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☆ White House to meet Microsoft, Google CEOs on AI dangers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationWASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - The White House will host CEOs of top artificial intelligence companies, including Alphabet Inc's Google (GOOGL.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O), on Thursday to discuss risks and safeguards as the technology catches the attention of governments and lawmakers globally. Leading AI developers, including Anthropic, Google, Hugging Face, NVIDIA, OpenAI, and Stability AI, will participate in a public evaluation of their AI systems at the AI Village at DEFCON 31 - one of the largest hacker conventions in the world - and run on a platform created by Scale AI and Microsoft. Such political ads are expected to become more common as AI technology proliferates. In February, Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to eliminate bias in their use of AI. The Biden administration has also released an AI Bill of Rights and a risk management framework.

☆ Biden nominates four more judges in D.C., Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden hosts a reception to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, at the White House, in Washington, U.S., May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File PhotoWASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden nominated another four federal judges on Wednesday, including two women of Asian descent who would be the first such U.S. judges on their court or in their state. The Senate, which Biden's fellow Democrats narrowly control, must approve the candidates, who were nominated to posts in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., according to a White House statement. Republicans had blocked Democrats' efforts to temporarily replace Feinstein on the committee, which approves federal judges before they go for a vote before the full Senate. So far, the Senate has confirmed 122 of Biden's nominees to lifetime posts on the federal courts, according to the White House.

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during an event marking National Small Business Week, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File PhotoWASHINGTON, May 2 (Reuters) - The chief executives of Alphabet Inc's Google (GOOGL.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O), OpenAI and Anthropic will meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and top White House officials to discuss key artificial intelligence (AI) issues on Thursday, said a White House official on Tuesday. Concerns about fast-growing AI technology include privacy violations, bias and worries it could proliferate scams and misinformation. In April, the Biden administration said it was seeking public comments on proposed accountability measures for AI systems, as concerns grow about its impact on national security and education. The meeting will emphasize the importance of driving innovation "with safeguards that mitigate risks and potential harms," the official said.

☆ Kamala Harris to discuss A.I. in meeting with Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic CEOs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with the chief executives of Google , Microsoft , OpenAI and Anthropic Thursday to discuss the responsible development of artificial intelligence, the White House confirmed to CNBC Tuesday. Harris will address the need for safeguards that can mitigate AI's potential risks and emphasize the importance of ethical and trustworthy innovation, the White House said. Generative AI has exploded into public consciousness after OpenAI released its viral new chatbot called ChatGPT late last year. In the months since, Microsoft has been integrating OpenAI's generative technology across many of its products as part of its multi-year, multi-billion-dollar investment in the company. While many experts are optimistic about the potential of generative AI, the technology has also inspired questions and concerns from regulators and tech industry giants.

☆ The Tiny, Tight-Lipped Circle of Aides Guiding Biden 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | Katie Glueck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When President Biden announced his re-election campaign and its top two staff members this week, the names of his closest and longest-serving advisers were not included. A small circle of senior officials, some who have known Mr. Biden for longer than many of the soon-to-be-hired campaign staff members have been alive, will guide the president’s political strategy both in the White House and on the campaign trail. Of the six, only Jennifer O’Malley Dillon and Jeff Zients, the White House chief of staff, have active Twitter accounts. But it was members of this group who began making phone calls last weekend to offer positions on Mr. Biden’s campaign, only some of which have been announced. Officials in the White House and on his nascent campaign insist the campaign manager, Julie Chávez Rodríguez, will be empowered to run Mr. Biden’s re-election bid.

☆ Susan Rice to step down as Biden's domestic policy chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Carol E. Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Susan Rice speaks on December 11, 2020, after being nominated to be Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council by US President-elect Joe Biden (R), in Wilmington, Delaware. President Joe Biden's domestic policy adviser, Susan Rice, is stepping down from her post next month, multiple current and former senior administration officials told NBC News. White House chief of staff Jeff Zients said Rice, who served as national security adviser during the Obama administration, has been critical to driving Biden's agenda and has taken the Domestic Policy Council "to new heights." Rice, who was on Biden's short list for vice president, entered the job without a domestic policy background, having served in foreign policy roles during the Obama and Clinton administrations. Deputy White House chief of staff Jen O'Malley Dillon echoed Klain's praise in a written statement.

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris stand on stage together after delivering remarks at the DNC 2023 Winter Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., February 3, 2023. Biden could lose crucial votes if he were to drop Harris, who is both the first Black and Asian-American U.S. vice president. While the vice president has disappointed some inside her party, Democrats see opportunity in the 2024 race. He leans on her a lot," said Cedric Richmond, a former congressman and former senior adviser in Biden's White House. "That was not her assignment," said the third former White House official, referring to reducing migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border broadly.

