5/03/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | May 3nd, 2021

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

The United States has also diverted raw materials for vaccines to India.
Doing All We Can To Help India In Covid Crisis, Says White House

In interviews on several political shows Sunday, Biden administration officials emphasized the aid the U.S. has already delivered to its South Asian ally, including the first planeloads of medical supplies and supplemental oxygen to the country on Friday.


May 3 - ...On Monday, President Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and pledged to provide supplemental oxygen, personal protective equipment and other medical supplies to the country.

PM Modi and other world officials have called on the United States to go a step further and waive vaccine patent protections, saying that would let other countries and companies speed up production of generics and expedite the vaccination effort worldwide.

"If a temporary waiver to patents cannot be issued now, during these unprecedented times, when will be the right time?" Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, tweeted in March. "Solidarity is the only way out."

The administration has also vowed to share up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with other countries, prompted in large part by the crisis in India. Officials made that announcement several days ago, adding assurances here that the United States does not need the AstraZeneca vaccine to continue inoculating the U.S. population.

Vaccines made by Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are being administered in the United States, and public health officials say that is more than enough for all Americans. Increasingly, the administration's biggest challenge is not obtaining vaccine doses but persuading Americans to take them.


Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to Biden, said that the 60 million AstraZeneca doses the U.S. has promised to other countries have been ordered but that not all have been produced. The AstraZeneca vaccine is undergoing a safety review by the Food and Drug Administration.

"To be clear, there isn't some huge warehouse filled with AstraZeneca vaccines that we can just release at a moment's notice," Dunn said on CNN's "State of the Union." "As soon as it is ready to be shared with the world, we plan to share it."

On Sunday, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that despite the calls by PM Modi and others, vaccine patents were only part of the problem, and that manufacturing limits would still hinder production...     more

May 2, 2021
NASA Holds News Conference on SpaceX
Dragon Resilience Splashdown
NASA held a news conference after the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida after 168 days on a mission aboard the International Space Station.

If not stopped, Nord Stream 2 will keep Putin in power: Poland’s PM
Interviewed by he French quarterly “Politique Internationale”, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated that works on the Russo-German gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 must be stopped in the wake of the Russia’s hostile acts in Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus and the assassination attempt on the opposition leader Aleksei Navalny.


May 3 - In the interview, the Polish Prime Minister asked rhetorically “what else must happen for European politicians to understand that Russia is a dictatorship that cannot be reconciled with” and added that Nord Stream 2 is a test of European solidarity,"

He also stated that the Russo-German gas pipeline will not only make Europe dependent on Russian gas, but will also "prolong Putin's term of office”.

Speaking about the Russian-German gas pipeline, the Prime Minister stressed that it is aimed at shattering European unity, stating "Nord Stream 2 is a litmus test of European solidarity. (...) Not only will it make Europe dependent on Russian gas supplies, but it will also prolong Putin's tenure. Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Navalny's case ... What else has to happen for European politicians to understand that Russia is a dictatorship we cannot accept? I am glad that this awareness is progressing, but until the construction of the pipeline is completely stopped, we will not be able to talk about success," the Prime Minister. emphasised.

The Polish Prime Minister was also asked if something should be done to curtail the vast influence big-tech companies have on the public debate. He answered that the large corporations and global media have been fond of censorship for quite some time and that big-tech uses algorithms to manipulate information and divide societies by radicalisation.

He stated that “some people are given the right to speak their mind, others have their rights taken away. Freedom of speech is paramount, so it must be defended. We must define an operational framework for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other similar platforms".

The prime minister also spoke about the support Poland provides to Belarus; financial, legal and humanitarian assistance saying "I hope that the EU, like Poland, will continue to actively work for the restoration of democratic order in Belarus. We cannot allow this topic to be hidden away from the public debate”.

He also elaborated on his stance regarding Polish-Russian relations by saying that "any hope for rapprochement is doomed to failure, because only neo-imperial goals matter for Vladimir Putin”.

