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☆ U.S. first lady Jill Biden has surgery to remove cancerous skin lesions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

All cancerous tissue was removed, the White House physician said. Jill Biden went to the hospital for removal of a skin lesion above her right eye. "All cancerous tissue was successfully removed, and the margins were clear of any residual skin cancer cells. "Again, all cancerous tissue was successfully removed," O'Connor said. President Biden "wanted to be there to support her," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

☆ Janet Yellen is staying put to oversee billions in climate spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is digging in to oversee billions of dollars in federal climate and infrastructure spending that she believes will transform the economy, close associates say, defying demands from Republicans to step down. Yellen told CNBC late last year that she was "in good company" in misjudging inflation, and that Biden's COVID spending plans were needed to boost the recovery. White House and Treasury officials say inflation was spurred by supply chain problems and exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but note that inflation is now easing and investments in manufacturing will reduce future supply chain log-jams. Treasury had no comment on the Republican concerns, but officials have previously said the department's policies are overdue and urgently needed. In addition to advancing Biden's domestic climate agenda, Treasury officials say another key priority for Yellen in 2023 will be advancing reforms of the World Bank and other multilateral lenders to free up more resources for countries to address climate change and other priorities.

[1/18] U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with border patrol officers as he walks along the border fence during his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border to assess border enforcement operations, in El Paso, Texas, U.S., January 8, 2023. Biden on Thursday said his administration would tighten immigration enforcement by blocking Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants at the border, expanding the nationalities of those who can be expelled back to Mexico. But that has not impressed Republicans like Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who accused him of failing to enforce immigration laws. Biden told reporters he had not yet read the letter. On the ground in El Paso, migrants greeted the new policy with trepidation.

☆ U.S. likely headed for economic 'soft landing' -White House's Boushey
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. economy appears headed for a soft landing, with recent economic data pointing to an ongoing recovery, not a recession, White House economist Heather Boushey told Reuters on Friday. Asked whether the United States could avoid a recession, Boushey, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said, "There are no indications that that is where we are now." "The steps have been taken and it looks like we are in a very good position to have that soft landing that everyone is talking about," she said. A soft landing is the ideal Federal Reserve policy goal after raising interest rates, a situation in which inflation slows but there are not enough job losses to trigger a recession. President Joe Biden had hoped to enact reforms to fund universal preschool and ensure improvements to the "care economy," but failed to win sufficient support in Congress.

☆ Biden says U.S. economy headed to 'new plateau,' amid recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While investors, many economists and some CEOs have warned recently that a U.S. recession is due in 2023, the Biden administration considers it unlikely, in part because of federal spending. "We're the only country in the world who's come out of the crisis stronger than we went in." read moreSt. Louis Federal Reserve leader James Bullard said Thursday that the risk of a U.S. recession has fallen in recent weeks. The Federal Reserve predicts 0.5% growth in 2023, for example. Biden's upbeat comments came as Wall Street's main indexes closed more than 1% lower, with evidence of a tight labor market eating away at any hopes investors had that the Federal Reserve could soon pause its rate hike cycle.

☆ Analysis: Democrats' downgrade of Iowa's role is a blow to Corn Belt, biofuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Iowa's political importance created a cottage industry out of educating and supporting candidates on issues that corn farmers and ethanol manufacturers care about. "Forward looking, to get Democratic candidates exposed to farm issues and get these issues in front of them is going to be extremely challenging. “It’s a blow to the industry, in terms of educating and informing the Democratic candidates,” Link said. Link noted that many of the Democratic candidates vying for the nomination were often already serving as elected leaders in Washington or would later become vice presidents or cabinet secretaries. The Iowa caucuses helped developed empathy for rural issues that could later be tapped for legislative success.

WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will award the Presidential Citizens Medal to 12 people on Friday during a ceremony at the White House to mark two years since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, a White House official said. The award, one of the country's highest civilian honors, will be given to law enforcement officers, election workers and state and local officials, the official said. The White House plans to highlight distinctions between what Biden calls "extremists" in the opposition party and other Republicans in the months ahead. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died in the days following the attack on the Capitol, will receive a posthumous medal, according to the White House official. Washington's chief medical examiner ruled that Sicknick died of natural causes following multiple strokes after the attack on the Capitol.

☆ Biden, McConnell Kentucky event is a roadmap for White House under new Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during an event to tout the new Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River between Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio, near the bridge in Covington, Kentucky, U.S., January 4, 2023. That's the opposite of what the White House thinks voters want. In a stark sign of the Republican divisions that the White House hopes will work to their advantage, Trump endorsed McCarthy on Wednesday morning, while lobbing a racial slur at McConnell's wife. Biden and McConnell were joined by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, former Ohio Senator Rob Portman, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. McConnell was among a handful of Republicans who voted for the infrastructure law while many House Republicans including McCarthy opposed it.

