Thread: President Joe Biden

Fucking hell he got in there quick.

Biden kills Trump's paint job plan for Air Force One

President Biden ditched former President Trump's red, white and blue paint design for the next version of Air Force One after a review found the paint scheme could increase costs of construction, AP reports.

Driving the news: “The Trump paint scheme is not being considered because it could drive additional engineering, time and cost," an administration official told Politico, which first reported on the news.

• The official said Trump's design to include dark blue paint on the plane's underbelly could create heating issues for the plane, potentially driving up costs and taking more time to construct, Politico reports.
• The color scheme could also slow the delivery of the jets, the report found.

The big picture: Trump in 2018 said he wanted to update the paint job of the next version of Air Force One for a bolder, "more American" look, Axios' Mike Allen reported.

• Trump sought to change the plane's blue-and-white look, designed by then-President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the early 1960s. "The baby blue doesn’t fit with us," Trump said of Air Force One to Fox News in 2019, per Politico.
• The new Air Force One planes are not expected to be in use until 2026, Politico notes.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Biden kills Trump's paint job plan for Air Force One

President Biden ditched former President Trump's red, white and blue paint design for the next version of Air Force One after a review found the paint scheme could increase costs of construction, AP reports.

Driving the news: “The Trump paint scheme is not being considered because it could drive additional engineering, time and cost," an administration official told Politico, which first reported on the news.

• The official said Trump's design to include dark blue paint on the plane's underbelly could create heating issues for the plane, potentially driving up costs and taking more time to construct, Politico reports.
• The color scheme could also slow the delivery of the jets, the report found.

The big picture: Trump in 2018 said he wanted to update the paint job of the next version of Air Force One for a bolder, "more American" look, Axios' Mike Allen reported.

• Trump sought to change the plane's blue-and-white look, designed by then-President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the early 1960s. "The baby blue doesn’t fit with us," Trump said of Air Force One to Fox News in 2019, per Politico.
• The new Air Force One planes are not expected to be in use until 2026, Politico notes.

This is brilliant news. The news that matters. Paint jobs.

Just as an aside, are you willing to hand in your 4 guns and join the rest of the civilised world?

A simple yes or no will suffice, but with you being such a lefty like snubs I'm sure this decision will be easy.

Originally Posted by hallelujah

Just as an aside, are you willing to hand in your 4 guns and join the rest of the civilised world?

A simple yes or no will suffice, but with you being such a lefty like snubs I'm sure this decision will be easy.

Yes, I would be. I hate the fact that there are so many guns in the US, and I would prefer if it was a gun free society. But I will explain to you why I keep firearms. It is not because I want them, it is to defend myself against traitors like the January 6 scumbags who happen to be armed to the teeth. They are the real threat to America, and they will not give up their firearms. So if I surrender mine, then I will just be a victim to trumpanzee scumbags.

That said, in my hood almost no one owns a gun aside from criminals.

Originally Posted by bsnub

But I will explain to you why I keep firearms. .

So that's a no then.

Excuse my French, but you're all a fucking disgrace.

Originally Posted by hallelujah

Just as an aside, are you willing to hand in your 4 guns.......

4......

Originally Posted by bsnub

But I will explain to you why I keep firearms. It is not because I want them, it is to defend myself against traitors like the January 6 scumbags who happen to be armed to the teeth. They are the real threat to America, and they will not give up their firearms. So if I surrender mine, then I will just be a victim to trumpanzee scumbags.

You're a gas Snubby. Good entertainment.

Originally Posted by bsnub

in my hood almost no one owns a gun aside from criminals.

Originally Posted by bsnub

I keep firearms.

Nice one, snubs.

You be one of the good guys, obviously.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

4......

Is it just the 1, 2, or 3 then? Either way, it only takes 1 to end a life.

Anyway, let me ask you a Q.

The civilised world does just fine without guns and tends to avoid mass murders of innocent people (especially kids at school).

Are you willing to give yours up?

As has been asked before of you, a simple yes/no is all that is required.

YES or NO

Originally Posted by russellsimpson

You're a gas Snubby. Good entertainment.

Insane reasoning.

Are they that fucking stupid to realise that the rest of the world is managing to survive "traitors like the January 6 scumbags"
without killing 20 kids every couple of weeks?

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that President Biden is indeed running for reelection in 2024

"The president, as you know, has been asked that question many times, and he has answered it," she added. "His answer has been pretty simple, which is, yes, he's running for reelection. I can't say more than that."

Is Joe Biden turning out to be the Rodney Dangerfield of American foreign policy? It’s tempting to think so: The man is one flub after another and he don’t seem to get no respect.

