Biden's latest plan for student loan cancellation moves forward as a proposed regulation
President Joe Bidenโs latest plan for student loan cancellation is moving forward as a proposed regulation, offering him a fresh chance to deliver on a campaign promise and energize young voters ahead of the November election.
Biden acts to better protect Americans' personal data such as health records and finances
President Joe Biden is signing an executive order aiming to better protect Americansโ personal data on everything from biometrics and health records to finances and geolocation from foreign adversaries like China and Russia.
Biden administration to host state leaders Wednesday for summit on making child care more affordable
President Joe Bidenโs administration is hosting state legislators from 41 states to the White House on Wednesday for discussions on how legislatures can make child care more affordable for families.
McConnell opposes Alabama Republican's blockade of military nominees over Pentagon abortion policy
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says he wonโt support a fellow GOP senatorโs blockade of military nominees, backing Democrats and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin who have said that the holdup is harming national security.
Fernรกndez, Biden hold talks amid Argentina's economic strain
President Alberto Fernรกndez of Argentina has used a White House meeting to spotlight the economic strain his country faces as he looks for President Joe Biden to back Argentinaโs effort to renegotiate with the International Monetary Fund on terms of $44 billion debt.
Biden, EU leader hold talks on proposal on electric vehicles
President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are meeting Friday as they work to complete a plan that the White House hopes will turn the page on a spat between the U.S. and European Union over electric vehicle tax credits.
WH environmental justice advisors press for Justice40 action
Key members of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council say they plan to use $14 million from the Bezos Earth Fund to make sure the Biden administration follows through on its Justice40 initiative, a commitment that 40% of benefits from all climate and environment investment go to disadvantaged communities.
Biden raises concerns to Ethiopian PM about Tigray conflict
President Joe Biden expressed concerns on Monday to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed about detentions and civilian killings in the conflict in the country's Tigray region, while commending Abiy for the recent release of several political prisoners.
President Biden unveils $2 trillon plan to reengineer US infrastructure
WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden outlined a huge $2.3 trillion plan Wednesday to reengineer the nationโs infrastructure in what he billed as โa once-in-a-generation investment in Americaโ that would undo his predecessorโs signature legislative achievement โ giant tax cuts for corporations โ in the process. Biden hopes to pass an infrastructure plan by summer, which could mean relying solely on the slim Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate. โNinety-one Fortune 500 Companies, including Amazon, pay not a single solitary penny in income tax,โ Biden said. โWall Street didnโt build this country," Biden said. But we have to get it done.โAdDemocratic leaders embraced Bidenโs plan Wednesday.
Beyond bridges: Biden redefines infrastructure to add people
President Joe Biden speaks before signing the PPP Extension Act of 2021, in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, March 30, 2021, in Washington. Raising the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21% would generate some $700 billion over 10 years, one of the people said. Biden promised on the campaign trail not to raise individual taxes on those earning less than $400,000 but new details on the individual tax hikes were scant at Tuesday's briefing. It wants to see progress on the new legislation by Memorial Day and have it passed over the summer, White House officials said. AdBiden's approach is about โmaking an investment in America,โ said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
Biden to nominate 3 federal prosecutors for New York offices
FILE - In this March 17, 2021 photo, President Joe Biden speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Biden intends to nominate three African American prosecutors to run the U.S. attorneys offices in New York, including the first Black man to run the Southern District of New York. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden is expected to nominate three prosecutors to run the U.S. attorneyโs offices in New York state, including the first Black man to run the Southern District of New York in Manhattan and the first Black woman to head the Western District in Buffalo. Ross, a longtime federal prosecutor, is expected to run the office in the Buffalo-based Western District. Brooklyn federal prosecutors have been examining the stateโs handling of COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes in a probe that drew public attention after a top aide to New York Gov.
Pace of spending for pandemic aid? Try $43,000 every second
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)BALTIMORE โ To pay out his coronavirus relief package, President Joe Biden must spend an average of $3.7 billion every day for the rest of this year. Schools and state and local governments also might spread out spending to well after most of the country is vaccinated. โTo do that, weโre going to need your input and advice.โThe Biden package also introduces about $140 billion in temporary tax credits. First is the reduction in child poverty promoted by the Biden team through the tax credits and other aid. But the spending in the Biden package also reflects how much has changed after the nation went into lockdown a year ago.
