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

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March 18, 2021
President Biden Gives Update on COVID-19 Vaccinations
President Biden announced the country would surpass 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines being administered under his administration, surpassing his stated goal of 100 million doses in his first 100 days in office. He said the U.S. would surpass that benchmark the following day, 58 days since he had taken office. The president also said that 65 percent of those 65 years or older had received at least one shot of the vaccine. However, President Biden cautioned more work had to be done and urged Americans to remain vigilant and continue to follow CDC guidelines.

US President Joe Biden speaks on the national vaccination efforts in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on March 18, 2021.
Closing in on 100m goal, US agrees to share AstraZeneca vaccines with Mexico, Canada
With the U.S. closing in on President Joe Biden’s goal of injecting 100 million coronavirus vaccinations weeks ahead of his target date, the White House said the nation is now in position to help supply neighbors Canada and Mexico with millions of lifesaving shots.

Mar. 19 - The Biden administration on Thursday revealed the outlines of a plan to “loan” a limited number of vaccines to Canada and Mexico as the president announced the U.S. is on the cusp of meeting his 100-day injection goal “way ahead of schedule.”

“I’m proud to announce that tomorrow, 58 days into our administration, we will have met our goal,” Biden said. He promised to unveil a new vaccination target next week, as the U.S. is on pace to have enough of the three currently authorized vaccines to cover the entire adult population just 10 weeks from now.

Ahead of Biden’s remarks, the White House said it was finalizing plans to send a combined 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Mexico and Canada in its first export of shots. Press secretary Jen Psaki said the details of the “loan” were still being worked out, but 2.5 million doses would go to Mexico and 1.5 million would be sent to Canada.     continue to read

The first in-person talks between the top diplomats from the US and China since Joe Biden became president got off to a testy start in Alaska
US, China top diplomats trade rebukes in testy first talks

Depth of divide between two global giants publicly exposed as talks get under way in snowy Anchorage.

Mar. 19 - The United States and China traded sharp rebukes of each others’ policies on Thursday in the first high-level, in-person talks since Joe Biden took office, with the deep strain in the relations between the two global rivals on rare public display during the meeting’s opening session in Alaska.

China’s actions “threaten the rules-based order that maintains global stability,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the opening of the two-day meeting in Anchorage.

The US side will “discuss our deep concerns with actions by China, including Xinjiang,” where Washington has accused Beijing of “genocide” against Uighur Muslims, Blinken told the Chinese Communist Party’s top diplomacy official, Yang Jiechi, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

He added that there would be dialogue on “Hong Kong, Taiwan, cyberattacks on the United States, economic coercion toward our allies.”

Beijing was equally sharp in its response.

“China is firmly opposed to US interference in China’s internal affairs. We have expressed our staunch opposition to such interference, and we will take firm actions in response,” Yang warned.     more details

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The Chinese delegation led by Yang Jiechi (centre), director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office and Wang Yi (second left), China’s Foreign Minister, at the opening session of US-China talks in Anchorag

The Shadow War: Inside Russia's and China's Secret Operations to Defeat America
Are we losing a war few of us realize we’re fighting?
Jim Sciutto, CNN’s Chief National Security Correspondent, reveals the invisible fronts that make up 21st century warfare, from disinformation campaigns to advanced satellite weapons.

Poisoned dissidents. Election interference. Armed invasions. International treaties thrown into chaos. Secret military buildups. Hackers and viruses. Weapons deployed in space. China and Russia (and Iran and North Korea) spark news stories here by carrying out bold acts of aggression and violating international laws and norms. Isn’t this just bad actors acting badly?

That kind of thinking is outdated and dangerous. Emboldened by their successes, these countries are, in fact, waging a brazen, global war on the US and the West. This is a new Cold War, which will not be won by those who fail to realize they are fighting it. The enemies of the West understand that while they are unlikely to win a shooting war, they have another path to victory. And what we see as our greatest strengths—open societies, military innovation, dominance of technology on Earth and in space, longstanding leadership in global institutions—these countries are undermining or turning into weaknesses.

