Thread: President Joe Biden

• Statement from President Joe Biden Marking 5 Years Since the Tree of Life Synagogue Attack in Pittsburgh

Today marks five years since the deadly shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh – the deadliest act of Antisemitism in our nation’s history. A gunman opened fire on Sabbath worshippers as they prayed, murdering 11 precious souls, wounding many more – including first responders. The hearts of Jewish communities were shattered, leaving behind survivors and families who will never be the same.

Deepening the wound, today’s remembrance comes on the heels of the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. On October 7th, a sacred Jewish holiday, the terrorist group Hamas unleashed pure evil against the people of Israel, slaughtering 1,400 Jews and taking hostage hundreds more. This devastating atrocity has brought to the surface painful memories left by millennia of Antisemitism and the genocide of the Jewish people. The fear is amplified by the alarming rise of Antisemitism abroad and at home.

Under my presidency, we will continue to condemn Antisemitism at every turn. We are increasing security around centers of Jewish life across the country. The Justice Department has made combating hate crimes a top priority. We passed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years. And we are implementing the first-ever national strategy to counter Antisemitism. Because hate never goes away, it only hides until it is given just a little oxygen. And as a nation, we must ensure hate is never given any oxygen.

During these difficult times, we must never lose hope or give up on a better tomorrow. We must recommit to speaking out against bigotry and hate in all its forms, whether it is racism, Antisemitism, or Islamophobia. And we must come together as fellow Americans to heal the soul of our nation.

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• Biden administration moves toward more wind energy in Gulf of Mexico

The Biden administration took a step Friday to advance the development of more wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Interior Department finalized four new “wind energy areas” where it can auction off the right to set up wind power.

Together, electricity produced at the four areas could be enough to power as many as 3.23 million homes combined, according to the administration.

Three of the locations are off the coast of Texas, while one is off the coast of Louisiana.

Elizabeth Klein, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said in a written statement that her agency is pursuing more offshore wind in the Gulf because of “continued industry interest and feedback from our partners and key stakeholders.”

The first offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico was held in August and resulted in bidding on only one of three available tracts.

Nevertheless, trade groups representing the wind industry praised the announcement.

President Biden and the First Lady Host Halloween at the White House

• Joe Biden hails reported UAW deal with General Motors to end strike

The United Auto Workers’ six-week strike against the US’s three largest automakers appeared to be coming to an end on Monday as the union brokered a deal with General Motors.

The agreement follows on the heels of deals with Ford and Stellantis, brokered in the past few days, effectively ending the first simultaneous strike against the three Detroit automakers.

The UAW strike has been the largest by car workers in decades, and has proved an unusual political flashpoint, with Donald Trump and Joe Biden supporting workers over the car companies.

Biden lauded the reported agreement reached with GM. “I think it’s great,” said Biden, who has touted himself as pro-union.

“Today’s historic agreement is yet another piece of good economic news, showing something I’ve always believed: worker power is critical to building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, and so is economic growth,” Biden said during an event at the White House.

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• Biden-Harris Administration Announces $1.3 Billion to Build Out Nation’s Electric Transmission and Releases New Study Identifying Critical Grid Needs

As part of the President’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of Bidenomics, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced up to a $1.3 billion commitment in three transmission lines crossing six states. This historic commitment, made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will advance transformative projects aimed at adding 3.5 gigawatts (GW) of additional grid capacity throughout the United States, equivalent to powering approximately 3 million homes, and creating more than 13,000 direct and indirect jobs. These projects will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic climate agenda, strengthen grid resilience and reliability, and bring low-cost clean electricity to more families and businesses.

To ensure that transmission buildout is done in an informed and precise manner, DOE also released the final National Transmission Needs Study (Needs Study) to provide insight into where the grid—and American communities—would benefit from increased transmission. These collective efforts will help realize the Biden-Harris Administration’s unprecedented commitment to tackling the climate crisis and achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050 through the deployment of cleaner, cheaper power.

“To realize the full benefit of the nation’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035, we need to more than double our grid capacity and President Biden’s Investing in America agenda puts us in position to do just that,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “This historic effort to strengthen the nation’s transmission will drive down costs for American families and deliver thousands of good paying jobs for American workers—helping communities keep the lights on in the face of climate change-induced extreme weather events.”

The Needs Study released today estimates that by 2035 we must more than double the existing regional transmission capacity and expand existing interregional transmission capacity by more than fivefold on our way to economy-wide decarbonization and help President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act unlock its full clean energy potential. These regional and interregional transmission needs increase significantly to achieve economy-wide decarbonization by 2050. The Transmission Facilitation Program and the Needs Study represent financial and planning elements of DOE’s three-pronged approach to expanding and modernizing critical electric infrastructure: enhancing transmission planning, strengthening permitting processes, and providing financial tools to support deployment.

Today’s announcement of the first projects supported by the Transmission Facilitation Program marks the latest step in implementing the nation’s largest investments ever in strengthening America’s power grid, secured by President Biden in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.

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• Biden White House Issues AI Executive Order

Biden’s Sweeping AI Executive Order Calls for Standards to ‘Mitigate Harms’ to Workers Posed by Artificial-Intelligence Tech

President Biden issued an executive order Monday aimed at establishing new safeguards governing the use of AI while also promoting U.S. interests in the artificial-intelligence field.

The executive order — the first such U.S. regulations explicitly aimed at artificial intelligence — “establishes new standards for AI safety and security, protects Americans’ privacy, advances equity and civil rights, stands up for consumers and workers, promotes innovation and competition, advances American leadership around the world, and more,” the White House said in a statement.

Among other things, Biden’s AI executive order directs federal agencies to “develop principles and best practices to mitigate the harms and maximize the benefits of AI for workers by addressing job displacement; labor standards; workplace equity, health, and safety; and data collection.” In addition, it calls for a report on “AI’s potential labor-market impacts, and study and identify options for strengthening federal support for workers facing labor disruptions, including from AI.”

In Hollywood, the use of generative AI — which can produce synthetic text, images and video based on large data sets — has stoked fear among writers and actors that the technology could hurt their livelihoods. AI has been a bone of contention in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, as the unions have sought protections in contracts with studios.

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• Biden administration outlines actions to address antisemitism on college campuses

The White House on Monday outlined a slew of actions intended to address what it called an “alarming” rise in reported antisemitic incidents at schools and on college campuses in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel earlier this month.

Several departments across the federal government have taken steps to increase engagement and address concerns about an increase in antisemitism, a White House official said.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have worked with state and local law enforcement and reached out to provide support directly to college campuses, the official said.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is housed in the DHS, has tasked its 125 protective security advisers and 100 cybersecurity advisers to proactively work with schools to address their needs.

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has expedited its processing of discrimination complaints under a statute that is intended to specifically prohibit certain forms of antisemitism and Islamophobia.

That change in the intake process “will make it easier for students and others who experience such discrimination to seek redress for it.”

The Education Department is also planning to hold several “technical assistance webinars” in the coming months to ensure students facing discrimination on campus have the information they need in order to file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights.

The announcements from the DOJ, DHS and Education Department come as several administration officials have individually engaged with Jewish leaders and campus communities. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden are scheduled to hold an on-campus roundtable with Jewish students this week.

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• White House warns Biden would veto House appropriations measures

The White House on Monday issued veto threats against two GOP-led House appropriations bills expected to come up for a vote this week as lawmakers seek to avoid a government shutdown in November.

The administration expressed its opposition to two funding bills likely to come up on the House floor in the coming days — one that would fund the Department of the Interior, Environment and related agencies, and another that would fund the Department of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and related agencies.

The House bills would cut Department of Transportation funding by $7 billion compared to fiscal 2023 levels, $1.2 billion from HUD funding compared to 2023 levels, and nearly $4 billion from EPA funding compared to 2023 levels.

If either bill made it to President Biden’s desk, he would veto them, the White House said. Both pieces of legislation would need to make it through the GOP-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate.

In both cases, the White House argued the bills put forward by Republicans in the House undercut an agreement reached by administration officials and GOP lawmakers in May on spending as part of negotiations to raise the debt limit.

• Biden will meet Xi Jinping in coming weeks, White House says

President Joe Biden will meet with President Xi Jinping of China next month during an economic summit in San Francisco, the White House said on Tuesday afternoon, marking a significant diplomatic moment between two great world powers whose relationship has grown increasingly hostile.

The meeting of the two countries’ leaders comes after a flurry of diplomatic visits in recent months aimed at breaking the ice in the U.S.-China relationship. The trip also comes on the heels of a promising week in U.S.-China relations, after Gov. Gavin Newsom of California was well received in China during a visit centered on climate cooperation and as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the diplomatic rounds in Washington.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the Biden-Xi meeting during a press briefing on Tuesday, although she seemed to accidentally reveal the announcement. Previously, a White House readout from Friday said the two countries were working toward such a meeting.

“This is going to be an important diplomatic conversation,” Jean-Pierre said, describing the “intense” competition between the U.S. and China. “It’s going to be in San Francisco. It’s going to be a constructive meeting. The president’s looking forward to it.”

She did not give further details about what the two will discuss, but the meeting is expected to occur on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting, which will be held Nov. 12-18.

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Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project will power 900,000 homes, support thousands of jobs, and add 2,600 megawatts of clean energy to the grid

• Biden-Harris Administration Approves Largest Offshore Wind Project in the Nation

The Biden-Harris administration today announced its approval of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial project – the fifth approval of a commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project under President Biden’s leadership. Today’s announcement supports the Administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, following the approval of the Vineyard Wind 1, South Fork Wind, Ocean Wind 1, and Revolution Wind projects. When completed, these five projects will collectively add more than 5 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy to our nation’s grid, enough to power more than 1.75 million homes.

Located approximately 23.5 nautical miles offshore Virginia Beach, the CVOW commercial project is the largest yet, and would provide about 2,600 megawatts of clean, reliable offshore wind energy, capable of powering over 900,000 homes. The project is expected to provide about 900 jobs each year during the construction phase and support an estimated 1,100 annual jobs during the operations phase, generating vital economic development for Virginia’s Hampton Roads area and supporting investments in the Virginia coastal region as a hub for offshore wind development and support.

“The Interior Department is committed to the Biden-Harris administration’s all-of-government approach to the clean energy future, which helps respond to the climate crisis, lower energy costs, and create good-paying union jobs across the manufacturing, shipbuilding and construction sectors," said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “Today’s approval of the largest offshore wind project in U.S. history builds on the undeniable momentum we are seeing. Together with the labor community, industry, Tribes and partners from coast to coast, we are aggressively working toward our clean energy goals.”

