US President
Climate Change: Biden's administration urged to take genuine leadership role
A group of young climate activists in Bangladesh have urged the US President Joe Biden's administration to take the genuine leadership role in global transition to a new clean-energy economy and provide finance and support for the climate losses and damages.
The call was made by the YouthNet for Climate Justice, in a letter addressed to US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry with a request: "Use your wealth, built on fossil fuels, to help us develop renewable energy."
Kerry arrived here on Friday morning to invite Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the virtual "Leaders' Summit on Climate", to be hosted by President Biden on 22-23 April.
Also read: Kerry in Dhaka to convey Biden's commitment to environment
The letter, signed by YouthNet's Founder & Coordinator Sohanur Rahman, was sent to the US Embassy in Bangladesh and the United States Office of Global Change at Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs via email at 10.40 pm on Thursday.
In the letter, the group said that US public and private financiers, investors and technology suppliers must stop fossil fuel finance, investment and development to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with the Paris Agreement.
The letter mentioned wealthy countries have fuelled the climate crisis through decades of willful negligence and inaction, yet have done very little to help the billions of people in developing countries who suffer the effects of the climate crisis. The US has historically contributed the most to the climate crisis, by its carbon emissions. It continues to be one of the biggest polluters.
The letter also reminded Kerry when he was brought his young granddaughter to the United Nations COP21 while signing the Paris Agreement as a symbol of protection of the future of the next generation.
And the letter reads: “We’re the generation that has to deal with more severe climate impacts than ever and are already bearing its brunt. Our children will face disasters at a scale we have never seen before. As young people from around the world, we demand an end to inaction on climate-induced loss and damage, which endangers our future.”
"Based on your President’s commitment to taking meaningful climate action, the new US administration has the potential to mitigate some of this harm — if your country is willing to step up and provide finance and support for the climate loss and damage in our nations," the letter reads.
Also read: Climate Change: Kerry discusses possible Bangladesh-US collaboration
"In 2020, Super Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm to hit South Asia, devastated my country and parts of India, affecting 10 million people and causing an estimated $13 billion in damage. By 2050, one in seven people will be displaced by the climate emergency in Bangladesh. People are already losing their homes to sea-level rise, cyclones, erosions, landslides, and flooding. Up to 18 million people will have to move by 2050 because of sea-level rise alone."
“We don’t want empty promises from wealthy countries anymore. We want genuine leadership from the United States. The future of my country, of young people across the globe, is at stake,'' the letter mentions.
According to the letter, "All fossil fuel infrastructure built by the United States affects vulnerable countries around the world. The U.S. needs to use its wealth built on fossil fuels to provide reparations to Bangladesh for renewable energy development and climate mitigation. It should also remove barriers for any technology transfer that will help Bangladesh cut down on its own use of fossil fuels. The U.S. must also use its position as a global superpower to influence other wealthy countries to do the same."
The youth climate group welcomed Biden administration to rejoin to Paris Agreement and the decision to invite the Bangladesh Prime Minister to join the Leaders' Summit on Climate later this month.
"The Paris Agreement was meant to be a global agreement to take urgent climate action. Unfortunately, this has yet to materialize in the way most thought it would. The Agreement does not adequately address the loss and damage suffered in the most affected areas," the letter further reads.
Also read: Kerry invites Bangladesh to join US climate conference
“We now are calling on the government of Bangladesh to enact a Green New Deal, keep coal and gas out of its energy transition plans, cancel all coal plant projects and use the land to kickstart new solar energy projects. But we know that for Bangladesh to build renewable energy infrastructure, it will need the support of developed countries like the United States — which is also influential on the international stage,'' the letter says.
Biden to unveil actions on guns, including new ATF boss
President Joe Biden is preparing to unveil a series of executive actions aimed at addressing gun violence, delivering his first major action on gun control since taking office.
Biden on Thursday will also nominate David Chipman, a former federal agent and adviser at the gun control group Giffords, to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to senior Biden administration officials.
Also Read:Biden's big infrastructure plan hits McConnell, GOP blockade
Biden has faced increasing pressure to act on gun control after a spate of mass shootings across the U.S. in recent weeks, but the White House has repeatedly emphasized the need for legislative action on guns. While the House passed a background-check bill last month, gun control measures face slim prospects in an evenly divided Senate, where Republicans remain near-unified against most proposals.
