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AP

White House's Jen Psaki says President Joe Biden was speaking "from his heart" when he described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal. Biden called Putin a war criminal as the atrocities in Ukraine mount. video...
But the president did not announce actions that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested in his virtual address to Congress.
By Shannon Pettypiece

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced an additional $800 million in military support for Ukraine after its president pleaded with Congress to do more to help it defend itself against the military onslaught from Russia. Speaking at the White House, Biden said the new aid package would drastically increase the amount of military support going to Ukraine to include 800 anti-aircraft systems, 9,000 anti-armor systems, 7,000 small arms like shotguns and grenade launchers, as well as drones and other military equipment. "This could be a long and difficult battle. But the American people will be steadfast in our support of the people of Ukraine in the face of Putin’s immoral, unethical attacks on civilian populations," Biden said. "We are united in our abhorrence of Putin’s depraved onslaught. And we’re going to continue to have their backs as they fight for their freedom, their democracy, their very survival." more...
By Betsy Klein, Kevin Liptak, Kaitlan Collins and Kate Sullivan, CNN

(CNN) President Joe Biden will travel to Europe next week to meet with world leaders and discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. The President will travel to Brussels, Belgium, to participate in a NATO summit on March 24 and will also join a European Council meeting, Psaki told reporters at a White House briefing. The trip, which will be one of the most closely watched visits to Europe by an American president in decades, comes weeks after Russia launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Biden will "discuss ongoing deterrence and defense efforts," during the NATO summit and reaffirm the US' commitment to its NATO allies, Psaki said. more...
Critics say party has seized on price hikes to exploit war in Ukraine for its own benefit – ‘an unconscionable act of political cowardice’
David Smith in Washington

“I’m proud to stand with my Republican and Democrat colleagues” to send help to Ukraine, Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the US House of Representatives’ foreign affairs committee, said this week. Imports of vodka will be halted in retaliation against the invasion of Ukraine. But even as they express solidarity with Joe Biden’s stance on Russia with one hand, Republicans are launching partisan attacks against the president with the other. The party has, critics say, seized on soaring US gas prices to exploit the tragedy in Ukraine for its own political benefit. Since war broke out last month Republicans have honed a message that America achieved “energy independence” under Donald Trump only for it to be squandered by Biden, whose preoccupation with the climate crisis hurt domestic production, drove fuel prices up and strengthened oil-rich rivals such as Russia. more...
By Morgan Chalfant and Rebecca Beitsch

As Russia began amassing troops on Ukraine’s border deep late last year, CIA Director Bill Burns was ready. A career ambassador, Burns spent two tours at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and is one of the Biden administration’s foremost experts on Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. President Biden in November quietly dispatched the former U.S. ambassador to Russia to try to negotiate with the Kremlin and warn them of consequences should they move forward into Ukraine. Eventually, Burns was central to the unusual decision by the administration to proactively declassify and release intelligence on Russian “false flag” operations in Ukraine as a way to disrupt Putin’s messaging and endgame. more...
Kevin Breuninger

President Joe Biden on Friday issued an executive order blocking U.S. imports of key Russian products, including vodka, and banning exports of high-end goods to Russia. The executive action bans imports from key sectors of Russia’s economy, such as seafood, alcohol and non-industrial diamonds, according to the text of the order. That action will block more than $1 billion in Russian revenues and help ensure American citizens are not “underwriting” President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, the White House said in a fact sheet. more...
Sam Meredith, Chloe Taylor, Kevin Breuninger

More cities in Ukraine have been targeted by Russian airstrikes Friday, local authorities say, in a move that suggests Moscow is expanding its attack further into the country. It comes after new satellite images appear to show that a large Russian convoy approaching Kyiv has been redeployed to towns and forests outside the city, potentially signaling a renewed push to bear down on the capital. more...
Persian Gulf monarchies have signaled they won’t help ease surging oil prices unless Washington supports them in Yemen, elsewhere
By Dion Nissenbaum , Stephen Kalin and David S. Cloud

