Posts

Joaquin Castro, the representative whose district includes parts of San Antonio and surrounding suburbs, continued to double down Wednesday, denying the suggestion by Republicans that he was potentially endangering the lives of political donors in the days following mass shootings—one of which law enforcement officials consider a hate crime and domestic terrorism—that have killed at least 31 people. “My post was a lament—that so many people in my overwhelmingly Hispanic hometown would give large money to a President who is using it to target Hispanics as ‘invaders,’” Castro wrote in a tweet....

The interview was shown on jumbotrons in New York City’s Times Square in what host Ryan Seacrest said was a first for the show. The Bidens were speaking from their home. “I’m more optimistic about America’s chances than I’ve ever been,” the president-elect said. “I am absolutely positive, confident, that we’re going to come back and come back stronger than we were before.” The Bidens thanked essential and frontline workers for their bravery, with the president-elect stressing: “We owe them, we owe them, we owe them....

Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill since Biden took office that would ban the practice, yet he hasn’t announced whether he will endorse the legislation. Additionally, the president has not abolished protocols enacted during the Trump administration that permit federal executions and firing squad executions in prisons when necessary. This past week, Biden’s administration requested that the Supreme Court renew the death sentence for the Boston Marathon bomber. As conservative states look to move forward with executions despite shortages of lethal-injection drugs, Biden’s silence may also communicate that he doesn’t oppose alternative capital punishment methods, some death penalty observers say....

The president was speaking about inflation and his efforts to lower costs for Americans when the incident took place. Footage of the moment had been viewed around two million times on Twitter as of Wednesday morning. One version of the video from Republican National Committee (RNC) Research had received 1.1 million views, while another video posted by conservative Nick Adams had racked up more than 698,000 views. Other videos of the incident were also circulating on Twitter and garnering thousands of views....

Biden is traveling to the oil-rich nation as the U.S. continues to grapple with soaring gasoline prices amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, with urging Saudi Arabia to increase oil production likely be at the top of the president’s agenda during his discussions with leaders. But in an op-ed for The Washington Post, Biden responded to those calling for him not to lend legitimacy to the Saudi government with a visit....

Biden will meet the 95-year-old monarch during his trip to the U.K. for a G7 summit, which will be held in Cornwall from June 11 to 13. It is not an official state visit. News of the meeting between Biden and the Queen may draw renewed attention to a moment in 2017 when then Vice President Biden said “God Save the Queen” in the U.S. Congress. As part of his official duties as vice president, Biden presided over the ratification of Electoral College votes on Friday, January 6, 2017....

Biden’s reluctance to comment on court packing could be because of its extreme unpopularity among a majority of voters, and the pressure from the progressive wing of his party to keep the option on the table. One way or another, Biden will face backlash for an explicit response on the matter, and the Democratic nominee will likely be asked about the issue during Thursday’s town hall event. The future of the Supreme Court has become a major focal point following the September 18 death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg....

The Morning Consult poll found that 48 percent of Bloomberg voters said Biden would be their second choice. Twenty-five percent of Bloomberg voters chose Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and 15 percent picked Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren as second choice candidates. Morning Consult stated that this would equal to “a potential 8-percentage-point increase” to the 36 percent of potential Democratic primary voters who already support Biden, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent....

“I don’t understand the Republicans,” Biden told reporters after he was asked for comment on the efforts to remove Cheney—the No. 3 Republican in the House of Representatives—from her leadership position. It was the president’s first comment on the issue, which has become a focal point for Congress over the past few days, as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other GOP lawmakers move to oust Cheney as the party’s conference chair....

That represents “the largest 12-month increase since the period ending November 1981,” according to the BLS. That rate is well ahead of the Federal Reserve’s annual 2 percent target for inflation and will add to the belief that the Fed will raise interest rates again at its monthly meeting later in July. In May, the annualized rate of inflation was 8.6 percent, which BLS said represented “the largest 12-month increase since the period ending December 1981,” while the annualized rate had been 8....

Biden and Trump will face off on Tuesday during the first presidential debate of the election. Abortion and Roe v. Wade are likely to be discussed, given Trump’s recent nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death. Here’s what Biden has said over the years about the issues. 1974 interview with Washingtonian: “I don’t like the Supreme Court decision on abortion. I think it went too far....

“We know that our kids can be safe when in school,” Biden said after meeting with the White House COVID-19 response team on Tuesday. “That’s why I believe that schools should remain open.” Biden added that schools across the U.S. should have the necessary resources to continue in-person instruction from the American Rescue Plan, which was passed last March. “We provided the states with $130 billion…to specifically keep our students safe and schools open,” the president said from the White House....

Biden’s position is about to receive its first major test as several of the nation’s top railroad unions appear poised to strike at the end of the week, placing Biden in a vise between the organized labor interests he swore to uphold and a recovering economy that has arguably saved his party’s chances in the upcoming midterm elections. On Monday, two of the nation’s top railroad unions—BLET (Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen) and SMART TD (International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers)—told CNBC they would refuse to accept any deal with their members’ railroad carriers unless quality-of-life issues like vacation, sick days and attendance policies were addressed....

Sanders, who secured the most pledged delegates in the first four state contests, was seen as the clear frontrunner going into Super Tuesday. But Biden’s big Saturday win in South Carolina has reinvigorated his previously floundering campaign, causing moderate contenders Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg to suspend their campaigns and endorse the former vice president. The latest FiveThirtyEight data now positions Biden as the most likely candidate to win the Democratic nomination, with odds of three in 10, or 31 percent....

Biden’s new executive order is meant to make it easier for officials to negotiate the return of American citizens who have been wrongfully detained, the White House said in a statement on Tuesday. It comes as Biden remains under pressure to ensure Griner’s release as many, including the president himself, have expressed outrage at her detainment in a Russian prison. The order will allow U.S. government agencies to impose sanctions on those countries that have wrongfully detained Americans, potentially paving the way to escalate sanctions already imposed on Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine....

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday that it was part of an effort for the president to communicate directly with Americans. “There is a time-honored tradition in the country of hearing from the president in this way, from FDR’s fireside chats to Ronald Reagan establishing the weekly presidential radio address,” Psaki told reporters Friday. The weekly radio address eventually led to an online video version, but the practice lapsed during former President Donald Trump’s administration....

“They were just wailing on my head, beating on me,” he told WABC-TV. Despite a lot of general soreness, he said, he could have been in worse condition. “I guess I could have died.” The attack on Borgen, 29, who was wearing a yarmulke at the time of the assault, is being treated as a hate crime. One person is in custody, and police are searching for up to six more individuals....

Burrow was by no means perfect against Auburn, completing 15 of 34 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown. During one stretch he completed just 6 of 20 passes against a vicious Tigers defense. When the situation called for it, however, he stepped up to the biggest challenge of his career, in the toughest venue, and became the difference-maker LSU needed as he brought it back from a 21-10 deficit in a huge SEC West road matchup....

Coming off his breakout season in 2021, Burrow got off to a pretty horrendous start in 2022, with the Bengals falling to the AFC North rival Steelers 23-20 in Week 1. While Burrow engineered a game-tying drive with time expiring, it wasn’t his best effort. In all, Burrow’s threw 338 yards on 33-of-53 passing with two touchdowns, numbers that don’t look too bad — but he also threw four interceptions, which is a single-game career high for the Bengals passer, and lost a fumble in the effort....

Per Newsday’s Erik Boland, Yankees manager Joe Girardi says the team is avoiding giving the struggling Tanaka any kind of medical scans for fear of — are you ready for this? — turning him into a superhero. MORE: Girardi covers plate with dirt after ejection “You just don’t scan people," Girardi said prior to Wednesday’s home game vs. the Royals. “You just don’t light them up inside. We don’t want to turn him into Spider-Man or Superman or something like that....