“Today's announcement is the result of hard work by the BOEM team and our ongoing conversations with Tribes, federal agency partners, state and local leaders, ocean users, industry and others to help inform the development of this project every step of the way," said Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Elizabeth Klein. “We look forward to continuing to work together to responsibly develop this clean energy resource and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.”

“The Biden-Harris administration just greenlit construction of the nation’s fifth massive-scale offshore wind project, growing a new American industry, lowering energy costs, creating good-paying jobs, and tackling the climate crisis,” said White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “More progress and economic opportunity are on the horizon as we put to use every tool available to bring offshore wind benefits to American workers and communities nationwide.”

The announcement comes on the heels of an October 27 event in Portsmouth, Va., to celebrate the arrival of the first eight monopile foundations for the CVOW project. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Laura Daniel-Davis delivered remarks, and was joined by BOEM Director Klein, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Director Kevin Sligh, the Governor and state, local and industry leaders. The foundations will be staged at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal until construction begins next spring. 

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is growing the American economy from the middle out and bottom up – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving over $500 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating good paying jobs and building a clean energy economy that will combat the climate crisis and make our communities more resilient.

Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department has approved the nation's first five commercial-scale, offshore wind energy projects. BOEM has held four offshore wind lease auctions totaling almost $5.5 billion in high bids, including a record-breaking sale offshore New York and the first-ever sales offshore the Pacific and Gulf Coasts. BOEM has also advanced the process to explore additional opportunities for offshore wind energy development in the U.S., including the Gulf of Maine and offshore Oregon and the U.S. Central Atlantic coast. The Department has also taken steps to evolve its approach to offshore wind to drive towards union-built projects and a domestic-based supply chain.

With today’s milestone, BOEM remains on track to complete reviews of at least 16 offshore wind energy project plans by 2025, representing more than 27 gigawatts of clean energy.

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• Senate confirms Jack Lew as ambassador to Israel, over Republican pushback

The Senate confirmed Jack Lew as the U.S. ambassador to Israel in a largely party line vote Tuesday, installing a permanent envoy to the country as its war against Hamas rages on in Gaza.

Lew was approved 53-43 — a tight tally reminiscent of the Senate’s narrow vote in 2017 to confirm then-President Donald Trump’s pick, David Friedman. U.S. ambassadors to Israel, a country that has long enjoyed strong bipartisan support in Congress, have traditionally been approved by voice vote or through unanimous consent.

Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina were the only Republicans to break ranks and support Lew.

Lew will have to take up Washington’s call to protect civilians in Gaza amid the widening human suffering there. The administration has been pushing for an immediate increase in humanitarian aid, and it’s also trying to keep the war from expanding — partially by sending Israel enough weapons that it can deter Iran and other rivals from launching other attacks on the country.

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• White House: Saudi Arabia is still interested in pursuing mega-deal

Saudi Arabia assured the Biden administration that the kingdom is still interested in pursuing an agreement that would normalize relations with Israel after the war in Gaza ends, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Tuesday.

Why it matters: Before the Israel-Hamas war began, Biden had been pushing for a mega-deal with Saudi Arabia that included a historic peace agreement between the kingdom and Israel.

• Saudi Arabia hasn't condemned the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas. Since the Gaza war started, Saudi officials have been critical of Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Driving the news: Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman (KBS) is visiting Washington this week for talks with senior Biden administration officials amid the fighting in Gaza.

• On Monday, he met with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. They discussed the war in Gaza and affirmed the urgent need to increase humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza, the White House said.
• "They further emphasized the importance of working towards a sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians, building on the work that was already underway between Saudi Arabia and the United States over recent months," the White House added.
• KBS said in a tweet that he stressed to Sullivan the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, protection of civilians, allowing humanitarian aid and resuming the peace process.

What they're saying: "Without getting into specifics — we came away from those discussions confident that we have a path to get back towards normalization and that there is an interest on the Saudi side to pursue that," Kirby said.

• He stressed that the war in Gaza makes it harder to make progress right now but said "we are still committed to it and it is clear to us that the Saudis are still committed to it."
• The Saudi Embassy in Washington didn't immediately respond to questions about Kirby's comments.

Behind the scenes: A bipartisan congressional delegation headed by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) visited Saudi Arabia 10 days ago and met with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).

• A source briefed on the talks in Saudi Arabia said the message the senators heard from Saudi officials was that they are still interested in trying to get a normalization agreement with Israel.

Background: Biden last week spoke to MBS and both "affirmed the importance of working towards a sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians as soon as the crisis subsides," per the White House.

• After the call Biden said he had "no proof" but his "instinct" tells him Hamas may have attacked Israel when it did to disrupt the progress being made on an Israel-Saudi deal.

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• Hamas attack could inspire "violent extremists" in U.S., FBI director says

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Tuesday of "violent extremists" in the U.S. and abroad drawing inspiration from Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The big picture: Part of Wray's warning includes possible extremist attacks toward Jewish and Muslim populations in the U.S., who have already experienced an increased number of threats since the war began.

What he's saying: "We assess that the actions of Hamas and its allies will serve as an inspiration the likes of which we haven't seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate years ago," Wray said Tuesday when testifying in front of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

• Wray said that in just the past few weeks, "multiple foreign terrorist organizations have called for attacks against Americans and the West."
• The U.S. has also seen an increase in attacks on its military bases overseas, which Wray says have been "carried out by militia groups backed by Iran."

The most immediate concern in the U.S., according to Wray, is "that violent extremists — individuals or small groups — will draw inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks against Americans going about their daily lives."

• "That includes not just homegrown violent extremists inspired by a foreign terrorist organization but also domestic violent extremists targeting Jewish or Muslim communities," Wray said.
• Wray added that "protecting Americans from the threat of terrorism is and remains our number one priority."

Catch up quick: The FBI has already warned the public of increased threats against Muslim and Jewish Americans.

• An Illinois man was charged earlier this month after a stabbing outside Chicago that left a 6-year-old Muslim boy dead and his mother critically injured in an attack police said was connected to the Israel-Hamas war.
• Wray also mentioned a person in Houston arrested last week who had "been studying how to build bombs and posted online about his support for killing Jews."

Zoom out: The fighting in Israel and Gaza has sparked concerns about a surge in hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim communities in the U.S., which have soared in recent years.

• A recent Anti-Defamation League report found that the U.S. is experiencing a significant spike in antisemitic cases following Hamas' attack earlier this month.

Of note: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Tuesday announced $75 million in funding meant to prevent and solve hate crimes and keep communities safe against hate crimes in the state following the Oct. 7 attack.

• The initiative follows shortly after Cornell University's Jewish community experienced antisemitic threats in the form of online posts Sunday.
• "Earlier today, a series of horrendous, antisemitic messages threatening violence to our Jewish community and specifically naming 104 West — the home of the Center for Jewish Living — was posted on a website unaffiliated with Cornell," Martha E. Pollack, Cornell's president, said Sunday.

https://www.axios.com/2023/10/31/fbi...-war-extremism

Biden speaks on ensuring rural Americans find opportunities in their hometowns

• Biden kicks off a fresh appeal to rural Americans in Minnesota

President Joe Biden traveled to Minnesota Wednesday to kick off a series of events by the administration aimed at connecting with rural America, a visit to the home state of a political rival where he will appeal to a voting bloc often ignored by Democrats.

During a visit to a family farm in Northfield, Minnesota, Biden announced “over $5 billion in new investments from his Investing in America agenda – including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act – to advance rural prosperity, economic development, competition, and sustainability,” which the White House previewed prior to the visit.

The investment includes funding for climate-smart agriculture techniques, rural infrastructure awards, rural economic development projects, an expansion of high-speed internet infrastructure and other efforts to boost access to renewable energy and lower energy costs, the White House said.

The choice of Minnesota to kick off the rural outreach is notable; Biden will be in the home state of Rep. Dean Phillips, who recently announced a long-shot presidential primary campaign against the president.

Over the next two weeks, Biden, Cabinet members and other senior officials will travel across the country as part of this event series, the White House said.

Biden’s message in these rural parts of the country, the White House said, is that “rural Americans do not have to leave their hometowns to find opportunity.”

There apears to be so much wrong in American politics when the choice is Biden or Trump. Before that there was Obama and the moving red line.

• Biden, first lady visit Maine to grieve with community in wake of Lewiston mass shooting

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited Maine to grieve with a community reeling from a mass shooting that left 18 people dead and 13 others wounded.

The Bidens arrived in Lewiston on Friday afternoon, where they met with survivors, families of the victims and first responders. They were greeted upon their arrival by Governor Janet Mills, Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline and other local officials.

Their first stop was Schemengees Bar, one of the locations of last week's mass shooting. Biden carried a bouquet of white flowers in one hand and held the first lady’s hand in the other as they stopped at a memorial placed outside the bar with candles and signs, and held a moment of silence.

Biden then delivered remarks at the bowling alley where the gunman first stopped on Oct. 25. There, he took a moment to pay respect to the victims and renew his call for greater gun control measures.

"No pain is the same but we know what it's like to lose a piece of our soul, and the depths of loss is so profound. Some of us have been there," Biden said.

"Eighteen precious souls stolen, 13 wounded: Children, grandchildren, spouses, siblings, parents, grandparents, bowling coaches, union workers, beloved members, advocates and friends of Lewiston's deaf and hard of hearing community. All of them lived lives of love and service and sacrifice."

While Biden didn't explicitly renew his call for an assault weapons ban, as he urged the day after the shooting, he said it’s time for "commonsense" reforms.

"This is about commonsense, reasonable, responsible measures to protect our children, our families, our communities," he said. "Because regardless of our politics, this is about protecting our freedom to go to a bowling alley, a restaurant, a school, a church, without being shot and killed."

Biden repeated that sentiment during his remarks in Lewiston.

"As we mourn today in Maine, this tragedy opens a painful, painful wounds all across the country," he said. "Too many Americans have lost loved ones or survived the trauma of gun violence. I know because Jill and I have met with them in Buffalo, in Uvalde, in Monterey Park and Sandy Hook -- anyway, too many to count."

The Oct. 25 rampage unfolded when a gunman armed with a semi-automatic weapon entered a bowling alley where a children's league was taking place and a local bar. A two-day manhunt ensued for suspected gunman Robert Card, a 40-year-old U.S. Army reservist, who was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

Three firearms were recovered from Card's car and on his body that appeared to have been purchased legally, officials said.

Card experienced declining mental health in the months leading up to the shooting and authorities were warned by his family members and others about his concerning behavior, authorities said, leading many to question how the shooting could have been prevented.

Ahead of Biden's visit, a White House official highlighted what the administration says it has done on the ground in the days following the shooting, including the coordination of federal resources like expansive victim services provided by the FBI and Justice Department as well as the deployment of behavioral health and public health staff support from the Department of Health and Human Services.

