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

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Sen. Bernie Sanders commented on the latest conflagration in Israel/Palestine during an appearance Sunday on MSNBC

Bernie Sanders: "Pretty Strong Right Wing Government" Coalition In Israel Includes "Overt Racists"

May 17 - SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: The Israeli government has evolved over the years into a pretty strong right-wing government, and their coalition now includes people who are overt racists.

And when you have the United States of America, Ali, putting almost $4 billion a year into Israel, we have the right to demand that they respect the human rights of all people, including the Palestinians.

What we need now is an even-handed policy that protects the security of Israel. They have a right to live in peace and security without terrorist attacks. But the people in the Palestinian territories also have a right to live in peace and dignity.

Anyone who takes a look at what's going on in Gaza right now, where youth unemployment is 70%, and I'm talking about before this current war and the terrible things that have happened in the war. Where youth unemployment is sky-high. Where people can't get electricity and clean water on a regular basis. This is a territory controlled by Israel. So we've got to deal with the corruption of the Palestinian authority. We've got to deal with that. But we have also got to create a situation where the people in the Palestinian territories are respected as well.     quoted from

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Bernie Sanders says US should reconsider foreign aid to Israel, which partially funds defense system

May 16 - As fighting between Israel and Hamas militants occurred for a week, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday called for a "hard look" into the billions of dollars in annual military aid that the United States provides to Israel.

"The devastation in Gaza is unconscionable. We must urge an immediate ceasefire. The killing of Palestinians and Israelis must end,” Sanders posted in a tweet Sunday. "We must also take a hard look at nearly $4 billion a year in military aid to Israel. It is illegal to support human rights violations."

The devastation in Gaza is unconscionable. We must urge an immediate ceasefire. The killing of Palestinians and Israelis must end. We must also take a hard look at nearly $4 billion a year in military aid to Israel. It is illegal for U.S. aid to support human rights violations.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) May 16, 2021

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Damaged residential buildings following Israeli airstrikes in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on 12 May 2021
Israel faces greater dangers than Hamas’s rockets

The shocking images of lynch mobs and street fighting between Arabs and Jews within Israel underscore the fact that the most formidable threat to the country is now internal.

May 17 - Israel and Hamas have taken to open warfare yet again. The sense of déjà vu, as the militant group’s rocket attacks on Israeli territory are met by retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza, is compounded by Western politicians repeating an old formula: “Israel has the right to defend itself.”

That’s undoubtedly true. And yet it’s equally clear that Israeli actions are unlikely to deter Hamas. Nor will re-establishing military superiority over a technologically primitive enemy obscure Israel’s new and acute vulnerabilities.

The shocking images of lynch mobs and street fighting between Arabs and Jews within Israel underscore the fact that the most formidable threat to the country’s present and future stability is now internal. About one in 5 Israelis are Arabs, the descendants of Palestinians who stayed in the country after the creation of Israel in 1948, and they have long been disaffected...     more

An Israeli artillery unit fires toward targets in the Gaza Strip

Israel claims Gaza tunnels destroyed in heavy air strikes

May 17  - The Israeli military has unleashed a wave of heavy air strikes on the Gaza Strip, saying it destroyed nine miles of militant tunnels and the homes of nine alleged Hamas commanders.

Residents of Gaza who were awakened by the overnight barrage described it as the heaviest since the war began a week ago, and even more powerful than a wave of air strikes in Gaza City the day before that left 42 dead and flattened three buildings.

There was no immediate word on the casualties from the latest strikes. A three-storey building in Gaza City was heavily damaged, but residents said the military warned them 10 minutes before the strike and everyone cleared out. They said many of the air strikes hit nearby farmland...     more

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Palestinian Resistance attacks Beersheba, Ashkelon with rockets

Tel Aviv officially threatens to kill Hamas leaders

May 17 - ...Al-Qassam Brigades once again fired rockets at Beersheba and Ashkelon on early Monday morning.

In a statement, Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing called the rocket attacks in response to the Zionist regime's attacks on civilians on Sunday.

On the other hand, the Zionist military launched new raids on the Gaza Strip early on Monday, just hours after Benjamin Netanyahu said an end to hostilities was not imminent.

The Israeli regime’s bombardment of Gaza entered its eighth consecutive day after raids on Sunday killed at least 42 Palestinians, wounded dozens more and flattened at least two residential buildings.

At least 192 people, including 58 children and 34 women, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the latest violence began a week ago.     source from

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Watch President Joe Biden's full inauguration speech
Jan 21, 2021
President Joe Biden gives a speech after being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.

