White House News (白宮消息)

2/20/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Feb.20, 2021

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FEBRUARY 19, 2021
President Biden Delivers Remarks at Pfizer Plant
President Biden delivered remarks at a Pfizer plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The president was introduced by Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, who praised the Biden administration for its work on increasing the vaccine supply and distribution. President Biden spoke about progress made in getting people vaccinated, the need for Congress to pass his COVID-19 relief package and the importance of reopening schools.

Biden says the United States could be ‘approaching normalcy by the end of this year.’

After touring a Pfizer manufacturing facility in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Friday, President Biden emphasized the safety of approved coronavirus vaccines and said there would be enough available for all Americans by the end of July.

I came here because I want the American people to understand the extraordinary, extraordinary work that’s being done to undertake the most difficult operational challenges this nation has ever faced. And let me say parenthetically that it’s not enough that we find cures for Americans. There needs to be cures that the world is able to take part in because you can’t build a wall or fence high enough to keep a pandemic out. We’re now on track to have enough vaccine supply for all Americans by the end of July. It doesn’t mean will be in all Americans’ arms, but enough vaccine will be available by that time. And I know people want confidence that it’s safe. Well, I just toured where it’s being made. It takes more time to do the check for safety than it does actually to make the vaccine. That’s how fastidious they are. But if there’s one message to cut through to everyone in this country is this, the vaccines are safe. Please, for yourself, your family, your community, this country, take the vaccine when it’s your turn and available. That’s how to beat this pandemic. source

FEBRUARY 19, 2021
President Biden Tours Pfizer Plant
President Biden toured a Pfizer plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. The president was shown freezers storing the vaccine and demonstrations of the packing process.

Rocket attack hits US and coalition forces in Erbil, Iraq
Feb 16, 2021
A civilian contractor was killed and a US service member was injured along with eight other contractors when rocket fire landed on coalition forces near Erbil International Airport in Iraq, said Col. Wayne Marotto, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve.

Pfizer seeks to store vaccine at higher temperatures, easing logistics

Feb. 20 - Approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could send a strong signal to other regulators around the world that may ease distribution of the shot in lower-income countries.

The companies have submitted new temperature data to the FDA to support an update to the current label that would allow vials to be stored at -25 to -15 degrees Celsius (-13°F to 5°F) for a total of two weeks.

The current label requires the vaccine to be stored at temperatures between -80ºC and -60ºC (-112ºF to -76ºF), meaning it has to be shipped in specially designed containers.
The shot’s cold-storage requirements set off a scramble among U.S. states at the beginning of the rollout for dry ice, in which it can be stored temporarily when there are no specialized freezers available, for instance in rural areas. more details

Biden says U.S. will seek to ‘end cancer as we know it’ after Covid pandemic

Feb. 21 - President Joe Biden said Friday that once the coronavirus pandemic has been defeated, his administration will target another deadly disease: cancer.

“I want you to know that, once we beat Covid, we’re going to do everything we can to end cancer as we know it,” Biden said in a speech after touring Pfizer’s massive coronavirus vaccine manufacturing site in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the National Center for Health Statistics, with nearly 600,000 people dying of cancer in 2019. Almost 1.9 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2021, American Cancer Society researchers estimate.

One of Biden’s sons, Beau Biden, died at age 46 from an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Biden said that two White House offices, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, will be involved in developing an “advanced research effort on cancer and other diseases.” more details

2/19/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Feb.19, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021
White House Daily Briefing (Audio Only)
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held her daily news conference over the phone due to the winter weather in the Washington, DC area. She was joined by Homeland Security Advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall.

Overnight Defense: NATO expanding troops in Iraq

Feb. 18 - NATO will expand its security training mission in Iraq by thousands of troops following a deadly rocket attack on a military air base earlier this week.

The 30-member alliance will increase its personnel in Iraq from 500 to around 4,000, a move to prevent the war-torn country from becoming a breeding ground for terrorists, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced Thursday.

“ISIS still operates in Iraq and we need to make sure they’re not able to return,” Stoltenberg told reporters at the end of a two-day virtual NATO defense ministers meeting.

What the increase means:
He said NATO’s efforts will now include more Iraqi security institutions and areas beyond Baghdad, though their presence “is conditions-based and increases in troop numbers will be incremental.”

He added that the Iraqi government had made a request for the expanded mission, which will begin in the coming months. more details

U.S. ‘Prepared’ for Talks with Iran

Feb. 18 - On February 18, the United States told its European allies that it was ready for talks with Iran over returning to the 2015 nuclear deal. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany to discuss Iran, Yemen, ISIS and Iraq, among other issues. “If Iran comes back into strict compliance with its commitments under the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], the United States will do the same and is prepared to engage in discussions with Iran toward that end,” read a joint statement released after the virtual meeting. But the Biden administration reiterated its demand that Tehran return to compliance before Washington rejoined the deal.

