Trump and Biden: Democrat opposes key Cabinet pick as president apologises to G7 for predecessor

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Trump: Biden is lying or 'mentally gone’ on vaccines

Joe Biden said the world can't return to a Cold War with Russia and China and must seek ways to cooperate on global challenges like the Covid pandemic even as the two countries pose security risks to the western alliance.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Biden reaffirmed his commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization while apologizing to European leaders for the last four years under Donald Trump.

That apology came with the Biden administration returning the US to the Paris climate accord, another reversal of Trump-era policies of the past four years.

The focus on foreign policy came as the Biden administration continued to face domestic crises in its first weeks, including unprecedented winter weather that delayed 6 million doses of Covid vaccine.

While Biden toured the Pfizer vaccine manufacturing plant in Michigan, Republican senator Ted Cruz stayed out of the spotlight after coming under intense scrutiny for fleeing Texas for the warmer climes of Cancun.

Congress continued going through its motions, with Democrat Joe Manchin announcing his opposition to the nomination of Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management & Budget, Neera Tanden.

The White House has refused to withdraw her nomination, hoping instead to convince Republicans to confirm her post.

Trump himself, meanwhile, “did things that were terrible” when contradicted on the coronavirus pandemic, Dr Anthony Fauci has said in an interview.

Fauci said Trump entirely lost interest in tackling Covid-19 as it became clear he had lost November’s presidential election.

• Trump Jr defends Ted Cruz after he flew to Cancun amid Texas storm
• Why McConnell doesn’t matter when it comes to Trump and the Republican Party
• Former president ‘worried he will face lawsuits for life’
• Nikki Haley refused meeting at Mar-a-Lago

Key Points

• Return to normalcy by Christmas, maybe, says Biden
• Democrat Senator Joe Manchin opposes Biden budget pick over her ‘toxic’ tweets
• Biden rallies G7 allies on Russia, China and climate crisis following ‘strained’ Trump era
• Dr Fauci: Trump ‘did things what were terrible when I contradicted him’
• Trump ‘worried he will face lawsuits for the rest of his life'

[19 February 2021 23:45 · Justin Vallejo]

Vice President Kamala Harris is selling her $800,000 apartment in San Francisco

Vice President Kamala Harris is under contract to sell her $800,000 San Francisco apartment.

The 56-year-old signed the deal less than a month after she took office as the US’ first female, black and south asian deputy leader.

Records show that she bought the 1,069sqft condo in 2004 for $489,000, when she was serving as the first black district attorney for California, with the city’s Superior Court House a just a mile away on foot.

The one bedroom features double-height windows and a small patio and is in the upmarket area of SOMA, where neighbours include billionaire tech companies Twitter and Uber.

It was on the market for less than a week before it sold for $799,000.

Alice Hutton reports.

[20 February 2021 00:00 · Justin Vallejo]

Lindsey Graham latest Republican to 'bend the knee' to Trump in Mar-a-Lago visit

Senator Lindsey Graham will become the latest Republican lawmaker to pay a visit to Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, according to reports, as the party remains split on whether to reach out to the ex-president.

A source told CNN that Mr Graham will travel to Mar-a-Lago at the weekend to meet with Mr Trump, amid concerns that a power struggle with Mitch McConnell will damage the Republican party’s midterm election chances.

The South Carolina senator and staunch Trump ally will reportedly visit with an aim to repair a rift between Mr Trump and the Republican leader in the Senate, which has emerged in recent weeks.

Mr McConnell on Wednesday allegedly vowed to avoid “bend[ing] the knee” by paying a visit to Mar-a-Lago, as the Republican House leader, Kevin McCarthy, and House minority whip Steve Scalise have recently done.

Gino Spocchia reports.

[20 February 2021 00:07 · Justin Vallejo]

‘Say no to your kids’: Houston police chief slams Ted Cruz

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo blasted Texas Republican Senator and Houston resident Ted Cruz after he flew off to Cancun to avoid power outages and freezing temperatures in his home state.

“We’ve all made poor choices,” Mr Acevedo said while speaking to CNN, adding: “I think it’s a little tone-deaf. And sometimes you got to teach your kids the word ‘no’ and this probably would have been a good time to tell your kids ‘no, we’re blessed, but we have to wait till we get Texas on our feet’. Again, we’ve all made bad decisions sometimes. As a dad, maybe his heart got the best of him.”

Gustaf Kilander reports.