DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

At one point, Mr. DeSantis lacerated Mr. Trump’s record as president, saying he had failed to deliver on many campaign promises. “I was in Congress the first two years when Trump was president,” Mr. DeSantis said. One supporter asked Mr. DeSantis if he was afraid of being marginalized by Mr. Trump. Mr. DeSantis urged caution on such news reports but appeared to address years-old bad blood between him and one of Mr. Trump’s top aides, Susie Wiles, who had once worked for Mr. DeSantis. Mr. DeSantis sounded very much like a politician still eyeing his political future, including as he talked about pressing for term limits and other national concerns.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Donald J, Trump’s, ”, Trump, ” Mr, DeSantis, Biden, “, Mr, Donald Trump’s, Susie Wiles, he’s, Chris LaCivita Organizations: Mr, Trump, New York Times, The New York, “ Locations: Florida

☆ Why Biden Allies in Michigan Are Worried About Protest Votes Over Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For months, anger within the Democratic Party over President Biden’s support for Israel in the war in Gaza has been building. Protesters have shouted through his campaign events, marched outside the White House and vilified him as “Genocide Joe” on social media. Now, Michigan’s primary election next week will put that discontent on the ballot for the first time, with Mr. Biden’s liberal detractors urging Democrats to vote “uncommitted” against him. Some of the president’s allies worry that a movement to register disapproval against him now could have lasting effects into the general election — especially if Mr. Biden does not alter his stance toward the conflict. There are warning signs for Mr. Biden that frustration over Gaza has metastasized beyond Dearborn and other Detroit suburbs, which are the heart of Michigan’s Arab diaspora, and onto the state’s college campuses, where students increasingly feel affinity with the Palestinian cause.

Persons: Biden’s, Joe ”, uncommitted, Biden Organizations: Democratic Party, Israel, White Locations: Gaza, Dearborn, Detroit

For the past few months, we’ve been asking our listeners to write in with questions, and we’ve gotten some great ones. Things like: How does polling work? Does Joe Biden’s stance on Gaza present a campaign challenge? And who might Donald Trump select as his running mate? But as we were sorting through them, an underlying theme started to emerge: People can’t seem to fathom that we’re careening toward a Biden-Trump rematch — and they want to know if anything could alter this seemingly inevitable reality.

Persons: we’ve, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump Organizations: Biden, Trump Locations: Gaza

Former President Donald J. Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination, has repeatedly attacked central elements of the Inflation Reduction Act, including tax credits for purchasing electric vehicles. “Otherwise it’s all going to be on the chopping block.”The Inflation Reduction Act contains various tax credits and other subsidies to incentivize companies to deploy more clean energy projects. It also includes tax breaks for consumers to offset the cost of electric vehicles, heat pumps and other energy-efficient appliances. That could cut the number of eligible vehicles, potentially hindering progress toward the Biden administration’s goal of having electric vehicles make up half of new car sales by 2030. The estimated cost of the Inflation Reduction Act’s energy incentives has effectively doubled since it passed, largely because forecasters believe the legislation will be more popular than they originally expected.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, “ We’ve, Frank Pallone Jr, Thomas Pyle, ’, Pyle, Kevin Book, Sean Rayford, ” Mr, John Ketchum, Ketchum, “ It’s, Mr, Sasha Mackler, David Carroll, we’ve, Carroll, T.J . Kirkpatrick, ” Michael Kikukawa, Lori Esposito Murray, Ms, Murray, Jeanna Smialek Organizations: Republican, Democratic, Company, Biden, House Energy, Commerce, American Energy Alliance, ClearView Energy Partners, The New York Times, NextEra Energy, Republicans, Center, Engie, White, Economic Development, Conference Board, “ Locations: States, China, New Hampshire, America, Indiana, Texas, Irvine , Calif

Mr. Biden, who promised to visit soon after the disaster, has faced criticism from Republicans and some residents for not going sooner. “The town is still very divided,” said Misti Allison, a 35-year-old resident of East Palestine, a small town in a conservative state. Even the invitation for Mr. Biden to visit from the mayor of East Palestine, Trent Conaway, carried a hint of the division. Mr. Conaway has also criticized Mr. Biden for allowing former President Donald J. Trump to visit the community of about 5,000 before him. “We’re getting tired,” said Jami Wallace, who formed the Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment to keep track of the response and the community’s concerns.