☆ Tech pressure, Yellen everywhere: How Washington scrambled as SVB collapsed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Yellen heads to the White House, Brainard meets with her staff and holds Zoom calls in her wood-paneled office in the West Wing. Treasury staff hustle to get Yellen on CBS News' "Face the Nation" program on Sunday, in an attempt to reassure markets. White House officials draft news releases with various scenarios, uncertain until shortly before 6 p.m. if an acquisition can still happen. As he leaves Delaware to return to the White House, Biden tells reporters he will make a statement on Monday. Treasury and White House officials reach out to members of Congress and their staffs throughout the evening to explain the plan, with discussions continuing into Monday.

☆ The vote on DC's crime law has nothing to do with crime for some House Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Most House Democrats voted to uphold DC's criminal code revisions to support the District's right to self governance. That's why he was among 173 Democrats who opposed a GOP-led House measure last month to overturn the District's controversial crime law revisions. "The District of Columbia residents and their local leaders should have the ability to make those decisions," Horsford, of Nevada, told Insider. Rep. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut also told Insider the problem for her was, "Congress intervening and overturning a local vote." House Democrats are furious that Biden left them hanging, especially after his administration put out a statement opposing the GOP measure.

☆ Biden’s New Chief of Staff Enters as Political Rancor Heats Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Sabrina Siddiqui | Stephanie Armour | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jeff Zients is now the president’s top aide after leading the Biden administration’s Covid-19 response. WASHINGTON—On his first day as White House chief of staff, Jeff Zients dispatched an all-staff note that said governing is never easy. Many challenges await President Biden ’s top aide, including a debt-ceiling showdown, escalating tensions with China and a divided Congress that will impede the president’s agenda. It is markedly different ground for Mr. Zients, a 56-year-old former business executive who led the Biden administration’s Covid-19 response from January 2021 to April 2022 with a managerial-like emphasis on tasks and outcomes. He isn’t as steeped in the inner workings of Washington and politics as his predecessor, Ron Klain , despite taking the job as Mr. Biden prepares for a likely re-election campaign.

☆ Ex-White House chief of staff Ron Klain said he flew home to Indiana and back every Sunday for months to be with his ill mother
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ex-White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain worked six days a week at the White House, he told the New Yorker. Klain, 61, mentioned this logistical feat and example of devotion as an aside during an interview with Evan Osnos for the New Yorker, while explaining why he decided to leave the Biden White House after two years. Klain left the White House this month after spending the first two years of the administration leading Biden's team. Biden spoke of Klain's mother during a chief of staff transition ceremony at the White House, when Klain turned over the reins to Jeff Zients. Klain's mother, Sarann Klain Warner, a retired travel agent, was reportedly too ill to attend.

☆ Biden taps Fed's Brainard, Bernstein for top economic jobs as part of White House reshuffle
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In recent weeks, Jeff Zients has replaced Ron Klain as White House chief of staff. Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director, said she plans to leave at the end of the month. The pair will have tremendous influence over economic policy at a tricky time for the United States. As NEC director, Brainard will be tasked with crafting the president's economic agenda and coordinating economic responses between various agencies. "He is an expert on worker empowerment and a worker-centric economic policy, which has long been the heart of my economic vision."

Walsh will then start his new private-sector job as executive director of the NHL labor union, the hockey news website reported. The NHL Players' Association did not respond to a request for comment. Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su, a former California labor secretary, is expected to take over as acting secretary. As Labor secretary, Walsh had vowed to boost union membership, a key issue for Biden. The NHL players' union represents 750 athletes, according to the organization.

☆ U.S. Labor Secretary Walsh to depart Biden administration, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Biden, set to delivers his State of the Union address to Congress later on Tuesday, relied on Walsh to negotiate labor talks that helped avert a railway shutdown in September. Walsh will step down in the days following Biden's address, the Daily Faceoff, a hockey news website, reported on Tuesday citing sources. Walsh then be installed as executive director of the NHL labor union, the website reported. The NHL Players' Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Council of Economic Advisers chair Cecilia Rouse and National Economic Council director Brian Deese are expected to depart in the coming weeks.

☆ Biden to deliver State of the Union address amid high inflation and divided Congress that threaten to derail economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"Put simply, I would argue the Biden economic plan is working. The White House is already seeing challenges under House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the new Republican majority. House Republicans have been in a fraught standoff with the White House over raising the debt ceiling, a topic the White House has said is not up for negotiation. The White House on Friday announced that National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, Biden's top economic aide, is departing. Jeff Zients, former White House Covid-19 response coordinator under Biden and an economic advisor to former President Barack Obama, will replace Ron Klain as White House chief of staff.

REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueWASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden is still weighing candidates for new top economic advisers, officials familiar with the process said, and no final decisions are expected before next week's State of the Union speech. Biden is focused on Tuesday's address to Congress and had not made a decision on the top jobs at the National Economic Council (NEC) and the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), officials said. Other candidates for the NEC job include Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Reuters reported last week. Only the CEA job requires Senate confirmation. Brainard was widely floated as the frontrunner for Treasury secretary when Biden came to office, only for him to pick Yellen instead.