He also added that the Russian president is trying to whitewash the country's responsibility for the outbreak of the Second World War and the crimes committed in the name of communist ideology.

The prime minister ended the interview by stating that the international community must do everything in its power to give Russian people the chance to regain their freedom, while also addding that “the assassination attempt on Alexei Navalny and the fact that he was sent to a penal colony should derive Europeans of any illusions regarding the nature of Vladimir Putin's regime”.

Politique Internationale is a high-profile magazine covering international relations. It was established in 1978 and specialises in interviews with world leaders.     source from

President Joe Biden is seen wearing a face mask despite being outside as he arrives to speak at an event to mark Amtrak's 50th anniversary at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia on Friday

Vaccinated Biden is STILL wearing a mask outside despite CDC guidelines as an 'extra precaution' claims White House advisor - as the mixed messaging on masks continues

May 3 - One of President Joe Biden's top White House advisers suggested on Sunday that he's still wearing a mask outdoors out of habit despite the latest public health guidance saying he doesn't need it.

Questioned about Biden's practice, senior adviser Anita Dunn told CNN's State of the Union that she realized that she was also still wearing her mask outdoors even after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fully vaccinated people like her and Biden can stop wearing masks outside when they're alone or not among strangers.
'
I myself found that I was still wearing my mask outdoors this week, because it has become such a matter of habit,' Dunn said...     more

Oh What a Night: Philanhropists Eli and Edythe Broad pose for a jovial photo outside the Vanity Fair Montblanc party celebrating The Collection Princesse Grace de Monaco held at Hotel Bel-Air Los Angeles. It?s probably not too chilly in L.A., but we dig Edythe?s fancy cloak.

I saw the Jewish side of L.A.’s greatest philanthropist, Eli Broad


May 2 - I first met Eli Broad in his Century City office. It was on an upper floor of the SunAmerica building – the multi-billion dollar insurance company he built — with views for miles in every direction, mountain, ocean, valley. I marveled at the view, which was fitting for someone who always had a watchful eye on the city he loved.

Since Eli died April 30 at age 87, much has been written about his impact on art, education and civic life in L.A. He truly was, as the Los Angeles Times’ Thomas Curwen noted, the last of the great business leaders-philanthropists who was “able to shape and finance his personal dream of what the city should be.”


But that afternoon, we didn’t speak of L.A.’s future, we spoke of the Broad family’s past, in Lithuania. I told him I was just about to leave for a Federation mission to Lithuania, and Eli unspooled his remarkable story.

Broad’s mother’s family had a successful timber business, his father’s family was poor. During World War I, Russian soldiers ransacked his mother’s home, where they bound and gagged her and her six siblings. Shortly after, the family left for America. (Eli’s mother’s brother moved to British Palestine, where he was instrumental in creating Ben Shemen Youth Village).


Eli’s parents settled in a small walk-up Bronx apartment, where Eli was born. His father opened a five-and-dime, and spent his spare time at the Workmen’s Circle, fighting for workers rights and arguing in Yiddish. His father found success by opening up the first Christmas store in the Bronx— a crazy idea at the time, especially for a Jew. But as Eli liked to say, the key to success is often to just ask, “Why not?”

Eli felt deeply connected to the immigrant story, and asked me to call him upon my return from Lithuania. I did, and it was the beginning of many enlightening conversations.

Eli’s values came directly from his Judaism and his family’s Jewish journey. He was, I believe, a deeply Jewish philanthropist, someone whose giving is rooted in the values of his People. He gave generously to the Jewish Federation, as well as to the Israel Philharmonic, the Peres Center for Peace — Shimon Peres was a student at his uncle’s school — and many other causes...     more

Blinken says US ‘very carefully’ tracking Russia’s troop pullback from Ukrainian border
Top US diplomat said earlier, "there are more forces amassed on the border with Ukraine than any time since 2014"


May 3, WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has underlined that the US is "very carefully" monitoring the pullback of Russian forces from the Ukrainian border in his interview with CBS broadcast on Sunday.