The Latest: Biden urges Americans to 'stick with the rules'
President Joe Biden arrives to speak about the COVID-19 pandemic during a prime-time address from the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 11, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON โ The Latest on President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package (all times local):8:30 p.m.President Joe Biden is urging Americans to โstick with the rules" as he wraps up his address to the nation on the one-year anniversary of the beginning of coronavirus pandemic. __8:05 p.m.President Joe Biden is delivering a somber but optimistic message on the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic. Biden says, โWe all lost something, a collective suffering, a collective sacrifice.โAd__6:40 p.m.President Joe Biden is planning to announce during his prime-time address Thursday night that heโll deploy 4,000 additional U.S. troops to support coronavirus vaccination efforts. The officials say the president will also say that there is a good chance Americans will be able to safely gather in small groups by July 4.
Pace of spending for pandemic aid? Try $43,000 every second
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)BALTIMORE โ To pay out his coronavirus relief package, President Joe Biden must spend an average of $3.7 billion every day for the rest of this year. Schools and state and local governments also might spread out spending to well after most of the country is vaccinated. โTo do that, weโre going to need your input and advice.โThe Biden package also introduces about $140 billion in temporary tax credits. First is the reduction in child poverty promoted by the Biden team through the tax credits and other aid. But the spending in the Biden package also reflects how much has changed after the nation went into lockdown a year ago.
Biden joining summit with key Asia-Pacific 'Quad' leaders
President Joe Biden walks to the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, in Washington. Biden is returning to the White House after visiting W.S. Known as the โQuadrilateral Security Dialogue,โ representatives for the four member nations have met periodically since its establishment in 2007. She added that the leaders are expected to discuss everything from the threat of COVID-19 to economic cooperation between the nations and climate policy. Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will all participate in the summit.
โBig mistakeโ by Texas to drop mask rule, Biden says
President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting about cancer in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, March 3, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)President Joe Biden called out Republican governors in Texas and Mississippi for โNeanderthal thinkingโ in deciding to relax their mask mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions. The governors of both states announced Tuesday they would lift their statesโ mask mandates and other restrictions on businesses and gatherings aimed at stopping the spread of the virus. Biden called it a โbig mistakeโ while speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday during a meeting with lawmakers, who each wore a mask. He said, โI hope everyone has realized by now, these masks make a difference.โBiden added: โWe are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this diseaseโ and said โthe last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, everythingโs fine, take off your mask, forget it.โAdRelated Stories:
US shifts state grant focus to extremism, cyberthreats
About half of the money covered comes from two widely used grants: the State Homeland Security Program and the Urban Area Security Initiative. AdThat translates into at least $77 million to address domestic extremism, funds that Mayorkas said can be used to improve intelligence sharing across state lines, training and public awareness. AdConcerns about domestic extremism have been mounting in recent years. DHS listed domestic violent extremism, particularly by white supremacists, as among the top threats facing the nation late last year, and in January for the first time used a national terrorist advisory to warn about domestic extremism. In the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection, Republicans and Democrats in Congress have called for increased focus on domestic extremism.
Biden orders a review of US supply chains for vital goods
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday intended to boost manufacturing jobs by strengthening U.S. supply chains for advanced batteries, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals and semiconductors. There are 12.2 million manufacturing jobs in the United States, down from 17 million in 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. AdBiden's team declined to say how many manufacturing jobs could be created, only that the benefits would extend past factory work. AdThe chip shortage has cost the global auto industry the production of about 1 million vehicles, according to IHS Markit. Moody's predicts that the chip shortage will cost Ford and General Motors about one-third of their pretax earnings this year.
Biden defends progress on COVID as weather delays 6M shots
He went on to say that by the end of July his administration can deliver 600 million doses for Americans. But โit's one thing to have a vaccine available, the problem was how to get to people's arms.โThe Pfizer plant Biden toured, near Kalamazoo, produces one of the two federally approved COVID-19 shots. "I wouldโve gotten there some way.โAdWhite House adviser Slavitt said the 6 million doses delayed wonโt spoil and the vaccine is โsafe and soundโ under refrigeration. Slavitt said about 1.4 million doses were being shipped Friday as the work of clearing the backlog begins. The Virginia Department of Health reported that it was expecting delays on about 90% of its expected 120,000 doses this week and warned that delays could cascade into next week.
