DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Four takeaways from Biden's State of the Union speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While Democrats were quick to rise in applause, Republicans applauded only sporadically, and remained silent when Biden listed his administration's accomplishments. Several Republican lawmakers remained seated throughout. "Social Security and Medicare are a lifeline for millions of seniors. We will not cut Social Security!" Murphy, a Democratic ally of the president, called the speech "the best the president has ever been" and touted Biden's "metaphysical connection" to the viewing public.

Some Republicans heckled him at times during a speech that lasted 73 minutes. But over the past two years, we proved the cynics and the naysayers wrong," said Biden, a Democrat. The White House has said Biden will not negotiate over that necessity; Republicans want spending cuts in exchange for their support. And he stuck to that theme, highlighting a massive infrastructure bill and gently ribbing Republican lawmakers who opposed it. Some House Republican lawmakers have questioned Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential race against Trump, vowing to investigate his Cabinet and family.

☆ Biden's State of the Union 2023: Key quotes of the night
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., February 7, 2023. Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated like they’re invisible." Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere." And to my Republican friends who voted against it but still ask to fund projects in their districts, don’t worry. Ambassador, America is united in our support for your country.

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden pledged to work with the opposition party on Tuesday in a State of the Union speech that served as an olive branch to skeptical Republicans and a blueprint for his 2024 re-election bid. The White House has said Biden will not negotiate over that necessity; Republicans want spending cuts in exchange for their support. McCarthy said earlier on Tuesday that he would not rip up Biden's speech, referencing the actions of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi after Trump's 2020 State of the Union address. He said he urged Biden not to use the phrase "extreme MAGA Republicans" in his speech, a reference to Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. Some House Republican lawmakers have questioned Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential race against Trump, vowing to investigate his Cabinet and family.

"To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can’t work together in this new Congress," Biden, a Democrat, will say, according to excerpts of the speech released by the White House before the speech scheduled for 9 p.m. One test of that challenge will be the White House push to raise the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, which must be lifted in the coming months to avoid a default. The White House has said Biden will not negotiate over that necessity; Republicans want spending cuts in exchange for their support. He said he urged Biden not to use the phrase "extreme MAGA Republicans" in his speech, a reference to Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. Some House Republican lawmakers have questioned Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential race against Trump, vowing to investigate his Cabinet and family.

Biden will deliver his second State of the Union address at about 9 p.m. (0200 GMT Wednesday). It will be broadcast live on major U.S. broadcast television networks and online by the White House and the House of Representatives. The speech could deliver Biden his largest television audience of the year. The White House has also invited Brandon Tsay, who disarmed a gunman responsible for a mass shooting in Monterey Park, California. Republicans have picked Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White House press secretary under Donald Trump, to deliver their response.

☆ After State of the Union speech, Biden heads to key 2024 campaign states
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Fresh off a State of the Union speech to Congress that challenged opposition Republicans to help unite the country, President Joe Biden heads to two U.S. states crucial to his expected 2024 re-election bid. Biden travels first on Wednesday to DeForest in Wisconsin, a state that flipped from supporting Republican former President Donald Trump in 2016 to favoring Biden in 2020. There, Biden is expected to laud the economic progress he touted in his State of the Union speech on the strength of the U.S. labor market. The old-age and healthcare programs are popular among voters, especially in a state with one of the largest elderly populations. Tuesday's speech was widely considered among officials as a test run of the message he will use in his campaign.

☆ Biden says police who 'violate' trust should be held accountable in State of the Union
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday renewed his call for police reform, saying officers who "violate the public trust" should be held accountable and law enforcement officials should be given the necessary training and be held to higher standards. We have to do better," Biden added, referring to the death of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who was fatally beaten by Memphis police officers in January. "Public safety depends on public trust but too often that trust is violated .... "When police officers or police departments violate the public trust, they must be held accountable." Members of the Congressional Black Caucus had called on Biden to use his State of the Union speech to push for police reform in the wake of Nichols' death.

☆ Biden State of the Union: Stop fighting, Republican friends
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday plans to hail the recovery of the U.S. economy and creation of a record 12 million jobs in his State of the Union address, while urging Republicans to stop "fighting for the sake of fighting." As I stand here tonight, we have created a record 12 million new jobs – more jobs created in two years than any president has ever created in four years. And you wonder whether a path even exists anymore for you and your children to get ahead without moving away. APPEALS TO REPUBLICANS"To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can’t work together in this new Congress. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere."

