DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ ‘How Will I Pump?’: When Your First Work Trip After Maternity Leave Is to Ukraine With President Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Sabrina Siddiqui | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

I had just dropped my 9-month-old daughter off at daycare on a Friday morning when I received a call to report to the White House for a private meeting. It was three days before I was set to travel with President Biden to Poland for a two-day visit tied to the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sitting inside White House communications director Kate Bedingfield ’s office on Feb. 17, I was informed I would be one of two journalists to instead accompany Mr. Biden on a clandestine journey to Kyiv with a large segment of the journey occurring by train.

☆ Former House Speaker Paul Ryan says he won't attend the 2024 Republican National Convention if Trump is the party's presidential nominee: 'I'm not interested in participating in that'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Paul Ryan said he won't attend the RNC in 2024 if Donald Trump is the party's presidential nominee. Ryan told WISN-TV that he the convention being held in his home state didn't affect his decision. "I think some people would like me to start a civil war in our party and achieve nothing," Ryan told Leibovich. During an October 2022 interview on the Fox Business Network, Ryan reiterated his opposition to a third Trump White House campaign. "I think anybody not named Trump, I think is so much more likely to win the White House for us.

☆ Mike Pence, possible Trump 2024 challenger, slams 'apologists for Putin' in the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Former Vice President Mike Pence, a possible 2024 Republican presidential candidate, denounced his own party's "apologists" for Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday while delivering a full-throated call for the U.S. to ramp up its support for Ukraine. "While some in my party have taken a somewhat different view, let me be clear: There can be no room in the leadership of the Republican Party for apologists for Putin," Pence said. Pence has openly said he's considering a run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, potentially pitting him directly against Trump. Pence has said Trump was "wrong" to believe he could have reversed the election outcome by rejecting key Electoral College votes for Biden. In a CNBC interview on Wednesday, Pence said he believes there will be "better choices" than Trump in 2024.

[1/4] U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the media before departing the White House for the weekend, in Washington, U.S., February 24, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday he has no plans to visit the site of the train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals in an Ohio town earlier in February. The Biden administration has said Norfolk Southern must pay for the damage and clean-up efforts. Some Republicans have criticized the Biden administration over the incident while some Democrats have pointed to regulations rescinded under former President Donald Trump. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured the wreckage on Thursday after the Biden administration was criticized for not sending a cabinet official to the site sooner.

☆ Pence says Republicans will have 'better choices' than Trump in the 2024 presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday that he would prefer a Republican alternative to former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. "I think we're going to have better choices" than Trump, Pence said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" when asked if the GOP should nominate someone other than the former president next year. The potential 2024 candidate Pence did not explicitly rule out supporting Trump if he became the GOP nominee. "I'll keep you posted," Pence said when asked if he sought the Republican presidential nomination. After several relatively quiet months when Trump was the only notable Republican on the campaign trail, former South Carolina Gov.

☆ White House to consider Andrew Ferguson as U.S. FTC commissioner -Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 17 (Reuters) - The White House is considering naming Virginia Solicitor General Andrew Ferguson as a Republican commissioner for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Andrew Ferguson, a former aide to Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, was recommended to the White House for the role by McConnell, the report said. McConnell's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment and the White House did not immediately comment. The development comes after Christine Wilson, the sole Republican on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), said earlier this week that she will resign soon. Reporting by Aarati Krishna in Bengaluru; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Exclusive: World Bank's Malpass on surprise exit: Four years is a long time
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - World Bank President David Malpass on Thursday told Reuters he decided to leave before his five-year contract ended because he felt work was well underway on reforms aimed at expanding the bank's lending. Malpass, who was nominated by former President Donald Trump, said the end of the bank's fiscal year was a good time for a transition. Malpass will leave the bank by the end of June. Asked about suggestions he had been urged to leave, Malpass said he was leaving on his own terms and it made sense for him at this time. Malpass would not comment on whether it was time to end a longstanding tradition of having the bank's leader come from the United States.

☆ Kate Bedingfield to Step Down as White House Communications Director
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Andrew Restuccia | Ken Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—President Biden is shaking up his White House communications team as he prepares to launch his re-election campaign in the coming months. White House communications director Kate Bedingfield is planning to leave the White House at the end of February, the White House said. She will be replaced by Ben LaBolt, a longtime Democratic operative and former Obama administration official who oversaw communications at the White House for the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson , Mr. Biden’s nominee to the Supreme Court. Mr. LaBolt also served as a top press official on President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns.

