Joe Biden heads to New Hampshire to promote $1tn infrastructure law – live | US politics

Jen Psaki attacked yesterday’s court ruling, by a Donald Trump-appointed judge, that struck down the federal mask mandate on public transportation:

Public health decisions shouldn’t be made by the courts. They should be made by public health experts. We’ve said from the start that our Covid response should be guided by the science and data and by experts.

She added that an appeal to the ruling, made by Florida district court judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle was possible, but that it was a decision for the justice department and would probably take a few days.

Agencies are reviewing next steps, including the department of justice. Traditionally, following a court decision, that can take a couple of days.

Psaki denied that the White House had been “undercut” by the ruling, or that the decision had “confused” the public, as health officials were still recommending that masks be worn while traveling:

We are here to alleviate their confusion. So the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] continues to advise and recommend masks on airplanes. We’re abiding by the CDC recommendations. The president is and we would advise all Americans to do that.

The “gaggle” ended abruptly as Air Force One descended to land at Portsmouth airport, New Hampshire.

Talking of Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary is hosting a “gaggle” for reporters aboard Air Force One as Joe Biden heads for New Hampshire.

She opened by announcing that the US president and allies discussed joint efforts to hold Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine:

The president convened the video conference to discuss their ongoing efforts to support Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. The leaders reiterated their commitment to continue providing security, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in its time of need. The leaders affirmed their solidarity with the Ukrainian people and condemned the humanitarian suffering caused by Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion.

They also discuss their respective diplomatic engagements and their coordinated efforts to continue to impose severe economic costs to hold Russia accountable. They agreed to continue to closely coordinate their efforts including working with and through the G7, EU and Nato.

The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, broke down in tears during an interview in which she condemned the “cruelty” of a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation sweeping through Republican states.

Known for her toughness at the briefing room podium, Psaki showed a more emotional side during the discussion with Jessica Yellin, host of the News Not Noise podcast released on Tuesday, Mediaite reported.

“They’re doing that in a way that is harsh and cruel to a community of kids, especially,” Psaki said, in tears, after Yellin asked her to “make sense” of the Republican push for legislation that marginalises the LBGTQ+ community.

“I’m going to get emotional about this issue because it’s horrible. But it’s kids who are bullied, and all these leaders are taking steps to hurt them, and hurt their lives and hurt their families.

“And you look at some of these laws in these states and who’s going after parents, who are in loving relationships, who have kids. It’s completely outrageous. Sorry, this is an issue that makes me completely crazy.”

Analysts say the wave of legislation, including Florida’s so-called “don’t say gay” bill, is designed to provoke “gender grievance” among voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.

“What we’re talking about here in Florida, for example … if you have a kid in a classroom, and I have a kindergartner, I can imagine her saying, ‘My friend has two moms. My friend has two dads.’ Psaki said.

“And the teacher in her classroom, I would hope would say, ‘That’s wonderful. They’re loving parents, and you have a mom and a dad.’

“This is penalising teachers and educators. There are so many layers of this that are outrageous, and I hope people continue to educate themselves on this because it is a bad side of politics.”

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• Joe Biden started his day in the situation room with a secure video call with allies and partners about the situation in Ukraine. On the call were the leaders of Canada, the European Union, the European Commission, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Nato, Poland, Romania and the United Kingdom.
• Biden is now heading to New Hampshire to talk infrastructure, and how the $1tn infrastructure law will help alleviate supply chain issues.
• Treasury secretary Janet Yellen told a panel today that Russia and its invasion of Ukraine has worsened the “already dire” food insecurity situation around the world.
• MSNBC analyst Malcolm Nance spoke about his decision to join the international legion in Ukraine and fight against Russian forces.
• An attempt to bar the far-right Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress over her support for the 6 January attack on the US Capitol can proceed, a federal judge said on Monday.

US military assistance to Ukraine now totalling at $2.6bn:

Politico is reporting that the Biden administration is planning to rescind a Trump-era rule that allowed healthcare providers to avoid performing abortions or other medical services on religious or moral grounds.

Known as the “conscience rule”, this medical loophole never took effect after the department of health and human services announced its creation in 2018 because of litigation – a federal court blocked it in 2019 after states likes like California and New York, in addition to abortion providers, challenged it.

But the rule would have allowed the federal government to punish hospitals, clinics, universities and other healthcare providers that stopped healthcare workers from doing what their “conscience” dictated.

Some complicated factors taking place for Joe Biden and his trip to New Hampshire today:

A federal judge in Florida on Monday struck down Biden’s national mask mandate covering airplanes, airports and other public transportation, saying the rule exceeded the authority of US health officials in the coronavirus pandemic.

But now the overturned mandate leaves transport authorities in flux, as it’s now on them to determine whether to continue requiring mask-wearing or to end the practice.

Read more here:

Joe Biden is heading to New Hampshire today in his second trip to the state as president.

He will be visiting Portsmouth Harbor, the state’s only deep water harbor, to speak on the $1tn infrastructure law and how it will alleviate the country’s supply chain issues.

According to the Associated Press, $1.7m of the infrastructure law will go to dredging Portsmouth Harbor’s shipping channel and basin – in total, $17bn of the law will go to toward upgrading port facilities.

Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis, a possible presidential candidate, is ramping up his feud with Disney, demanding that a special legislative session this week terminates the theme park giant’s decades-old right to self-governance.

DeSantis and Disney have been at odds over Florida’s new “don’t say gay” bill, which prohibits classroom discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity.

After initial hesitancy, Disney, which prides itself on diversity and inclusiveness, issued a blistering statement condemning the law and promising to fight to overturn it.

