‘You’ve got to be silly’: Biden hits back at Ukraine questions from Fox News reporter
President Joe Biden is preparing to order the release of up to one million barrels of oil per day from the strategic petroleum reserve in a bid to control prices that have spiked after the US and its allies imposed strict sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
The announcement could come as soon as Thursday, according to reports.
Mr Biden spoke with Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the situation in Ukraine. The call comes as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators discuss a de-escalation agreement that could see Russia draw down forces from the area near Kyiv.
Both the White House and the Pentagon have said that they believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed about progress in the war by his senior advisers.
Mr Biden also gave a speech on the state of the coronavirus pandemic, announcing the launch of a central website for resources, before receiving his second booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine.
Meanwhile, after contentious nomination hearings that saw Republican senators harangue her about critical race theory, Ketanji Brown Jackson has picked up a crucial supporter: Maine Senator Susan Collins, who has become the first Republican to announce she will vote to confirm her.
Government departments to fly transgender pride flag
The Department of Health and Human Services will today be marking the national day of trans visibility declared by Joe Biden with a display of solidarity from its DC flagpole.
Among the department’s senior staff is Assistand Secretary for Health Rachel Levine, the most senior openly trans person appointed to a Senate-confirmed government position to date.
Also flying the flag is the Department of Homeland Security, led by Xavier Becerra.
Andrew Naughtie31 March 2022 14:15
Trump advisor enraged by move to scrap Title 42
Stephen Miller, the nationalist anti-immigration hardliner who crafted much of Donald Trump’s border policy, has hit out at the Biden administration’s move to scrap the provision known as Title 42 that blocked most asylum claims at the point of entry to the US.
Warning on Twitter that the move could unleash “one of history’s most spectaular travesties” and “open the floodgates on a biblical scale”, Mr Miller was soon upbraided by those on the other side of the argument. Among his critics was Congressman Brendan Boyle, who recalled his own family’s debt to a more accepting immigration policy.
Andrew Naughtie31 March 2022 13:44
Biden marks day of transgender visibility among nationwide backlash against trans people
Joe Biden has declared 31 March the Transgender Day of Visibility, an effort to “honor transgender people who are 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 reach their potential”.
This he has done as trans people across the US face an escalating legal effort to exclude trans women from women and girls’ sport, restrict the therapies available to gender non-conforming children, and limit what schoolchildren can be taught about gender identity and sexuality.
To everyone celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility, I want you to know that your President sees you. The First Lady, the Vice President, the Second Gentleman, and my entire Administration see you for who you are — made in the image of God and deserving of dignity, respect, and support. On this day and every day, we recognize the resilience, strength, and joy of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people. We celebrate the activism and determination that have fueled the fight for transgender equality. We acknowledge the adversity 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, more vibrant, and more prosperous because of them. To transgender Americans of all ages, I want you to know that you are so brave. You belong. I have your back.
Andrew Naughtie31 March 2022 13:10
Reports that Biden administration will end key Trump-era border policy
The Biden administration is reportedly planning to scrap Title 42, a contentious Trump-era border control policy invoked by the CDC at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The policy effectively suspended asylum claims at the point of entry to the US on the grounds of controlling Covid-19 transmission; the result was that as many as 1.7 million people seeking asylum were immediately expelled from the US without being able to present their cases.
Mr Biden’s tenure has so far seen him decline to move fast on easing the Trump administration’s sometimes draconian border policies and a surge of arrivals at the US’s southern border is expected in the coming weeks and months.
Andrew Naughtie31 March 2022 12:40
Biden on new Covid funding: “It’s not partisan, it’s medicine”
Congress recently declined to provide billions of dollars in new funding for the government’s Covid-19 response effort, and Joe Biden yesterday warned that if the money isn’t forthcoming soon, the consequences could be severe.
“If Congress fails to act, we won’t have the supply we need this fall to ensure the shots are available free, easily accessible for all Americans. Even worse, if we need a different vaccine for the future, to combat a new variant, we’re not going to have enough money to purchase it,” he said. “We cannot allow that to happen … we can’t wait to find ourselves in the midst of another surge to act. It’ll be too late”.