In The Shadow War, CNN anchor and chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto provides us with a revealing and at times disturbing guide to this new international conflict. This Shadow War is already the greatest threat to America’s national security, even though most Americans know little or nothing about it. With on-the-ground reporting from Ukraine to the South China Sea, from a sub under the Arctic to unprecedented access to America’s Space Command, Sciutto draws on his deep knowledge, high-level contacts, and personal experience as a journalist and diplomat to paint the most comprehensive and vivid picture of a nation targeted by a new and disturbing brand of warfare.     source

March 18, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki briefs reporters and responds to questions on a range of issues. She’s joined by HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge.

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

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Biden Sends Missile-Armed Warship Into Taiwan Strait After Admiral Claims Beijing May Invade Island

US-China tensions over Taiwan, the island territory which Beijing considers to be a renegade province of the People’s Republic, began escalating shortly after Joe Biden’s inauguration in January, with both countries deploying naval and air power to the area in shows of force.

Mar. 18 - The USS John Finn, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, the Navy’s 7th Fleet has reported.

The 7th Fleet’s public affairs office described the deployment as a “routine transit” conducted “in accordance with international law,” and called it a demonstration of “the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”7th Fleet Destroyer transits Taiwan Strait

The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit March 10 (local time) in accordance with international law.

In a related development, the Navy reported Thursday that the USS Curtis Wilbur, another Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, had crossed the East China Sea amid its forward deployment in the western Pacific.     more details

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March 17, 2021
President Biden Meets with the Prime Minister of Ireland
President Biden hosted a virtual bilateral meeting in the Oval Office with Taoiseach Micheál Martin of Ireland to mark St. Patrick’s Day. The president opened the meeting by commenting on the recent shooting in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six who were Asian women. He said he is very concerned about violence targeted at Asian Americans but does not want to speculate on motive. The prime minister offered his condolences to the families of the victims and went on to speak about the importance of the U.S.-Ireland relationship.

Here's what we know about the metro Atlanta spa shootings that left 8 dead

Mar. 18 -Atlanta (CNN)At least eight people were killed after shootings at three different spas in the Atlanta area Tuesday.

Police say video evidence led them to believe one suspect, Robert Aaron Long, was responsible for all three shootings. He was arrested Tuesday night about 150 miles south of Atlanta.

Here's what we know so far:

Where did the shootings take place?
The first shooting happened shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday at Young's Asian Massage near Woodstock, Georgia, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.

That shooting left four dead -- two were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others died at the hospital. One person was also wounded, Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said.

Authorities had responded to the scene for reports of a shooting.

About an hour later, three people were found dead at the Gold Massage Spa on Piedmont Road in Atlanta, Police Chief Rodney Bryant said.

One person was also found dead at the Aroma Therapy Spa, directly across the street.

The two Atlanta spas are on a stretch of Piedmont Road, just off Interstate 85, dotted with strip clubs and spas. About a dozen other spas are located within a mile of Gold Massage and Aroma Therapy.     continue to read

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March 17, 2021
Secretary of State Blinken in South Korea
During a diplomatic trip to South Korea, Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes remarks about the recent fatal shootings in Atlanta, Georgia in which eight people were killed. Six of the victims are reported to have been Asian women.

Robert Aaron Long is the suspect in the shootings in the Atlanta area.
What we know about Robert Aaron Long, the suspect in Atlanta spa shootings

Mar. 18 - (CNN)State and federal investigators are scrambling to learn more about Robert Aaron Long, the suspect in a string of deadly shootings at three Atlanta-area Asian spas, and his alleged motive.

Not much information has surfaced about the 21-year-old from Woodstock, about a half-hour drive north of Atlanta.

He is presently detained without bond in Cherokee County, where he faces four counts of murder and a charge of aggravated assault, according to the county sheriff's office. More charges are possible.
Tuesday's shootings took place at two spas in Atlanta and another in Acworth, about 10 miles west of Woodstock -- which left eight people, at least four of them Asian women, dead.

The four killed in the shooting near Woodstock were Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, of Acworth; Paul Andre Michels, 54, of Atlanta; Xiaojie Yan, 49, of Kennesaw; and Daoyou Feng, 44.