But he has the Europeans on his side. It is a mystery to many, but they have lined up via NATO in the proxy war against Russia and gone full-tilt with a sanctions regime that will hurt them more than the Russians. We will see how this goes as the war grinds on, inflation breaks records and furnaces go cold. Households in England are already burning wood.

PATRICK LAWRENCE: Biden’s Summit of No-Shows – Consortium News

Isn't it great, though, to have fair free elections for some to make fun of, instead of a system where your vote - if you get one - doesn't count . . .

Originally Posted by panama hat

fair free elections

You might have to explain that to sabang, he has no fucking idea what it means.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

You might have to explain that to sabang, he has no fucking idea what it means.

He's purportedly in Thailand on vacation, perhaps he can look it up . . . so he can post about it during dinner

• LGBTQ+ equality groups celebrate Biden executive order, but say there’s more work to be done

LGBTQ+ equality groups on Tuesday celebrated an executive order signed by President Biden that addresses recent state legislative attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and introduces new safeguards for inclusive health care and housing.

“This historic executive order will advance long-sought, LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices that will help save young LGBTQ lives,” Amit Paley, the CEO and executive director of the LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention group The Trevor Project, said Tuesday in a statement.

“It’s past time that we put an end to the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion ‘therapy,’ and expand access to the affirming care LGBTQ young people actually need to survive and thrive,” Paley said, referring to one of the provisions in the executive order that charges the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with reducing the risk of youth exposure to the discredited practice, which aims to change a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation.

Biden in the order also encourages the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to consider whether so-called “conversion therapy” constitutes an “unfair or deceptive act or practice” that consumers should be warned or notified about. The order also charges the Secretaries of State, Treasury and HHS with developing a plan of action to promote an end to the practice around the world to ensure that it does not benefit from U.S. foreign assistance dollars.

The order also directs HHS to issue guidance for states to expand access to “affordable, comprehensive health care” for LGBTQ+ patients, according to a White House fact sheet, and explicitly charges the department with promoting “expanded access to gender-affirming care” at a time when more than a dozen states have introduced legislation to restrict it, particularly for transgender and nonbinary youth.

“Given the historic number of state legislative attacks on LGBTQI+ people, specifically LGBTQI+ youth and families, it’s critical that action is taken at the federal level to protect vulnerable children and parents,” Kristine Kippins, deputy legal director for policy at the law firm Lambda Legal, said Tuesday.

Kippins said the order represents a step in the right direction, but cautioned that the president’s action is just “a beginning.”

“There is still much work to be done in advancing rights for LGBTQI+ people in this country,” she said. Others expressed a similar view.

“This is an AMAZING start…but this language is very loose for an executive order [in my opinion],” the actress Angelica Ross tweeted Tuesday shortly after the order was announced.

Ross has been critical of prior pledges made by Biden and his administration to advance LGBTQ+ rights, and in a March message directed at the president said, “Talk is cheap. We need you to act.”

Biden’s executive order also directs the Department of Education to release a sample school policy that is inclusive of LGBTQ+ students – a direct rebuttal to legislation in states like Florida and Alabama, where public school educators have been barred from addressing sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom.

Older LGBTQ+ Americans will also benefit from the executive order, which directs HHS to publish a “Bill of Rights for LGBTQI+ Older Adults” and release new guidance on nondiscrimination protections for older adults in long-term care settings.

The order also introduces new efforts to address LGBTQ+ homelessness and housing instability and better service LGBTQ+ youth in the juvenile justice and foster care systems.

“After decades of demanding change and falling through the cracks in both racial justice and LGBTQ+ liberation groups, the federal government is finally doing something to systematically ensure equity for all parts of us,” Victoria Kirby York, deputy director of the National Black Justice Coalition, a Black LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, said Tuesday in a statement.

Kirby added that she will be watching the administration for further action on Title IX and the protection of LGBTQ+ students from discrimination, federal investigations into still-unsolved fatal hate crime cases that have victimized Black transgender people, as well as the safe return of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia for more than three months.

______________

• Biden signs bill boosting security for SCOTUS justices, families

President Biden on Thursday signed bipartisan legislation to bolster security protection for Supreme Court justices and their families.

The bill passed the House in a 396-27 vote on Tuesday, less than a week after an armed man was arrested outside of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home and charged with attempted murder. The White House said in a press release on Thursday evening that Biden had signed the bill.

The legislation, which passed the Senate last month, will provide security protections to Supreme Court justices and their families on par with those granted to some members of the executive and legislative branches.