“All of us have worked so hard to get our lives back … together, we turned an unthinkable pain into an extraordinary progress and purpose — Americans are back to living their lives again,” Mr Biden said. “We can’t surrender that now. Congress, please act — you have to act immediately. The consequences of inaction are severe, they’ll only grow with time, but it doesn’t have to be that way”.
Andrew Feinberg has the story.
Andrew Naughtie31 March 2022 12:06
Biden’s antisemitism envoy confirmed after eight-month fight
Deborah Lipstadt, the historian whose work challenging Holocaust denial made her internationally famous, has been confirmed as the Biden administration’s special envoy to combat and monitor antisemitism. The vote to confirm her was introduced by a speech from Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, himself the descendant of Jewish refugees who fled antisemitism in Eastern Europe for a new life in the US.
Ms Lipstadt was nominated eight months ago, during which time various Republicans obstructed her because of her past remarks about them. Particularly angry was Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, who took exception to a tweet in which Ms Lipstadt accused him of “white supremacy/nationalism” over the 6 January insurrection.
Andrew Naughtie31 March 2022 11:33
Watch: convicted congressman’s resignation read out in House chamber
Republican Nebraska Congressman Jeff Fortenberry recently resigned his seat after being found guilty of lying on numerous counts of lying about an illegal foreign campaign donation. Below is the moment his resignation was formally read out on the House floor.
Andrew Naughtie31 March 2022 11:06
ICYMI: White House spokeswoman on Trump and Putin
Speaking to the press at a briefing yesterday, White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield
“So what I would say about is this,” she began. “What kind of American, let alone an ex-president, thinks that this is the right time to enter into a scheme with Vladimir Putin and brag about his connections to Vladimir Putin? There is only one, and it’s Donald Trump.”
Andrew Naughtie31 March 2022 10:32
Biden meets with parents of American detained in Russia
Joe Biden yesterday met with the parents of Trevor Reed, a 30-year-old American citizen and former marine who has been imprisoned in Russia since 2019. He was originally convicted and sentenced on charges of assaulting two Moscow police officers after a drunken party, charges that his parents and the US government claim were trumped up so Mr Reed could be used as a bargaining chip for a potential prisoner exchange.
He is now on his second hunger strike in six months, and according to his parents is possibly suffering from tuberculosis and a broken rib.
The White House’s summary of the meeting reads:
President Biden met today with Joey and Paula Reed, the parents of Trevor Reed, who is wrongfully detained in Russia. During their meeting, the President reiterated his commitment to continue to work to secure the release of Trevor, Paul Whelan, and other Americans wrongfully held in Russia and elsewhere, and to provide all possible assistance until they and others are free and returned home to their families who are advocating so passionately for their release. This is the President’s second interaction with the Reeds. On March 8, President Biden spoke to the Reeds by phone while he was in Texas.
The President’s national security team will remain in regular contact with the Reeds, the Whelan family, and other families of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. We are grateful for their partnership and feedback. We will continue to work to ensure we are communicating and sharing information in a way useful to these families.
Previously, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with the Reed family in a virtual group meeting and then privately in December. He expressed our commitment to bringing Trevor home. We understand the pain felt by all of Trevor’s families and friends enduring the nightmare of his absence, which we are committed to bringing to an end.
Mr Reed’s parents were also reportedly grateful for the meeting:
Andrew Naughtie31 March 2022 10:07
Watch: Joe Biden receives his second Covid booster shot
After his speech on the Covid-19 pandemic, during which he implored Congress to allocate more funds to the public health response, Joe Biden rolled up his sleeve to receive his second booster shot. The FDA recently approved the added measure for all over-50s and those considered clinically extremely vulnerable.
While being injected, Mr Biden was bombarded with questions about immigration and his call with Volodymyr Zelensky, among other things, but retained his cool.
Andrew Naughtie31 March 2022 09:35