Thread: President Joe Biden

Will you set up the 'Robert L. Peters' thread?


Hehe

• At Camp David, Biden hails ‘new era of partnership’ between U.S., South Korea and Japan

President Joe Biden on Friday signed historic agreements with the leaders of South Korea and Japan, bridging the fraught history between the two countries with promises of strengthening each nation’s economic and national security interests.

In what was a clear message to China, Biden welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for the first trilateral meeting between the three countries that wasn’t held on the sidelines of an international gathering.

“This is the first summit I’ve hosted at Camp David, and I can think of no more fitting location to symbolize our new era of cooperation,” Biden said at a joint press conference held at the rustic presidential campsite in the Catoctin Mountains, about 60 miles north of Washington.

The looming threats of China and North Korea shadowed the summit. Both Japan and South Korea are well within range of Pyongyang’s rocket tests, and both nations also have attempted to curb Beijing’s growing strength in the region. Biden saluted the “bravery” of both Asian leaders by setting aside generations of tensions between their countries, and he vowed that the new formalized alliance would be “unwavering in our unity and unmatched in our resolve.”

The multihour summit between the three leaders took place in a retreat filled with wooded paths once walked by each U.S. president since Franklin Roosevelt and by foreign leaders ranging from British Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and even Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Administration officials hoped the informality of the presidential retreat — hosting its first world leaders meeting since 2015 — would foster what Biden on Friday called “the next era of partnership” with South Korea and Japan. The two Asian countries have long been at loggerheads with deep hostility stemming from Japan’s colonial rule over Korea from 1910 to 1945.

Freed of the humidity of Washington and formality of the White House, each leader appeared without neckties. Biden held individual meetings with each foreign leader before the trilateral meeting and press conference.

The administration announced agreements to improve coordination on ballistic missile defense and information sharing, to contribute economic data such as an early warning system for supply chain disruptions, and to better coordinate national security such as multiyear plans to hold military exercises.

Biden stressed that the agreements would remain in place — even if Donald Trump were to return to the White House.

“His America First policy — walking us away from the rest of the world — makes us weaker, not stronger,” said Biden. He added that the summit launched “institutional changes” that “makes our relationships stronger and stay in place.”

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extra

• Biden administration extends temporary legal status for Ukrainians in US

The Biden administration on Friday announced an extension and expansion of temporary legal status for Ukrainians already in the U.S., saying that Russia’s ongoing military invasion of their country and the ensuing humanitarian crisis prevents them from safely returning.

The expansion is expected to make 166,700 additional individuals eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This is on top of allowing 26,000 current beneficiaries to retain their TPS through April 19, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement.

“Russia’s ongoing military invasion of Ukraine and the resulting humanitarian crisis requires that the United States continue to offer safety and protection to Ukrainians who may not be able to return to their country,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

“We will continue to offer our support to Ukrainian nationals through this temporary form of humanitarian relief.”

TPS for Ukrainians was expected to expire on Oct. 19, but it is being extended for 18 months.

• Biden tours ‘overwhelming’ devastation in Maui: ‘The country grieves with you’

President Biden on Monday mourned the loss of life and destruction in Maui and vowed to aid rebuilding efforts in the wake of historic wildfires that have decimated the island.

The president and first lady traveled to Maui from Lake Tahoe, Nev., where they were vacationing this week, to tour damage, meet with local officials and first responders and offer support for the community.

“You’ve shown such absolute incredible courage, and that’s not hyperbole,” Biden said as he stood in front of scorched wreckage from the fires. “And I want you to know that on behalf of the United States of America and all of the nation, the American people stand with you.”

Biden called the devastation from the fires “overwhelming,” noting that the death toll is at 114 and counting, with hundreds of people unaccounted for as of Monday.

“I also want all of you to know the country grieves with you, stands with you and will do everything possible to help you recover, rebuild and respect culture and traditions when the rebuilding takes place,” Biden said.

He pointed to a nearby banyan tree that was burned but still standing, describing it as a “very powerful symbol of what we can and will do to get through this crisis.”

“And for as long as it takes, we’re going to be with you. The whole country will be with you,” Biden said.

As part of his visit, Biden announced the appointment of Bob Fenton as the chief federal response coordinator to oversee the long-term recovery effort.

