Biden of America: The Return of the Democracy

A place for more serious off-topic discussion and debates.
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The White House - Statement by President Joe Biden on the Omicron COVID-⁠19 Variant
This morning I was briefed by my chief medical advisor, Dr. Tony Fauci, and the members of our COVID response team, about the Omicron variant, which is spreading through Southern Africa. As a precautionary measure until we have more information, I am ordering additional air travel restrictions from South Africa and seven other countries. These new restrictions will take effect on November 29. As we move forward, we will continue to be guided by what the science and my medical team advises.

For now, I have two important messages for the American people, and one for the world community.

First, for those Americans who are fully vaccinated against severe COVID illness – fortunately, for the vast majority of our adults — the best way to strengthen your protection is to get a booster shot, as soon as you are eligible. Boosters are approved for all adults over 18, six months past their vaccination and are available at 80,000 locations coast-to-coast. They are safe, free, and convenient. Get your booster shot now, so you can have this additional protection during the holiday season.

Second, for those not yet fully vaccinated: get vaccinated today. This includes both children and adults. America is leading the world in vaccinating children ages 5-11, and has been vaccinating teens for many months now – but we need more Americans in all age groups to get this life-saving protection. If you have not gotten vaccinated, or have not taken your children to get vaccinated, now is the time.

Finally, for the world community: the news about this new variant should make clearer than ever why this pandemic will not end until we have global vaccinations. The United States has already donated more vaccines to other countries than every other country combined. It is time for other countries to match America’s speed and generosity.

In addition, I call on the nations gathering next week for the World Trade Organization ministerial meeting to meet the U.S. challenge to waive intellectual property protections for COVID vaccines, so these vaccines can be manufactured globally. I endorsed this position in April; this news today reiterates the importance of moving on this quickly.

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Bad for the planet but good for prices. And a byproduct of COVID19 travel restrictions is lower demand for oil.

Bloomberg News - U.S.-Saudi Diplomacy Paved Way for OPEC+’s Surprise Output Hike
  • U.S. welcomes agreement to boost crude supply in January
  • Group says it could revisit the decision if the market changes
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have reached a detente after weeks of hostility about high oil prices, with the OPEC+ cartel announcing a production hike even as the new Covid variant threatens demand.

The group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia surprised markets by agreeing to add 400,000 barrels a day of oil from January, even as the virus undermines prices for oil-producing nations. It left the door open to changing its mind, however, saying ministers could gather again at any moment to review the decision if conditions change.

It’s not clear how far beyond energy the diplomatic mission has reached: since taking office, Biden has refused to deal directly with de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and has only spoken to his father King Salman.
Oil Price Charts | Oilprice.com
EIA.gov - Weekly U.S. Regular All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon)


The Biden administration has been calling for them for months to raise production to meet demand and were rejected until now.

CNBC - Biden administration seeks to prevent potential Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Washington Post - Russia planning massive military offensive against Ukraine involving 175,000 troops, U.S. intelligence warns

USA Today - Citing 'ongoing genocide,' Biden announces diplomatic boycott of 2022 Beijing Olympics

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The Independent - Biden returns land to Texas family after it was seized by Trump for border wall







US electric vehicle charging network strategy being released | AP News
The Biden administration is set to release a federal strategy Monday to implement an ambitious plan to build 500,000 charging stations for electric vehicles across the country and ultimately transform the U.S. auto industry.

The $1 trillion infrastructure law President Joe Biden signed last month authorizes the charging stations and sets aside $5 billion for states, with a goal to build a national charging network. The law also provides an additional $2.5 billion for local grants to support charging stations in rural areas and in disadvantaged communities.

“President Biden, American families, automakers, and autoworkers agree: the future of transportation is electric,″ the White House said in a statement. “The electric car future is cleaner, more equitable, more affordable and an economic opportunity to support good-paying, union jobs.″

Accelerated adoption of electric vehicles for personal cars and commercial fleets would help achieve Biden’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050 while creating thousands of jobs, the White House said.
The Guardian - Revealed: Biden administration was not legally bound to auction gulf drilling rights
Justice department admits a previous ruling did not force the detonation of what environmentalists call ‘huge carbon bomb’

Gizmodo - Biden Signs Executive Order to Make Dealing With U.S. Government Suck Less
An effort to modernize service delivery for federal agencies will (hopefully) make it easier to do your taxes, deal with student loans, and more.