DeSantis sees an opportunity for revenge by eliminating the Reedy Creek Improvement District, created by Florida legislators in 1967 to allow Disney to raise taxes and conduct operations autonomously.

Until today, DeSantis has expressed loose support for a proposal by loyal state congressman Spencer Roach to terminate Reedy Creek. But at a press conference this morning in the ultra-Republican central Florida retirement mecca of The Villages, which, ironically, operates under its own special purpose districts, the governor declared he was widening this week’s legislative session.

“Yes, they will be considering the congressional map, but they also will be considering termination of all special districts that were enacted in Florida prior to 1968, and that includes the Reedy Creek Improvement District,” he said.

The “don’t say gay” law is one of several culture war bills laws that Florida has advanced in recent weeks, including a 15-week abortion ban and the DeSantis endorsed Stop Woke Act that bans discussion of critical race theory (CRT) but which critics say eradicates discussion of important historical events.

This week, Florida education officials rejected 54 math textbooks they claimed promoted CRT.

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The Associated Press is reporting that the father of Alison Parker, a Virginia journalist fatally shot during a live broadcast in 2015, has conceded that he failed to make the ballot in the Democratic nomination contest for the fifth congressional district.

Andy Parker, who announced in January that he would seek to unseat incumbent Republican congressman and Donald Trump ally Bob Good, said in a statement Monday that he would instead be supporting Democratic nominee Josh Throneburg.

“I was looking forward to a spirited primary and campaign against Good this fall, but to my great disappointment our campaign did not meet the technical requirements to be on the primary ballot. I want to thank the thousands of Virginians and supporters across America who stood with me,” Parker said.

Since 24-year-old daughter Alison was killed on-air by a former colleague during an interview, Andy Parker has pushed for gun-control measures and battled with Facebook for allowing the video of his daughter’s slaying to circulate.

Alison Parker’s death also prompted her boyfriend, WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst, to enter politics. Hurst, a Democrat, quit his TV job in 2017 and served two terms in the house of delegates before being unseated by a Republican last November.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has worsened the “already dire” food insecurity situation around the world, treasury secretary Janet Yellen said today.

Reuters is reporting that the US treasury secretary told a panel that even before the war, 10% of the global population were suffering from chronic food insecurity – more than 800m people. Early estimates show that higher food prices from the Russian invasion could push at least 10m more people worldwide into poverty.

“I want to be clear: Russia’s actions are responsible for this,” Yellen said. She told the panel that countries should avoid export restrictions that could further increase prices while also acting to support vulnerable populations and smallholder farmers.

Yellen said the US was committed to authorizing essential humanitarian and ensuring the availability of food and agricultural commodities to benefit people around the world.

Over in the situation room, Joe Biden began his secure video call about the Russia-Ukraine war with allies and partners at 9:57am local time.

On the call were the leaders of Canada, the European Union, the European Commission, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Nato, Poland, Romania and the United Kingdom.

MSNBC analyst Malcolm Nance has announced that he has joined the international legion in Ukraine and is fighting the invading Russian forces.

“As you know, I spent quite a bit of time here in the pre-war period. When the invasion happened, I had friends who were in Donetsk, who were in the Ukrainian army, who were writing us and telling us, ‘We are not going to survive tonight’,” he told MSNBC.

“The more I saw of the war going on, the more I thought, I’m done talking. It’s time to take action here. About a month ago, I joined the international legion here in Ukraine and I’m here to help this country fight what is essentially a war of extermination.”

4h ago14.34

Martin Pengelly

An attempt to bar the far-right Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress over her support for the January 6 attack can proceed, a federal judge said on Monday.

Citing “a whirlpool of colliding constitutional interests of public import”, Amy Totenberg of the northern district of Georgia sent the challenge on to a state hearing on Friday.

A coalition of liberal groups is behind the challenge against the congresswoman, citing the 14th amendment to the US constitution, passed after the civil war.

The amendment says: “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

Full story:

4h ago14.22

Martin Pengelly

Joe Biden has told Barack Obama he will run for re-election in 2024, according to a Washington website, the Hill.

The site cited two anonymous sources. One was quoted as saying Biden “wants to run and he’s clearly letting everyone know”.

It was not clear when Biden told Obama his plans. But Obama visited the White House earlier this month, to celebrate the Affordable Care Act.

Introducing his host, Obama called him “Vice-President Biden”.

“That was a joke,” he said, to laughter.

According to books and reportage about the 2020 campaign, Obama doubted whether Biden could win.

Edward-Isaac Dovere, author of Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats’ Campaigns to Defeat Trump, reports: “Obama was doubtful about [Biden’s] prospects. He didn’t think Biden could be a disciplined enough candidate.”

Dovere also says Obama doubted Biden’s stamina for the race, was not sure he had the requisite “swagger” for an American president, and worried his vice-president had “trouble … connecting with crowds”.

But Dovere also quotes Jen Psaki, now Biden’s White House press secretary, as saying Obama “undervalued Biden’s political abilities because they had such different styles”.

Full story:

Ahoy there, live blog readers. Let’s get started.

Joe Biden will kick off his day in the Situation Room at the White House, on a secure video call with allies and partners to discuss Ukraine and Russia.

This comes as Russian troops seized the city of Kreminna in east Ukraine, as the battle for the Donbas region begins. Reminder that we have a live updates on the conflict here on our Ukraine live blog.

After the secure video call, Biden will head to New Hampshire to talk infrastructure, a key part of Democratic messaging as midterm elections loom … and as polling continues to show worrying signs of a Republican takeover of Congress.

There is also a report out this morning that Biden has told Barack Obama he will run again in 2024.

There was also news overnight from Georgia, that a challenge seeking to bar Marjorie Taylor Greene from office can proceed.

Much more to come.