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• Biden to name official to oversee long-term Maui recovery effort

“As the recovery moves into a next phase, the President has directed Mr. Fenton, who has been a leader in the response from the earliest hours, to make sure every member of this devastated community has access to everything the federal government can offer to heal and rebuild as fast as possible,” a White House official said.

Fenton served as the White House’s coordinator for the mpox response as the virus spread in the United States last year. Fenton earlier worked on setting up mass vaccination sites in the COVID-19 response.

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• Biden campaign jabs Trump over reported plans to skip GOP debate

The Biden campaign on Friday seized on reports that Donald Trump will skip the first GOP primary debate in Wisconsin, arguing the state is a symbol of the former president’s “failed leadership.”

“Of course Donald Trump wants to avoid appearing in Wisconsin because he knows Wisconsin is a state that illustrates his failed leadership,” Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement.

“Just this week, Foxconn announced another move out of the state. Wisconsinites soundly rejected his ongoing efforts to ban abortion in the state’s Supreme Court election earlier this year,” Munoz said. “He cannot hide from the fact that Wisconsinites rejected him in 2020, and will reject the MAGA agenda again in 2024.”

The Biden campaign statement came hours after The New York Times reported that Trump has told advisers he will skip next week’s GOP debate in Milwaukee and instead may sit for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

A Trump campaign spokesperson said nothing had been confirmed yet.

The Biden campaign is teaming up with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to run “a new, aggressive paid media campaign,” around the debate next week, according to officials. The DNC will also launch a billboard campaign across Milwaukee, the site of the debate, including three standing billboards and a billboard truck that will circle the debate venue.

• Biden administration reinstates Obama-era offshore drilling safety rules

The Biden administration has finalized the restoration of Obama-era offshore oil drilling rules, passed in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, that the Trump administration rolled back.

The final rule restores the bulk of the 2016 protections, including a required analysis and investigation of any failures within three months of an incident as well as real-time drilling monitoring.

It also strengthens safety requirements for blowout preventers, the system of seals and valves used to prevent pressurized oil and gas from bursting out of wells. A 2014 report by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board determined that the failure of a blowout preventer was a major factor in the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

The Trump administration, which issued nearly 2,000 waivers to the industry through the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, rolled back the Obama-era rule’s requirement for independent inspectors in April 2020.

“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to the highest standards of worker safety and environmental protections,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. “These improvements are necessary to ensure offshore operations, especially those related to well integrity and blowout prevention, are based on the best available, sound science. As our nation transitions to a clean energy economy, we will continue strengthening and modernizing offshore energy standards and oversight.”

Jacqueline Savitz, chief policy officer for ocean conservation group Oceana, said in a statement on Tuesday that the new rules are “a big step in getting us back on track.”

“But offshore drilling simply will never be safe. When there is a spill like Deepwater Horizon, it’s too late, our options are severely limited, so prevention is the only solution and this is a good step in that direction. That said, there is no way we can do enough to prevent an oil spill, it is an inherently risky business and it’s not a matter of if, but when we will have another one. So a big part of prevention has to be to stop selling new leases,” Savitz said.

The Deepwater spill, believed to be the largest maritime spill in the history of the oil industry, lasted more than four months and poured more than 200 million gallons into the Gulf. Eleven people were killed in the original explosion.

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• Biden administration approves fourth commercial-scale offshore wind project

The Biden administration on Tuesday approved a wind energy project off Rhode Island, the fourth major commercial-scale offshore wind energy project approved by the Biden Interior Department.

The Revolution Wind project is set to be located about 15 nautical miles southeast of the town of Point Judith, with a projected capacity of just more than 700 megawatts, the Interior Department said in an announcement Tuesday. It follows previously announced projects off Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey as well as another approved project off Rhode Island.

The administration has set a goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power capacity by the end of the decade, part of a broader goal of cutting U.S. carbon emissions in half by 2030. By the middle of the 2030s, the administration aims to deploy another 15 gigawatts of offshore wind through the use of floating turbines.

In a statement, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said she is “more confident than ever” that the U.S. will achieve the wind power goal.

“The Interior Department is committed to the Biden-Harris administration’s all-of-government approach to the clean energy future and delivering clean, reliable renewable energy to help respond to the climate crisis, lower energy costs, and create good-paying union jobs across the manufacturing, shipbuilding and construction sectors,” Haaland said. “We will continue to maintain open communication and frequent collaboration with federal partners, Tribal Nations, states, industry and ocean users to address potential challenges to and identify opportunities for the continued success of the U.S. offshore wind industry.”

