Tag: Joe Biden

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.

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.

Biden poised to halt new fossil fuel leasing on federal land and water Wednesday

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The planned moratorium would pause oil and gas auctions as officials review the nation’s leasing system

President Biden is poised to impose a moratorium on new federal oil and gas leasing Wednesday, according to three people briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plan was still being finalized. The move will deliver on one of Biden’s boldest climate campaign pledges but will encounter stiff resistance from the fossil fuel industry.

The White House has prepared documents that would pause new oil and gas auctions on federal land and water as the new administration reviews the program, these people said. The moratorium would not affect existing leases, meaning drilling would continue on public land in the West as well as in the Gulf of Mexico.

The memo remains a draft subject to final approval, said one person close to the White House who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it had not been formally announced. Administration officials had considered imposing a moratorium on new federal coal leasing as well, but one of the people briefed on the plan said officials are leaning against that option. Continue reading.

Biden to reopen ACA insurance marketplaces as pandemic has cost millions of Americans their coverage

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President Biden is scheduled to take executive actions as early as Thursday to reopen federal marketplaces selling Affordable Care Act health plans and to lower recent barriers to joining Medicaid.

The orders will be Biden’s first steps since taking office to help Americans gain health insurance, a prominent campaign goal that has assumed escalating significance as the pandemic has dramatized the need for affordable health care — and deprived millions of Americans coverage as they have lost jobs in the economic fallout.

Under one order, HealthCare.gov, the online insurance marketplace for Americans who cannot get affordable coverage through their jobs, will swiftly reopen for at least a few months, according to several individuals inside and outside the administration familiar with the plans. Ordinarily, signing up for such coverage is tightly restricted outside a six-week period late each year. Continue reading.

Biden to sign executive order reforming ‘Buy American’ rules

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President Biden plans to sign an executive order on Monday aimed at strengthening “Buy American” rules with the goal of increasing the federal government’s procurement of American-made goods.

The order would set in motion several changes to the implementation of the laws requiring federal government agencies to procure materials and products domestically.

According to administration officials, the order Biden plans to sign Monday would create a new senior role at the White House Office of Management and Budget to oversee the implementation of the new rules. It would create a central review of waivers for Buy American requirements with the aim of reducing the number of unnecessary waivers, which allow agencies to purchase goods overseas. It would also call for a website where waiver requests can be publicly viewed. Continue reading.