Andrew Cuomo | Aug. 5, 2021

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Biden picks Brzezinski as ambassador to Poland - White House

​Brzezinski, who speaks Polish, served as former President Barack Obama's ambassador to Sweden, when Biden was vice president.

Aug. 5 - President Joe Biden picked Mark Brzezinski, a Democratic-aligned foreign policy official with ties to Poland, as his ambassador to the European country regarded as a key Western bulwark against Russia.

Biden has been eager to strengthen partnerships in Europe to counter both Russia's and China's assertive posture, given cool relations between Washington and those countries. Poland and the United States are both members of the NATO military alliance.

The White House announced the pick on Wednesday...      more

Biden nominates Mark Brzezinski as US ambassador to Poland

Aug. 5 - President Joe Biden has nominated Mark Brzezinski, an Obama-era diplomat with deep ties to Poland, to serve as his ambassador to Warsaw.

I​f confirmed, Brzezinski would be dispatched to Poland at a moment when Central and Eastern European allies of the United States are closely watching the Biden administration’s approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Biden administration announced last month that it had reached a deal with Germany that will allow the completion of the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe without the imposition of further U.S. sanctions. That project allows Moscow to bypass Ukraine, Poland and other countries in Eastern and Central Europe that collect transit fees on the energy...     more

Biden-Merkel Pact: Ukraine becomes hostage to US geopolitics

The United States and Germany have released a "Joint Statement in Support of Ukraine, European Energy Security, and Climate Goals" on the completion of the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

Jul 26 - The United States will not disrupt the launch of the gas pipeline, and Germany will not allow Russia to use it as an energy lever of pressure on Ukraine and other European countries. The agreements between US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Nord Stream 2 are reminiscent of the Budapest Memorandum, with the difference that this time instead of nuclear weapons, we are losing a source of income in the form of transit of natural gas from Russia to Europe...     more

Related Articles:
Ukraine initiates consultations with EU, Germany on Nord Stream 2, - MFA
Lithuanian Foreign Minister offers Russia conditions for Nord Stream 2 launch
European Commission receives Ukrainian note on Nord Stream 2 consultations

Ukraine knew details of Nord Stream 2 agreement in advance, - U.S. State Department
US-Germany Nord Stream Two agreement—a victory for Russia

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President Biden Announces 11 Key Nominations

AUGUST 04, 2021•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following 11 individuals to serve in key roles:

• Biniam Gebre, Nominee for Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget
• Andrew Fois, Nominee for Chair of the Administrative Conference of the United States
• Susan Tsui Grundmann, Nominee for Member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority
• Kurt Rumsfeld, Nominee for General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority
• Javier Saade, Nominee for Chair of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
• Dana Bilyeu, Nominee for Member of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
• Leona Bridges, Nominee for Member of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
• Stacey Olivares, Nominee for Member of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
• Kathy Im, Nominee for Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• Tom Rothman, Nominee for Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• Elizabeth Sembler, Nominee for Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Biniam Gebre, Nominee for Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget
Biniam Gebre is a Senior Managing Director at Accenture and Head of Management Consulting for Accenture Federal Services. He has spent the past two decades helping dozens of organizations within both the public sector and private sector address management, operational, and technology issues ranging from agriculture to banking to artificial intelligence. He served in the Obama-Biden administration at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he focused on access to credit for low-income families, FHA’s financial health, and revitalizing public housing properties...     more

AUGUST 4, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
​White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki discussed the president’s agenda and other news of the day with reporters. Topics included Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D-NY) sexual harassment scandal, the legality of the new eviction moratorium, infrastructure and COVID-19 vaccine booster shots.

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, August 4, 2021

AUGUST 04, 2021•PRESS BRIEFINGS 

​MS. PSAKI:  Hi, everyone.  Okay.  Happy Wednesday.  I have a couple of notes for you at the top.
 
Today, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge released a statement committing to do everything in HUD’s power to stop evictions for families with HUD assistance or families who rent in housing that is insured by the Federal Housing Administration.  This is part of delivering on what the President announced — or we announced in our statement just a couple of days ago.  
 
And while the Emergency Rental Assistance funds are in the hands of state and local governments, one of the critical roles that the administration can continue to play is to act as a leading hub to convene states and cities and to share best practices, as we have done at two major eviction prevention summits.
 