The White House unsuccessfully tried to arrange calls between President Biden and the de facto leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as the U.S. was working to build international support for Ukraine and contain a surge in oil prices, said Middle East and U.S. officials. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the U.A.E.’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan both declined U.S. requests to speak to Mr. Biden in recent weeks, the officials said, as Saudi and Emirati officials have become more vocal in recent weeks in their criticism of American policy in the Gulf. more...
Kevin Breuninger, Thomas Franck

President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced the U.S. will ban imports of Russian oil, a major escalation in the international response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The move came as Western-allied nations work to sever Russia from the global economy to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for his unprovoked aggression. “Today I am announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy. We’re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy,” Biden said at the White House. “That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine.” “This is a step we’re taking to inflict further pain on Putin,” Biden said. more...
ZEKE MILLER, MIKE BALSAMO and JOSH BOAK

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the U.S. will ban all Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia’s economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, but he acknowledged it will bring costs to Americans, particularly at the gas pump. The action follows pleas by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to U.S. and Western officials to cut off the imports, which had been a glaring omission in the massive sanctions put in place on Russia over the invasion. Energy exports have kept a steady stream of cash flowing to Russia despite otherwise severe restrictions on its financial sector. more...
Juana Summers

In President Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress, in 2021, he pledged to root out systemic racism and to advance efforts to create a more equitable country. He said that the United States had "seen the knee of injustice on the neck of Black Americans" and declared that "now is our opportunity to make some real progress." Roughly one year later, Biden returned to Capitol Hill to again address Congress. This time, those issues were not the focus. "From a president who said that he would make race equity a linchpin of his administration, he didn't mention it," Cliff Albright, a cofounder of the group Black Voters Matter, said on a panel with other progressives who were responding to Biden's State of the Union address. more...
By Tami Luhby, CNN

(CNN) President Joe Biden tried to assuage Americans' concerns about high inflation in his State of the Union address Tuesday, while seeking to boost low ratings for how he's handled the economy. Since there's not too much a president can do unilaterally to combat inflation, Biden laid out several proposals to help families contend with rising prices. He pitched measures to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, energy and child care. He also touched on extending generous Affordable Care Act subsidies, providing more affordable housing, creating a universal pre-K program and expanding long-term care. "My plan to fight inflation will lower your costs and lower the deficit," said Biden. more...
From CNN's Kevin Liptak and Betsy Klein

US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he believes Russia is intentionally targeting civilians in Ukraine but declined to say whether he believed war crimes were being committed. “It’s clear they are” targeting civilians, Biden said. Asked if he believed Russia is committing war crimes, Biden said, “We are following it very closely. It’s too early to say that.” more...
Gabriela Miranda USA TODAY

President Joe Biden earned some bipartisan applause for declaring "fund the police" during his State of the Union address Tuesday night but got mixed reactions from activists and politicians. "Let’s not abandon our streets. Or choose between safety and equal justice," Biden said. "We should all agree: The answer is not to defund the police. The answer is to fund the police. Fund them with resources and training they need to protect our communities." more...
Andrew Romano·West Coast Correspondent

As President Biden prepares to deliver his first State of the Union address Tuesday night, a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that a combination of Republican rancor and Democratic disappointment has left his approval rating languishing near an all-time low after a tumultuous first year in office. The survey of 1,532 U.S. adults, which was conducted online from Feb. 24 to 27, found that just 41 percent of them now approve of how Biden is handling his job — a number that has hovered between 38 and 42 percent since December — while a majority (53 percent) disapprove. more...
By Maegan Vazquez, Donald Judd and Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) When President Joe Biden discusses the state of the US economy during Tuesday night's State of the Union address, he will focus on a new plan to lower costs for American families and his administration's efforts in the labor market's recovery, senior administration officials told reporters on a call previewing the remarks. While he'll tout economic gains over the past year, Biden will underscore there is "more work" to do toward lowering costs -- a reflection that despite a strong recovery, many Americans are still pessimistic about the economy. more...
Amanda Macias, Thomas Franck

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced additional sanctions against Russia’s central bank on Monday, a move that effectively prohibits Americans from doing any business with the bank as well as freezes its assets within the United States. The new measures will also target the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to share Washington’s thinking, said the new sanctions will take effect immediately. more...
The president further described “complete unanimity” within NATO as the U.S. and its allies levied harsh sanctions on Russia and increasingly stepped up aid to Ukraine.
By Maeve Sheehey

