Biden admin imposes 500+ new sanctions on Russia

The Biden administration is imposing hundreds of new sanctions against Russia. The sanctions come following the suspicious death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and are timed to mark two years since Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine. In a statement, President Biden said, “The American people and people around the world understand that the stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine.” The European Union also announced that it’s imposing sanctions on several foreign companies accused of aiding Russia’s war effort.

Progress reported in Mideast ceasefire, hostage talks

International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas appear to be gaining new momentum. The new signs of progress came ahead of an expected summit this weekend in Paris, where mediators plan to present a new proposal. White House Mideast envoy Brett McGurk held talks throughout the day Thursday with Israeli leaders and families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. According to national security spokesman John Kirby, the discussions were “going well.”

U.S. to unveil new sanctions on Iran soon

The Biden administration also plans to unveil new sanctions on Iran in the coming days. The White House says those forthcoming sanctions on Iran are in retaliation for its arms sales that have bolstered Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby also issued a new warning to Iran that providing ballistic missiles to Russia would be met with even more sanctions and a “swift” and “severe” response.

Biden, Haley respond to Alabama’s frozen embryos ruling

Presidential candidates are reacting to the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling that frozen embryos are legally considered children. In a White House statement, the president blasted the Alabama ruling, saying “the disregard for women’s ability to make these decisions for themselves and their families is outrageous and unacceptable.” He said it’s a “direct result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.” Republican Nikki Haley also weighed in. She told CNN that she does not endorse the Alabama ruling, but agreed that an embryo is an unborn baby.

Biden meets with Navalny’s wife, daughter to express condolences

James Biden to GOP: Joe Biden not involved in business dealings

James Biden told GOP lawmakers that Joe Biden had no involvement in the family’s business dealings.
During a voluntary private interview on Capitol Hill, presidential brother James Biden testified as part of the House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry. According to his opening statement obtained by the AP, James Biden said the president “never had any involvement or any direct or indirect financial interest in those activities. None.” The impeachment process has lacked evidence directly related to the president, which has even drawn criticism from some Republicans.

Biden cancels $1.2 billion dollars in additional student loans

The Biden administration is canceling more student loan debt. The administration this week is canceling one-point-two-billion dollars worth of student loans for some 153-thousand people. This latest round of loan forgiveness applies to people enrolled in a debt relief program and covers those who borrowed 12-thousand dollars or less who have been repaying the money for at least 10 years. That program was introduced last year after the Supreme Court struck down President Biden’s original student debt relief program.

New Biden regulations to protect ports from cyberattacks

President Biden is taking steps to better secure the nation’s ports from potential cyberattacks. With an executive order, the president has created new cybersecurity regulations that port operators must comply with across the country. The requirements are part of the federal government’s focus on modernizing how critical infrastructure like power grids, ports, and pipelines are protected as they are increasingly managed and controlled online. Nationwide, ports employ roughly 31 million people and contribute more than 5-trillion dollars to the economy.

Haley has no plans to drop out of GOP presidential race

Nikki Haley has no intention of dropping out of the presidential race after Saturday’s nominating contest in South Carolina. Haley said she’s “not going anywhere,” even if she loses her home state South Carolina primary this weekend. In a Tuesday speech, she said she’s heard the calls to drop out. But she plans to campaign “until the last person votes.” Polls show Haley trailing Donald Trump by 30 points or more. Yet, she argued that most states haven’t held their primaries yet and that people “deserve a real choice.” Haley said “we don’t anoint kings in the country. We have elections.”

U.S. to add “major sanctions” on Russia later this week

The United States is preparing more sanctions on Russia in response to the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the White House will unveil the new sanctions later this week. Kirby said the U-S had not determined how Navalny had died, but insisted that Russian President Putin is “responsible.” The announcement of this week’s sanctions will coincide with the two year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

NY Times publisher defends coverage of Biden age issue

The publisher of the New York Times says the White House is “extremely upset” with the newspaper’s coverage of President Biden’s age. According to Politico, A.G. Sulzberger said in an interview that Joe Biden “is a historically unpopular incumbent and the oldest man to ever hold this office.” He went on to say that the New York Times has “reported on both of those realities extensively, and the White House has been extremely upset about it.” But the publisher told The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism that the newspaper will “continue to report fully and fairly” about the 81-year-old president.

Biden: House GOP making a “mistake” by not passing Ukraine aid

President Biden says House Republicans are making a “mistake” by not passing aid for Ukraine. With the Senate-approved foreign aid bill stalled in the House, the president is pushing Republicans to respond. He told reporters that the way GOP lawmakers are “walking away from the threat of Russia…walking away from NATO…walking away from meeting our obligations…it’s just shocking.” Speaker Mike Johnson has said the House will not be “rushed” to pass the measure, even as Ukraine’s military warns of dire shortages of ammunition and artillery.