So, this morning, Treasury published examples of simplified forms that are being used effectively by Emergency Rental Assistance programs around the country.  I think Ebony may have asked a version of this yesterday — a question about this.  But Treasury has repeatedly discouraged undue documentation burdens that limit access for eligible families and is sharing these example forms to make it easier for state and local governments to put that into practice...     more 

The state attorney general’s office found that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women, some of them current and former staff members.
Facing Loss of Supporters, Cuomo Gains Attention From Prosecutors

District attorneys in Manhattan, Nassau, Oswego and Westchester Counties separately announced that they were investigating Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s actions.

Aug. 5 - A day after the release of a devastating report concluding that he had sexually harassed 11 women, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo found himself increasingly isolated on Wednesday, with his most loyal supporters abandoning him and four prosecutors saying they would investigate his behavior.

​Several unions that had long been aligned with Mr. Cuomo withdrew their support on Wednesday. Two past members of his administration — including a former legal adviser who had been consulted in the governor’s strategic meetings on how to fight the accusations — asked him to resign.

By late afternoon, Mr. Cuomo had lost the backing of perhaps his closest political ally, Jay Jacobs, the head of the state’s Democratic Party, who has been the governor’s staunchest defender in recent months. In a statement, Mr. Jacobs said that the governor’s removal from office was “inevitable,” and that Mr. Cuomo’s refusal to step down ran counter to Mr. Jacobs’s advice.

“The governor has lost his ability to govern, both practically and morally,” said Mr. Jacobs, who was handpicked by Mr. Cuomo for the job in 2019.

The defection of Mr. Jacobs emphasized Mr. Cuomo’s political exile as he faces the biggest challenge of his career: survival in the face of growing public opposition to his continued leadership.

Mr. Cuomo was in Albany on Wednesday, remaining out of public view. He gave no response to the disclosure that prosecutors in Manhattan and Albany had already opened criminal investigations, and prosecutors in Westchester and Nassau Counties asked the attorney general’s office for investigative materials, or to the news that one of his accusers intended to file a lawsuit against him. (On Wednesday evening, Syracuse.com reported that the Oswego County prosecutor, Greg Oakes, would request materials related to one of the accusations made in the report.)

A lawyer for the governor on Tuesday called the report “unfair,” “inaccurate” and “utterly biased.” Asked on Wednesday about the criminal investigations and the defection of some allies, a spokesman for the governor referred back to Mr. Cuomo’s videotaped address from Tuesday, in which he denied any wrongdoing...     more

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NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - August 4th, 2021
Aug 5, 2021
Pfizer vaccine could get final FDA approval by September, growing calls for Gov. Cuomo to resign or be impeached, and surviving trees from Hiroshima garden remain powerful symbol after atomic blasts.
00:00 Intro 01:48 FDA Fast Tracks Vaccine Approval 05:53 Cuomo Facing Impeachment? 08:05 Airline Chaos 08:56 Record Border Surge 11:25 New Eviction Moratorium 13:16 Violent Clashes In Beirut 14:44 Hiroshima Anniversary

Delta variant | Aug. 4, 2021

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Delta Variant is Different - It's the NEW COVID
Aug 2, 2021

Vaccinated people who get infected with Delta variant almost as contagious as unvaccinated

​A leaked document from the US health protection agency deals a blow to hopes that jabbed people rarely pass on the virus

Aug. 4 - ...“I think people need to understand that we’re not crying wolf here. This is serious. It’s one of the most transmissible viruses we know about. Measles, chickenpox, this – they’re all up there,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky told CNN News.

Dr Walensky emphasised that students, staff and visitors in schools should wear masks at all times.

“The measures we need to get this under control – they’re extreme. The measures you need are extreme,” she said.

The new findings CDC is using suggest fully vaccinated people who become infected with the Delta variant can carry substantial quantities of Covid-19 in the nose and throat. It is not known who conducted the research...     quoted from

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AUGUST 3, 2021
President Biden Remarks on COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts
President Biden delivered remarks from the White House to provide an update on the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The president urged the unvaccinated to get vaccinated, saying that those who have yet to be vaccinated are at a greater risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death. In response to a question, the President said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo should resign, after the state attorney general released her report outlining sexual harassment allegations against the governor. 

