‘You have to be ridiculous’: Biden’s response to Ukraine questions from Fox News reporter
President Joe Biden is preparing to order the release of up to 1 million barrels of oil per day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to control prices that have soared after the United States and its allies imposed tough sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The announcement may come as soon as Thursday, according to reports.
Biden spoke with Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the situation in Ukraine. The call comes at a time when Ukrainian and Russian negotiators are discussing a de-escalation agreement in which Russia may withdraw its forces from the area near Kyiv.
Both the White House and the Pentagon have said they believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed about the progress of the war by his top advisers.
Biden also gave a speech on the state of the coronavirus pandemic, and announced the launch of a central resource site, before receiving the second booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine.
Meanwhile, after controversial nomination hearings that saw Republican senators debate critical race theory, Ketanji Brown-Jackson chose an important supporter: Maine Senator Susan Collins, who became the first Republican to announce she would vote to confirm it.
Government departments to raise the flag of transgender pride
Today, the Department of Health and Human Services will celebrate Joe Biden’s National Day of Transient Vision with a display of solidarity from a flagpole in the capital.
Among the department’s senior staff is Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine, the most publicly transgender person ever appointed to a Senate-approved government position.
The flag is also raised by the Department of Homeland Security, led by Xavier Becerra.
Andrew NottiMarch 31, 2022 14:15
Trump adviser angered by move to repeal Address 42
Stephen Miller, the hardline anti-immigration nationalist who has shaped much of Donald Trump’s border policy, has criticized the Biden administration’s move to repeal the provision known as Title 42 that barred most asylum applications at the point of entry into the United States.
The warning on Twitter that the move could unleash “one of the most perverted acts in history” and “open the door wide on a biblical scale,” quickly pissed Miller off those on the other side of the argument. Among his critics was Congressman Brendan Boyle, who invoked his family’s debts for a more palatable immigration policy.
Andrew NottiMarch 31, 2022 13:44
Biden celebrates Transgender Day among the nationwide backlash against transgender people
Joe Biden declared March 31 Transgender Advent Day, an effort to “honor transgender people fighting for freedom, equality, dignity, and respect” and “celebrate the parents, teachers, coaches, doctors, and other allies who affirm the identities of their transgender children and help these young people realize their potential.”
He did so at a time when transgender people across the United States faced mounting legal efforts to exclude trans women from women’s and girls’ sports, limit treatments available to gender-nonconforming children, and limit what schoolchildren can be taught about gender identity and sexuality.
To everyone celebrating Transgender Day, I want you to know that your boss is seeing you. The first lady, the vice president, the second man, and my entire administrator see you for who you are – created in God’s image and worthy of dignity, respect, and support. On this day and every day, we realize the resilience, power, and pleasure of transgender, non-binary, and gender-consistent people. We celebrate the activism and determination that fueled the struggle for gender equality. We acknowledge the hardships and discrimination that the transgender community continues to face across our nation and around the world…
Transgender people are some of the bravest Americans I know, and our nation and the world are stronger because of them, more vibrant and more prosperous. To transgender Americans of all ages, I want you to know that you are very brave. You belong. I have your back.
Andrew NottiMarch 31, 2022 13:10
Reports that the Biden administration will end key border policy under Trump
The Biden administration is said to be planning to scrap Title 42, the controversial border control policy under Trump that the CDC based on at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The policy has effectively suspended asylum applications at the point of entry into the United States on the grounds of controlling the transmission of Covid-19; The result was that as many as 1.7 million asylum seekers were promptly expelled from the United States without being able to present their cases.
Biden’s tenure so far has seen his refusal to move quickly in easing the Trump administration’s sometimes brutal border policies, and more arrivals at the southern US border are expected in the coming weeks and months.
Andrew NottiMarch 31, 2022 12:40
Biden on new Covid funding: ‘It’s not partisan, it’s medicine’
Congress recently refused to provide billions of dollars in new funding for the government’s efforts to respond to Covid-19, and Joe Biden warned yesterday that if the money is not made available soon, the consequences could be dire.
