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Administration officials believe the U.S., the world's largest oil consumer and global economy have entered a more predictable, less volatile phase. This year, gasoline prices have stabilized at lower levels, U.S. oil production is approaching record highs and the job market, while still strong, is cooling down along with inflation, administration officials say. Oil prices slipped on Thursday as the prospect of a possible recession in the US offset concerns of tight supply. Slowing economy or not, the OPEC move could still complicate Biden's efforts to tame nagging inflation and dampen gasoline prices at home, according to multiple interviews with U.S. officials and analysts. Discussions with refiners about expanding capacity or limiting fuel exports have dried up since last summer, oil executives told Reuters.

Administration officials believe the U.S. and global economy has now entered a more predictable, less volatile phase. This year, gasoline prices have stabilized at lower levels, U.S. oil production is approaching record highs and the job market, while still strong, is cooling down along with inflation, administration officials say. The OPEC move could complicate Biden's efforts to tame nagging inflation and dampen gasoline prices at home, according to multiple interviews with U.S. officials and analysts. The recent U.S. banking crisis has added another layer of uncertainty to global and U.S. forecasts as well, forecasters warn. Discussions with refiners about expanding capacity or limiting fuel exports have dried up since last summer, oil executives told Reuters.

The proposal is aimed at protecting woman who live in states where abortion is illegal who travel out of state to have the procedure done - something thousands of women are already doing, research shows. It is unclear whether the proposed rule would actually stifle criminal investigations. The federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) covers most health insurance and other company benefit plans and generally preempts state laws on abortion-related coverage. But it does not prevent states from prosecuting plans, sponsors, administrators and their employees in all instances. Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Heather Timmons; Editing by Heather Timmons and Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. Education Secretary Cardona on transgender athletes, student debt, history lessons
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

TRANSGENDER YOUTH ATHLETESA recent Title IX proposed rule from the Department of Education prohibits outright bans in transgender athletes in sports, but allows schools to keep them from some teams. The Department of Education hopes to take feedback and have the rule finalized in time for the next school year, he said. "I do believe there are very deliberate attempts to attack public education so that a private voucher option sounds better," Cardona said. Florida is one of several states that have banned public schools from teaching "Critical Race Theory," an academic framework that teaches that racism is embedded in U.S. laws, policies and institutions. Cardona said he intended to double down on ensuring access to education for all students.

☆ Battle over Biden labor nominee Julie Su heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Julie Su applauds while being nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden to serve as the Labor secretary during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 1, 2023. Crucial senators in Montana, West Virginia and Arizona, who voted for Su to become deputy Labor Secretary in 2021, are on the fence about her confirmation for the top job. The AFL-CIO will target Montana, West Virginia, Arizona and Maine, communicating support for Su to its members to get them to contact their state senators. A spokesperson for Maine's Republican Senator Susan Collins said she does not support Su's nomination. She voted no on Su's deputy secretary nomination in 2021, as did all Republicans.

☆ White House plans support for drugstores, pharma in abortion pill battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We are discussing ways to offer them legal support," one of the sources said of manufacturers and retail pharmacies. Major U.S. manufacturers of abortion pills include GenBioPro Inc and Danco Laboratories. Walgreens said in March it would not dispense abortion pills in the 20 states where it risked breaking the law. Discussions between the Biden administration and pill manufacturers and pharmacies over the issue have been ongoing for months, sources said, but Friday's decision brings fresh urgency. It is unclear whether the administration is considering following in California Governor Gavin Newsom's footsteps by withholding federal contracts from chains that suspend abortion pill sales.

☆ Ukraine seeks to prevent military leaks after NATO assistance plans reportedly appear on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"The participants of the meeting focused on measures to prevent the leakage of information regarding the plans of the defence forces of Ukraine," it said. One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since the invasion. The Ukrainian military said it was holding on in the city but the situation was difficult. Ukrainian military expert Vladyslav Selezniov has said Ukraine will have to pull back if the route for getting supplies in and wounded out is threatened. Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut and understood Russian intentions.

Just 14% say they have a great deal or "quite a lot" of confidence in the criminal justice system, half the level of a decade ago. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case is the first of several involving Trump as the country braces for a 2024 presidential election in which Trump is the leading Republican candidate. Trump himself has over the years complained that law enforcement was targeting him for political purposes, and his rhetoric has heightened since the New York case surfaced. On Wednesday, Trump called on his fellow Republicans in Congress to slash funding for the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI. "It's obvious the criminal legal system can punch down - it's proven that, and oppressively so," Ali said.

☆ 'You are loved,' White House press secretary tells LGBTQ youth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - A flurry of recent state bills targeting LGBTQ kids and gender affirming care for youth sets a dangerous precedent, the White House said Thursday, while encouraging protests. "We are so proud of the kids across this country who have organized protests and school walkouts to tell the politicians in their states to stop this legislative bullying," Karine Jean-Pierre, the first openly gay White House press secretary, said at the White House podium on Thursday. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday refused to let West Virginia enforce a state law banning transgender athletes from female sports teams at public schools. Republican lawmakers in Kentucky overrode a governor's veto last week, banning transgender youths from gender-affirming healthcare and restricting which toilets they use in public schools. Indiana's governor this week signed a bill banning all gender-affirming care for minors, joining about a dozen others states that have passed similar laws.