The administration’s goals for wind power installation call for eventual installations along both the east and west coasts and the Gulf of Mexico. In February, the Interior Department announced its first offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf, opening more than 300,000 acres for bid. An earlier lease sale for wind installation in the New York Bight brought a record $4.37 billion.

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• Biden administration investing up to $24 million for cancer-fighting mRNA tech

The Biden administration’s new biomedical research agency said Wednesday it is investing up to $24 million to develop mRNA platforms that can train the immune system to more effectively fight cancer and other diseases.

The research will be led by a team at Emory University in Atlanta. The project will be funded through the administration’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a new agency charged with funding high-risk, high-reward research.

The project is paired with President Biden’s “cancer moonshot,” which aims to cut the cancer death rate in half by 2047.

ARPA-H and the moonshot are part of Biden’s “unity agenda” announced during his 2022 State of the Union address to bring the country together on a bipartisan basis on issues such as combating cancer.

It’s the first award from the agency’s first solicitation for proposals that opened last year.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

^then don't vote for him

Doesn't work, and goes to show that, In a civilized country...you can never tell.

Farmers have bought into Biden’s climate program. Now comes the hard part.

President Joe Biden’s Agriculture Department is pulling off a feat unimaginable a mere decade ago: gaining wide support within the conservative farming industry for a program to fight climate change.

The winning formula involves paying farmers to test out green practices, rather than forcing them to pay for excessive carbon emissions.

Biden officials are hoping their $3 billion initiative — which began doling out money this spring — will lay the groundwork for long-term buy-in for green farming from rural voters and American agribusiness, not to mention future investment from Congress and Wall Street. But they still need to prove it actually has an environmental impact and isn’t just a giveaway to Big Ag, as some climate activists fear.

Robert Bonnie, the Agriculture Department official who came up with the plan, acknowledges that it’s essentially a giant science experiment. But he insists it’s necessary to try to incentivize the industry to reduce its massive carbon footprint, which amounts to roughly 10 percent of the country’s emissions.

“Our job here is to basically do this in a way that will attract support,” he said. “And then prove it can work and prove it’s durable.”

Bonnie had a front-row seat to the Obama administration’s doomed effort to create a cap-and-trade system to curb carbon emissions as Agriculture undersecretary for natural resources and environment. The proposal, which would have capped industries’ carbon emissions but allowed them to purchase credits to exceed their caps, met fierce resistance from a number of powerful interest groups, including the agriculture lobby, and never made it through both houses of Congress. For Bonnie, the lack of buy-in was a key lesson from that humbling defeat.

“I think a lot of folks in agriculture and forestry felt like cap-and-trade wasn’t designed with them in mind,” said Bonnie, the USDA undersecretary for farm production and conservation. “It felt top down.”

After the Obama administration ended and Donald Trump became president, Bonnie returned to Duke University, where he had earlier received a master’s degree, to study “conservation in rural America” — essentially how to get the agriculture industry to join the fight against climate change.

All the while, farmers continued to be pounded with severe weather events, making it harder to ignore global warming. Massive fires have ripped through herds of cattle in the west, and a historic drought has stolen water from crops and livestock. A derecho storm decimated Iowa’s prized corn harvest. And in the south, devastating hurricanes have become the norm.

Bonnie found that farmers and other rural interests are fiercely opposed to and skeptical of government mandates, but are open to being part of the solution on climate.

Bonnie’s research with his colleagues at Duke led to a proposal to use the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation, an internal bank, to pay farmers and agribusinesses to test green agriculture production methods.

The ag industry is responding positively.

The USDA received 1,050 proposals from farmers, agribusinesses and academic institutions seeking to be part of the conservation program — but could only support 141 projects with the current round of funding.

Andrew Walmsley, former senior director of government relations at the American Farm Bureau Federation, the nation’s mightiest farm lobby with more than six million members, chalked the program’s popularity up to its “voluntary, incentive-based approach,” which he said allows for innovation. “A lot of credit is due to [Bonnie’s] work and his approach,” Walmsley added.

That’s a stark contrast from as recently as 2019, when the lobby group had a policy on the books stating: “We do not believe unilateral action by the United States can make a difference on global temperatures or stop devastating weather events.”