Remarks by President Biden on Fighting the COVID-⁠19 Pandemic

AUGUST 03, 2021•SPEECHES AND REMARKS

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon.  Last week, I laid out what we need to do to beat the COVID-19 vi- — pandemic and the challenges posed by the Delta variant.

This is a very different variant than what we’ve dealt with previously.  It’s highly transmissible, and it’s causing a new wave of cases.  It accounts for over 80 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the United States today.  Experts tell us that we’re going to see these cases rise in the weeks ahead — a largely preventable tragedy that will get worse before it gets better.

What’s different about this surge from previous ones is we have the tools to prevent this rise in cases from shutting down
our businesses, our schools, our society, as we saw what happened last year.

And while cases are on the rise, it’s important to note we’ve not seen a comparable rise in hospitalizations or deaths in most areas of the country.

That’s because 165 million Americans are fully vaccinated, including 80 percent of the most vulnerable Americans — our seniors...     more

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AUGUST 3, 2021
NY Governor Cuomo Statement on Sexual Harassment Investigation Findings
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) responded to a newly released report outlining sexual harassment allegations against him. Governor Cuomo said, 'I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances." In taped response the governor responded to several specific claims of harassment and explained what his office is doing broadly to address sexual assault and harassment. 

​Tahe Cuomo brothers: Report places a new spotlight on a unique relationship

​Aug. 4 - ...Governor Andrew Cuomo's alleged sexual harassment and abuse of power -- documented in excruciating detail by NY AG Letitia James' report -- is leading him down an impeachment track. Chris Cuomo's role as a member of his brother's inner circle, a role that raises serious questions about journalistic responsibilities and ethics, is also detailed in the report. Chris surely has a lot to say about his brother. But for the time being he is staying silent: He did not mention the scandal on "Cuomo Prime Time" Tuesday night...      quoted from
​

​Related Articles:

Key findings of the Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment report -- and what's next
Chris Cuomo Completely Ignores Brother’s Scandal on First Show After Report Drops

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Dr. Anthony Fauci has admitted that COVID-19 vaccines don't work against the Delta variant.

Aug. 4 - A clip of Dr. Anthony Fauci – White House chief medical advisor and expert on infectious diseases – has been doing the rounds on Facebook. The clip is taken from an interview with an MSNBC news anchor. In the interview, Fauci talks about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on mask-wearing in the U.S.

​"We have a Delta variant that has changed the entire landscape," Fauci says, adding: "When you look at the level of virus in the nasal pharynx of a vaccinated person who gets a breakthrough infection with Delta, it is exactly the same as the level of virus in an unvaccinated person who's infected." Fauci then says that this is what triggered the change in the CDC's guidelines on masks.

​Social media users are alleging that this clip proves that Dr. Fauci has admitted that COVID-19 vaccines don't work against the Delta variant. This is not so. Dr. Fauci has consistently advocated for COVID-19 vaccines. As Bloomberg has reported, Fauci has said that the likelihood of getting a severe outcome of the infection is very low when a person is fully inoculated.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fauci has been the target of many false and misleading claims. In this instance, Fauci's comment has been taken out of context. In the five-minute-long interview, Fauci explains that the Delta variant is more transmissible and is now the most dominant variant in the U.S.

A week before the guidance update, CNBC reported that 99.5 percent of COVID deaths were among unvaccinated people. As of July 27, 2021, the CDC now states: "To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission." This guidance also applies to people who have been fully vaccinated.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.     source from

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AUGUST 3, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki spoke about the president’s agenda with reporters. Topics discussed included infrastructure, eviction moratorium, COVID-19 restrictions in other states and cities, and the new report on sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D)

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, August 3, 2021

AUGUST 03, 2021•PRESS BRIEFINGS

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
 
MS. PSAKI:  Hi, everyone.  I have a couple of items for all of you at the top.  I wanted to take a moment to recognize the passing of Metropolitan Police Officer Gunther Hashida and Officer Kyle DeFreytag — two officers who bravely defended the Capitol, both during and after the insurrection on January 6th.  Their deaths are a sad reminder of that shameful day in our country’s history and of the physical and mental scars left the officers who risked their lives to protect our Capitol and our democracy. 
 