US reverts to targeted immigration enforcement under Biden
President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with labor leaders in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON โ Immigration enforcement in the U.S. would be more targeted under President Joe Biden than under his predecessor, with authorities directed to focus on people in the country illegally who pose a threat, according to guidelines released Thursday. The guidelines set a new course for U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, which drew fierce criticism under President Donald Trump for arresting and removing anyone in the country illegally regardless of criminal history or community ties. Under Biden, ICE would primarily apprehend and remove people who pose a threat to national security, committed crimes designated as โaggravatedโ felonies or recently crossed the border. AdTrump, whose administration took hundreds of measures to restrict both legal and illegal immigration, early on directed ICE to apprehend anyone who was in the country illegally.
Biden's Medicare pick would be 1st Black woman to hold post
The agency oversees government health insurance programs covering more than 1 out of 3 Americans and is a linchpin of the health care system. CMS also plays a central role in the nationโs $4 trillion health care economy, setting Medicare payment rates for hospitals, doctors, labs and other service providers. The agency also sets standards that govern how health care providers operate. โShe is well-respected and liked by the department veterans who have worked with her in the past.โYears ago, Brooks-LaSure worked with Biden's nominee to run HHS, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. AdUnder Biden, Brooks-LaSure will be expected to grow Obamacare enrollment by promoting HealthCare.gov and trying to persuade holdout states to adopt Medicaid expansion.
Biden extends pandemic help for homeowners, renters wait
FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Biden campaigned on raising the national minimum wage to $15 per hour and attached a proposal doing just that to the $1.9 trillion coronavirus pandemic relief bill. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden is extending a ban on housing foreclosures to June 30 to help homeowners struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. The White House says more than 10 million homeowners are behind on mortgage payments and Biden's actions are to help keep people in their homes amid โa housing affordability crisisโ triggered by the pandemic. The actions announced Tuesday donโt address a federal moratorium through March 31 on evictions of tenants whoโve fallen behind on rent.
Biden administration to undo Medicaid work requirements
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON โ The Biden administration is moving to roll back Medicaid work requirements in its latest effort to undo a controversial Trump-era policy. Federal health officials planned Friday to inform 10 states that they would revoke permissions granted by the Trump administration to impose such requirements, according to a Biden official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans. Officials were also set to withdraw the past administrationโs invitation for states to apply for approval for work requirements. AdThe Trump administration allowed states to require โable-bodiedโ adults drawing Medicaid benefits to work, volunteer or study. Before the pandemic, nearly 20 states had tried to implement requirements after the administration invited them in 2018 to submit such proposals.
Biden: Governors, mayors need $350 billion to fight COVID-19
As part of a $1.9 trillion coronavirus package, Biden wants to send $350 billion to state and local governments and tribal governments. But state governments have shed 332,000 jobs since the outbreak began to spread last February, and local governments have cut nearly 1 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Congress provided $150 billion in direct assistance to state and local governments in an earlier relief package signed into law last March. Rep. James Comer, the ranking Republican, said states still have money to spend from the relief package Congress passed last March. AdโDespite this surplus, California is still receiving an additional $41.2 billion in taxpayer dollars from this $350 billion slush fund,โ Comer said.
The Latest: Dems end opening arguments in Trump trial
From left, David Schoen, Bruce Castor and Michael van der Veen, lawyers for former President Donald Trump, arrive at the Capitol on the third day of the second impeachment trial of Trump in the Senate, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)WASHINGTON โ The Latest on former President Donald Trump's second Senate impeachment trial (all times local):4:30 p.m.House Democrats prosecuting President Donald Trumpโs impeachment have wrapped up their opening arguments. Read more:โ Trial highlights: Harrowing footage, focus on Trumpโs wordsโ โDistressing and emotionalโ: Senators relive horror of riotAdโ Did someone say impeachment? ___2 p.m.Lawyers for former president Donald Trump are planning to begin and wrap up their defense in his impeachment trial in less than a day, using far fewer than their allotted argument hours. The rules for the trial gave both sides two days for arguments, lasting up to eight hours each day.