Biden will be joined by Attorney General Merrick Garland at the event, and most of the actions will come from the Justice Department.
Biden is expected to announce tighter regulations requiring buyers of “ghost guns” to undergo background checks. The homemade firearms — often assembled from parts and milled with a metal-cutting machine — often lack serial numbers used to trace them. It’s legal to build a gun in a home or a workshop and there is no federal requirement for a background check.
The president’s plans were previewed by a person familiar with the expected actions who was not authorized to publicly discuss them.
Senior administration officials confirmed that the Justice Department would issue a new proposed rule aimed at reining in ghost guns within 30 days, but offered no details on the content of the rule.
The Justice Department will also issue a proposed rule within 60 days tightening regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces, like the one used by the Boulder, Colorado, shooter in a massacre last month that left 10 dead. The rule would designate pistols used with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles, which, under the National Firearms Act, require a federal license to own and are subject to a more thorough application process and a $200 tax.
The Justice Department will also publish model red flag legislation within 60 days, which the administration says will make it easier for states to adopt their own red flag laws. Such laws allow for individuals to petition a court to allow the police to confiscate weapons from a person deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.
And it will begin to provide more data on firearms trafficking, starting with a new comprehensive report on the issue, which the Biden administration says it hasn’t done in over two decades.
The president will also announce investments in community violence intervention programs, which are aimed at reducing gun violence in urban communities, across five federal agencies.
Administration officials hinted there may be more to come from the administration on guns, calling the round of executive actions “initial steps” that were completed under Garland’s purview within the first few weeks of his tenure.
The ATF is currently run by acting Director Regina Lombardo. Gun-control advocates have emphasized the significance of the ATF director in enforcing the nation’s gun laws, and Chipman is certain to win praise from them. During his time as a senior policy adviser with Giffords, he spent considerable effort pushing for greater regulation and enforcement on ghost guns, reforms of the background check system and measures to reduce the trafficking of illegal firearms.
Prior to that, Chipman spent 25 years as an agent at the ATF, where he worked on stopping a trafficking ring that sent illegal firearms from Virginia to New York, and served on the ATF’s SWAT team. Chipman is a gun owner himself.
He also is an explosives expert and was among the team involved in investigating the Oklahoma City Bombing and the first World Trade Center bombing. He also was involved in investigating a series of church bombings in Alabama in the 1990s. He retired from the ATF in 2012.
Chipman and a White House spokesman both declined to comment.
During his campaign, Biden promised to prioritize new gun control measures as president, including enacting universal background check legislation, banning online sales of firearms and the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. But gun-control advocates have said that while they were heartened by signs from the White House that they took the issue seriously, they’ve been disappointed by the lack of early action.
With the announcement of the new measures, however, advocates lauded Biden’s first moves to combat gun violence.
“Each of these executive actions will start to address the epidemic of gun violence that has raged throughout the pandemic, and begin to make good on President Biden’s promise to be the strongest gun safety president in history,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.
Feinblatt in particular praised the move to regulate ghost guns, which he said “will undoubtedly save countless lives,” and lauded Chipman as an “invaluable point person” in the fight against illegal gun trafficking. He also said the group is looking forward to continuing to work with the Biden administration on further gun control measures, but it’s unclear what next moves the White House, or lawmakers on Capitol Hill, will be able to take.
Biden himself expressed uncertainty late last month when asked if he had the political capital to pass new gun control proposals, telling reporters, “I haven’t done any counting yet.”
For years, federal officials have been sounding the alarm about an increasing black market for homemade, military-style semi-automatic rifles and handguns. Ghost guns have increasingly turned up at crime scenes and in recent years have been turning up more and more when federal agents are purchasing guns in undercover operations from gang members and other criminals.
It is hard to say how many are circulating on the streets, in part because in many cases police departments don’t even contact the federal government about the guns because they can’t be traced.
Some states, like California, have enacted laws in recent years to require serial numbers be stamped on ghost guns.
