Page 68 - Joe Biden

US Cong okays short-term extension to buy more time for final spending deal

Congress passed another short-term spending measure Thursday that would keep one set of federal agencies operating through March 8 and another set through March 22, avoiding a shutdown for parts of the federal government that would otherwise kick in Saturday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The short-term extension is the fourth in recent months, and many lawmakers expect it to be the last for the current fiscal year. House Speaker Mike Johnson said negotiators had completed six of the annual spending bills that fund federal agencies and had almost final agreement on the others. We'll get the job done, Johnson said as he exited a closed-door meeting with Republican colleagues. The House acted first Thursday. The vote to approve the extension was 320-99. It easily cleared the two-thirds majority needed for passage. Democrats overwhelmingly voted to avert a partial shutdown. But the vote was much more divided with Republicans, 113 in support and 97 ...

Joe Biden orders investigation into security risks of Chinese-made cars

Biden noted that China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by use of unfair means

Biden, Qatari leader urge ceasefire, humanitarian aid after Gaza tragedy

The devastating chaos unfolded as Israeli troops opened fire on hungry Palestinian civilians gathered around food aid trucks, as reported by CNN

Biden, Trump tour US-Mexico border, highlight immigration as election issue

Three hundred miles apart, President Joe Biden and likely Republican challenger Donald Trump walked the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas Thursday, dueling trips underscoring how important immigration has become for the 2024 election and how much each man wants to use it to his advantage. Each chose an optimal location to make his points, their schedules remarkably similar. They each got a briefing on operations and issues, walked along the border and gave remarks that overlapped. But that's where the comparisons ended. Biden, who sought to spotlight how Republicans tanked a bipartisan border security deal on Trump's orders, went to the Rio Grande Valley city of Brownsville. For nine years, this was the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, but they have dropped sharply in recent months. The president walked a quiet stretch of the border along the Rio Grande, and received a lengthy operations briefing from Homeland Security agents who talked to him bluntly about what more they needed.

US to investigate national security risks posed by Chinese-made smart cars

Citing potential national security risks, the Biden administration says it will investigate Chinese-made smart cars that can gather sensitive information about Americans driving them. The probe could lead to new regulations aimed at preventing China from using sophisticated technology in electric cars and other so-called connected vehicles to track drivers and their personal information. Officials are concerned that features such as driver assistance technology could be used to effectively spy on Americans. While the action stops short of a ban on Chinese imports, President Joe Biden said he is taking unprecedented steps to safeguard Americans' data. "China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by using unfair practices," Biden said in a statement Thursday. "China's policies could flood our market with its vehicles, posing risks to our national security. I'm not going to let that happen on my watch." Biden and other officials noted that China has impose

Biden continues to be fit for duty, says his physician after health checkup

Joe Biden "continues to be fit for duty" and "fully executes" all of his responsibilities, his physician has said after an annual health checkup, asserting that the 81-year-old US President does not have any major health concerns. The White House on Wednesday shared a memo with President Biden's current health summary following his annual routine physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre. Biden, whose health has been under scrutiny ahead of November's presidential election, underwent the assessment on Wednesday. He continues to be fit for duty and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations, Dr Kevin O'Connor, physician to the US President, wrote in a memo shared with reporters. Biden's annual medical checkup included speciality consultation with several Presidential Specialty Consultants. These specialities included Optometry, Dentistry, Orthopedics (Foot and Ankle), Orthopedics (Spine), Physical Therapy, Neurology, Sleep ...

Biden highlights how federal money is being used to boost safety efforts

President Joe Biden used a meeting with police chiefs on Wednesday to spotlight his administration's efforts to help cities and police departments manage crime while also providing job opportunities for youth in communities affected by that violence. The president underscored how the American Rescue plan has helped Detroit pay for bonuses and hire 200 additional officers, Milwaukee fund gun crime investigations and Chicago better focus on community violence intervention efforts. He also took a glancing shot at Republicans, suggesting that his administration has helped cities around the U.S. reduce violent crime without Republican help. "We stepped up thanks to my American Rescue Plan, which I might note, not a single person on the other team voted for," Bidens said at the start of the White House meeting that included the heads of police departments from Buffalo, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Chicago, DeKalb County, Georgia, Miami, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia. Doug Emhoff, the husband of .