President Joe Biden said his goal “from the very beginning” was to keep America’s allies on the same page, as Russian leader Vladimir Putin believed he could “split NATO” and proceed with his invasion of Ukraine without encountering much in the way of international resolve or resistance. Instead, Putin is “producing the exact opposite effect that he intended,” Biden said in an interview released Saturday with political host Brian Tyler Cohen. The president further described “complete unanimity” as the U.S. and its allies levied harsh sanctions on Russia and increasingly stepped up aid to Ukraine as Putin’s invasion entered its third day. more...
Presidential Actions

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, hereby expand the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660 of March 6, 2014, and expanded by Executive Order 13661 of March 16, 2014, and Executive Order 13662 of March 20, 2014, and relied on for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13685 of December 19, 2014, and Executive Order 13849 of September 20, 2018, finding that the Russian Federation’s purported recognition of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) or Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) regions of Ukraine contradicts Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements and further threatens the peace, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and thereby constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.  Accordingly, I hereby order: more...
By Kaitlan Collins, Phil Mattingly, Kevin Liptak and Donald Judd, CNN

CNN — The White House, along with the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada, announced Saturday evening that they would expel certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the high-security network that connects thousands of financial institutions around the world, pledging to “collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.” “This will ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial system and harm their ability to operate globally,” they wrote in a joint statement released by the White House, also pledging “restrictive measures that will prevent the Russian Central Bank from deploying its international reserves in ways that undermine the impact of our sanctions,” and restricting the sale of “golden passports” that allow Russian oligarchs to avoid the brunt of sanctions already levied. more...
Biden responds to erratic Trump statements praising Putin
John Bowden

Joe Biden finally responded in an interview on Saturday after his predecessor made a handful of remarks praising Russia’s Vladimir Putin for his strategy regarding the invasion of Ukraine. In the interview, which looked to have been recorded some time during the week following Russia’s invasion late Wednesday night, the US president was asked to respond to Donald Trump’s statement referring to Mr Putin’s plan to send so-called “peacekeeping” forces into the Donbas a “genius” move. The troop deployment immediately preceded the full-scale invasion of the rest of Ukraine’s territory. "I put as much stock in Trump saying that Putin's a genius as I do when he called himself a stable genius,” Mr Biden responded. more...
By Jake Tapper and Ariane de Vogue, CNN

(CNN) President Joe Biden has selected Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee to the Supreme Court, according to a source who has been notified about the decision, setting in motion a historic confirmation process for the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in the nation. Jackson, 51, currently sits on DC's federal appellate court and had been considered the front-runner for the vacancy since Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement. She received and accepted Biden's offer in a call Thursday night, a source familiar with the decision told CNN. Jackson clerked for Breyer and served as a federal public defender in Washington -- an experience that her backers say is fitting, given Biden's commitment to putting more public defenders on the federal bench. She was also a commissioner on the US Sentencing Commission and served on the federal district court in DC, as an appointee of President Barack Obama, before Biden elevated her to the DC Circuit last year. more...
By Kevin Liptak, CNN

Washington (CNN) President Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled harsh new sanctions on Russia meant to punish the country for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, calling out Russian President Vladimir Putin for his aggression even as he acknowledged it would take time for the new measures to alter Putin's behavior. "Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences," Biden said, laying out a set of measures that will "impose severe cost on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time." The new sanctions include export blocks on technology, a centerpiece of Biden's approach that he said would severely limit Russia's ability to advance its military and aerospace sector. He also applied sanctions on Russian banks and "corrupt billionaires" and their families who are close to the Kremlin. The targets were not limited to Russia. The US also went after individuals in Belarus, including the country's defense minister, for that country's role in facilitating the Russian attack. more...
The options presented include disrupting the internet across Russia, shutting off power and stopping trains in their tracks.
By Ken Dilanian and Courtney Kube