"Recovering from this attack will be long and difficult, and President Biden is committed to marshaling resources from across the federal government to support Lewiston every step of the way," Stefanie Feldman, the director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, said in a statement.

"He will also continue to be relentless in doing everything in his power to stop the epidemic of gun violence tearing our communities apart and urging Congress to act on commonsense gun safety legislation," Feldman said.

First responding the Maine shooting, Biden pointed to progress on addressing gun violence with last year's passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act -- the first major piece of gun reform legislation in 40 years -- but said it's not enough.

"Today, in the wake of yet another tragedy, I urge Republican lawmakers in Congress to fulfill their duty to protect the American people. Work with us to pass a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to enact universal background checks, to require safe storage of guns, and end immunity from liability for gun manufacturers," he said the day after the Maine shooting.

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• Statement from President Joe Biden on the October Jobs Report

Today’s report shows that Bidenomics is growing the economy from the middle out and bottom up—not the top down. The economy has created 14 million jobs since I took office and 150,000 jobs in October. The unemployment rate has been below 4% for 21 months in a row, the longest stretch in more than 50 years, at a time when the share of working-age Americans with jobs is higher than before the pandemic. American workers have achieved these gains while inflation has fallen by 60% and core inflation is at its lowest level in two years—defying projections that it would take a sharp increase in unemployment to bring inflation down. Republicans in Congress should join me in growing the economy and reducing inflation—rather than making reckless threats to weaken our economy or prioritizing more tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations over essential programs for hardworking families, seniors, and our national security.

U.S. economy added 150,000 jobs in October as hiring slows

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• Biden hits another milestone for Black female judicial nominees

President Joe Biden taps Judges Julie S. Sneed and Jacquelyn D. Austin to serve as district court judges in the Deep South.

President Joe Biden announced two more Black female judicial nominees on Tuesday, theGrio is exclusively reporting.

“The Biden-Harris administration continues to set records when it comes to professional and demographic diversity,” said Stephen Benjamin, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, in a statement provided to theGrio.

To date, 32 Black women appointed by Biden have been confirmed by the Senate to lifetime judgeships.

Benjamin, who is also a senior adviser to the president, noted that the number of Black female federal judges is “more than any single administration in history.”

If Sneed and Austin and two other Black female judicial nominees awaiting action by the Senate are confirmed, Biden will have matched the total number of Black women confirmed by former Presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush. As the White House touts, this administration will have accomplished in three years what the three most recent U.S. presidents did in two decades.

The nominations continue a streak of women and people of color selected by Biden. Since entering the White House in 2021, the president has worked to reshape the federal courts to better reflect the nation’s diversity.

Of the 148 life-tenured federal judges confirmed, two-thirds are women and people of color. They also include a record number of civil rights lawyers and public defenders.

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• Strengthening American supply chains with $653M ports investment

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) today announced over $653 million to fund 41 port improvement projects across the nation under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).

As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, this funding will help grow capacity and increase efficiency at coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports and inland river ports.

The port improvement projects announced today will strengthen supply chain reliability, create workforce development opportunities, speed up the movement of goods, and improve the safety, reliability and resilience of ports.

These investments are part of the largest dedicated funding for ports and waterways in history – nearly $17 billion through the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“Everything from the food we eat to the cars we drive to the lumber and steel used to build our homes passes through America’s ports, making them some of the most critical links in our nation’s supply chain,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

“These investments will help expand capacity and speed up the movement of goods through our ports, contributing to cleaner air and more good-paying jobs as we go.”

Biden-Harris Administration Invests More Than $653 Million in Ports to Strengthen American Supply Chains

• Biden touts 'Bidenomics' in a speech announcing new rail project funding

President Joe Biden traveled to Bear, Delaware, on Monday to deliver remarks touting his economic platform as the White House announced $16.4 billion in funding for passenger rail projects.

The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the White House said, which the president frequently highlights as a signature part of his economic agenda.

"How can you be the leading country in the world and have a second-rate infrastructure?" Biden said during his remarks.

"It's not possible," he added.

The funds specifically target 25 projects on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, which runs from Boston to Washington, D.C.

"The investments announced today will rebuild tunnels and bridges that are over 100 years old; upgrade tracks, power systems, signals, stations, and other infrastructure; and, advance future projects to significantly improve travel times by increasing operating speeds and reducing delays," a White House fact sheet said.

The White House branded the event as remarks on "Bidenomics," though the president did not mention the term by name.

"We're building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, where no one's left behind," Biden said.

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• DOE Announces Up to $440 Million to Install Rooftop Solar and Batteries in Puerto Rico’s Most Vulnerable Communities

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced a slate of solar companies and nonprofits selected to install rooftop solar and battery storage systems for vulnerable households in Puerto Rico through the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF). The first tranche of PR-ERF funding, up to $440 million, will help lower energy bills for 30,000–40,000 single-family households in Puerto Rico, improve household energy resilience, and keep the lights on during extreme weather events. This funding will also support thousands of local clean energy jobs, help achieve President Biden’s goal of lowering energy costs for all Americans, as well as help Puerto Rico achieve its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050. DOE anticipates the first installations will begin in Spring 2024.

This announcement comes approximately one year after President Biden tasked U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm with forming DOE’s Puerto Rico Grid Recovery and Modernization Team – a locally led intergovernmental taskforce dedicated to rebuilding the region’s grid resilience and accelerating the deployment of infrastructure to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable power to Puerto Ricans.

“With this announcement, we take a critical step forward in our efforts to ensure that all Puerto Rico residents have reliable electricity, especially the most vulnerable families and communities for whom a lack of power can be life or death,” said Secretary Granholm. “Plain and simple, this investment will save lives, all while providing local, good-paying jobs and advancing Puerto Rico’s clean energy transition.”

This marks the first round of selections from the 2023 PR-ERF Funding Opportunity Announcement, which Secretary Granholm announced in Puerto Rico in July 2023. Eligible beneficiaries of the systems to be installed will include very low-income, single-family households that are either:

• Located in areas that have a high percentage of very low-income households and experience frequent and prolonged power outages; or
• Include a resident with an energy-dependent disability, such as an electric wheelchair user or individual who uses at-home dialysis machines.

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These projects are expected to produce up to 11,236 megawatts of electricity — enough to power over 3.5 million homes

• Biden-Harris Administration Advances 15 Onshore Clean Energy Projects with Potential to Power Millions of Homes

During remarks at the Western Governors Association Winter Meeting today, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced that the Interior Department is advancing 15 onshore renewable energy projects across the West. The Bureau of Land Management is making progress across several states, including achieving full operational status for two solar and battery storage projects in California, permitting milestones for transmission lines proposed across Arizona, Nevada and Utah, next steps for geothermal energy development in Nevada, and progress on environmental reviews for seven solar projects proposed in Nevada and a solar and battery storage project in Arizona.

Together, these projects represent continued momentum from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda – a key pillar of Bidenomics – which is working to accelerate transmission buildout to lower consumers’ energy costs, prevent power outages in the face of extreme weather, create good-paying union jobs, tackle the climate crisis, advance the goals of clean air and environmental justice for all, and achieve the President’s goal of a 100% clean electricity grid by 2035.

“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to expanding clean energy development to address climate change, enhance America’s energy security and create good-paying union jobs. The projects we are advancing today will add enough clean energy to the grid to power millions of homes,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “Through historic investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Interior Department is helping build modern, resilient climate infrastructure that protects our communities from the worsening impacts of climate change.”

“The BLM’s work to responsibly and quickly develop renewable energy projects is crucial to achieving the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035," said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “Investing in clean and reliable renewable energy represents the BLM's commitment to addressing climate change and supports direction from the President and Congress to permit 25 gigawatts of solar, wind and geothermal production on public lands no later than 2025.”

The Biden-Harris administration is expanding renewable energy technologies like wind, solar, and geothermal across public lands while upholding essential regulatory and review processes to avoid adverse human, environmental, and wildlife impacts. Since 2021, the BLM has approved 46 clean energy projects (16 solar, 10 geothermal, and 20 gen-tie transmission lines) on approximately 35,000 acres of BLM-managed lands. These projects are expected to produce up to 11,236 megawatts of electricity — enough to power over 3.5 million homes.

The BLM is currently processing 66 utility-scale onshore clean energy projects proposed on public lands in the western United States. This includes solar, wind, and geothermal projects, as well as gen-tie lines that are vital to clean energy projects proposed on non-federal land. These projects have the combined potential to add more than 33 gigawatts of renewable energy to the western electric grid. The BLM is also undertaking the preliminary review of over 192 applications for solar and wind development, as well as 95 applications for solar and wind energy site area testing.

Today’s announcement follows recent Biden-Harris administration progress on accelerating transmission buildout, with a series of groundbreakings this year for new transmission lines that will connect communities across the West with clean, reliable and affordable energy, including SunZia Transmission Project, Ten West Link and TransWest Express Transmission Project.

Onshore Renewable and Transmission Projects:

Fully Operational:

• Today, the BLM is announcing that the Oberon Solar Project, a 500-megawatt photovoltaic facility near Desert Center in eastern Riverside County, California, will be fully operational. The project includes up to 250 megawatts of battery storage and is delivering enough clean energy to power 146,000 Southern California homes. The project is sited on roughly 2,600 acres of BLM-managed public lands in an area scientifically analyzed and identified as suitable for clean energy development as part of the BLM’s Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. The DRECP is a collaborative effort between the BLM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Energy Commission and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. To approve these sites for renewable energy projects, the Department and the BLM work with Tribal governments, local communities, state regulators, industry, and other federal agencies.

• Today, the BLM is announcing that the Arlington Solar Energy Center, also in Riverside County, is now fully operational. The facility will generate 364 megawatts, enough energy to power 111,000 homes a year, and will include 242 megawatts of battery energy storage. The BLM originally permitted this project, along with the McCoy Solar Project and Land Use Plan Amendment to the California Desert Conservation Area Plan, in March 2013.

Transmission Milestones:

• Next week, the BLM will announce the Notice of Availability for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Cross-Tie 500-kV Transmission Project proposed in Beaver, Juab, and Millard Counties, Utah and Lincoln, Nye, and White Pine Counties, Nevada. Six alternatives were analyzed in detail, including one alternative that was included following government-to-government consultation with the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation to avoid culturally sensitive areas in Spring Valley. This project was selected for funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law last week.

• Next week, the BLM will announce approved construction of a 500-kilovolt gen-tie transmission line crossing public lands about 60 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona. When completed, the transmission line will support delivery of utility-scale solar energy from the 150-megawatt Harquahala Sun solar generation facility into the grid.