The interviewer asked Blinken, "That's been verified that they are pulling back?" "Starting now. We're watching that very, very carefully," he responded.

A part of the interview was shown on Thursday, the top US diplomat then said, "There are more forces amassed on the border with Ukraine than any time since 2014, when Russia actually invaded." "What we have seen in the last few days is apparently a decision to pull back some of those forces and we've seen some of them in fact start to pull back," he added.

Western countries were repeatedly expressing concerns over remarks made by top Ukrainian brass saying that Russia was ramping up its troops along the Ukrainian border. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that movement of Russian borders in Russia should not raise concerns in other states because it does not threaten them in any way.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on April 22 ordered to finish inspections in the Southern and Western Military Districts because all the set goals had been achieved. Shoigu told to complete the return of the troops who were involved in the drills in southern Russia to their permanent location bases before May 1.    source from
Meet The Press Broadcast (Full) - May 2nd, 2021 | Meet The Press | NBC News
May 3, 2021
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen breaks down the state of the economy as the U.S. continues opening up. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) discuss Biden’s plans for financing $1.8 trillion for the American Families Plan. Yamiche Alcindor, Lanhee Chen, Kasie Hunt and Claire McCaskill join the Meet the Press roundtable.

5/01/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | May 1st, 2021

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

President Joe Biden's pet, a German Shepard dog named Major, is walked on a leash by the South Portico of the White House minutes before the president departs for travel to Ohio from the White House in Washington, on March 23, 2021. 
First Dog Major Back at White House After Post-Bite Training

May 1 - WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden’s younger dog, Major, is back at the White House after extra training—including spending time with some cats—to address biting incidents, first lady Jill Biden said in an NBC interview broadcast on Friday.

Major, a German Shepherd rescue, received training outside the White House this month after two biting incidents.


“He’s back,” Jill Biden said in the interview, conducted on Thursday. “He is such a sweet, lovable dog, he really is.”

The Bidens are expecting to bring a cat—a female—into their fold soon, she said, and Major has been prepped for that.

​“That was part of his training, they took him into a shelter with cats,” she said. “He did fine.”     source from

Remarks by Vice President Harris on the Progress Made During the First 100 Days in Office
APRIL 30, 2021

...​So, it is wonderful to be back in Baltimore, and especially on this, our 100th day of our administration.  I would say, today is a good day, Baltimore.

You know, 100 days ago, just after President Joe Biden and I were sworn in, I stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial.  And I talked about what I call “American aspiration.”  American aspiration.

I talked about how, in America, we not only dream; we do.  We not only see what has been; we see what can be.  We shoot for the moon, and then we plant our flag on it.

So, for a minute, let’s go back to where our nation was 100 days ago.  About 2 out of 330 million Americans, at that time, were fully vaccinated.  More than 10 million Americans were out of work.  Schools were closed.  Businesses were closed.  And beyond the pandemic, our democracy was under assault.  And our Capitol had just been attacked by insurgents.

All of that was going on when the President and I took our oath of office.  But as daunting as these challenges were, we were not deterred.  And our nation was not deterred.

We had a plan to get America back on track.  We had faith
that the American people, when given the opportunity, would come together and would rise to meet the moment.  And you have.  You have...     more


APRIL 30, 2021
President Biden Remarks on Amtrak's 50th Anniversary and American Jobs Plan
President Biden made remarks on Amtrak’s 50th anniversary and his American Jobs Plan during a visit to Philadelphia. The president spoke about his years of riding Amtrak between Washington, DC and Delaware and called Amtrak employees “family.” President Biden also spoke about the importance of investing in rail and expanding service as part of the American Jobs Plan. 