The Farm Bureau is now a member of the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance, a lobbying coalition made up of the largest groups in agriculture that is focused on pushing voluntary, incentive-based climate solutions. And the group has proved to be an ally to the Biden administration to help blunt GOP attacks on their climate initiative.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was able to turn the tables on Sen. Chuck Grassley at a hearing this year when the Iowa Republican began grilling him on the way his department was bankrolling its key climate effort.

“I will remind you that farm groups, major farm groups, virtually every commodity group, wanted this program to be set up and basically outlined how it should be set up, which we followed to a ‘T,’” Vilsack pointed out.

The Farm Bureau has endorsed including “robust” funding for conservation programs in the farm bill, which is due for reauthorization this year, and safeguarding new climate expenditures in the Inflation Reduction Act — to the tune of about $75 billion over the next ten years.

Having gotten the industry’s buy-in, USDA now needs to convince environmental advocates. Some are skeptical, noting that scientists have questioned the efficacy of some of the methods that farmers are testing, such as carbon sequestration. They’re also concerned that data from the USDA’s projects won’t be public because it contains trade secrets belonging to participating companies.

“It’s not really clear how this is going to do a whole lot more, in some of the projects, than just create another source of income for somebody,” said Cathy Day, the climate policy director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. “If most of the money ends up flowing to farmers and changing practices it becomes less of a concern. But we’d really like to know that there’s really good, firm data on that, to ensure that it’s not going to be benefitting the large transnational corporations.”

Bidenomics ?

‘Bidenomics’ is working – which means Biden and the Democrats may win too

• Biden stresses need to prepare for more climate disasters like Hurricane Idalia, Maui fires in speech today

President Biden on Wednesday stressed the need to rebuild a more resilient American infrastructure, as Hurricane Idalia batters Florida and Georgia. No one, he said, can "deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore."

In a press conference at the White House, the president emphasized the importance of rebuilding a "stronger" Maui in the wake of the island's devastating wildfires, and suggested that infrastructure improvements made during the Obama-Biden years are benefiting Florida now. Hurricane Idalia, which hit Florida's Big Bend coast as a Category 3 hurricane, has since weakened and left the state, but not without dumping heavy rain and rising storm surges on vulnerable communities.

"I don't think anybody can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore," the president said, flanked by top emergency management personnel. "Just look around. Historic floods, I mean historic floods. More intense droughts. Extreme heat. Significant wildfires that have caused significant damage like we've never seen before, not only throughout the Hawaiian islands in the United States but in Canada and other parts of the world. We've never seen this much fire."

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• Biden says he plans to call McConnell after 2nd freeze at mic

President Biden said Wednesday he plans to call Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) after the leader appeared to freeze up while taking questions from reporters.

The incident, which happened in Covington, Ky., is the second time in recent weeks that McConnell has abruptly stopped speaking during a press conference.

“I just heard, literally, coming out. And Mitch is a friend, as you know, not a joke,” Biden said during remarks at the White House on the Hurricane Idalia response. “We have disagreements politically, but he’s a good friend.”

“So, I’m going to try to get in touch with him later this afternoon. I don’t know enough to know,” Biden added.

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• Biden rule would give overtime protections to millions more workers

A new proposed rule would extend overtime pay to 3.6 million more salaried workers, ensuring they receive extra pay for long hours, the Department of Labor announced Wednesday.

The rule would guarantee overtime pay for most salaried workers earning less than $1,059 per week, or about $55,000 per year. It will go through a notice of proposed rulemaking for public comment for 60 days and comes after the Biden administration reached out to employers, workers and unions to inform the proposal.

The rule would also involve automatically updating the salary threshold every three years to reflect current earnings data in order to prevent future erosion of overtime protections.

And it would restore a Labor Department regulation that was practiced from 2004-19 but ended during the Trump administration that ensured workers in U.S. territories who are subject to federal minimum wage have the same overtime protections.

“For over 80 years, a cornerstone of workers’ rights in this country is the right to a 40-hour workweek, the promise that you get to go home after 40 hours or you get higher pay for each extra hour that you spend laboring away from your loved ones,” acting Labor Secretary Julie Su said in a statement.

