DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Jill Biden now ‘all in’ for second run at the White House, people close to her say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Kate Bennett | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Jill Biden is now “all in” on the idea, according to a person who works with the East Wing. Recent polling, however, suggests a large swath of the Democratic Party may not be eager to see the president run again. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive with Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff for a bill signing ceremony for the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, on the South Lawn of the White House. “[Jill Biden] is the one more aware of how the last few years have affected Joe [Biden,]” noted a person with ties to the Biden family. Jill Biden is also the tender of Joe Biden’s legacy.

☆ Matt Hill: White House aide leaving to be communications director for newly established CHIPS program office
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Matt Hill, a longtime communications aide to President Joe Biden, is leaving the White House for the Department of Commerce to steer communications for the implementation of the administration’s multi-billion-dollar investment in the semiconductor industry. Hill will serve as the communications director for the newly established CHIPS program office, which is responsible for implementing the $50 billion investment in semiconductor manufacturing authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act. “Matt has been a backbone of President Biden’s communications team since the very first day of the campaign,” said White House communications director Kate Bedingfield. Hill also advised Biden’s infrastructure czar Mitch Landrieu and Gina McCarthy, who served as Biden’s national climate adviser until earlier this year. “During my time in the White House, Matt proved himself to be a smart, savvy communications expert who helped transform the climate change narrative in ways that generated excitement, built hope and expanded engagement,” McCarthy said.

☆ U.S. House overwhelmingly approves bill backing record military spending
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"This bill is Congress exercising its authority to authorize and do oversight," said Representative Adam Smith, the Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, in a speech urging support for the measure. This year's bill - the result of months of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate - needed a two-thirds majority in the House after disagreement from some House members over whether it should include an amendment on voting rights. The Senate is expected to pass the NDAA next week, sending it to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign into law. Authorization bills create programs but Congress must pass appropriations bills to give the government legal authority to spend federal money. Congressional leaders have not yet agreed on an appropriations bill for next year.

With winter approaching at the penal colony where Griner was being held, Biden faced a singularly presidential decision. Griner’s wife, who arrived in Washington on Wednesday, was invited to an early morning meeting at the White House set for Thursday. Cherelle Griner waited at the White House for a short period of time before it became clear the planned meeting with Sullivan had shifted. The White House described her suffering “intolerable circumstances” during her detention. At the White House, Biden met with Griner’s wife for the first time to show her the letter he was sending in response.

☆ U.S. lawmakers ease planned curbs on Chinese chips amid corporate pushback
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Alexandra Alper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The final version no longer forbids contractors from "using" the targeted chips and pushes the compliance deadline back to five years from the immediate or two-year implementation deadlines included in the first version. Chips made by SMIC are commissioned by companies all over the world and can be found in products as diverse as cell phones and cars. They are difficult to identify because chips are not typically labeled with the names of the companies that manufacture them. Lawmakers released a final version of the NDAA Tuesday night. Schumer's office, SMIC, YMTC, CXMT and the Chamber of Commerce did not respond to requests for comment.

☆ White House slams Congress for move to rescind military's vaccine mandate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that scrapping the requirement that U.S. troops get vaccinated for COVID-19 is a mistake, as lawmakers moved closer to requiring the Pentagon to rescind its vaccine mandate. President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and military leaders have strongly backed the vaccine mandate as necessary to safeguard the health and readiness of the U.S. armed forces. "We continue to believe that repealing the vaccine mandate is a mistake," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. The bill is expected to pass the Senate and House this month, and be sent to the White House for Biden to sign into law. Austin said on Monday that the military has no data to back up claims by top Republicans in Congress that the vaccine mandate is hurting recruiting.

Three weeks ago, conservative Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., was defeated by GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy in their party’s private, internal vote for speaker of the House. “I’m running for Speaker to break the establishment,” Biggs tweeted, linking to an op-ed in the conservative Daily Caller outlining his opposition to McCarthy. Democrats are expected to back their own leader for speaker, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and five conservative lawmakers are already on record saying they will not vote for McCarthy under any circumstance. The last time a speaker vote went multiple ballots was exactly a century ago. Some moderate GOP McCarthy allies say it would never reach that point.

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet on Thursday for celebrities, lawmakers, and titans of industry at the White House's first state dinner in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron. The guest list included actress Jennifer Garner and her daughter with Ben Affleck, Violet; singer John Legend and model Chrissy Teigen; "Vogue" editor Anna Wintour; and director Baz Luhrmann. On Thursday night, Biden and his wife, Jill, welcomed the Macrons back to the White House for the dinner after diplomatic meetings earlier in the day. [1/7] Jennifer Garner and her daughter Violet Affleck arrive for a state dinner in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2022. The lavish Washington dinner is one of few events that bring together people including the president's son Hunter and Kevin McCarthy, who leads a Republican congressional delegation that has vowed to investigate his business dealings.

