Minsk Protocol | Jan. 28, 2022

  Site Name:   "White House News in Chinese - Weebly"

About:   C-Span Videos (English only)
Page 1:   White House News (English only)
Page 2:   Why Biden Wants Taiwan/拜登支持台灣的理由
Page 3:   Charlie Brown in Chinese/中文查理布朗​
page 4:   Content of James Blunt's lyrics in Chinese/詹姆斯·布朗特 中文歌詞
​page 5:  Coal Mines in Keelung, Taiwan/基隆煤礦

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President Biden Statement on First Year GDP Growth

​JANUARY 27, 2022•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

The GDP numbers for my first year show that we are finally building an American economy for the 21st Century, with the fastest economic growth in nearly four decades, along with the greatest year of job growth in American history. And, for the first time in 20 years, our economy grew faster than China’s.

This is no accident. My economic strategy is creating good jobs for Americans, rebuilding our manufacturing, and strengthening our supply chains here at home to help make our companies more competitive.

Today, Americans are finding better jobs with better pay and better benefits. Layoffs are near record lows...     more

U.S. senators writing bill with 'substantial' Ukraine defense aid increases
​
Jan 27 - A bipartisan group of U.S. senators have been meeting to hammer out legislation that would dramatically increase the amount of U.S. military aid for Ukraine, as it faces the threat of an invasion by Russia.

The group of about five Democrats and five Republican Senators has made progress in talks on a bill, a source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.

Their goal is to write a bill that will pass the Senate next week. To become law, it would also have to pass the House of Representatives and be signed by President Joe Biden.

Lawmakers from both parties have said they want to act quickly to boost Ukraine. Russia has been building up its forces on Ukraine's borders for months and has demanded NATO pull troops and weapons from eastern Europe and bar the former Soviet state from ever joining the U.S.-led military alliance.

There are still areas of disagreement between senators from the two parties, especially over whether to impose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline.

Members of the two parties are also working out an agreement on what sanctions if any should be imposed on Russia now and what should be imposed after any invasion, Senate aides said.

A spokesman for Senator Bob Menendez declined comment on specifics in talks on the bill. Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led Democrats this month in introducing legislation to impose sweeping sanctions on top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, as well as banking institutions, in case of an invasion.

Republicans would like the bill to include a "substantial increase" in the so-called presidential draw down authority, or PDA, an expedited mechanism for providing security assistance to Ukraine, according to the source familiar with the negotiations.     source from Reuters

Biden says he'll name a Black woman as Supreme Court pick by end of February

Jan. 27 -- President Biden praised retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer at the White House on Thursday, and said he plans to announce his nominee to fill Breyer's seat before the end of February. The president also reiterated his commitment to nominating a Black woman to the nation's highest court. 

Mr. Biden and Breyer appeared together Thursday, one day after news emerged that Breyer plans to step down after nearly 28 years on the Supreme Court. The president praised Breyer for his intellect, legal insight, work ethic, optimism and patriotism...     more from Washington

JANUARY 27, 2022
​President Biden and Justice Breyer on Retirement From Supreme Court
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer joins President Biden at the White House for his retirement announcement. The president says he intends to pick a replacement by the end of February.

WATCH LIVE: President Biden gives remarks on the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer
Jan. 27, 2022

Remarks by President Biden on the Retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer

​JANUARY 27, 2022•SPEECHES AND REMARKS
Roosevelt Room

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon.  I’m going to begin by recognizing both Dr. Breyer and Dr. Biden — (laughs) — and — for being here.  And I can’t tell you — this is sort of a bittersweet day for me.  Justice Breyer and I go back a long way, all the way back to the mid-’70s, when he first came on the Judiciary Committee, but that’s another story.

I’m here today to express the nation’s gratitude to Justice Stephen Breyer for his remarkable career of public service and his clear-eyed commitment to making our country’s laws work for its people. 

And our gratitude extends to Justice Breyer’s family for being partners in his decades of public service.  In particular, I want to thank his wife, Dr. Joanna Breyer, who is here today and who has stood by him for nearly six decades, and — with her fierce intellect, good humor, and enormous heart.  I want to thank you.  The country owes you as well.

And Stephen Breyer’s public service started early.  He served in the United States Army as a teenager and in all three branches of the federal government before he turned 40.  They were the good old days, weren’t they?