“I’ve heard from workers again and again about working long hours, for no extra pay, all while earning low salaries that don’t come anywhere close to compensating them for their sacrifices,” she said.

• Biden administration offers $12B to convert auto factories into EV plants

The Biden administration will put up to $12 billion into converting auto manufacturing facilities into plants for hybrid and electric vehicles, it announced Thursday.

Automakers will be able to receive loans or grants to convert their factories into those that make plug-in electric, hybrid, or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told reporters Thursday.

A total of $10 billion will come from the Energy Department’s Loan Program Office and an additional $2 billion coming from Inflation Reduction Act grants. The loan program was also bolstered by the Democrats’ climate, tax and health care bill.

The Department will also make an additional $3.5 billion available for domestic battery manufacturing that was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“For a hundred years, America has been home to the best automakers in the world. We have got to be using their will and their skill to dominate the global EV market,” Granholm said.

Broadly, the Biden administration has sought to advance more fuel efficient vehicles and a shift toward electric vehicles as part of an effort to combat climate change through funding opportunities, tax credits and regulations.

A proposed rule from the Environmental Protection Agency projects that, if it is implemented, two-thirds of new vehicle sales could be electric by 2032.

Biden jabs Trump on jobs

President Biden on Friday used the latest jobs report to take a swipe at former President Trump, attacking his top GOP rival on an issue both hope to campaign on heading toward a possible rematch in 2024.

“America’s now in one of the strongest job-creating periods in our history, in the history of our country,” Biden said from the White House Rose Garden.

“It wasn’t that long ago that America was losing jobs,” Biden continued. “In fact, my predecessor was one of only two presidents in history who entered his presidency and left with fewer jobs than when he entered.”

As Trump was leaving office in January 2021, the U.S. had roughly 10 million fewer jobs than before the COVID-19 pandemic. He also left before vaccines to combat the virus had become widespread.

Trump, who has long boasted about the booming stock market during his tenure as evidence of a strong economy, has attacked Biden on the issue and touted his push to shore up manufacturing jobs in the U.S. in a video released this week.

Friday’s jobs report showed the U.S. added 187,000 jobs in August, while the unemployment rate rose to 3.8 percent. Economists had expected the U.S. to gain 170,000 jobs and maintain the July jobless rate of 3.5 percent.

“We created more jobs in two years than any president ever created in a four-year, single four-year term,” Biden added, noting the U.S. had a 6.3 percent unemployment rate when he took office at the end of Trump’s term.

Biden adds $4B to request for FEMA disaster relief fund, bringing total request to $16B

The Biden administration is seeking an additional $4 billion to replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund in the wake of recent extreme weather, bringing the total it is asking Congress to approve to $16 billion.

The extra funding request announced on Friday is in response to the Maui wildfires, which President Biden signed a major disaster declaration to support recovery efforts, and to Hurricane Idalia, which also required a major disaster declaration.

“Given the intensity of disaster activity around the nation – including fires on Maui, in Louisiana, and across the country, massive flooding in Vermont, and now a major hurricane that hit Florida and the Southeast – the Administration is seeking an additional $4 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF),” an OMB spokesperson said in a statement.

Biden will travel to Florida on Saturday after Idalia, which has been downgraded to a tropical storm. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is in Florida and participated in a press conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday.

Biden on Thursday visited FEMA headquarters to meet with staff and he had pizza delivered for them. In anticipation of Idalia, Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida and FEMA has also deployed personnel and resources to the state.

OMB on Friday urged Congress to take swift action to approve the $16 billion in funding.

“The President has been clear that we’re going to stand with communities across the Nation as they recover from disasters for as long as it takes, and the Administration is committed to working with Congress to ensure funding for the DRF is sufficient for recovery needs,” the spokesperson said.

Biden on Thursday pressed Congress to approve his request to replenish the disaster relief fund—when it was $12 billion in funding—while visiting FEMA.

Biden administration proposes new nursing home staffing standards

Nursing homes would have to ensure they provide each patient at least 33 minutes of care a day from a registered nurse under a new nationwide staffing requirement the Biden administration proposed on Friday.

Why it matters: The policy is a blow for the nursing home industry, which has said a national staffing ratio would be "impossible to implement" without more funding. But organized labor and some lawmakers in Congress have argued for tough new standards, accusing some operators of diverting funds from patient care.

