Tue, May 7, 2024 at 5:16 am
President Biden is set to deliver a Holocaust remembrance speech at the U-S Capitol. The ceremony comes as the Hamas attack on Israel and controversy over the war in Gaza have sparked new waves of violence and hateful rhetoric toward Jews, and disruptive demonstrations on college campuses across the country. The White House says the president will issue a forceful condemnation of antisemitism — as he continues to balance support for Israel with his efforts to constrain the war in Gaza.
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Sun, May 5, 2024 at 7:07 am
President Biden’s push to reclassify marijuana is his latest election year move to attract young voters. Hoping to appeal to younger voters, the president has embraced a series of policies ranging from free community college to abortion access to student loan forgiveness. His latest move is a proposal to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Biden campaign is fighting to hold together the coalition that sent him to the White House in 2020. But he’s facing stiff opposition from many younger Americans when it comes to his handling of Israel’s war against Hamas.
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Sun, May 5, 2024 at 7:03 am
A new poll shows 40 percent of Americans view China as an enemy. The Pew Research Center, which conducted the survey, says that’s the highest level in five years. While four in five Americans think of China an an enemy, half see China as a competitor, and only six percent consider the country a partner, according to the report. The United States is at odds with communist China on a range of issues, but the findings come as the Biden administration is seeking to stabilize U.S.-China relations, hoping to avoid miscalculations that could result in conflict.
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Sun, May 5, 2024 at 6:59 am
Another half-dozen Republican states are challenging the Biden administration’s new rules protecting LGBTQ students. Six more states have joined a federal lawsuit, led by Tennessee and West Virginia, seeking to overturn the new policy. The states argue that the Biden administration’s newly expanded campus sexual assault rules overstep the president’s authority. Under the new rules, the Title Nine law will protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Republican-led states involved in the suit that amounts to an illegal rewriting of the landmark legislation.
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Sat, May 4, 2024 at 7:03 am
President Biden raised eyebrows this week when he described two U-S allies as “xenophobic” countries. The surprising comments came during a fundraiser here in Washington when the president argued that migration has been good for the U-S economy. He said that Japan and India were struggling economically because they’re “xenophobic” countries that do not welcome immigrants. Both nations are U-S allies and the president’s remarks came just three weeks after Mr. Biden hosted the Japanese prime minister for a lavish official visit.
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Fri, May 3, 2024 at 7:03 am
President Biden is denouncing any violence associated with Hamas War protests on university and college campuses across the country. The president said there’s a right to protest, but not a right to cause chaos. Asked by reporters whether he thinks the National Guard should intervene, he said “no.’ And the president also said that he’s not reconsidering any of his administration’s Mideast policies because of the campus protests.
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Fri, May 3, 2024 at 6:53 am
The United States is voicing concerns about Russian fuel shipments to North Korea. The United Nations has capped the amount of refined petroleum products that can be sent to North Korea as part of its long effort to curb that country’s nuclear weapons program. But the White House says Russia is shipping fuel to the communist North at levels that exceed U-N Security Council limits. Officials here say intelligence shows that Russia has become increasingly reliant on North Korea for arms for its war in Ukraine — and the administration is prepared to impose new sanctions.
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Thu, May 2, 2024 at 6:31 pm
President Biden paid his respects to the four law enforcement officers killed in North Carolina this week. During a visit to Charlotte, the president met privately with the families of the officers who were gunned down on the job Monday. He also met with officers wounded during the shooting, and wished them a fast recovery. The president said “the men and women of law enforcement … represent the best of us.”
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Thu, May 2, 2024 at 12:52 pm
President Biden broke his silence on nationwide campus protests by condemning violent and hateful behavior. Speaking publicly about the campus unrest for the first time in more than a week, the president said Americans have the right to demonstrate but not to unleash violence. He defended freedom of speech as he warned against hate speech.
Thu, May 2, 2024 at 12:51 pm
President Biden acknowledged the National Day of Prayer with a proclamation and a social media post. The president wrote on X that “Scripture tells us to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer.” He went on to say that his prayer is that Americans “keep faith that our best days are ahead…and continue to believe in honesty, decency, dignity, and respect.” In a National Day of Prayer Proclamation, the president said prayer is “deeply personal” but also has played an important role in American life.
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Thu, May 2, 2024 at 12:10 pm
The White House is scrambling to explain why President Biden called Japan and India “xenophobic” countries. At a fundraiser this week, the president raised eyebrows when he described the two U-S allies as “xenophobic” countries that do not welcome immigrants. He included Japan and India with adversaries China and Russia as he discussed the global economy and contrasted those four countries with the U.S. on immigration. Peppered with questions, White House officials tried to explain Mr. Biden’s comments and said America’s allies know how the president “values them [and] their friendship.”