Biden thinks impeachment video may have swayed `some minds'
President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with lawmakers on investments in infrastructure, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, in Washington. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said later that โthe footage was just a reminder of how shocked and saddenedโ Biden was on the day rioters stormed the Capitol. It also reflects a belief among White House aides that the chattering classes in Washington and on Twitter are often far removed from the realities of everyday Americans. With the Senate occupied by impeachment, White House legislative affairs staffers were working with House committee members on the COVID-19 legislation. Engel suggested that Biden continue to focus his message on Americans, rather than wade into fights on Capitol Hill.
Pentagon deploys troops to fuel COVID-19 vaccine drive
Yankee Stadium opened as a COVID-19 vaccination site Friday, drawing lines of people from surrounding neighborhoods in the Bronx. President Joe Biden has called for setting up 100 mass vaccination centers around the country within a month. One of the five new military teams will go to a vaccination center opening in California. AdMilitary troops will staff one of the two California centers, FEMA and Pentagon officials said. Training other medical personnel to give the vaccination shots, he said, would potentially provide more.
Biden ending US support for Saudi-led offensive in Yemen
The reversal of policy also comes as a rebuke to Saudi Arabia. Saudi state media focused on that part of Biden's announcements Thursday. The Houthis have launched multiple drone and missile strikes deep into Saudi Arabia. The weeks-old Biden administration has made clear that shifting its stance toward the Yemen war, and toward Saudi Arabia over the Yemen offensive and other rights abuses, was a priority. A career foreign service member, he has served in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other countries in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Yellen warns of 'tough months' ahead, urges congress to act
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen listens during a meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON โ Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned of โtough months aheadโ with COVID-19 continuing to flare, making it critical that Congress pass President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion relief package. In her first public interview since becoming Treasury secretary last week, Yellen said that Biden is willing to cooperate with Republicans to pass the measure on a bipartisan basis. โThis is really an urgent need and we need to act big,โ Yellen said Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America. โWe've got some tough months aheadโ until we get control of the pandemic.
US ends deal with Arizona restricting Biden on immigration
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas looks on as President Joe Biden signs an executive order on immigration, in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Washington. The agency's action was revealed Wednesday as Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, sued to stop newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from carrying out Biden's 100-day moratorium on deportations. It's not clear what has happened with the agreements signed elsewhere. The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. The agreements would remain in place for eight years unless Homeland Security moves to challenge them by Feb. 17, which is 30 days after Cuccinelli signed them.
Biden set to boost US refugee admissions after Trump cut
(AP Photo/Omar Akour)WASHINGTON โ The Biden administration is preparing to notify Congress and others that it will dramatically increase U.S. admissions of refugees. Former President Donald Trump had drastically reduced the refugee admissions cap to only 15,000 before he left office. AdThe sources said Biden would not necessarily override the record low cap of 15,000 that Trump set for the current budget year. โWe hope that President Biden will substantially raise the refugee admissions goal immediately, as he consistently committed to on the campaign trail," said Sunil Varghese of the New York-based International Refugee Assistance Project. The Trump administration had put in place extreme background checks that had brought the program to a standstill, advocates say.
Biden threatens sanctions on Myanmar after military coup
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on health care, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden on Monday threatened new sanctions on Myanmar after its military staged a coup and arrested the civilian leaders of its government, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Biden assailed the country's army for the coup, calling it a โdirect assault on the countryโs transition to democracy and rule of law.โ The coup in Myanmar, also known as Burma, has also been roundly condemned internationally. โThe United States removed sanctions on Burma over the past decade based on progress toward democracy,โ Biden said in a statement. She had lived under house arrest for years as she tried to push her country toward democracy and then became its de facto leader after her National League for Democracy won elections in 2015.
Biden to visit wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital
President Joe Biden smiles after signing a series of executive orders on health care, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden made his first major foray outside the White House on Friday with a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to meet with wounded soldiers. Biden has a long and personal history with the hospital, which treats thousands of military service members, veterans and their families. The students participate in a peer support program in which they help other military students settle into a new school. AdBidenโs early visit to Walter Reed marks one of his first departures from the gated White House campus.
