Thread: President Joe Biden

Originally Posted by bsnub

Bullshit! He said it was not the majority of the caucus. There are more than a few who want to defund SS. Stop watching fox news.

Scott doubles down on sunsetting all federal programs after Biden’s jab | The Hill

List of Republicans Who Have Suggested Cutting Medicare, Social Security

Biden advocated cutting Social Security and Medicare in the 70's and as late as 1995. Then turned around and spread the same lie in Wisconsin.

By the way Biden plagiarized the State of Union Speech and turned MAGA.

This one hit a soft spot

Washington Examiner



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Biden at his worst in DC's latest BS battle


Opinion by Byron York • 1h ago

BIDEN AT HIS WORST IN DC'S LATEST BS BATTLE. One of the most commented-upon moments of President Joe Biden's State of the Union address happened when Biden accused some Republicans of wanting Medicare and Social Security to "sunset." In other words, Biden said, those Republicans want Medicare and Social Security, the twin foundations of the safety net for the retired, to go out of existence



The weird thing about what Biden said was that just the day before, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had declared, in a much-watched speech, that "cuts to Medicare and Social Security are off the table." McCarthy clearly anticipated Biden's attack and made sure that in the coming debt ceiling negotiations, House Republicans' position would be clear: no cuts to Medicare, no cuts to Social Security.
Nevertheless, during the State of the Union, Biden went on the attack. "Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans — some Republicans — want Medicare and Social Security to sunset," the president said as boos began to rise from the GOP side of the floor. "I'm not saying it's the majority," Biden continued, to more boos. "Let me give you — anybody who doubts it, contact my office. I'll give you a copy — I'll give you a copy of the proposal."
The "proposal" to which Biden referred was an election agenda released last year by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who was in charge of the 2022 GOP Senate midterm election effort. Like any Republican, Scott called for fiscal responsibility. He wanted to reduce the size, scope, and expense of government. To that end, Scott advocated all sorts of measures, such as drastically simplifying the tax code, "eliminating the advantages of those who can afford tax lawyers and lobbyists," moving much of the federal government out of Washington, and "selling off nonessential government assets, buildings, and land, and us[ing] the proceeds to pay down our national debt."
And then Scott added this: "All federal legislation sunsets in five years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again." To which Democrats immediately screamed: All legislation? That would include Medicare and Social Security! Look! Republicans want to kill Medicare and Social Security!
The fact is, Democrats have long accused Republicans of wanting to kill Medicare and Social Security. In 2012, they made an ad depicting then-Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), at the time Sen. Mitt Romney's vice presidential running mate, pushing a terrified grandmother in a wheelchair off a cliff. They really did that. You can watch it today — it's actually funny. But it was only a tiny bit more extreme than the accusations Democrats have actually leveled at Republicans over the years.
So when Scott proposed a five-year sunset on legislation, and Democrats began yelling that that must surely include Medicare and Social Security, nearly all Republicans began to run away from Scott — including Scott himself, who loudly proclaimed that he had no intention of cutting Medicare and Social Security. "No one that I know of wants to sunset Medicare or Social Security," Scott said. Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) repeatedly told the press that Republicans most emphatically did not support Scott's plan. In addition, the Washington Post

fact-checker gave the Democratic charge "Four Pinocchios," which the paper defined as a "whopper."
Nevertheless, Democrats kept up the attack because accusing Republicans of wanting to kill Medicare and Social Security is what they do. So no one was surprised when Biden did what he did in the State of the Union.


Republicans, knowing that McCarthy had just the day before declared that "cuts to Medicare and Social Security are off the table," booed and catcalled. That is simply not their position, many of them suggested, although in not so many words. Biden engaged. "I tell you, I enjoy conversion," he said, suggesting that Republicans had somehow come over to his side. But he continued: "You know [sunset] means if Congress doesn't keep the programs the way they are, they go away. Other Republicans say — I'm not saying it's a majority of you, I don't even think it's even a significant — but it's being proposed by individuals. I'm politely not naming them, but it's being proposed by some of you."
The person Biden "politely" did not name was, of course, Rick Scott. And then Biden concluded: "So folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right? They're not to be touched? All right. We got unanimity!" Democrats and their allies in the media cheered. Biden may be 80 years old, but he sure outfoxed those Republicans!
It was a perfect Washington BS moment. But here's the thing. Everybody knows that Congress will have to make significant changes to Medicare and Social Security for those programs to remain solvent. And the government can't just keep spending more and more on the programs lest they someday consume the entire federal budget.
That is just a fact. Republicans have been the only ones to attempt to address the coming crisis, and for their troubles, Democrats have beaten the hell out of them. So now, McCarthy has come to an understandable conclusion. He still knows the programs' expense will rise out of control, but he can't