Biden open to meeting with Speaker “if he has anything to say”

President Biden is suggesting the possibility of a sit-down meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson. Last week, the White House rejected the idea of the president meeting with the speaker, saying there is nothing to negotiate when it comes to foreign aid. But now Mr. Biden says he’d “be happy to meet with him if he has anything to say.” Speaker Johnson has suggested the House will not vote on a bipartisan Senate bill that includes emergency funding for Ukraine. The president says it’s “shocking” the way House Republicans “are walking away from the threat of Russia.”

Jury selection in Trump’s NY criminal case to begin March 25

For the first time in history, a former American president is facing a criminal trial. We learned last week that jury selection for Donald Trump’s New York hush money case will begin the last week of March. A judge in Manhattan refused to delay the trial as requested by Trump’s legal team. The trial is expected to last several weeks and will force the former president to spend more time in a courtroom as he runs for the White House. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts stemming from payments to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Airports to receive $970 million in grants for improvements

Nearly a billion dollars in grant money is headed to airports across the country for updates and expansion. The 970 million dollars in grants will go to 114 airports nationwide as part of efforts to refurbish and expand aging infrastructure. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the largest sum, 50 million dollars, will go to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. O’Hare International Airport in Chicago will get 40 million. Airports in Phoenix, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco will each receive more than 30 million dollars.

U.S. analyzing Russian anti-satellite weapon intelligence

The United States is analyzing intelligence that Russia has the capability of an anti-satellite weapon.  The White House says there is no operational weapon and that such technology cannot directly cause “physical destruction” on Earth. But National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says the threat is still “troubling.” Kirby confirmed U-S intelligence after the Republican head of the House Intelligence Committee issued a vague security warning this week.

Russia’s Putin prefers Biden over Trump in 2024 race

President Biden has picked up an endorsement that he may not want. Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country would prefer to see Joe Biden win a second term, describing him as more experienced and predictable than Donald Trump. That’s even though Moscow strongly disagrees with the current administration’s policies. Mr. Biden is a fierce critic of the Russian leader, calling him a “killer” in 2021 and denouncing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin has frequently praised Trump, so his motives for saying President Biden is a better choice for Russia were unclear.

Biden to visit East Palestine, OH, year after toxic train derailment

President Biden will visit the Ohio town where there was a toxic train derailment. More than a year after a Norfolk Southern train derailed and spilled hazardous chemicals that caught fire in East Palestine, Ohio, the president will meet with residents and local officials. The White House defends the Biden administration’s response to the accident. But Donald Trump, who visited the town shortly after the derailment, wrote on social media that it’s an “insult” for the president to have waited so long.

Trump not backing down from controversial NATO comments

Former President Trump isn’t backing down from his controversial comments about NATO. For a second time in less than a week, Trump said he would not protect NATO members that don’t meet defense spending targets. That position runs counter to the longstanding agreement among countries in the alliance. Trump’s comments set off alarms among European leaders and, here at home, President Biden condemned the remarks, calling them “dangerous,” “un-American,” and “shocking.” The president said the U-S will continue to defend NATO members as long as he’s in office.

Fiery, combative testimony from D.A. in Trump’s Georgia case

The district attorney prosecuting Donald Trump’s Georgia election interference case delivered fiery testimony in court. Fulton County D-A Fani Willis took the witness stand to defend herself from efforts to remove her from Trump’s case, and she angrily pushed back against what she described as “lies” about her romantic relationship with a special prosecutor. During testimony Willis was often combative and defiant. Trump’s attorneys want Willis removed as the lead prosecutor in hopes that a trial could be delayed or abandoned altogether.

White House says Russia has obtained “troubling” weapon

The White House confirms that Russia has obtained a “troubling” emerging anti-satellite weapon. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says U.S. intelligence officials have information about a potential security threat from Russia. However, he says that such a weapon is not currently operational. U-S officials are analyzing the information they have and have consulted with allies and partners on the matter.

Trump’s first criminal trial to begin March 25 in NY

Trump to attend hearing in New York criminal case

Donald Trump is expected in court for an important hearing in his New York hush-money criminal case. The judge is expected to rule on key pretrial issues and say for certain if the former president’s trial will begin as scheduled on March 25. If that happens, the New York case will be the first of Trump’s four criminal indictments to go to trial. His lawyers have asked the judge to dismiss the case entirely.

White House responds to congressman’s security threat warning

The White House is responding to a congressman’s warning of a serious national security threat. The head of the House Intelligence Committee said he has information about a serious national security threat. Republican Mike Turner of Ohio gave no details of the threat, but urged the Biden administration to declassify the information. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said he’s already scheduled to meet with top congressional intelligence leaders on Thursday.