Biden press conference: President stirs controversy on border, China and Trump and vows to run in 2024
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On the 65th day of his presidency, Joe Biden held his first formal press conference since entering the White House on 20 January.
In the hour-long Q&A, Biden courted controversy on migration at the Mexico border, the US relationship with China, and the potential to face off against Trump in 2024 in a rematch that see two oldest presidential candidates in US history (Biden 82 v Trump 78).
Of the 15 presidents of the past 100 years, all but for Biden have held a press conference within 33 days of being sworn into office. Donald Trump did it 27 days in, while Barack Obama outdid Trump by a week at 20 days.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dismissed the company's role in polarising the US, blaming the "political and media environment" for promoting extremism and misinformation. His opening statement in the Senate big tech hearing came after a cutout of the Facebook boss dressed as the “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley appeared on Capitol Hill before Congress began grilling the social media platforms.
Kayleigh McEnany, former White House press secretary to Mr Trump, has meanwhile appeared on Fox News to claim Joe Biden is in “badly declining” health and is concealing his condition behind a Covid face mask, a baseless smear intended to undermine his first press conference as president, where questions on immigration, the coronavirus vaccine rollout, infrastructure and gun control are likely to be forthcoming.
His vice president, Kamala Harris, is also already facing criticism from Republicans Ted Cruz and Doug Ducey, Arizona’s governor, after being appointed to lead the country’s response to the latest surge in asylum seekers arriving at the US border with Mexico as the administration struggles to find temporary housing for hundreds of unaccompanied children.
Read more:
- ‘My predecessor! Oh God, I miss him’: Biden mocks Trump and wonders if there’ll be a Republican Party at next election
- ‘Yes, my plan is to run’: Biden announces likely 2024 re-election campaign
- Fox News under fire for wrongly saying Kamala Harris broke precedent by not saluting military
- Zuckerberg says Trump ‘should be responsible’ for role in Capitol attack
A map of all the US states that still haven’t abolished the death penalty
Virginia has become the first of the southern states to outlaw the death penalty, becoming just the 23rd to do so.
Democratic governor Ralph Northam signed the bill into law that abolishes capital punishment in the state, saying the repeal will stop a “machinery of death” that has a history of racial disparity.
However, more than half of the 50 states still carry out executions.
Greg Evans has this for Indy100.
A map of all the US states that still haven’t abolished the death penalty
Virginia has become the first of the traditional Southern states in the US to outlaw the death penalty becoming just the 23rd state to do so.
QAnon targeting Asian Americans
Maroosha Muzaffar has the latest on the opprtunistic conspiracy theory cult, which is spreading hate against minorities in the wake of last week’s tragic mass shooting in Atlanta.
QAnon targets Chinese people amid rise in anti-Asian hate crimes
QAnon targets Chinese and Jewish in ‘rebrand’ of conspiracy movement
Kayleigh McEnany claims Biden ‘badly declining’ and wears Covid mask to hide ill health
More from Trump’s erstwhile press secretary, who has been busy making wild claims about the president over on Fox as part of her new job as a pundit, implying Joe Biden is unwell, unfit for the Oval Office and concealing his condition behind a Covid face mask.
You will recall her old boss repeatedly tried to argue that the Democrat was too decrepit and senile for the presidency on the campaign trail, a smear that entirely failed to covince the voters.
“I think he’s prepared to just entirely ignore whatever is asked of him, and to pivot,” she told Fox co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy of Biden’s likely performance before the mic later today before make insinuations about his habit of wearing a mask to avoid spreading the coronavirus (which she, her old boss and many of his White House staff caught through incaution).
“I can barely understand what he’s saying with the mask on,” Campos-Duffy claimed in turn.
“I don’t know if that’s on purpose or what we talked earlier about how he hasn’t met with the Republican side, sometimes I wonder, maybe it’s something he doesn’t want to work together or pretend like he’s working together with them, maybe they just don’t want to show how badly he’s declining, I mean I can’t understand him. And there’s, there seems to be such little access, and they know that we have these questions. What else could be the reason?”
“Yeah, I think that’s a great question, Rachel. It’s a scripted presidency, it’s a soundbite presidency,” McEnany responded, utterly laughably given her own record.
“Can he do it I think is the question that that we’re all asking today is going to be a big test for President Biden his biggest yet at least when it comes to public relations.”
'Biden’s first press conference as president should be easy, thanks to the right-wing media’
In light of McEnany’s latest scurrilous attack, here’s an extremely timely piece from Andrew Feinberg for Indy Voices.
Biden’s first press conference as president should be easy, thanks to the right-wing media
What to expect from the long-awaited first conference of the 46th president
Ted Cruz hawking official Spring Break vests for $30 a piece
Ideal for the blustering conservative deserting his post and risking all to hit the beaches of Cancun in the middle of a deadly pandemic!
Honestly though, what on earth does he think that slogan means?
Boulder shooting suspect’s legal team seek hearing into his mental health
Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, the suspected culprit of the King Sooper mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado, made his first court appearance today, during which his defence team asked a judge to allow them a status hearing so they can determine the extent of their client’s mental illness. The judge granted the hearing.
Prosecutors also indicated they planned to bring additional charges against Alissa over the next two weeks. The status conference will be scheduled sometime in the next 30-90 days.
The prosecution opposed that time frame, asking for a conference within a month and a half, but were overruled by the judge.
Alissa was arrested on Monday after allegedly killing 10 people at the grocery store and having a shootout with police.
Here’s the latest.
Alleged Boulder gunman’s lawyers seek hearing into his mental health status
Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, the suspected culprit of the King Sooper mass shooting in Boulder Colorado, made his first court appearance today, during which his defense team asked a judge to allow them a status hearing so they can determine the extent of their client’s mental illness. The judge granted the hearing.
Republicans who pushed Trump’s election lies about to grill tech executives on election misinformation
This feels pretty on the money...
Here’s Chris Riotta on what to expect as GOP representatives find themselves in the extraordinary position of having to question Silicon Valley on whether it’s doing enough to supress the same dangerous untruths that they and many of their colleagues have provided a megaphone for since November’s election.
Republicans who promoted election misinformation to grill tech leaders on election misinformation
At least seven GOP lawmakers who helped push the former president’s conspiracy theories about the 2020 vote will soon meet with the leaders of major tech platforms on Capitol Hill
Biden to announce new goal of 100m vaccinations in 200 days
The president’s rapid rollout of coronavirus drugs continues apace.
Danielle Zoellner has the latest.
Biden to announce new goal of 100m vaccinations in 200 days
President Joe Biden has planned to announce a new goal of administering 200 million Covid-19 vaccines within his first 100 days of office on Thursday, a White House official told NBC News.
US passes 30 million Covid cases
Despite that last news, another grim milestone in the pandemic has been reached, underlining how much the Biden administration still has to recover from the disaster it was left with by the Trump administration.
“Whether or not we’re going to turn the corner remains to be seen,” says Dr Anthony Fauci.
Gino Spocchia has this report.
US passes 30 million Covid cases
‘Whether or not we’re going to turn the corner remains to be seen,’ says Dr Anthony Fauci of current infections
Mark Zuckerberg begins opening statement at big tech hearing
“The internet gives everyone the power to communicate, and that certainly presents challenges,” he begins.
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