The critical component in building an untraceable gun is what is known as the lower receiver, a part typically made of metal or polymer. An unfinished receiver — sometimes referred to as an “80-percent receiver” — can be legally bought online with no serial numbers or other markings on it, no license required.
A gunman who killed his wife and four others in Northern California in 2017 had been prohibited from owning firearms, but he built his own to skirt the court order before his rampage. And in 2019, a teenager used a homemade handgun to fatally shoot two classmates and wound three others at a school in suburban Los Angeles.
Plans for Biden’s announcement Thursday were first reported by Politico.
Climate Challenge: Kerry due Friday to have discussions with Bangladesh
John Kerry, the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, is scheduled to arrive here on Friday on a brief visit during which Bangladesh will convey its priority issues on the climate front.
Kerry, now in India on a four-day visit, will hand over the US President’s invitation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in person to attend the "Leaders Summit on Climate" to be held on April 22 and 23 virtually.
Kerry is looking forward to "meaningful discussions" with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and others during his stay in Dhaka on how to tackle the climate crisis.
"In Dhaka, Special Presidential Envoy Kerry will meet representatives from the government of Bangladesh and key development and international partners," a State Department spokesperson told UNB.
As the president of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the Vulnerable Twenty Group of Finance Ministers, the spokesperson said, Bangladesh plays a leading role in combating climate change.
Also read: Leaders Summit on Climate: Kerry due Apr 9 to invite PM Hasina
Marcia Bernicat, US senior official for economic growth, energy and the environment, has said Bangladesh’s leadership in addressing climate change offers the United States – and the world – a great partner to tackle this climate crisis.
As president of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the Vulnerable Twenty Group of Finance Ministers, she said, Bangladesh can make irreplaceable contributions towards a successful COP26.
As a climate vulnerable country, Bernicat said, Bangladesh will require significant climate adaptation and resilience, especially in view of its increasingly ambitious climate goals.
US companies are well placed to deliver many of the solutions Bangladesh will need to sustainably grow its economy, she said.
“Yes, we’re happy that he’s coming. We worked with him before, too,” Foreign Minister Dr Momen told UNB.
Also read: Climate-induced displacement a vital security issue for all: Kerry
US President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Hasina, to the “Leaders' Summit on Climate” that he will host. The virtual summit will be live-streamed for public viewing.
The “Leaders Summit on Climate” will underscore the urgency – and the economic benefits – of stronger climate action. It will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow.
“We’ll be happy to convey our priority issues. We’ll also share the steps that Bangladesh has taken so far,” Dr Momen said.
He said Bangladesh believes that adaptation is not enough and there has to be mitigation and Bangladesh needs support as promised by others. “It should be Kerry’s special target.”
Dr Momen said Bangladesh did not create the problem and those responsible countries should share responsibility of rehabilitating and protecting people from the river erosions.
Also read: Kerry invites Bangladesh to join US climate conference
President Biden has emphasised the challenge of climate change, stating, “The United States and the world face a profound climate crisis and by placing climate change at the centre of our foreign policy, diplomacy, and national security.”
During his recent meeting with Presidential Envoy on Climate John Kerry, Dr Momen discussed the global issue of climate change, and the possible US-Bangladesh collaboration in this connection.
The Foreign Minister recollected the vital contribution of Kerry towards the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and welcomed the decision of the US to return to the Paris Agreement.
He described various actions taken by the government of Bangladesh under the prudent leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
Dr Momen also briefed John Kerry on all current and future activities of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) regional office in Dhaka.
Also read: Climate Change: Kerry discusses possible Bangladesh-US collaboration
Kerry recognised the extraordinary challenges faced by Bangladesh due to climate change and frequent natural disasters.
Agreeing that the international financial institutions could do more for the issue of climate change, he also opined that displacement due to climate change would be a vital security issue for everybody.
They agreed to work closely in the COP26 and other multilateral platforms in order to fulfil commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement and even go beyond Paris.
President Biden took action on his first day in office to return the US to the Paris Agreement.
Days later, on January 27, he announced that he would soon convene a leaders’ summit to galvanise efforts by the major economies to tackle the climate crisis.