President Joe Biden has been presented with a menu of options for the U.S. to carry out massive cyberattacks designed to disrupt Russia’s ability to sustain its military operations in Ukraine, four people familiar with the deliberations tell NBC News. Two U.S. intelligence officials, one Western intelligence official and another person briefed on the matter say no final decisions have been made, but they say U.S. intelligence and military cyber warriors are proposing the use of American cyberweapons on a scale never before contemplated. Among the options: disrupting internet connectivity across Russia, shutting off electric power, and tampering with railroad switches to hamper Russia’s ability to resupply its forces, three of the sources said. “You could do everything from slow the trains down to have them fall off the tracks,” one person briefed on the matter said. more...
The White House and allies believe the Republican disagreements over Ukraine have given them some political wiggle room.
By Christopher Cadelago

When he ran for president in 2020, Joe Biden structured his foreign policy doctrine on two major themes: that democracies must triumph over autocracies and that he would restore the world order turned on its head by Donald Trump. More than a year later, these two pillars are under the most intense assault to date amid Russia’s invasion of its neighbor Ukraine. It is a precarious moment for Biden, who will be judged on how he steers the country through the remilitarization of Europe, which is bone-chillingly reminiscent of the Cold War. And it’s one that could either further upend or begin to help stabilize his political standing back home. more...
By Kevin Liptak, CNN

Washington CNN — President Joe Biden, vowing the world will “hold Russia accountable” for the attack underway in Ukraine, will spell out a set of sanctions on Thursday once meant to deter such an assault. Set to address the nation Thursday afternoon, Biden is expected to unveil new measures that could cut off Russia from advanced technology, announce new restrictions on large financial institutions and slap sanctions on additional members of the inner circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin. more...
Alana Wise

Former President Donald Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin's moves in Ukraine, calling him "savvy," after the Kremlin recognized the independence of two breakaway, Russian separatist-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine. "I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, 'This is genius.' Putin declares a big portion ... of Ukraine, Putin declares it as independent," Trump said in an interview Tuesday on the conservative Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show. The former president was referencing two rebel-controlled territories, Luhansk and Donetsk, which make up a larger region called Donbas that borders Russia. The two territories have been led by pro-Russia separatists for nearly a decade. more...
Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN

(CNN) It took only 24 hours for Donald Trump to hail Russian President Vladimir Putin's dismembering of independent, democratic, sovereign Ukraine as an act of "genius." The former President often accuses his enemies falsely of treason, but his own giddy rush to side with a foreign leader who is proving to be an enemy of the United States and the West is shocking even by Trump's self-serving standards. As President Joe Biden reprises the fabled presidential role of leading the free world, the predecessor who wants to succeed him is showing Putin that impunity, dictator-coddling and hero worship will return if he wins back the White House. Trump's remarks on a conservative radio show on Tuesday will not only find a warm welcome in the Kremlin. They also will concern allies standing alongside the US against Russia who fear for NATO's future if Trump returns. more...
Associated Press

The East-West faceoff over Ukraine escalated dramatically Tuesday, with Russian lawmakers authorizing President Vladimir Putin to use military force outside his country and President Joe Biden and European leaders responding by slapping sanctions on Russian oligarchs and banks.

Both leaders signaled that an even bigger confrontation could lie ahead. Putin has yet to unleash the force of the 150,000 troops massed on three sides of Ukraine, while Biden held back on the toughest sanctions that could cause economic turmoil for Russia but said they would go ahead if there is further aggression. more...
By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will issue an executive order soon that will prohibit economic activity between U.S. individuals and the two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized as independent entities on Monday, the White House said. Putin's recognition of the rebel-held areas could pave the way for Moscow to send military forces into the two regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - and argue that it is intervening as an ally to protect them against Ukraine. read more...
The president has rejected former President Donald Trump's assertion that those records are subject to executive privilege.
By Peter Alexander and Rebecca Shabad

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has directed the National Archives to send White House visitor logs from the Trump administration to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Former President Donald Trump was trying to block the release of the records, but White House counsel Dana Remus said in a letter to National Archivist David Ferriero on Tuesday that the president rejects Trump's claim that the visitor logs from his time in office are subject to executive privilege. Remus said the records agency should hand over the documents in just over two weeks "in light of the urgency" of the committee's investigation. more...
The Trump program allows private companies to participate in Medicare as part of a broader health department effort to improve care while limiting the government's costs.
By Rachael Levy and Adam Cancryn