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will declare U.S democracy is bruised but "unbowed and unbroken" on Tuesday in a State of the Union speech that will serve as an olive branch to skeptical Republicans and a blueprint for his 2024 re-election bid. "To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can’t work together in this new Congress," Biden, a Democrat, will say, according to excerpts of the speech released by the White House ahead of the speech scheduled for 9 p.m. Biden's public approval rating edged one percentage point higher to 41% in a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll that closed on Sunday. McCarthy said on Tuesday that he would not rip up Biden's speech, referencing to the actions of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi after former President Donald Trump's 2020 State of the Union address. He said he urged Biden not to use the phrase "extreme MAGA Republicans" in his speech, a reference to Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.

Biden's public approval rating edged one percentage point higher to 41% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Sunday. In the speech, Biden will hail the resilience and strength of the U.S. economy, which saw unemployment drop to a nearly 54-year low in January, while pledging continued efforts to lower inflation and protect Social Security and other benefits. [1/3] The U.S. Capitol building is seen on the day of U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 7, 2023. He will push Congress to require background checks for all gun sales and ban assault weapons, the White House said, although the prospects for passage remain slim. McCarthy said on Tuesday that he won't rip up Biden's speech, referencing the actions of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi after former President Trump's 2020 State of the Union address.

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will face Republicans who question his legitimacy and a public concerned about the country's direction in Tuesday's State of the Union speech that is expected to serve as a blueprint for a 2024 re-election bid. Biden's public approval rating edged one percentage point higher to 41% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Sunday. Reforms in policing will loom large in Biden's speech after the death of Tyre Nichols, a Black man fatally beaten by officers in Memphis, Tennessee last month, with his mother and stepfather to be guests of first lady Jill Biden. He will also run through a wish list of economic proposals, many of which are unlikely to be passed through Congress, the White House said. [1/3] The U.S. Capitol building is seen on the day of U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 7, 2023.

REUTERS/Elizabeth FrantzWASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will face Republicans who question his legitimacy and a public concerned about the country's direction in Tuesday's State of the Union speech that is expected to serve as a blueprint for a 2024 re-election bid. Biden would urge lawmakers to "build on these historic bipartisan achievements" to improve the lives of Americans, Christen Linke Young, deputy assistant to Biden for health and veterans affairs, told reporters. He will also run through a wish list of economic proposals, many of which are unlikely to be passed through Congress, the White House said. They include a minimum tax for billionaires, and a quadrupling of the tax on corporate stock buybacks. Speaker Kevin McCarthy will sit behind Biden for the address for the first time.

Biden turned 80 in November and, if re-elected, would be 82 at the start of a second term, a fact that concerns many Democratic voters, recent polls show. Speaker Kevin McCarthy will sit behind Biden for the address for the first time. The two are at loggerheads over the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, which must raised in the coming months to avoid a default. Biden will insist during his speech that raising the debt limit is not negotiable and should not be used as a "bargaining chip" by lawmakers, National Economic Council director Brian Deese said Monday. While the U.S. economy continues to outperform expectations, faith in Biden is undermined by entrenched political divisions, high prices and concerns over his age, polls show.

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy greets U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris during a joint meeting of U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to discuss Washington's future support for Ukraine when she travels to a major European security conference in Germany next week, as Russia's invasion nears the one-year mark. Harris will travel to Munich, Germany, from Feb. 16 to 18 to attend the Munich Security Conference as Ukraine, still waiting on promised longer-range Western missiles and battle tanks, readies itself for a new Russian offensive that could begin next week. Support for Ukraine has included $29.3 billion worth of pledged security assistance and an unprecedented use of economic sanctions, including an oil price cap, which have severely impacted Moscow. Harris met with and briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at last year's conference, which was held just days before Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationWASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - China's flight of a suspected surveillance balloon over the United States appears to mark a more aggressive - albeit puzzling - espionage tactic than relying on satellites and the theft of industrial and defense secrets, security experts said. Both the United States and China have for decades used surveillance satellites to keep an eye on each other from the air. The uproar over the balloon comes as China has been building up its military capabilities and challenging America's military presence in the Pacific. The United States also believes Beijing routinely seeks to capture proprietary information and knowledge from U.S. companies. It has previously rebuffed accusations of espionage and said the United States holds a Cold War mentality and hypes up the 'China threat.'