Supreme Court justices already had security details, but the new law will allow around-the-clock protection for families of the justices and any officer of the court if deemed necessary.

The bill was introduced by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) in May, days after a leaked draft opinion signaling that the court was poised to overturn the landmark abortion rights ruling Roe v. Wade fueled protests outside of the homes of conservative justices and other demonstrations throughout the country.

The bill’s passage in the House was delayed amid a standoff over House Democrats’ demands that protections also be extended to Supreme Court staff like judicial clerks. Senate Republicans objected to that idea, however.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced Monday evening that the lower chamber would vote on the Senate-passed version. All “no” votes came from Democrats.

The White House condemned the threat against Kavanaugh last week and urged any protests around the forthcoming abortion ruling to remain peaceful.

At the same time, Biden has criticized the draft ruling and warned that it could pave the way for the erosion of other rights beyond abortion rights.

Biden crashes his bike like a ridiculous fool

By restricting the meeting to democracies, the president omitted countries key to addressing the agenda’s top issues.

The Ninth Summit of the Americas, hosted by President Biden last week in Los Angeles, was in trouble even before it convened. Planning for it was erratic, with no clear theme or agenda in place until the last minute. Invitations went out just a few weeks before the event, delayed because of a very public controversy over whether Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela would be included. In the end, they were not.

Senior U.S. officials hinted early on that the Summit would be restricted to “democratically elected leaders.” That prompted pushback from a number of Latin Americans, foremost among them Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Although the host nation sends out the Summit invitations, some Latin Americans regarded the decision to exclude the three governments as an abuse of the host’s prerogatives.

To mollify López Obrador and others who voiced similar concerns, the White House toyed with the idea of inviting Cuba to send a lower level official, or participate as an observer. Not surprisingly, Cuba rejected this second-class citizenship even before it was offered. López-Obrador politely declined to attend the Summit, sending his foreign minister instead. The presidents of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador declined as well. At the Summit, other heads of state openly criticized Washington for not inviting all the nations of the Americas.

Irregular migration was a main focus of the Summit, but between them, the countries excluded and those whose presidents stayed home accounted for 69 percent of the migrants encountered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in April — nearly 180,000 people. Trying to formulate a strategy to stem irregular migration without engaging the governments of the migrants’ home countries is a recipe for failure.

Other issues on the Summit’s agenda — environmental protection and climate change, public health, organized crime — are also transnational problems that cannot be effectively addressed unilaterally. Therein lies the flaw in Biden’s Wilsonian disposition to only engage with democracies. Sometimes you have to engage with governments you don’t like in order to deal with urgent problems. President Obama understood this; during his last two years in office, his administration signed 22 bilateral agreements with Cuba on issues of mutual interest. Trump cut off substantive diplomatic engagement with Cuba, and Biden has yet to resume it on any issue besides migration.

Biden has a long-standing faith in democracy. Like President Woodrow Wilson before him, he believes the United States has a mission to support and foster democracies abroad. To advance that cause, he convened a Summit for Democracy in December 2021, hosting delegations from over 100 countries (again excluding Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, along with El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Bolivia). There, he announced new foreign assistance programs aimed at promoting democracy around the globe. “Democracy needs champions,” he told the opening session, calling the defense of democracy, “the defining challenge of our time.”

Biden’s commitment to democracy is laudable, but Washington always sees democracy through the prism of its own self-interest. It is no accident that the three countries Washington excluded from the Summit of the Americas are ruled by self-described governments of the left. Biden, after all, is a politician who came of age at the height of the Cold War, when Washington rationalized alliances with right-wing authoritarians as necessary to fight against communism.

Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, and Haiti — right-wing governments with questionable democratic credentials, authoritarian leaders, and poor human rights records — were all invited to the Summit of the Americas.

The controversy surrounding the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua is eerily reminiscent of the controversy over Cuba’s exclusion from the 2012 Summit in Cartagena, Colombia. Back then, Latin American heads of state publicly scolded President Obama for insisting that Cuba be excluded, warning that they would boycott the next Summit unless Cuba was invited. That rebellion against U.S. leadership contributed to Obama’s decision to begin normalizing relations with Havana in 2014. Will Biden draw a similar lesson?

At every Summit since the first in 1994, the U.S. president has extolled the virtues of cooperation, assuring his Latin American counterparts that the United States wants a new partnership based on equality. But Washington’s perennial demand that Cuba be excluded, despite the overwhelming Latin American consensus to the contrary, gives the lie to that fine sentiment. For Latin Americans, the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua is symbolic of Washington’s continuing “hegemonic presumption,” as scholar Abraham Lowenthal put it. Announcing his decision to skip the Summit,



called Washington’s insistence on controlling participation “a continuation of the old policy of interventionism [and] of lack of respect for nations and their peoples.”