Persons: Biden, Biden’s, ”, Misti Allison, ” Mr, Mr, ” Karine Jean, Pierre, Ms, Jean, Barack Obama, Trent Conaway, Conaway, Donald J, Trump, ” Mike Young, “ You’re, Timothea, Deeter, “ That’s, “, ” Ms, Pierre said, “ We’re, Jami Wallace Organizations: Trump, Mr, Norfolk Southern, Environmental Protection Agency, White House, Unity Council, East Locations: East Palestine , Ohio, “, East Palestine, Norfolk, Ohio, Flint, Mich, America

☆ Liberal Group Joins Efforts Calling for Protest Vote Against Biden in Michigan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Our Revolution, the political organization that Senator Bernie Sanders launched in 2016, is throwing its weight behind the movement to vote Uncommitted in Michigan’s Democratic primary, seeking to pressure President Biden into changing his approach to the war between Israel and Hamas. On Wednesday, Our Revolution is planning to send an email to 87,000 members in Michigan and to about 225,000 supporters in other states, encouraging them to vote Uncommitted in the state’s Feb. 27 primary to “push Biden to change course on Gaza now.”Former Representative Andy Levin, Democrat of Michigan and a signee of the letter, said Mr. Biden was at risk of having voters sit out the November election in protest of U.S. policy toward the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. He warned that Mr. Biden could lose the state to former President Donald J. Trump in the general election without a major change in Israel policy. “I am working with some people who feel like they will never vote for Joe Biden, but there are many, many, many I feel will vote for Joe Biden on Nov. 5 if he changes course,” Mr. Levin said in an interview Tuesday evening. “This is the best way I can help Joe Biden.”

Persons: Bernie Sanders, Biden, Andy Levin, Mr, Donald J, Trump, Joe Biden, ” Mr, Levin, ” Organizations: Democratic, Hamas, Democrat Locations: Israel, Michigan, Gaza, ”, U.S

When President Biden appeared at a last-minute news conference on Thursday night, he hoped to assure the country of his mental acuity hours after a special counsel’s report had devastatingly referred to him as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”Instead, a visibly angry Mr. Biden made the exact type of verbal flub that has kept Democrats so nervous for months, mistakenly referring to the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as the “president of Mexico” as he tried to address the latest developments in the war in Gaza. The special counsel’s report and the president’s evening performance placed Mr. Biden’s advanced age, the singularly uncomfortable subject looming over his re-election bid, back at the center of America’s political conversation. The 81-year-old president — already the oldest in the nation’s history — has for years fought the perception that he is a diminished figure. “My memory is fine,” he insisted on Thursday from the White House.

Persons: Biden, Abdel Fattah el, Biden’s, —, ” Locations: Egypt, Mexico, Gaza

Mr. Trump needled Ms. Haley for her performance on social media, calling the result a “bad night” for her. In a Trump campaign email, Steven Cheung, a spokesman, called it “brutal” and contended that the Haley campaign acknowledged it had “intentionally disrespected the people of Nevada” by refusing to campaign there. Ms. Haley cast her party as mired in the same disorder that surrounds the man who has remade it in his image. It does not help that Mr. Trump’s allies have worked behind the scenes to skew primary and delegate rules to his advantage. Nevertheless, onstage in Los Angeles, Ms. Haley told the audience she wasn’t going anywhere.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, “, — he’s, ” Ms, Haley, ”, Ms, —, you’re, “ we’ve, Haley’s, Steven Cheung, Ronna McDaniel, Mr, Trump’s, “ Donald Trump Organizations: United Nations, Republican, Hollywood Post, American Legion, ”, Trump, Republican National Committee, Mr Locations: Los Angeles, Nevada’s, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, California

☆ Group in Michigan Urges Protest Vote Against Biden Over Israel-Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The effort, called Listen to Michigan, is set to be formally announced on Tuesday. The campaign’s budget will be $250,000 and will include digital advertising, direct mail and phone and text banking to contact supporters, Ms. Elabed said. There is a history of Michigan Democrats using Uncommitted as a protest vote. In 2008, when Michigan defied Democratic National Committee rules by moving its primary up in the nominating calendar, Barack Obama’s campaign urged supporters to vote for Uncommitted against Hillary Clinton. In that contest, 40 percent of Democratic primary voters chose Uncommitted against Mrs. Clinton and three other candidates.