The injured survivor was Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, of Acworth, authorities said.
Authorities located Long about 150 miles south of Atlanta in Crisp County. State troopers took him into custody after using a special pursuit maneuver to spin his car out of control.

The suspect "did take responsibility for the shootings," Capt. Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said.

Suspect had been treated for sexual addiction...     continue to read

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March 17, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki briefs reporters and responds to questions on a range of issues. She’s joined by Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who speaks about the safe reopening of schools

The South China Sea: The Struggle for Power in Asia

China’s rise has upset the global balance of power, and the first place to feel the strain is Beijing’s back yard: the South China Sea. For decades tensions have smoldered in the region, but today the threat of a direct confrontation among superpowers grows ever more likely. This important book is the first to make clear sense of the South Sea disputes. Bill Hayton, a journalist with extensive experience in the region, examines the high stakes involved for rival nations that include Vietnam, India, Taiwan, the Philippines, and China, as well as the United States, Russia, and others. Hayton also lays out the daunting obstacles that stand in the way of peaceful resolution.
 
Through lively stories of individuals who have shaped current conflicts—businessmen, scientists, shippers, archaeologists, soldiers, diplomats, and more—Hayton makes understandable the complex history and contemporary reality of the South China Sea. He underscores its crucial importance as the passageway for half the world’s merchant shipping and one-third of its oil and gas. Whoever controls these waters controls the access between Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and the Pacific. The author critiques various claims and positions (that China has historic claim to the Sea, for example), overturns conventional wisdoms (such as America’s overblown fears of China’s nationalism and military resurgence), and outlines what the future may hold for this clamorous region of international rivalry.     source from

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

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March 16, 2021
Defense Department Briefing
Admiral Craig Faller, U.S. Southern Command commander, and General Glen VanHerck, U.S. Northern Command commander, brief reporters at the Pentagon.

Air Force General Glen VanHerck before a Senate Armed Services hearing.
Russia Remains Top Threat to U.S. Homeland, General Says

 Head of Northern Command looks beyond China as challenge
 Russian flights near the U.S. were the most since early ‘90s

Mar. 17 - The four-star general who oversees the military command dedicated to defending the U.S. from attack says Russia remains the most “acute challenge to our homeland defense mission,” even as attention turns to China as the biggest emerging threat.

“Russian leaders seek to erode our influence, assert their regional dominance and reclaim their status as a global power through a whole-of-government strategy that includes information operations, deception, economic coercion and the threat of military force,” Air Force General Glen VanHerck, the head of Northern Command, said in written testimony Tuesday to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The continuing military challenges posed by Russia took a back seat during President Donald Trump’s administration, and China continues to be described by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as the “pacing threat” that will determine the capabilities needed by the U.S.

But it’s Russia that “continues to conduct frequent military operations in the approaches to North America,” VanHerck said. The U.S. and Canada last year “responded to more Russian military flights off the coast of Alaska than we’ve seen in any year since the end of the Cold War” in the early 1990s, he said.

These Russian military operations include multiple flights of heavy bombers, antisubmarine aircraft and intelligence collection platforms near Alaska that show “both Russia’s military reach and how they rehearse potential strikes on our homeland,” VanHerck said.

In recent years, Russia has deployed “advanced cyber and counter-space weapons and a new generation of long-range and highly precise land-attack cruise missiles -- including hypersonics” that “complicate our ability to detect and defend against an inbound attack from the air, sea and even those originating from Russian soil,” he said.

Russia hopes to field a series of even more advanced weapons “intended to ensure its ability” to attack the U.S. including the “Poseidon transoceanic nuclear torpedo and the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, which -- if perfected -- could enable strikes from virtually any vector due to its extreme range and endurance,” VanHerck said.

Worldwide, China continues “to pursue an aggressive geopolitical strategy that seeks to undermine U.S. influence around the globe and shape the international environment to its advantage,” VanHerck said. “China has made deliberate attempts to increase its economic and political influence with our close partners in Mexico and the Bahamas.”     source from

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Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, testifies on Capitol Hill on March 16, 2021.
NORAD: Advanced Cruise Missile Threat Requires Better Awareness

Mar. 17 - Advanced cruise missiles and potential hypersonic weapons will challenge North American Aerospace Defense Command’s legacy warning systems, so the command needs to improve awareness to provide earlier warning.