Remarks by President Biden at an Event Marking Amtrak’s 50th Anniversary
APRIL 30, 2021

...You know, folks.  The fact is that, if I — in the past when I’ve ended up at the 30th Street Station — Amtrak station — it’s probably because I took the late train back from Washington and I slept through the Delaware stop — literally, not figuratively.  I only did it about four times.  But — but I would have — I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. 

It’s an honor to celebrate Amtrak’s 50th anniversary.  And I look forward to a bright future for all of American rail...   
  more

APRIL 30, 2021
Vice President Harris Holds Roundtable on Public Transit
Vice President Harris participates in a roundtable discussion on the Biden administration’s investments in public transit.
Remarks by Vice President Harris in a Roundtable Discussion on Public Transit
APRIL 30, 2021

...Can they raise their families, get to work, get to the grocery store, satisfy their basic responsibilities and functions to raise a family and to be productive in their community and in their lives?  And so, that’s the context in which I think about this very important subject, which is the subject of public transit. 

And, you know, when I think about it, I think about: Good transit equals vibrant communities.  Right?  So if we think about it in terms of an investment in public transit, it is an investment in job creation.  It is an investment in improving communities.  It is an investment increasing access to opportunity... 
    more
Picture
US President Joe Biden stops to pick a dandelion for first lady Jill Biden near the White House in Washington.
Feline great: Bidens getting cat for White House

'She is waiting in the wings,' first lady Jill Biden said of a White House cat

​May 1 - Stand by for a major power shift in the White House: the dog-loving Bidens are getting a cat.

"Yes that is true ... she is waiting in the wings," first lady Jill Biden told NBC's Today show, in an interview broadcast on Friday.


The long-rumoured arrival of a first feline, which Press Secretary Jen Psaki once warned would "break the internet," means a new challenge for the Bidens' rambunctious German Shepherd Major.

He has already experienced teething problems in settling into America's most famous address.

The young former rescue dog, a faithful companion to the far older German shepherd Champ, was sent away for training in April after several biting incidents.

President Joe Biden said Champ's unpresidential behaviour was down to the way he gets surprised by Secret Service agents and others appearing around every corner in the busy White House complex.

​Now the over-eager Major will have to use his new coping skills with a cat too.

​"That was part of his training. They took him into a shelter with cats and he did fine," Ms Biden said.     source from
Radical stance: President Joe Biden in the House with fellow Democrats Maxine Waters and Bernie Sanders on Wednesday
Biden’s first 100 days: US president starts fast and aims high


The Democrat has begun his term with a radicalism that belies his party’s thin congressional majority. His $6trn spending plans and global ambitions are the mark of a man who knows the clock is ticking, writes Robert Schmuhl

May 1 - ...This March 11 — 50 days into his term — Biden signed the $1.9trn American Rescue Plan to provide relief to millions disrupted by the pandemic and to stimulate the country’s economy.


Twenty days later, he proposed the American Jobs Plan, a $2.3trn initiative to modernise infrastructure and improve an array of climate-focused or quality-of-life concerns. In an address to Congress this Wednesday, he unveiled another, near-$2trn programme, the American Families Plan, as he passed 100 days in the White House. Its measures include enhancing the US’s “social infrastructure”, including education and healthcare.


Roosevelt’s early accomplishments occurred in his first 100 days, a milestone he acknowledged in a radio broadcast. His designation of that period became an enduring yardstick for presidential beginnings.

In Biden’s case, he has prioritised the pandemic and undoing policies of Donald Trump’s administration. Immediately after taking the oath of office, he approved 17 measures that, among other things, brought the US back into the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organisation. He also halted his predecessor’s signature undertaking: the Mexican border wall.

​Before entering the White House, Biden set a goal of delivering 100 million vaccine jabs during his first 100 days. That number was reached 42 days early, so he declared a new target: 200 million by day 100, which was surpassed on April 21, eight days ahead of schedule...     more


Newsmax Media CEO Christopher Ruddy
Newsmax settles Dominion lawsuit, issues apology over election conspiracy theories

The network apologized to a voting machine company executive after being sued for defamation


May 1 - Newsmax has apologized to a voting machine company executive after being sued for defamation.