Persons: Biden’s, Biden, Layla Elabed, Rashida Tlaib, Elabed, “, ”, “ Tell Biden, Barack Obama’s, Hillary Clinton, Clinton Organizations: Uncommitted, Michigan Democrats, Michigan, Democratic Locations: Michigan, Israel, Dearborn, Mich

☆ VoteVets Plans $45 Million Push to Lift Biden and Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

VoteVets, the liberal political action committee known for supporting veterans running for office, will spend $45 million to back President Biden and Democratic candidates for the House and Senate, Jon Soltz, the group’s co-founder and chairman, said. VoteVets is the latest liberal organization to announce its 2024 plans to back Mr. Biden and other Democratic candidates. Future Forward, the main Democratic super PAC supporting Mr. Biden’s bid, has a $250 million ad blitz planned. The centerpiece of the VoteVets effort is a $15 million project aimed at veterans and active-duty military families in the presidential battleground states. Mr. Trump still carried veterans, but his erosion of support followed an array of evidence that he had been disrespectful to military officials and families.

Persons: Biden, Jon Soltz, VoteVets, Mr, Biden’s, MoveOn, Donald J, Trump, Hillary Clinton Organizations: Democratic, Senate, PAC, Mr, Pew Research

☆ Biden Wins His First Primary in South Carolina, Where His 2020 Victory Began
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | Maya King | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden won the South Carolina primary on Saturday, giving him the kind of emphatic result he no doubt envisioned when he made the state the first contest on the Democrats’ presidential nominating calendar. The election, called by The Associated Press shortly after polls closed, gives Mr. Biden the first set of delegates required to claim the Democratic nomination at the party’s convention in August. Mr. Biden vowed that South Carolina would once again send him to the White House. “The people of South Carolina have spoken again, and I have no doubt that you have set us on the path to winning the presidency again — and making Donald Trump a loser again,” the president said in a statement released by his campaign. Mr. Biden won an overwhelming majority of South Carolina Democrats, more than 96 percent with 80 percent of the vote counted — dominating every county with more than 95 percent of the vote, including in heavily Black areas.

Persons: Biden, Mr, “, —, Donald Trump Organizations: South Carolina, The Associated, Democratic, South Carolina Democrats Locations: Carolina, South Carolina

☆ Kamala Harris Bolsters Biden for 2024 and Lays Groundwork for 2028
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | Maya King | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For decades, ambitious politicians with eyes on a future presidential run made pilgrimages to Iowa and New Hampshire, casually popping in at fairs and local fund-raising dinners as if they just happened to be in the area. When President Biden pushed Democrats to place South Carolina first on their presidential primary calendar, the geography for the party’s political strivers changed. They are now working to build support not in mostly white Northern places but in a Southern state with a predominantly Black primary voting base that better represents the modern Democratic Party. So when Vice President Kamala Harris arrived on Friday in Orangeburg, S.C., for her ninth visit to South Carolina since taking office, she came as a known quantity. While she and Mr. Biden are running for renomination without serious challengers, the relationships she has developed in the state are expected to play a part in lifting their ticket to a comfortable triumph on Saturday in the party’s first recognized primary election.

Persons: Biden, Kamala Harris Organizations: South Carolina, Democratic Party, Democratic, Black Locations: Iowa, New Hampshire, Southern, Orangeburg, S.C, South Carolina

Image Credit... Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesHere we are: Voters are heading to the polls today in South Carolina for the first official Democratic primary, where President Biden is all but assured to win. South Carolina Democrats are trying to prevent similar voters from backing Ms. Haley on Saturday by highlighting her conservative record. They urged voters to participate in the Democratic primary, rather than in the Republican contest in three weeks, as South Carolina’s open primary allows. Polls in South Carolina opened at 7 a.m. Eastern time and will close at 7 p.m. Maya King and Reid J. Epstein contributed reporting from South Carolina.

