6/19/2021

delta variant | Jun. 19, 2021

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

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

What is the Delta variant of COVID? Do vaccines work against it? Here’s what to know about the new coronavirus strain

What is the Delta variant of COVID-19?
The “Delta variant,” also known by its scientific name as “B.1.617.2,” was a strain of the coronavirus first identified in October in Maharashtra, India.

The strain was first named the “Delta variant” by the World Health Organization after the global health agency implemented a naming system based on Greek letters this month.

Although it is just one out of many variants that are spreading around during the pandemic, World Health Organization officials have called it “a variant of concern.”

The Delta variant also has split into several sub-variants, including one that is widespread in the United Kingdom.

Where is the Delta variant spreading?
Although it was first detected in October in India, the Delta COVID-19 variant has spread to at least 62 countries.

Hot spots for the virus also have formed in Africa and Asia.

“It is by far the most contagious variant of this virus that we have seen throughout the whole pandemic,” Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told TODAY on Wednesday. “It is what has caused huge spikes in India, and it’s causing a serious increase in cases in the U.K. despite the fact they’re very vaccinated. So it really is a problem”...     more
How can I protect myself against the Delta variant?

Fauci stressed the importance of receiving both doses of the vaccine to protect against the variant, as getting only one shot of either vaccine proved only 33% effective against the strain.

“The good news is our vaccines seem to be holding up pretty well,” Jha said. “The data that’s emerging suggests if you have been vaccinated you’re going to be fine. The vaccines really do seem to hold up against the virus pretty well.”     source from
White House To Develop Antiviral Covid Pills As Delta Variant Spreads
Jun 18, 2021
The White House says it will spend $3.2 billion to develop new antiviral, over the counter pills to potentially treat Covid-19 and future viruses. The delta variant now accounts for 10 percent of all U.S. cases.
une 18, 2021
President Biden Delivers Remarks on COVID-19 Response

President Biden 
delivered remarks on the administration’s COVID-19 vaccination effort and other aspects of the coronavirus response. He noted that the U.S. has delivered 300 million individual vaccines, 150 days into his presidency. When asked by the press if the Delta variant of the coronavirus would trigger another lockdown, he said no, but that it “can cause more people to die in areas where people have not been vaccinated.”


Remarks by President Biden on the COVID-19 Response and the Vaccination Program

June 18, 2021 • Speeches and Remarks
State Dining Room

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. (Clears throat.) Excuse me. I’m pleased to announce that today we will have reached the mark of 300 million shots in the arms in just 150 days. Let me say that again: 300 million shots in arms in under 150 days.

It’s an important milestone that just didn’t happen on its own or by chance. It took the ingenuity of American scientists, the full capacity of American companies, and a whole-of-government response across federal, state, Tribal, and local governments.

Together, we built an unparalleled vaccination program and managed one of the biggest and most complicated logistical challenges in American history.

And above all, we got here because of the American people stepping up and getting vaccinated — helping family, friends, neighbors get vaccinated.

Just remember what the situation was like 150 days ago. We didn’t have enough vaccine supply for all Americans. We didn’t have the vaccine infrastructure or the people to administer the vaccines or the places where the people could get vaccinated. But we turned it around together by acting quickly and aggressively and equitably.

We secured enough vaccine supply for every American. And as I announced last week during my visit to Europe, we are now in a position to provide more than one half billion vaccine doses to the rest of the world — the 100 poorest nations...     more

Jun. 10 - Experts now believe the Delta strain is likely more transmissible.
Hancock said last weekend the strain is "around 40% more transmissible" than the formerly dominant Alpha variant, which was already more transmissible compared to the original strain of the virus.

Speaking at a White House Covid-19 briefing on Tuesday, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said studies support the idea that the strain is more transmissible.

"Clearly now its transmissibility appears to be greater than the wild type," Fauci said, adding that the 6% share the strain now has in the US is similar to a tipping point previously seen in the UK.

"This is a situation, the way it was in England where they had a B.1.1.7 dominant, and then the [B.1.] 617 took over. We cannot let that happen in the United States," Fauci said...     quoted from

Biden thanks Americans as U.S. hits 300M COVID-19 vaccine shots in 150 days

Jun. 19 - U.S. President Joe Biden took a cautious victory lap Friday in his quest to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control, announcing that 300 million vaccine shots have been administered in the 150 days since he took office.

Biden credited scientists, companies, the American people and his whole-of-government effort. The president noted that the widespread vaccination campaign had set the stage for most Americans to have a relatively normal summer as businesses reopen and employers hire.

