Category: Joe Biden

Biden to keep Wray as FBI director

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President Biden plans to keep FBI Director Christopher Wray in his position, allowing him to continue serving out his 10-year term.

Wray was nominated by then-President Trump to helm the FBI in June 2017, after Trump abruptly fired James Comey from the position as the bureau was investigating his campaign’s communications with Russia.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not directly answer when asked at a briefing Wednesday evening whether Biden had confidence in Wray, saying she had not spoken with Biden about Wray specifically “in recent days.” Continue reading.

Biden’s 17 Executive Orders and Other Directives in Detail

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The moves aim to strengthen protections for young immigrants, end construction of President Donald J. Trump’s border wall, end a travel ban and prioritize racial equity.

WASHINGTON — In 17 executive orders, memorandums and proclamations signed hours after his inauguration, President Biden moved swiftly on Wednesday to dismantle Trump administration policies his aides said have caused the “greatest damage” to the nation.

Despite an inaugural address that called for unity and compromise, Mr. Biden’s first actions as president are sharply aimed at sweeping aside former President Donald J. Trump’s pandemic response, reversing his environmental agenda, tearing down his anti-immigration policies, bolstering the teetering economic recovery and restoring federal efforts to promote diversity.

Here’s a look at what the measures aim to accomplish. Continue reading.

Jobless claims remained at historic highs last week, as Biden inherits the worst job market of any modern president

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Another 900,000 people filed new unemployment claims last week, President Donald Trump’s last in office, a snapshot of the significant labor market challenges facing President Biden.

An additional 423,000 people in 47 states filed new claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, the program created to help gig and self-employed workers.

Altogether, nearly 16 million people were claiming benefits as of Jan. 2, the last week available for that measurement. That number is expected to increase in the coming weeks as people who were dropped from the unemployment rolls after their benefits expired file new claims to take advantage of the extension passed by Congress at the last minute in December. Continue reading.

Biden fires Trump-appointed labor board general counsel who refused to resign

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The Biden administration fired the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel Wednesday night, breaking with precedent to end the tenure of a figure seen as a foe by worker advocates and labor unions.

The fracas over Trump appointee Peter Robb’s tenure unfolded just hours into Joe Biden’s presidency.

The Biden administration first asked Robb to resign, a departure from the norm that presidents of both parties have followed to allow the general counsel to serve out their term. Robb’s term was scheduled to be over in 10 months. Continue reading.

As Biden addressed the world, an unknown man in uniform stood watch over his son Beau’s grave

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As the world tuned in to watch President Biden deliver his inaugural address at the Capitol on Wednesday, a lone man in uniform carried out a silent vigil more than 110 miles away.

Kneeling on the chilly ground as winds whipped through the Delaware cemetery, the man clasped his hands and bowed his head before the grave of Biden’s late son, Beau, for the duration of the speech. His identity remains unknown, as do his reasons for visiting St. Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del., on Wednesday.

But the poignant scene, which would have gone unnoticed if a reporter from the Delaware News Journal hadn’t stopped by the graveyard to pay her own respects, struck a chord with thousands on Twitter. Continue reading.

Some Republican Freshmen Pledge To Work With Biden

Just 17 of the 44 newly sworn-in Republican members of Congress signed a letter on Wednesday congratulating President-elect Joe Biden and pledging to work with him to find common ground. But even most of these lawmakers who now urge unity voted to overturn his victory just two weeks ago.

In their letter, the “freshmen class” Republicans wrote that they “are hopeful that — despite our ideological differences — we may work together on behalf of the American people we are each so fortunate to serve.” They cited COVID-19 relief, pre-existing conditions, infrastructure, antitrust enforcement, and the economy as potential areas for collaboration.

“I firmly believe that what unites us as Americans is far greater than anything that may divide us,” tweeted Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) as he shared the letter. “Proud to join my colleagues in a pledge to rise above the partisan fray to deliver meaningful change for Long Islanders.” Continue reading.

Former GOP operative Michael Ellis placed on administrative leave from NSA’s top lawyer job

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The director of the National Security Agency on Wednesday put the agency’s top lawyer on administrative leave days after the Pentagon ordered the installation of the ex-GOP operative in the job, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

Gen. Paul Nakasone, the NSA director, placed Michael Ellis, a former Trump White House official, on leave pending an inquiry by the Pentagon inspector general into the circumstances of his selection as NSA general counsel, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.

Nakasone took the action on the day Joe Biden was inaugurated as president. Continue reading.

Inauguration sows doubt among QAnon conspiracy theorists

COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND — For years, legions of QAnon conspiracy theory adherents encouraged one another to “trust the plan” as they waited for the day when President Donald Trump would orchestrate mass arrests, military tribunals and executions of his Satan-worshipping, child-sacrificing enemies.

Keeping the faith wasn’t easy when Inauguration Day didn’t usher in “The Storm,” the apocalyptic reckoning that they have believed was coming for prominent Democrats and Trump’s “deep state” foes. QAnon followers grappled with anger, confusion and disappointment Wednesday as President Joe Biden was sworn into office.

Some believers found a way to twist the conspiracy theory’s convoluted narrative to fit their belief that Biden’s victory was an illusion and that Trump would secure a second term in office. Others clung to the notion that Trump will remain a “shadow president” during Biden’s term. Some even floated the idea that the inauguration ceremony was computer-generated or that Biden himself could be the mysterious “Q,” who is purportedly a government insider posting cryptic clues about the conspiracy. Continue reading.

EU sighs with relief as Biden readies to enter White House

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top officials breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday that Joe Biden will be taking over as president of the United States, but they warned that the world has changed after four years of Donald Trump and that trans-Atlantic ties will be different in the future.

“This new dawn in America is the moment we’ve been awaiting for so long,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, hailing Biden’s arrival as “resounding proof that, once again after four long years, Europe has a friend in the White House.”

“The United States are back, and Europe stands ready to reconnect with an old and trusted partner to breathe new life into our cherished alliance,” she told EU lawmakers, hours before Biden was to be sworn in at his inauguration ceremony in Washington. Continue reading.

Controversial head of Voice of America resigns hours after President Biden takes office

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Michael Pack, a Trump appointee who sought to remake the Voice of America and other government-funded overseas news agencies, resigned on Wednesday, bringing an end to a short and tumultuous tenure.

Pack quit a few hours after President Biden took office and less than eight months into his three-year term as chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). The government agency oversees VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and other networks that produce and distribute news to millions of people in countries whose governments suppress independent reporting.

He said that his resignation came at Biden’s request. During the president campaign, Biden’s staff had signaled that he would replace Pack if Biden won election. Continue reading.