Category: Joe Biden

‘Let’s get it straight’: Biden sternly smacks down two reporters for making false claims about him in Geneva

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President Joe Biden sternly corrected two reporters who mischaracterized his words and relationships during his Geneva press conference recapping his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, continuing to push his China coronavirus “lab leak” theory, even in Geneva Wednesday afternoon, echoed far right wing talking points that Biden is somehow owned by or financially controlled by China, calling President Xi Biden’s “old friend.”

Biden refused to allow him to get away with it, snapping back, “Let’s get something straight: we’ve known each other a long time, but we’re not old friends.” Continue reading.

Biden says he got what he wanted from Putin summit

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President Biden on Wednesday framed his three-hour sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a foreign policy win, even as tensions on cyberattacks and human rights loom over the future of the relationship between the two leaders.

White House officials sought to keep expectations low and tightly controlled the optics of the meeting, opting for a solo press conference with Biden instead of a joint one with him standing next to Putin.

The president would not divulge his planned message to Putin when asked at the preceding Group of Seven (G-7) and NATO summits, and officials repeatedly said they hoped for a “predictable and stable” relationship with Moscow, even as experts noted Putin thrives on sowing disorder. Continue reading.

Fed officials see GDP, inflation rising higher in 2021

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Federal Reserve officials see economic growth and inflation rising higher in 2021 than they expected earlier this year, according to economic projections released Wednesday.

Members of the Fed board and presidents of reserve banks, which together make up the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), largely see the pace of the rebound from the coronavirus pandemic accelerating deeper into the year. 

The median estimate of 2021 gross domestic product growth from FOMC members rose to 7 percent from a projection of 6.5 percent in March. The median estimate of annual inflation also rose to 3.4 percent from 2.4 percent in March, while the median estimate of unemployment remained unchanged at 4.5 percent. Continue reading.

Biden White House video highlights infrastructure nightmare in Mitch McConnell’s Kentucky: ‘We deserve roads and bridges’

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has made it abundantly clear that his goal is to do everything he can to obstruct President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, and that includes coming out against Biden’s infrastructure proposals. The Biden White House, meanwhile, has launched a video series that shows why an infrastructure bill is desperately needed, and the first video in the series addresses infrastructure problems in McConnell’s state: Kentucky.

Journalist Daniel Desrochers, reporting for Kentucky.com on June 14, explains, “As moderate Democrats and Republicans have been at loggerheads in coming up with an agreement on how much money to allocate to fixing roads, bridges and drinking water — among other projects — the White House made videos highlighting the lack of broadband access and clean drinking water in Eastern Kentucky. One follows Danielle Adams of Pikeville as she heads into town to get online when her wi-fi goes down in her home. In the other, BarbiAnn Miner in Martin County shows off the dirty tap water in her kitchen sink and some of the decrepit roads and bridges in Martin County.”

In the video, Miner says, “People talk about: Eastern Kentucky is poor, and they don’t really have anything. Well, how are we ever going to have anything if our government won’t invest in our infrastructure?…. We’re people too. We’re American citizens. And we deserve access to clean, affordable drinking water…. We deserve roads and bridges.” Continue reading.

Biden to nominate Tom Nides as ambassador to Israel; Ken Salazar, ‘Sully’ Sullenberger also get posts

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President Biden announced his first slate of political ambassadors Tuesday, selecting longtime Washington hands for key foreign postings.

Biden will nominate Thomas R. Nides, a former State Department official, to serve as the ambassador to Israel; Julie Smith, a former Biden national security adviser, as the ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and Ken Salazar, the former secretary of the interior and senator from Colorado, as the ambassador to Mexico.

The Washington Post previously reported that the three were expected to be chosen for those spots. Continue reading.

White House to Democrats: Get ready to go it alone on infrastructure

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White House officials told House Democrats Tuesday to get ready to go it alone on infrastructure if bipartisan talks founder, setting the stage for party leaders to tap an obscure budget procedure to move President Biden‘s top domestic priority without Republican support.

Huddling in person in the Capitol for the first time since the COVID-19 crisis hit, members of the House Democratic Caucus were briefed by Steve Ricchetti, a top adviser to Biden, and Shalanda Young, the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, who said they would give Senate negotiators seven to 10 days to reach a bipartisan agreement, according to Democrats in the meeting.

If no deal is reached in that time, the officials said, Democrats will gauge the progress of those talks and charge ahead with a partisan package if need be. Continue reading.

Biden, E.U. end 17-year Airbus-Boeing trade dispute, seek to calm relations after Trump

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BRUSSELS — President Biden and European Union leaders reached a deal Tuesday to put to rest a 17-year-old trade dispute about subsidies for aircraft manufacturers, officials said, a significant step in calming trade relations after the fury of the Trump years.

A five-year truce, which was announced at a meeting Tuesday in Brussels between Biden and the top leaders of E.U. institutions, was the latest effort in a transatlantic reconciliation tour that the new president started last week at the Group of Seven summit in Britain.

At each stop, including at NATO on Monday, Biden has tried to mend ties that were damaged under President Donald Trump, who often drew close to traditional American adversaries and targeted longtime allies with vitriol. Continue reading.

White House unveils strategy to battle domestic extremism

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The White House unveiled its plan for addressing domestic terrorism on Tuesday, rolling out a strategy that set goals and acknowledged challenges as much as it outlined specific steps for combating a growing threat. 

The strategy includes a call to bolster law enforcement partnerships and stem extremist recruitment paired with elements deemed more essential after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, including better analysis of social media and programs to boost civics education and battle disinformation.

It also touches on other priorities from President Biden, echoing previous calls for gun control in order to address mass shootings. Continue reading.

Biden to pick Cuban-born Navy veteran to be Navy secretary

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Carlos Del Toro spent more than two decades in the Navy and later founded a tech company

President Joe Biden announced Friday he plans to tap Carlos Del Toro, a Navy veteran and CEO of a technology company, to be the next Navy secretary.

Born in Cuba, Del Toro is a 1983 graduate of the Naval Academy who spent more than two decades in the Navy, including serving as the commanding officer of the USS Bulkeley, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

In 2004, Del Toro founded SBG Technology Solutions, and has served as the firm’s CEO ever since. Continue reading.

Biden administration offers plan for unused border wall funds

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Money would be used for border technology, cleanup of wall sites, schools for military personnel and more

The White House released a plan Friday to use unspent funds previously set aside by the Trump administration for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to repair damage caused by wall construction while returning other funds to the military.

In the report issued by the Office of Management and Budget, the departments of Homeland Security and Defense spelled out plans to redirect billions of dollars away from wall construction. 

Biden’s budget office also calls on Congress to “cancel any border barrier funds that remain at the end of the year so that these resources can instead be used for modern, privacy-protective, and effective border management measures like enhanced technology between points of entry and improved infrastructure at Land Ports of Entry.” Continue reading.