come out and address it because the Democratic attacks, amplified in media reports, will mean another debacle for Republicans. So he will have to look for other ways to approach the problem, if there are other ways.
Now, Biden is staying on the offensive, cheered on by those partisans in Congress and the media. The day after the State of the Union, he headed to Wisconsin, where he again accused Republicans of wanting to do away with Medicare and Social Security. "They seemed shocked when I raised the plans of some of their members and their caucus to cut Social Security," Biden told the crowd in DeForest, Wisconsin. "And Marjorie Taylor Greene and others stood up and said, 'Liar! Liar!' It reminds of that 'liar, liar, house on fire.'" Everybody laughed. A moment later, Biden was holding up a copy of the Scott proposal and reading aloud from it. On Thursday, Biden headed to Florida to do more of the same.
Meanwhile, the problem grows. Just Google "Medicare insolvency date" — you'll find out it is about 2030 under a best-case scenario — and "Social Security insolvency date" — it's about 2035. If the programs continue unreformed, the government will have to devote increasingly large amounts of money to pay for old age and healthcare. The result could be fiscal calamity. Something must be done. Given Washington's habit of not addressing problems until they become crises, any action will probably come closer to 2030 and 2035 than to today.
Everybody knows this. Republicans have been, at times, honest and bold enough to say it. Now, in the face of continued attacks from Biden, Democrats, and their media allies, GOP lawmakers are taking a different approach. Let's try to work around the edges of the problem, they say, until it gets too bad to ignore, and then, maybe, Democrats will work with us on fixing Medicare and Social Security. Until then, Biden will keep playing the game. It has worked reliably for the many decades of his career in government and Democratic politics. Why change now?

Originally Posted by bsnub

For four decades, since Ronald Reagan re-invented the modern State of the Union address, television audiences have become accustomed — arguably to the point of tedium — to presidents putting the spotlight on ordinary Americans invited to the House chamber to be hailed for some extraordinary act.

At last, in 2023, came a new twist on the old ritual. This time, it was ordinary Republicans putting the spotlight on themselves — through extraordinary rudeness. With boos, taunts, groans, and sarcastic chortles, the opposition party effectively turned themselves into prime-time props for President Joseph Biden.

The performance definitely broke through the tedium. Let’s remember to check Biden’s next campaign disclosure forms — the Republican honking amounted to an in-kind contribution, one he sorely needed.

The gift paid dividends at both the stylistic and substantive levels.

In terms of pure theater, the jeers helped Biden come alive.

At the beginning of the address, Biden ambled through the House gallery, an 80-year-old president who didn’t look a day over 80, nor a day under. A politician who overcame a boyhood stutter, yet who has never been particularly strong with formal speeches, had his usual mix of garbled phrases and you-know-what-he-means sentence fragments. Would this be a painful evening?

Soon enough, it became an entertaining one. At least, Biden was having fun, looking at booing Republicans with a smile. He accused “some of my Republican friends” of wanting to “sunset Social Security and Medicare,” even as he acknowledged that, “I am not saying this a majority” who backs a proposal last year from Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.).

Amid shouts of “liar!” Biden responded, “Anybody who doubts it contact my office and I will give you a copy of the proposal.” As audible protests continued, Biden returned the volley, in seemingly spontaneous fashion. “So folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare off the books now, right? All right. We got unanimity.”

Beyond enlivening the evening, the boisterousness in the gallery was a reminder of something more consequential. Even in a polarized era, the modern presidency gives its occupants unmatched ability to define and hold the political center. This might be easy to forget, after years in which Donald Trump — practicing a politics of contempt aimed mostly at mobilizing supporters — seemed indifferent to this reality.

Biden, formed by a different era, and advised by veterans of Bill Clinton’s and Barack Obama’s presidencies, was plainly using the speech to achieve more traditional aims. He sought to present himself as a common-sense realist, in touch with the everyday concerns of voters — inviting the opposition to choose between joining him to solve problems or risk being portrayed as obstructionists and extremists. It may not be the most novel of strategies, but for the past couple generations it has been the one that most two-term presidents have followed — typically using State of the Union addresses as major events in making the case.

