The Capitol attack meant big-time spending on congressional security

[View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter]( June 29, 2021 It turns out that the Miami-area condo building didn't just fall down out of the blue. In an April letter to residents, the condo board president wrote that the building needed repairs and that damage to the garage had "gotten significantly worse over the years." "When you can visually see the concrete spalling (cracking), that means that the rebar holding it together is rusting and deteriorating beneath the surface," Jean Wodnicki wrote in a letter first obtained by the [Wall Street Journal](. "The concrete deterioration is accelerating. The roof situation got much worse, so extensive roof repairs had to be incorporated." So no, Charlie Kirk, there was no "[domestic terrorism](" at play here. Just old-fashioned, catastrophic corrosion and deterioration. —Abigail Weinberg P.S. Our team says we need to raise $74,000 to finish our fiscal year on track tomorrow. Thanks so much to everyone who's already pitched in—we're grateful! Our CEO, Monika Bauerlein, [makes the case]( for investing in the type of hard-hitting news we produce here at Mother Jones. If you haven't yet donated, please consider joining your fellow readers who [make our nonprofit journalism happen]( and help us close as much of that considerable gap as we can. Advertisement [Oxford University Press]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Members of Congress Are Spending More Than Ever on Security]( Expenditures on bodyguards and protective measures surged after the Capitol attack. BY RUSS CHOMA AND SINDUJA RANGARAJAN SPONSORED POST [Sponsored Content]( [How to Beat an Invisible Enemy: Indoor Air Pollution]( Very few people consider the dangers of contaminants inside our homes and offices. THIS CONTENT WAS PAID FOR AND SPONSORED BY [AVOCADO MATTRESS](. 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[Donate]( [Recharge] SOME GOOD NEWS, FOR ONCE [Civil Rights Groups Held the First National Rally for DC Statehood]( Inspired by the Freedom Rides 60 years ago, civil rights advocates mobilized in Washington, DC, on Saturday against the backdrop of the US Capitol for the first-ever [national rally]( in support of DC statehood. Holding signs that said “Protect our freedom to vote” and “DC statehood is racial justice,” civil rights activists linked the push for DC statehood to a broader effort to [counter voter suppression](, calling on the Senate to protect [voting rights]( and pass the For the People Act, a sweeping democracy protection bill that offers support for DC statehood, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which does not address statehood but would restore provisions of the VRA that were gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013. “The suppression of Black votes is white supremacist violence,” Missouri Democratic Rep. Cori Bush said to the crowd. Despite having [more people]( than Wyoming and Vermont, states that are almost entirely white, the diverse population of Washington, DC, which is nearly half Black, has [no voting representation]( in Congress. That lack of representation skews power in the Senate toward whiter and more rural states, making it easier for Republicans to block bills that would protect the rights of voters of color. The rally was the culmination of a nine-city bus tour by the civil rights group Black Voters Matter, which [retraced the steps of the Freedom Riders]( in 1961 who were viciously attacked by white mobs when they sought to desegregate interstate bus travel. “Just like the Freedom Riders in 1961, we are at a crisis moment for our democracy,” said Janai Nelson, associate director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. In April, the House [passed legislation]( for the second time to make DC the country’s 51st state, but like other voting rights bills, it has [stalled in the Senate](. (The Senate held its [first hearing]( on DC statehood recently.) Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) says he [does not support]( the bill, but even if every Democrat did, they would still need to abolish the 60-vote requirement to pass it. Democrats could abolish the filibuster with just 51 votes—another strong argument for why they should want DC to become a state. —Ari Berman Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755