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

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Rouse said this week’s figures showing a leap in consumer prices, as well as last week’s hugely disappointing employment data, need to be seen in context
Expect ‘choppiness’ in US economic recovery, says White House

WASHINGTON, May 15 — Expect “choppiness” in the US economic recovery as different sectors bounce back at varying speeds, but inflation will not be a longterm problem, a top White House official said yesterday.

Cecilia Rouse, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, said the current turbulence is unpredictable.

For example, she joked, the government health authority’s ruling on Thursday that vaccinated people can safely drop their coronavirus masks suddenly means “we now anticipate an oversupply of masks and an undersupply of lipstick.”

“In all seriousness, different sectors of the economy will come back online at different times,” she told reporters. “Given the extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic, it will remain difficult for analysts to accurately forecast economic data.”

Rouse said this week’s figures showing a leap in consumer prices, as well as last week’s hugely disappointing employment data, need to be seen in context.

An average of half a million jobs have been created every month since January, she said, while the inflation figures reflected wild, yet temporary swings in economic activity as Americans emerge from partial lockdowns — particularly a return to air travel and buying cars.

“Airline prices ticked up because they had completely cratered last year,” she said.

Those ticket prices still have some way to go to reach pre-pandemic levels — heralding more inflation — but the increases will eventually plateau, as pent-up demand is satiated.

“I do not expect those prices to continue... because at some point people will stop,” she said. “I don’t think people take multiple vacations.”

“There’s going to be some choppiness,” Rouse said.

Runaway inflation, however, is not on the White House’s horizon.

“People fully expect this inflation to be temporary,” Rouse said. “There are not the sort of structural factors that should lead to an inflation that the Federal Reserve cannot control.”

Rouse pointed out that the current recovery was in response to significant gains in taming the Covid-19 pandemic through vaccinations.

However, she cautioned that there is a long way to go, meaning more economic uncertainty.

“We are making fabulous progress in this country, in terms of controlling the virus, but I’d like to remind you that only 58 per cent of adults have had one shot at least,” she said. Only a quarter of 18 — to 29-year-olds are fully inoculated.

“We are still eight million jobs down from where we were last year. We have a long way to go.” — AFP     source from

Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Cecilia Rouse
Expect 'Choppiness' In US Economic Recovery: White House

May 15 - Expect "choppiness" in the US economic recovery as different sectors bounce back at varying speeds, but inflation will not be a longterm problem, a top White House official said Friday.
Cecilia Rouse, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, said the current turbulence is unpredictable.

For example, she joked, the government health authority's ruling on Thursday that vaccinated people can safely drop their coronavirus masks suddenly means "we now anticipate an oversupply of masks and an undersupply of lipstick."

"In all seriousness, different sectors of the economy will come back online at different times," she told reporters. "Given the extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic, it will remain difficult for analysts to accurately forecast economic data."

Rouse said this week's figures showing a leap in consumer prices, as well as last week's hugely disappointing employment data, need to be seen in context...     more

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May 14, 2021 White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held a briefing on the Biden administration’s agenda. She was joined by economic adviser Cecilia Rouse, who talked about the state of the economy and job numbers. The press secretary discussed the CDC’s new mask guidance, the ongoing conflict in Israel and negotiations on the president’s proposed infrastructure plan.

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Cecilia Rouse, May 14, 2021

MS. PSAKI:  Hi everyone.  Happy Friday.  All right.  So, today, we have another special guest — it’s quite a week with special guests; our seventh of the week — Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Cecilia Rouse, a member of the President’s Families Cabinet.

 
This is not her first time in the briefing room, but, as a quick introduction, she is a renowned labor economist who recently served as Dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.  She previously served as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama-Biden Administration, where I had the pleasure of working with her, and on the National Economic Council in the Clinton Administration. She is the first African American and just the fourth woman to lead the CEA in the 74 years of its existence.
 
She has a busy day, as we all do — a lot going on here — but she’ll take just a couple questions when she wraps up. 
 
And I’m so happy I don’t have to put my mask back on.  Okay, come on over.
 
CHAIR ROUSE:  Thank you.  Okay. 
 
Q    Hello.
 
CHAIR ROUSE:  Hello.  So, this past year, we’ve been living through a once-in-a-hundred-years pandemic — or at least that’s what we certainly hope.
 
The speed with which we powered down the economy was unprecedented.  And while we have suffered and lost much over the past year, the efficiency and speed with which we have rolled out the vaccinations — even surpassing President Biden’s own initial and, I might say, ambitious goals — has meant that the U.S. has made tremendous progress at curbing the virus. 
 