We heard firsthand, last week, from tho- — from some of those who served on that day, and their testimony reaffirmed the incredible bravery they showed in the worst possible circumstances.  Their passing also reminds us of the remarkable courage of the men and women in law enforcement who serve with honor and leave home each day not knowing what risk they may face but are determined to protect their communities.  We’re indebted to their services, and our thoughts go out to the friends, family, and loved ones of the two officers.
 
And we want to remind those who are struggling that help is available 24/7.  Please reach out to the Suicide Prevention line — Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255...     more 

Eviction Prevention | Aug. 3, 2021

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White House tells states to prevent evictions, as House Democrats press Biden administration to act

Congress is pressuring the White House while the Supreme Court said only Congress could take action.

​Aug. 3 - The White House told state and local governments that they have the power to prevent evictions, following the end of the eviction moratorium.

The Biden administration said in a statement on Monday that while the federal government provided $46.5 billion to prevent renters from being evicted, some states and cities have been "too slow to act" by not providing the money to tenants.

There is "no excuse for any State or locality not to promptly deploy the resources that Congress appropriated to meet the critical need of so many Americans," the statement continued. "This assistance provides the funding to pay landlords current and back rent so tenants can remain in their homes or apartments, not be evicted."

The ban on evictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic expired over the weekend, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was unable to extend it following the Supreme Court's ruling on June 29 that said only Congress could do so through new legislation...     more

AOC calls fellow Democrats "cowards" on the eviction moratorium

The House has been dismissed for a seven week recess without extending the eviction moratorium.
​
Aug. 2 - New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is calling fellow Washington Democrats "cowards" for failing to extend a moratorium on evicting Americans during the pandemic, which after roughly 8 months of protection has put a reported 11 million Americans in jeopardy of losing shelter.

"The House and House leadership had the opportunity to vote to extend the moratorium and there was, frankly, a handful of conservative Democrats in the House that threatened to get on planes rather than hold this vote," Cortez said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." "We have to call a spade a spade. We cannot in good faith blame the Republican Party when House Democrats have a majority."

​The White House has said it didn't have the authority to extend the moratorium past August 31 and asked Congress to address the issue legislatively...     more 

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Statement by Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Eviction Prevention Efforts

AUGUST 02, 2021•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

Today, President Biden is taking further action to prevent Americans from experiencing the heartbreak of eviction. Thanks to State eviction moratoria, almost 33% of the country will be spared evictions for the rest of this month. But in the remaining States, action is needed.

Thanks to the bipartisan COVID relief act Congress passed in December 2020 and the American Rescue Plan Congress and the Biden Administration enacted in March 2021, State and local governments long ago received Emergency Rental Assistance—a $46.5 billion plan to protect millions of Americans facing deep rental debt and potential eviction during the pandemic. Some cities and States have demonstrated their ability to release these funds efficiently to tenants and landlords in need. But even though funds began to be distributed in February by the Biden Administration, too many States and cities have been too slow to act...     more

AUGUST 2, 2021
​White House Daily Briefing
White House COVID-19 Economic Relief Coordinator Gene Sperling joined White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki to discuss the administration’s policy priorities. Mr. Sperling addressed the White House’s stance on eviction moratoriums and what it’s doing to prevent evictions. The press secretary responded to a variety of questions on eviction moratoriums, COVID-19 vaccine mandates, concerns about breakthrough cases and U.S. travel restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and White House American Rescue Plan Coordinator and Senior Advisor to the President Gene Sperling, August 2, 2021

AUGUST 02, 2021•PRESS BRIEFINGS

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

MS. PSAKI:  Hi, everyone.  Hello.

Q    Welcome back, Jen.

MS. PSAKI:  Thank you.  Well, thank you.  I know it’s a later briefing this afternoon.  Good things are worth the wait.

And with that, we are — I’m pleased to be joined today by Gene Sperling, who probably doesn’t need a great introduction as the former NEC Director in two administrations and the person who’s overseeing our American Rescue Plan implementation.  He’s going to talk a little bit about where we are on housing, take a few questions, and then we will proceed with our normal series of events.