☆ Tennessee Republicans 'shrugging' after school shooting, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Protesters gather outside the Tennessee State Capitol to call for an end to gun violence and support stronger gun laws after a deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Cheney Orr//File PhotoWASHINGTON, April 4 (Reuters) - Republicans in Tennessee who are moving to oust Democratic legislators for joining an anti-gun violence protest are "shrugging in the face" of another school shooting, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday. Republican-majority Tennessee's state legislature took the first steps on Monday to expel Democratic legislators who joined hundreds of young protesters last week following a shooting at a school in Nashville that killed six people, including three children, on March 27. "What they're doing with these three Democratic legislators are shrugging in the face of yet another tragic school shooting while our kids continue to pay the price," Jean-Pierre said. Reporting by Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt; Writing by Heather Timmons; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Republicans in Tennessee 'shrugging' after school shooting, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ Factbox: From Bragg to Tacopina: Who's who in Trump hush money case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg leaves after former U.S. President Donald Trump's indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, U.S., March 30, 2023. At issue is a $130,000 hush payment to an adult film star made in the waning days of the 2016 election campaign. Allegedly the payment was hush money paid to benefit Trump's presidential campaign, to cover up a 2006 sexual encounter. ALVIN BRAGGTrump's indictment has thrust New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg into the spotlight. He has represented rapper Meek Mill, former Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez and Donald Trump Jr.'s fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle.

☆ White House got 'heads up' on OPEC cut plans, disagreed with move - US official
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

“We don't think that production cuts are advisable at this moment, given market uncertainty. U.S. officials were notified about OPEC's plans to cut oil production before a Sunday announcement that surprised markets but they do not know why the decision was made, a White House official said. Kirby sought to downplay any tensions between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, which pushed for production cuts last autumn that angered the White House and prompted the administration to call for a review of its relationship. One big difference now is that global oil prices are around $80 per barrel, compared with $110 and $120 last year, he said, while adding that the White House is focused on consumers, not barrels. Reporting by Jarret Renshaw and Moira Warbuton; Writing by Heather Timmons; Editing by David Gregorio and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Trump, the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges, is due to be arraigned, fingerprinted and photographed at the downtown Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday. A court official said the arraignment is planned for 2:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) on Tuesday. Trump then will return to Florida and deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday (0015 GMT on Wednesday), his office said. Other courtrooms on the courthouse's higher floors will be shut down ahead of the arraignment as part of the security precautions, a court official said. U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted an invitation on Sunday to join her at a protest near the courthouse on Tuesday, saying "They’re not coming after President Trump, they’re coming after us, he’s just in their way."

☆ Trump indictment pulls DeSantis-leaning Republicans back to MAGA fold
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Tim Reid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"Now I am absolutely voting for Trump," said White, 75, a composer and musician in Nevada. "The indictment was the last straw for me, because Trump has suffered so much political abuse. The reason was the indictment, Longwell added. Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesman, said in an email to Reuters that the charges had "surged" support for Trump. "Americans from all backgrounds are sick and tired of the weaponization of the justice system against President Trump and his supporters," Cheung said.

Biden was continuing a strategy his White House has honed on Trump over two years - silence is golden. As president, Biden has lambasted the former president's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) allies and policies, but rarely Trump himself. "They've been smart to stay out of it," Democratic strategist Lis Smith said of the White House strategy on Trump. The split screen of President Biden focused on doing his job well versus Trump and the Republican Party in chaos will only help him." The White House has said it will not comment on Trump because his actions are being investigated by Biden's own Justice Department, which the president has pledged to leave independent.

Biden was continuing a strategy his White House has honed on Trump over two years - silence is golden. Now that Trump has been indicted in a New York hush money case, White House officials indicate they plan to follow the same "keep quiet and carry on" playbook. As president, Biden has lambasted the former president's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) allies and policies, but rarely Trump himself. "They've been smart to stay out of it," Democratic strategist Lis Smith said of the White House strategy on Trump. The split screen of President Biden focused on doing his job well versus Trump and the Republican Party in chaos will only help him."

REUTERS/Bing Guan/File PhotoNEW YORK, April 2 (Reuters) - New York City police have thrown up metal barriers around Trump Tower and blocked roads near Manhattan Criminal Courthouse as they brace for potential protests ahead of Donald Trump's expected surrender to prosecutors on Tuesday. The downtown courthouse, home to criminal and supreme courts, will shut down some courtrooms ahead of Trump's expected appearance, a court official said. However, many Trump supporters online have expressed wariness about public demonstrations, even after Trump called for them, concerned they could be arrested. Trump is expected to fly to New York on Monday from Florida and spend the night at Trump Tower, before arriving early Tuesday morning at the courthouse, a Trump adviser said. A court official told Reuters that courtrooms on higher floors of the courthouse will be closed at 1 p.m., shortly before Trump's expected 2:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) arraignment.