“We’re heading into a very different summer compared to last year,” the president said. “A bright summer. Prayerfully, a summer of joy.”

But as Biden marks one milestone, he is in danger of failing to meet another: his target to have 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated by July Fourth, in a little over two weeks...     more

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Biden calls for further investigation into origins of COVID-19

6/18/2021

Juneteenth | Jun. 18, 2021

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





Remarks by President Biden at Signing of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act

JUNE 17, 2021SPEECHES AND REMARKSEast Room

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Well, thank you, Madam Vice President.

One hundred and fifty-six years ago — one hundred and fifty-six years — June 19th, 1865 — John, thanks for being here — a major general of the Union Army arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and free the last enslaved Americans in Texas from bondage. A day, as you all know — I’m going to repeat some of what was said — that became known as Juneteenth. You all know that. A day that reflects what the Psalm tell us: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

Juneteenth marks both the long, hard night of slavery and subjugation, and a promise of a brighter morning to come. This is a day of profound — in my view — profound weight and profound power.

A day in which we remember the moral stain, the terrible toll that slavery took on the country and continues to take — what I’ve long called “America’s original sin.”

At the same time, I also remember the extraordinary capacity to heal, and to hope, and to emerge from the most painful moments and a bitter, bitter version of ourselves, but to make a better version of ourselves.

You know, today, we consecrate Juneteenth for what it ought to be, what it must be: a national holiday...     more

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan talks to reporters during the daily press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House February 4, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
Sullivan rejects argument U.S. gained little in Biden-Putin summit

“I just don’t buy the argument which says this was not worth it for the United States," Sullivan said on CNN.

Jun. 18 - ...Sullivan then invoked former Biden's predecessor, saying Putin has not been challenged by a U.S. president on “hard issues” in "some years now," given former President Donald Trump's dealings with the Russian leader.


“For that purpose alone, it was worth it to sit down with President Putin,” Sullivan said. “But even beyond that, President Biden was advancing America’s national security interests, reducing the risk of nuclear war, increasing the possibility that we can make progress on issues related to cybersecurity and other areas that are in the fundamental national interest of the United States.”

Sullivan was also pressed on how the U.S. would respond if Russia continues malign activity such as cyberattacks on the 16 areas of critical infrastructure Biden referenced Wednesday. Sullivan echoed the president’s comments and said the U.S. has significant cyber capabilities that it's prepared to use if Russia does not rein in cybercriminals operating on its soil.

“I won’t go into further detail now, but President Biden did clarify to President Putin our capacities and his full willingness to use them if necessary depending on how things develop,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan broadly praised his boss’s performance in his first trip abroad, saying Biden “reclaimed” the “mantle of leader of the free world.” He highlighted the collaboration among G-7 countries on how to tackle China.

Sullivan said the president has no set plans to meet with President Xi Jinping of China, and that he’s waiting for the “right moment.”


“President Biden, of course, is going to want, at the right moment, to have the opportunity to sit down with President Xi Jinping for a similar reason to his sitting down with President Putin, which is that there is no substitute ultimately for face-to-face dialogue between leaders, particularly with complex relationships like the relationship between the United States and China,” Sullivan said.     source from

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On-the-Record Press Call by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on the President’s Trip to Europe

JUNE 17, 2021PRESS BRIEFINGS

Via Teleconference

MS. HORNE:  Thank you, Operator.  Hi, everyone, and thanks for joining us on short notice.  Today’s call will be on the record, and our speaker will be National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. 

Jake, I’ll turn it over to you for some opening comments, and then we’re happy to take your questions.


MR. SULLIVAN:  Thanks, Emily.  And thanks, everyone, for joining.  The main purpose here is to get the opportunity to answer some questions.  But before we get to that, I thought I would just take a couple of minutes to review, from our perspective, the outcomes of this trip and where we go from here.

The bottom line is that Joe Biden confidently and skillfully donned the mantle of leader of the free world on this trip.  The previous president had ceded that mantle, and this president has now emphatically reclaimed it.  And as the foundational outcome for the trip, I think that is the most significant.


But it goes way beyond that.  This was an unusually productive, substantive set of summits with real, tangible outcomes.  And the combined impact of those has laid the groundwork for proving out the case that democracies can deliver for their own people and for people around the world, as the President discussed on multiple of his stops during the trip.
I’ll just say a word about five significant areas of progress on this trip.  The first is action on COVID...     more

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden shake hands in Geneva on June 16.
Biden-Putin summit review: Good news for Ukraine?