The White House will likely appoint Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard to run the National Economic Council and Jared Bernstein to lead the Council of Economic Advisers, sources familiar with the matter tell CNBC. The appointments are expected to be announced after incoming White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients assumes his role, as soon as next week. Bernstein is a member of the board he is expected to head, the White House Council of Economic Advisers. The White House is holding a ceremony on Wednesday to thank outgoing White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and welcome Zients to the position. Current White House NEC Director Brian Deese is expected to depart imminently, sources said.

☆ Jeff Zients to Succeed Ron Klain as White House Chief of Staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Catherine Lucey | Andrew Restuccia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jeff Zients, speaking in 2021, was in charge of the White House’s Covid-19 response. WASHINGTON—President Biden announced Friday that Jeff Zients , the official who led the White House’s Covid-19 response, will be his next chief of staff. Mr. Zients will succeed Ron Klain , who is stepping down after more than two years on the job. Mr. Klain played a central role in the White House, coordinating strategy on key policy proposals such as the infrastructure law and climate package, and helping oversee the president’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jan 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan is considering stepping down, according to four sources familiar with the matter. "No plans imminently, but I do know it's been on the radar screen for the past few weeks," the source said. The EPA said Regan had no plans to depart. He's committed to continuing to advance President Biden's historic climate and environmental agenda," said Maria Michalos, an EPA spokesperson and one of Regan's top aides. Regan, the first Black man to run EPA began designing the green bank in October.

☆ Former Covid chief Jeff Zients to replace Ron Klain as White House chief of staff, Biden confirms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Jeff Zients, former White House Covid-19 response coordinator under Biden and an economic advisor to former President Barack Obama, will replace Ron Klain as White House chief of staff, President Joe Biden confirmed in a statement Friday. Zients is a longtime ally of both Biden and Klain and has a reputation of getting things done. In recent weeks he has returned to the White House to help coordinate staff turnover after the midterms, where he has worked closely with Klain. The White House will hold an official transition event next week to welcome Zients and thank Klain, Biden said in his statement. Zients worked as CEO of health care consulting firm the Advisory Board Company, which is now part of UnitedHealth.

☆ Biden picks Jeff Zients as next chief of staff -statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden on Friday picked his former COVID-19 policy coordinator, Jeff Zients, to be the next White House chief of staff, citing his expertise in health care and the economy. Zients will replace Biden's current chief of staff Ron Klain, the statement said. "I’ve seen Jeff Zients tackle some of the toughest issues in government," Biden said in a statement announcing the move. Klain, a longtime aide and adviser to Democratic presidents and vice presidents, has been chief of staff to Biden since he took office in January 2021. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients delivers remarks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 13, 2021.

☆ Biden's Cabinet is sticking around, bucking the turnover trend of his predecessors
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Peter Nicholas | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

By early 2019, Trump had cycled through seven of 15 Cabinet secretaries and was on his third chief of staff. A White House official said Mayorkas would fight any such attempt and has no wish to step down. The durability of Biden’s Cabinet is something of a surprise. Going back decades, presidents have steadily concentrated power in the White House, at the Cabinet’s expense, historians say. Some Cabinet secretaries have felt marginalized as presidents stocked the West Wing with trusted advisers and usurped the prerogatives of Cabinet members who had thought they were brought in to run things.

☆ Explainer: Who is Jeff Zients, incoming White House chief of staff?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden named businessman and former COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients to become his second White House chief of staff on Friday, replacing Ron Klain, who is departing the administration after two years on the job. WHO IS JEFF ZIENTS? In the Biden administration, Zients served as the first COVID-19 response coordinator, charged with rolling out a massive vaccine program nationwide in early 2021. He stepped down from that role in 2022 before being tapped to prepare for potential staff turnover at the White House after the midterm elections. The White House chief of staff is like the chief operating officer for the government, someone who runs daily operations, oversees implementation of the president's policies and serves as a liaison for cabinet members.

WASHINGTON—President Biden is planning to name Jeff Zients , an investor and former Obama administration official who led the White House’s Covid-19 response, to be his next chief of staff, according to people familiar with the decision. Ron Klain , Mr. Biden’s current chief of staff, is expected to step down in the coming weeks after more than two years on the job. The Washington Post earlier reported that Mr. Zients was expected to replace him. Mr. Zients didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment, and the White House declined to comment.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will name Jeff Zients to serve as his next chief of staff, replacing Ron Klain who is expected to leave in the coming weeks, an administration official and a person familiar with the matter told NBC News. Zients, who previously led the Biden administration’s Covid-19 response, left the administration briefly last April, but returned in the fall just before the midterm elections. News of Zients' selection was first reported by The Washington Post. Klain, who has served in the top role for more than two years, is expected to depart the Biden administration after the president's State of the Union address early next month, according to two sources familiar with the decision. Check back later for updates.

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