Biden’s big infrastructure plan hits McConnell, GOP blockade
Republicans in Congress are making the politically brazen bet that it’s more advantageous to oppose President Joe Biden’s ambitious rebuild America agenda than to lend support for the costly $2.3 trillion undertaking for roads, bridges and other infrastructure investments.
Much the way Republicans provided no votes for the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, they plan to sit on the sidelines for this next big lift by the White House, forcing Democrats to take full ownership of the massive package of spending and corporate tax hikes that Biden wants approved over the summer. The tension could mount this week as Biden shows no signs adjusting to satisfy Republican leaders, instead appealing directly to their constituents for support.
Also Read: China's top diplomat urges Biden not to meddle in internal affairs
“I think the Republicans’ voters are going to have a lot to say about whether we get a lot of this done,” Biden told reporters at the White House.
That leaves Biden and congressional Republicans on a collision course, the outcome of which could define the parties and his presidency. The GOP strategy is reminiscent of the Obama-era blockade that helped sour voters on the Democratic president more than a decade ago. Then and now Republicans are intent on saddling Democrats with responsibility for all the taxes and spending to come, much as they did the 2009 rescue after the economic crisis, framing it as government overreach that piles on debt.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell set the defining tone for his party when he flatly declared last week he will fight Biden’s agenda “every step of the way.”
But it’s not at all certain the GOP playbook that worked more than a decade ago will produce the same political gains this time around. Voters appear tired of the partisan stalemate in Washington, live amid the country’s run-down spots and signal they are initially supportive of Biden’s approach to governing, at least on the virus aid package.
Also Read: Biden to prioritise legal status for millions of immigrants
Recent polling by The Associated Press-NORC Public Research Center found Americans have responded favorably to the president’s approach, with 73% approving of his handling of the pandemic. That includes about half of Republicans.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member of Senate GOP leadership, said Sunday a smaller package of about $615 billion, or 30% of what Biden is proposing, could find bipartisan backing from Republicans if the White House found a way to pay for it without raising the corporate tax rate. He pointed to potential user fees on drivers and others.
“There’s an easy win here,” Blunt said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Rather than shy from a new era of big government, Democratic leaders in Congress are embracing it, believing they can bypass the GOP blockade on Capitol Hill and make the case directly to Americans hungry for investments in homes, communities and livelihoods, especially as China and other rival countries make advancements.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi compared Biden’s plan to the far-reaching aims of presidents before him — from Thomas Jefferson’s efforts to build the Erie Canal to Teddy Roosevelt’s designs on a national park system.
“Now, in this century, President Biden is undertaking something in the tradition of thinking big,” Pelosi said at a news conference.
Progressives want Biden to go even bigger. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Sunday he expects more funding to combat climate change and is pushing to include his own proposal to expand Medicare with dental, vision and hearing aid care for seniors.
“Now is the time to begin addressing our physical infrastructure and our human infrastructure,” Sanders said on CNN.
As Congress hunkers down to begin drafting the legislation for Biden’s proposal, both parties will be put the test.
In the House, lawmakers will be invited to submit requests for projects in their home districts — roads and other infrastructure that could be “earmarks” eligible for federal funds. It’s a way to entice bipartisan participation and ensure the funds are spent on agreed-upon needs.
Republicans will be forced to either participate or disengage, often with pressure from elected officials and other constituents clamoring for funds to upgrade sewers, airports and countless other infrastructure systems.
Peppered in Kentucky with questions about money that could be potentially flowing for home-state road, bridge and housing projects after the president unveiled his plan, McConnell batted them back one by one.
Biden’s package “is not going to get support from our side,” McConnell said.
Asked about the McConnell’s comment, Biden smiled Friday while speaking to reporters at the White House and asked if the Republicans are arguing the country doesn’t need the infrastructure — or if the Republicans “decide that we need it but they’re not going to pay for it?”
Biden also pressed whether Republicans are opposed to cleaning up lead pipes in homes, schools and day care centers.
“What do you think would happen if they found out all the lead pipes were up at the Capitol?” Biden asked.
At the same time, Democrats and Republicans will be faced with the politically difficult vote of raising corporate taxes to pay for all the spending, bucking the business community that is largely against Biden’s plan to permanently hike the rate corporations pay from 21% to 28%.
