GOP convention plans taking shape in Milwaukee

Biden proposes additional student loan debt relief

No Labels won’t run a 2024 presidential candidate

There will be no third-party presidential candidate put forward by the No Labels organization. After raising millions of dollars for a potential 2024 presidential ticket to counter the Biden and Trump campaigns, the bipartisan group No Labels is pulling the plug on its efforts. The CEO issued a statement saying they were unable to attract “candidates with a credible path to winning the White House.” Several well-known politicians ruled out running on the No Labels ticket, including former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Senator Joe Manchin, and former governors Larry Hogan and Chris Christie.

Biden says Israel must do more to protect civilians, aid workers in Gaza

President Biden has told Israel that it must do more to protect civilians and aid workers in the Gaza war.
During a 30-minute phone call with the Israeli prime minister, the president warned that future U-S support for the Gaza war depends on new steps by Israel. National Security spokesman John Kirby said the president was “very direct” in telling Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel must take concrete steps “to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.”

Judge rejects Trump’s bid to delay hush money trial

A judge has rejected Donald Trump’s bid to delay his upcoming hush money criminal trial. Lawyers for the former president asked for a delay of the hush money trial until the Supreme Court rules in Trump’s immunity claim in his Washington, D.C., election interference case is resolved. But the judge said no. The trial is scheduled to begin April 15th. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors are scolding the judge presiding over Trump’s classified documents case in Florida. They’re unhappy with the slow pace and are questioning the judge’s approach, arguing that her jury instructions are based on a “fundamentally flawed legal premise.”

Biden faces Muslim backlash over Israel Hamas war

Muslim-Americans continue to be angry with President Biden over the Israel-Hamas war. The president’s plans for an Iftar dinner this week were scaled back when invited Muslim American leaders refused to attend. A meeting was scheduled instead to hear from the Arab community. One of the attendees was Dr. Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian-American ER doctor. He told CNN that he walked out of the meeting with President Biden and Vice President Harris after telling them what he witnessed while treating hospital patients in Gaza.

Biden stands with Israel despite anger over aid worker deaths

President Biden is standing with Israel despite his anger over the killing of humanitarian aid workers. The president said he was “outraged” over the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen workers and that “Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers.” However, a White House spokesperson says “nothing has changed” when it comes to U-S policy toward Israel. Mr. Biden is demanding “accountability” for those responsible for the killings and wants more humanitarian assistance allowed into Gaza.

WSJ Poll: Trump leads Biden in 6 battleground states

Donald Trump leads President Biden in six battleground states according to a new Wall Street Journal poll. The poll shows Trump with a lead of between 2 and 8 percentage points among voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina. In Wisconsin, Biden was ahead by 3 points on a multiple candidate ballot and tied in a head-to-head contest with Trump. According to the Journal, respondents gave negative views of Joe Biden’s job performance and have ongoing concerns about the economy.

U.S. expects Israeli transparency after airstrike killed aid workers

The White House expects transparency from Israel after an airstrike killed at least seven aid workers in Gaza. National Security spokesman John Kirby said the White House was “outraged” over the incident and is awaiting the findings of an Israeli investigation. Despite growing criticism over Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza, Kirby said the U-S supports Israel, which he said continues to face a viable threat from Hamas.

U.S. denies involvement in attack on Iranian consulate in Syria

The United States denies any involvement in a deadly attack on Iran’s consulate in Syria.
The airstrike widely attributed to Israel demolished Iran’s consulate building in Damascus and killed 12 people, including two Iranian generals. Iran has vowed to respond and White House national security spokesman John Kirby said “we weren’t involved in any way whatsoever.” Kirby said the U-S will do what is necessary to protect American troops and facilities in Iraq and Syria.

White House “outraged” over charity workers’ deaths in Gaza

The White House is expressing outrage over an Israeli air strike that killed humanitarian aid workers in Gaza. National Security spokesman John Kirby expressed deep U-S disappointment in the deadly errant strike. Israel says the strike was an accident and that officials are investigating. Kirby said the U-S will await the findings and expects full transparency. He said the Biden administration continues to support Israel’s targeting of Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Biden, Xi discuss Taiwan, AI, security in phone call

President Biden and Chinese President Xi have discussed a range of issues in a phone call. It was the leaders’ first conversation since their November summit in California. A senior administration official says Mr. Biden discussed Taiwan, AI, and security issues — including Beijing’s operations in the South China Sea and China’s support of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Serious challenges remain between the two countries, but U-S officials are hopeful that ongoing communication between the leaders will lead to cooperation rather than conflict.

Biden to face more “uncommitted” voters in Wisconsin’s primary

President Biden faces more “uncommitted” voters in Wisconsin’s primary. Several dozen grassroots groups and organizers have been urging voters to express their opposition to the president’s strong support of Israel’s war against Hamas. Their goal is to get 20-thousand-682 voters to mark their Democratic primary ballots “uninstructed,” that’s Wisconsin’s version of “uncommitted.” And that number is significant. It represents Joe Biden’s margin of victory over Donald Trump in the state in the 2020 presidential election.