Biden faces scrutiny over reliance on executive orders
President Joe Biden signs a series of executive orders on health care, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)President Joe Biden and aides showed touches of prickliness Thursday over growing scrutiny of the new presidentโs heavy reliance on executive orders in his first days in office. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that Bidenโs early reliance on executive action is at odds with the Democratโs pledge as a candidate to be a consensus builder. Biden and aides, including top White House economists, have said that they believe executive action is a pale substitute for legislative action. But McConnell was far more understanding of Trumpโs decision to use executive orders to get around Congress at various points in the Republicanโs presidency.
Biden rescinds abortion restrictions on US foreign aid
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on health care, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden on Thursday rescinded a regulation that barred U.S. foreign aid from being used to perform or promote abortions. His decision, while expected, was cheered by abortion-choice advocates and some humanitarian groups and denounced by anti-abortion groups. Critics of Trump's policies say they had hurt womenโs reproductive health care and contributed to poverty worldwide. Abortion-rights groups and Democratic lawmakers hailed it as key to improving women's lives, while anti-abortion groups denounced it as immoral and unnecessary.
This is what the Oval Office has looked like through the different administrations
President Bill Clinton works at his desk in the Oval Office, with First Daughter Chelsea Clinton in 1994. Between each administration, presidents are allowed to make slight tweaks to the decor in the Oval Office, such as swapping in another rug or hanging different artwork on the walls. We went back and looked at how the Oval Office has changed over the years, going all the way back to Ronald Reagan. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)President Ronald Reagan leaving the Oval Office in 1989. (Photo by Howard L. Sachs/CNP/Getty Images)Bill ClintonPresident Bill Clinton delivers his weekly radio address from the Oval Office in 1995.
Cesar Chavez, in a way, is looking over President Joe Bidenโs shoulder
Longtime political analyst Henry Flores said he thought the bust behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office appeared familiar. Flores said the bust of Cesar Chavez was among President Joe Bidenโs cherished family photos as he signed more than a dozen executive orders on Thursday. Flores said he asked himself what kind of message was the newly-inaugurated President trying to send. We welcome you in.โBiden has made Latino issues a top priority to start off his new administration, Flores said. If not, Flores said Republicans could pay a price for not supporting Bidenโs Latino agenda.
Biden signs burst of COVID-19 virus orders, requires masks for travel
One directive calls for a addressing health care inequities in minority communities hard hit by the virus. โWe didnโt get into this mess overnight, and it will take months to turn this around,โ Biden said. โDefeating the virus requires a coordinated nationwide effort.โBiden officials say theyโre hampered by lack of cooperation from the Trump administration during the transition. Biden is ordering FEMA to reimburse states for the full cost of using their National Guards to set up vaccination centers. As part of his COVID-19 strategy, Biden will order the establishment of a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force to ensure that minority and underserved communities are not left out of the governmentโs response.
Top military leaders remind troops of limits of free speech
A memo signed by all members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also reminded military members that Joe Biden was duly elected as the next president and will be sworn in to office on Jan. 20. The memo was unusual in that the military leadership, including Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, felt compelled to remind service members that it is wrong to disrupt the constitutional process. The Joint Chiefs memo did not allude directly to the question of military involvement. "The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection. โAs service members, we must embody the values and ideals of the nation.
Pelosi's talk of limits on Trump nuke power raises old worry
It also resurfaces a question with no certain answer: What would happen if a military commander determined, based on legal judgment, that a president's nuclear launch order was illegal? Trump has given no indication he is considering using nuclear weapons, but Pelosi expressed worry that an โunhingedโ president might start a war. โHe answered her questions regarding the process of nuclear command authority,โ Butler said, declining to reveal details. The current arrangement in which sole authority to order a nuclear launch rests with the president is not written in law. Also in November 2017, the Air Force general who was commanding Strategic Command at the time raised the possibility of having to refuse an illegal launch order.