☆ Manchin threatens to sue US Treasury over EV tax credit rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - Senate Energy Committee Chair Joe Manchin said on Wednesday he may go to court after the U.S. Treasury releases guidance later this week on battery sourcing guidance for electric vehicle tax credits. Manchin said he is most concerned about how Treasury will classify processing and manufacturing in determining eligibility for $7,500 EV tax credits. Manchin, who has often pushed fossil fuel industry interests in Congress, says he is trying to move the EV battery supply chain from China. Reuters reported earlier the Treasury battery sourcing rules for electric vehicle tax credits, due out by Friday, will result in fewer vehicles qualifying for full or partial credits. The EV rules are part of a $430 billion bill passed by Democrats in August to cut climate emissions and reduce drug costs, dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act.

☆ New White House bank regulation plan impacts short list of banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A First Republic Bank branch is pictured in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S., March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File PhotoWASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - The White House's plan to strengthen the U.S. banking system announced on Thursday makes new demands on a small group of midsized banks. The plan asks regulators to demand banks with between $100 billion and $250 billion in assets increase liquidity and capital, and submit to extra stress tests, among other changes. BANK ASSETS, BILLIONCitizens Bank $226.4First Republic $212.6Morgan Stanley Priv. Bnk $209.7Silicon Valley $209.0Fifth Third Bank $206.3Morgan Stanley Bank $201.4Manufacturers & Traders $200.3Keybank $187.6Huntington $182.3Ally Bank $181.9BMO Harris $176.9HSBC Bank USA $162.4American Express $155.4Northern TC $154.5Regions Bank, AL $154.2Discover $129.4Signature $110.4First Citizens $109.2MUFG Union $104.4Reporting by Dan Burns; Writing by Heather Timmons; Editing by Anna DriverOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ White House touts Amazon EVs, Google EV tax credit tool
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 30 (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday highlighted new U.S. company moves to support electric vehicles (EVs), as final rules on tax credits aimed at boosting the industry are expected this week. The federal government will buy 13,000 light- and medium-duty zero emission vehicles this fiscal year, about four times more than last fiscal year, the White House said. On Friday, the administration is expected to release final rules on eligibility for $7,500 EV tax credits, including how much of the car's battery must come from U.S.-sourced parts. Google will provide up-to-date information about the availability and coverage of tax credits across eligible passenger vehicles with a new search tool, the White House said. Wells Fargo will also release a new tool to help businessess evaluate electric vehicle fleets by modeling deployment that incorporates the cost of electrification, tax credits, cost savings, and environmental benefits, the White House said.

The White House's push for more regulation comes after days of turmoil in the banking sector after the collapse of U.S. lenders Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. "This ... is really about making sure that we are protecting the resilience and stability of the banking system going forward," the official added. Silicon Valley bank had $209 billion in assets at the end of last year. According to Federal Reserve data, about 30 banks had assets of more than $100 billion at the end of last year, a list that included Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The Fed and other bank regulators have indicated they are already looking to strengthen bank rules, particularly for firms between $100 billion and $250 billion in assets.

Biden's 2024 race will be different, aides and Democratic party officials say. The race to host the party convention is now down to two cities, sources say: Chicago and Atlanta. Chicago's pull is rooted in tradition, deep-pocketed donors and union ties, while Atlanta's appeal reflects the power of Georgia's grassroots networks and the importance to the party of Black voters and a racially diverse electorate. Top Democratic political officials in eight Midwestern states wrote Biden last week to push for a Chicago convention. CHICAGO, UNION TOWNHolding the convention in Chicago would put Biden in a Democratic powerhouse, where the party controls the legislature and executive branches.

Obrador's decision to roll back reforms aimed at opening Mexico's power and oil markets to outside competitors sparked the trade dispute. If not, the U.S. will request an independent dispute settlement panel under the Unites States Mexico Canada Agreement, or USCMA, they said. The United States and Canada demanded dispute settlement talks with Mexico in July - 250 days ago. Under USMCA rules, after 75 days without a resolution, they were free to request a dispute settlement panel, a third party that rules on the case. In my view, it’s long past time to say enough is enough and escalate this into a real dispute settlement case," Wyden said.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, March 25 (Reuters) - The banking crisis set off by the swift collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB.O) has exposed a sharp disconnect between Washington and Wall Street. Some critics are asking whether the Biden administration could have contained the crisis with aggressive actions at the start. FINDING A BUYER FOR SVBThe failure of the nation's 16th largest bank caught regulators off guard. The banking industry itself is not united on how to reassure depositors. The banking industry is searching for sweeping relief to calm markets, while Washington is discussing how to prevent the next crisis.

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