Both parties view it as an almost existential battle over competing political views: The Democrats who believe in the power of government to take the lead solving the nation’s problems; the Republicans who put their faith in the private sector to drive solutions.
On Capitol Hill, it’s also a battle over which party will control Congress.
After Barack Obama was elected in 2008, McConnell famously said his goal was to make him a one-term president. This time around the Republican leader appears to have a shorter-term goal at hand — he wants to win back the now evenly split 50-50 Senate.
“They’re so close to the majority in 2022, they can taste it,” said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist.
Democrats have Senate control because their party’s vice president, Kamala Harris, can cast a tie-breaking vote. In the House, the Democratic majority is holding on with just a handful of seats.
“They really don’t want to give Biden wins,” Conant said.
Democrats, uncertain about their political prospects, are taking no chances, legislating as if they are on borrowed time.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has set in motion a potential process that would allow Biden’s package to advance without the typical 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster by Republicans. Instead, it could be approved with a simple 51-vote majority.
Pelosi has set a July 4 goal for House votes, but acknowledges that ambitious timeline may slip.
“The sooner we can get the legislation done, the sooner we can allocate the resources,” she said.
The goal, she said, was “to get the job done as soon as possible.”
Promoting respect for rights a global effort, says US
The United States has said promoting respect for human rights is not something they can do alone but is best accomplished working with their allies and partners across the globe, including Bangladesh.
The US State Department released the 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, an annual report required by U.S. law on Tuesday.
Guided by the United Nations’ Universal Declarations on Human Rights and subsequent human rights treaties, the country reports do not draw legal conclusions, rate countries, or declare whether they failed to meet standards. The United States said it is committed to a world in which human rights are protected, their defenders are celebrated, and those who commit human rights abuses are held accountable.
As the United States and Bangladesh discuss common challenges, promoting democracy, good governance, and human rights will remain paramount, as discussed by Secretary of State Blinken and Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen in their February 21 phone call.
The United States and Bangladesh remain partners in addressing these matters together, said the US Embassy in Dhaka on Wednesday.
US President Joe Biden is committed to a foreign policy that unites our democratic values with our diplomatic leadership, and one that is centered on the defense of democracy and the protection of human rights.
Leaders Summit on Climate: Kerry due Apr 9 to invite PM Hasina
John Kerry, the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on April 9 on a daylong visit during which Bangladesh will convey its priority issues to him on the climate front.
“Yes, we’re happy that he’s coming. We worked with him before, too,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told UNB on Wednesday.
Kerry will hand over the invitation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in person to attend the "Leaders Summit on Climate" to be held on April 22 and 23, Dr Momen said.
US President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Hasina, to the summit that he will host. The virtual summit will be live-streamed for public viewing.
The “Leaders Summit on Climate” will underscore the urgency – and the economic benefits – of stronger climate action. It will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow.
“We’ll be happy to convey our priority issues. We’ll also share the steps that Bangladesh has taken so far,” Dr Momen said.
Also read: Strict implementation of Paris deal only way forward for sustainable future: Dhaka
He said Bangladesh believes that adaptation is not enough and there has to be mitigation and Bangladesh needs support as promised by others. “It should be Kerry’s special target.”
Dr Momen said Bangladesh did not create the problem and those responsible countries should share responsibility of rehabilitating and protecting people from the river erosions.
During his recent meeting with Presidential Envoy on Climate John Kerry, the foreign minister discussed the global issue of climate change, and the possible US-Bangladesh collaboration in this connection.
The Foreign Minister recollected the vital contribution of Kerry towards the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and welcomed the decision of the US to return to the Paris Agreement.
He described various actions taken by the Government of Bangladesh under the prudent leadership of Prime Minister Hasina on mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
Dr Momen also briefed John Kerry on all current and future activities of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) regional office in Dhaka.
Also read: John Kerry chosen as Biden’s climate tsar
Kerry recognised the extraordinary challenges faced by Bangladesh due to climate change and frequent natural disasters.
Agreeing that the international financial institutions could do more for the issue of climate change, he also opined that displacement due to climate change would be a vital security issue for everybody.
They agreed to work closely in the COP26 and other multilateral platforms in order to fulfil commitments under the Paris climate agreement and even go beyond Paris.