☆ Biden to fete Macron with Maine lobster, California sparkling wine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - From Maine lobster to California wines, President Joe Biden will showcase the flavors of America at a state dinner on Thursday for French President Emmanuel Macron. The menu will feature some American specialties, butter poached lobster from Maine, American Osetra caviar, and beef and potatoes followed by cheeses from Oregon, California and Wisconsin. All this will be washed down by wines from California - Newton "Unfiltered" Chardonnay and Anakota "Knights Valley" Cabernet Sauvignon, along with a California sparkling wine with French roots, Roederer Estate Brut Rose. Serving American-made wine to official French visitors is not original to Biden. Barack Obama served French President François Hollande a Chardonnay from a Virginia's Thibaut-Janisson Winery, founded by two French natives.

They’re offering more policy briefings to longtime supporters, Zoom calls with top administration officials and White House tours, too. "The $500,000 people like me, we’re not going to be players in 2024," said Dick Harpootlian, a longtime Democratic donor and South Carolina state senator. For the White House, the shift is an acceleration of a courtship campaign that began more modestly before the midterm elections. Amid concerns about the omicron variant last year, the White House was forced to abandon plans for a more full set of holiday parties. Some of those same people were invited to the White House next month for an in-person policy briefing.

☆ There is a growing shadow campaign to defend Joe Biden from House Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Three new "war rooms" have sprung up in the past two weeks to combat the House Republican investigations, each backed by multimillion-dollar dark money budgets and some of the best-known operatives in the Democratic Party. Every White House has faced congressional investigations. The White House itself has been preparing for months for the barrage of inquiries, adding both legal and public relations firepower to the White House Counsel’s Office, which is quarterbacking its effort, and encouraging federal agencies to take similar moves. And the White House prefers to stay above the political fray, anyway. I also think it’s the story of Joe Biden as an empathetic father.”

☆ With Philippines visit VP Harris seeks to reset relations
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REBUILDING TIESThe visit by Harris will be the highest-level trip to the Philippines by an administration official and marks a sharp turnaround in relations. With Marcos in office, the Biden administration is attempting a reset. China claims 90% of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory, but is opposed by five Southeast Asian states and Taiwan. Arsenio Andolong, a Philippine defense department spokesman, told Reuters there is no reason for China to fear Harris' visit. A senior Biden administration official offered a different summary.

☆ Biden’s granddaughter Naomi ties knot in White House wedding
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

It’s the first White House wedding with a president’s granddaughter as the bride, and the first one ever on the South Lawn. Naomi Biden walks to the White House in Washington, D.C. with first lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden on Oct. 11, 2021. The couple, who have been living at the White House, was set up by a mutual friend about four years ago in New York City and have been together ever since, the White House said. The White House announced the wedding in a statement following the small, private wedding in the Rose Garden. The White House Correspondents Association, which advocates for press access to the White House and the president, said it was “deeply disappointed” that the White House declined its request for press coverage of Naomi Biden’s wedding.

☆ Fact Check-Conspiracy theories say actor dressed as Trump attended his daughter’s wedding
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump did attend his daughter Tiffany’s wedding, contrary to online claims saying the pair’s apparently similar height in some images was evidence that an actor attended the wedding instead of the former U.S. president. Great actors ..Look at the actor playing trump .. (there are a few) standing next to the actor playing tiffany? It then says wedding photographs show the two with similar heights and that this is proof that a hired actor attended the wedding. In the image being shared online, Tiffany, her husband, and her father appear to be a similar height. There is no evidence that former U.S. President Donald J. Trump had an actor attend his daughter Tiffany’s wedding instead of him.

☆ Virginia McLaurin, who famously danced with the Obamas in White House visit, dies at 113
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

— Virginia McLaurin, the centenarian who danced excitedly with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama during a 2016 White House visit, has died. “We know you’re up there dancing.”McLaurin visited the White House for a Black History Month reception in February 2016, when she was 106. “I thought I would never live to get in the White House,” she said. Shortly after the White House visit, Menkart suggested they contact the mayor’s office and the Washington Post, which interviewed her and published a story. According to the Obama White House archives, she was a foster grandparent and a mentor to special-needs students, helping children with reading and social skills.

Two of his revenge picks to knock off House Republicans who voted to impeach him lost critical general election races in Michigan and Washington. To Mr. Trump, none of that had any bearing on his desire to return to power. “A perfect call.” Absconding with classified documents from the White House? “I think the question is who is the current leader of the Republican Party. In light of what unfolded at Mar-a-Lago, that felt more like the wishful thinking of a born optimist than the judgment of a seasoned student of Mr. Trump.

☆ Biden departs White House for COP27
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsBiden departs White House for COP27PostedU.S. President Joe Biden departed Washington on Thursday (November 10) to attend the COP27 U.N. Climate Change summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in a wide-ranging trip that also includes meetings of ASEAN and the Group of 20 industrialized nations in Cambodia and Indonesia.