The four diplomats urged Iran to abandon its threat to suspend compliance with the Additional Protocol, a voluntary agreement that grants international inspectors greater access to declared nuclear sites. “The E3 and the United States are united in underlining the dangerous nature of a decision to limit [International Atomic Energy Agency] access, and urge Iran to consider the consequences of such grave action, particularly at this time of renewed diplomatic opportunity,” the joint statement read.

The four diplomats also criticized Iran’s past breaches of the deal, particularly its decision to enrich uranium up to 20 percent and to produce uranium metal. “These activities have no credible civil justification,” the statement read. “Uranium metal production is a key step in the development of a nuclear weapon.” Iran resumed enriching uranium to 20 percent on January 4 and announced that it would produce uranium metal on January 13. more details

FEBRUARY 18, 2021
House Speaker Weekly Briefing
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) held her weekly legislative briefing on Capitol Hill. She spoke about creating a commission looking into the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying it would closely resemble the 9/11 Commission and have subpoena power. She also said the federal government should provide help for Texas as the state deals with the aftermath of a recent deadly storm.

2/18/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Feb. 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 17, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held her daily briefing with reporters. She was joined by Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology. Ms. Neuberger provided an update on the administration’s response to the SolarWinds cyber hack. Following her remarks, Press Secretary Psaki answered reporters' questions on a range of topics. She was asked about winter storm power outages in Texas and neighboring states, COVID-19 vaccine distribution, CDC guidelines for reopening schools, proposals to cancel student loan debt, and slavery reparations legislation.

Biden Administration May Tap Amazon for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
The idea is that Amazon and other tech companies may have abilities to assist in the effort that government agencies do not.

Feb. 18 - The Biden administration is considering turning to an unlikely source when it comes to vaccine distribution: Silicon Valley, according to a new report this week.

Politico reported Tuesday that the new president’s administration is considering “taking Silicon Valley up” on its offers to help out with the vaccine rollout. Amazon has reportedly offered “IT and operations,” with Airbnb offering “vaccine depots” at its real estate locations, and Google offering free ad space.

The administration is, in fact, “in talks” with Amazon and other tech companies.

“We are consulting with many companies, including Amazon, about specific ways they can help execute the president’s national strategy against COVID,” White House spokesperson Kevin Munoz told Politico. “Companies with logistics and technical expertise could help Americans get vaccinated more efficiently and more equitably.”

“We are committed to assisting governments with vaccination efforts as we work together to protect our workers and continue to provide essential services during the pandemic,” Amazon spokesperson Jodi Seth told the site.

The idea is that Amazon and other tech companies may have abilities to assist in the effort that government agencies do not. more details

Former US President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., Jan. 20, 2021.
Despite Senate Acquittal, Trump Faces Many Legal Problems

Feb. 18, WASHINGTON - As president, Donald Trump was immune from criminal prosecution and civil liability.

But now that he is a private citizen, he no longer enjoys the cloak of presidential immunity — and his legal troubles are starting to pile up.

On Tuesday, just three days after the Senate acquitted him of an impeachment charge of inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Trump was sued over the riot in federal court by a prominent U.S. Democratic representative.

The suit by Congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, accuses Trump, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and two far-right groups of conspiring to incite the riot to prevent congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential election victory.

The lawsuit is likely to be the first of many. But Trump’s legal troubles are not limited to his role in the riot. Ongoing investigations in New York and other lawsuits are likely to keep him “wrapped up” for years, said Sarah Tuberville of the Project on Government Oversight. more details

NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - February 17th, 2020 | NBC Nightly News
Feb 18, 2021
Growing frustration as millions still without power in Texas, winter storms delay Covid vaccinations, and President Biden says the vaccine will be available to all Americans by the end of July.

2/17/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Feb. 17, 2021

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FEBRUARY 16, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki answered questions about Covid relief, a lawsuit against former President Trump, and Iraq at a briefing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, meet with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, on March 9, 2016, during Biden's official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
White House: Netanyahu to be first Middle East leader Biden will call

“Israel is a country where we have an important strategic security relationship, and our team is fully engaged—not at the head-of-state level yet but very soon,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Feb. 17 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be the first Middle East leader President Joe Biden will call, the White House said on Tuesday.

“His first call with a leader in the region will be with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters, adding that she did not have an exact timeline for the call, but that “it will be soon.”

The comments by Psaki come amid mounting speculation, especially by Israeli pundits, on the delay in calling the Israeli leader by Biden, who took office nearly a month ago.

The president has spoken with a number of close U.S. allies, including leaders in Canada, Britain, France, Japan, Mexico, Germany, South Korea and even some foes, such as China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. He has not yet spoken with a Mideast leader.