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Thu, May 2, 2024 at 6:54 am
President Biden will meet with family members of the four law enforcement officers killed in North Carolina this week. The president, who was already scheduled to visit North Carolina today, is adding a stop in Charlotte to meet with local officials and the families of officers who were shot on Monday. The White House says Mr. Biden will pay his respects to the slain officers. This week’s mass shooting during the serving of a warrant was the deadliest attack on U-S law enforcement since 2016.
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Wed, May 1, 2024 at 4:55 pm
Donald Trump is going to be courting Libertarians later this month. The former president will speak at the Libertarian National Convention later this month here in the nation’s capital, as he tries to woo voters beyond the Republican base. In a statement, Trump said, “If Libertarians join me and the Republican Party, where we have many Libertarian views, the election won’t even be close.” The event comes as Trump’s campaign has ramped up its attacks against Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent.
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Wed, May 1, 2024 at 4:37 pm
The United States has imposed new sanctions targeting Russia’s weapons program. Action by the Treasury and State Departments takes aim at hundreds of companies and people tied to Russia’s weapons development program. The sanctions also penalize more than a dozen Chinese entities accused of helping Moscow evade earlier sanctions. Individuals linked to the death of Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny are also targeted by the U-S. A statement from the Treasury secretary said the action “will further disrupt and degrade Russia’s war efforts” against Ukraine.
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Wed, May 1, 2024 at 2:08 pm
The White House is facing questions about President Biden’s silence about nationwide campus protests. As anti-Israel protesters take over some campuses, police make arrests, and violence cancels some classes, the president has remained silent. Asked about that, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted that no president has been more outspoken against antisemitism than Joe Biden. But she offered no definitive answer when repeatedly asked about the president’s lack of specific comments on the demonstrations roiling colleges and universities across the country.
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Tue, Apr 30, 2024 at 5:16 pm
The Justice Department wants to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. In what would be an historic shift in American drug policy, the Biden administration proposes making marijuana use a less serious federal crime. The proposal still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget. A change in classification would not legalize marijuana nationwide, but it would shake up cannabis policy. President Biden made a campaign promise to decriminalize marijuana.
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Tue, Apr 30, 2024 at 11:40 am
The White House is critical of student protesters taking over a building at Columbia University, barricading the doors, and unfurling a Palestinian flag. National security spokesman John Kirby said students have free speech rights, but there’s concern about the escalating demonstrations. The nationwide campus protests began as a response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel in October.
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Tue, Apr 30, 2024 at 11:22 am
The United States is urging Hamas to accept an Israeli cease-fire proposal. U-S officials call the latest offer “extraordinarily generous” and a “good proposal.” White House national security spokesman John Kirby. Terms of the deal were not made public, but it’s believed that hostages from both sides of the conflict would be released during an initial six-week phase of the cease-fire.
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Tue, Apr 30, 2024 at 10:10 am
Donald Trump has been held in contempt of court and fined in his New York criminal trial. Judge Juan Merchan concluded that the former president repeatedly violated a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York criminal trial. The judge rebuked Trump, holding him in contempt of court and fining him nine-thousand dollars — one thousand dollars each for nine violations. The former president had insisted he was exercising his free speech rights with his comments and social media posts.
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Mon, Apr 29, 2024 at 8:45 pm
President Biden is mourning the loss of law enforcement officers gunned down in Charlotte, North Carolina. After getting briefed on the mass shooting, the president spoke to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to express his condolences and support for the community. The White House also said that senior White House officials are in contact with federal, state, and local officials.
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Mon, Apr 29, 2024 at 4:10 pm
Former President Trump has met privately with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The Trump-DeSantis rivalry during the GOP presidential primary featured name calling and insults. But the two men are trying to patch things up, and it started with a three-hour meeting over the weekend. According to people familiar with the discussion, the former president and Florida governor are working on plans for joint fundraising efforts in the general election.
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Mon, Apr 29, 2024 at 4:08 pm
The United States doesn’t believe Russia’s Vladimir Putin ordered the death of an opposition leader. U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Putin likely did not directly order the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny earlier this year. The intelligence community has found no evidence that Putin was aware of the timing of Navalny’s death or issued the order. However, U-S officials believe the Russian president was ultimately responsible for the death of Navalny, who serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges that he called politically motivated.
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Thu, Apr 25, 2024 at 6:32 am
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in former President Trump’s immunity case. Justices will be determining whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in a federal case charging him with 2020 election interference. His lawyers say former presidents are entitled to absolute immunity — an argument that was flatly rejected by the judge overseeing the federal case. If the high court rules against Trump and in favor of the government, the case would be returned to federal court and the setting of a trial date.
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Wed, Apr 24, 2024 at 11:06 am
President Biden has granted clemency to 16 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. Using his clemency power, the president pardoned 11 people and commuted the sentences of 5 others. In a statement, Mr. Biden said “many of these individuals received disproportionately longer” drug-related sentences than they would have under current law. He said the pardon recipients “have demonstrated their commitment to improving their lives” and the commutation recipients “have shown that they are deserving of forgiveness.”
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