White House disputes religious intolerance accusations

The White House is disputing allegations of religious intolerance stemming from a flap over Easter. The Trump campaign, Republican officials, and some religious conservatives blasted the White House when President Biden proclaimed March 31st as “Transgender Day of Visibility.” This year, Easter Sunday fell on the same date and that outraged Biden critics. House Speaker Johnson said the White House “betrayed the central tenet of Easter.” But the president said he didn’t do that and White House officials say Mr. Biden would never abuse his Christian faith.

Buttigieg: Bipartisanship needed in wake of collapsed bridge

The Biden administration is emphasizing bipartisanship in the wake of the collapsed bridge in Baltimore. Some Republicans in Congress are cool to the idea of the federal government paying for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, as proposed by President Biden. Asked about the possibility of GOP resistance, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said “today this is happening in Baltimore, tomorrow it could be  your district. And we really need to stand together — red, blue, and purple — to get these things done.” Officials in Washington and Maryland say it’s too soon to know the price tag of rebuilding the bridge.

EV sales slow as Biden pushes for more charging stations

The Biden administration’s push for electric vehicles has hit a few speed bumps. More than two years after President Biden signed the infrastructure bill into law, only four states have opened public EV charging stations funded by the legislation. The president has set a goal of creating a national network of 500-thousand chargers by the end of the decade. Right now, 175-thousand are available. Meanwhile, Ford Motor Company will drastically cut the number of hourly workers at its factory that builds the Ford F-150 Lightning as sales of electric vehicles slow.

Maryland receives $60 million in immediate federal aid for bridge, port

The state of Maryland is already receiving some federal assistance after the Baltimore bridge collapse. The Biden administration has approved 60-million dollars in immediate federal aid to help remove the wreckage of the fallen highway bridge and reopen the Port of Baltimore. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Navy are mobilizing resources from around the country at record speed to clear the channel. Maryland Governor Wes Moore said his state is “deeply grateful” for the federal funds and said there is a “very long road ahead.”

U.S. dismisses Russia blaming Ukraine for deadly concert attack

The United States is dismissing as “nonsense” Russia’s allegation that Ukraine was involved in last week’s deadly Moscow attack. The White House said “it is abundantly clear” that the Islamic State was “solely responsible” for the concert hall attack that claimed more than 140 lives. National Security spokesman John Kirby said the U-S even tried to help prevent the terrorist attack. He told reporters that the U-S passed to Russian security services a written warning of an extremist attack on large gatherings in Moscow. Kirby said it was one of many such warnings provided in advance.

U.S. working with Israel to schedule Rafah talks

The Biden administration hopes to meet soon with top Israeli officials about potential military operations in Gaza. For several weeks now, the White House has urged Israel to call off a promised ground invasion of the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah. National Security spokesman John Kirby says the U-S and Israel are working to reschedule talks after Prime Minister Netanyahu canceled a recent planned visit in protest of the U.S. vote on a U.N. cease-fire resolution.

Biden to raise $25 million in NYC event with Clinton, Obama

President Biden is set to make a political fundraiser record in New York tonight. The president already has a significant cash advantage over Donald Trump in their race for the White House. And Joe Biden is set to add another 25 million dollars with a star-studded event at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Tonight’s event features celebrities, musicians, and two former Democratic presidents — Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. The massive fundraiser comes at a time of persistently low poll numbers for the incumbent president.

Talks resume on bringing Israeli officials to U.S. to discuss Gaza

Talks have restarted aimed at bringing top Israeli officials to Washington to meet with Biden administration officials. Prime Minister Netanyahu canceled a planned visit this week because he was angry about the U.S. vote on a U.N. cease-fire resolution. That resolution did not include conditions for the release of hostages held by Hamas. But the White House now says the two sides are working to reschedule a date to discuss potential military operations in Gaza. The Biden administration has urged Israel to call off a promised ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Administration focused on reopening Baltimore’s port, rebuilding bridge

The Biden administration says it’s focused on reopening the Port of Baltimore and rebuilding the collapsed bridge. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says reopening the port, where a dozen ships are stranded, is a top priority. As for reconstructing the bridge, he says it will not be simple or cheap.
Buttigieg avoided putting a timeline on those efforts, but pledged ongoing federal assistance.

Donald Trump slapped with gag order in hush money case

A New York judge has issued Donald Trump a gag order in the hush money criminal trial. The gag order prohibits the former president from making public statements about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors. The judge granted the prosecution’s request for a gag order, citing Trump’s prior comments about him and others in the case, as well as a looming April 15 trial date. Under terms of the order, Trump can make comments about the judge or Manhattan DA but must not attack key figures in the case.

Justices asked skeptical questions of pro-life challengers

Conservative Supreme Court justices were among those asking skeptical questions in Tuesday’s abortion pill case. During nearly 90 minutes of arguments, Supreme Court justices raised questions about the legal right of pro-life challengers to bring the case. Abortion opponents asked the court to force the FDA to reinstate its abandoned safety measures regarding the chemical drug mifepristone. But even conservative Justices Barrett, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh posed skeptical questions. Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer said the court should dismiss the case.