Persons: Brandon Bell, Biden, Jim Clyburn, Kamala Harris, Donald J, Trump, Nikki Haley, Haley, Maya King, Reid J, Epstein Organizations: Democratic, White House, Black, New York Times, South Carolina State University, “, Republican, Trump . South, Trump . South Carolina Democrats Locations: South Carolina, Columbia, Trump ., Trump . South Carolina

☆ Kamala Harris Rallies Democrats, Pumps Up Biden and Warns of Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On the final day before South Carolina’s primary election officially kicks off the Democratic presidential nominating contest, Vice President Kamala Harris urged supporters not to ignore a contest that is widely expected to be uncompetitive but where she and President Biden are hoping for a morale-lifting rout. “South Carolina, you are the first primary in the nation, and President Biden and I are counting on you,” Ms. Harris told a crowd on Friday at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. “Are you ready to make your voices heard? Do we believe in freedom? Standing before two banners bearing the slogan “First in the Nation” — with the word “First” underlined — Ms. Harris highlighted the Biden administration’s achievements, including expanding high-speed internet access, increasing federal funding for historically Black colleges and universities, and reducing prescription drug costs.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Biden, Ms, Harris, Harris’s, Biden’s Organizations: Democratic, South Carolina State University, Biden Locations: “ South Carolina, Orangeburg, “, South Carolina

☆ Biden Super PAC Plans a Historic $250 Million Ad Blitz
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | Shane Goldmacher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The main Democratic super PAC supporting President Biden’s re-election bid, Future Forward, is beginning this week to reserve $250 million in advertising across the most important battleground states, a blitz that it says is the largest single purchase of political advertising by a super PAC in the nation’s history. The ads, which are to be split between $140 million on television and $110 million on digital and streaming platforms, will start the day after the Democratic National Convention concludes in August and will run through Election Day, the super PAC said. The ad reservation covers seven states that are seen as the main presidential battlegrounds: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It is also spending heavily in smaller markets in battleground states: $3 million each in Madison, Wis., and Reno, Nev., and $2 million in Flint, Mich. The digital reservation includes roughly $35 million on YouTube, with more on other streaming platforms, including Hulu, Roku and Vevo, plus the streaming services of the Spanish-language giants Telemundo and Univision.

Persons: Biden’s, Mr, Biden Organizations: Democratic, PAC, Convention, Phoenix, YouTube, Telemundo, Univision Locations: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada , North Carolina , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Atlanta, Madison, Wis, Reno, Nev, Flint, Mich, Hulu, Spanish

As former President Donald J. Trump speeds toward the Republican nomination, President Biden is moving quickly to pump energy into his re-election bid, kicking off what is likely to be an ugly, dispiriting and historically long slog to November between two unpopular nominees. After months of languid buildup in which he held only a single public campaign event, Mr. Biden has thrown a series of rallies across battleground states, warning that democracy itself is at stake in 2024. He sent two of his most trusted White House operatives to take the helm of his re-election campaign in Wilmington, Del., after Mr. Trump seized control of the Republican primary race more rapidly than Mr. Biden’s advisers had initially expected. And other Biden aides are drafting wish lists of potential surrogates, including elected officials, social media influencers and the endorsement of their wildest dreams: the global superstar Taylor Swift.

Persons: Donald J, Biden, Trump, Taylor Swift Organizations: Trump, Republican, White Locations: Wilmington, Del

☆ MoveOn Will Spend $32 Million to Back Biden and Other Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | More About Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

1 thing that unifies MoveOn members is their desire to defeat the radical right and prevent them from gaining governing power,” Ms. Epting said. Founded in 1998 to resist Republican efforts to impeach President Bill Clinton, MoveOn has become ingrained in the progressive firmament in Washington and across the country. Ms. Epting is now a key player in the Democratic endeavor to stop the centrist group No Labels from fielding a 2024 presidential candidate. In its effort to help Mr. Biden and other Democrats, MoveOn intends to target voters who became eligible to vote or became more active voters after Mr. Trump won the presidency in 2016. This group, which MoveOn calls “surge voters,” tends to vote for Democrats but is less tuned in to political news.