And as — he was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Goldberg, a prosecutor in the Department of Justice, a member of the Watergate prosecution team.  And I first met Stephen Breyer when I was a senator on the Judiciary Committee and he started off as — taking care of one of the subcommittees for Teddy, but then became Chief Counsel during the tenure as — as Ted’s chairman- — chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee.

Beyond his intellect and hard work and legal insight, he was famous for biking across Washington virtually every day for a face-to-face meeting with a Republican chief counsel — the ranking Republican counsel.  And over breakfast, they’d discuss what would they do for the country together.  Whereas, in those days, we tried to do things together.  They — that spirit stuck with me when I took over the Judiciary Committee as Chair after Senator Kennedy’s tenure. 

And it was my honor to vote to confirm Justice Breyer to serve in the United States Supreme Court — the Court of Appeals first, in 1980. 

And then, 14 years later, in 1994, I got to preside as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee over his Supreme Court confirmation hearings. 

We were joking with one another when he walked in: Did we ever think that he would have served decades on the Court and I’d be President of the United States on the day he came in to retire?  And he looked at it — anyway, I won’t tell you what he said.  I’m joking.

But I was proud and grateful to be there at the start of this distinguished career on the Supreme Court, and I’m very proud to be here today on his announcement of his retirement. 

You know, during his confirmation hearings, way back in 1994, nominee Stephen Breyer said, quote, “The law must work for [the] people.”

He explained to us his faith that our complex legal system has a single purpose: to help the people who make up our country.  It was a different time, of course.  But his brilliance, his values, his scholarship are why Judge Breyer became Justice Breyer by an overwhelming bipartisan vote at the time. 

Today, Justice Breyer announces his intention to step down from active service after four decades — four decades on the federal bench and 28 years on the United States Supreme Court. 

His legacy includes his work as a leading scholar and jurist in administrative law, bringing his brilliance to bear to make the government run more efficiently and effectively. 

It includes his stature as a beacon of wisdom on our Constitution and what it means. 

And through it all, Justice Breyer has worked tirelessly to give faith to the notion that the law exists to help the people...   more 

Biden and Zelensky discuss how US will help Ukraine

​In “long” phone call, the two presidents spoke about recent Normandy talks with Russia, among other topics

Jan. 27 - US President Joe Biden received a report on the recent talks with Russia in Paris from his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. The two leaders agreed on joint action and discussed further US military and financial support to Ukraine, according to Kiev.

​The White House told reporters on Thursday that the call was scheduled for 2 pm Eastern time.

Shortly before 4 pm, Zelensky tweeted about a “long” conversation with Biden, saying  that they discussed “recent diplomatic efforts on de-escalation and agreed on joint actions for the future.” Zelensky thanked Biden for “the ongoing military assistance” and also discussed “possibilities for financial support to Ukraine.”

Ahead of the call, CNN reported that Zelensky was going to ask the US to be “more cautious in its messaging surrounding a potential Russian attack,” as Kiev was facing panic and negative economic consequences. Ukraine’s dollar bonds had their best day in almost two years on Thursday, following the news that the ‘Normandy format’ talks with Russia in Paris were somewhat successful.

The White House readout, released after 5 pm, said that Biden “reaffirmed the readiness of the US along with its allies and partners to respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,” and that the US embassy in Kiev “remains open and fully operational” despite the departure of family members of diplomats.

Biden also expressed support for the Normandy format talks, “expressing his hope that the sides’ recommitment on January 26 to the terms of the July 2020 ceasefire will help decrease tensions and advance the implementation of the Minsk Agreements.” 

The talks, hosted by France on Wednesday, ended with envoys for Moscow and Kiev agreeing to “support unconditional respect for the cease-fire and full adherence to the cease-fire strengthening measures” from 2020 “regardless of differences on other issues relating to the implementation of the Minsk agreements,” according to the Élysée Palace. The diplomats also agreed to meet in Berlin in two weeks’ time.

US media have claimed since late October that Russia was about to invade Ukraine, citing an assessment by American intelligence. Russia has dismissed the accusation as “fake news.”

When US, UK and Canadian embassies in Kiev began evacuating some staff on Monday, Ukrainian officials – starting with Zelensky himself – started downplaying the threat of the alleged invasion, saying they were seeing no sign of it in the near future.     source from RT

​China Backs Russia in Strongest Display Yet of Support Over Ukraine

Jan. 27 - ...During the conversation, Wang brought up the possibility of forging a new Minsk Agreement. The accord, also known as the Minsk Protocol, was a peace plan signed in 2014 and 2015 that brought a cease-fire to a separatist war involving Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.