New Lease Sale:

• Next week, the BLM will hold a competitive geothermal lease sale, offering 45 parcels totaling about 135,067 acres across Churchill, Esmeralda, Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, White Pine, and Washoe counties in

Opportunities for Public Comment:

• Today, the BLM will publish the Notice of Intent to Amend the Resource Management Plan and prepare an associated Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Esmeralda Solar Projects in Esmeralda County, Nevada. The seven solar projects are expected to generate up to 5.3 gigawatts of electricity, which would be enough electricity to power approximately 4 million households. The Esmerelda 7 Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement planning area covers 118,630.90 acres of BLM-administered public lands.

• Today, the BLM will announce it is developing a draft environmental assessment for the proposed Wabuska Geothermal Exploration Project in Lyon County, Nevada, which would assess the potential for future geothermal development on approximately 54 acres of public lands north of Yerington. If exploration shows the area is capable of commercial production, construction crews could create new pipelines that connect to existing infrastructure of the Whitegrass No. 1 geothermal energy plant on nearby private lands.

• Today, the BLM will announce that it has begun its environmental analysis of the proposed Ranegras Plains Energy Center Project in Yuma, Arizona with a 30-day public scoping period. The application for a right-of-way on public land proposes to construct, operate and maintain the Project, a 700-megawatt solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage system. The Project consists of solar photovoltaic modules, a battery energy storage system, electrical collection lines, a switchyard, operations and maintenance facilities, access roads, and temporary work areas. The Project has a proposed generating capacity of up to 700 megawatts and would connect to the regional electrical grid via a proposed 11-mile-long, 500-kilovolt gen-tie transmission line to the Delaney Colorado River Transmission Ten West Link Series Compensation Station.

• Last week, the BLM initiated a two-year segregation of 4,210.6 acres of public lands in Ely, Nevada, included in the right-of-way application for the Pantheon Solar project This step prevents the land from being sold or subject to new mining claims until the BLM can complete the variance application evaluation process, NEPA process, and reach a decision to either approve, approve with modifications, or deny the application. If approved, this project is anticipated to generate approximately 400 megawatts of renewable energy. The proposal includes a battery energy storage system with a proposed capacity up to 950 megawatts.

• Senate confirms Biden's 150th judge

President Joe Biden has hit a milestone as the Democratic-led Senate confirmed his 150th federal judge.

Back-to-back votes Tuesday made Kenly Kiya Kato and Julia Kobick district court judges in California and Massachusetts, respectively, totaling 113 district court judges chosen by Biden.

He has also secured lifetime appointments for 36 appeals court judges — who have the final word on most matters of federal law — and one Supreme Court justice: Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called it “a very important day in the Senate.”

“Our 150th judge confirmed under President Biden,” he told reporters. “That’s really a great record: 150 judges who have brought integrity and impartiality to the bench, 150 judges who’ve expanded the diversity and dynamism of our courts, 150 judges who are restoring Americans’ trust in the federal judiciary.”

Schumer added that Kobick, who was confirmed on a 52-46 vote Tuesday evening, is “our 100th female judge” the Senate has confirmed in the Biden era.

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• Senate confirms Monica Bertagnolli as NIH director

The Senate confirmed Dr. Monica Bertagnolli to lead the National Institutes of Health in a 62-36 vote Tuesday.

Nearly every Democrat joined 13 Republicans in filling the post responsible for overseeing billions in federal research grants, but vacant since Dr. Francis Collins left nearly two years ago.

“Dr. Bertagnolli is the right person to ensure the NIH stays on the cutting edge of innovation and research and fulfills its critical mission to promote health, improve equity, keep our nation competitive and give patients across the world real hope for the future,” said Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) in a speech just before the vote.


While Bertagnolli won confirmation with ease, her road there was rocky. After President Joe Biden tapped her to lead NIH in May, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) held up her nomination for months in an effort to extract a comprehensive plan to lower drug prices from the White House.

He and Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman were the only members of the Democratic caucus to vote against confirmation. Thirty-four Republicans also voted no.

In a speech preceding the vote, Sanders called Bertagnolli, who most recently led the National Cancer Institute, “an intelligent and caring person,” but said he was not convinced that “she is prepared to take on the greed and power of the drug companies.”

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• Joe Biden and Kamala Harris make late endorsements in fight for Virginia

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are endorsing 23 Democratic candidates in Virginia ahead of the state's legislative elections on Tuesday.

The endorsements announced by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee include seven candidates for the state Senate and 16 candidates for the House of Delegates.

Currently, Democrats hold a majority in the Virginia state Senate, while Republicans have control of the state House and the governorship under GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

If the GOP flips control of the state Senate and holds the state House, they'll have full control of state government and the ability to pass Republican legislative priorities. That includes items from the party's campaign platform on education, the economy and crime — but it's the GOP's plans on abortion especially that have gained national attention and sparked a furious response from Democrats.

As of this evening, the Democrats now control the senate and house

In Virginia, Democrats appeared poised to hold their slim majority in the state Senate, which would allow them to continue blocking Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin's plan to pursue a ban on most abortions beyond 15 weeks after conception.

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• Democrats cement banner year at the ballot
  

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Extra.

• Abortion rights advocates, Democrats score wins in US elections

Democrats and abortion rights advocates notched a string of electoral victories on Tuesday, including in conservative Ohio and Kentucky, an early signal that reproductive rights remain a potent issue for Democrats ahead of the 2024 presidential race.

In Ohio, a state that voted for Republican Donald Trump by 8 percentage points in the 2020 presidential election, voters approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion rights, Edison Research projected.

• White House says 5.5M borrowers enrolled in Biden’s new student loan plan

The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that nearly 5.5 million borrowers are enrolled in its new student loan repayment plan that offers lower monthly payments and caps interest accrual.

The Education Department also released a new breakdown of enrollment in the new income-driven repayment plan for each congressional district as GOP lawmakers are pushing to repealing the program.

About 2.9 million of the borrowers enrolled in the plan have incomes that are low enough that they are not required to make a monthly payment this year, White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden told reporters on Wednesday.

“We’ve had a major push on increasing enrollment, but the data speaks for itself,” Tanden said.

An administration official said that more than 2 million people enrolled in the plan are borrowers who newly signed up for Biden’s program in the past several months while the other borrowers were automatically enrolled in the new plan because they had already been enrolled in the previous version of it.

The Education Department said that the 5.5 million borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan account for about $300 billion of the $1.6 trillion in outstanding federal student loan debt. The department also said that 75 percent of borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan had previously received a Pell grant.

The latest data reflects enrollment in the program as of Oct. 15. It’s an increase from the the 4 million borrowers that the Education Department said were enrolled in the plan at the beginning of September.

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• Statement from President Joe Biden on Ohio Issue 1

Tonight, Americans once again voted to protect their fundamental freedoms – and democracy won. In Ohio, voters protected access to reproductive health in their state constitution. Ohioans and voters across the country rejected attempts by MAGA Republican elected officials to impose extreme abortion bans that put the health and lives of women in jeopardy, force women to travel hundreds of miles for care, and threaten to criminalize doctors and nurses for providing the health care that their patients need and that they are trained to provide. This extreme and dangerous agenda is out-of-step with the vast majority of Americans. My Administration will continue to protect access to reproductive health care and call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law once and for all.

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• Scoop: Biden and Xi prepare to restart military-to-military channels

President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are preparing to announce the resumption of military-to-military communications between the two countries when they meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit later this month, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: The Biden administration wants to inject more stability into the U.S.-China relationship and lower the risk of a military misunderstanding.

• Reestablishing military communication channels with Beijing, which China suspended last year to protest the visit of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to Taiwan, is a key priority for the White House.
• When Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing in June, he failed to get an agreement from Chinese officials on reestablishing the channels.
• During his visit to Washington last week, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi indicated that China was prepared to reopen the lines of communication, according to tw0 people familiar with the matter.

A White House official declined to comment. The Chinese embassy to the U.S. did not respond to a request for comment.

What they are saying: "The Chinese are signaling that they will resume military-to-military communications, which is significant," said Bonnie Glaser, the managing director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. "It's a key priority for the Pentagon."

• "But it remains to be seen whether they are willing to take meaningful steps to reduce the risk of accidents or discuss ways to preserve strategic stability," she said.
• The military communications channels canceled last year by China include the Defense Policy Coordination Talks and the Maritime Military Communications Agreement, which the U.S. and China signed in 1998 to enable ship and aircraft operators from both sides to communicate regularly.

The intrigue: China has not officially confirmed the Xi-Biden summit, which has been months in the making, or even Xi's attendance at the APEC summit in San Francisco.

• Still, there are signs that China wants the meeting to be a success, with China's Vice Premier He Lifeng scheduled to arrive later this week to meet with Treasury Secretary Yellen and participate in APEC.

Zoom in: In some ways, the White House hopes to pick up where Biden and Xi left off after the November 2022 G-20 summit in Indonesia, when the two leaders pledged closer communication after largely talking past each other in Biden's first two years.

• But planned trips by Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Yellen were postponed after China flew a spy balloon across America earlier this year.
• Following the shooting-down of the balloon, Chinese defense officials didn't answer a phone call from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

What we're watching: Recent developments indicate that U.S.-China military communications are already starting to improve.

• Cynthia Xanthi Carras, China country director in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense, attended China's annual defense forum last week.
• On November 4, Chinese and U.S. officials met in Beijing for maritime consultations, led by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Department with military officials attending, to discuss maritime security and strengthen dialogue about maritime incidents.
• U.S. and Chinese officials also held a rare meeting this week to discuss nuclear arms control.

Between the lines: China has demanded that the U.S. lift sanctions against Gen. Li Shangfu — who served as China's defense minister but was reportedly detained in September and then officially dismissed in October, as a precondition for restoring restoring high-level communication between the two militaries.

• Li's departure removes an awkward obstacle to the resumption of talks. The U.S. is no longer actively seek to engage with a defense minister who is also under sanctions.
• China hasn't announced Li's successor.

Zoom out: Ahead of most high-level summits, diplomats have already discussed many of the potential deliverables that might emerge from the face-to-face talks between the leaders.

• For the Biden-Xi summit, the goal is to give the leaders the opportunity to finalize agreements on a range of issues, from fentanyl, arms control, artificial intelligence and climate change.

• Biden bashes Trump’s auto industry record in remarks to UAW members

President Biden used a major labor agreement between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the Big Three auto companies to hammer former President Trump on Thursday for his record on jobs and support for union workers.

Biden, donning a red UAW shirt, addressed a boisterous crowd of supporters and community officials in Belvidere, Ill., near a reopening auto plant. The president was in Illinois for a victory lap after the union reached an agreement with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis late last month on a contract that included significant pay increases and other benefits.