The Biden administration is debating whether to overhaul a major Trump-era program tied to Medicare as soon as this week in the face of rising pressure from prominent progressive Democrats, more than a half-dozen people familiar with the matter told POLITICO. The Trump program — known as a direct contracting model — allows private companies to participate in Medicare as part of a broader health department effort to improve care while limiting the government’s costs. Yet the initiative has since come under increased scrutiny from the left, setting up a clash between the administration and liberals like Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Pramila Jayapal , who warn that Biden is smoothing a path to privatizing Medicare by keeping it intact. Warren, during a finance committee hearing earlier this month, blasted the direct contracting model for attracting “corporate vultures hoping to feed on Medicare” — remarks that two people familiar with the matter said caught the attention of the White House and hastened a reevaluation of the policy. The program aims to allow medical providers to get paid more if they keep patients healthier and reduce overall costs to Medicare. more...
President Joe Biden speaks while providing an update on Russia and Ukraine in the East Room of the White Julian Borger

Joe Biden’s speech sounded like a closing argument, one that had been honed for some time and one that suggested expectations are still high in the White House that Russia will take military action. Biden briefly nodded to Moscow’s claims to be withdrawing before abruptly contradicting them, raising the US estimate of the number of troops surrounding Ukraine to 150,000 in a “threatening position”. It was the sort of speech normally delivered on the eve of momentous action, usually military action, to prepare expectations of the population. Biden addressed the American people directly, telling them he was not going to “pretend this will be painless” and that they would feel it at the petrol pump. He promised his administration would do what it could to alleviate that. more...
Kim Hjelmgaard, Maureen Groppe, Josh Meyer and Courtney Subramanian | USA TODAY

President Joe Biden delivered his first comments about the situation in Ukraine directly to the American people on Tuesday. Biden spoke from the East Room of the White House during a day of continued negotiations and developments over the pending crisis. “We are ready with diplomacy,” Biden said. “And we are ready to respond decisively to a Russian attack on Ukraine, which is still very much a possibility.” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is ready for talks with the U.S. and NATO on limits for missile deployments and military transparency, a second signal Tuesday of a potential tension release in the conflict between Russia and the West over Ukraine. more...
By Caroline Linton

Dr. Eric Lander, a top science adviser to President Biden, resigned Monday night. His resignation comes hours after White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed he had been investigated over a complaint that he mistreated staff. Politico reported on Sunday that an internal White House investigation found that Lander, a Cabinet member, had bullied and demeaned his then-general counsel, Rachel Wallace. Politico reported that a White House investigation had found "credible evidence" that Lander had spoken "harshly and disrespectfully to colleagues in front of other colleagues." "I am devastated that I caused hurt to past and present colleagues by the way in which I have spoken to them," Lander wrote in his resignation letter, adding, "But it is clear that things I said, and the way I said them, crossed the line at times into being disrespectful and demeaning, to both men and women. That was never my intention. Nonetheless, it is my fault and my responsibility. I will take this lesson forward. I believe it is not possible to continue effectively in my role, and the work of this office is far too important to be hindered." more...
Fourteen current and former Office of Science and Technology Policy staffers who worked under Eric Lander described a toxic work environment.
By Alex Thompson

President Joe Biden’s top science adviser, Eric Lander, bullied and demeaned his subordinates and violated the White House’s workplace policy, an internal White House investigation recently concluded, according to interviews and an audio recording obtained by POLITICO. The two-month investigation found “credible evidence” that Lander — a Cabinet member and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy who the White House touts as a key player in the pandemic response — was “bullying” toward his then-general counsel, Rachel Wallace, according to a recorded January briefing on the investigation’s findings. Christian Peele, the White House’s deputy director of management and administration for personnel, said that the investigation also concluded that there was “credible evidence of disrespectful interactions with staff by Dr. Lander and OSTP leadership,” according to the roughly 20-minute briefing, which included a representative of the White House Counsel’s office. more...
By Paradise Afshar and Dakin Andone, CNN