As a result, we are now in the midst of restarting this economy in earnest and we are making good progress in doing so.  However, we must keep in mind that an economy will not heal instantaneously.  It takes several weeks for people to get full immunity from vaccinations and even more time for those left jobless from the pandemic to find and start a suitable job.  Supply chains have been disrupted and sectors that were hardest hit are just beginning to come back...     more

Hamas is trying to cause a chemical disaster in Israel

May 15 - GAZA, (BM) – One of Hamas’s combat brigades, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, tried to cause a chemical accident in Israel by attacking the chemical plant in Nir Oz with a massive missile and drone attacks, learned BulgarianMilitary.com, citing TASS and Forbes.

The attack took place yesterday, May 14 (Friday). Websites close to the Palestinian political military movement Hamas have started distributing a video claiming to show the rocket attack on the plant. Other sources say Hamas used Iranian-made kamikaze drones for the attack. So far, however, there is no official data on whether the chemical plant was hit by Palestinian missiles. The information cannot be confirmed.

BulgarianMilitary.com conducted a study of the production at the plant. In it, the Israelis produce various chemicals, using volatile chemical poisons such as chlorine, ammonia and others. The plant also stores toxic materials. Experts say that if the Hamas attack had been successful, cities near the plant would have been exposed to highly toxic and toxic airborne chemicals that could have caused serious damage...     more

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Israeli-Palestinian conflict gives Biden foreign policy headache

Israel's air strikes on the militant Hamas movement in Gaza have forced the Middle East on to Joe Biden's agenda amid new questions about how his emphasis on human rights applies to Palestinians.

May 15 - It has also laid bare the extent to which the Israeli right has been empowered in occupied East Jerusalem during the presidency of Donald Trump. Unrest there sparked wider battles, and could draw the Biden administration more deeply into the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict even after this latest seismic eruption abates.

That's a prospect President Biden and his senior advisers would like to avoid.

They've made clear their diplomatic priorities lie elsewhere. Until now they've adopted a low-key minimalist approach in this graveyard of American-led peace initiatives, quietly trying to restore some elements of US policy upended by the Trump administration's unabashedly pro-Israel stance.

That has meant concentrating on repairing ruptured relations with the Palestinians, and voicing rhetorical support for a viable Palestinian state as key to a lasting peace with Israel.

But they've calculated the prospects for a new round of negotiations as bleak, and are determined to shift the focus of American foreign policy to China...     more

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White House News (白宮消息) | May 13, 2021

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MAY 12, 2021

White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held a briefing with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and EPA administrator Michael Regan on the administration’s response to fuel shortages due to the cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline. The administration urged the public not to hoard gasoline and explained steps they are taking to get fuel to needed areas. The press secretary went onto speak about House Republicans ousting Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) from her leadership position and talks with congressional leaders on passing legislation.

Cheney ouster points to rough time for Biden after midterm elections

May 13 - ...White House press secretary Jen Psaki said it was "disturbing" to see any political leader attacked for "speaking the truth." Last week, Biden admitted he did not "understand" House Republicans' calculation concerning Cheney.

"The president is no stranger to working with people who he disagrees with, or he has massive fundamental disagreements with," Psaki told reporters on Wednesday. "The facts are on our side, and more than 80 judges across the country threw out lawsuits attempting to overturn the outcome of the election."     quoted from

Statement by Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Restart of Colonial Pipeline and Continued Federal Government Efforts to Mitigate Impacts
MAY 13, 2021

Tonight’s announcement means there’s an end in sight for the supply disruptions that have affected States across the Southeast. As Colonial Pipeline works to safely and fully resume operations over the next few days, we will stay in close contact with the company and will continue to offer any assistance needed—as we have done since the outset of this shutdown on Friday.

As supplies return to normal, we will also continue our whole-of-government effort to mitigate any challenges, including the swift steps we’ve taken to boost gas supply in affected States through actions by the EPA, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies. Tonight, as part of that effort, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that he is issuing a temporary and targeted Jones Act waiver to an individual company. This waiver will enable the transport of additional gas and jet fuel between the Gulf Coast and East Coast ports to ease supply constraints.

President Biden and the White House will monitor the situation closely in the coming days, and continue to urge Americans to just purchase what they need, and not hoard fuel, as supply is restored. The President and his team also thank the Governors and State and local leaders throughout the affected region who have moved quickly to address problems in their communities, and will continue to partner closely with them to provide any additional assistance as needed.