Jun 18 - ...Speculation over a fresh Russian military offensive in Ukraine has been widespread in recent months and was instrumental in paving the way for this week’s meeting in Switzerland. Throughout April, international attention was focused on an unprecedented buildup of Russian troops and military hardware close to the Ukrainian border and in regions of Ukraine currently under Russian occupation. This saber-rattling display was accompanied by a furious propaganda campaign on Russian state TV and warnings from senior Kremlin figures that any escalation would mean “the beginning of the end” for Ukraine. It was at the height of these tensions that Biden first proposed a summit with Putin...

But in Geneva, Biden gave Putin to understand that, while he would like to improve relations with Moscow, much will depend on Kremlin activities in the months ahead. Given the recent cyberattacks, he correctly stressed cyber, but he also mentioned Ukraine (and other issues) as well. This demonstrates that, despite recent missteps, Biden understands that the US has a fundamental interest in helping Ukraine stop Kremlin aggression in the country’s eastern Donbas region...     quoted from

Kremlin says Ukraine's membership in NATO to be "red line"

According to Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the possibility of Ukraine's accession to NATO concerns Russia


Jun. 18 - The Kremlin is concerned about talks on a possible plan for Ukraine to join NATO and says Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will be a "red line", as Reuters reports.

"This is something we are watching very closely, and this really is a red line for us - as regards the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO," Peskov told the Ekho Moskvy radio station.

Peskov said that Moscow and Washington agreed at the Geneva summit that they needed to hold talks on arms control as soon as possible.

As it was reported earlier, the conversation between two presidents took place in Geneva on June 16. The American delegation included US State Secretary Anthony Blinken, while the Russian delegation was represented by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The summit consisted of three parts. Ukraine was expected to be one of the topics of talks between the American and Russian leaders. 


Secretary-General of the Alliance Jens Stoltenberg stated that the Alliance's relations with Russia have deteriorated recently.  

NATO leaders have confirmed the decision of the Bucharest summit about Ukraine becoming the Alliance member. At that, Kyiv still needs to move forward with reforms, reads the document.
In April, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed his country's membership in NATO with his French colleague Emmanuel Macron and British Premier Boris Johnson.

=======================
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I don't think there is anything to discuss: Putin comments on Ukraine joining NATO

6/17/2021

Biden | Jun. 17, 2021

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

June 16, 2021
President Biden Talks to Reporters Before Departing Geneva, Switzerland
President Biden addressed more reporters' questions prior to departing Geneva, Switzerland for the United States.


 Remarks by President Biden Before Air Force One Departure 

JUNE 16, 2021SPEECHES AND REMARKS

Geneva Airport
Geneva, Switzerland
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I owe my last question an apology.  I shouldn’t have — I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy with the last answer I gave.
 
Anyway, thanks for being here.  And most of you have been here the whole route.  I really do think — not me, but I think we, the country, has put a different face on where we’ve been and where we’re going.  And I feel good about it.  I feel --
 
You know, one of things that I think, understandably, there was a good deal of skepticism about: would the G7 sign on and give America back it’s, sort of, leadership role.  I think it did.  It wasn’t me, but it meant they’re glad America is back.  They’re glad America is back, and they acted that way. 
 
And then, when we went to NATO, I think it was the same thing.  We had really good meetings there and real response, as well as the EU.  I didn’t get one single person — not one of the world leaders said to us anything other than thanking me for arranging a meeting with Putin.  And I thought, quite frankly, I was in a much better position to represent the West, after the previous three meetings with Putin, that — knowing that the rest of the West was behind us.  And so, I think — so I owe them all a debt of gratitude...   more


June 16, 2021
President Biden Holds News Conference

President Biden
 gave a summary of topics he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. He told reporters the tone of the discussion was good and positive. He said the two spoke about their disagreements but also areas of mutual interests. The summit between the two leaders capped President Biden’s first international trip with stops at the G-7, NATO, and U.S.-European Union summits.


Remarks by President Biden in Press Conference

JUNE 16, 2021SPEECHES AND REMARKSHôtel du Parc des Eaux-Vives

Geneva, Switzerland

THE PRESIDENT:  It’s been a long day for you all.  (Laughs.)  I know it was easy getting into the — the pre-meeting.  There was no problem getting through those doors, was it — was there? 
 
Anyway, hello, everyone.  Well, I’ve just finished the — the last meeting of this week’s long trip, the U.S.-Russian Summit.
 
