Category Archives: Biden administration

Biden says US to meet goal of vaccinating 100m Americans by Friday – live

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Illinois and Maryland recently announced that within the next two months, all adults will be eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, joining at least seven other states who said they can open up eligibility in March and April.

Illinois governor JB Pritzker said today that all residents 16 and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine starting 12 April. Meanwhile, Maryland’s governor, Larry Hogan, said on Tuesday that all adults should be eligible by 27 April.

The Senate just confirmed William Burns to be director of the CIA. Burns is the former deputy secretary of state in the Obama administration and has held multiple roles within the State Department.

While Burns’ nomination received widespread support from Democrats and Republicans, senator Ted Cruz had temporarily blocked what would have been a quick confirmation as Cruz was hoping to send a message to Biden over the Russia-Germany natural gas Nord Stream 2 pipelines, a controversial energy project that critics fear will give more political power to Russia.

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‘Takes one to know one’: Putin-Biden spat escalates over ‘killer’ accusation

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Officials in Moscow go on offensive after Biden says Russian president will pay price for election meddling

Russian relations with the US have entered a new post-Trump period of smouldering hostility after Vladimir Putin shrugged off accusations from Joe Biden that he was a “killer”, saying: “It takes one to know one.”

The Russian president responded in characteristically icy fashion to Biden’s remark, which followed an assessment by US intelligence agencies that Moscow was continuing to meddle in American democracy and had tried to help Donald Trump win last year’s US election.

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Moderna to begin vaccine trials on babies as US fights to prevent fourth Covid surge – live

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Biden heads to Pennsylvania in push to sell US Covid relief plan to nation, while Kamala Harris visits Colorado

This may not be overtly party political but there is no doubt it’s political. The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, accused of murdering George Floyd last May, continues with jury selection and legal arguments.

Ex-officer on trial for George Floyd's death asks to show jury an earlier arrest https://t.co/UJzU8Vw1kQ pic.twitter.com/QiuOk37jkF

In the arrest of May 6, 2019, a panicking Floyd swallowed several opioid pain-killer pills as police approached. Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s lead lawyer, has argued that the main cause of Floyd’s death a year later, which was ruled a homicide, was the opioid fentanyl found in his blood at autopsy.

“The similarities are incredible, it’s the exact same behavior in two incidents almost exactly one year apart,” Nelson told the court before the resumption of jury selection, noting Floyd called out for his “mama” in both arrests, according to video footage.

More on the coronavirus, as federal leaders and officials warn the country not to relax at what we all hope is the eleventh hour of the main thrust of the pandemic.

The Associated Press reports from North Carolina:

Duke University saw nearly as many cases of the coronavirus last week as it did during the entire fall semester, according to data released today.

The vast majority of the 231 new cases reported from March 8 through Sunday occurred within the university’s undergraduate student population.

welp this was a surprise to no one, given the recent disaffiliation of many fraternities from Duke into their own council, in response to being told to wait until fall 2021 for rush. And instead hold in person parties/rush events and why is Greek life still a thing?? https://t.co/SA1kgZWMh6

There's a strong reaction among Duke students after off-campus fraternity activities led to increased COVID-19 cases and a new stay-in-place order.​ https://t.co/mO0jdOpSxd

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Deb Haaland confirmed as first Indigenous US cabinet secretary

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Interior secretary from New Mexico will be responsible for US’s land, seas and national resources

Deb Haaland has been confirmed as the secretary of the interior, making her the first Indigenous cabinet secretary in US history.

The 60-year-old from New Mexico will be responsible for the country’s land, seas and natural resources, as well as overseeing tribal affairs.

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Senate votes to confirm Deb Haaland as first Indigenous cabinet secretary – as it happened

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A US Capitol police officer was suspended after antisemitic reading material was discovered near his work area on Monday.

A) USCP: Monday, U.S. Capitol Police Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman ordered an officer to be suspended after anti-Semitic reading material was discovered near his work area on Sunday.

B) USCP: The officer will remain suspended pending the outcome of an investigation by the Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility.

C) USCP: “We take all allegations of inappropriate behavior seriously. Once this matter was brought to my attention, I immediately ordered the officer to be suspended until the Office of Professional Responsibility can thoroughly investigate,” said Acting Chief Pittman.

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Biden’s make or break moment: president aims to build on success of relief bill

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Analysis: Biden is riding high in polls and his American Rescue Plan is popular with Americans – he must build momentum to avoid the fate of Obama

In the White House Rose Garden, where for four years Donald Trump raucously celebrated political wins with his allies, it was now the turn of Democrats to take a victory lap – masked and physically distanced, of course.