(CNN) A snow-covered bridge in Pittsburgh collapsed Friday morning, just hours before President Joe Biden was expected to visit the city on a previously scheduled trip to discuss infrastructure. No fatalities have been reported, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said in a news conference at the scene. There had been 10 "minor injuries," Fire Chief Darryl Jones said, and three people were transported from the scene. None of the injuries were life-threatening, he said. Four vehicles were on the bridge when it fell, Jones said. Teams are still performing reconnaissance to ensure no one was under the bridge when it collapsed, he said. more...
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By Kathryn Watson

Washington — President Biden praised retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer at the White House on Thursday, and said he plans to announce his nominee to fill Breyer's seat before the end of February. The president also reiterated his commitment to nominating a Black woman to the nation's highest court. Mr. Biden and Breyer appeared together Thursday, one day after news emerged that Breyer plans to step down after nearly 28 years on the Supreme Court. The president praised Breyer for his intellect, legal insight, work ethic, optimism and patriotism. more...
The liberal justice’s decision to retire after more than 27 years on the court allows President Joe Biden to appoint a successor who could serve for several decades.
By Pete Williams

WASHINGTON — Justice Stephen Breyer will step down from the Supreme Court at the end of the current term, according to people familiar with his thinking. Breyer is one of the three remaining liberal justices, and his decision to retire after more than 27 years on the court allows President Joe Biden to appoint a successor who could serve for several decades and, in the short term, maintain the current 6-3 split between conservative and liberal justices. At 83, Breyer is the court's oldest member. Liberal activists have urged him for months to retire while Democrats hold both the White House and the Senate — a position that could change after the midterm elections in November. They contended that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stayed too long despite her history of health problems and should have stepped down during the Obama administration. more...
By Maegan Vazquez, CNN

(CNN) President Joe Biden was heard calling a reporter from the Fox channel a "stupid son of a bitch" on a hot microphone following a White House event Monday afternoon. The President's profane remark came as reporters were shouting questions while exiting the East Room following a White House Competition Council meeting on efforts to lower prices. Fox White House Correspondent Peter Doocy asked Biden, "Would you take a question on inflation ... ? Do you think inflation is a political liability in the midterms?" "It's a great asset -- more inflation," Biden deadpanned. "What a stupid son of a bitch." Doocy said on Fox later Monday that he asked Biden about inflation because the President, when asked about Russia and Ukraine, said he wouldn't take any questions that were off-topic. more...
New Day

The total number of false claims uttered by President Joe Biden in his first year in office is in the dozens compared to then-President Donald Trump, who delivered well over 1,000 total false claims in his own first year and more than 3,000 the next year. CNN's Daniel Dale reports. more...
By Maegan Vazquez, Kate Sullivan and Betsy Klein, CNN

(CNN) President Joe Biden took the oath of office a year ago with the country facing challenges not seen in generations. On top of a once-in-a-century pandemic, the new President inherited an economy that had crumbled as Covid-19 cases rose and a nation so divided that his predecessors supporters had stormed the US Capitol two weeks prior in a bid to stop his ascent. Still, expectations for Biden were sky high among Democrats after Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock won run-off elections in Georgia to become the Peach State's senators and flip the chamber to the Democrats, giving the Democrats control of Congress by the narrowest of margins. Over the last year, Biden managed to get some of his top priorities passed through Congress but remains stymied on others, leaving him with less than a year to work with Democrats to pass his legislative agenda before the next Congress is sworn-in following the 2022 midterm elections. more...
By Kathryn Watson

President Biden met Thursday afternoon with Senate Democrats, saying "as long as I'm in the White House ... I'm going to be fighting for these bills," hours after Senator Kyrsten Sinema, one of two Senate Democrats known to oppose changes to Senate rules, said Thursday on the Senate floor that she will not change her position. Her remarks come moments ahead of Mr. Biden's lunchtime meeting with Senate Democrats in which he encouraged lawmakers to overhaul Senate rules to allow the voting bills to pass with a simple majority, rather than 60 votes. Following that meeting, the president told reporters he hopes they can pass the legislation but he's "not certain" they can. more...
From CNN's Ariane de Vogue