"An executive at Dominion Voting Systems moved to dismiss Newsmax as a defendant in a defamation lawsuit Friday after reaching a settlement with the right-wing media organization," Business Insider reported Friday. "It's the first such settlement from a news organization in a defamation lawsuit filed over 2020 election conspiracy theories"...     more


NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - April 30th, 2021 | NBC Nightly News
May 1, 2021
U.S. will restrict travel from India amid the Covid crisis, at least 45 killed in stampede at a religious festival in Israel, plus a look at President Biden’s first 100 days and exiting the ‘forever war’ in Afghanistan.

4/30/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 30, 2021

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

APRIL 29, 2021
President Biden Delivers Remarks at Drive-In Rally in Duluth, Georgia
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden delivered remarks at a drive-in rally in Duluth, Georgia, on the 100th day of the president’s administration. The First Lady introduced her husband, saying she has “always believed that he would be the president that we need.” 

Seoul said Moon and Biden's decision to hold an in-person summit despite the pandemic demonstrates the importance of the two nations' alliance
South Korean President Moon to visit White House on May 21


Meeting will mark the only second in-person summit with a foreign leader from Asia highlighting US president’s focus on the region.

Apr. 30 - South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit the White House on May 21 for talks with US President Joe Biden, highlighting the “ironclad alliance” between the two countries, the White House said on Thursday.
“President Biden looks forward to working with President Moon to further strengthen our alliance and expand our close cooperation,” the White House said in a statement.

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U.S. Marines board a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
US Begins Afghanistan Withdrawal, Deploys Military Assets to Protect Troops

  • Date published on  Apr. 30 , 2021
White House says the U.S. military has begun its withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Pentagon deploys temporary security assets to protect forces in the region.

​Earlier this month, Biden announced a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, ending America's longest war.


The White House confirmed Thursday that the U.S. military has begun its withdrawal from Afghanistan and proactively deployed additional troops and military equipment to protect forces in the region.

​"Potential adversaries should know that if they attack us in our withdrawal, we will defend ourselves, [and] our partners, with all the tools at our disposal," White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling on Air Force One.     more
Tim Scott says 'America is not racist country'
GOP Senator Scott says the racial hypocrisy of the left has been 'exposed' after he was attacked for his Biden rebuttal and says they are 'fighting bigotry with bigotry'

Date published on Apr. 30, 2021
  • Tim Scott, Republican senator for South Carolina, was appeared on Hannity on Fox News on Thursday
  • Scott discussed backlash to his rebuttal of Joe Biden's Congressional speech
  • The black senator was called 'Uncle Tim' - a reference to the 'Uncle Tom' slur
  • The insult is used to describe a black person who is too deferential to whites
  • Scott on Thursday night said the insults exposed the left's 'hypocrisy'
  • He told Sean Hannity the left was about to face a significant backlash
  • Earlier Scott told another Fox show he was being attacked for his skin color 

​...'They have expose their hypocrisy and their true motivation,' he said.

'It has nothing to do with ending prejudice. It has everything to do with claiming or getting more power.

'I have never seen such power grab and using people in such a despicable way.' 

Speaking directly after Biden's maiden address to Congress, Scott gave his party and its former leader, ex-President Donald Trump, credit for the COVID response - saying Biden had 'inherited a tide that had already turned' - while blasting Democrats for prolonged closures of schools and churches. 

Scott also defended the GOP-backed Georgia voting bill, blasting Democrats for lying about the controversial legislation and labeling it 'mainstream.'  

The South Carolina Republican started out his remarks, delivered elsewhere in the U.S. Capitol, by saying Biden 'seems like a good man,' and adding that his 'speech was full of good words.'   