McConnell wants to get credit from voters in his home state of Kentucky for the spending project, while Biden wants to highlight the on-the-ground impacts of lawmakers working together. That's the opposite of what the White House thinks voters want. Democrats' unexpected success in the last midterms shows "the American people said very loudly and clearly they wanted us to come together and work for a common ground,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday. The two will be joined by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, former Ohio Senator Rob Portman, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. McConnell, of Kentucky, was among a handful of Republicans who voted for the infrastructure law while many House Republicans including McCarthy opposed it.

☆ 'Travel insanity': U.S. passengers stranded by winter storm
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The travel disruptions continued into Monday when airlines canceled over 2,500 flights as of early afternoon, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. The hardest hit was Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) with about 1,700 cancellations while Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) had over 250 cancellations. David Sharp said on Twitter his Southwest Airlines flight from Denver to St. Louis was canceled and the next flight was not available for another two days. Voice actress Grey DeLisle tweeted to Southwest Airlines: "Flight 1824 from Nashville to Burbank was canceled due to Elliot and we haven't received any rebooking! Nothing anyone could do but so much travel insanity," tweeted another Twitter user named Alex Gervasi.

☆ IRS delays $600 income reporting rule for U.S. gig workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. Internal Revenue Service said on Friday it would delay a new rule requiring more extensive reporting by gig workers and others who are paid through third party apps, after complaints the rule was too onerous. The rule, part of the COVID-19 relief bill called the "American Rescue Plan," would have required people paid over $600 in 2022 on third party payment apps like Venmo or PayPal to report that figure as income to the tax agency. "The IRS and Treasury heard a number of concerns regarding the timeline of implementation of these changes under the American Rescue Plan,” said Acting IRS Commissioner Doug O’Donnell. Millions of Americans earn significant portions of their income through freelance gigs, selling items through websites like eBay and Etsy and through home rental apps. Reporting by Heather Timmons; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden warns Americans: 'Leave now' if you plan Christmas travel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The United States faces "dangerous and threatening" storms in the days before Christmas, President Joe Biden warned Thursday from the White House, and Americans who plan to travel to visit family or friends should leave right away. "If you all have travel plans, leave now, not a joke. I’m sending my staff ... if they have plans to leave tomorrow, I’m telling them leave now." Biden, who plans to remain in Washington for the Christmas holiday on Sunday, said he will be briefed later by FEMA and the National Weather Service. The White House has already spoken to 26 state governors in afflicted regions, he said.

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy walk down the Colonnade to the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2022. The planning for Zelenskiy's speech began in October, according to a Pelosi aide, when she met with Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. Zelenskiy, Fried said, "didn’t go to Berlin, Brussels, London or Paris" for his first trip abroad since the start of the war. The optics of Zelenskiy receiving a hero's welcome as a defender of democracy carries a message far deeper than military aid. In a Senate speech he described Zelenskiy as "a leader who is fighting for his life, fighting for his country's survival and fighting to preserve the very idea of democracy."

☆ For Biden and Zelenskiy, U.S. visit highlights trust after friction
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] U.S. President Joe Biden welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2022. "Friction is inevitable even between close allies in wartime," said International Crisis Group U.N. Director Richard Gowan. So I don't think we should necessarily let day-to-day friction obscure how much help the U.S. has given Ukraine," Gowan said. MORE WEAPONS, PLEASEThe United States has provided Ukraine with $19.3 billion in military help during the war. Beyond this, the visit underlines a belief that both Biden and Zelenskiy hold - that the United States remains the leader of the free world, said Daniel Fried, former U.S. ambassador to Poland and a fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Meanwhile, a sharp slowdown is forecast in Europe because of energy shortages linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A key part of that drive would be ensuring that the Internal Revenue Service was modernized to be able to manage the tax credits and collect the revenues owed. Adeyemo said he had no update on plans to modify the law to address those concerns. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is due to travel to Senegal, South Africa and Zambia in January. Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Heather Timmons and Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] People line up at a makeshift fever clinic set up inside a stadium, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Beijing, China December 19, 2022. "We stand ready to help any country in the world with vaccines, treatments, anything else that we can be helpful with," he said. "We want China to get COVID right," Blinken said earlier this month. “China faces a very challenging system in reopening,” Powell said, adding that its manufacturing, exporting and supply chain remain critical. Officials set up health centers and apps that told people with symptoms how to avoid infecting others, he said.