The agreement was a major win for Biden, who joined striking workers on the picket line in Michigan and has touted himself as the most pro-union president in history. On Thursday, he used the deal to draw a contrast with Trump, his likely 2024 opponent.

“When my predecessor was in office, six factories closed across the country. Tens of thousands of auto jobs were lost nationwide, and on top of that he was willing to cede the future of electric vehicles to China,” Biden said.

“Well, like almost everything else he said, he’s wrong,” Biden added. “And you have proved him wrong. Instead of lower wages, you won record gains. Instead of fewer jobs, you won a commitment for thousands of more jobs.”

Biden bashed Trump for a September visit to Michigan, where he spoke at a nonunion shop amid the autoworkers strike. And the president blasted Trump’s claims that the U.S. is a “nation in decline,” prompting boos from the crowd and calls from one attendee to “jail Trump.”

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• Biden touts Affordable Care Act enrollment spike

The White House is reporting strong enrollment numbers through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) one week after enrollment began, with 300,000 new customers signing up for plans already.

President Biden on Thursday wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, “In the first week of Open Enrollment, 1.6 million people have signed up for a plan at HealthCare.gov, including 301,000 new consumers — that’s a 50% increase from last year.”

Enrollment rates through HealthCare.gov have gone up year over year since 2020. The pressures of the pandemic led to more people seeking out health insurance and maintaining coverage. This year’s enrollment numbers are expected to exceed last year’s — 16.3 million — once again.

The Inflation Reduction Act also extended pandemic-era enhanced subsidies to last through 2025, lowering premiums and making plans more accessible for more people.

“These strong enrollment numbers underscore the impact of the President’s efforts to lower health care costs. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, HealthCare.gov consumers are continuing to save an average of $800 per person per year on the their health insurance premiums, and 4 out of 5 shoppers at HealthCare.gov can find a plan for less than $10 per person per month,” a White House official said in a statement.

Additional efforts to boost enrollment are being made during this year’s sign-up period in response to unusual circumstances.

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• Biden, in rare criticism of Bibi, says pause in Gaza fighting should have come sooner

President Biden said Thursday it has taken Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a little longer than I hoped" to meet Biden's request to briefly pause the fighting in Gaza, after saying he doesn't believe a full ceasefire is possible.

Why it matters: The criticism was unusual for Biden, who has publicly given Netanyahu his full backing since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7,

Driving the news: Biden spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in suburban Washington before departing for a trip to Illinois. He confirmed an Axios report that he had urged Netanyahu to agree to a three-day pause in the fighting, and said he'd asked Netanyahu for an even longer pause to try to get hostages released.

• Earlier, as he was leaving the White House, Biden was pessimistic about a ceasefire in Gaza.
• Israel has agreed to start implementing a daily four-hour pause in the fighting in northern Gaza in order to allow Palestinian citizens to relocate to the south, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said in a briefing Thursday.
• Kirby said Israel told the Biden administration it will announce the pauses three hours in advance and will refrain from military action in certain areas during the pauses.
• "These pauses are a step in the right direction in order to allow people to leave to a safe place," Kirby said.
• He stressed that the Israeli decision was made after diplomatic efforts by the Biden administration and added that the pauses could help advance the release of the more than 240 hostages being held by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and others in Gaza.

The other side: Two Israeli officials played down the significance of Kirby's comments, saying the Israeli Defense Forces began to periodically pause the fighting in northern Gaza in recent days to allow Palestinian civilians to move to the south.

• Netanyahu's office said the fighting in Gaza continues "and there will be no ceasefire without the release of our hostages."

• It added that Israel will allow safe humanitarian corridors from northern Gaza to the south, as it did Wednesday.

The big picture: CIA director Bill Burns met Thursday in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, and with the Israeli Mossad director David Barnea to discuss the efforts to reach a deal to release hostages.

• Also Thursday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a video of an elderly woman and a 12-year-old child the group is holding hostage.
• The group said in a statement it is ready to release the two for humanitarian reasons when the conditions allow it.
• The video seems to be an attempt by the Islamic Jihad to create pressure on the Israeli government.
• Biden told reporters he remains optimistic about the chances the hostages will be released. "We're not going to stop until we get them out," he said.

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• Under pressure from Biden, Israel agrees to implement humanitarian ‘pauses’

After days of talks with top Biden administration officials, Israel will begin to implement short humanitarian “pauses” in the fighting in northern Gaza each day, the White House announced.

Starting on Thursday, the four-hour “pauses” in operations in Gaza will allow humanitarian aid to flow into the area and civilians to get out of harm’s way, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

The news comes after top administration officials, including President Joe Biden himself, ramped up efforts to pressure their Israeli counterparts to pause the fighting for humanitarian purposes. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have also spoken with their counterparts about the issue, Kirby said.

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• Jewish Democrats rally around Biden over Israel

Jewish Democrats on Capitol Hill and in the Biden administration are rallying around the president for his support of Israel, amid protests and criticism from the party's left wing.

Why it matters: The protests have highlighted divisions among Democrats but also have prompted an outpouring of support for the president from Jewish politicians and leaders across the country.

Zoom in: Biden administration officials — including several who are Jewish — told Axios that the president's solidarity with Israel since the Oct. 7 terror attacks by Hamas has been among their proudest moments in the administration.

• Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, who is Jewish, told Axios that "most Americans recognize that Hamas' attack on 10/7 was a brutal terror attack that killed innocent Israeli children and dozens of Americans."
• He added: "When the president stands tough against terror, most Americans stand with the president."

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• Biden Praises Manchin Upon Senate Retirement and Growing 2024 Speculation

President Joe Biden said on Thursday he looks forward to continuing his work with Sen. Joe Manchin “to get things done for the American people” after the West Virginia Democrat announced he will not seek reelection in 2024.

Biden's statement, released amid intense speculation Manchin may be flirting with his own White House run, said the senator “has dedicated himself to serving the people of his beloved West Virginia” for more than forty years in state politics and the U.S. Congress.

“During my time as Vice President and now as President, Joe and I have worked together to get things done for hardworking families," Biden said, citing major bills that deal with infrastructure, veterans, prescription drugs and gun safety.

• Biden trolls Trump after election night victories: ‘We haven’t stopped winning’

At a fundraising event in Chicago on Thursday, President Biden trolled Republicans after Democrats secured several victories on election night.

“Democrats had an incredible night once again,” Biden said, touting Democrats outperforming Republicans, citing wins in Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

“What happened on Tuesday is not unusual,” Biden said.

He added that Trump should take note of the victories, saying: “We haven’t stopped winning, and he hasn’t stopped losing.”

The president referenced recent polling that places him narrowly training behind former President Trump, but reassured donors Thursday that they are not making a mistake by placing their support behind him.

A recent CNN poll found Trump polling at 49 percent to Biden’s 45 percent among registered voters in a hypothetical rematch between the 2020 election competitors.

Another poll, conducted by the New York Times/Siena College, found Trump leading Biden in five out of six critical battleground states that were deemed likely to determine the outcome of the 2024 race.

There were several closely watched races in Tuesday’s election. The Kentucky governor’s race, where incumbent Democrat Andy Beshear won reelection, for example, was viewed as an indication of how Democrats in red states can fare — and how the upcoming election cycle may look for the left.

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• Harris files paperwork putting Biden on S.C. ballot to kickoff Democratic primary

Vice President Kamala Harris flew to South Carolina on Friday to file paperwork putting President Joe Biden on the 2024 presidential ballot of the state, which will lead off the Democratic presidential primary thanks to a White House-led schedule overhaul meant to better empower Black voters.

Harris was joined in the state capital by South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, one of the leading Black voices in Congress. Then-candidate Biden's 2020 presidential campaign was floundering after big losses in Iowa and New Hampshire, but rebounded with a decisive South Carolina win that was solidified by Clyburn's late endorsement.

That 2020 boost gave Biden enough momentum to romp through Super Tuesday, clinch his party's primary and later the White House. Since announcing his reelection bid in April, Biden has made far more frequent official visits to Pennsylvania — a key battleground in the general election — than states that will decide Democrats' 2024 primary.

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• Biden and China's Xi will meet next week. Don't expect it to be a game changer

President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will hold their first face-to-face talks in a year next week, a meeting that analysts say could help stabilize a shaky relationship but probably won't change its trajectory.

U.S.-China ties have long been mired in disagreements over trade, technology, security and human rights, but mistrust and friction have increased markedly in recent years and the Biden administration has re-framed the relationship as one that is fundamentally competitive.

Biden and Xi will have "in-depth discussions" on Nov. 15 in the San Francisco Bay Area as leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies gather for an annual meeting in the city, a senior Biden administration official said.

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• Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with His Majesty Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, the Sultan of Oman. The two leaders reaffirmed the longstanding historical ties between our countries and peoples, and discussed mutual efforts to forge a more prosperous, peaceful, and integrated Middle East region. President Biden thanked Sultan Haitham for his personal leadership and support for the UN-mediated truce in Yemen, which over the past year has witnessed its longest period of calm since the war began over a decade ago. He also welcomed Oman’s recent decision to open its airspace to all civilian aircraft, including those flying to and from Israel. Both leaders committed to strengthening the U.S.-Oman strategic partnership, trade and investment opportunities, and cooperation on clean, diversified, secure energy sources. President Biden finally welcomed Oman’s historic role in securing the freedom of American citizens wrongfully held in Iran.

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• FACT SHEET: To Mark Veterans Day, Biden-⁠Harris Administration Highlights Historic Care, Benefits & New Actions to Support Veterans and Their Families

To mark this Veterans Day, President Biden will announce that his Administration has delivered more benefits and health care, more quickly, to more veterans than ever before. In 2023 alone, the Department of Veterans Affairs delivered $163 billion in earned benefits to 6.3 million veterans and survivors, and processed a record 1.98 million disability claims. VA delivered more than 116 million health care appointments, over 5.5 million dental procedures, and provided services and assistance to more than 74,000 family caregivers. The Administration is building on this historic progress and announcing new actions to lower health care costs for veterans – including no-cost health care for all living World War II veterans. And the Administration will also announce the launch a new Veteran Scam and Fraud Evasion (VSAFE) campaign and Task Force to better protect veterans and their families from scams and predatory actors. The announcements include:

Lowering health care costs and expanding health care eligibility for veterans. President Biden believes access to health care is a right not a privilege. Beginning this month, VA will expand eligibility for no-cost health care, including nursing home care, to all living World War II veterans. VA will also now cover health care costs associated with Parkinson’s disease under the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program. And, to ensure all toxic exposed veterans get the health care they deserve, President Biden is directing the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to accelerate the eligibility timeline for veterans under the authorities granted by the PACT Act. Under this accelerated timeline, all remaining cohorts of toxic exposed veterans will be eligible to enroll in VA health care in early 2024.