“Israel is, of course, an ally,” Psaki said. “Israel is a country where we have an important strategic security relationship, and our team is fully engaged—not at the head-of-state level quite yet but very soon.”

For his part, Netanyahu has downplayed the fact that he has not received a personal call from Biden.

The president is “making calls to world leaders according to the order he sees fit,” Netanyahu said last week. “The Israel-U.S. alliance is strong and so is our friendship of almost 40 years, though we may not agree on everything.”

Last week, former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, who now serves as chairman of World Likud, made a much blunter remark on the situation via tweet: “Might it now be time to call the leader of Israel, the closest ally of the U.S.?” source from JNS

Construction on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline resumed in earnest on Feb. 6 after more than a year. A gas-line facility in Germany was photographed in September.
Biden Administration Reviews Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline

U.S. considers whether to waive or impose sanctions on builders of Russian gas pipeline

Feb 17 - WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is reviewing U.S. policy toward a pipeline designed to carry Russian natural gas to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea, under new pressure after construction on the $11 billion project resumed this month, according to people with knowledge of the deliberations.

The undersea pipeline, Nord Stream 2, is more than 90% completed, with about 100 miles remaining. Construction resumed in earnest on Feb. 6, more than a year after it came to a halt in the face of opposition from the Trump administration and acts of Congress authorizing sanctions on companies and individuals involved in the project. The Biden administration hasn’t thus far imposed sanctions required by law.

The Biden administration has opened talks with Berlin on the future of the pipeline, including “threats of sanctions against companies involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2,” a German official said.

The administration on Tuesday faces a deadline to report a list of companies it deems in violation of the U.S. laws aimed at halting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Those companies would be potential targets for U.S. sanctions. The Biden administration could also waive the application of sanctions under a national-interest clause, placating Germany, a critical European ally, handing Russia a geopolitical victory, and crossing a bipartisan coalition in Congress. source

Workers at the construction site of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline near the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad Region, Russia, June 5, 2019.
Putin’s Corrupt Pipeline Is on Life Support

Unless the Biden administration refuses to enforce the law, the Nord Stream 2 project is going to die. The question is who gets credit for killing it.

Feb. 16 - With the detention and sentencing of Alexei Navalny and the arrest of thousands of peaceful Russian protesters, the divisive Nord Stream 2 (NS2) pipeline has once again returned to the forefront of political discourse in Europe and the United States.

The new Biden team has struck the right rhetorical note, arguing that NS2 is “a bad deal for Europe” and promising that the U.S. will not “roll over” for Russia. Since Navalny’s arrest and sentencing, key European figures have stepped up their rhetoric as well. Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee in the U.K.’s House of Commons, has on multiple occasions advocated for NS2 to be killed. By an overwhelming 581–50 margin, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the EU to “immediately” halt work on NS2. Even the French, who up until recently backed Germany in support of the project, have changed their tune. When asked earlier this month if France was in favor of abandoning the project, Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune confirmed that it was.

At this point, the international leaders who support NS2 could very likely be counted on one hand. Among them are German chancellor Angela Merkel; Merkel’s likely successor, Armin Laschet, the leader of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU); Russian president Vladimir Putin; and the ex-Stasi intelligence officer who is now the pipeline project’s CEO, Matthias Warnig. On February 5, Laschet insisted that Germany would not abandon NS2 in the wake of Navalny’s sentencing and the mass detention of protesters in Russia. “Feel-good moralizing and domestic slogans are not foreign policy,” he said with an obvious note of disdain. continue to read

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2/16/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Feb. 16, 2021

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Joe Biden $1.9 Trillion Economic Rescue Plan: THE JOE BIDEN POLICIES, STRATEGIES, TARGET TO COMBACT COVID 19/OTHER CRISIS AND RESCUE AMERICAN ECONOMIC FROM RECESSION

FEBRUARY 15, 2021
U.S. House of Representatives
House Pro Forma Session
The House met for a pro forma session.

In this Jan. 28, 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Biden campaigned on raising the national minimum wage to $15 per hour and attached a proposal doing just that to the $1.9 trillion coronavirus pandemic relief bill.
Biden debuts on world stage as president with G-7, Munich meetings

Feb. 16 - President Biden’s vow to expand U.S. engagement with allies will be put to the test later this week when he participates in a virtual meeting with leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies and then delivers remarks to the annual Munich Security Conference.
Administration officials say the online gathering Friday of the leaders of the G-7 — the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan — will focus mainly on global COVID-19 responses and the world economy, with Mr. Biden planning also to press for ways the group can better work together in dealing with China.

Former President Trump showed little affection for the gathering of industrial democracies, lobbying unsuccessfully to re-admit Russia to the gathering and failing to convene an actual or virtual summit last year when it was Washington’s turn to host.

