U.S. Ambassador visits detained Wall St. Journal reporter in Russia

America’s ambassador to Russia met with detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich this week. Monday’s visit to Gershkovich by U-S Ambassador Lynne Tracey was the first such visit since April. The reporter is behind bars in Russia on espionage charges. Last week a Moscow court upheld a ruling to keep him in custody until the end of August. Gershkovich and his employer denied the allegations, and the U-S government declared him to be wrongfully detained.

Massive wait times for U.S. passports to be processed

Biden’s hydrogen fuel plan runs into a water shortage

Trump might skip the first GOP presidential debate

Biden, Trump sharply divided over Supreme Court

The top two presidential front runners hold polar opposite views on the current Supreme Court. It’s not surprising that President Biden and former President Trump don’t agree on much. But they offer starkly different reactions to the high court’s major rulings. After justices struck down affirmative action in college admissions, the president said “this is not a normal court.” He also continues to criticize the overturning of Roe v. Wade. However, Trump is claiming victory after these decisions, reminding voters that his three appointees gave the Supreme Court its conservative majority.

After court rejection, Biden offers alternative student debt plan

President Biden is proposing a new student debt relief initiative after the Supreme Court blocked his original plan. The president is offering an alternative student debt plan that will work under the authority of the Higher Education Act. The new program would begin loan repayments, but provide a safety net. He said the plan would take longer but provide relief to millions of borrowers.

Biden blasts Supreme Court rejection of loan forgiveness plan

President Biden is blasting the Supreme Court’s rejection of his student loan forgiveness plan. Reacting to the 6-3 decision, the president said he thinks the high court made a mistake. The conservative majority ruled that he overstepped his executive authority by trying to cancel 400-billion dollars in student debt. Mr. Biden denied that he over promised. He announced a new plan that will remove the threat of default if borrowers miss payments.

Supreme Court blocks Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan

The Supreme Court has struck down President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. In a 6-3 decision, the high court blocked the president’s plan to cancel up to 20-thousand dollars in student loan debt for millions of borrowers. The conservative majority ruled that Mr. Biden overstepped his executive authority in trying to erase an estimated 400-billion dollars in student debt. The high court held that the administration needs Congress’ endorsement before undertaking such a costly program.

White House anxiously awaits high court’s student loan ruling

The Biden administration is anxiously awaiting the Supreme Court’s ruling on its student loan forgiveness plan. The White House argues that the president is acting within the law to forgive an estimated 400-billion dollars in student debt. But opponents say it’s a misuse of executive authority. Debt forgiveness is a major priority for Mr. Biden and he awaits a decision from a high court that he has labeled “not normal.” Conservatives on the bench expressed skepticism during oral arguments in the student loan case, but the high court has handed down some surprising rulings.

Biden ‘strongly disagrees’ with Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling

President Biden opposes the Supreme Court’s landmark decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions. The president is not pleased with the high court’s ruling. He said the justices “walked away from decades of precedent” and that race-based discrimination continues to exist in this country. Mr. Biden said colleges “should not abandon their commitment to ensure student bodies of diverse backgrounds and experience that reflect all of America.”

Georgia elections official interviewed in Trump 2020 probe

Georgia’s secretary of state spoke to federal prosecutors in the 2020 election investigation of Donald Trump. Brad Raffensberger met with prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith’s office. In a January 2021 phone call, Trump told the top elections official in Georgia to “find” the 11-thousand votes necessary to reverse Joe Biden’s narrow presidential election win in the state. In addition to the special counsel’s probe, a separate investigation in Atlanta is looking into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his loss in Georgia.

Biden using CPAP machine to deal with sleep apnea

President Biden has begun using a CPAP machine to deal with sleep apnea. A spokesman says the president has dealt with sleep apnea since 2008 and has disclosed that history in his medical reports. White House officials say Mr. Biden had begun using the CPAP machine in recent weeks to improve his sleep quality. CPAP stands for “continuous positive airway pressure” and the machine uses air pressure delivered through a face mask to keep airways open while you sleep. The president was seen this week with marks on his face indicating he had been wearing some type of wide strap.