Protecting veterans and their families from predatory actors and scams. In 2022, veterans, military personnel, and their families reported 93,000 fraud complaints that cost them more than $414 million. Today, the President is launching the new Veteran Scam and Fraud Evasion (VSAFE) Initiative and Task Force to better protect veterans and their families against these scams. The Task Force brings together leaders from VA, the Department of Education, Federal Trade Commission, Social Security Administration, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Department of State, and Department of Defense to kick off an all-hands effort to safeguard veterans and their families. Today, VSAFE will release a set of Do’s and Don’ts to get the word out to help veterans and their families. In the coming months, the VSAFE Task Force will:

• Release a Fraud Prevention Tool Kit: VA will partner with Veteran Service Organizations and Military Service Organizations to disseminate a toolkit that provides tips on preventing fraud and scams involving imposters, health care, finances, housing, employment, education, and memorialization.
• Publish a Series of Public Service Announcements: To destigmatize conversations about fraud among veterans, VA will publish videos unpacking different forms of fraud.
• Create a One-Stop Shop: The Biden-Harris Administration will lead a whole-of-government effort to consolidate and centralize educational resources and reporting tools, giving veterans no wrong door to access essential federal resources to prevent and report fraud. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will take a first step by serving as the central recipient of reports of scams against veterans and Service members at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. These reports will be shared across federal and state agencies using the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network, which connects nearly 3,000 federal, state, local, and international law enforcement users. Further, veterans, along with Service members and their families, can keep in touch sign up for email updates from.
• Prevent Scam Callers from Targeting Veterans: Recent actions by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to block active robocalling scams have already resulted in a 99% drop in auto warranty robocalls and an 88% drop in student loan scam robocalls. The FCC will build upon these efforts by working to identify the originators of scam calls targeting veterans and Service members to enable it to order phone companies to block these calls.
• Conduct a Nationwide Listening Tour: VA will hold 10 listening sessions with veterans in populations that are highly targeted by predatory actors to gather veteran feedback on fraud types they’ve experienced, their experiences with reporting fraud, what kind of support they need, among other key areas.
• Solicit Feedback on the Car-Buying Experience: The FTC will issue a call for feedback from Service members on their car buying experiences. The FTC has already identified the heightened risks for fraud that car buyers face. This targeted call for feedback will aid the FTC’s ongoing efforts to reduce car buying scams that take advantage of the unique challenges experienced by veterans.
• Increase Accessibility of Resources: The FTC will highlight new resource for non-English-speaking Service members and veterans, making it easier for them to access the help that they need.
• Expand oversight to help address scams: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has conducted extensive engagement with military and veteran service organizations and recently took action to address increasing reports of military identity theft. Earlier this week, the CFPB proposed to extend its oversight to larger nonbank companies that offer services like digital wallets and payments apps, which the CFPB previously found to pose a risk to Service members. The CFPB will advance these initiatives and incorporate feedback from the VA’s nationwide listening tour and the FTC’s call for car-buying feedback into its ongoing work to protect Service members, veterans, and their families.

Biden pays tribute to America’s veterans at Arlington National Cemetery

• Biden visits Arlington National Cemetery for Veteran's Day

Biden says America’s veterans are ‘the steel spine of this nation’ as he pays tribute at Arlington

President Joe Biden said America’s veterans are “the steel spine of this nation” as he marked Veterans Day during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

In remarks at the Memorial Amphitheater, the commander in chief recounted famous battles fought by U.S. troops and said those deployments of soldiers are “linked in a chain of honor that stretches back to our founding days. Each one bound by a sacred oath to support and defend. Not a place, not a person, not a president, but an idea, to defend an idea unlike any other in human history. That idea is the United States of America.”

Nov. 11, once known as Armistice Day, is the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918. Biden said that was “unlike any war the world had ever seen before.”

Biden’s son Beau enlisted in 2003 in the Delaware Army National Guard and deployed to Iraq in 2008 for a year as a member of the 261st Theater Tactical Signal Brigade. A captain, he earned the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star. Beau Biden later served two terms as the state’s attorney general. He died in 2015 of brain cancer.

“We miss him,” the president told the crowd, recounting how he pinned the bars on his son on the day he joined the National Guard.

“We come together today to once again honor the generations of Americans who stood on the front lines of freedom. To once again bear witness to the great deeds of a noble few who risked everything, everything, to give us a better future,” he said, paying tribute to “those who have always, always kept the light of shining bright across the world.”

Biden said that as commander in chief, “I have no higher honor. As the father of a son who served, I have no greater privilege.’’

He said that “our veterans are the steel spine of this nation and their families, like so many of you, are the courageous heart.”

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• Biden campaign slams 'extreme' and 'racist' Trump immigration plans

The Biden campaign on Saturday lambasted Donald Trump’s reported plans for an extreme and rapid expansion of his first-term clampdown on immigration if he takes back the White House.

If he wins the 2024 election, Trump intends to reimplement many of his first-term policies, including the so-called Muslim ban and the use of Title 42 to turn away asylum seekers. He also wants to deport migrants by the millions per year, detaining them in large camps while they await expulsion, according to a new report from the New York Times.

The former president further wants to end birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants, among other hardline policies.

“Mass detention camps, attempts to deny children born here citizenship, uprooting families with mass deportations — this is the horrifying reality that awaits the American people if Donald Trump is allowed anywhere near the Oval Office again,” Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in a statement. “These extreme, racist, cruel policies dreamed up by him and his henchman Stephen Miller are meant to stoke fear and divide us, betting a scared and divided nation is how he wins this election.”

Trump has repeatedly hinted at these plans at political rallies, where he typically talks at length about the southern border. Stephen Miller, a senior aide who crafted many of Trump’s first-term policies, is once again heavily involved in the planning, according to the Times.

“We’ll stop the invasion on our southern border and begin the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” Trump said during a rally on Saturday in New Hampshire.

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• Pro-Palestine Protestors Show Up at Biden’s Delaware Home

Pro-Palestinian protestors showed up outside of President Joe Biden's Delaware estate Saturday.

Biden has been supportive of Israel's right to defend itself since the Oct. 7 attack on the nation by pro-Palestine terror group Hamas that left over 1,400 Israelis dead.

Supporters of Palestine have been critical of that support as Israel has launched counterattacks on Gaza, where Hamas is based, resulting in a humanitarian crisis where civilians have been caught in the crossfire.

Israel agreed to a humanitarian pause, whereby they ceased military actions for four hours to allow aid to be delivered to civilians in Gaza.

Scoop: Top Biden adviser to visit Israel, Qatar to discuss efforts to free hostages

Brett McGurk, President Biden's senior Middle East adviser, is expected to travel to Israel and several other countries in the region this coming week to discuss the war in Gaza and the efforts to secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas, four Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios.

The big picture: McGurk's trip is part of the Biden administration's ongoing engagement with key parties aimed at preventing a regional war and getting a hostage deal that includes a longer pause in the fighting in Gaza.

• CIA director Bill Burns and Secretary of State Tony Blinken have taken similar trips over the last two weeks.

Driving the news: McGurk is expected to stop in Brussels on his way to the Middle East to coordinate with NATO and European allies about the war in Gaza.

• He is expected to visit Israel on Tuesday and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and the heads of Israel's security services and intelligence community, two Israeli officials said.
• He is also expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar.
• Qatar has been playing a key role in mediating between the U.S., Israel and Hamas over the hostages issue.
• He is also expected to be in Bahrain next weekend for the Manama Dialogue.
• The White House declined to comment.

Behind the scenes: The Israeli and U.S. officials said that one of the ideas being discussed is a deal to release about 80 women and children who were kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack.

• In return, Israel would release Palestinian women and teenagers who are being held in Israeli prisons after being convicted of charges related to their involvement in attacks against Israeli soldiers or civilians mostly in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli officials said.
• According to the Israeli officials, such a deal could also include allowing fuel into Gaza.

• Both Israeli and U.S. officials stressed that while the idea is being discussed, a deal isn't imminent.

Zoom out: Since the Oct. 7 attack, Biden and the White House National Security Council's focus has been largely on the war in Gaza. Biden has met his national security team every day — sometimes multiple times a day — to coordinate all aspects of the crisis, according to a source familiar with the issue.

• Together with national security adviser Jake Sullivan, McGurk has been deeply involved in efforts to free the hostages Hamas is holding, a source familiar with the issue said. The two Biden advisers have made multiple calls each day to Qatari and Egyptian officials.
• With Biden and Sullivan on the West Coast this coming week for the APEC summit, they are dispatching McGurk to engage directly in the region, as well as in Europe, according to the source.

• FACT SHEET: President Joseph R. Biden and President Joko Widodo Announce the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

Today, President Biden welcomed President Joko Widodo of Indonesia to the White House. Marking a historic new phase in our bilateral relations, the two leaders elevated U.S.-Indonesia ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. President Biden and President Widodo celebrated this unprecedented level of cooperation, built on shared values of democracy and pluralism, by announcing new initiatives to deliver a better future for our citizens and a free, open, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific.

President Biden thanked President Widodo for Indonesia’s leadership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and underscored the U.S. commitment to deepening our cooperation in Southeast Asia and with Indonesia. Since 2002, the United States has provided over $6.2 billion in development, economic, health, and security assistance to Indonesia, which includes more than $2 billion to advance education and health outcomes and over $1.2 billion to promote economic growth. Additionally, President Biden has requested a further $172 million in new programs across a range of sectors, including climate and the clean energy transition, economic growth, and health.

FURTHERING OUR ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP ON SHARED PROSPERITY

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LEADING ACTION TO COMBAT THE CLIMATE CRISIS

President Biden reiterated his commitment to partnering with Indonesia on tackling the climate crisis and ensuring the United States and Indonesia are at the forefront of harnessing the clean energy transition. Indonesia and the United States will continue to closely collaborate on the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), announced at the 2022 G20 Summit in Bali, which will reduce emissions and accelerate the deployment of renewable energy in Indonesia. The JETP mobilizes $20 billion in public and private financing in support of Indonesia’s ambitious climate commitments under the agreement. Building on JETP, PGI, and the $50 million U.S. commitment to Indonesia’s Forest and Other Land Uses (FOLU) Net Sink Bilateral Partnership, President Biden intends to announce the following new climate programs:

Much more in the link above

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• Secret Service agents protecting Biden’s granddaughter open fire when 3 people try to break into SUV

Secret Service agents protecting President Joe Biden’s granddaughter opened fire after three people tried to break into an unmarked Secret Service vehicle in the nation’s capital, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The agents, assigned to protect Naomi Biden, were out with her in the Georgetown neighborhood late Sunday night when they saw the three people breaking a window of the parked and unoccupied SUV, the official said. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on Monday on the condition of anonymity.

