Biden Holds His First Solo Press Conference As POTUS

At his first solo press conference Thursday, President Joe Biden faced a battery of questions about immigration, with reporters seemingly picking up on the recent GOP talking points on “Biden’s border crisis.”

He expressed aggravation at one point when a reporter asked him if the deplorable conditions migrant children are living in were “acceptable” to him, incredulously asking if that was a “serious question.”

Biden had been facing some scrutiny for not holding his own press briefing until now, though White House reporters too have been criticized for willingly adopting Republican narratives.

Biden took charge of the briefing at points, using unrelated questions to pivot to his infrastructure initiative and foreign policy experience.

The biggest news out of the presser came when Biden said that it’s his “expectation” that he’ll run for reelection in 2024, and that he “can’t picture” U.S. troops still being in Afghanistan next year.

There were no questions about COVID-19, despite the enduring pandemic, and little mention of gun control, after back-to-back massacres. Biden did get a question specifically related to taking unilateral action on guns, which he said was just a matter of timing before pivoting to infrastructure.

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Biden Jumps Ahead In GA And PA As Reelection Continues To Slip Out Of Trump’s Grasp

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has now slid past President Donald Trump in Georgia and Pennsylvania after both states released additional election results on Friday morning.

In a speech near 11 p.m. ET Friday, Biden said even without media outlets projecting him to win the presidency, “the numbers tell us a clear and convincing story: We’re going to win this race.”

The record-breaking popular vote in his favor, he said, “have given us a mandate for action — on COVID, the economy, climate change, and systemic racism.”

With his odds of reelection steadily vanishing, Trump continued to attack democracy in the early hours of Friday via Twitter by parroting his lies claiming to win the election and that only “illegal” votes could lead to his defeat. Twitter once again slapped a warning label on the blatantly false tweet.

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Georgia Legislature Passes Bill Curbing Ballot Access

Update: This story has been updated to reflect the Georgia Senate passing the elections bill approved earlier Thursday by Georgia’s House.

Georgia’s Republican-controlled legislature has passed a sweeping overhaul of the state’s election rules.

Continue reading “Georgia Legislature Passes Bill Curbing Ballot Access”

Manchin Insists On Bipartisan Push For Certain Parts Of Voting Rights Bill

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on Thursday isolated specific parts of S1, the “For The People Act” voting rights package, that he said he thinks can garner bipartisan support. 

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These Are The Cuomo Allies Who Got To Jump The Line For COVID Testing

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), already swamped with multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and coverups of COVID-19 nursing home deaths, finds himself in yet another scandal after reports by Times Union, the Washington Post, and the New York Times revealed that he’d used his position to secure priority COVID-19 testing for family members and political VIPs.

Not only did the governor reportedly order health officials to test his family when most other New Yorkers had little testing access in March last year, he also made sure the samples were rushed to Wadsworth Center, a lab in Albany with limited processing capacity at the time. The lab employees who had to analyze the tests were made to stay late into the night to complete their work. Additionally, the sample deliveries were reportedly escorted by the State Police.

Dr. Eleanor Adams, an epidemiologist who now serves as a top aide to Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker, was reportedly directed to administer the tests to the governor’s family members, which took several days.

Brother

Adams reportedly tested CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who is the governor’s younger brother, and his family at their home in the Hamptons. They received the test several times, according to the New York Times.

One of Chris’ tests gave a positive result, which he announced on air on March 31 last year.

In response to the new reports, CNN spokesman Matt Dornic said in a statement that the network does not “get involved in the medical decisions of” its employees.

“However, it is not surprising that in the earliest days of a once-in-a-century global pandemic, when Chris was showing symptoms and was concerned about possible spread, he turned to anyone he could for advice and assistance, as any human being would,” Dornic added.

Mother

Cuomo’s mother, Matilda Cuomo, also reportedly received priority testing.

And At Least One Sister

At least one of Cuomo’s three sisters — Maria, Margaret and Madeline — got tested in the early phase as well. The reports did not identify which sister.

Unnamed New York Big Shots

The Times Union and New York Times report that Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive director Rick Cotton and his wife were given priority testing, as did Metropolitan Transportation Authority Patrick J. Foye. Government nurses were also ordered to personally test dozens of unnamed VIPs, including some perched in Manhattan penthouses, who were internally referred to as “specials,” according to the Washington Post.

Where Things Stand: Holding His Foot Soldiers Accountable

We covered news yesterday that Fulton County prosecutors in Georgia are considering bringing “false statement” charges against Rudy Giuliani and some of Trump’s other close allies over their efforts to spread bogus claims about the 2020 election results in Georgia.

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Senate Panel Advances Nomination Of Gupta, Civil Rights Lawyer Picked For Top DOJ Role

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to advance confirmation of Vanita Gupta, President Biden’s pick for the No. 3 role at the Justice Department, to the Senate floor.

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Oath Keepers Leader Spoke On Phone With Capitol Rioter During Attack, Feds Allege

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday released more communications tying the leader of the national Oath Keepers militia group to alleged Capitol rioters. 

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Senate GOP Fundraising Arm Goes After Dems’ Voting Rights Fight With $1 Million Ad Push

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is spending $1 million on an ad campaign targeting Democrats’ voting rights bill known as the “For the People Act,” an 800-page bill meant to expand and federally standardize voting rights. Continue reading “Senate GOP Fundraising Arm Goes After Dems’ Voting Rights Fight With $1 Million Ad Push”

DHS Shifts Substantial Resources From Foreign Terrorism To Domestic Extremism

The Department of Homeland Security, long relegated to pursuing phantoms of antifa and going after Islamic radicals under the Trump administration, took a significant step this week towards reorienting itself against the fight with domestic terrorism.

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