"To resolve the Ukrainian issue, we still need to return to the new Minsk Agreement—the starting point," Wang said.
"The new Minsk Agreement, which was approved by the Security Council, is a fundamental political document recognized by all parties and should be effectively implemented," he continued. "As long as efforts are made in line with the direction and spirit of the agreement, China will support them."

​Blinken has also recently called on Russia and Ukraine to return to the dialogue of the Minsk Agreement, calling it "the most promising avenue for diplomacy" during a December news conference...     quoted from Newsweek

More about Ukraine:

• Vladimir Putin Blamed For Trying to Stir Panic About Ukraine Invasion
• Germany, U.S. Threaten To Hit Putin's $11Bn Gas Pipeline If Russia Invades
• Putin's NATO Gamble in Ukraine Is Backfiring: Ambassador to EU
• Russia Trying to Keep Europe, U.S. 'Guessing' About Plans, Norway PM Says
• Ukraine Advises Its Olympic Athletes to Not Take Photos With Russians

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one year of Biden's | Jan. 21, 2022

 JANUARY 20, 2022

President Biden Meets with Science and Technology Advisers Council
​President Biden met with the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The president talked about the important role science and technology have played in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

Remarks by President Biden Before Meeting with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

​JANUARY 20, 2022•SPEECHES AND REMARKSSouth Court Auditorium

4:12 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you, Eric.  As you know that — when I was running for this office this time, I would talk about PCAST and people would look at me like, “What in the hell is he talking about?”  And then I’d explain what I meant.  And we — it wasn’t particularly active the last four years, but science is back — (laughs) — back in vogue.

And I want to welcome everyone here today with me in the President’s Council on Advisors on Science and Technology — so-called PCAST.  But first and foremost, I want to thank the co-chairs Dr. Lander, Dr. Arnold, and Dr. Zuber, you know, and the entire council — all of you — for your willingness to serve.

You know, it’s no secret that I’m a big fan of this council.  I would say, parenthetically, I used to — when we were in the — in the Obama administration, we’d have our meetings with PCAST, and we’d be down in the library, and they’d make a presentation.  I’d say, “Can I stick around, ask a few questions?”  And three hours later, they’d be pulling me out because I had so many questions.

But, you know, I often say that America can be defined — and I mean this sincerely — I was in — on the Tibetan Plateau with — I think that’s where it was — with President Xi of China.  And — absolutely a true story.  And we had been traveling — I traveled 17,000 miles with him here in the United States and then in China. 

And president — the president wanted me to get to know him because we knew he would be the next president.  And President Hu was then President and — but it wasn’t appropriate for the President of the United States to be spending all that time with the Vice President, so I spent a lot of time with him. 

And we had a lot of conversations.  I think — I don’t know that’s true — but I’m told I’ve spent more time with him in person and on the telephone than any other world leader.  And we were — we’d have these conversations.  And I’d have an interpreter, and he’d have one — simultaneous interpreting.  And we’d talk, and we’d have all these meetings. 

And, as I said, we were sitting there, and he said — he looked at me, he said, “Can you define America for me?”  And I said, “Yes.  In one word: Possibilities.  Possibilities.”  Unlike any other country in the world, we’re — we’re just — we’re organized on the notion that anything is possible.  And that’s the very spirit that this — animates this council...     more

Biden Issues a New Warning to Russia Over Invading Ukraine

Jan. 21 - U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday that any Russian troop movements across Ukraine’s border would constitute an invasion and that Moscow would “pay a heavy price” for such an action.

It was the latest White House effort to clear up comments Biden made a day earlier when he suggested that a “minor incursion” by Russia into Ukrainian territory could result in a more measured response by the United States and allies.

Facing an avalanche of criticism from Republican lawmakers and Ukrainian officials that Biden’s comments had invited limited military action by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden sought to clarify his remarks at the start of a meeting at the White House focused on domestic policy.

“I’ve been absolutely clear with President Putin,” Biden said. “He has no misunderstanding: Any, any assembled Russian units move across the Ukrainian border, that is an invasion,” said Biden, adding that an invasion would be met with a “severe and coordinated economic response.”

