INSIDER
Biden condemns white supremacy in a campaign speech at a church where Black people were killed
Read full article: Biden condemns white supremacy in a campaign speech at a church where Black people were killedAt a Black church, President Joe Biden says white supremacy is a “poison” and has no place in America.
White House: Intel shows Putin misled by advisers on Ukraine
Read full article: White House: Intel shows Putin misled by advisers on UkraineThe White House says U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by advisers about his military's poor performance in Ukraine.
White House says it's working on access to migrant centers
Read full article: White House says it's working on access to migrant centersRepublican officials are also blaming the Biden administration for actions they say are leading more people from Central America to seek entry into the United States. “It’s not a crisis, it’s a complete loss of sovereignty down there,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said. AdGraham recently visited the border and said he saw a facility designed to hold 80 children with about 1,000 in it. “It does not mean that they get to stay in the United States. AdPsaki said the administration is committed to transparency and providing access to those temporary Border Patrol facilities as soon as it can.
White House aide suspended for threatening reporter
Read full article: White House aide suspended for threatening reporterIn this Feb. 9, 2021 photo, White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo listens as press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington. Ducklo has been suspended for a week without pay after he reportedly issued a sexist and profane threat to a journalist seeking to cover his relationship with another reporter. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – White House deputy press secretary T.J. Ducklo has been suspended for a week without pay after he reportedly issued a sexist and profane threat to a journalist seeking to cover his relationship with another reporter. Psaki said in a statement earlier Friday that Ducklo had been suspended without pay with the approval of White House chief of staff Ron Klain. But the Biden White House sought to strike a more cordial and professional tone with the Washington press corps from the start, installing a cadre of seasoned Washington communicators led by Psaki.
Biden faces scrutiny over reliance on executive orders
Read full article: Biden faces scrutiny over reliance on executive ordersPresident Joe Biden signs a series of executive orders on health care, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)President Joe Biden and aides showed touches of prickliness Thursday over growing scrutiny of the new president’s heavy reliance on executive orders in his first days in office. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that Biden’s early reliance on executive action is at odds with the Democrat’s pledge as a candidate to be a consensus builder. Biden and aides, including top White House economists, have said that they believe executive action is a pale substitute for legislative action. But McConnell was far more understanding of Trump’s decision to use executive orders to get around Congress at various points in the Republican’s presidency.
The Latest: Biden sworn in as nation’s 46th president
Read full article: The Latest: Biden sworn in as nation’s 46th president(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – The Latest on Joe Biden's presidential inauguration (all times local):10:15 p.m.Fireworks lit up the sky behind the Washington Monument to mark the end of Inauguration Day for President Joe Biden. The Senate has voted to confirm Avril Haines as the new director of national intelligence, giving President Joe Biden the first member of his Cabinet. Workers removed the giant sign from the department’s C Street lobby on Wednesday shortly after President Joe Biden was inaugurated. The highest-ranking Black member of Congress says former President George W. Bush lauded his role as a “savior” in helping get President Joe Biden elected to the White House. Former President Donald Trump flew to Florida before Biden was sworn into office.
Biden largely mum on Trump's effort to reverse election
Read full article: Biden largely mum on Trump's effort to reverse electionWhile some Democrats say Trump's actions merit new impeachment proceedings, Biden has been more circumspect. Biden’s aides believe Americans outside Washington want to hear more about how the Biden presidency will help them and less about the partisan squabbling that has characterized the past four years of Trump’s presidency. There was no widespread fraud in the election, which a range of election officials across the country, as well as Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, has confirmed. Indeed, by avoiding engaging with Trump, Biden is also hoping to maintain the opportunity for bipartisanship in the new Congress, which he's repeatedly emphasized will be key to his hopes of getting anything done. Jim Manley, a former longtime Senate Democratic leadership aide, said the party's failure to take on Trump's recent moves could set the tone for Biden’s presidency and beyond.
Biden adviser Cedric Richmond tests positive for coronavirus
Read full article: Biden adviser Cedric Richmond tests positive for coronavirusRichmond, who is set to resign from Congress to join the incoming Biden administration as a senior adviser, tested positive on Thursday, Dec. 17, for the coronavirus, according to the Biden transition. – One of President-elect Joe Biden’s closest advisers tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, according to his transition team. Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, who is set to resign from Congress to join the incoming Biden administration as a senior adviser, tested positive two days after traveling to Atlanta to attend a campaign rally that Biden headlined for Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, Biden transition spokesperson Kate Bedingfield said in a statement. Bedingfield said Richmond was not in close contact with Biden, Ossoff or Warnock, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Biden chooses an all-female senior White House press team
Read full article: Biden chooses an all-female senior White House press team– President-elect Joe Biden will have an all-female senior communications team at his White House, reflecting his stated desire to build out a diverse White House team as well as what’s expected to be a return to a more traditional press operation. Biden campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield will serve as Biden’s White House communications director. Four of the seven top communications roles at the White House will be filled by women of color, and it’s the first time the entire senior White House communications team will be entirely female. Bedingfield served as communications director for Biden while he was vice president, and Psaki was a White House communications director and a spokesperson at the State Department. — Pili Tobar, who was communications director for coalitions on Biden’s campaign, will be his deputy White House communications director.
Biden chooses an all-female senior White House press team
Read full article: Biden chooses an all-female senior White House press teamPresident-elect Joe Biden will have an all-female communications team at his White House, led by campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield. – President-elect Joe Biden will have an all-female senior communications team at his White House, reflecting his stated desire to build out a diverse White House team as well as what’s expected to be a return to a more traditional press operation. Biden campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield will serve as Biden’s White House communications director. Four of the seven top communications roles at the White House will be filled by women of color, and it’s the first time the entire senior White House communications team will be entirely female. — Pili Tobar, who was communications director for coalitions on Biden’s campaign, will be his deputy White House communications director.
Trump says he wants rally in Florida Saturday; doctor says therapy done
Read full article: Trump says he wants rally in Florida Saturday; doctor says therapy doneWhile Trump said he believes he’s no longer contagious, concerns about infection appeared to scuttle plans for next week’s presidential debate. "I think I’m better to the point where I’d love to do a rally tonight,'' Trump said. The White House, meanwhile, continued to decline to share when Trump last tested negative for the virus -- which would help pinpoint when he was infected. Over the objections of some aides, Trump returned to the Oval Office on Thursday, even though a workspace had been set up in the residential section of the White House. Aides were discussing a potential photo opportunity with the president at the White House either Thursday or Friday but plans had not been finalized, according to two White House officials not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations.