‘You’ve got to be silly’: Biden hits back at Ukraine questions from Fox News reporter
President Joe Biden is preparing to order the release of up to one million barrels of oil per day from the strategic petroleum reserve in a bid to control prices that have spiked after the US and its allies imposed strict sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
The announcement could come as soon as Thursday, according to reports.
Mr Biden spoke with Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the situation in Ukraine. The call comes as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators discuss a de-escalation agreement that could see Russia draw down forces from the area near Kyiv.
Both the White House and the Pentagon have said that they believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed about progress in the war by his senior advisers.
Mr Biden also gave a speech on the state of the coronavirus pandemic, announcing the launch of a central website for resources, before receiving his second booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine.
Meanwhile, after contentious nomination hearings that saw Republican senators harangue her about critical race theory, Ketanji Brown Jackson has picked up a crucial supporter: Maine Senator Susan Collins, who has become the first Republican to announce she will vote to confirm her.
Kyle Rittenhouse complains Joe Biden won’t answer the phone
Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenage gunman who was found not guilty on multiple charges after shooting two people dead at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020, has complained that Joe Biden is declining to talk to him.
Speaking to right-wing podcast host Jenna Ellis, Mr Rittenhouse said: “I reached out to Joe Biden several times – crickets, nothing,” Mr Rittenhouse told Ms Ellis. “He still hasn’t replied. So it just shows how much of a man he is to not sit down and talk.”
He has previously accused the president of defaming him via an ad that used an image of him holding his gun at the protest while warning of “white supremacy”. On Ms Ellis’s show, he referred to “all the false narratives that were put out, where people called me a white supremacist, a murderer and racist, and all those other lies”.
Andrew Naughtie31 March 2022 09:00
ICYMI: US to provide Ukraine government an additional $500m
The United States will provide Ukraine’s government with an additional $500m in “direct budgetary aid” to support its operations as Ukrainian forces continue to fight against Russia’s unprovoked invasion.
Read the full story here:
Maroosha Muzaffar31 March 2022 08:30
Joe Biden might invoke Defence Production Act this week for critical minerals
Joe Biden might invoke the Defence Production Act as soon as this week, CNN reported.
Mr Bidens’s move is aimed to help the domestic production of critical minerals needed to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles and long-term storage.
Quoting a source familiar with these developments, CNN said that doing so would add critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, graphite, cobalt and manganese to the list of items covered by the 1950 Defence Production Act.
The law gives the government more control during emergencies to direct industrial production.
Maroosha Muzaffar31 March 2022 08:00
Joe Biden meets parents of former US marine detained in Russia
Joe Biden met the parents of a former US marine who was imprisoned in Russia and promised to end the family’s “nightmare.”
Trever Reed is serving a nine-year prison sentence in Russia after he was convicted of assaulting police officers while drunk in 2019.
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Wednesday: “President Biden met today with Joey and Paula Reed, the parents of Trevor Reed, who is wrongfully detained in Russia.”
She added: “During their meeting, the President reiterated his commitment to continue to work to secure the release of Trevor, Paul Whelan, and other Americans wrongfully held in Russia and elsewhere.
“We understand the pain felt by all of Trevor’s families and friends enduring the nightmare of his absence, which we are committed to bringing to an end.”
Mr Reed, meanwhile, is back on hunger strike for the second time and has been put back in solitary confinement.
Maroosha Muzaffar31 March 2022 07:15
Joe Biden warns US will not have enough Covid vaccines this fall
Joe Biden has warned that the US will not have enough Covid vaccines this fall to ensure free and easy access for all Americans if Congress fails to pass the $22.5bn in additional funding.
The US President said that the country has enough supply to ensure people eligible for fourth shots have access to them.
The CDC recommended an additional Pfizer or Moderna dose for people who are 50 years of age and…
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