'But President Biden promised you a specific kind of leadership. He promised to unite a nation. 

'To lower the temperature. To govern for all Americans, no matter how we voted. That was the pitch. You just heard it again,'

Scott said. 'But our nation is starving for more than empty platitudes.' 

Scott blasted Biden and the Democrats for 'pulling us further apart.'      quoted from
Host/executive producer Sunny Hostin speaks in Investigation Discovery’s “Truth About Murder with Sunny Hostin” panel at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour on Thursday, July 25, 2019, 
'View' co-host Sunny Hostin: Tim Scott 'knows' he's being 'used' by Republicans


Apr. 30 - “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin said she was “very disappointed” in Sen. Tim Scott‘s rebuttal to President Biden’s address to Congress Wednesday night, alleging that the Black Republican is allowing himself to be “used” by his party because of his race.

“I was disappointed that he said America is not a racist country without also talking about the systemic racism that is plaguing this country,” Ms. Hostin said on the show Thursday morning. “I mean, why was he chosen to give this rebuttal? He was chosen because he is the only Black Republican senator. He is that person. He is the person that Republicans want to put out front because of the problem of racism in this country, and he knows that. 


“And so I was sort of disappointed that he was used in that way and didn’t take that opportunity to address this type of issue head on,” she added. “That was a disappointment to me”...     more

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'View' co-host Sunny Hostin: Tim Scott 'knows' he's being 'used' by Republicans
Biden's first speech before Congress drew 22.6 million viewers; Trump enjoyed 43 million in 2017
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Trevor Noah Is Over Republicans’ Tired Complaints About Biden’s Speech
“When did we decide that you can only judge a policy proposal based on how entertaining the performance of it is?”

Apr. 30 - Trevor Noah thinks President Joe Biden’s address to Congress on Wednesday was dull, and he’s cool with it.
In a joint session of Congress, Biden laid out a sweeping vision for the future of the country and highlighted his accomplishments 100 days into his presidency.


A number of conservatives took issue with Biden’s delivery. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called it “boring, but radical.” Fox News’ Sean Hannity compared Biden to a “corpse.” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said it “could have been an email.”

“Ted Cruz was so bored at that speech, he fell asleep,” Noah said. “And I know what you’re thinking right now, you think I’m going to say something like ‘Oh that’s weird, I thought lizards slept with their eyes open,’ but I’m not going to say that. Because honestly, that was the most relatable thing that Ted Cruz has ever done. Because that speech was boring.”

“And when you consider that almost none of Biden’s goals are going to get past Congress, I mean, we basically just listened to an old man talk for an hour about his dreams,” he added. 
I
f it were up to Noah, he’d scrap the delivery altogether.

“Just print it out, let the people read it,” he said. “I mean, when did we decide that you can only judge a policy proposal based on how entertaining the performance of it is?”

Watch his roast below.     source from

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New project: Lena Headey, 47, has lined up a main role in HBO's Watergate limited series The White House Plumbers, according to Variety; seen in 2019 in LA
Lena Headey joins Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux in HBO's Watergate limited series The White House Plumbers

Apr. 30 - Lena Headey is adding to her packed list of upcoming projects with a new high-profile limited series about the Watergate scandal.

The 47-year-old Game Of Thrones star will join Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux in HBO's five-episode series The White House Plumbers, about the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committees headquarters, Variety reported on Thursday.

She'll be appearing in the show as Dorothy Hunt, the wife of Nixon administration 'plumber' E. Howard Hunt.

The White House Plumbers will focus on Hunt and fellow Watergate break-in mastermind G. Gordon Liddy.

​Harrelson will play, Hunt, a former CIA officer and the husband to Headey's character.      source from
NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - April 29th, 2021 | NBC Nightly News
Apr 30, 2021
New York City to fully reopen on July 1, mayor says, eight fraternity members indicted in student’s alleged hazing death, and President Biden pitches largest expansion of government programs in decades.