☆ Trump and other Republicans call for the US 'to shoot down' a suspected Chinese spy balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump called for the US to "SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON" as a suspect Chinese spy craft floats above the US. Other Republicans took a slightly more measured approach, arguing that it was "a mistake" not to have shot down the suspected spy balloon but not necessarily saying that it should be done now. Bloomberg reported that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin advised President Joe Biden not to order the shoot down the balloon due to the risk of falling debris. "It was a mistake to not shoot down that Chinese spy balloon when it was over a sparsely populated area," Rubio wrote on Twitter. "Shoot down the balloon.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Wednesday, a White House official confirmed to NBC News, amid Republicans’ debt-ceiling showdown with Democrats. McCarthy first announced that he'll meet Biden this week to discuss the debt ceiling in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” earlier Sunday. The House speaker said Republicans would not allow the U.S. to default and expressed an interest in reaching an agreement with the president. House Republicans have been demanding spending cuts in exchange for lifting the debt ceiling and averting a default on U.S. debt. The White House previously said there won’t be any negotiations, and Congress must allow the government to pay its bills.

☆ Chevron is catching heat for tripling its stock buyback to $75 billion as soaring energy prices led to record profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chevron wowed investors with a massive $75 billion stock buyback on Wednesday. The stock buyback program has no expiration date and is triple the company's prior share repurchase program of $25 billion. Surging oil prices in 2022 helped fuel record profits for Chevron, and the company expects those profits to continue to flow in 2023. But Chevron is working to increase its oil production in 2023. The capital discipline employed by Chevron is also being employed by ExxonMobil, which increased its stock buyback program to $50 billion last month.

The White House formally announced on Wednesday that it is sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, part of a coordinated move in which Germany and other European nations will also send their own tanks to the fight in time for a coming offensive. The move follows days of intense diplomacy between Berlin and Washington and quashes, for now, the rumblings of dissension within an alliance that formed last year to support Ukraine.

☆ Republican hardliners, George Santos shun White House welcome for new Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Embattled Republican freshman U.S. Representative George Santos skipped his invitation to a White House reception on Tuesday evening and appears to have been joined by several hardline newcomers in snubbing President Joe Biden. “Everyone is invited who is part of the new Congress,” said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday. Many Republicans in the House have instead promised to block government spending and investigate Biden’s family and use of office. Biden’s fellow Democrats have narrow control of the Senate, while Republicans won a slim majority in the House during the 2022 midterm elections. McCarthy was elected as speaker only after agreeing to a demand by hardliners that any lawmaker be able call for his removal at any time.

☆ Biden will tap former COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients as his next White House chief of staff, succeeding Ron Klain: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

President Biden has tapped Jeff Zients to be his next chief of staff, per The Washington Post. Zients would replace Ron Klain, a longtime aide who has been chief of staff since January 2021. A former White House counselor, Zients led the administration's coronavirus response efforts. Zients — a one-time White House counselor — oversaw the administration's COVID-19 response efforts, which included the massive push to vaccinate millions of Americans across the country. He then came onboard at the start of the Biden administration in January 2021, serving as both a counselor and the coronavirus response coordinator until April 2022.Insider reached out to the White House for comment.

☆ White House aides were reportedly blindsided by AG Garland's appointment of a special counsel to investigate Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Many in the White House were blindsided when AG Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate Biden, WaPo reported. The GOP has accused the special counsel Robert Hur of being partisan, but a former Trump lawyer disagreed, saying he's "smart and experienced." That's why many in the White House were blindsided, according to The Washington Post, when Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate Biden's mishandling of classified information. Republicans and Democrats alike have criticized the Biden White House for failing to disclose the existence of the DOJ's investigation for two months, despite having known about it since November. But Ty Cobb, who once served as Trump's White House counsel, dismissed those concerns.

☆ Biden's mishandling of classified records isn't as legally perilous as Trump's, but may pose serious national security risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Trump's former White House lawyer told Insider that AG Garland should appoint a special counsel to investigate Biden. A source familiar with the matter told CNN that Lausch has finished the initial part of his investigation and presented his preliminary findings to Garland. Still, he criticized the White House for waiting more than two months to disclose the existence of the inquiry. "It appears that at least two of the aggravating factors, obstruction and willfulness, are present in the Trump case, but absent in the Biden case." Cobb, Trump's former White House counsel, went further, saying that drawing a distinction between the two cases is akin to "putting lipstick on a pig."

☆ What is the US getting in Ukraine for $100 billion?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Daniel L. Davis | Defense Priorities | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In December, President Joe Biden signed a bill with another $47 billion in aid for Ukraine. The question: does adding this Patriot battery represent a game-changer for Ukraine? A Patriot battery ordinarily operates as part of an integrated defense system which may include numerous US and NATO systems. As exposed in 2019 when the Saudi-operated Patriot system failed to stop a complex aerial attack from Iran, the system is not fool-proof even when operational. Air Force via APIncluding this most recent aid package, the US has spent over $100 billion on the war in Ukraine, which is $16 billion more than the entire Russian military budget for 2023.