One of the agents opened fire, but no one was struck by the gunfire, the Secret Service said in a statement. The three people were seen fleeing in a red car, and the Secret Service said it put out a regional bulletin to Metropolitan Police to be on the lookout for it.

Washington has seen a significant rise in the number of carjackings and car thefts this year. Police have reported more than 750 carjackings this year and more than 6,000 reports of stolen vehicles in the district. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas was carjacked near the Capitol last month by three armed assailants, who stole his car but didn’t physically harm him.

Violent crime in Washington has also been on the rise this year, up more than 40% compared with last year. In February, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota was assaulted in her apartment building, suffering bruises while escaping serious injury.

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• Scoop: Internal State Dept. memo blasts Biden, U.S. policy on Israel-Hamas war

An internal State Department dissent memo accuses President Biden of "spreading misinformation" on the Israel-Hamas war and alleges that Israel is committing "war crimes" in Gaza, according to a copy of the memo obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: The scathing five-page memo — organized by a junior diplomat who has suggested on social media that Biden's support of Israel has made him "complicit in genocide" in Gaza — offers a rare look at the raw divisions within the Biden administration over the Israel-Hamas war.

• The memo — signed by 100 State Department and USAID employees — urges senior U.S. officials to reassess their policy toward Israel and demand a ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled health ministry.
• Some of the memo's language echoes that of progressive activists in the U.S., whose anger and protests over Biden's handling of the war have rippled through the Democratic Party — and created a new challenge for the president's 2024 campaign.
• Without offering a specific example, the memo accuses Biden of "spreading misinformation in his Oct. 10 speech" supporting Israel, one of the signature addresses of his presidency.
• The memo also said that "we strongly recommend that the (U.S. government) advocate for the release of hostages by both Hamas and (Israel)" — citing the "thousands" of Palestinians being held in Israel, including those "without charge."

Driving the news: The memo, transmitted to the State Department's policy office on Nov. 3, opens by noting the "recent atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th" — a reference to Hamas' attack on Israel that killed 1,400 people and ignited the war.

• For the most part, however, the memo's authors focus on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's counterattack on Hamas in Gaza.
• Biden has backed Israel's response while expressing concern about humanitarian issues in Gaza, but the memo says Biden should do more to question Israel's actions.
• Those actions — which have included cutting off electricity, limiting aid and carrying out attacks that have displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians — "all constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity under international law," the memo alleges.
• "Yet we have failed to reassess our posture towards Israel," the memo states. "We doubled down on our unwavering military assistance to the (Israeli government) without clear or actionable redlines."

What we're watching: Throughout the document, there are broader critiques of U.S. policy in the Middle East and what the authors call a failure to advance a viable path to a two-state solution in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians, which Biden has said he supports.

• "Members of the White House and (the National Security Council) displayed a clear disregard for the lives of Palestinians, a documented unwillingness to de-escalate, and, even prior to October 7, a reckless lack of strategic foresight."
• The memo also criticized Biden for "questioning the number of deaths" in Gaza.
• On Oct 27, Biden said he had "no confidence" in the figures provided by the health ministry in Gaza, while also saying he was "sure innocents have been killed" there.

The intrigue: It's unclear how many dissent memos have been filed within the State Department during the Israel-Hamas war. Politico reported last week on a memo that called for the U.S. to "publicly criticize Israel's violations of international norms."

• That language is not included in the copy of the memo obtained by Axios.

Between the lines: Since the Vietnam War, the State Department has maintained a "dissent channel" to give diplomats — in distant embassies and in the department's headquarters — a way to register their opposition to policies.

• Dissent memos are supposed to stay within the building, but sometimes they are leaked to the media.
• Recent memos include a 2016 cable, signed by 51 diplomats, criticizing the Obama administration's policy toward Syria, which leaked.
• A 2021 memo on the U.S. decision to withdraw forces from Afghanistan did not leak, but became the subject of a showdown between Congress and the State Department.

What they're saying: The State Department "is proud there is an established procedure for employees to articulate policy disagreements directly to the attention of senior department leaders without fear of retribution," a State Department spokesperson said.

• "We understand — we expect, we appreciate — that different people working in this department have different beliefs about what United States policy should be," the spokesperson said.

The big picture: In Secretary of State Antony Blinken's public and private diplomacy, he has worked to ensure the flow of humanitarian assistance and minimize the military impact on Palestinian civilians, according to an administration official.

• In his visit to Israel this month, Blinken asked Netanyahu and members of Israel's war Cabinet to begin humanitarian pauses in the fighting to allow aid to reach Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza.
• Last week, Israel agreed to begin "tactical localized humanitarian pauses," Axios' Barak Ravid reported.
• Last month, Blinken met with some State employees who have criticized Biden's approach, the Huffington Post reported.

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• US rights group sues Biden for alleged ‘failure to prevent genocide’ in Gaza

A New York civil liberties group is suing Joe Biden for allegedly failing in his duty under international and US laws to prevent Israel committing genocide in Gaza.

The Center for Constitutional Rights’ (CCR) complaint on behalf of several Palestinian groups and individuals alleges that Israel’s actions, including “mass killings”, the targeting of civilian infrastructure and forced expulsions, amount to genocide. The CCR said that the 1948 international convention against genocide requires the US and other countries to use their power and influence to stop the killing.

“As Israel’s closest ally and strongest supporter, being its biggest provider of military assistance by a large margin and with Israel being the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign assistance since World War II, the United States has the means available to have a deterrent effect on Israeli officials now pursuing genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” the complaint argued.

President Biden Delivers Remarks on his Administration's Actions to Address the Climate Crisis

Remarks by President Biden on Actions to Address the Climate Crisis | The White House

• Biden 'just getting started' on climate action in response to major new report

President Joe Biden said he will continue to pursue remedies to the threats caused by climate change following the release of the Fifth National Climate Assessment on Tuesday -- but he acknowledged that it's still not enough and that some Republicans are getting in the way of more progress.

"This assessment shows us in clear scientific terms, that climate change is impacting all regions, all sectors of the United States, not just some, all," Biden said in his remarks Tuesday at the White House.

Biden said he's seen the destruction firsthand as president when he's visited states like Louisiana, New Jersey, New York and Florida after hurricanes and floods and talked with firefighters in Idaho, New Mexico, California and Colorado.

"The impacts we're seeing are only going to get worse, more frequent, more ferocious, and more costly. Last year alone, natural disasters in America cost $178 billion -- $178 billion -- in damages. They hit everyone no matter what their circumstances, but the hit the most vulnerable the hardest," he said.

But, he added, "none of this is inevitable."

Biden also made a dig at past inaction on climate change, calling out Republicans and former President Donald Trump, who withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords.

"We've come to the point where it's foolish for anyone to deny the impacts of climate change anymore. But it's simply a simple fact that there are a number of my colleagues and other side of the aisle, MAGA Republican leaders who still deny climate change, still deny that it's a problem. My predecessor, much of the MAGA Republican Party, in fact, are still -- feel very strongly about that," he said.

"Anyone who willfully denies the impacts of climate change is condemning the American people to a very dangerous future," he said.

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• Statement from President Joe Biden on the October Consumer Price Index

Today we saw more progress bringing down inflation while maintaining one of the strongest job markets in history. At 3.2%, annual inflation is now down by 65% from the peak. Gas prices are below $3.40 per gallon, reflecting an average decline of $1.65 from the peak after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Inflation has come down while the unemployment rate has been below 4% for 21 months in a row—the longest stretch in more than 50 years—while wages, wealth, and the share of working-age Americans with jobs are all higher now than before the pandemic. I’m working to get results for the American people and it’s happening—and I’m not going to let up for one second. I’m fighting every single day to continue lowering costs for hardworking families so they have more breathing room—from eliminating costly junk fees on air fares and event tickets, to cutting prescription drug costs and health care premiums, to reducing energy costs. Instead of joining me, Congressional Republicans are fighting to slash taxes for the wealthy and big corporations, while standing with Big Pharma and other special interests to try to block us from bringing down everyday costs for American families. I won’t let them.

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• President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Arkansas Disaster Declaration

Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Arkansas and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes from June 25 to June 26, 2023.

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• Biden campaign hammers Trump on abortion: No ‘vagueness’ in his position

The Biden campaign Tuesday went directly after former President Trump for his past comments and record on the issue of abortion, attacking the likely 2024 GOP nominee over an issue that could be decisive in next November’s election.

The Biden campaign, which has ramped up its attacks on Trump in recent days, was in part responding to a New York Times story headlined “Why Trump Seems Less Vulnerable on Abortion Than Other Republicans.” The story reported on how Trump has used “vagueness” on the issue to allow voters to “see what they want to see” in his views on abortion.

Trump has over the past year repeatedly dodged when asked whether he would sign a national abortion ban if reelected, and he has said he supports exceptions that allow abortion in cases of rape, incest and for the life of the mother.

But Trump has simultaneously said his appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices paved the way for the end of Roe v. Wade and argued that he deserves credit for the overturning of the precedent that guaranteed abortion access for decades. During the 2016 campaign, Trump at one point suggested women who had abortions should be punished.

“There is no ‘vagueness’ or ‘middle ground of sorts’ about Donald Trump’s position on abortion,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement first provided to The Hill.

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• Biden says he believes deal to free dozens of hostages held in Gaza is 'going to happen'

President Biden said on Tuesday he thinks that a deal to free dozens of hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian groups in Gaza "is going to happen."

Driving the news: The U.S. and Israel are negotiating through Qatar with Hamas a deal that could see the release of about 80 women and children who were kidnapped during the Oct. 7 attack.

• In return, Israel would agree to a temporary ceasefire of three to five days and release Palestinian women and teenagers who are being held in Israeli prisons, including many who have been convicted of charges related to their involvement in attacks against Israeli soldiers or civilians mostly in the occupied West Bank.

Catch up quick: About 240 people, including Americans, were kidnapped and taken to Gaza during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

• Four hostages have since been released and one has been rescued.

What they're saying: Biden said on Tuesday that he has been speaking to people involved in the hostage negotiations "every single day."

• "I believe it is going to happen but I don't want to get into details," he added.
• Asked what message he wanted to send to the families of the hostages, Biden said: "Hang in there. We are coming."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement in response to Biden's remarks and appeared to try to tamp down expectations.

• "Our hearts are with the hostages and their families. Since the beginning of the war, we have been constantly working to release our hostages including putting more pressure on Hamas since the beginning of the ground operation in Gaza," Netanyahu said. "If and when we will have anything concrete to report – we will do it."