His comments came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to meet Friday in Geneva with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a high-stakes bid to ease tensions that appears likely to fail.

Biden said the U.S. was preparing for Russia to take action that fell outside the parameters of conventional warfare...     source from Time

Related Story:

• What Is Putin’s strategy in Ukraine?
• What Happens Next In the Rising Violence in Ukraine?
• Is Ukraine’s New Holocaust Memorial Also an Instrument of Kremlin Propaganda?

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• Asia Has Kept COVID-19 at Bay for 2 Years. Omicron Could Change That
• Investors Are Sinking Real Money Into Virtual Real Estate, With No Guarantees
• The Man Putin Fears

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‘A-Team’ turnover in the Biden administration: A return to normalcy
​
Jan. 20 - Over the course of its first year, President Biden’s team faced several well-documented challenges—but staffing the White House was not one of them. Although he had a truncated transition due to the General Services Administration’s unwillingness to “ascertain” that Joe Biden had won the election, a record breaking 1,136 appointees were sworn in on Inauguration Day. This study focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on turnover in the president’s “A-Team,” defined as senior executive-office positions that do not require Senate confirmation.[1]

During the first year, some level of turnover is expected and reflective of a new White House adapting and adjusting to the demands of governing. Too much turnover, however, inhibits a president’s ability to govern and may be a symptom of a larger problem in the new administration. The Biden administration’s first-year turnover was one of the lowest of the past six administrations and may reflect the influence of experience and a professional transition operation.[2] Having worked in the White House enables a new staff to avoid the pitfalls that plague those without that valuable experience. Additionally, prioritizing staff recruitment during the transition can lay a foundation for a stable environment.

APPROACH: HOW TO THINK ABOUT STAFF TURNOVER

What counts as turnover, and why does it matter? For the purposes of this study, turnover refers to a vacancy created through promotion, resignation, or firing. Any of these movements introduce inefficiency as they require resources (hiring, vetting, and training) and likely increase the workload for those who remain. Staff members move on for a variety of reasons, and the impact of a high-level departure varies a great deal. Senior advisors who possess a close relationship with the chief executive are often irreplaceable, while those who deal with the press, Congress, or interest groups, for example, are more easily replaced. Nevertheless, those who serve on the A-Team are, by definition, critical participants in the presidency, such that any departure has an impact on White House operations...     more from Brookings

Voting Rights| Jan. 14, 2022

 JANUARY 13, 2022

White House Daily Briefing
​National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki discussed President Biden’s agenda with reporters and responded to questions on several issues, including Russia-Ukraine tensions, the Supreme Court’s split rulings on vaccine mandates, voting rights legislation, COVID-19 tests, and the economy.

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, January 13, 2022

JANUARY 13, 2022•PRESS BRIEFINGS

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

MS. PSAKI:  Hi, everyone.  Okay, we have another special guest today, our National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, who will give us some brief opening comments.  We’ll take some questions, and then we’ll proceed with a briefing from there.  With that, I will turn it over to Jake.

MR. SULLIVAN:  Thank you, Jen.  Thanks, everybody.  I’m here to provide a brief update on the situation with respect to Russia and Ukraine.

We’ve now completed an intensive week of diplomacy in multiple formats: the Strategic Stability Dialogue, the NATO-Russia Council, and the OSCE. 

Russia raised its concerns, we raised our concerns, including the actions Russia has taken to undermine European security that Secretary Blinken spoke so eloquently about last week.  We stuck to our core premise of reciprocity.  We were firm in our principles and clear about those areas where we can make progress and those areas that are non-starters.

Allied unity and transatlantic solidarity were on full display, and they remain on full display.  The discussions were frank and direct.  They were useful.  They gave us and our allies things to consider.  They gave Russia things to consider. 
We will now reflect and consult with allies and partners on how to proceed. 

We’re prepared to continue with diplomacy to advance security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic.  We’re equally prepared if Russia chooses a different path.

We continue to coordinate intensively with partners on severe economic measures in response to a further Russian invasion of
Ukraine.  We continue to work with Allies in NATO on changes in force posture and capabilities, especially on NATO’s eastern flank, if that scenario arises.  And we continue to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the defense of their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

We have been very clear with Russia on the costs and consequences of further military action or destabilization in Ukraine. 