Biden also showed that it is not such a difficult feat — at least not with the presidential platform — to unify different wings of his party, despite some commentary asserting they are irreconcilable.
No reason they need to be. On policing reform, for instance, Biden introduced the parents of Tyre Nichols — killed in a beating by police in Memphis last month — and trumpeted his proposals to reduce police violence. But he steered far clear of the anti-police rhetoric embraced by some on the left, and exploited by Republicans, after the George Floyd murder in 2020: “I know most cops are good, decent people — the vast majority.”

Biden congratulated new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, joking that, “I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you.” At the same time, he well knew Republicans would have little interest in working with him on proposals to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy, and to expand government rules on business from everything from drug prices to airline fees.

It’s little wonder that Republicans in the crowd were irritated. The whole evening was evidence that even a president with low approval ratings has a much louder voice and more potent ability to frame the debate than they do.

For the historical-minded, it was also evidence of how standards of decorum are highly fluid. Recall the big fuss in 2009 when Republican Joe Wilson of South Carolina interrupted President Obama’s speech to Congress by shouting, “You lie.” Even many Republicans were embarrassed, and Wilson apologized.

This time, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shouted out at least nine times, by the count of a POLITICO reporter in the gallery, that Biden was a liar. No one was surprised — certainly not Biden, who recognized an opportunity when it is delivered gift-wrapped before a nationwide audience.

Republicans Turn Themselves Into Props for Biden - POLITICO

• Biden administration announces restrictions on hardrock mining in 225,000 acres of Minnesota wilderness

The Biden administration will protect some 225,000 new acres in a northeastern Minnesota wilderness area from mineral leasing, Interior Department officials confirmed on a call with reporters Thursday.

The protections will be effective for 20 years, officials said, and will protect parts of the Rainy River watershed, including lands ceded to the Chippewa Bands of Native Americans in 1854 and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The department asserted authorities granted to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act to issue the restrictions.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was the site of a proposed copper-nickel mine in the adjoining watershed. In an October 2021 order, the U.S. Forest Service called for a full study of the potential impacts of the proposed Twin Metals project. The company said it was “deeply disappointed” by the move at the time. In August, Twin Metals sued to reclaim federal mining leases in the area, calling Interior’s moves “arbitrary and capricious” and saying they would hinder the development of necessary supply chains to transition away from fossil fuels.

Separately, in June 2022, the Forest Service issued a draft assessment proposing a 20-year ban on copper mining on federal lands in the watershed, determining that the activity would contaminate local waterways. The Interior Department also canceled two mining leases in the area that had been granted in 2019, saying the Trump administration renewed them improperly.

“Twin Metals Minnesota is deeply disappointed and stunned that the federal government has chosen to enact a 20-year moratorium on mining across a quarter million acres of land in northeast Minnesota,” a Twin Metals spokesperson told The Hill in a statement. “This region sits on top of one of the world’s largest deposits of critical minerals that are vital in meeting our nation’s goals to transition to a clean energy future, to create American jobs, to strengthen our national security and to bolster domestic supply chains.”

“The Biden-Harris administration has been clear in our commitment to ensuring that they can mine for the minerals that are necessary to help us shift to a clean energy economy. But we have to do so in a responsible manner,” an Interior Department official said on the call. “That includes balancing our commitment to ensure we protect some of our country’s most spectacular outdoor places for future generations.”

The administration based the decision on over 225,000 public comments, three public meetings and two tribal consultations, according to the official.

In a statement, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) praised the move, saying, “The freshwater in this area is pristine, and contamination from heavy metals and sulfuric acid from mine tailings would cause irreparable harm that would quickly spread through the Boundary Waters’ 1.1 million acres of interconnected lakes and streams.”

“This would damage the unique wildlife, hurt the region’s tourism industry and recreation-based economy, and preclude hundreds of thousands of visitors from Minnesota and across the country from enjoying this wilderness. Once damaged, it cannot be restored,” McCollum added.

The Minnesota Democrat has separately introduced legislation that would make the protections permanent rather than subject to reversal by a future president.

The National Mining Association, however, blasted the decision as running counter to the Biden administration’s decarbonization goals.

“At a time when demand for minerals such as copper, nickel and cobalt are skyrocketing for use in electric vehicles and solar and wind infrastructure, the administration is withdrawing hundreds of thousands of acres of land that could provide U.S. manufacturers with plentiful sources of these same minerals,” NMA President and CEO Rich Nolan said in a statement.