The details: If the proposal is finalized, nursing homes will also need to provide at least two hours and 27 minutes of care from a nurse aide per resident each day.

• Registered nurses would need to be on site at the nursing home 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• CMS plans to implement the policy over three years, with later start dates for rural facilities.
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which issued the policy, estimates 75% of nursing homes need to ramp up staffing to meet the standards.
• Officials estimate the policy will cost $40.6 billion over 10 years, and that facilities will bear most of these costs, unless insurers increase their rates.
• The administration will allow facilities to apply for exemptions. CMS will also accept comments on other options for adopting staffing standards, officials said in a fact sheet.

What they're saying: "To say that we are disappointed that President Biden chose to move forward with the proposed staffing ratios despite clear evidence against them is an understatement," Katie Smith Sloan, CEO of LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, said in a statement.

• After DeSantis no-show, Scott stands next to Biden in Florida

Joe Biden’s trip to Florida on Saturday to survey the damage caused by Hurricane Idalia presented an opportunity for a Democratic president and a prominent GOP presidential candidate to project unity amid a crisis.

It didn’t happen. Instead, it was another Florida Republican who stood by Biden’s side — and heaped some unexpected praise on him, too.

Up until Friday afternoon, it was widely expected 2024 political rivals Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would appear together as they have before during times of crisis, including after the deadly Surfside condo collapse in 2021 and last year when Hurricane Ian demolished seaside communities along Florida’s gulf coast. But Friday evening, DeSantis’ office surprised the White House when it announced the Republican had no plans to meet with the president, citing “security preparations” that would disrupt recovery efforts.

“I’m not disappointed,” Biden said Saturday afternoon, referring to DeSantis’ absence. “He may have had other reasons.”

While the governor was a no-show Saturday, Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott, who has long sniped with DeSantis, met with Biden when he arrived in Live Oak, where he repeatedly complimented the administration’s efforts.

“Thank you for being here,” Scott said, shaking Biden’s hand while donning an embroidered “45” hat, a reference to Scott being Florida’s 45th governor.

He also praised Biden and his FEMA leadership, saying the president “did a great job” preparing resources ahead of the hurricane and getting relief out fast.

“I want to thank the Senator, and I mean it sincerely,” Biden replied, adding that he’d told Scott the federal help would remain “as long as it takes.”

Biden and the first lady visited the storm-ravaged region Saturday, where they received an aerial tour of communities struck by the storm and participated in a briefing with federal personnel, local officials and first responders. Biden then toured the Live Oak community and met with residents who were impacted by Hurricane Idalia, a devastating storm that struck Florida earlier this week and left more than 6,000 homes damaged and at least one person dead.

Biden tours Florida hurricane damage: ‘nobody can deny impacts of climate crisis’

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Extra:

• U.S. employers added a solid 187,000 jobs in August in sign of a still-resilient labor market

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• ‘A poet of paradise’: Presidents, pols pay tribute to Jimmy Buffett

Then-Vice President Joe Biden, center, shakes hands with singer Jimmy Buffet, right, after campaigning in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Politicians poured one out Saturday for Jimmy Buffett, the bard of “boats, beaches, bars and ballads,” who passed away Friday night at 76.

President Joe Biden released a statement paying tribute to the “Margaritaville” singer, saying he and the first lady “had the honor to meet and get to know Jimmy.”

“A poet of paradise, Jimmy Buffett was an American music icon who inspired generations to step back and find the joy in life and in one another,” Biden wrote. “His witty, wistful songs celebrate a uniquely American cast of characters and seaside folkways, weaving together an unforgettable musical mix of country, folk, rock, pop, and calypso into something uniquely his own.”

Both Bill and Hillary Clinton expressed their condolences, with the 2016 Democratic nominee writing “Fair winds and following seas, dear Jimmy.”

“Jimmy Buffett’s music brought happiness to millions of people,” former President Bill Clinton wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I’ll always be grateful for his kindness, generosity, and great performances through the years, including at the White House in 2000. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and legion of devoted fans.”

I see that Walmart and Target have placed their...milk and egg under lock.

Americans have started lifting milk !


Bidenomics ?

You picked a winner, Landreath

America did

Originally Posted by S Landreth

‘Bidenomics’ is working – which means Biden and the Democrats may win too

Looks like he is "over" his kitchen fire.

