Category: Joe Biden

A Last-Minute Deal Between A Trump Official And ICE’s Union To Hamper Biden’s Policies Has Been Rejected

A whistleblower had alleged that the agreement gave the union powers to “indefinitely delay” President Joe Biden’s immigration policy changes.

A last-minute agreement Trump officials signed with the union for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers that could have undercut sweeping policy changes has been rejected by the Biden administration.

The move on Tuesday sets the stage for a possible showdown between President Joe Biden and ICE’s union, which endorsed former president Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.

Earlier this month, a whistleblower alleged that Ken Cuccinelli, a top Trump administration official, had abused his authority by entering into a set of agreements that granted the union “extraordinary power and benefits” and allowed it to “indefinitely delay changes to immigration enforcement policies and practices.” Continue reading.

U.S. accuses three North Koreans of conspiring to steal more than $1.3 billion in cash and cryptocurrency

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The Justice Department unsealed charges Wednesday against three North Koreans accused of conspiring to steal and extort more than $1.3 billion in cash and cryptocurrency from banks and businesses around the world.

The indictment builds upon 2018 charges brought against one of the alleged hackers in connection with the North Korean regime’s 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, marking the first time the United States charged a Pyongyang operative.

The latest indictment shows the degree to which North Korea relies on financial cybertheft to obtain hard currency in a country whose main exports are under United Nations and U.S. sanctions, and that is further isolated by a self-imposed coronavirus blockade. The hackers managed to steal at least $190 million, according to prosecutors, who wouldn’t put an exact figure on how much was stolen. They said the North Koreans were unable to get at least $1 billion of the $1.3 billion they targeted, mostly in banks, officials said. Continue reading.

‘People want Armageddon: : GOP insiders say Republicans will move to impeach Biden if they retake the House

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During former President Donald Trump’s two impeachment trials — one for trying to bully a foreign power into interfering in a U.S. election, the other for inciting the violent insurrection of January 6 — it wasn’t unusual to hear Republicans commenting that impeachments are bad because they are so divisive. But journalist Mark Leibovich, in a New York Times articlepublished on February 16, stresses that Republicans in Congress will be singing a very different tune if they regain control of either the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate in the 2022 midterms.

“In a broader sense, officials of both parties have suggested that regular impeachments may just become one of several regular features of a new and bitter normal in our politics,” Leibovich writes. “Previously rare or unthinkable measures could simply start happening all the time.”

Leibovich pointed to Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina as a perfect example of a Republican who flip-flops on impeachment. The former 2016 Trump critic turned devoted Trump sycophant decried both of Trump’s impeachments as an outrage, but he recently suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris could be impeached in the future. Continue reading.

Where things stand on COVID-19 relief measure

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Democrats are aiming to move quickly on a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package and give President Biden a legislative accomplishment early in his tenure.

A multitude of House committees advanced portions of the bill last week, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told colleagues on Tuesday that the plan is for the bill to be considered on the House floor next week.

The bigger challenge lies ahead when the work shifts over to the Senate. The legislation will need every Senate Democrat to vote for it to pass if no Republicans back it. Continue reading.

Biden to increase number of vaccine doses to states

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The Biden administration will increase the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses going to states this week.

States will receive 13.6 million doses per week starting this week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday. The current shipment is about 11 million doses. 

That marks a 57 percent increase over the amount states were getting when Biden first took office, Psaki said.  Continue reading.

Biden extends foreclosure moratorium, mortgage forbearance through June

This is the second time President Joe Biden has extended the relief since he took office.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is extending the foreclosure moratorium and mortgage forbearance through the end of June as part of his efforts to address the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the White House announced Tuesday.

The administration’s actions continue programs that former President Donald Trump started last year. This is the second time Biden has extended the programs after having signed an executive action on his first day in office that pushed the expiration date to the end of March.

The White House also announced Tuesday that the administration is extending the enrollment window to request a mortgage payment forbearance and will grant six months of additional forbearance for those who enroll on or before June 30. Continue reading.

Biden indicates he’s open to negotiation on $15 minimum wage

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Comments come as attention turns to passing $1.9 trillion relief bill on Capitol Hill

President Biden indicated Tuesday that he’s open to negotiation on his proposal for a $15 minimum wage, a centerpiece of his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill that’s emerged as a flash point as congressional Democrats push the legislation forward.

Biden suggested he could be open to a longer phase-in than the current plan of five years in Democrats’ legislation. He also argued that phasing gradually up to $15 could be beneficial while having less potential impact on business owners.

He made the comments in response to a small-business owner at a town hall hosted by CNN in Milwaukee on Tuesday night. Continue reading.

The Memo: Biden steps out of Trump’s shadow

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President Biden ran for election as an antidote to his predecessor. Now he faces a different test — whether he can sell his own agenda.

Biden travels to Milwaukee Tuesday, where he will hold a CNN town hall event. It is his first official trip as president.

There, Biden will make the case for the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package that is the keystone of his domestic agenda. Continue reading.

With Trump Gone, Security Agencies Can Confront Violent Far Right

President Joe Biden’s administration is expanding new grants from the Department of Homeland Security to target and prevent right-wing domestic terrorism after years of such efforts being effectively stymied by Donald Trump — and the department is ramping up its plans to combat what experts say is the greatest terrorist threat facing America today.

According to an NBC report, although the department’s Office of Targeted Violence and Terrorism prevention originally directed some funding to these grants toward the end of Trump’s time in office, Biden’s new plan expands upon the funding available, which will include more than $500,000 allocated toward American University to study the “growing threat of violent white supremacist extremist information.”

DHS, which in 2019 founded the Office for Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention to prevent violent political extremism, is expected to continue to receive more funding from Congress during the Biden administration. Grants awarded from this office go toward state and local law enforcement efforts in combating domestic terrorism. Continue reading.

GOP tries to weaponize pandemic-exhausted parents against Biden

Aware of this emerging voter demo, the White House is hoping its agenda and relief bill will inoculate it against frustrations.

Distraught and exhausted parents are emerging as a new class of voters that could torment President Joe Biden — and the White House is moving quickly to head off the pain.

Nearing a year into the pandemic, Biden’s advisers and allies recognize that they need to respond to the spiraling angst felt by families or risk driving them into the arms of waiting Republicans.

It is a crucial test for Biden and Democrats as they try to consolidate their gains from the 2020 election. The pandemic has disrupted lives and exacerbated inequities and a raft of public and private surveys show clear political potholes and opportunities because of it. The coronavirus is spawning sweeping policy prescriptions from Democrats and Republicans alike, from billions in school reopening funds to the creation of a federal child allowance. And it’s prompting pollsters to loosely coin emerging voter demos like “women in chaos” and “families in crisis.” Continue reading.