Earlier tonight, President Biden signed an executive order to chart a new course to improve the nation’s cybersecurity. This incident demonstrates that Federal agencies and the private sector must work collaboratively to learn the lessons of this incident, strengthen cybersecurity practices, and deploy technologies that increase resilience against cyberattacks.     source from

A ball of fire engulfs a tower block in Gaza City early on Thursday morning as Israel presses forward with its campaign against Hamas. 'The campaign is still far from over,' a cabinet minister said after last night's meeting with Netanyahu. 'Whatever we don't do now, we will have to do in six months or a year from now.'
Netanyahu rejects Hamas ceasefire plea after nine of their commanders were 'neutralised', as Israel prepares for possible Gaza ground invasion and warns: 'We will not stop'

May 13 - Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a peace offering from Hamas as Israel today pressed ahead with fierce bombardments on the Gaza Strip and readied plans for a possible ground invasion. 

Barrages since Monday have levelled the Islamists' bases and slain nine top commanders including their intelligence chief, their lead missile designer and their terror boss in Gaza City.

Hamas offered a truce last night via the Russian foreign ministry, requesting ceasefire on a 'mutual basis' after they launched more than 1,000 rockets at densely populated towns and cities, killing seven Israeli civilians.

But Netanyahu has vowed his troops are committed to a long operation which will only 'increase in force' despite international outcry at the growing Palestinian death toll – 67 people have been killed, including more than a dozen children.  

'The campaign is still far from over,' a cabinet minister said after last night's meeting with Netanyahu. 'Whatever we don't do now, we will have to do in six months or a year from now.'

He told Israeli news site Ynet: 'When we have hit all our targets and the other side has still not surrendered, we will launch a ground operation even though we do not seek it'...     more

White House News (白宮消息) | May 12, 2021

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Granholm: No need to hoard gas amid pipeline attack

May 11 - Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says there may be a gasoline "supply crunch" for a few days as Colonial Pipeline gets up and running again following a ransomware cyberattack but she urged Americans not to hoard gas, insisting there is no need.      source from

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MAY 11, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held briefing with reporters. She was joined by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to discuss the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack. They spoke about increasing the fuel supply to the southeast region by other means and increasing cyber protections for critical infrastructure. 

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, May 11, 2021

MS. PSAKI:  Hi, everyone.  Good afternoon.  We have three guests joining us today: Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, and Deputy Security of Energy David Turk.

I — since Secretary Granholm and Mayorkas have been here before, I will skip their introductions.  But I do want to note that Deputy Secretary Turk was previously the Deputy Executive Director of the International Energy Agency during the Obama-Biden administration.  He coordinated international technology and clean energy efforts at DOE, and served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director at the National Security Council. 

They obviously have a lot on their plates today but have agreed to stay for a few questions.  With that, I will turn it over to Secretary Granholm.

SECRETARY GRANHOLM:  Thank you.  Great.  Thanks, Jen.  So the White House and the Department of Energy have been leading an interagency response to the Colonial Pipeline hack and, fortunately, the interagency response is bringing a lot of expertise and resources and authorities from across the federal government. 

We’ve been working around the clock since Friday to help Colonial — Friday night, when we learned, of course, to hope — to help Colonia return the pipeline to normal operation as quickly and as safely and as securely as possible...      more

aMAY 11, 2021 | PART OF U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESU.S. House of RepresentativesRepresentative Liz Cheney on Democracy and Rule of LawRepresentative Liz Cheney (R-WY) spoke about the importance of upholding the U.S. Constitution and denounced former President Donald Trump’s claim that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent, calling it an attempt to undermine the democratic process. She spoke from the House floor a day before House Republicans were set to vote on whether to remove her from her leadership role as conference chair. 

Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, speaks at a news conference in the White House on Tuesday.
Homeland Security announces new efforts to combat violent extremism in the U.S.

May 12 - The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday dedicated an arm of its intelligence division to target domestic terrorism and opened a new center to help state and local law enforcement combat violent extremists, the latest Biden administration efforts on the problem in the wake of the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol.

The department said the moves were part of a strategy to “comprehensively combat domestic violent extremism, including violent white supremacy.”

President Biden asked federal intelligence agencies to assess the threat of domestic terrorism shortly after he took office. In March, the administration released a report that warned about the increasing threat from militias and white supremacists, which amplified calls for the need to fight extremism inside the United States.

“Individuals who may be radicalizing, or have radicalized, to violence typically exhibit behaviors that are recognizable to many but are best understood by those closest to them, such as friends, family, and classmates,” the homeland security secretary,

Alejandro N. Mayorkas, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

In the aftermath of the deadly Jan. 6 riot by a pro-Trump mob, federal law enforcement was widely criticized for not responding to a threat that was evolving publicly on social media.

On Wednesday, Mr. Mayorkas is set to testify alongside Attorney General Merrick B. Garland before the Senate Appropriations Committee about the current threat posed by domestic extremists.

Mr. Mayorkas emphasized that the department’s new programs were developed to comply with privacy protections required by law. The new center will replace a similar program that was started during the Trump administration.     source from