And I know there were a lot of hype around this meeting, but it’s pretty straightforward to me — the meeting.  One, there is no substitute, as those of you who have covered me for a while know, for a face-to-face dialogue between leaders.  None.  And President Putin and I had a — share a unique responsibility to manage the relationship between two powerful and proud countries — a relationship that has to be stable and predictable.  And it should be able to — we should be able to cooperate where it’s in our mutual interests.
 
And where we have differences, I wanted President Putin to understand why I say what I say and why I do what I do, and how we’ll respond to specific kinds of actions that harm America’s interests.
 
Now, I told President Putin my agenda is not against Russia or anyone else; it’s for the American people: fighting COVID-19; rebuilding our economy; reestablishing our relationships around the world with our allies and friends; and protecting our people.  That’s my responsibility as President. 
 
I also told him that no President of the United States could keep faith with the American people if they did not speak out to defend our democratic values, to stand up for the universal rights and fundamental freedoms that all men and women have, in our view.  That’s just part of the DNA of our country...     more
Vladimir Putin delivers remarks after meeting with President Joe Biden
Jun 17, 2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin answers questions from the press after meeting with President Joe Biden in Geneva.
Putin and Biden seated at the start of the summit's first round of talks.
Biden, Putin Hail Positive Talks, But U.S. Warns on Cyber Warfare


Jun. 17 - ...But the summit immediately got off to a good start, with the two leaders shaking hands.

"We are trying to determine where we have a mutual interest, where we can cooperate; and where we don't, establish a predictable and rational way in which we disagree — two great powers," Biden said in opening remarks.

At his press conference after the summit, Putin signaled progress in a number of areas, including an agreement to "start consultations on cybersecurity."

But Putin also issued withering rejections of criticism over his human rights record and allegations of harboring cyber criminals.

He claimed instead that "the largest number of cyberattacks in the world are carried out from the U.S. space."

also sought to deflect criticism of his treatment of opponents — many high profile opposition figures have been killed in Russia during his rule and the media is almost entirely muzzled — saying that the United States had bigger problems.

Biden called Putin's critique "ridiculous."...     quoted from


US: Russia militarizes the Arctic. This is how Putin responded

Jun. 17 - The United States believes that Russia is interested in greater militarization of the Arctic, while Washington wants the region to remain a region of peaceful cooperation.

“They (Russia) declare that they share our conviction that the Arctic should remain a zone of peaceful cooperation. (…) But we have two problems. One of them is the steps that we see Russia taking, assuming that it is interested in greater militarization of the region, and we believe this directly contradicts our stated desire to ensure that the Arctic remains a zone of peaceful cooperation,” a senior US administration official said at a briefing. was distributed by the State Department.

He cited the Northern Sea Route as another problem. “Because the ice is melting so fast and because the road has already traveled for a much longer period of the year, it will increase traffic, and it can increase the potential for accidents, misunderstandings, miscalculations. And therefore we believe there is a reality there was a need for a clear understanding of traffic rules,” the official said.


“We will have to see if there are ways, both inside and outside the Arctic Council, to overcome some of these differences,” he added.

The official said that US President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin discussed the issue of cooperation in the Arctic during the June 16 summit in Geneva. “We declare our determination to preserve the Arctic as a region for peaceful cooperation. And there has been a discussion about that,” he said.


At the same time, at the briefing with journalists after the bilateral meeting, the Russian president answered the issue with the Arctic.

“The American side’s fears about the militarization of the Arctic have absolutely no basis, Putin said. We are not doing anything there that was not in the Soviet Union. We are rebuilding infrastructure that was once destroyed, infrastructure related to nature conservation” he said.

He then noted that Russia has the sovereign right not to allow ships into the inland waters of the Northern Sea Route, but does not abuse it.

We remind you that since last year, Russia has been taking steps to strengthen its military presence in the region. Military helicopters were sent, new military buildings were built, and S-400 air defense systems were deployed. Russia has sent several regiments to the area and is already testing specially manufactured drones to operate at very low temperatures, and they will also be stationed there.     source from

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U.S.-Russia Presidential Joint Statement on Strategic Stability

JUNE 16, 2021STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

We, President of the United States of America Joseph R. Biden and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, note the United States and Russia have demonstrated that, even in periods of tension, they are able to make progress on our shared goals of ensuring predictability in the strategic sphere, reducing the risk of armed conflicts and the threat of nuclear war.

The recent extension of the New START Treaty exemplifies our commitment to nuclear arms control. Today, we reaffirm the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.


Consistent with these goals, the United States and Russia will embark together on an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue in the near future that will be deliberate and robust. Through this Dialogue, we seek to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures.     source from