I almost cried when he entertained the folks in Maui with that tale

And he lies and lies



Hasn't this man got some aides who can ask him to shut up ?

• Biden announces UN General Assembly representatives for US

President Biden on Sunday announced his five nominations for the U.S. representatives to the upcoming General Assembly of the United Nations (UN).

The nominees include Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), political consultant Janet Keller, former Georgia state Rep. Calvin Smyre (D) and Jeff Worthe, president of Worthe Real Estate Group.

Lee has represented California’s 12th District since 1998 and launched a bid earlier this year to replace retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) seat in 2024. She currently serves as the co-chairwoman of the Policy and Steering Committee and also serves on the Budget Committee and Appropriations Committee.

Hill has served in Congress since January of 2015, representing Arkansas’s 2nd Congressional District. He serves as vice chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and as chairman of the new subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion. He also serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Intelligence and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The president typically appoints one Democrat and one Republican to serve as U.S. representatives to the session, according to the Congressional Research Service. The nominees are then confirmed by a full Senate vote.

Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and James Risch (R-Idaho) served as the congressional representatives in the latest UN General Assembly session.

Biden’s other three nominees bring experience in local politics, public policy and property development.

Smyre served for 48 years in the Georgia House of Representatives. He is currently the president emeritus of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and was formerly a member of the National Conference of State Legislators. In 2022, Biden nominated Smyre to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas.

Keller has more than 30 years of politics and public policy experience, according to the White House. In 1990, she founded Keller Consultants, a consulting firm for candidates, campaigns and private clients, and later served on various leadership boards in California. She also advocated for survivors of disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar.

Worthe is the president of the Worthe Real Estate Group, a Santa Monica-based firm specializing in the development and refurbishment of office properties in Los Angeles. According to the White House, Worthe also has supported charities and local organizations throughout Los Angeles.

The 78th annual session of the UN General Assembly will open Tuesday, and meetings and debates will begin Sept. 18. The General Assembly includes all 193 UN member states, including the U.S., which are each allowed one vote on key issues related to peace, security, admission of new members and the budget.

Biden administration proposes rule that would require more firearms dealers to run background checks

he Biden administration is proposing a rule that would require thousands more firearms dealers to run background checks, in an effort to combat rising gun violence nationwide.

The proposal comes after a mandate from President Joe Biden to find ways to strengthen background checks following the passage of bipartisan legislation on guns last year.

People who sell firearms online or at gun shows would be required to be licensed and run background checks on the buyers before the sales under the rule proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The bureau estimates that the rule would affect anywhere from 24,500 to 328,000 sellers. It is aimed at those who are in the business of gun sales, rather than those dealing with their personal collections.

Biden ratchets up Trump criticism in Labor Day speech

President Biden included pointed attacks against former President Trump during a Labor Day speech in Pennsylvania on Monday.

Why it matters: Biden, speaking to the Sheet Metal Workers' Local 19 in Philadelphia, criticized Trump's performance on jobs and infrastructure while also attempting to shore up his union base.

• Recent polling has shown that Biden and Trump are headed toward a close 2024 presidential rematch, as both have a major lead in party primary races.
• Polling has also indicated that Biden may be underperforming with working-class Black and Latino voters.

Of note: Biden, never referring to Trump by name, called the former president "the guy who held this job before me" and "the last guy."

What they're saying: While praising the 2022 bipartisan infrastructure bill, Biden jabbed at Trump's inability to pass a major infrastructure bill while in office, saying, "The great real estate builder, the last guy, he didn't build a damn thing."

• Biden hit Trump on the unemployment rate at the end of his time in office, pointing out that the U.S. had 3 million fewer jobs at that time compared to when Trump was elected.
• "The guy who held this job before me was one of two presidents in history who left office with fewer jobs in America than when he was elected to office," Biden said, adding that the other was President Herbert Hoover, who held office during the onset of the Great Depression.
• Biden didn't point out, though, that the county had still been recovering from a pandemic-induced unemployment shock and that unemployment had been at record lows before the pandemic.

The big picture: Biden, 80, touched on concerns over his age on Monday, as well.

• "Someone said, 'You know, that Biden, he's getting old, I tell you what.' Well, guess what? The only thing that comes with age is a little wisdom," he said. "I've been doing this longer than anybody, and guess what? I'm going to continue to do it with your help."