Persons: Ms, Epting, “, ”, Bill Clinton, MoveOn, Biden, Trump Organizations: Democratic Locations: Washington

In rousing remarks, Ms. Haley painted a picture of a country and a world in disarray, casting herself as the choice for voters dissatisfied with both President Biden and Mr. Trump. She set up an epic showdown with Mr. Trump in South Carolina, where she is lagging far behind Mr. Trump in polls despite a home-state advantage. Painting herself as an outsider, despite her insider résumé, she pledged to take on Mr. Trump and the political class behind him. Her campaign has bought over $1 million in television advertising from Tuesday through Feb. 6 in South Carolina, according to AdImpact, a media-tracking firm. “I won South Carolina twice as governor,” she told reporters Friday at a retro diner in Amherst.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, Haley, Biden, “ We’re, Mr, “, —, Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi, ”, Joe, Doug Mills, Chris Sununu, I’m, ” Mr, Ms, Trump’s, Betsy Ankney, Nikki, Ankney, Mark Harris, Harris, Haley’s, Ruth Fremson, Ron DeSantis, Marco Rubio, Allie Cable, ” Richard, Wendy Clymer, Clymer, Maggie Haberman, Kellen Browning Organizations: Republican, Trump, Mr, “, United Nations, U.S, Capitol, New York Times, Granite, Gov, Committee, PAC, South Carolina Locations: New Hampshire, South Carolina, “ New Hampshire, Iowa, Hampton, N.H, Virgin, Charleston, S.C, Nevada, America, Florida, Amherst, Marco Rubio of Florida, Greenville, Concord, New York

☆ A Top Biden Aide Is Taking the Reins of His Re-election Campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | More About Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden has approved a shake-up of the leadership of his campaign, and will dispatch a top White House aide to take over functional control of his re-election effort just as former President Donald J. Trump appears to be seizing control of the Republican primary contest to oppose him. The aide, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, who was the campaign manager for Mr. Biden’s 2020 campaign and has served as a deputy chief of staff in the White House since he became president, will move to the Biden 2024 headquarters in Wilmington, Del., and direct the campaign’s efforts, according to five people familiar with the discussions. It is unclear precisely what title Ms. O’Malley Dillon will take at the campaign or when the announcement will be made, though it could come later this week. Julie Chávez Rodríguez, the campaign’s manager since shortly after it began in April, is expected to retain that title. “Our campaign manager is and will continue to oversee the president’s re-election efforts, and this campaign will remain laser-focused on defeating Donald Trump and MAGA extremism at the ballot box this November,” said Michael Tyler, the campaign’s communications director.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s, O’Malley Dillon, Julie Chávez Rodríguez, “, Donald Trump, ”, Michael Tyler Organizations: White, Republican, MAGA Locations: Wilmington, Del

☆ Dean Phillips Floats a No Labels Bid if 2024 Is Trump vs. Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | More About Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota, a Democrat running a long-shot primary challenge to President Biden, said on Saturday that he would consider running on the ticket of No Labels, a centrist group exploring an independent bid, if it appeared the general election would be a rematch between Mr. Biden and Donald J. Trump. Democratic allies of Mr. Biden have been alarmed by No Labels, worrying that any candidate it runs could siphon votes from him. “People are criticizing them because they believe whomever they offer on their ticket will hurt Joe Biden,” Mr. Phillips said after a town-hall event at a senior center in Nashua, N.H. “That’s false. They haven’t made that determination.”Mr. Phillips has a long relationship with Ms. Jacobson and No Labels from his tenure in the group’s congressional Problem Solvers Caucus, an organization that promotes policies with bipartisan support. He said he had told Ms. Jacobson he would not discuss running as the No Labels candidate “at this time.”