Biden’s problem is that the United States no longer enjoys the political or economic dominance that enabled it to dictate the terms of hemispheric relations, and Latin Americans are no longer willing to simply accept Washington’s priorities as their own. Rebuilding U.S. leadership in the Hemisphere will require that Washington confer with its neighbors and genuinely listen to them rather than dictating to them. Occasionally, it will require Washington to take the unfamiliar and uncomfortable step of deferring to them.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/06/10/bidens-summit-of-the-americas-showcases-failed-cold-war-style-worldview/?ct=t%28RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN%29&mc_cid=acffa4aff4&mc _eid=ba0ace703b

Originally Posted by Backspin

Biden crashes his bike like a ridiculous fool

Can you even ride a bike?

I doubt he can even tie his own shoelaces.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I doubt he can even tie his own shoelaces.

The authorities allow him to have shoes with laces?

Biden actually looks quite fit for his age. Laughing at someone for falling off a bike is idiotic and something only a child would do. Oh, wait...

• Bears Ears deal: Native American tribes to co-manage monument

The Biden administration reached a historic new agreement Saturday that will give five Native American tribes more say over day-to-day management of the Bears Ears National Monument.

Why it matters: The co-management deal represents a new chapter in the relationship between tribes and the federal government, which has often been tense.

Details: The Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service signed the agreement with five tribes near Bears Ears, including the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation and the Pueblo of Zuni.

• Each tribe will have one elected officer added to the Bears Ears Commission, the agreement explained.
• The commission and the federal agencies will be in charge of "planning, management, conservation, restoration and protection of the sacred lands" within Bears Ears, according to the agreement.
• They will also be tasked with protecting "ceremonies, rituals, and traditional uses that are part of the Tribal Nations' way of life," the agreement reads.
• The BLM and the U.S. Forest Service will provide resources to each tribe to support the new agreement, the BLM said in a news release.

What they're saying: "Today, instead of being removed from a landscape to make way for a public park, we are being invited back to our ancestral homelands to help repair them and plan for a resilient future," said Carleton Bowekaty, co-chair of the Bears Ears Commission and lieutenant governor of the Pueblo of Zuni, in a statement.

• Bureau of Land Management director Tracy Stone-Manning said in a news release that the agreement is "an important step as we move forward together to ensure that tribal expertise and traditional perspectives remain at the forefront of our joint decision-making for the Bears Ears National Monument."

The big picture: Bears Ears has become a central character of America's ongoing battle over the country's public lands, the Washington Post reports.

• Former President Obama established the Bears Ears National Monument, calling it a "profoundly sacred" land for Native American tribes.
• In 2017, former President Trump reduced Bears Ears by 1.1 million acres.
• President Biden expanded Bears Ears to cover 1.36 million acres, which was slightly larger than Obama's previous establishment, in 2021.

________________

• Biden administration rescinds Trump-era rule on landmines

The Biden administration announced Tuesday it reversed a rule implemented by the Trump administration that allowed the United States to use anti-personnel landmines (APL) around the world.

Why it matters: The change, which came after an extended internal review of the 2020 policy, prevents the U.S. military from using such weapons everywhere except along South-North Korea border, where the U.S. has asserted for decades that their use is necessary for the defense of South Korea.

• The international community banned the use of the mines under the 1997 Ottawa Convention, though the U.S. is not a party to the treaty, which requires states parties to stop the production, use and transfer of such weapons.
• The Clinton administration declined to join the convention because it would preclude the use of APLs in the Korean Peninsula's Demilitarized Zone.

What they're saying: The reversal "reflect the President’s belief that these weapons have disproportionate impact on civilians, including children, long after fighting has stopped, and that we need to curtail the use of APL worldwide," the White House said in a statement Tuesday.

• "The new commitment announced today will align U.S. APL policy outside of the Korean Peninsula with the key requirements of the Ottawa Convention – the international treaty prohibiting the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of APL – which has more than 160 parties, including all of our NATO Allies," it added.

The big picture: Though the U.S. maintains the option to use landmines along the Demilitarized Zone for South Korea's defense, it currently does not have mines deployed there, according to the Washington Post.

• China and Russia are also not parties to the Ottawa Convention.

https://www.axios.com/2022/06/21/bid...rule-landmines

Originally Posted by bsnub

Biden actually looks quite fit for his age.