Biden administration

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US Changes Status of WNBA Star's Detention

White House deems Brittney Griner wrongfully detained in Russia

(Newser) - The Biden administration has determined that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained in Russia and will aggressively work to secure her release, two US officials told the AP , speaking on the condition of anonymity. The new classification means her case will be handled by the US Special Presidential...

Don't Expect a Huge Number on Biden's Student Loan Salve

President still considering 'some debt reduction,' but not the $50K-per-borrower some Dems want

(Newser) - Reducing, or outright eliminating, debt for the 43 million people who've borrowed money via federal student loans has long been a top priority on progressives' wish list. And President Biden is seriously considering "some debt reduction," he announced this week, though advocates shouldn't get their hopes...

Russia, US Complete Drawn-Out Prisoner Swap

Biden administration exchanges Konstantin Yaroshenko for Trevor Reed

(Newser) - The Biden administration has just seen its highest-profile release of an American deemed wrongly detained abroad—courtesy of Russia. Russia and the US carried out a dramatic prisoner exchange on Wednesday, trading a Marine veteran jailed in Moscow for a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a long prison sentence in...

Americans Can Sponsor Ukrainian Refugees

US government unveils new program

(Newser) - Americans can now sign up to be prospective sponsors of specific Ukrainians looking to come to the US. Border officials have admitted 15,000 Ukrainians without valid travel documents in the past three months, with most of those entering through the US-Mexico border "after multi-flight trips from Eastern Europe,...

Biden to End Summer Ban on 15% Ethanol Gas

New strategy to lower gas prices to be announced Tuesday

(Newser) - President Biden on Tuesday will announce plans to allow the sale of gasoline containing 15% ethanol this summer in a bid to further lower prices at the pump , according to reports. Most gasoline sold contains up to 10% ethanol. The 15% ethanol blend, E15, costs 10 cents less per gallon...

US Plans to Welcome 100K Ukrainian Refugees

Programs will focus on those with family already in the US

(Newser) - More than 3.6 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began a month ago, and the White House says the US will do its part to welcome refugees and assist those who remain in Europe. In a statement Thursday morning, the White House said the US is...

White House Orders Dr. Oz to Quit Presidential Panel

Herschel Walker has also been asked to step down from advisory committee

(Newser) - The White House is trying to remove two Republican Senate candidates from a presidential advisory panel, but at least one of them has no intention of going quietly. Dr. Mehmet Oz and former NFL star Herschel Walker were told in emails Wednesday that they would be "terminated" if they...

WH Officials: There's No Money for 4th Doses for All

...unless Congress approves $15B in emergency funding for COVID response

(Newser) - If you're 65 and older and awaiting your second COVID booster shot, or have kids under 5 who you hope can soon receive their initial vaccine, administration officials tell the Washington Post there are enough doses at the ready for when those approvals come in. For everyone else, though,...

House to Slow, if Not Stop, Daylight Saving Time Bill

Lawmakers say they aren't in the rush the Senate was

(Newser) - Time might stand still for the legislation to make daylight saving time permanent. The bill sailed through the Senate last week, but House members are less sure about it, the Hill reports. Several lawmakers of both parties said that they'd like to see more research on the issue or...

We Could Get a &#39;Gas Tax Holiday&#39;
We Could Get
a 'Gas Tax Holiday'
THE RUNDOWN
Mar 10, 2022 12:38 PM CST

We Could Get a 'Gas Tax Holiday'

Lawmakers are pushing the idea to ease the pain at the pumps

(Newser) - With gas prices at their highest in years—an average of $4.318 per gallon in the US as of Thursday—and expected to climb higher , some lawmakers are calling on President Biden to back the suspension of a federal gas tax to ease the financial burden. A federal "...

White House Details Plan for Life With COVID

Approach includes familiar preventive tools and efforts to catch new variants quickly

(Newser) - White House officials detailed their approach to the next, less disruptive stage of life with COVID, in which Americans would mostly return to their pre-pandemic routines. But precautions and vigilance still will be required, CNN reports. "Vaccines, treatments, tests, masks—these tools are how we continue to protect people...