Pelosi's talk of limits on Trump nuke power raises old worry
It also resurfaces a question with no certain answer: What would happen if a military commander determined, based on legal judgment, that a president's nuclear launch order was illegal? Trump has given no indication he is considering using nuclear weapons, but Pelosi expressed worry that an โunhingedโ president might start a war. โHe answered her questions regarding the process of nuclear command authority,โ Butler said, declining to reveal details. The current arrangement in which sole authority to order a nuclear launch rests with the president is not written in law. Also in November 2017, the Air Force general who was commanding Strategic Command at the time raised the possibility of having to refuse an illegal launch order.
Trump threatens to torpedo COVID relief with new demands
In addition, because lawmakers linked the pandemic relief bill to an overarching funding measure, the government would shut down on Dec. 29. Lawmakers spent months in a stalemate over pandemic relief funds, even as COVID-19 cases soared across the country. Republicans have been reluctant to spend more on pandemic relief and only agreed to the big year-end package as time dwindled for a final deal. Several Senate Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have begun to gingerly break with Trump and acknowledge his defeat to President-elect Joe Biden, a step Trump has refused to take. Shortly after castigating the relief bill, Trump challenged McConnell and Sen. John Thune, the No.
Trump pardons 15, commutes 5 sentences, including GOP allies
He and his allies have discussed a range of other possibilities, including members of Trump's family and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. Trump also commuted the sentences of five other people, including former Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas. Trump also announced pardons for two people entangled in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Trump has granted about 2% of requested pardons in his single term in office โ just 27 before Tuesday's announcement. Bush, another one-term president, granted 10% of requests.
Sales top 3 million for Barack Obama's "A Promised Land'
FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2010, file photo President Barack Obama, center, walks out of the Oval Office of the White House with former Presidents Bill Clinton, left, and George W. Bush, right, to deliver remarks in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)NEW YORK โ Just a month after publication, Barack Obama's โA Promised Landโ is well on its way to becoming the best-selling president memoir in modern times. Crown announced Wednesday that sales have topped 3.3 million copies in the U.S. and Canada, within range of Bill Clinton's โMy Lifeโ and George W. Bush's โDecision Points,โ both of which have sold between 3.5 million and 4 million. โA Promised Land," the first of two planned volumes, cover Obama's election in 2008 and much of his first term. Previous works, written before he became president, include the million sellers โDreams from My Fatherโ and โThe Audacity of Hope.โ
Trump hails vaccine 'miracle,' with millions of doses soon
Trump led Tuesday's White House event celebrating โOperation Warp Speed,โ his administration's effort to produce and distribute safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19. Pfizer developed its vaccine outside of โOperation Warp Speed,โ but is partnering with the federal government on manufacturing and distribution. Trump administration officials insist that such plans have been developed, with the bulk of the work falling to states and local governments to ensure their most vulnerable populations are vaccinated first. The Food and Drug Administrationโs panel of outside vaccine experts is to meet Thursday to conduct a final review of the Pfizer vaccine, and it will meet later this month on the Moderna version. Plans call for distributing and then administering about 40 million doses of the two companiesโ vaccines by the end of the year โ with the first doses shipping within hours of FDA clearance.
Feds passed up chance to lock in more Pfizer vaccine doses
Under its contract with Pfizer, the Trump administration committed to buy an initial 100 million doses, with an option to purchase as many as five times more. The Pfizer vaccine is one of two on track for emergency FDA authorization this month, the other coming from drugmaker Moderna. Senior administration officials provided details on the summit on Monday. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he expects his country to receive about 250,000 doses of a vaccine from Pfizer by the end of the year. The Pfizer vaccine must be transported at super-cooled temperatures, and comes in batches of 975 doses.
The Latest: Female lawmakers want Flournoy as defense chief
WASHINGTON โ The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):8:05 p.m.More than a half dozen Democratic congresswomen have sent an open letter to President-elect Joe Biden urging him to make Michรจle Flournoy the country's first female defense secretary. Biden has been facing escalating pressure from competing factions within his own party over his defense pick. The swearing-in ceremony and a lunch for the new president and vice president are held at the Capitol. ___3:50 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden says the Trump administrationโs plan for distributing an approved coronavirus vaccine to the public lacks important detail. ___3:35 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden says that the most recent jobs report is โdireโ and that there is no time to lose as millions of people have lost their jobs or have seen their incomes slashed.