President Biden took action on his first day in office to return the US to the Paris Agreement.
Days later, on January 27, he announced that he would soon convene a leaders’ summit to galvanise efforts by the major economies to tackle the climate crisis.
Biden announces diverse first slate of judicial nominees
President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled his first slate of judicial nominees, a racially diverse and mostly female field that is a sharp departure from the largely white and male picks during Donald Trump's administration.
Biden's group includes candidates who, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, would be the first Muslim federal judge in U.S. history, the first Asian American Pacific Islander woman to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the first woman of color to serve as a federal judge for the District of Maryland.
Three of the picks are Black women who were nominated to the federal courts of appeals, a pathway to the Supreme Court. The most prominent of the three is U.S. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, whom Biden says he will nominate to the seat left vacant on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit by Judge Merrick Garland's departure to become Attorney General.
The D.C. Circuit, in particular, is a place where presidents have searched for Supreme Court justices. Three of the high court's current nine members have served on the D.C. Circuit.
Biden pledged during the campaign to nominate a Black woman to the high court if a vacancy opens during his term.
The White House said the 11 nominees are attorneys who have excelled in a range of legal positions, including as jurists, public defenders, prosecutors and public servants, as well as in the private sector and the military.
"This trailblazing slate of nominees draws from the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession," Biden said in a statement. "Each is deeply qualified and prepared to deliver justice faithfully under our Constitution and impartially to the American people — and together they represent the broad diversity of background, experience, and perspective that makes our nation strong."
The White House said Biden's choices reflect his strong belief that the federal courts should reflect the "full diversity of the American people" in background and professional experience.
Trump leaned heavily on white men to fill judicial vacancies. More than 75% of Trump's judicial nominees were men, and 85% were white.
Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said the organization was "gratified" that Biden was taking steps to diversify the federal bench.
"Such diversity will greatly enhance the judiciary and judicial decision-making," Ifill said in a statement.
Biden leaves door open for Senate change to pass agenda
President Joe Biden at his first news conference Thursday left the door open to pushing for fundamental changes in Senate procedures to muscle key elements of his agenda such as immigration and voting rights past firm Republican opposition "if there's complete lockdown and chaos."
The 78-year-old president also, for the first time, said his "plan is to run for reelection, that is my expectation."
Biden at first backed a modification — but not elimination — of the filibuster. But he then suggested, at least on certain issues, he would go further. "If there's complete lockdown and chaos, as a consequence of the filibuster, then we're going to have to go beyond what I'm talking about," he said.
"I want to get things done. I want to get them done consistent with what we promised the American people," said Biden, who spent decades in the Senate. "I am going to say something outrageous: I have never been particularly poor at calculating getting things done in the United States Senate."
A pair of mass shootings, rising international tensions, early signs of intraparty divisions and increasing numbers of migrants crossing the southern border are all confronting the young Biden administration, which is also navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic devastation.
"I am going to deal with all of those problems," Biden pledged.
Biden opened his first formal news conference by doubling his original goal on COVID-19 vaccines by pledging that the nation will administer 200 million doses by the end of his first 100 days in office. The administration had met Biden's initial goal of 100 million doses earlier this month — before even his 60th day in office — as the president pushes to defeat a pandemic that has killed more than 545,000 Americans and devastated the nation's economy.
But while Biden had held off on holding his first news conference so he could use it to celebrate progress against the pandemic and passage of a giant COVID-19 relief package, he was quickly pressed about all sorts of other challenges that have cropped up along the way.
Also read: Biden, Harris and others to promote relief plan's benefits
While seemingly ambitious, Biden's vaccine goal amounts to a continuation of the existing pace of vaccinations through the end of next month. The U.S. is now averaging about 2.5 million doses per day and an even greater rate is possible. Over the next month, two of the bottlenecks to getting Americans vaccinated are set to ease as the U.S. supply of vaccines is on track to increase and states lift eligibility requirements to get shots.
The scene looked very different from what Americans are used to seeing for formal presidential news conferences. The president still stood behind a podium against a backdrop of flags. But due to the pandemic, the White House limited attendance and only 30 socially distanced chairs for journalists were spread out in the expansive room.