Originally Posted by CalEden

Biden at his worst in DC's latest BS battle

Originally Posted by CalEden

Washington Examiner

The Examiner is not a credible news source on any level, it is a rag owned by evangelical wack jobs.

Originally Posted by CalEden

BIDEN AT HIS WORST IN DC'S LATEST BS BATTLE. One of the most commented-upon moments of President Joe Biden's State of the Union address happened when Biden accused some Republicans of wanting Medicare and Social Security to "sunset." In other words, Biden said, those Republicans want Medicare and Social Security, the twin foundations of the safety net for the retired, to go out of existence

The weird thing about what Biden said was that just the day before, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had declared, in a much-watched speech, that "cuts to Medicare and Social Security are off the table." McCarthy clearly anticipated Biden's attack and made sure that in the coming debt ceiling negotiations, House Republicans' position would be clear: no cuts to Medicare, no cuts to Social Security.

Did you miss the bit where the looney tunes brigade of the GQP have McCarthy by the bollocks then?

He can say what he likes, but when they say jump, he has to jump.

Originally Posted by bsnub

The Examiner is not a credible news source on any level, it is a rag owned by evangelical wack jobs.

Wait, wait, wait.

They got this right

will mean another debacle for Republicans

Originally Posted by cyrille

Well, I just found out what a quinceanera pinata is.

I just found out that twitter allows up to three insults.

The cunty fucking wankers

Originally Posted by bsnub

The Examiner is not a credible news source on any level, it is a rag owned by evangelical wack jobs.

this one also

Biden may be 80 years old, but he sure outfoxed those Republicans!

"I know that a lot of Republicans, their dream is to cut Social Security and Medicare," Biden said during a trip to the Republican stronghold of Florida, which has one of the highest number of people without health insurance.

"Well, let me say this: if that's your dream, I'm your nightmare."

In Tampa, Biden pledges to protect Medicare, Social Security

Fresh off of Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Joe Biden traveled to the Sunshine State to focus on his efforts to protect Medicare and Social Security and lower health care costs for Americans.

"Today, I’ve come to Florida to talk about a critical piece of that plan giving families and seniors just a little more breathing room to lower your healthcare costs," Biden told the crowd in Tampa, Florida.

"Too many Americans lay in bed at night staring at the ceiling wondering what happens if I get sick, if I get cancer," the president continued, pointing to legislation he signed into law last year to help lower health care costs for Americans.

Biden said that he "signed the Inflation Reduction Act" – Democrats' sweeping health care, climate change and tax reform measure – "to bring health care costs down, so you could have a better night’s sleep."

The measure includes a monthly cap of $35 for insulin, the life-saving diabetes treatment, for Medicare recipients.

“We capped the cost of insulin at $35 for seniors on Medicare, but there are millions of Americans not on Medicare who need this insulin to save their lives," Biden said. "Let's finish the job and cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for everyone who needs it.”

"Finish the job" was the central, recurring theme of Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday, where the president called for Republicans and Democrats to come together on repairing the economy and other key issues.

Biden’s trip to Tampa is part of a post-State of the Union blitz to at least 20 states by the president, Vice President Kamala Harris and members of the Cabinet to promote his policies and themes from the speech. It also represents an opportunity for the president to lay the groundwork for a possible 2024 presidential run in a deep-red Republican state with a growing retiree population.

"We’re finally giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices," Biden said Thursday. "Bringing down prescription drug costs doesn’t just save seniors money, it will cut the federal budget by hundreds of billions [of] dollars.”

The president's trip to Florida comes one day after a trip to electoral battleground Wisconsin, where he pledged to block any Republican efforts to block Medicare and Social Security.

“Look, a lot of Republicans, their dream is to cut Social Security and Medicare," Biden told the crowd in Wisconsin. "Well, let me just say this: it’s your dream, but I’m gonna have my veto pen make it a nightmare."

“All of you have been paying into the system every single paycheck you’ve had since you started working,” the president said. "These benefits belong to you, the American worker. You earned it, and I will not allow anyone to cut them. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever, period.”

Biden continued his line of attack on Republicans Thursday, vowing to veto any GOP-led efforts to cut either of the entitlement programs.

"I know that a lot of Republicans, their dream is to cut Social Security and Medicare," Biden told the crowd in Tampa. "Let me say this, if that's your dream, I'm your nightmare."