Trump aide banned from Justice after trying to get case info
Heidi Stirrup, an ally of top Trump adviser Stephen Miller, was quietly installed at the Justice Department as a White House liaison a few months ago. The Justice Department declined to comment. Trump shot back at Barr on Thursday, saying the Justice Department โhasnโt looked very hard" and calling it a disappointment. โThey should be looking at all of this fraud,โ Trump said. The Trump administration has been working to have liaisons report directly to the White House instead of the agencies where they work.
Biden was speaking to George Lopez in widely shared video
Yes, Biden did say โGeorge,โ which some social media users concluded was a reference to former President George W. Bush. Biden and his wife, Jill, were being interviewed by actor and comedian George Lopez during the virtual โI Will Voteโ concert Sunday. The full video, which Biden tweeted, shows the former vice president was being interviewed by actor George Lopez as part of a virtual concert being held in support of the Democratic candidate by the Biden Victory Fund. โWATCH: Joe Biden confuses President Trump with George Bush,โ the Trump War Room, one of the official Trump campaign Twitter accounts, tweeted Sunday night. โJoe Biden called me George yesterday,โ he said.
President Trump has events scheduled for Saturday at White House, Monday in Florida
Trump will address the Saturday group, expected to be at least several hundred supporters, from the White House balcony. Announcement of the new event came as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governmentโs top infectious-disease expert, cautioned the White House again to avoid large-scale gatherings of people without masks. Masks are mandatory outdoors for most people, but the regulations donโt apply on federal land, and the Trump White House has openly flouted them for months. The president's White House doctor, Navy Cmdr. Sean Conley, said that means Trump, who has been surrounded by minimal staffing as he works out of the White House residence and the Oval Office, could return to holding events on Saturday.
The Latest: Harris says Breonna Taylor didnโt get justice
Addressing criminal justice reform at Wednesdayโs vice presidential debate, Harris says a Joe Biden administration would ban chokeholds and require a national registry for police officers who break the law. Vice President Mike Pence was also asked if justice was done in the Taylor case. For several minutes, a fly landed in Vice President Mike Penceโs hair, not moving as he answered questions about racial injustice and whether justice has been done in the death of Breonna Taylor. The vice presidential debate is much more cordial than last weekโs raucous presidential debate with frequent interruptions and outbursts. The campaign reported her results on Wednesday, less than 12 hours before she is scheduled to debate Vice President Mike Pence.
Trump hails experimental treatment for his virus recovery
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trump on Wednesday credited an experimental drug treatment with helping his recovery from COVID-19 and suggested his diagnosis could be a โblessing in disguise" in the nation's battle against the pandemic. In a new White House video posted Wednesday evening, Trump said his illness had shed light on an experimental antibody cocktail that he tied to his improved condition. The White House has released only limited details about his condition and treatment, leading to questions about what lies ahead for Trump. Access to Trump for White House aides has been extremely limited since his discharge. He also thanked a supporter who tweeted she โwould wade though a sea of COVID infested water to vote for President Trump on November 3rd."
US eyes building on Arab-Israel deals to end Gulf crisis
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, in Washington. From left, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Vice President Mike Pence, Trump, Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy for Iran Brian Hook. "The Trump administration is eager to see this dispute resolved and to open Qatarโs air and land borders currently blocked by other Gulf states. The four countries cut ties to Qatar on June 5, 2017, just after a summit in Saudi Arabia in which Gulf leaders met with President Donald Trump. They say the crisis stems from Qatarโs support for extremist groups in the region, charges denied by Doha.
Rare spat between Serbia and Russia after US-brokered deal
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)BELGRADE A social media post by Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman apparently ridiculing Serbias president after he signed a U.S.-sponsored agreement between Serbia and Kosovo has triggered a rare spat between traditional allies Moscow and Belgrade. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted a photo showing Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic sitting across from U.S. President Donald Trump at his Oval Office in Washington. Zakkharova mocked Vucic in a comment on the Facebook post, saying he was invited to the White House to be interrogated. This president did not say a single bad word against Russia, not even in that place (the White House.) Although formally seeking membership in the European Union, Serbia under Vucic has been forging close political, economic and military ties with Russia and China.