Biden warns of ‘hate and extremism’ in the US | First Thing

The president spoke in Selma at the site of ‘Bloody Sunday’ that led to passage of historic voting rights legislation nearly 60 years ago. Plus, why women are mad as hell

Good morning.

Joe Biden paid tribute to the heroes of the “Bloody Sunday” US civil rights march nearly 60 years ago and used its annual commemoration to warn of an ongoing threat to American democracy from election deniers and the erosion of voting rights.

Why was the speech so important? It presented the president with a chance to speak directly to the current generation of civil rights activists. Many feel dejected because the president has been unable to make good on a campaign pledge to bolster voting rights. Ahead of Biden’s visit, the Rev William Barber II, a co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, along with six other activists wrote to the president and members of Congress to express their frustration with the lack of progress on voting rights legislation.

What have Southwest Airlines said? “The pilots safely returned to Havana where customers evacuated the aircraft via slides due to smoke in the cabin,” Southwest said.