Former President Donald Trump was demonstrably weakened — and President Joe Biden strengthened — by Tuesday's midterm election results, just as the two begin to circle each other for a possible 2024 rematch. Democrats were in position to lose fewer seats in Congress in this year's midterms than Republicans did when Trump was president in 2018. "It’s not even a good night,” one former Trump campaign official said of the GOP's performance, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering fellow Republicans. Because it can’t be both," the former Trump campaign official said. "If Democrats want to lose the general election in 2024, they should start screwing with Joe Biden."

☆ Biden to suggest oil and gas companies pay U.S. windfall tax
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday will call on oil and gas companies to use their record profits to lower costs for Americans and increase production, or pay a higher tax rate, as he battles high pump prices with elections coming in a week. A White House official said Biden will again call on oil and gas companies to "invest their record profits in lowering costs for American families and increasing production." "And if they don’t, he will call on Congress to consider requiring oil companies to pay tax penalties and face other restrictions," the official said. Whether Democrats or Republicans take control of Congress, passing a law taxing energy companies for excess profits would likely be difficult, energy experts believe. The White House for months has been considering congressional proposals that could tax oil and gas producers' profits as consumers struggling with higher energy prices.

Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender creator who has chronicled her transition with her "Days of Girlhood" series, on Sunday responded to a slew of Caitlyn Jenner's tweets in which she commented on Mulvaney's body. Mulvaney said what prompted the response was one of Jenner's tweets, in which she said, "He is talking about his penis!" Mulvaney then pulled up a screenshot of a different Jenner tweet, in which she wrote, in part, "Dylan...congrats your trans with a penis." In the video, Mulvaney said the experience made her realize that transgender women should not feel compelled to avoid wearing tight pants or tuck their penises. Prior to Mulvaney posting her video, Jenner said in a tweet she had "never received more death threats."

☆ Bidens celebrate their first Halloween at the White House
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden distribute Halloween candy to visiting children at the South Portico of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 31, 2022. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed trick-or-treaters to the White House to celebrate Halloween on Monday, their first time hosting such a celebration since taking office. Treats were also distributed by representatives from the Department of Education, Department of Transportation, NASA, United States Secret Service, Peace Corps, White House Fire Brigade and White House staff among others. The South Portico of the White House was decorated with fall colors, pumpkins, various shades of autumn, and songs such as "Ring of Fire," "Psycho" and "Hall of the Mountain King" set the mood. Halloween has been celebrated at the White House since the mid-20th century, according to the White House Historical Association.

☆ The US and Saudi Arabia traded petty insults in an feud over oil after a reported secret deal fell apart
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US and Saudi Arabia are in a dispute over reports of an abandoned secret oil deal. Biden wants more oil output to drive down prices, but Saudi and its OPEC partners plan the opposite. The backdrop to the dispute is the decision in October by Saudi Arabia and other oil producers to cut output and keep prices high. "I think we as Saudi Arabia decided to be the maturer guys and let the dice fall," Abdulaziz told an international investors summit in Riyadh this week, according to Reuters. Biden said there will be "consequences" for Saudi Arabia over its decision to reduce oil supplies, but has not specified what they will be.

☆ Paul Ryan says 'anybody not named Trump' has the best chance of winning the White House in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He` said "anybody not named Trump" would have a better shot at the White House in 2024. "That new swing voter in American politics is the suburban voter, and it's really clear the suburban voter doesn't like Trump, but they like Republicans," Ryan said. "So I think anybody not named Trump, I think is so much more likely to win the White House for us." "Any one of these candidates would make a fine president, and most importantly, will win the White House." In June, Ryan also praised Rep. Tom Rice for being one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Capitol riot.

WASHINGTON — Hope Hicks, who served as a top adviser to former President Donald Trump, is interviewing with the Jan. 6 committee on Tuesday, a source familiar told NBC News. Hicks served in multiple senior roles in Trump's White House for much of his presidency. She left the White House six days after the Jan. 6 insurrection, on Jan. 12, after serving as a counselor to the president. She had previously served as White House communications director as well as director of strategic communications. Prior to her stints at the White House, Hicks worked for Trump's presidential campaign, the Trump Organization and Ivanka Trump’s fashion brand.

Share this -Link copiedSteve Bannon sentenced to four months Bannon was sentenced to four months in federal prison along with a $6,500 fine. He noted Bannon had not been employed in the executive branch for several years and so was unlikely to possess information that would be covered by executive privilege. Share this -Link copiedNo comments from Bannon Bannon declined to make a comment before the judge imposes his sentence, saying his lawyers had spoken for him. The committee countered that executive privilege should not extend to Bannon, because he was not working for the White House at the time. Share this -Link copiedThis isn't the end of Bannon's legal troubles Bannon has more legal problems on the horizon.

Search resuls for: "White House for"

25 mentions found