Category: Joe Biden

Federal judges from both sides of the aisle are retiring now that Biden can appoint their replacements

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As President Joe Biden was being sworn in, one federal judge was breathing a sigh of relief knowing she could retire with a viable replacement. On Wednesday, Jan. 20, U.S. District Judge Victoria Robert submitted her letter of resignation just 90 minutes after Biden was sworn in on Inauguration Day. 

“It has been my honor to serve,” Roberts wrote to the newly-elected president on Inauguration Day. “With respect, I congratulate you on your election as the 46th President of the United States, and Kamala Harris on her election as Vice President.”

However, she is not the only one. According to Huff Post, since Biden’s inauguration, a substantial number of federal judges—both Democratic and Republican with lifetime appointments—have submitted letters announcing their intent to resign or partially retire. Continue reading.

Blinken turns away from Trump-era approaches, starting with media relations

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to reset the U.S. government’s relationship with the news media on his first full day in office, calling an independent press essential to the country’s global image and a “cornerstone of our democracy.”

“You keep the American people and the world informed about what we do here. That’s key to our mission,” he said to reporters in the State Department briefing room Wednesday.

Blinken’s attempt to overhaul the combative relationship between State Department officials and the media is among the decisions he is facing about what to keep or discard from the Trump era as President Biden pledges to bring unity and transparency in U.S. governance. Continue reading.

Biden, Emphasizing Job Creation, Signs Sweeping Climate Actions

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The array of directives — touching on international relations, drilling policy, employment and national security, among other things — elevate climate change across every level of the federal government.

WASHINGTON — President Biden on Wednesday signed a sweeping series of executive actions — ranging from pausing new federal oil leases to electrifying the government’s vast fleet of vehicles — while casting the moves as much about job creation as the climate crisis.

Mr. Biden said his directives would reserve 30 percent of federal land and water for conservation purposes, make climate policy central to national security decisions and build out a network of electric-car charging stations nationwide.

But much of the sales pitch on employment looked intended to counteract longstanding Republican attacks that Mr. Biden’s climate policies would inevitably hurt an economy already weakened by the pandemic. Continue reading.

Blinken Takes Over at State Dept. With a Review of Trump’s Policies

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The Senate confirmed Antony J. Blinken as secretary of state. He is looking to reverse the Trump administration’s confrontational approach to diplomacy.

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Antony J. Blinken as the nation’s 71st secretary of state, installing President Biden’s longtime adviser with a mission to rejoin alliances that were fractured after four years of an “America First” foreign policy.

A centrist with an interventionist streak, Mr. Blinken was approved by a vote of 78 to 22, a signal that senators were eager to move past the Trump administration’s confrontational approach to diplomacy.

“Blinken is the right person to reassure America’s prerogatives on the global stage,” Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said before the vote. Continue reading.

5 things to know about Biden’s racial equity orders

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President Biden took strides toward advancing racial equality on Tuesday with the signing of four new executive orders.

The directives come on the heels of more than two dozen signed since he took office just a week ago and cover a wide breadth of issues: better enforcement of federal housing laws, increased communication with and support for Native American tribes, criminal justice reform and the condemnation of xenophobia.

Here are five things to know about Biden’s orders on racial equity. Continue reading.

Biden signs orders on racial equity, and civil rights groups press for more

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President Biden signed four executive actions Tuesday aimed at increasing racial equity across the nation, a move the administration said was a big early step in his efforts to dismantle systemic racism, though civil rights groups made it clear they will press for more-sweeping change in the months ahead.

The measures seek to strengthen anti-discrimination housing policies that were weakened under President Donald Trump, halt new Justice Department contracts with private prisons, increase the sovereignty of Native American tribes and combat violence and xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific islanders, weeks after the departure of a president who blamed the Chinese for the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden said the actions were part of an effort to infuse a focus on equity into everything the federal government does. Continue reading.

Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas blocks Biden’s deportation ‘pause’

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A federal judge in Texas blocked President Biden’s 100-day deportation “pause” on Tuesday in a ruling that may point to a new phase of conservative legal challenges to his administration’s immigration agenda.

Judge Drew Tipton, a Trump appointee, granted a temporary restraining order sought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, saying the state had demonstrated a likelihood of facing immediate harm from Biden’s pause. The court order will be in effect for 14 days while Tipton considers a broader motion by the state for a preliminary injunction.

Though the order is temporary, the state’s lawsuit portends more legal challenges by Biden opponents, appealing to a judicial branch reshaped by the confirmation of hundreds of Trump appointees. Continue reading.

#EndorseThis: Trevor Noah Exposes The Hypocrisy Of Fox News

Unlike most Americans, the honchos at Fox News are unhappy. They’ve spent the first days of Joe Biden’s presidency complaining — a lot. While the right-wing media mammoth isn’t handling Trump’s exit well, they’re devoting extra attention to the so-called “national left-wing media” and the “gushing” coverage of the Biden administration. 

We can debate the coverage of Biden thus far, but what’s not debatable is how eagerly Fox News licked Trump ‘s boots from day one.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah noticed this blatant hypocrisy and wasn’t afraid to call them on their bullshit. Watch and you will collapse in laughter watching this scorching “then” and “now” comparison. Continue reading.

Biden has first call with Putin as president

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President Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the first call between the two leaders since Biden was elected president, and pressed the Russian leader on the SolarWinds hack and the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the call took place Tuesday afternoon and Biden intended to communicate his administration’s desire to seek a full five-year extension of the New START nuclear arms treaty with Russia. Biden also planned to raise concerns about ongoing Russian aggression, she said.

The White House later issued a formal readout of the call stating Biden and Putin agreed “to have their teams work urgently” to complete the five-year extension of New START by the Feb. 5 deadline. Continue reading.

Biden signs orders on racial equity, and civil rights groups press for more

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President Biden signed four executive actions Tuesday aimed at increasing racial equity across the nation, a move the administration said was a big early step in his efforts to dismantle systemic racism, though civil rights groups made it clear they will press for more-sweeping change in the months ahead.

The measures seek to strengthen anti-discrimination housing policies that were weakened under President Donald Trump, halt new Justice Department contracts with private prisons, increase the sovereignty of Native American tribes and combat violence and xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific islanders, weeks after the departure of a president who blamed the Chinese for the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden said the actions were part of an effort to infuse a focus on equity into everything the federal government does. Continue reading.