One of the most notable parts of Biden's State of the Union speech was his contentious exchange with Republicans on Medicare and Social Security. In his remarks calling for lawmakers to raise the debt ceiling, Biden slammed the proposals of some Republicans who want to sunset Medicare and Social Security on a five-year basis, or want to cut the programs entirely.

“Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years. That means if Congress doesn’t vote to keep them, those programs will go away,” the president said. “Other Republicans say if we don’t cut Social Security and Medicare, they’ll let America default on its debt for the first time in our history.

Brave kid

Biden administration proposes more stringent efficiency standards for refrigerators, clothes washers

The Energy Department on Friday proposed to require new household refrigerators and clothes washers to meet a more stringent sets of energy efficiency standards.

It said that the move will save energy and money for consumers.

Consumers who use appliances meeting the proposed standards will save about $425 on utility bills over the life of the appliances, the department said in a statement.

The two rules would also cut carbon dioxide emissions by 233 million metric tons over 30 years, according to the administration. This is equal to about the total emissions of 29 million homes over the course of a year.

The rules would be expected to take effect in 2027.

The proposals come amid a broader effort to address what the administration has described as a “vast backlog of outdated energy efficiency standards” and to “remedy the rollbacks and procedural roadblocks left by the prior Administration.”

Roy Wood Jr. named entertainer at 2023 White House Correspondents' dinner

Roy Wood Jr., the stand-up comedian known for his work on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” will be the featured entertainer at the 2023 annual White House Correspondents’ dinner, the Correspondents’ Association announced on Thursday.

“It will be a great night that will go down in the history books, or not, depending on which state you live in,” Wood said in the announcement.

The dinner, set for April 29, is typically attended by numerous Washington VIPs, including the president and first lady. The annual event, attended for decades by presidents from both parties, became a political flash point during the Trump administration when then-President Donald Trump refused to attend the event amid his frequent tirades against the Washington press corps. The dinner was canceled amid the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021 but returned last year with President Joe Biden in attendance.

Wood, who studied journalism at Florida A&M University in 1998 before shifting to stand-up comedy, is the son of a pioneer radio and television journalist. Roy Wood Sr. covered topics like the Civil Rights movement and the South African Soweto race riots — work that helped him earn a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Black Journalists.

“It’s an honor to be a part of a long-running tradition of celebrating those members of the media, who work so hard to uncover the truth, and hold our government accountable,” Wood said in a press release.

Schumer: Biden ‘rope-a-doped’ Republicans into ‘trap’ on Social Security, Medicare

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday praised President Biden over his back-and-forth with Republicans on Social Security and Medicare during the State of the Union address one night earlier, saying that they walked into a “trap” he laid for them.

“Joe Biden was so deft. He let them walk into his trap. He rope-a-doped them,” Schumer told “Morning Joe.” “And now all of America has seen the Republican Party say, ‘No, we’re not going to cut Social Security and Medicare.’ He did a service.”

During one of the most contentious points in the speech, Biden accused some Republican lawmakers of pushing to sunset the two entitlement programs, prompting head-shakes and boos from the GOP side of the aisle. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was seen visibly shaking his head at Biden’s statement, while Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shouted that Biden was a “liar.”

After continued jeering by Republicans, Biden noted that it seemed as though all of the lawmakers were singing the same tune on the pair of entitlement programs.

“So, folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right?” Biden said. “All right,” he said, adding a thumbs-up.

McCarthy has said in recent weeks that cuts to the two programs are off the table in talks to raise the debt limit by early summer, even though some lawmakers called for reforms to them earlier in January.

In addition, the White House found itself in another brouhaha with Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), whom Biden and Democrats have highlighted repeatedly over the last year for his call to sunset all federal legislation after five years, which would include Social Security and Medicare.

After the address, Scott called Biden a “liar” on the issue.

“If they think they can shut me up or intimidate me by lying … I’m here for it,” Scott tweeted Wednesday morning. “I will not be silenced by the Washington establishment.”

Scott doubled down on his sunset proposal later on Wednesday, criticizing the president as “confused” in response to Biden mentioning during his address that some Republicans want to do just that.

“In my plan, I suggested the following: All federal legislation sunsets in five years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again,” Scott said in a statement after the speech.

Senate Republican leaders, headlined by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), have distanced themselves from Scott’s plan, which Democrats used in a number of ads leading up to the 2022 midterm elections.