Biden touts “Bidenomics” despite low approval for economy

President Biden has kicked off a new effort to convince voters that the economy is flourishing. During a Chicago speech, the president emphasized “Bidenomics.” He argued that so-called “trickle down” economics have failed, and boasted about low unemployment, job growth, and infrastructure investment on his watch. But a new AP NORC poll finds that just 34% of U-S adults approve of the president’s economic leadership.

Biden says Putin “absolutely” weakened after armed revolt

President Biden says Russia’s Vladimir Putin has been weakened by the attempted armed revolt. The president was asked if the weekend uprising by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia has weakened Putin’s power. “Absolutely.” He said Russia is losing the war in Ukraine and Putin is viewed as a pariah around the world. Responding to media reports that Vagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin planned to capture Russian military leaders, Mr. Biden said, “that remains to be seen.”

Biden to kick off “Bidenomics” campaign, but voters have their doubts

President Biden is launching a new effort to tout the economy, which could be a tough sell for the American people. The president will use a speech in Chicago to kickstart a new messaging campaign about what he sees as economic successes. The White House calls it “Bidenomics.” But with inflation still stubbornly high, the president continues to receive low marks from the public for his handling of the economy.

Nikki Haley faults Biden and Trump over handling of China

Former U-N Ambassador Nikki Haley faults both Donald Trump and Joe Biden for their handling of China. Haley is critical of President Biden when it comes to dealing with threats she said China poses to America’s economic, domestic, and military security. But the 2024 candidate also faults Trump for being too friendly to China during his time in office. Speaking in the nation’s capital, Haley said Trump was “almost singularly focused” on the U.S.-China trade relationship, but ultimately did “too little about the rest of the Chinese threat” and showed “moral weakness toward Beijing.

US: no indication Russia plans to use nuclear weapons

The United States is watching to see if Russia’s nuclear posture changes following an armed rebellion over the weekend. Russia has the world’s largest nuclear arsenal and any political instability there is a cause for concern. John Kirby with the White House National Security Council says they’ve seen no indication that Moscow plans to use nuclear weapons inside Ukraine. And Kirby says the U-S has seen nothing to change its “strategic posture.”

U.S. focused on Ukraine war amid Russian chaos

The United States says its focus remains on the war in Ukraine, not internal Russian affairs. Amid the political chaos that played out over the weekend in Moscow, the White House says Russia remains a lethal threat. President Biden says it’s too early to know how the armed rebellion in Russia will play out, but he says Ukraine has the solid backing of the U-S and the West.

Biden pledges high-speech internet access to all by 2030

The Biden administration is pledging high-speed internet access to every household by 2030. Vowing not to leave anyone behind, the president announced more than 40-billion dollars would be distributed across the country to deliver high-speed internet in places where there’s either no service, or service is too slow. He said thanks to the infrastructure law, more than 35-thousand projects are already funded or underway to lay cable that provides internet access.

Biden: U.S., allies not involved in uprising against Putin

President Biden says the West was not responsible for a brief weekend revolt in Russia. The president says he held a video call with key American allies over the weekend as Moscow faced an internal political crisis. “We made clear we were not involved, we had nothing to do with this.” Putin faced an open rebellion from the leader of a Russian mercenary force. Mr. Biden also spoke to Ukraine’s president, pledging continued support for his country as it fights off a Russian invasion.

Mixed results for Biden in new 2024 poll

A new poll offers mixed results for President Biden. A survey by NBC News shows the president leading Donald Trump by 4 percent in a head-to-head match-up, while Mr. Biden is tied with Ron DeSantis. The president’s job approval remains in the low 40’s and 74 percent of Americans say the country is on the wrong track. The poll also shows that two-thirds of registered voters have major or moderate concerns about Joe Biden “not having the necessary mental and physical health to be president.”

Federal Reserve interest rate hikes likely to continue

Federal student loan freeze is coming to an end

India’s PM in Washington for White House state visit

President Biden welcomes India’s prime minister for a state visit. The two leaders are expected to announce agreements on defense cooperation and sales, and investments in technology in India. A U-S official says Washington wants India to be a strategic counterweight to China. Despite the cooperation, the U-S has ongoing concerns about human rights in India. Those concerns will be raised, but the national security adviser says the president won’t “lecture” his guest.