Mr. Biden will separately speak Friday at the prestigious Munich conference, which is also being held online this year. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said the president will focus his remarks on “the need for the United States and Europe to take on global challenges together.”

Both events come as Mr. Biden seeks to portray himself as more eager than Mr. Trump was to work with America’s allies and to engage more deeply in multinational organizations during his one term in office. more details

Progressives Push for Joe Biden's $1,400 Stimulus Checks on President's Day: '44 Days'

Feb. 16 - On President's Day, progressive politicians and journalists on social media pushed Congress and President Joe Biden for the $1,400 stimulus checks that Democrats have promised to deliver to Americans.

Before taking office, Biden said that he wanted to act "boldly and urgently" to get the checks passed through Congress. "We don't have a second to waste when it comes to delivering the American people the relief they desperately need," he said. But weeks have gone by since Biden's inauguration and the instalment of a new Congress, and the president's stimulus plan has still not been passed.

On Twitter, former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner wrote, "44 Days," alongside a February 13 tweet that pointed out that "it's been 42 days since we installed a new Congress. It's time the American People got their $2,000 checks." Turner is currently running for the U.S. House in Ohio's 11th District. continue to read

PBS NewsHour full episode, Feb. 15, 2021
Feb 15, 2021
Monday on the NewsHour, an unusually large winter storm causes freezing temperatures, power outages and extreme weather across the U.S., we discuss General Motors' big push toward zero-emission vehicles, the Chinese government's crackdown in Hong Kong extends to its education system, and Tamara Keith and Amy Walter breakdown the aftermath of the Senate impeachment trial.

2/15/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Feb. 15, 2021

White House News in Chinese - About (weebly.com)

Axios on HBO: Vice President Kamala Harris on the vaccine stockpile (Clip) | HBO
Feb 15, 2021

Kamala Harris reveals what the new administration discovered about Trump's COVID-19 response plan

Feb. 15 - In an interview with Axios on HBO, Vice President Kamala Harris claimed 'there was no national strategy or plan for vaccinations' in the Trump administration's COVID-19 plan. Harris claims what many in the Biden administration have surmised after taking over governing.

'We were leaving it to the states and local leaders to try and figure it out," Harris told reporter Mike Allen.

President Joe Biden made a similar claim when he announced the next steps for the vaccine plan.

"There is nothing for us to rework. We are going to have to build everything from scratch," one Biden source told CNN in January.

"In many ways, we are starting from scratch on something that's been raging for almost an entire year," Harris told Axios.
Sources told CNN the same thing after the inauguration, saying that during the transition it became clear to the Biden science team that they would have to essentially begin from "square one" because the Trump administration hadn't developed a plan. "Wow, just further affirmation of complete incompetence."

"The process to distribute the vaccine, particularly outside of nursing homes and hospitals out into the community as a whole, did not really exist when we came into the White House," White House chief of staff Ron Klain said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press."

Trump announced in August that his administration was purchasing 100 million vaccinations from Moderna and 100 million of the Pfizer vaccine. Trump was offered more vaccines by both pharmaceutical companies but refused it, said NBC News. It prompted questions about why Trump hadn't purchased enough to fully cover all Americans, which would be over 660 million doses.

"The suffering is so immense in terms of both the public health crisis, the number of people who have died, the number of people who've contracted it, and the economic crisis," the vice president also said. source

Biden to focus on coronavirus challenges during upcoming G7 meeting - White House

MOSCOW, Feb 15 -- US President Joe Biden will discuss the coronavirus pandemic, economic recovery, and "challenges" posed by China during his first G7 meeting, planned for Friday, reported Sputnik news agency.
According to the White House in a statement released on Sunday, Biden will focus "on a global response to the COVID-19 pandemic," "coordination on vaccine production, distribution, and supplies," and the global economic recovery "including the importance of all industrialized countries maintaining economic support for the recovery and collective measures to build back better."
The Friday virtual G7 meeting, hosted by the UK, will be the first time that the group has met since April 2020 and will be the first time that Biden meets with leaders from the Group of Seven countries as president.
President Biden will discuss the "need to make investments to strengthen our collective competitiveness and the importance of updating global rules to tackle economic challenges such as those posed by China," the White House said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said over the weekend that he planned to call for more cooperation in the battle against COVID-19 during the upcoming virtual G7 event. source

PBS NewsHour Weekend Full Episode February 14, 2021
Feb 15, 2021
On this edition for Sunday, February 14, experts unpack Trump’s second impeachment trial and second acquittal: what does this mean for the Republican party, and the nation, moving forward? Plus, what concrete actions can the Biden administration take on gun reform? And, with public art all the more important during COVID-19, a new outdoor sculpture in the heart of New York City, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Hari Sreenivasan anchors.