The Supreme Court blocked President Biden’s vaccine or testing requirement aimed at large businesses, but it allowed a vaccine mandate for certain health care workers to go into effect nationwide. On Friday, the court heard arguments for almost four hours as the number of infections is soaring and 40 million adults in the US are still declining to get vaccinated. The three liberal justices on the court expressed clear approval for the administration's rules in both areas. more...
By Suzanne Malveaux and Chandelis Duster, CNN

Atlanta (CNN) Civil rights leaders were pleased with President Joe Biden's call on Tuesday to change Senate filibuster rules to pass voting rights legislation, but insist they will not be satisfied until a bill is passed. "We are tired of (Biden) being quiet," Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, told CNN at Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth home in Atlanta, where he and others at the forefront of the voting rights fight gathered following the President's speech. Civil rights leaders have urged Biden to take action on two voting rights bills that have stalled in the Senate, while Republican-led states have moved to enact restrictive voting laws that have raised the stakes. But Democrats don't have the votes to pass either bill without changing the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to end debate on legislation. And, as of now, they don't have the votes in their own party to change those rules to push through voting overhauls. more...
By Maegan Vazquez, Jeremy Diamond and Kate Sullivan, CNN

(CNN) President Joe Biden is traveling to Atlanta on Tuesday to deliver a major speech on voting rights, looking to turn up the heat on reluctant senators as Democrats face pressure to pass two pieces of pending legislation opposed by nearly all Republicans on Capitol Hill. Biden will travel to Georgia alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he appointed to lead the administration's work on voting rights. While in Atlanta, the pair will also lay a wreath at the crypt of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, and visit Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, according to the White House. Changing the filibuster rules in the Senate, which require 60 votes to end debate on legislation, is set to be a major focus of the day -- and Biden's address specifically. more...
Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large

(CNN) "You can't love your country only when you win." That's President Joe Biden during a speech he gave Thursday morning to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the US Capitol riot. It's not only a memorable line -- it's likely to be the one that gets repeated the most today and in the days to come -- but also a hugely important one if we hope to fully come to grips with what happened last January 6 and everything that led to that moment. At the heart of the line is the idea of patriotism. Remember that Donald Trump ran for president in 2016 expressly on the idea of putting "America first." The idea that animated both his campaign and his four years in the White House was that the United States was exceptional in the world and that, for too long, American leaders had been afraid to loudly and proudly proclaim that fact, choosing instead to make America subservient to lesser countries around the world. "The future doesn't belong to globalists," Trump said in a 2019 foreign policy speech at the United Nations. "The future belongs to patriots." more...
By Maegan Vazquez, Clare Foran and Kate Sullivan, CNN

(CNN) 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."  more...
"He can't accept he lost," the president said without mentioning his predecessor in a speech at the Capitol.
By Lauren Egan

WASHINGTON — In one of the most forceful speeches of his political career, President Joe Biden took sharp aim at former President Donald Trump on Thursday, accusing him of inciting the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol last year with a “web of lies” about the 2020 election because he could not accept his legitimate defeat. Speaking from Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol on the anniversary of that riot, Biden said the former president and his followers had "held a dagger at the throat of democracy."

"They didn't come here out of patriotism or principle. They came here in rage,” Biden said. He refuted the lies that Trump and other Republicans have spread about the 2020 election, bluntly criticizing his predecessor without ever mentioning his name. "We must be absolutely clear about what is true and what is a lie," Biden said. "A former president of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. He's done so because he values power over principle, because he sees his own interest as more important than his country's interest and America's interest." more...
By Jarrett Renshaw

WILMINGTON, Del./MOSCOW, Dec 30 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke for nearly an hour on Thursday as rising tensions over Ukraine provided the backdrop for the leaders' second conversation this month. The call, which was requested by Putin, began at 3:35 p.m. Eastern time (2035 GMT) and ended 50 minutes later, according to U.S. officials. more...
By Natasha Bertrand