“If Congress fails to take action, we will not have the supply we need this fall to ensure the shots are freely available and easily accessible to all Americans. Worse, if we need a different vaccine for the future, to combat a new species, we will not have enough money to buy it.” “We cannot allow that to happen… We cannot wait to find ourselves in the midst of another wave of action. It will be too late.”
“We’ve all worked so hard to get our lives back…Together, we’ve turned unimaginable pain into extraordinary progress and purpose — Americans are back to living their lives again,” said Mr. Biden. We can’t give up on that now. Congress, please act – act immediately. The consequences of inaction are serious, and they will only grow over time, but it does not have to be this way.”
Our Andrew Feinberg has the story.
Andrew NottiMarch 31, 2022 12:06
Biden envoy confirmed anti-Semitism after eight-month battle
Deborah Lipstadt, the historian whose work in Holocaust denial has made her internationally famous, has been confirmed as the Biden administration’s special envoy to combat and monitor anti-Semitism. The vote for its confirmation was brought forward by a speech by Democratic Senator John Osoff, himself a descendant of Jewish refugees who fled anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe for a new life in the United States.
Lipstadt was nominated eight months ago, during which time she was obstructed by many Republicans due to her earlier remarks about her. Senator Ron Johnson, Senator from Wisconsin, was particularly outraged, dismissing a tweet accusing him of “white supremacy/nationalism” during the January 6 uprising.
Andrew NottiMarch 31, 2022 11:33
Watch: The resignation of the convicted congressman was read in the House of Representatives
Nebraska Republican Congressman Jeff Fortenberry recently resigned his seat after being found guilty of lying on several counts of lying about an illegal donation to a foreign campaign. Below is the moment his resignation was formally read out on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Andrew NottiMarch 31, 2022 11:06
ICYMI: White House spokeswoman on Trump and Putin
I spoke to the press briefly yesterday, White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield
“So what I’d like to say is this,” I started. “What kind of Americans, not to mention the ex-president, think this is the time to get into a scheme with Vladimir Putin and brag about his connections to Vladimir Putin? There is only one, and that is Donald Trump.”
Andrew NottiMarch 31, 2022 10:32
Biden meets parents of American detained in Russia
Yesterday, Joe Biden met the parents of Trevor Reid, a 30-year-old US citizen and former Marine who has been imprisoned in Russia since 2019. He was originally convicted and sentenced for assaulting two Moscow police officers after a drunken party, charges that his parents and the US government alleged were Manipulated so that Mr. Reed could be used as a bargaining chip in a possible prisoner exchange.
He is now on his second hunger strike in six months, and according to his parents, he likely has tuberculosis and a broken rib.
The White House summary of the meeting stated:
Today, President Biden met with Joey and Paula Reed, the parents of Trevor Reid who is being unjustly detained in Russia. During their meeting, the President reiterated his commitment to continue working to secure the release of Trevor, Paul Whelan, and other Americans unjustly detained in Russia and elsewhere, and to provide all possible assistance until they and the others are freed and return home. Families who very enthusiastically advocate for their release. This is the president’s second interaction with Reds. On March 8, President Biden spoke with Reeds on the phone while in Texas.
The president’s national security team will maintain regular contact with the Reds family, the Whelan family, and the families of other Americans who are being held hostage or unjustly held abroad. We are grateful for their partnership and feedback. We will continue to work to ensure that we communicate and share information in a way that is beneficial to these families.
Previously, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with the Reed family in a virtual group meeting and then privately in December. We are committed to bringing Trevor home. We understand the pain of all Trevor’s family and friends who have experienced the nightmare of his absence, and we are committed to ending it.
Mr. Reed’s parents were reportedly grateful for the meeting:
Andrew NottiMarch 31, 2022 10:07
Watch: Joe Biden takes second Covid booster shot
After his speech on the Covid-19 pandemic, during which he pleaded for Congress to allocate more money to the public health response, Joe Biden rolled his sleeve to receive his second booster shot. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the additional procedure for all people over 50 who are clinically considered to be at high risk.
During his injection, Biden received questions about immigration and his calls with Volodymyr Zelensky, among other things, but kept his cool.
Andrew NottiMarch 31, 2022 09:35