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Biden had been hopeful that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be more apt to free Griner once America’s midterm elections were done, a calculation that proved correct. Still detained in Russia is Paul Whelan, a businessman whom the White House has also been working to free without success. In a 2012 interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” when he was vice president, Biden came out in favor of same-sex marriage, and he is expected to sign the measure into law. White House officials acknowledged the headwinds and worried that the midterm elections would be a repudiation of Biden’s record. “When I look at what the Biden White House has done, I think experience and patience really paid off,” said Jennifer Palmieri, who served as White House communications director during the Obama administration.

☆ Biden vowed 'consequences' for Saudi Arabia after oil production cut. But the U.S. has no plans to follow through.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Nearly two months after President Joe Biden vowed "there will be consequences" for Saudi Arabia’s actions to cut oil production, the U.S. is not actively considering any significant retaliatory actions against the kingdom, according to two U.S. officials. U.S. and Saudi relations hit a low point after Saudi Arabia pushed OPEC members to cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day at their Oct. 6 meeting. Officials, however, also anticipate calls for imposing a cost on Saudi Arabia to ramp back up if OPEC again cuts oil production. The Biden administration's about-face on the oil issue is not the first time it has failed to follow through on a threat to Saudi Arabia. In the lead-up to the 2020 election, Biden vowed to treat Saudi Arabia as a "pariah" state in response to the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

☆ Biden will seek to establish red lines in high stakes meeting with China’s Xi
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | 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

Even so, the White House is downplaying any hope of a major breakthrough when Biden sits down with Xi in person. “I don’t think personal diplomacy will help that much,” said Victor Cha, a former director for Asian affairs in George W. Bush’s White House. The Biden administration sees Xi as the leader of a bullying nation with visions of global dominance. “We recognize that with each launch, [the North Koreans] learn something,” the senior Biden administration official said. But like Biden, Xi will also arrive at the meeting having fortified his position at home.

☆ Winter could be diplomatic opportunity in Ukraine-Russia war, U.S. and Western officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Some U.S. and Western officials increasingly believe that neither side can achieve all of their goals in the Ukraine war and are eyeing the expected winter slowdown in fighting as an opportunity for diplomacy to begin between Russia and Ukraine, say officials familiar with the matter. “In the winter everything slows down,” said a Western official with direct knowledge of military operations. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan made a surprise visit to Kyiv last week, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top Ukrainian officials. Kherson is the last major front line that could shift before winter, officials said, after which neither side is likely to make large advances. If Ukraine wins in Kherson it could put the Zelenskyy government in a better position to negotiate, U.S. and Western officials said.

Nevada ACLU requests investigation into alleged partisan hand-countRENO, Nev. — The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada asked the state’s secretary of state Wednesday to investigate what it called a “coordinated partisan election administration effort” during rural Nye County’s hand-count of mail-in ballots that was shut down last week until after polls close. The ACLU said a hand-count volunteer openly carrying a firearm removed an ACLU observer from a hand-count tally room, which the organization said it recently discovered was Nye County GOP Central Committee Vice Chair Laura Larsen. The ACLU said the situation “poses questions” surrounding Nye County interim clerk Mark Kampf’s delegation of authority to partisan officials to remove observers from hand-count rooms, particularly during a hand-count process that deals with tabulation of ballots. It’s the latest development in a conflict between the rural county’s election administration and the ACLU that has spanned lawsuits, infighting and a Nevada Supreme Court ruling late on Oct. 27 that prompted Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, a Republican, to shut down the hand-counting until after polls close on Election Day. Read the story.

A Republican is going to win the Alaska Senate race, but that hasn’t stopped Mitch McConnell from plowing millions of dollars into the deep-red state. Herschel Walker, the Senate candidate in Georgia backed by both Trump and McConnell, also says he would back McConnell. Apart from Tshibaka, Senate Republican candidate Don Bolduc in New Hampshire has said he would vote against McConnell for leader. (The Republican senator who requested anonymity voiced surprise at McConnell’s prediction and thought it betrayed some nervousness on his part. Although he voted to acquit Trump, McConnell called him “practically and morally responsible” for the assault on the Capitol.

It’s become routine since Russia invaded Ukraine: President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak by phone whenever the U.S. announces a new package of military assistance for Kyiv. Biden had barely finished telling Zelenskyy he’d just greenlighted another $1 billion in U.S. military assistance for Ukraine when Zelenskyy started listing all the additional help he needed and wasn’t getting. Biden lost his temper, the people familiar with the call said. Biden now faces resistance from some Republicans and Democrats that wasn’t present when Congress approved previous Ukraine funds. “I had an important conversation with U.S. President Biden today,” he said in videotaped remarks.

It's become routine since Russia invaded Ukraine: President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak by phone whenever the U.S. announces a new package of military assistance for Kyiv. Biden had barely finished telling Zelenskyy he'd just greenlighted another $1 billion in U.S. military assistance for Ukraine when Zelenskyy started listing all the additional help he needed and wasn't getting. Biden lost his temper, the people familiar with the call said. Administration officials said Biden and Zelenskyy's relationship has only improved since the June phone call, after which Zelenskyy made a statement praising the U.S. for its generous assistance. "I had an important conversation with U.S. President Biden today," he said in videotaped remarks.