(CNN) President Joe Biden will hold a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday afternoon "to discuss a range of topics, including upcoming diplomatic engagements with Russia," National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne told CNN. The call was requested by Putin, according to an administration official, and Biden accepted because "he believes when it comes to Russia there is no substitute for direct leader-leader dialogue." Horne added that "the Biden Administration continues to engage in extensive diplomacy with our European Allies and partners, consulting and coordinating on a common approach in response to Russia's military build-up on the border with Ukraine. President Biden has spoken with leaders across Europe, and Biden Administration officials have engaged multilaterally with (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), the (European Union), and the (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe). They have also held numerous consultations with counterparts, including those from eastern flank countries bilaterally and in the (Bucharest Nine) format as well as Ukraine." more...
David Edwards

Jared Schmeck, a father who became known for slurring President Joe Biden in a telephone call, announced on Monday that he believes that the 2020 election was "stolen" from Donald Trump. Schmeck made headlines over the Christmas holiday when he used the "Let's Go Brandon" slur on a Santa-themed telephone call with Biden. The phrase "Let's Go Brandon" has been used by Trump fans as a substitute for "F--k Joe Biden." On Monday, Schmeck donned a "Make America Great Again" hat and appeared on Steve Bannon's War Room podcast. "Let's Go Brandon -- and I've said it in other articles -- I am a Christian man," Schmeck explained. "For me, it's God first and foremost. I don't follow any one man blindly." more...
"I think it was a terrific thing, and I think it makes a lot of people happy."
By Adam Barnes

President Biden’s praise for the previous administration’s efforts in rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine “surprised” former President Trump, the 45th president said Tuesday. “Thanks to the prior administration and our scientific community, America was one of the first countries to get the vaccine,” Biden said in remarks from the White House in an update on the U.S. coronavirus strategy. “Thanks to my administration and the hard work of Americans, we led a rollout that made America among the world leaders in getting shots in arms,” he added, referring to the Trump administration’s COVID-19 vaccine effort dubbed “Operation Warp Speed.” more...
By Maegan Vazquez, Kate Sullivan, Betsy Klein and Nikki Carvajal, CNN

(CNN) President Joe Biden traveled to Kentucky on Wednesday in the wake of deadly tornadoes and severe storms that devastated the area, announcing that the federal government would cover 100% of costs of emergency work for the first 30 days after the extreme weather event. "You know, the scope and scale of this destruction is almost beyond belief. ... These tornadoes devoured everything in their path," Biden said during remarks in Dawson Springs, Kentucky, amid the wreckage of a neighborhood devastated by a tornado. He later added that he's been "involved in responding to a lot of disasters" and that survivors are looking for a moment to breathe. more...
By Clare Foran, Manu Raju and Phil Mattingly, CNN

(CNN) Senate Democrats are expected to punt consideration of the cornerstone element of President Joe Biden's agenda into next year after private conversations between Biden and the key Democratic holdout made clear the bill would not have the votes to pass this month. Critical talks between Biden and West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin, the Senate's most important swing vote, over how to pass a $1.75 trillion economic and climate package remain far from any resolution on a series of issues, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions. The impasse, even as talks are expected to continue, marks the clearest sign yet that Democrats will be forced to delay a Senate vote until at least 2022 despite an effort by leadership to approve the bill before Christmas. more...
By Maegan Vazquez, CNN

Washington (CNN) The White House says President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the United States is prepared to launch strong economic measures should Russia invade Ukraine -- signaling that these new measures would pack a bigger punch than the sanctions issued in 2014 that failed to stop Russia from occupying Crimea. "I will look you in the eye and tell you, as President Biden looked Putin in the eye and told him today, that things we did not do in 2014 we are prepared to do now," national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday afternoon after Biden's call with Putin. more...

Over the last 18 months, the COVID-19 pandemic forced an unprecedented global economic shutdown. As the world is re-opening from a near economic standstill, countries across the globe are grappling with the challenges that arise as consumer demand for goods outpaces supply. But here in the United States, the economic recovery is stronger and faster than anywhere else in the world – according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the US is the only one of the major economies to have returned to pre-pandemic gross domestic product levels – in large part due to President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, which funded and facilitated a nationwide vaccination program, provided resources to schools and small businesses to keep them open in the face of COVID waves and put money in the pockets of those hit hardest by the pandemic. As a result of the strong recovery in the United States, Americans have nearly $100 more per month in disposable income in their pockets this year, even as COVID has continued to complicate the economic recovery around the world. more...
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