Biden's first steps to curtail gun violence

• Violence erupted in Belfast Wednesday, as crowds of Protestant unionists clashed with Catholic Irish nationalists, throwing bricks and petroleum bombs at each other and at police. It was an inflection point in a week of violence across the capital of Northern Ireland, whose position in the UK has become more fraught because of Brexit. [Associated Press / Peter Morrison and Jill Lawless]
• Unrest broke out last week amid unionist anger that police had decided not to prosecute members of the Irish Nationalist Party for breaking stay-at-home orders to attend the funeral of a Sinn Fein leader. Since then, 55 police officers have been injured at protester skirmishes. [CNN / Emmet Lyons, Amy Cassidy, Niamh Kennedy and Peter Taggart]
• But there are deeper reasons for the unrest. Unionists have been upset that UK Brexit deal has created an economic border between Britain and Northern Ireland, despite unionist support for Brexit. Nationalists, for their part, want to see greater ties to the Republic of Ireland and the European Union. [The Economist]
• Wednesday night’s clashes reminded some of the Troubles, a 30-year period of sectarian violence across Northern Ireland, in which 3,500 civilians, British security forces, and paramilitaries were killed. Saturday will mark the 23rd anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which ended the violence and created a militarized border between Ireland and its Northern counterpart. [Insider / Bill Bostock]
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose Brexit deal is largely recognized as having tipped off the violence, spoke with North Irish Taoiseach Michael Martin about the need to restore calm. “I am deeply concerned by the scenes of violence in Northern Ireland,” Johnson tweeted, adding, “The way to resolve differences is through dialogue.” [Bloomberg / Joe Mayes]
• The Biden administration echoed Johnson’s sentiments. “We are concerned by the violence in Northern Ireland and we join the British, Irish and Northern Irish leaders in their call for calm,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. [The Irish Times / Pat Leahy, Suzanne Lynch and Brian Hutton]

[Politico / Erin Durkin]

• Children are now spreading Covid-19 in large part through extracurricular athletics, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC is recommending children limit participation in youth sports. [CNN / Megan Marples]
• Australian health officials are now recommending the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine not be given to people under 50, after the European Medicines Agency said it found a “possible link” between the vaccine and a spate of powerful blood clots. [Associated Press]
• In an op-ed, Sen. Joe Manchin said that there is no chance he’ll vote to end the filibuster. He also said he'd like to avoid passing bills under budget reconciliation, a maneuver that allowed the Senate to pass President Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-relief bill with just 50 votes. Budget reconciliation is expected to also be necessary for Biden's infrastructure plan. [NBC News / Dartunorro Clark].
• India hit a new Covid-19 case peak Thursday, recording 126,789 cases as the country grapples with a renewed Covid surge. The country’s vaccination drive is plodding along slowly. Only 11 million people have received both shots in a population of 1.4 billion. [Associated Press]