☆ India, U.S. discuss Narendra Modi White House visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The Biden administration is in talks with Indian officials over a possible White House visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this year, according to a U.S. official aware of the discussions and another person briefed on the matter. The White House and the Indian Embassy in Washington declined to comment. Discussions about a possible White House visit intensified this week as Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met with his U.S. counterpart, Jake Sullivan, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington. During the visit, the United States and India launched a partnership to deepen ties on military equipment, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. He was first invited to the White House after he became prime minister in 2014 by Barack Obama.

☆ Biden revamp of Democratic primary faces final vote at DNC convention
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The move, another clear sign Biden intends to run for re-election in 2024, would force any potential Democratic primary challenger to square off with Biden in a series of matchups largely of his choosing. Just a simple majority of the members need to approve it, but two states, Georgia and New Hampshire, are not playing along and have been given to June to comply. GRANITE STATEBiden's push to move New Hampshire down the primary calendar has struck a nerve with both Republicans and Democrats in the Granite State. New Hampshire Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan sat out the White House congressional ball in December amid anger over the potential changes. In Georgia, Democrats want to move up the calendar but need Republicans who control state government to agree.

The morning search by FBI agents appeared to represent an expansion of the probe into Biden's handling of classified documents. The White House counsel's office did not have representatives present at the search, White House spokesperson Ian Sams told reporters. Classified documents have also been found in the home of Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, giving some political cover to Biden. Trump resisted efforts to return materials in his possession, prompting a FBI search of his Florida home and resort last year. It is unlawful to knowingly or willfully remove or retain classified material, although no current or former president or vice president has been charged with wrongdoing.

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.

[1/3] U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meet on Wednesday to discuss the $31.4 trillion U.S. debt ceiling, a first test of how the two leaders will work together, or not, in a divided Washington. House Republicans want to use the debt ceiling as leverage to exact cuts in spending by the federal government, though they have yet to unite around any specific plan. The White House says it will discuss future federal spending cuts with Republicans, but only after the debt ceiling is lifted. The 2011 crisis was resolved with a bipartisan deal that cut spending and raised the debt limit but left Obama administration officials smarting.

REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department was searching President Joe Biden's second home, a beach house in Rehoboth, Delaware, on Wednesday as part of its investigation into improper storage of classified materials from his time as vice president. The search by FBI agents appears to represent an expansion of the probe into Biden's handling of classified documents. It has stripped him and fellow Democrats of a weapon against former President Donald Trump, who also had classified documents found at his home. Classified documents have also been found in the home of Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, giving some political cover to Biden. It is unlawful to knowingly or willfully remove or retain classified material, although no current or former president or vice president has been charged with wrongdoing.

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the media after his arrival to the White House in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2023. The White House says it will only discuss future spending cuts after the debt ceiling is raised. Biden will call on McCarthy to release a budget plan in the meeting and to commit to support the nation's debt obligations, according to a White House memo seen by Reuters. The White House has said it would release its budget proposal on March 9. House Republicans, meanwhile, will aim to produce their budget proposal in April, said House Republican Leader Steve Scalise.

☆ Biden to ask McCarthy to show Republican budget in White House meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will release his proposed budget on March 9, the White House said on Tuesday, setting a deadline before his meeting with the Republican House speaker on Wednesday to discuss the nation's spending. Biden will ask Kevin McCarthy to release a budget plan in the meeting, and to pledge to meet the nation's debt obligations, according to a White House memo seen by Reuters. Asked what his message will be for McCarthy, Biden told reporters on Monday: "Show me your budget, I’ll show you mine." REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein 1 2McCarthy responded with an admonition to Biden to not rule out negotiations before their White House meeting. The showdown over the growing U.S. debt threatens to roil the global economy if the United States defaults.

☆ 'Show me yours' - Biden to push McCarthy on Republican budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden delivers an economic speech at SteamFitters UA Local 602 in Springfield, Virginia, U.S., January 26, 2023. Biden will ask Kevin McCarthy to release a budget plan in the meeting, and to pledge to meet the nation's debt obligations, according to a White House memo seen by Reuters. Asked what his message will be for McCarthy, Biden told reporters on Monday: "Show me your budget, I’ll show you mine." McCarthy responded with an admonition to Biden to not rule out negotiations before their White House meeting. The showdown over the growing U.S. debt threatens to roil the global economy if the United States defaults.

Search resuls for: "Heather Timmons"

25 mentions found