With that, go ahead, Gene.

MR. SPERLING:  Thank you.  It’s good to be back.

You know, our President so deeply believes that every avoidable eviction of an American family hurt by this pandemic is an avoidable heartbreak and harm to a family’s economic security and dignity.  And he has worked and instructed us, from day one, to do everything within our power to prevent unnecessary evictions for those who have been hurt through this pandemic.

What I wanted to do today is just give you a little background on the statement that is coming out today that deals with both evictions, our executive actions, and the emerge- — Emergency Rental Assistance Plan for state and local governments...     more

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Remarks by President Biden at a Virtual Fundraising Reception for the Democratic National Committee

AUGUST 02, 2021•SPEECHES AND REMARKS

Via Teleconference

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Tom.  Thanks for that introduction and for your generous support.  And I want to thank you all.  And, Jaime, for your support as well and being willing to take on the chairmanship. 

You know, I didn’t have it like you did, but I remember when my dad — when things died up in Scranton; the coal dried up.  He wasn’t a coalminer; my great grandfather was.  But he wasn’t a coalminer, but everything else dried up.  And he said — I remember him going home to my grandpop, who had four sons and a daughter, and asking him is it okay if his wife — my mother, Jean — and the three kids move in with him for a year or so until they got straightened away down in northern Delaware — a little town called Claymont. 

And so that — and he said — I’ll never forget it.  He said, “I’ll come home every weekend, Joey.  Every weekend.  There’s only 147 — 157 miles.”  And I thought, “My God, that’s a million miles.”  I was going — I was in third grade, going into fourth.  And you know, it’s a --

​They used to have an expression — and that’s never — and this is the God’s truth.  We got down to Delaware, as he worked his way through, after five years, being able to buy a small three-bedroom home.  He used to say, “Joey, a job is a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about — it’s about your pride.  It’s about your place in the community.  It’s about your ability to look your kids in the eye.  It’s about your dignity.”  And so it’s much — so much more...     more 

White House spokesperson: Israel will make its own decisions

​White House press secretary says the Iranian attack on Israeli-managed ship will not affect nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Aug. 3 - White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday that the Iranian attack on an Israeli-managed ship near the coast of Oman would not affect US negotiations with Iran on a return to the 2015 nuclear deal.

“As a sovereign country, Israel is going to make their own decisions” regarding a possible retaliation to the attack, Psaki told reporters.

“But I will say that as it relates to our own engagement in nuclear talks — which we, of course, do have authorities over or do have decisions to make there — our view is that every single challenge and threat we face from Iran would be made more pronounced and dangerous by an unconstrained nuclear program,” she added.

“So, put another way, constraining Iran’s nuclear program by returning to the JCPOA will put us in a better position to address these other problems. It doesn’t mean that it will take care of the other issues that had been ongoing concerns we’ve had with Iran. They are a bad actor on the global stage. They have threatened our own military, as we all know. But we continue to believe that pursuing a diplomatic path forward, that pursuing an opportunity to make sure we have greater visibility into what their nuclear capabilities are is in our national interest,” continued Psaki.

Earlier on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised a "collective response" to Iran following the attack on the Japanese-owned, Israeli-managed MV Mercer Street last Friday.

Blinken said that US was "working with UK, Romania, Israel, and others on determining the response." He added that the US was confident Iran carried out the attack, calling it "tremendously irresponsible."

A spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry on Monday vehemently denied claims that his country was behind the attack.

The spokesman called the accusations "baseless and provocative," and warned that Iran would respond to any retaliatory action against it, "immediately and determinedly".

Israel accused the Iranian government of carrying out the attack, and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett hinted at a possible Israeli response.

“We know how to convey the message to Iran in our own way," he said.

On Sunday, Britain condemned Iran and accused it of carrying out Friday’s deadly attack, saying it has concluded that Iran is likely to blame for the drone bombing.

“UK assessments have concluded that it is highly likely that Iran attacked the MV MERCER STREET in international waters off Oman using one or more Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,” the UK said.

Related Articles:
US pessimistic about chances of restoring Iran nuclear deal
Report: US to sanction Iran’s drones and guided missiles
Blinken: Talks with Iran cannot go on indefinitely
US official: Iran won't get a better deal