"It's an opportunity for him to speak to the American people, obviously directly through the coverage, directly through all of you," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday. "And so I think he's thinking about what he wants to say, what he wants to convey, where he can provide updates, and, you know, looking forward to the opportunity to engage with a free press."
Biden is the first chief executive in four decades to reach this point in his term without holding a formal news conference. While he has been on pace with his predecessors in taking questions from the press in other formats, he tends to field just one or two informal inquiries at a time, usually in a hurried setting at the end of an event or in front of a whirring helicopter.
Pressure had mounted on Biden to hold a formal session, which allows reporters to have an extended back-and-forth with the president on the issues of the day. Biden's conservative critics have pointed to the delay to suggest that Biden was being shielded by his staff.
West Wing aides have dismissed the questions about a news conference as a Washington obsession, pointing to Biden's high approval ratings while suggesting that the general public is not concerned about the event. The president himself, when asked Wednesday if he were ready for the press conference, joked, "What press conference?"
Behind the scenes, though, aides have taken the event seriously enough to hold a mock session with the president earlier this week. And there is some concern that Biden, a self-proclaimed "gaffe machine," could go off message and generate a series of unflattering news cycles.
"The press conference serves an important purpose: It presents the press an extended opportunity to hold a leader accountable for decisions," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, presidential scholar and professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania. "A question I ask: What is the public going to learn in this venue that it couldn't learn elsewhere? And why does it matter? The answer: The president speaks for the nation."
Also read: Americans largely back Biden's virus response
Biden was expected to point to a surge in vaccine distribution, encouraging signs in the economy and the benefits Americans will receive from the sweeping stimulus package.
But plenty of challenges abound.
His appearance comes just a day after he appointed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the government's response to the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, where the administration faces a growing humanitarian and political challenge that threatens to overshadow Biden's legislative agenda.
In less than a week, two mass shootings have rattled the nation and pressure has mounted on the White House to back tougher gun measures. The White House has struggled to blunt a nationwide effort by Republican legislatures to tighten election laws. A pair of Democratic senators briefly threatened to hold up the confirmation of Biden appointees due to a lack of Asian American representation in the Cabinet. And both North Korea and Russia have unleashed provocative actions to test a new commander in chief.
In a sharp contrast with the previous administration, the Biden White House has exerted extreme message discipline, empowering staff to speak but doing so with caution. The new White House team has carefully managed the president's appearances, which serves Biden's purposes but denies the media opportunities to directly press him on major policy issues and to engage in the kind of back-and-forth that can draw out information and thoughts that go beyond curated talking points.
Having overcome a childhood stutter and famously long-winded, Biden has long enjoyed interplay with reporters and has defied aides' requests to ignore questions from the press. He has been prone to gaffes throughout his long political career and, as president, has occasionally struggled with off-the-cuff remarks.
Also read: Biden plans to order 100 mln more Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine doses
Those are the types of distractions his aides have tried to avoid, and, in a pandemic silver lining, were largely able to dodge during the campaign because the virus kept Biden home for months and limited the potential for public mistakes.
Firmly pledging his belief in freedom of the press, Biden has rebuked his predecessor's incendiary rhetoric toward the media, including Donald Trump's references to reporters as "the enemy of the people." Biden restored the daily press briefing, which had gone extinct under Trump, opening a window into the workings of the White House. And he sat for a national interview with ABC News last week.
Biden has also delivered a series of well-received speeches, including his inaugural address, and has shown that he can effectively communicate beyond news conferences, according to Frank Sesno, former head of George Washington University's school of media.
"His strongest communication is not extemporaneous. He can ramble or stumble into a famous Biden gaffe," said Sesno in a recent interview. "But to this point, he and his team have been very disciplined with the message of the day and in hitting the words of the day."
Biden, Dems prevail as Senate OKs $1.9T virus relief bill
An exhausted Senate narrowly approved a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Saturday as President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies notched a victory they called crucial for hoisting the country out of the pandemic and economic doldrums.
Will Trump run for U.S. president in 2024?
Former U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend hinted at a possible 2024 White House run. But with four years until the elections, it remains unclear whether that will occur.