“Bolsonaro ran on a very Trump-like ticket,” Todd Landman, professor of political science at the University of Nottingham in England, told NBC News. He also raised doubts about the integrity of the electoral process well in advance.”After his defeat to Lula in October, Bolsonaro didn’t explicitly concede. NBC News reached out to the White House for comment on congressional Democrats’ demands for Biden to remove Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro’s visa status was not immediately clear. Unlike the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, very few officials were in the buildings at the time of Sunday’s attacks, and Bolsonaro’s supporters faced little opposition.

Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania is an ally of former President Donald Trump who helped spread Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud. The FBI seized his phone in August, apparently as part of a probe into efforts to overturn the election. Trump has accused the FBI, without evidence, of launching the probes as political retribution again him. The Democratic-led House Select Committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol has said Perry and some other fellow Republicans later sought a pardon from the White House for their efforts to overturn the 2020 election, though Perry has denied doing so. Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Raphael Satter; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden to visit U.S.-Mexico border city of El Paso on Sunday as White House rolls out new immigration rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

US President Joe Biden steps off Air Force One upon arrival at New Castle Airport in New Castle, Delaware on October 27, 2022. U.S. President Joe Biden will visit the southern border city of El Paso, Texas, on Sunday to meet with local officials and address enforcement operations on the U.S.-Mexico border, senior administration officials said Thursday. The details of the trip were revealed one day after Biden said he planned to visit the border for the first time, nearly two years after taking office. His absence has drawn constant attacks from Republicans critical of the administration's border policies, blaming the White House for a roiling migrant crisis. He will be accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden previously tasked with handling immigration issues.

☆ Trump shares article saying Melania put up better Christmas decorations in the White House than Jill Biden
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump shared an opinion article that complimented his wife's White House Christmas decor on Tuesday. It is titled "Flashback to When Things Were Better: Melania Trump's WH Christmas Decorations Throughout the Years" and compares the Christmas decorations of the former first lady and Jill Biden. Melania Trump's non-traditional Christmas decorations during their time in the White House were frequently mocked on social media. Melania Trump herself has privately expressed exasperation with the process of decorating the White House. The theme of 2022's White House Christmas decorations was "We the People."

☆ DeSantis is often described as 'Trump without the baggage,' but there are plenty of differences between the two Republicans. How they play up their contrasts will decide who wins in 2024, GOP insiders
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

DeSantis could end up running for president in 2024, and he's widely viewed as similar to Trump. He's "Trump without the baggage," "Trump with a brain," Trump "without the drama," and "Trump's Mini Me." The pile on is a problem for both men should DeSantis join Trump in the ring for the 2024 nomination contest. "We know what we get with President Trump," he said. In Florida, DeSantis pushed the legislature to limit ballot collection by non-family members.

Share this -Link copied'It's too much for me': Zelenskyy begins speech by thanking U.S. Zelenskyy began his remarks before a joint meeting of Congress at 7:40 p.m. "I think we share the exact same vision, that of a free, independent and prosperous Ukraine," Biden said. The Ukrainian president added that the soldier told him that "many (of) his brothers, this system saved." President Joe Biden holds a medal presented to him by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. Share this -Link copiedPhoto: Zelenskyy shakes hands with Biden as he arrives President Joe Biden welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House.

☆ Zelenskyy's risky 10-hour visit to Washington was in the works for months, and the secret journey was carefully coordinated with the US
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Zelenskyy's historic, risky 10-hour visit to Washington was months in the making. Pelosi held discussions on the trip with the top Ukrainian lawmaker as far back as October, AP reported. Along these lines, the White House did not announce Zelenskyy's visit until 1 am on Wednesday, though reports of the trip first emerged Tuesday. By coming to Washington, Zelenskyy was able to make a direct appeal to lawmakers and Americans for more help. December 22, 2022 — Update: This article was updated to state that Zelenskyy was accompanied by the US ambassador to Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Zelenskyy's visit to Washington hailed a historic success; Kyiv's energy situation remains dire
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Washington has been hailed as a historic, diplomatic success and it's sure to be one that Kyiv hopes will boost the chances of ongoing financial and military support for Ukraine as the war continues. The Ukrainian leader then gave a rousing and historic 32-minute address to U.S. lawmakers at the Capitol building in Washington on Wednesday night. Ukraine is alive and kicking," Zelenskyy said to a loud round of applause and several standing ovations. Zelenskyy assured Americans that their money isn't being wasted in Ukraine, saying its soldiers know perfectly well how to operate complex U.S. weapons systems and planes. Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said on Telegram that the meeting between the two presidents is "historic."

Search resuls for: "White House for"

25 mentions found