USAF Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 16 that the cruise missile threat from Russia is a considerable challenge and leaves decision makers with few options.

“We don’t want to be in a situation … where end game defeat is our only option,” he said.

Sophisticated cruise missiles could be launched from significant distances from North America, such as from bombers over Russian soil or from submarines or attack vessels. “Whether subsonic or hypersonic, these missiles can range targets in the homeland and present a very real challenge for our defensive capabilities,” he said in testimony. “Russia has already amassed an inventory of both nuclear and conventional variants, while China is expected to develop similar capabilities in the next decade.”

Maintaining a healthy triad is the first defense from this threat, VanHerck said. But, NORAD also needs capabilities to go “further left … of the archer, before takeoff” so it can be aware of the threat quickly and provide the “decision space,” he said.
“The proliferation of these systems creates all the more incentive for focused investments in improved sensor networks, domain awareness, and information dominance capabilities,” he said in testimony. “Those investments, coupled with the development of layered denial, deterrence, and defeat mechanisms capable of addressing current and emerging threats, are fundamental to the defense of our homeland.”

NORAD is currently capable of defending from a “limited number” of ballistic missiles from a rogue actor, such as North Korea. However, “capacity is the biggest challenge going forward” with a small number of ground-based interceptors (GBI), VanHerck told reporters during a March 16 press conference at the Pentagon.

The Missile Defense Agency is undertaking a service-life extension program on GBIs, which includes pulling them out of the ground and going “through them with a fine-toothed comb” to try to determine which parts are likely to fail. Other boosters are also getting “additional capabilities” as part of this process, he said.

The next step will be the Next Generation Interceptor program. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks is currently assessing the decision to proceed. The Pentagon has been working toward two development contracts, with plans calling for MDA to pick two teams to build up to 20 new interceptors, Breaking Defense reported.

Additionally, VanHerck said he expects the new Long Range Discrimination Radar at Clear Air Force Station, Alaska, to progress quickly. It is expected to power up in September. He said his “No. 1 requirement” with MDA on this is “timing, to not have any slips in delivery of that capability.”     source from

Congress
National Security
Technology

Trump vs. China: Facing America's Greatest Threat

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich sounds the warning bell that communist-ruled China poses the biggest threat to the United States that we have seen in our lifetime.

The United States is currently engaged in a competition with the Chinese government unlike any other that we have witnessed before. This is a competition between the American system—which is governed by freedom and the rule of law—and a totalitarian dictatorship that is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. These are two different visions for the future; one will succeed, and one will fail.

It is possible for America to respond to the Chinese Communist Party's efforts, but doing so will require new thinking, many big changes, and many hard choices for our leaders in government and private sector.

Newt Gingrich's Trump vs. China serves as a rallying cry for the American people and a plan of action for our leaders in government and the private sector. Written in a language that every American can understand but still rich in detail and accurate in fact, Trump vs. China exposes the Chinese Communist Party's multi-pronged threat against the United States and what we must do as a country to survive.     source from

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Tuesday

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

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Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself

An intimate look at the love that built the Biden family and the delicate balancing act of the woman at its center

"How did you get this number?" Those were the first words Jill Biden spoke to U.S. senator Joe Biden when he called her out of the blue to ask her on a date.

Growing up, Jill had wanted two things: a marriage like her parents'—strong, loving, and full of laughter—and a career. An early heartbreak had left her uncertain about love, until she met Joe. But as they grew closer, Jill faced difficult questions: How would politics shape her family and professional life? And was she ready to become a mother to Joe's two young sons?

She soon found herself falling in love with her three "boys," learning to balance life as a mother, wife, educator, and political spouse. Through the challenges of public scrutiny, complicated family dynamics, and personal losses, she grew alongside her family, and she extended the family circle at every turn: with her students, military families, friends and staff at the White House, and more.