[1/7] U.S. President Joe Biden delivers keynote remarks at a U.S.-Africa Business forum at the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, U.S., December 14, 2022. "The United States is 'all in' on Africa's future," Biden told African leaders attending a three-day summit in Washington. Beijing has held its own high-level meetings with African leaders every three years for more than two decades. For their part, many African leaders reject the idea that they need to choose between the United States and China. "The fact that both countries have different levels of relations with African countries makes them equally important for Africa's development," Ethiopia's U.N. ambassador, Taye Atske Selassie Amde, told Reuters.

☆ U.S. lawmaker Greene's Jan. 6 remarks a 'slap in the face' to police - White House
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"January 6 happened, and next thing you know, I organized the whole thing, along with Steve Bannon here. And I will tell you something, if Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won. A bunch of conservatives, Second Amendment supporters, went in the Capitol without guns, and they think that we organized that? Greene in a statement to CNN on Monday said she was being sarcastic and denied any involvement in the Jan. 6 attack. Greene invited people on Twitter to attend the Jan. 6 event before it happened.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool//File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been released in a prisoner swap with Russia and is on her way back to the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday, ending what he called months of "hell." The Russian foreign ministry said it traded Griner for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, a former arms dealer. The swap took place at the Abu Dhabi airport in the United Arab Emirates, Russian news agencies said. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone with Griner from the Oval Office, along with Griner's wife, Cherelle. For experts on the Russian security services, Moscow's lasting interest in Bout hint strongly at Russian intelligence ties.

Griner arrived in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi by private plane from Moscow as Bout was flown in on a private plane from Washington. Bout, nicknamed the "merchant of death," embraced a Russian official who greeted him and smiled broadly as he was led away. A joint UAE-Saudi statement said the UAE president and Saudi crown prince led mediation efforts that secured Griner's release. Griner was exchanged for Bout, a onetime Russian weapons dealer who had been convicted in the United States and imprisoned for 10 years. During the prisoner swap, Griner was met on the tarmac in UAE by chief U.S. hostage negotiator Roger Carstens.

☆ Paul Whelan's continued detention in Russia a 'catastrophe,' family says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan stands inside a defendants' cage during his verdict hearing in Moscow, Russia June 15, 2020. And while we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul's release, we are not giving up. Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, is serving 16 years in the Russian region of Mordovia on charges of espionage, which he denies. "So a basketball star is released, we can celebrate, but what about Paul Whelan? "We'll keep negotiating in good faith for Paul's release.

But keeping Russian oil on the market and global prices low soon became the bigger priority as oil prices jumped, people familiar with the mechanism's evolution and energy analysts said. Analysts said the cap will have little immediate impact on the oil revenues that Moscow is currently earning. "I really think that the U.S. Treasury's main objective was to defuse the EU embargo," on Russia's oil exports, Cahill said. The official said the price cap is "institutionalizing" current market discounts, arguing that the price cap created them. The $60 price cap level was agreed on Friday after fierce debate.

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally to support Republican candidates ahead of midterm elections, in Dayton, Ohio, U.S. November 7, 2022. "Every President and every member of Congress swears to 'defend' the Constitution of the United States," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said on Monday. "Asking Members of Congress to reaffirm their oath of office and uphold the Constitution should not be a heavy lift. Some Republicans condemned the remarks made by Trump on Saturday on his Truth Social online platform but many remained silent or did not condemn him by name. Both Cornyn and Thune, however, stopped short of saying Trump's remarks should disqualify him as a presidential candidate when they were asked that by reporters.

☆ Monday's EU-US trade talks overshadowed by tax concerns on climate measure
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Dec 5 (Reuters) - Top European Union officials intend to complain loudly to their U.S. counterparts at a trade meeting on Monday about the bloc's electric vehicles being cut off from tax credits in U.S. President Joe Biden's signature climate law. "The Inflation Reduction Act will be part of the range of discussions on trade," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said in a statement. The U.S. side was "committed to continuing to understand EU concerns" through a newly established task force, the spokesperson added. European and South Korean officials criticized the Inflation Act at the G20 Summit in Indonesia last month. French officials say they are hopeful an executive order from the White House could give European nations a break, without the need for seeking revisions from Congress - a move the White House wants to avoid.

☆ Blinken says U.S. to work with Israel, and support two state solution
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. plans to work closely with Israel's new government, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a left-leaning Jewish group in Washington on Sunday, and continues to support a two-state solution to end the decades-long conflict with Palestinians. The U.S. administration expects "the new Israeli Government to continue to work with us to advance our shared values, just as we have previous governments," Blinken told the nonprofit J Street liberal advocacy group. "We will gauge the government by the policies it pursues rather than individual personalities," he said. "Security assistance to Israel is sacrosanct," Blinken said, noting the more than $3 billion the U.S. provides to Israel in foreign military funding. President Joe Biden remains committed to "realizing the enduring goal of two states," Blinken said.

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