CNN - Biden signs debt limit increase, averting potential economic disaster

Biden set to surpass Trump in first-year judicial nominees - CNNPolitics

Reuters - Biden nominates JFK's daughter Caroline Kennedy to be ambassador to Australia
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated Caroline Kennedy to be U.S. ambassador to Australia and Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan as ambassador to Belize, the White House said.

Kennedy, 64, is the daughter of John Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States who was assassinated in 1963. She previously served as U.S. ambassador to Japan.

Kwan is the winner of two silver Olympic medals in figure skating. She has served as an adviser to the U.S. Department of State on women’s issues.

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Build Back Better hits a speedbump or worst case scenario a roadblock called the coal baron Senator Manchin of the small state of West Virginia.

Reuters - Manchin delivers potential fatal blow to Biden's $1.75 trillion spending bill
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat who is key to President Joe Biden's hopes of passing a $1.75 trillion domestic investment bill, said on Sunday he would not support the package, drawing a sharp rebuke from the White House.
MarketWatch - President Biden pledges to deliver 500 million COVID-19 rapid tests to Americans





Wall Street Journal - Booming U.S. Economy Ripples World-Wide
Surging American demand draws investment from overseas with supply chains working to keep pace and driving up prices
A booming U.S. economy is rippling around the world, leaving global supply chains struggling to keep up and pushing up prices.

The force of the American expansion is also inducing overseas companies to invest in the U.S., betting that the growth is still accelerating and will outpace other major economies.

U.S. consumers, flush with trillions of dollars of fiscal stimulus, are snapping up manufactured goods and scarce materials.

U.S. economic output is set to expand by more than 7% annualized in the final three months of the year, up from about 2% in the previous quarter, according to early output estimates published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. That compares with expected annualized growth of about 2% in the eurozone and 4% in China for the fourth quarter, according to JPMorgan Chase.

Major U.S. ports are processing almost one-fifth more container volume this year than they did in 2019, even as volumes at major European ports like Hamburg and Rotterdam are roughly flat or lag behind 2019 levels. The busiest U.S. container ports are leaping ahead of their counterparts in Asia and Europe in global rankings as volumes surge, according to shipping data provider Alphaliner.

In Europe, “durable goods consumption is showing nothing like the boom that is ongoing in the United States,” said Fabio Panetta, who sits on the European Central Bank’s six-member executive board, in a speech last month. Consumption of durable goods has surged about 45% above 2018 levels in the U.S., but is up only about 2% in the eurozone, according to ECB data.


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Vice President Harris begins speaking 3 minutes and 10 seconds before President Biden

Biden condemns Trump as a threat to democracy in speech marking one year since January 6 attack - CNNPolitics
President Joe Biden on Thursday marked the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection by forcefully calling out former President Donald Trump for attempting to undo American democracy, saying such an insurrection must never happen again.

Biden vowed to defend the nation's founding ideals from the threats posed by the violent mob that stormed the Capitol one year ago and the prevailing lies that Trump and his allies continue to repeat about the 2020 election. An animated Biden made one of the most passionate addresses of his still-young presidency as he harkened back to critical moments from the nation's past, casting the assault as a living symbol of the inflection point in American history he so often speaks about.

"For the first time in our history, a President had not just lost an election. He tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob reached the Capitol," Biden said in a speech from the US Capitol that lasted just under 30 minutes. "But they failed. They failed. And on this day of remembrance, we must make sure that such an attack never, never happens again."

In a direct shot at Trump, Biden added, "His bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our Constitution, he can't accept he lost."

Biden has typically avoided speaking directly about his predecessor since taking office, and pointedly did not say his name on Thursday -- instead making more than a dozen references to "the former President."
CNBC - Private job growth totals 807,000 in December, more than doubling expectations, ADP says


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