Biden administration

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Roof's Lawyers: Defense 'Breakdown' Merits Death Sentence Nix

Arguments begun Tuesday to overturn SC killer's conviction

(Newser) - Before white supremacist Dylann Roof was sentenced to death for killing nine Black parishioners at a church in Charleston, SC, he told jurors to "forget" what his lawyers had said about him being mentally ill. Now, the first person sentenced to death for a federal hate crime is asking...

After Losing Bid for Budget Chief, a New Role for Tanden

Biden's former pick to lead OMB will instead serve as a senior adviser to the president

(Newser) - Neera Tanden may not have gotten the budget chief job she'd wanted, but she's now going to the White House. Officials there told NBC News on Friday that Tanden, whom Biden had originally tapped to lead the Office of Management and Budget, will instead serve as the president'...

EPA's First Climate Update Since 2016 Is Dire

'Americans are seeing and feeling the impacts up close with increasing regularity'

(Newser) - The EPA's website dedicated to climate change indicators wasn't updated once under the Trump administration. Now, it's been given a facelift —and a disturbing one at that. The US is in unprecedented territory with the effects of climate change intensifying even since 2016, according to the...

12 CIA Agents on 3 Continents Treated for 'Havana Syndrome'

That's just so far this year; total cases number more than 130: reports

(Newser) - More than 130 US personnel within the CIA, State Department, Defense Department, and other agencies have suffered ailments, including what could be permanent brain damage, as a result of mysterious incidents that began five years ago—far more than the 60 cases that have been publicly disclosed. That's according...

First Major Offshore Wind Farm Has OK

Administration approves 62 turbines off Martha's Vineyard, with many more likely

(Newser) - The Biden administration took a significant step toward expanding the use of wind power on Tuesday, approving the nation's first major offshore wind farm. The project will place 62 turbines, which can generate enough electricity to power 400,000 homes, off Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, the Washington Post...

Lyft, Uber Offer Free Rides for Shots

Biden administration cuts deal to run through July 4

(Newser) - As part of the push to administer at least one coronavirus vaccination shot to 70% of US adults by Independence Day, President Biden's administration has a plan to handle the transportation for those needing a ride. Uber and Lyft will handle the round trip for vaccine recipients through July...

Biden Rolls Back Trump's Transgender Health Care Rules

'Everyone ... should be able to access health care, free from discrimination or interference, period'

(Newser) - The US will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care, the Biden administration announced Monday, reversing a Trump-era policy that sought to narrow the scope of legal rights in sensitive situations involving medical care. The action by the Department of Health and Human Services affirms that...

After More Than 3 Years in Prison, 'Citgo 6' on House Arrest

Venezuela has partially released US oil executives in 'gesture of goodwill' to Biden administration

(Newser) - In November, six American oil executives were found guilty of corruption and given lengthy prison sentences in Venezuela, following a detention that had already stretched out for three years. Now, a bit of a reprieve for the "Citgo 6," in what the AP reports is a "gesture...

We Thought Biden Would Be Boring. Instead, He's 'Transformational'

BBC correspondent says Biden's first 100 days have been an ambitious statement of intent

(Newser) - White House press briefings are a "snoozefest" these days, says BBC correspondent Jon Sopel, who likens the transition from the Trump to Biden administrations to "going from a daily crack pipe to a small bottle of low-alcohol beer once a week"—but the Biden presidency itself has...

It's a 'Healthy Step Forward' for US, Iran

Countries to begin indirect talks on nuclear deal compliance

(Newser) - The US and Iran said Friday that they would start indirect talks with other major world powers next week to try to get both countries back into an accord limiting Iran's nuclear program. The move comes nearly three years after former President Trump pulled the US out of the...

Secretary of State Alters US Approach to Human Rights

Antony Blinken reverses some Trump administration policies

(Newser) - Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Trump administration policies Tuesday in revealing the State Department's annual report on human rights, which was drafted under the previous administration. "Some have argued that it's not worth it for the US to speak up forcefully for human rights—or that...

White House Punishes Staffers Over Past Pot Use

Daily Beast reports that dozens were fired, suspended, or made to work remotely

(Newser) - President Biden is no fan of dopers, according to a report from the Daily Beast . The outlet reports "dozens of young White House staffers" have been fired, suspended, asked to resign, or placed in a remote work program because of past marijuana use, even in states where the drug...

US Has Its Answer on North Korea Diplomacy

Americans' attempt is just a 'cheap trick,' official says

(Newser) - North Korea conceded Thursday that the US had attempted to establish contact between the two governments. The Biden administration sent emails and tried several ways to deliver telephone messages, even involving a third country. But the Americans' effort was nothing but a "cheap trick," a foreign ministry official...

Fudge Confirmed to Lead HUD in Bipartisan Vote

McConnell was among the Republicans who voted to confirm

(Newser) - The Senate confirmed Marcia Fudge to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development Wednesday, placing the longtime Ohio lawmaker in charge of the agency as Congress passed new benefits for renters and homeowners who have suffered economic losses amid the coronavirus pandemic, the AP reports. Fudge, who has represented...

In Big Setback for Biden, Neera Tanden Withdraws

She said there was 'no path forward' to confirmation as budget chief

(Newser) - A big setback for the White House: Neera Tanden, President Biden's embattled nominee for director of the Office of Management and Budget, withdrew from consideration Tuesday, saying it "now seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation." Her withdrawal means that the White House...

New York Is No Longer an 'Anarchist' City

New York City, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon, have designation rescinded

(Newser) - New York City is no longer an "anarchist" place in the eyes of the federal government after President Biden rescinded an order from his predecessor. The September order from former President Trump directed federal agencies to review grants and funds for Democratic-run cities "permitting anarchy, violence and destruction"...

US to Share Report Blaming MBS for Khashoggi Killing

UN expert says it must be released 'for the sake of American democracy'

(Newser) - Though Donald Trump played nice with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, it does not appear that President Biden will keep that up . The Biden administration plans to release on Thursday a declassified version of a 2018 intelligence report that concluded the crown prince approved and likely ordered the killing...

Senate Confirms 2 Biden Nominees
Senate Confirms
2 Biden Nominees

Senate Confirms 2 Biden Nominees

Tom Vilsack is returning to Department of Agriculture

(Newser) - President Biden's Cabinet is starting to fill out, with nominees for agriculture secretary and United Nations ambassador gaining Senate approval Tuesday. The Senate voted 78-20 to approve career diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield as UN ambassador, a Cabinet-level position. A 35-year foreign service veteran who resigned during the Trump administration, Thomas-Greenfield...

Migrants Made to 'Remain in Mexico' Will Soon Arrive in US

Biden administration rolls back Trump DHS program, will start letting asylum-seekers trickle in

(Newser) - Starting next Friday, asylum-seekers languishing south of the border will start to see a respite. Under the Trump administration, Central American migrants trying to cross into the US from Mexico were made to "Remain in Mexico"—Trump's name for the Migrant Protection Protocols program , set up in...

Biden Is Keeping Space Force
Biden Is Keeping Space Force

Biden Is Keeping Space Force

New military branch has full support of the administration, press secretary says

(Newser) - Space Force appears to be here to stay. The White House said Wednesday that President Biden—who has been dismantling much of Donald Trump's legacy—fully supports the new branch of the military. Press secretary Jen Psaki said the new administration has no plans to revisit Trump's decision...

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