Author: Zeke Miller
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Biden pushes ‘ultra-MAGA’ label on GOP as he tries to defend record
WASHINGTON • President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned voters unhappy with soaring inflation and his stalled domestic agenda against turning power over to “ultra-MAGA” Republicans in the midterm elections as he increasingly tries to cast former President Donald Trump and his adherents as a political foil. Speaking at the White House less than six months…
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Biden seeks $33B for Ukraine, signaling long-term commitment
WASHINGTON • President Joe Biden asked Congress on Thursday for $33 billion to bolster Ukraine’s fight against Russia, signaling a burgeoning and long-haul American commitment as Moscow’s invasion and the international tensions it has inflamed show no signs of receding. The package has about $20 billion in defense spending for Ukraine and U.S. allies in…
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Harris positive for COVID-19, Biden not ‘close contact’
WASHINGTON • Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, the White House announced, underscoring the persistence of the highly contagious virus even as the U.S. eases restrictions in a bid to return to pre-pandemic normalcy. Harris press secretary Kirsten Allen said neither President Joe Biden nor first lady Jill Biden was considered…
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DOJ to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
WASHINGTON • The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday. The notice came minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the Justice Department to appeal the decision handed down by…
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Thinking small: Biden scrounges for ways to break through
WASHINGTON • With his sweeping domestic agenda on hold and images of horror in Ukraine dominating headlines, President Joe Biden is scrounging for ways to demonstrate that he’s still making progress for Americans at a time when many feel the country is heading in the wrong direction. Six months out from the midterm elections, Biden’s…
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White House to extend student loan pause through August
WASHINGTON • The Biden administration plans to freeze federal student loan payments through Aug. 31, extending a moratorium that has allowed millions of Americans to postpone payments during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an administration official familiar with the White House’s decision-making. Student loan payments were scheduled to resume May 1 after being halted since…
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Biden-Obama: White House reunion to celebrate health law
WASHINGTON • The last time President Barack Obama was in the White House was on Jan. 20, 2017, when he left to escort his successor — bent on overturning “Obamacare” — to the Capitol to be inaugurated. Obama returned to the White House on Tuesday for a moment he can savor. His signature Affordable Care…
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U.S. says North Korea testing new ICBMs
WASHINGTON • The Biden administration says two North Korean missile launches in recent weeks were test firings of a powerful new long-range ICBM and warned Thursday that a full-range test could soon follow. The tests were of a missile reportedly larger than an ICBM North Korea launched in 2017 that was assessed to be capable…
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New Biden pandemic plan: Closer to normal for the nation
WASHINGTON • It’s time for America to stop letting the coronavirus “dictate how we live,” President Joe Biden’s White House declared Wednesday, outlining a strategy to allow people to return to many normal activities safely after two years of pandemic disruptions. One highlight is a new “test to treat” plan to provide free antiviral pills…
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Biden vows to check Russian aggression, fight inflation
WASHINGTON • Addressing a concerned nation and anxious world, President Joe Biden vowed in his first State of the Union address Tuesday night to check Russian aggression in Ukraine, tame soaring U.S. inflation, and deal with the fading but still dangerous coronavirus. Biden declared that he and all members of Congress, whatever their political differences,…