Kamala Harris, the vice-president, heaped praise on Joe Biden for signing a $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill, the biggest expansion of the American welfare state in decades. “Your empathy has become a trademark of your presidency and can be found on each and every page of the American Rescue Plan,” Harris said.

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‘The Senate is broken’: proposals for major changes to outdated system gather steam

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Analysis: critics say the US Senate has become a firewall for a shrinking minority of white conservatives to block policies – could a breakthrough be ahead?

In the first 50 days of the Biden administration, the US House of Representatives has passed major legislation to strengthen voting rights, reform police departments, empower labor unions and tighten gun laws.

The public strongly supports each measure, and Biden is poised, pen in hand, to sign each bill into law. It could seem like the dawn of a new progressive era.

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Biden aims for 4 July ‘return to normalcy’ in first national TV address – live reaction

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President says US on course to reach 100m vaccine shots by his 60th day in office

Amanda Holpuch in New York analyses for us what Joe Biden is doing to cope with a rise in unaccompanied child migrants in the US:

The issues driving families and children to the border in the past decade remain: the climate crisis, violence, unemployment and poverty. Two devastating hurricanes in Honduras in November and the coronavirus pandemic have added to the desperate conditions. And each year migration increases when the weather warms up.

Related: What is Joe Biden doing to cope with a rise in unaccompanied child migrants?

According to Congressional Budget Office estimates, 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. That’s $43,000 every second of every day until midnight chimes on 2022.

Josh Boak at the Associated Press reports that the president signed the aid package into law yesterday without a comprehensive plan in place to distribute all of the funds, which will be a core focus of the administration in coming weeks.

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In national address, Biden tells states to make all adults vaccine eligible by 1 May

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President warns Americans ‘this is not the time to let up’ in first prime-time address on pandemic anniversary

Joe Biden has directed states to make all American adults eligible for coronavirus vaccines by 1 May and set an audacious goal of 4 July for gatherings to celebrate “independence” from the deadly pandemic.

But in his first prime-time address, which marked the anniversary of America’s shutdown, the president warned that restrictions could be reinstated if the nation lets down its guard against the virus.

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Former Pentagon chief blames Trump’s speech for inciting Capitol attack – live

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It’s been a busy day in Washington ahead of Biden’s prime-time address this evening. Before we hand over the reigns to Maanvi Singh in California, here’s a look back at what happened on this unusually warm spring day in the nation’s capital.

In an astonishing piece of attempted backside-covering, former acting defense secretary under the outgoing Donald Trump, Chris Miller, tried to explain in an interview with Vice that the delay in National Guard troops deploying to the US Capitol on the afternoon of 6 January to help overwhelmed police was basically because “it’s complicated”.

Miller said: “It’s not like a video game” ie going up and down the chains of government and command to deploy troops is a complex process.

Chris Miller translator: " Hey, I had to take orders from the White House on this." https://t.co/ihRrvlvjGc

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Biden’s $1.9tn Covid relief bill marks an end to four decades of Reaganism | Analysis

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Analysis: Reagan’s presidency undermined faith in government. The stimulus package helps restore FDR’s legacy

Joe Biden reflected recently on the last time a Democratic administration had to rescue an economy left in tatters by a Republican president.

“The economists told us we literally saved America from a depression,” Biden told the House Democratic Caucus last week. “But we didn’t adequately explain what we had done. Barack was so modest; he didn’t want to take, as he said, a ‘victory lap’. I kept saying, ‘Tell people what we did.’ He said, ‘We don’t have time. I’m not going to take a victory lap.’ And we paid a price for it, ironically, for that humility.”

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House passes Biden’s $1.9tn Covid relief bill projected to slash US poverty in 2021 – live

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The House has passed the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, delivering Joe Biden his first major legislative victory as president.

The final vote was 220 to 211, and it fell almost exactly along party lines. Only one Democrat, Jared Golden of Maine, voted against the bill. Applause broke out among Democrats on the House floor after the bill passed.

The House voted 220-211 to concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 1319 - American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The House now has enough votes to pass the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, although the vote remains open.

As of now, the vote stands at 220 to 211, meaning more than half of House members have voted for the passage of the relief bill.

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House will vote Wednesday morning on $1.9tn Covid relief bill – live

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Progressive congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman said she will vote for the coronavirus relief bill, despite serious concerns about the changes made by the Senate.

“While I will continue to pressure my party to live up to its banner as the party of the people, I cannot ignore the immediate need for relief,” Watson Coleman said in a statement.

pic.twitter.com/VODEIHERDU

This trend is outrageous:

Eliminating $15/hr
Reducing thresholds for payments (cutting off ~400k New Jerseyans)
Cuts to weekly payments

What are we doing here? I'm frankly disgusted with some of my colleagues and question whether I can support this bill.