Joe Biden's Worst Mistake May Be Unfolding Right Now

Ezra Klein is referring to starving Afghans

(Newser) - The worst mistake of the Biden administration might end up being Afghanistan, writes Ezra Klein in the New York Times . And no, he's not referring to the chaotic withdrawal of US troops. He's talking about what has unfolded since, what's unfolding now, and what will continue to...

Students Misled by Universities Will Have Loans Canceled

Biden administration grants relief to those who claimed fraud by for-profit schools

(Newser) - The Biden administration on Wednesday announced it will cancel more than $70 million in student debt for borrowers who say they were defrauded by the for-profit DeVry University— the first time the Education Department has approved such claims for an institution that’s still in operation. At least 1,800...

US Tries to Disrupt Russia With Intelligence Dumps

Releases about Putin's plans could buy time before any invasion

(Newser) - In a strategy the US hasn't used on this scale since the Cuban missile crisis, the Biden administration is trying to disrupt President Vladimir Putin's planning in the Ukraine impasse by regularly releasing classified information showing what Russia's doing. The releases have covered troop movements, a purported...

Jan. 6 Panel Will Be Given Pence Records

Trump is told executive privilege doesn't prevent release

(Newser) - The National Archives will release records from former Vice President Mike Pence to the House committee investigating the attack on the Capitol. White House counsel Dana Remus delivered the instruction in a letter Tuesday, the Hill reports. Former President Donald Trump had written Jan. 18 to oppose the release, saying...

As Kabul Fell, a Last-Minute Scramble to Evacuate: Report

Critics question whether better planning from the Biden administration could have saved lives

(Newser) - The Biden administration was working out crucial details of the civilian evacuation from Kabul even as the Taliban descended on the Afghan city, according to a document obtained by Axios . The National Security Council's summary notes from the Aug. 14 meeting of the Deputies Small Group—chaired by Homeland...

Ted Cruz: Biden&#39;s Court Plan Is &#39;Offensive&#39;
Ted Cruz Enters the Fray
Over Supreme Court Pick
the rundown
Feb 1, 2022 11:08 AM CST

Ted Cruz Enters the Fray Over Supreme Court Pick

Senator calls Biden's plan to limit candidates to Black females 'offensive,' an 'insult'

(Newser) - The general consensus in DC is that President Biden will be able to get his nominee on the Supreme Court without the usual scorched-earth fight of recent confirmations. But even if that proves to be the case, some political fireworks are inevitable. The Hill , for example, expects Republican Sens. Ted...

Record Numbers Enroll in ObamaCare

14.5M Americans signed up

(Newser) - Some 14.5 million Americans who lack job-based health coverage signed up for 2022 coverage under the Affordable Care Act—a record—according to the latest figures. They're not quite final, with the number expected to climb, per the Washington Post . The current tally includes 10 million people from...

Bounce Back for US Economy in 2021 Was a Major One

Nation's GDP saw strongest calendar-year growth since the Reagan years

(Newser) - The US economy grew last year at the fastest pace since Ronald Reagan's presidency, bouncing back with resilience from 2020's brief but devastating coronavirus recession. The nation's gross domestic product—its total output of goods and services—expanded 5.7% in 2021. It was the strongest calendar-year...

Biden Graded Worse Than Trump in First Year
Biden Graded Worse
Than Trump in First Year
THE RUNDOWN
Jan 19, 2022 12:35 PM CST

Biden Graded Worse Than Trump in First Year

Polls aren't kind to commander in chief, whose approval rating sits at 40%

(Newser) - Wrapping up his first year in office, President Biden is "undeniably weaker than [when] he began it, with his poll numbers having plummeted and his party in danger of being swept out of power on Capitol Hill," reports Politico . A look at the victories, the failures, the challenges...

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