Hunter Biden tells House GOP he did not involve his father in his business

Hunter Biden appeared on Wednesday on Capitol Hill for a defiant, closed-door deposition with lawmakers, a critical moment for Republicans as their impeachment inquiry into his father and the family's business affairs teeters on the brink of collapse. I am here today to provide the committees with the one uncontestable fact that should end the false premise of this inquiry: I did not involve my father in my business, Hunter Biden said in an opening statement obtained by The Associated Press. The deposition could mark a decisive point for the 14-month Republican investigation into the Biden family, which has centred on Hunter Biden and his overseas work for clients in Ukraine, China, Romania and other countries. Republicans have long questioned whether those business dealings involved corruption and influence peddling by President Joe Biden, particularly when he was vice president. We're deposing Hunter Biden because he's a key witness in our investigation of President Joe Biden, Rep

Biden, Trump win in Michigan primaries, edging closer to 2024 rematch

Trump easily defeated his final major challenger, Nikki Haley, according to the Associated Press and other news organizations

Hunter Biden set to appear for closed-door interview with Republicans

Hunter Biden is set to appear on Wednesday on Capitol Hill for a closed-door deposition with lawmakers, a critical moment for Republicans as their impeachment inquiry into his father and their family's business affairs teeters on the brink of collapse. The deposition will mark a decisive point for the 14-month Republican investigation into the Biden family, which has centred on Hunter Biden and his overseas work for clients in Ukraine, China, Romania and other countries. Republicans have long questioned whether those business dealings involved corruption and influence peddling by President Joe Biden, particularly when he was vice president. Yet after conducting dozens of interviews and obtaining more than 100,000 pages of documents, Republicans have yet to produce direct evidence of misconduct by the president. Meanwhile, an FBI informant who alleged a bribery scheme involving the Bidens a claim Republicans had cited repeatedly to justify their probe is facing charges from federal

President Biden and Trump win Michigan primaries, edge closer to a rematch

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won the Michigan primaries on Tuesday, further solidifying the all-but-certain rematch between the two men. Biden defeated Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, his one significant opponent left in the Democratic primary. But Democrats were also closely watching the results of the uncommitted vote, as Michigan has become the epicenter for dissatisfied members of Biden's coalition that propelled him to victory in the state and nationally in 2020. The number of uncommitted votes has already surpassed the 10,000-vote margin by which Trump won Michigan in 2016, surpassing a goal set by organizers of this year's protest effort. As for Trump, he has now swept the first five states on the Republican primary calendar. His victory in Michigan over his last major primary challenger, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, comes after the former president defeated her by 20 percentage points in her home state of South Carolina on Saturday. The Trump .

Israel, Hamas indicate no deal imminent after Biden's cease-fire claims

Israel and Hamas on Tuesday played down chances of an imminent breakthrough in talks for a cease-fire in Gaza, after U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel has agreed to pause its offensive during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan if a deal is reached to release some hostages. The president's remarks came on the eve of the Michigan primary, where he faces pressure from the state's large Arab American population over his staunch support for Israel's offensive. Biden said he had been briefed on the status of talks by his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, but said his comments reflected his optimism for a deal, not that all the remaining hurdles had been overcome. In the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, Israel's air, sea and ground campaign in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of people, obliterated large swaths of the urban landscape and displaced 80% of the battered enclave's population. Israel's seal on the territory, which allows in only a trickle of food and .

Biden govt taps $366M to fund clean energy for native tribes, rural areas

The federal government will fund 17 projects across the U.S. to expand access to renewable energy on Native American reservations and in other rural areas, the Biden administration announced on Tuesday. The $366 million plan will fund solar, battery storage and hydropower projects in sparsely populated regions where electricity can be costly and unreliable. The money comes from a $1 trillion infrastructure law President Joe Biden signed in 2021. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm called the announcement historic at a clean energy tribal summit in Southern California that began Tuesday. This is the largest amount that the Department of Energy has awarded to tribes for energy projects, she said. About a fifth of homes in the Navajo Nation located in northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah do not have access to electricity, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates. Nearly a third of homes that have electricity on Native American reservations in the U.

