washington Post]