This is the story of how Jill built a family—and a life—of her own. From the pranks she played to keep everyone laughing to the traditions she formed that would carry them through tragedy, hers is the spirited journey of a woman embracing many roles.

Where the Light Enters is a candid, heartwarming glimpse into the creation of a beloved American family, and the life of a woman at its center     source from

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March 15, 2021
President Biden Delivers Remarks on $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Aid
President Biden delivered remarks in the State Dining Room at the White House on implementing the American Rescue Plan. He announced that Gene Sperling will be overseeing the implementation. Mr. Sperling served as the director of the White House National Economic Council under former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

In this May 7, 2013 file photo, National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling speaks in Washington.
Former NEC director Gene Sperling tapped to implement Biden Covid relief plan

Mar. 15 - Former National Economic Council director Gene Sperling will oversee the implementation of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan, the White House announced Monday.

Sperling, who led the National Economic Council under Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, will play a role similar to Biden’s when the latter was vice president during the 2009 financial crisis. Biden at the time was in charge of initiating the the Obama Recovery Act.
Sperling, according to a senior administration official, will work with the heads of the White House policy councils and key leaders at federal agencies so they can get the relief bill’s mandated funds out as quickly as possible and maximize their impact.

The official said the administration is going to partner with state and local governments on the effort, similar to how Biden implemented the Recovery Act over a decade ago.

Biden signed the coronavirus relief package on Thursday.

As CNBC reported in February, Sperling was being floated to replace Neera Tanden as the administration’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget.    source from

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Eugene B. "Gene" Sperling (born December 24, 1958) is an American economist, who was Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.[1] He is the only person to serve as National Economic Advisor under two Presidents.[2] Outside of government, he founded the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution in 2002.[3]

In February 2021, as the nomination of Neera Tanden for OMB director faced opposition, Sperling was considered to be one of the leading contenders to assume the top position.[4][5]

He recently authored Economic Dignity, which was released on May 5, 2020.
from Wikipedia

March 15, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held a briefing on news of the day. She was asked many times about the sexual harassment allegations against Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) and new reports of an adviser questioning county official’s loyalty to the governor. She told reporters that “the president finds them troubling and hard to read” and added that the White House would continue to work with Governor Cuomo on the COVID-19 response. She also discussed the Biden administration’s response to the increase of unaccompanied minors at the border and efforts to find more facilities to house them.

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visited the Samuel Smith Elementary School
First Lady Touts Child Care, Job, Direct Payments Benefits in American Recovery Act

Mar. 16 -BURLINGTON, NJ -- First Lady Dr. Jill Biden made her first stop in her national "Help is Here" tour in South Jersey on Monday to underscore the benefits of the recently enacted American Recovery Act just days after President Joe Biden signed it into law. Governor Phil Murphy, United States Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker and Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-3) were among the dignitaries who welcomed Dr. Biden to the Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington.

The $1.9 trillion COVID relief package contains $360 billion in state and local aid, of which the State of New Jersey will see approximately $6.434 billion, plus another $189 million to expand broadband internet across the state. An additional $1.823 billion will be split among the 21 counties and $1.741 billion divided among all 565 municipalities.
  
"This is a celebration of all that the American Rescue Plan means for our State and for our families," said Murphy during the event. "Today, New Jerseyans are waking up to find that much-needed direct financial support has hit heir bank accounts. That means the rent or mortgage can be paid; the utility bills can be paid; grocery and clothes can be bought, among so many other possibilities."

"For us in state and local government, the American Rescue Plan means that we can better protect our frontline public health workers and first responders and our educators. It means that we can work to get even more vaccine doses into the arms of the New Jerseyans who patiently are waiting their turn," said Murphy who noted that as of that morning the State had surpassed more than three million vaccine doses administered.
 
The federal funds also will provide direct, flexible, federal assistance for New Jersey to help the state and local communities combat COVID-19, keep firefighters, police officers, teachers and other essential workers on the job, and spur economic recovery.

Dr. Biden praised the State for the work to get vaccines administered and its work to get children back to school in-person.    source from

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Monday