US prez Biden urges Congress leaders to move quickly as govt shutdown looms

"We've got a lot of work to do," Biden said in the Oval Office, with Vice President Kamala Harris at his side and the four leaders sitting on couches nearby

Israel will halt Gaza war during Ramadan if hostage deal is fixed: Biden

United States President Joe Biden said Israel would be willing to halt its war on Hamas in Gaza during the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan if a deal is reached to release some of the hostages held by the militants. Negotiators from the US, Egypt and Qatar are working on a framework deal under which Hamas would free some of the dozens of hostages it holds, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a six-week halt in fighting. During the temporary pause, negotiations would continue over the release of the remaining hostages. If a deal is reached in the coming days, this timeline would also include Ramadan, which starts around March 10. Biden's comments in an interview taped Monday for NBC's Late Night With Seth Meyers were the most detailed yet about a possible halt in fighting during the holy month a time of heightened religious observance and dawn-to-dusk fasting. Ramadan's coming up and there has been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engag

Biden and Trump will face tests in Michigan that could inform a rematch

While Joe Biden and Donald Trump are marching toward their respective presidential nominations, Michigan's primary on Tuesday could reveal significant political perils for both of them. Trump, despite his undoubted dominance of the Republican contests this year, is facing a bloc of stubbornly persistent GOP voters who favour his lone remaining rival, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, and who are sceptical at best about the former president's prospects in a rematch against Biden. As for the incumbent president, Biden is confronting perhaps his most potent electoral obstacle yet: an energized movement of disillusioned voters upset with his handling of the war in Gaza and a relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that critics say has been too supportive. Those dynamics will be put to the test in Michigan, the last major primary state before Super Tuesday and a critical swing state in November's general election. Even if they post dominant victories as expected on ..

Consultant behind fake Biden robocalls says was trying to warn about AI

The political consultant behind a robocall that mimicked President Joe Biden's voice said Monday he was trying to send a wake-up call about the potential malign uses of artificial intelligence, not influence the outcome of last month's New Hampshire primary. Steve Kramer, in an interview days after he was publicly identified as the source of the calls, confirmed paying a New Orleans street magician $150 to create a recorded message that was sent to thousands of voters two days before the first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23. The messages played a voice similar to Biden's that used his phrase What a bunch of malarkey, and falsely suggested that voting in the primary would preclude voters from casting a ballot in November. Maybe I'm a villain today, but I think in the end we get a better country and better democracy because of what I've done, deliberately, Kramer said. New Hampshire authorities have been investigating the calls as a potential violation of the state's voter suppressi

Biden hopes ceasefire to pause Israel-Hamas war can take effect by Monday

President Joe Biden said Monday that he hopes a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that would pause hostilities and allow for remaining hostages to be released can take effect by early next week. Asked when he thought a cease-fire could begin, Biden said: Well I hope by the beginning of the weekend. The end of the weekend. My national security adviser tells me that we're close. We're close. We're not done yet. My hope is by next Monday we'll have a ceasefire. Biden commented in New York after taping an appearance on NBC's Late Night With Seth Meyers. Negotiations are underway for a weekslong cease-fire between Israel and Hamas to allow for the release of hostages being held in Gaza by the militant group in return for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The proposed six-week pause in fighting would also include allowing hundreds of trucks to deliver desperately needed aid into Gaza every day. Negotiators face an unofficial deadline of the start of the Muslim holy mo

WTO to open biennial meeting in United Arab Emirates as challenges loom

The World Trade Organisation will open its biennial meeting Monday in the United Arab Emirates as the bloc faces pressure from the United States and other nations ahead of a year of consequential elections around the globe. The WTO's 164 member nations will discuss a deal to ban subsidies that contribute to overfishing, extending a pause on taxes on digital media like movies and video games, and agricultural issues. But headwinds remain for the organisation and the world's economy, particularly as the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic remains uneven across nations. Meanwhile, there are more than 50 elections affecting half the planet's population planned for this year perhaps none more critical for the WTO than the US presidential election on November 5. Running again is former President Donald Trump, who threatened to withdraw the US from the WTO and repeatedly levied tariffs taxes on imported goods on perceived friends and foes alike. A Trump win could again roil global ..

Biden summons congressional leaders to WH to talk about Ukraine funding

President Joe Biden will convene the top four congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday to press lawmakers on passing an emergency aid package for Ukraine and Israel, as well as averting a looming government shutdown next month, according to a White House official. The top four leaders include House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. During the meeting, the president will discuss the "urgency" of passing the aid package, which has bipartisan support, as well as legislation to keep the federal government operating through the end of September, said the White House official, who was granted anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet publicly confirmed. The Republican-led House is under pressure to pass the USD 95 billion national security package that bolsters aid for Ukraine, Israel as well as the Indo-Pacific. That legislation cleared the ...