☆ Biden admin has discussed slow-rolling Saudi military aid as payback for oil production cut
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration has discussed slow-rolling military aid to Saudi Arabia, including shipments of advanced Patriot missiles, to punish the kingdom for leading OPEC’s decision to cut oil production, say two U.S. officials and a source familiar with the discussions. Some military officials support the idea, said the sources, but others want to make sure the military relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia is kept separate from any retribution by the administration. OPEC’s move spurred a back and forth between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, with Biden administration officials vowing there would be consequences for the Saudis. “There needs to be a balance between punishing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and not making life more difficult or dangerous for the U.S.,” one U.S. official said. One White House official said that while changes to security assistance are under consideration the Biden administration is not in a rush to take action.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., is under federal criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, according to two people familiar with the matter and a spokesperson for the senator. "Senator Menendez is aware of an investigation that was reported on today, however he does not know the scope of the investigation," Menendez’s adviser Michael Soliman said Wednesday in a statement. News of the investigation was first reported by the website Semafor. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment. He has served in the Senate since 2006 and previously served in the House.

WASHINGTON — The White House sharply rebutted Russia’s accusations Sunday that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory and then blame Moscow. In a statement, a spokesperson for the National Security Council called Russia’s allegations of a possible false flag operation by Ukraine “transparently false” and accused Moscow of making the claim to lay the groundwork for its own escalation of the war. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu has made the claim of Ukraine’s possibly using a dirty bomb in phone calls with several Western defense ministers, including U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. “Secretary Austin rejected any pretext for Russian escalation and reaffirmed the value of continued communication amid Russia’s unlawful and unjustified war against Ukraine,” the Defense Department's press secretary, Air Force Brig. “We reject reports of Minister Shoygu’s transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory,” Watson said in a statement.

☆ The decider: Jill Biden’s unparalleled influence and impact on the president
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Peter Nicholas | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +17 min

WASHINGTON — Whenever his aides are pressed about President Joe Biden’s political future, they’ll often point to one person as the true decider: his wife of 45 years, Jill Biden. Eager to introduce herself to Gina McCarthy, then the president’s chief climate adviser, she gathered some flowers from a White House garden and brought them to her office, according to White House aides. When the realization of her new security restrictions sunk in, Jill Biden told her staff she didn’t want to become isolated. Journeys outside the protective cocoon of the White House expose her to the vitriol coursing through the nation’s politics. “I don’t pay attention because I just don’t want to hear it,” Jill Biden said.

☆ Biden admin officials consider discouraging U.S. companies from expanding business ties with Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Carol E. Lee | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

WASHINGTON — Biden administration officials are considering trying to discourage American companies from expanding business ties with Saudi Arabia as part of a U.S. response to a recent Saudi-led push by oil-producing countries to cut global production, said three current and former U.S. officials familiar with the discussions. The Trump administration sent the treasury secretary to the conference, whereas last year the Biden administration sent Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves. “That’s going to be a key test, that OPEC meeting,” the senior administration official said. Early last year Riyadh announced that starting in 2024 only international companies with regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia could do business with the Saudi government. Before the OPEC+ decision this month, U.S. and Saudi officials spent hours discussing the future of oil prices, according to administration officials.

Administration officials are particularly worried that the tens of thousands of children at al-Hol are especially vulnerable to being recruited by ISIS or forced to join. Members of the Syrian Kurdish Asayish security forces inspect tents at the al-Hol camp in August during a security campaign against ISIS sleeper cells. U.S. officials have said that there is no military solution to al-Hol and that instead they are trying to stop the growth of ISIS through diplomatic outreach. The camp’s size and makeup dramatically changed in March 2019, when the Syrian Democratic Forces defeated ISIS fighters at Baghouz, Syria. The battle there was seen as ISIS’ last stand, and ISIS’ defeat marked the fall of its self-proclaimed caliphate.

☆ Biden says the election is a battle against 'MAGA Republicans.' He’s been silent about Democrats elevating them.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Peter Nicholas | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Democrats had been spending millions of dollars in Republican primaries elevating extreme candidates who falsely insist Donald Trump won the 2020 election, in hopes of facing weaker opponents in the general election. The raw political calculus that underpins the Democrats’ midterm election strategy is at odds with President Joe Biden’s core political message that democracy is in peril. Biden appears to have accepted the tradeoff involved: If boosting election-denying candidates saves even a few Democratic congressional seats, it’s worth the risk. NBC News asked the White House what Biden thinks of the practice and whether he’s ever voiced qualms about it. During the 2016 presidential campaign, many Democrats saw Trump as the weakest and, hence, most desirable opponent in the general election.

☆ Biden aides are quietly assembling a 2024 campaign as they await a final decision on his political future
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Carol E. Lee | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

But, they said, if Republicans win one or both chambers, that would likely trigger a quicker pivot to a Biden re-election campaign. Relying on the party apparatus would allow the Biden campaign to forgo trying to build up its own separate campaign infrastructure in each state. But while a DNC-centric campaign might seem to be a natural fit for Biden, relying on the committee poses risks. “The Biden approach is the more traditional approach.”Far more than Obama, Biden is a creature of the Democratic Party. Biden aides say no final decisions on campaign staffing have been made, and they’re not expected to be until after the midterms.

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