Biden and Brazil's Lula find common ground against violent extremism

Brazil's new leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is paying a quick visit to the White House on Friday.

His trip to Washington is being billed as a celebration of democracy — but economic development and migration will also be discussed, a senior administration official says. The two leaders have lofty goals, including tackling climate change. And they have a lot in common after recent events in both countries.

It was just over a month ago that hundreds of supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the capital and ransacked the Congress, Supreme Court and the presidential offices.

The comparison with the attack by supporters of former President Donald Trump on Jan. 6 are often made. As well as the fact that both Trump and Bolsonaro, close allies, continue to spread false claims of electoral fraud.

Bolsonaro is currently in Florida. He came to the U.S. just before Lula's inauguration on New Year's Day. It's unclear how long he will stay away from Brazil, where he is under investigation for his role in the attacks last month. Lula is unlikely to bring up the former president's stay in the U.S.

President Biden has shown his support for Lula as he deals with Bolsonaro and extremist supporters. Immediately after the attacks of Jan. 8, Biden called Lula and invited him to the White House. He also was one of the first leaders in the world to congratulate Lula on his close electoral victory last October. Relations between Brazil and the U.S. had been strained during the last two years of Bolsonaro's far-right administration.

The visit is an important "milestone" in restarting U.S.-Brazil ties, says Thiago de Aragāo, a political risk consultant in Brasilia and Washington. A photo with Biden in the White House is what Lula is looking for at this early point in his administration says Aragão, especially when it comes to his role tackling climate change. "Biden will legitimize Lula as one of the most important opinion makers among world leaders in the environmental agenda," he said.

Lula also met with Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday, where they discussed how to increase international cooperation to protect the Amazon and preserve the environment for future generations. Lula also met with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has been a staunch voice against the U.S. granting refuge to Bolsonaro

Lula has promised to reverse Bolsonaro's catastrophic environmental record, in which much of Brazil's deforestation enforcement was dismantled. Lula has launched a massive operation to rid the country's largest indigenous reserve of illegal miners.

Hundreds of federal agents have been sent to the Yanomami reserve in the northern Amazon to root out the illegal operations that have polluted the local rivers and land.

Biden had pledged to create a global fund for Amazon protection. Lula wants the US to contribute to the existing Amazon Fund, which he has restarted after its demise under Bolsonaro. The $1.3 billion fund is supported mainly by Norway and Germany and provides money to deforestation prevention and sustainable development projects in the rainforest.

The two leaders don't see eye to eye on everything, especially when it comes to foreign policy. Lula backs away from condemning Russia in the current war in Ukraine. In fact, the Brazilian leader has proposed leading a so-called "Peace Club" of non-aligned states, including India, to help mediate an end to the conflict.

He also doesn't take sides in recent tensions between the U.S. and China. China is Brazil's top trading partner. It does nearly double the amount of trade with China than with its second largest partner, the United States. Lula has a trip planned to China next month.

^ still hurting

___________

Biden traveling to Poland to mark one year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

President Biden will travel to Poland on Feb. 20 to 22 to mark the one-year anniversary since Russia invaded Ukraine, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced on Friday.

Jean-Pierre said Biden will deliver remarks ahead of the one year anniversary of the invasion, which will involve “addressing how the United States has rallied the world to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy, and how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

National security spokesman John Kirby said he did not have “any additional stops to preview” during the Poland trip when asked about a potential stop in Ukraine.

Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda on the trip, as well as leaders of the Bucharest Nine, which is a group of eastern flank NATO allies.

Kirby would not preview any announcements on further aid to Ukraine during the trip, but said that Biden “will certainly make clear that additional security assistance, additional financial assistance, additional help for Ukraine will be coming from the United States.”

The announcement comes after Biden told reporters on Thursday that there’s “a possibility” he will travel to Poland for the anniversary.

The president visited Poland in March, one month into the invasion. On that trip, the president said that Russian President Vladimir Putin can’t stay in power, a major moment that sparked the White House to try to walk back the comment.

Biden, earlier this week, said that Putin has “already lost Ukraine,” in an interview with PBS. He also stressed his support for Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion during the State of the Union on Tuesday and recognized Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., in the audience.

^if he runs,.....he wins

__________

^ Why don’t explain Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) newest plan to increase funding for Social Security and Medicare?

And then maybe explain why Republicans want to increase the US’s national debt and let tax cheats get away without paying their fair share?