1/ https://t.co/r9dqZpuCbU

Okay, now it’s official: the House will hold its final vote on the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package tomorrow, not today.

House majority leader Steny Hoyer said moments ago that the House will take up the bill at 9 am ET tomorrow morning, per C-SPAN.

Hoyer this morning in his weekly pen and pad announced the potential timing of House vote on final $1.9T COVID-19 relief bill: “Our expectation is, maybe late this afternoon we would adopt the rule...We will then tomorrow at 9am consider the American Rescue Plan and pass that.”

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House will vote Wednesday morning on $1.9tn Covid relief bill – as it happened

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By Jessica Goodheart for Capital and Main:

Sara Fearrington, a North Carolina waitress, joined the Fight for $15 campaign two years ago. A server at a Durham Waffle House, her take-home pay fluctuates between $350 and $450 a week, leaving her struggling to pay bills every month. She voted for Joe Biden, who had pledged to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. It was the first time Fearrington, who is 44, had ever voted in a presidential election.

Related: Senate minimum wage battle could play out in midterm elections

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Biden pledges to combat sexual assault in US military – video

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Joe Biden pledged to combat sexual assault in the US military as he announced the nomination of two female officers, Gen Jacqueline Van Ovost and Lt Gen Laura Richardson, to become four-star commanders. The president, who spoke on International Women's Day, said: "Sexual assault is abhorrent and wrong at any time. And in our military, so much of unit cohesion is built on trusting your fellow service members to have your back – there's nothing less than a threat to our national security"

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Biden to address nation on Thursday to mark one year of Covid lockdowns – live

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The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports:

Georgia lawmakers in the state senate are beginning to debate a controversial bill that would impose sweeping new restrictions on voting rights in the state, including getting rid of no-excuse absentee voting.

Barring a shock, the Georgia Senate has the votes to pass the elections restrictions measure that would severely limit who could vote by mail this afternoon. #gapol https://t.co/MxXaYyUUeQ

Security at the US Capitol badly needs a boost, a task force said today after reviewing the situation at the seat of the US Congress, in Washington, DC, in the aftermath of the deadly insurrection of January 6.

The task force recommends creating a new quick-reaction force in Washington and also said that the Capitol Police force was poorly prepared for January 6.

The 15-page report, compiled by a group headed by retired US Army Lieutenant General Russel Honoré, also recommended an upgrade to Capitol Police intelligence capabilities and training.

The report was requested by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the aftermath of the rampage by a mob of former president Donald Trump’s supporters that left five people dead including a police officer.

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Secretary of state Blinken proposes steps to boost Afghanistan peace talks

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  • Top diplomat warns US forces could be withdrawn by 1 May
  • Proposes UN conference and Kabul-Taliban talks in Turkey

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has proposed a series of steps to help restart stalled peace talks between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban, according to a letter from Blinken to President Ashraf Ghani published on Sunday by Afghanistan‘s TOLONews.

Related: Afghans dread the ‘danger hours’ as fragile gains of 20 years slip away

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Biden hails ‘giant step’ as Senate passes $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill

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  • Republican opposition holds through marathon ‘vote-a-rama’
  • Speaker Pelosi has said measure should be law by 14 March

Joe Biden hailed “one more giant step forward on delivering on that promise that help is on the way”, after Democrats took a critical step towards a first major legislative victory since assuming control of Congress and the White House, with a party-line vote in the Senate to approve a $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill.

Related: Biden urged to 'go big' on New Deal-like economic plan – but can he bridge left-right gap?

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Sanders’ minimum-wage effort looks doomed as Covid relief votes go through night

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Biden’s $1.9tn relief package struggles through Senate but majority leaders vows passage ‘however long it takes’

A fiery speech and last-ditch effort by Bernie Sanders to secure a place for a federal minimum wage hike in the $1.9tn coronavirus relief package appeared as good as doomed on Friday, following a day that saw the flagship legislation hit grinding delays in the Senate.

Senate leaders and moderate Democratic senator Joe Manchin struck a deal late on Friday over emergency jobless benefits, breaking a nine-hour logjam.

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Senate debates as Republicans attempt to derail $1.9tn Covid relief bill – live

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White House press secretary Jen Psaki rejected the notion that Joe Biden was “snubbing” lawmakers by delaying his first address to a joint session of Congress.

“It’s not a snubbing happening here,” Psaki said. “We are in the middle of a global pandemic.”

"It's not a snubbing," press sec. Psaki says when asked about Pres. Biden addressing Congress.

"We are in the middle of a global pandemic...We intend on the president delivering a joint session... but we don't have a date for that." pic.twitter.com/R89HWMj6Jp

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about whether Joe Biden would soon speak to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Psaki said the two leaders would speak “at some point,” but she did not give a clear sense of when that might happen.

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