Persons: Dean Phillips, Biden, Donald J, Phillips, Nancy Jacobson, Mr, Joe Biden, ” Mr, “, Donald Trump, Jacobson, ” Organizations: Dean Phillips of, Democrat, Mr, Trump, Democratic Locations: Dean Phillips of Minnesota, Nashua, N.H, United States, America

President Biden is cruising to the Democratic nomination. Former President Donald J. Trump could begin to wrap up his party’s nod within days. Even as both men stroll toward likely summer coronations and a fall rematch, an undercurrent of disbelief is coursing through the country. Many Republicans view Mr. Biden as so politically and physically weak that they think his party will replace him. Many Democrats can’t fathom that Mr. Trump could win another nomination while he is facing 91 felony counts and four criminal trials.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, Mr, “, ” David Lage, “ They’ve, ” Organizations: Democratic, Republican Locations: Spring Hill , Iowa

It was also a rare moment for Ms. Haley on the trail. Ms. Haley, 51, the former governor of South Carolina and a United Nations ambassador under Mr. Trump, has run a tightly controlled campaign. Several wondered whether the decision came after the wave of negative press Ms. Haley received in December when a voter asked her to explain the causes of the Civil War and she failed to mention slavery. “Then she was there forever taking pictures with people,” she said of Ms. Haley. But asked whether Mr. Trump would still be qualified to be president if he were convicted, she dodged.

Persons: ” Nikki Haley, N.H, Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, Ron DeSantis, ”, Trump’s, Haley, Who, Donald Trump, “ gaggles, DeSantis, Andrew Romeo, Hugh Hewitt, “, won’t, Haley won’t, Nelia, Ms, Ajit Singh Randhawa, Haley’s, Chris Sununu, selfies, ” “, ’ Organizations: Republican Party, CNN, New, United Nations, Mr, ”, Center, “, Republicans, Trump Locations: Hollis, N.H, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa , New Hampshire, ”, Iowa, Center Conway, Bretton Woods, Rochester

☆ The Joy of Defeat in the Iowa Caucuses
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | More About Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Diggins won gold in South Korea, NBC’s announcer nearly hyperventilated on the air. “Here comes Diggins! Here comes Diggins!” he screamed as she moved into first place just ahead of the finish line, followed by “Yes! — Gold!”When Diggins won two more medals four years later, the hype was relatively muted. Nike may disagree — “Second place is the first loser,” the shoe company said at the 1996 Summer Games — but in Iowa second place is often the second winner.

Persons: ”, Diggins, “, —, Haley Organizations: Trump, Nike Locations: Italian, South Korea, Iowa

☆ Talk About Abortion, Don’t Talk About Trump: Governors Give Biden Advice
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | More About Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

America’s Democratic governors brag about booming local economies, preside over ribbon-cuttings of projects paid for with new federal legislation and have successfully framed themselves as defenders of abortion rights and democracy. Almost all of them are far more popular in their home states than the Democratic president they hope to re-elect next year. While President Biden is mired in the political doldrums of low approval ratings and a national economy that voters are sour on, Democratic governors are riding high, having won re-election in red-state Kentucky last month and holding office in five of the seven most important presidential battleground states. The governors, like nearly all prominent Democrats, are publicly projecting confidence: In interviews and conversations with eight governors at their annual winter gathering at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix over the weekend, they expressed on-the-record optimism that Mr. Biden would win re-election.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Democratic, Arizona Biltmore Locations: Kentucky, Phoenix

☆ Biden Campaign Aims to Weaponize Trump’s Threat to Obamacare
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | More About Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Very few events bring aides on President Biden’s re-election campaign more joy than when former President Donald J. Trump threatens to repeal popular Democratic policies. So when Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, wrote on social media over the holiday weekend that he was “seriously looking at alternatives” to the 13-year-old Affordable Care Act, and that his fellow Republicans should “never give up” seeking its repeal, Mr. Biden’s campaign was happy to cede its programming decisions to Mr. Trump. Still, Mr. Biden’s aides intend to once again push to make Mr. Trump and his proposals the news. That strategy has become a key cog for the campaign, as Mr. Biden struggles with low approval ratings and increasingly focuses on foreign policy rather than his re-election bid. The campaign will air TV ads this week in Las Vegas and on national cable that contrast legislation passed by Mr. Biden that lowered prices on some prescription drugs with Mr. Trump’s proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act, said Michael Tyler, the campaign’s communications director.

Persons: Biden’s, Donald J, Trump, “, Biden, Michael Tyler Organizations: Republican, Street, Mr Locations: Las Vegas

Search resuls for: "Reid J. Epstein"

25 mentions found