State of play: Biden on Saturday spoke to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani for the first time since the Gaza war started and discussed "the urgent ongoing efforts to secure releases of hostages," the White House said in a readout of the call.

• The two leaders "agreed that all hostages must be released without further delay," the White House added.

• White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday met with the families of the American hostages held in Gaza.
• Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, the great aunt of three-year-old Abigail Edan who was kidnapped to Gaza after her parents were killed in the Oct. 7 attack, told Axios that her impression after the meeting was that the Biden administration is making huge efforts to release the hostages.

What to watch: Biden's top Middle East adviser Brett McGurk and the State Department's senior Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf are expected to visit Doha on Sunday, two sources with direct knowledge said.

• McGurk and Leaf will meet Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani and discuss the hostage issue.

• Xi Jinping says ‘planet Earth is big enough’ for both US and China to succeed as bilateral with Joe Biden begins – live

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping sit down for first face-to-face meeting in a year

Joe Biden has welcomed Xi Jinping to San Francisco where the two leaders are meeting face-to-face for the first time in a year.

As Xi stepped out of his bulletproof Hongqi sedan, Biden greeted the smiling Chinese president with a handshake and said, “Welcome.”

The two then proceeded to pose briefly for photos before heading into their meeting hall where they were greeted by US officials including secretary of state Antony Blinken, treasury secretary Janet Yellen, the US’s special climate envoy John Kerry and national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

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The Post Millennial - Biden meets China's Xi Jinping: https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/...70172425478615

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• US, China agree to bolster renewables in effort to replace fossil fuels

China and the U.S., the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters, reached a climate agreement late Tuesday that includes an effort to replace fossil fuels with renewables.

The agreement says both countries plan to speed up renewable development over the next seven years in order to “accelerate the substitution for coal, oil and gas generation.”

The two parties therefore anticipate their power sector emissions peaking this decade.

President Biden Hosts a Bilateral Meeting with President Xi Jinping of China

Biden holds news conference after meeting with China’s Xi Jinping

The event is scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m. ET.

Xi to Biden: Despite tensions, ‘turning our backs on each other’ not an option

• Joe Biden and Xi Jinping agree to resume high-level military communication

US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have reached an agreement to resume communications between their countries’ militaries at a summit in San Francisco designed to stabilise relations after several years of rising concern about possible conflict over Taiwan.

At a press conference on Wednesday following his meeting with Xi, Biden said the two countries had reached a series of agreements, including a commitment from China to reopen the communication channels between the two militaries that Beijing shut down after then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.

China also agreed in principle to crack down on the export to Mexico of chemicals used to make fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has sparked a deadly drug epidemic in America.

Biden and Xi held roughly four hours of talks in what was their second summit since the US president took office in 2021. They are attempting to steady the turbulent US-China relationship, which has descended to its lowest point since the countries established ties in 1979.

Over the past three years, tensions have escalated over a range of issues. Washington has become increasingly concerned about Chinese military activity around Taiwan, China’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal and its treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

China has raised concerns in return about US export controls and other measures that are designed to make it much harder for it to obtain cutting-edge US technology, such as chips for quantum computing and artificial intelligence, that also have military applications.

As the leaders greeted each other at the Filoli estate outside San Francisco, Biden said they had an obligation to ensure competition did not turn into conflict. Xi said that despite some “grave” problems, they should be “fully capable of rising above differences”.

“Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed,” Xi said.

China’s official state news agency Xinhua said the two sides agreed to establish an intergovernmental dialogue on artificial intelligence, form a drug control working group, and increase the number of commercial flights between the countries.

Xinhua said Xi told Biden that Washington’s recent executive order restricting investment into China and sanctions “seriously damaged China’s legitimate interests”.

“Suppressing Chinese technology equates to containing China’s high-quality development and depriving the Chinese people of their right to development,” Xi said, noting he hoped the US would take actions to remedy the policies and provide fair treatment to Chinese companies.

Xi said China had “no plans to surpass or replace the US, and the US should not intend to suppress or contain China”.

After their talks, which included a lunch, the leaders strolled around the grounds of the estate. Asked by reporters nearby how the talks went, Biden responded “well” after giving a thumbs up.

The two leaders held their first in-person meeting a year ago on the sidelines of the G20 in Bali, Indonesia. At that meeting they also agreed on the need to resume high-level engagement to help ensure that coercion “did not veer into conflict”.

Their efforts were derailed three months later after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over North America and was shot down by the US military.

In recent months they have renewed engagement with a series of US cabinet secretaries including secretary of state Antony Blinken visiting Beijing, and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi making a reciprocal visit to Washington.

Ahead of the summit, however, US officials stressed that while there would be some more agreements, the aim of the meeting was to ensure there were top-level channels of communication to prevent misunderstandings and ensure they did not have a conflict.

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• Biden and Xi to announce deal cracking down on fentanyl export

Under deal, China will go after chemical companies to halt flow of fentanyl while US will lift restrictions on forensic police institute

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are set to announce an agreement for China to crack down on the manufacture and export of fentanyl, the primary culprit in a synthetic drug epidemic blamed as the leading killer of Americans between 18 and 49.

Bloomberg reported that under the deal – which the US and Chinese presidents are still finalizing – China would go after chemical companies to halt the flow of fentanyl and the source material used to make it.

In return, Biden’s White House would lift restrictions on China’s forensic police institute. China had long questioned why the US would expect cooperation in the battle against fentanyl when the US government had placed restrictions on the institute.

Last year the US reported 110,000 overdose deaths from synthetic drugs, with more than two-thirds linked to fentanyl, a potent opioid.

Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and is increasingly mixed with other illicit drugs, often with lethal results.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has said that fentanyl largely comes to the US from China, through drug cartels in Mexico.

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• Biden-Harris Administration Continues Unprecedented Efforts to Increase Transparency of Nursing Home Ownership

The Biden-Harris Administration is taking additional action to empower nursing home residents and their families to make informed decisions about care and to hold nursing homes accountable for the service they provide by requiring nursing homes to disclose additional ownership and management information to CMS and states and making this information public.

It has become increasingly important to scrutinize ownership arrangements as recent studies — including research released today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation — show that private equity ownership is associated with poorer staffing conditions and resulting decreases in quality of care. Today’s final rule includes definitions of private equity and real estate investment trusts, setting the stage for identifying whether a nursing home belongs to one of these types of owners. These actions continue to build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s unwavering commitment to improving the safety and quality of care in the nation’s nursing homes and President Biden’s historic Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy. Earlier this year, CMS and HHS also proposed a rule in September to establish national minimum staffing standards for nursing homes to enhance the quality and safety of care.

“HHS continues to take action to improve the safety, quality, and accountability of nursing homes,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “The Biden-Harris Administration believes that residents living in nursing homes should receive the dignity, care, and respect they deserve. Taking steps to help consumers to learn more about the owners of a nursing home will allow them to make the choice that best meets their needs.”

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Biden bets big on early ads over door-to-door campaigning

President Biden's re-election team has spent more than $50 million on TV and digital ads in swing states this year — and next to nothing on local organizers to begin reaching voters in person.

Why it matters: The ad-heavy strategy — with unprecedented spending by an incumbent this early — is a departure from Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, which invested millions assembling an army of organizers in swing states to contact voters up to 18 months before that election.

• Biden's team is focused on the idea that Americans are online and on their phones more than ever — and that meeting people there is just as important as meeting them on their doorstep.
• The campaign believes that a ground game can be established next year and be as effective as Obama's.
• "Today's political organizing environment is dramatically different from 2011 and even from 2019, and we are building a campaign to win next November — not past elections," Biden campaign spokesperson Seth Schuster said.

By the numbers: By about this time during the 2012 election cycle, Obama — the last Democrat to seek re-election as president — had nearly nine times as many people on his campaign's payroll as the 38 workers Biden reported in the third quarter of this year.

• For now, Biden's team — which includes people from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Future Forward, a super PAC that backs Biden — is focusing on an advertising blitz in some of the eight or so politically divided swing states likely to decide the election.
• Biden's team had spent $39 million on TV as of Nov. 2, according to AdImpact, and more than $10 million on Facebook and Google ads, per Bully Pulpit Interactive.

Between the lines: A senior DNC official told Axios they expect to have the campaign's field programs established in early 2024.

• Obama campaign veterans say organizing local teams was a key part of Obama's political identity in a way that it is not for Biden. Some are skeptical that Biden could mobilize a similarly large crew of low-paid field organizers.
• "What Obama was able to generate was unique to him," one Obama veteran said.

Biden's strategy is being overseen by White House deputy chief of staff Jen O'Malley Dillon, who also oversaw Obama's field program in 2012 as a deputy campaign manager.

• O'Malley Dillon was not made available for an interview.
• It's unclear how effective the strategy has been so far. Polls suggest Biden, 80, faces a close race with likely GOP nominee Donald Trump, and the president is grappling with Americans' concerns about inflation, two wars, and whether he's too old to serve another term.

Zoom in: As part of its push to reach voters on digital platforms, Biden's campaign is launching pilot initiatives for content distribution and "micro-influencer programs" in Arizona and Wisconsin.

• The campaign says it's hiring two dozen staffers for the programs in two swing states, focusing on Black and young voters in Wisconsin, and Latino and women voters in Arizona — groups Biden has been struggling to attract, according to recent polls.
• The campaign will open an office in Milwaukee and two offices in Maricopa County, Ariz.
• By mid-December 2011, Obama's campaign had eight offices in Iowa alone. The Obama campaign ultimately opened 800 offices across the country in 2012 — and more than 130 in Ohio.

Zoom out: Biden's strategy reflects a larger debate among political consultants about whether sprawling field programs are worth the cost.

• Biden won the 2020 Democratic primary with much smaller grassroots operations than Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, two rivals in that race.
• Biden also won the White House in 2020 with limited in-person canvassing because of the pandemic, while then-President Trump's team continued knocking on doors.
• Having teams in the field "has always gone up and down in people's estimation of how important it is," said Hahrie Han, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University and co-author of "Groundbreakers: How Obama's 2.2 Million Volunteers Transformed Campaigning in America."
• A senior DNC official noted that the large canvassing operation supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP presidential race hasn't helped his polling numbers in early primary states.
• Trump's team this year has field operations in those early states — especially Iowa — but hasn't announced its efforts in the expected battleground states because he's still vying for the GOP nomination.

• Senate Republicans fail to stop Biden’s new student loan income-driven repayment plan

Senate Republicans failed in their efforts to pass a resolution to overturn President Biden’s new student loans income-driven repayment (IDR) plan Wednesday.

All present Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) voted in support of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would have halted the Saving on Valuable Education (SAVE) IDR plan, ultimately falling one vote short of the 50 needed to overturn the plan.