So, we’re ready either way.  We’re ready to make progress at the negotiating table — serious, tangible progress on important issues of concern to us, to Europe, and to Russia in an environment of de-escalation.  And we’re ready to take the necessary and proper steps to defend our allies, support our partners, and respond robustly to any naked aggression that might occur.

​In our view, diplomacy is the more sensible path.  The Russians will have to make their own assessment.

In terms of next steps in the diplomatic process, we’ll remain engaged with allies and partners and with the Russians, and make determinations in the coming days about what comes next.

I’m going to leave it there and be happy to take your questions...     more

​Remarks by President Biden After Meeting with the Senate Democratic Caucus

JANUARY 13, 2022•SPEECHES AND REMARKS

U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.

Q    Mr. President, are you confident you can get this done?
Q    Mr. President, why can’t you get these two votes?
Q    What is the plan B?
Q    Can you get this done?

THE PRESIDENT:  First of all, y’all ask questions about complicated subjects like, “Can you get this done?”  I hope we can get this done.  The honest to God answer is: I don’t know whether we can get this done. 
Is this mic on?  I guess — anyway.
And — and --

Q    We’re not sure.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I’m not sure either. 

But, anyway, I hope we can get this done, but I’m not sure.

But one thing for certain — one thing for certain: Like every other major civil rights bill that came along, if we miss the first time, we can come back and try it a second time.  We missed this time.  We missed this time. 

And the state legislative bodies continue to change the law not as to who can vote, but who gets to count the vote — count the vote.  Count the vote!  It’s about election subversion, not just whether or not people get to vote.  Who counts the vote?  That’s what this is about.  That’s what makes this so different than anything else we’ve ever done. 

I don’t know that we can get it done, but I know one thing: As long as I have a breath in me, as long as I’m in the White House, as long as I’m engaged at all, I’m going to be fighting to change the way these legislatures have moving. 

Thank you. 

2:26 P.M. EST

JANUARY 13, 2022 | PART OF PRES. BIDEN MEETS WITH LAWMAKERS ON CAPITOL HILL
President Biden Remarks After Meeting with Senate Democratic Caucus
​President Biden met with Democratic senators to discuss the pending voting rights bills on Capitol Hill. Following the meeting he acknowledged he doesn’t know if these bills will get done, but he stressed he will continue to fight for everyone’s right to vote. 

JANUARY 13, 2022 | PART OF U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESU.S. House of Representatives
House Debate on Voting Rights
​The House approved a measure that combines two voting rights bills, 220-203. House passage starts a process that would allow the Senate to begin debate on voting rights legislati

JANUARY 13, 2022 | PART OF U.S. SENATEU.S. Senate
Senator Cruz on Sanctions for Russians Gas Pipeline
​Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said his bill sanctioning entities involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is the best way to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine. He said Russia wants the pipeline to be completed so it can use it as a cudgel against Europe and “wipe Ukraine off the map.” He said the only reason Russia didn’t take over all of Ukraine when it invaded Crimea in 2014 was because it wanted to build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. He said his bill would not hurt transatlantic relations because the European parliament voted 581-50 to oppose the pipeline. 

Cruz's Nord Stream 2 sanctions bill fails in U.S. Senate

​Jan. 14 - The U.S. Senate on Thursday failed to pass a bill to slap sanctions on Russia's Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline sponsored by Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a day after Democrats unveiled their own legislation.

The tally was 55 in favor and 44 against the bill that needed 60 votes to pass, a major hurdle in the 50-50 Senate. The vote spanned nearly seven hours as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer considered options on voting rights legislation.
Senator Robert Menendez won the support of many of his fellow Democrats, including President Joe Biden, for an alternative bill he introduced on Wednesday. His legislation would impose sweeping sanctions on top Russian government and military officials and banking institutions if Moscow engages in hostilities against Ukraine. read more
more from Reuters

JANUARY 13, 2022 | PART OF U.S. SENATEU.S. Senate
​Senators Shaheen and Murphy on Russian Gas Pipeline to Europe
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) spoke against the legislation to sanction people and companies involved in Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe. She said she shares concerns about Russia’s threat to Eastern Europe and that she opposes the pipeline. But she opposes the bill because she says it would not stop Nord Stream 2 but would damage transatlantic relations.

​Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) echoed those points, saying the bill won’t stop the pipeline but would be a “gift to Russia” by dividing the U.S. with European allies. He said Russia could easily get around the sanctions with legal changes to the companies working on the pipeline.