It’s Monday.
Today marks President Joe Biden’s 54th day in office.
For day 54 President Biden will receive his daily brief. This afternoon he is scheduled to offer remarks on the implementation of the American Rescue Plan.
When last we met President Biden had tweeted one-time from his personal Twitter account. From the @POTUS account for Friday, President Biden tweeted 8 times and retweeted 0 times.
12:31 p.m. D.C., time, President Biden shared a 36 video snip from remarks he made on Thursday.
On Thursday as the News Blender featured, President Biden held his first prime-time national Presidential address to mark the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 shutdown.
His full remarks can be found @ White House.gov.
The snips used in the video above:
Over a year ago, no one could’ve imagined what we were about to go through, but now we’re coming through it, and it’s a shared experience that binds us together as a nation. We are bound together by the loss and the pain of the days that have gone by. But we’re also bound together by the hope and the possibilities of the days in front of us.
White House.gov. 03/11/2021.
1:22 p.m. D.C., time he said that newly sworn in Attorney General Merrick Garland would work every day to “reaffirm the integrity and independence of the Justice Department.”
On Friday the Justice department shared a 2 minute and 20 second video highlight reel of things that happened “this week at Justice.”
The first 1 minute and 7 seconds of the highlight reel marks AG Garland’s first day at Justice and a snip of his remarks offered to the employees of Justice.
His full remarks were posted by The Justice Department’s YouTube channel.
From the Justice.gov transcript:
I have to tell you that when I walked in the door of Main Justice this morning, it really did feel like I was coming home. I first walked into this building when I was 26 years old. I was here for a job interview and I was awestruck. This is a beautiful hall and this is a beautiful building built in the midst of the Great Depression. But, it was the ideal of justice to which it is a monument that was truly awe inspiring. Everywhere I looked there were serious people pursuing the cause of Justice. I left the interview wanting the job badly. The way I’m sure each of you felt after your DOJ interview. The way we want everyone who interviews at DOJ to feel. I know that was how I felt every time I came back to interview for another Justice Department position and after leaving my first position for private practice, I did come back many times to serve in a variety of positions both career and non-career. Along the way, I worked with DOJ attorneys, agents and staff in every component of the Department and across the width and breadth of this country. Altogether, I served under five Attorneys General appointed by four Presidents. I know that some of you have notched up plenty more.
As I said at the announcement of my nomination, those norms require that like cases be treated alike. That there not be one rule for Democrats and another for Republicans; One rule for friends and another for foes; One rule for the powerful and another for the powerless; One rule for the rich and another for the poor; Or different rules depending upon one’s race or ethnicity. At his swearing in, Attorney General Levy said: “If we are to have a government of laws and not of men, then it takes dedicated men and women to accomplish this through their zeal and determination, and also through fairness and impartiality. And I know that this Department always has had such dedicated men and women.” I, too, know that this Department has and always has had such dedicated people. I am honored to work with you once again. Together, we will show the American people by word and deed that the Department of Justice pursues equal justice and adheres to the rule of law.
Justice.gov. 03/11/2021.
2:14 p.m. D.C., time he shares a 59 second video snip of his Thursday’s Presidential Address.
My fervent prayer for our country is that, after all we have been through, we’ll come together as one people, one nation, one America.
I believe we can and we will. We’re seizing this moment. And history, I believe, will record: We faced and overcame one of the toughest and darkest periods in this nation’s history — darkest we’ve ever known.I promise you, we’ll come out stronger with a renewed faith in ourselves, a renewed commitment to one another, to our communities, and to our country.
This is the United States of America, and there is nothing — nothing — from the bottom of my heart, I believe this — there is nothing we can’t do when we do it together.
White House.gov. 03/11/2021.
2:33 p.m. D.C., time he shared a live feed to the American Rescue Plan passage celebration held Friday from the Rose Garden.
White House.gov posted his full remarks.
I’ve read the transcript and it’s a lot of back patting of the House and Senate Democrats. So, I’m going to skip posting highlights.
5:11 p.m. D.C., time he shared an image of his virtual meeting with the “Quad”. The meeting included Japan, India, and Australian leaders.
CNN explained ahead of the meeting that “the Quad or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is an informal strategic forum for the four nations involved and has featured semi-regular summits and information exchanges.But the meetings have never featured the four heads of state, currently along with Biden and Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.”
In a joint statement the group reaffirmed their commitment to “quadrilateral cooperation between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. We bring diverse perspectives and are united in a shared vision for the free and open Indo-Pacific. We strive for a region that is free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion. ”
In remarks posted by White House.gov., President Biden said “The United States is committed to working with you, our partners, and all our allies in the region to achieve stability. And this is a group of — particularly important because it’s dedicated to the practical solutions and concrete results.”
According to the Quad Summit fact-check the countries have agreed to launch a “a landmark partnership to further accelerate the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, Quad leaders are taking shared action necessary to expand safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing in 2021, and will work together to strengthen and assist countries in the Indo-Pacific with vaccination, in close coordination with the existing relevant multilateral mechanisms including WHO and COVAX.”
- Our commitment will be implemented by the launch of a senior-level Quad Vaccine Experts Group, comprised of top scientists and officials from our governments. This group will support Quad cooperation in the long term, and use science and evidence to:
- design an implementation plan for the Quad COVID-19 vaccine effort;
- identify hurdles impeding vaccine administration in the region;
- work with financers and production facilities to monitor timely and sufficient capacity expansion that will lead to wider distribution of safe and effective vaccines;
- share governmental plans to support Indo-Pacific health security and COVID-19 response, and identify practical cooperation on “last-mile” delivery for hard-to-reach communities in need;
- strengthen and support the life-saving work of international organizations, including the WHO, COVAX, Gavi, CEPI, UNICEF, the G7, ASEAN, and governments, and call on other countries to do the same;
- make additional concrete recommendations before the end of the year.
The group will also establish a new “Quad Climate Working Group,” focused on strengthening the Paris Agreement, enhance actions globally, while committing to advancing low-emissions technology to reduce emissions.
They will also convene a Critical and Emerging Technology Work Group which will:
- Develop a statement of principles on technology design, development, and use;
- Facilitate coordination on technology standards development, including between our national technology standards bodies and working with a broad range of partners;
- Encourage cooperation on telecommunications deployment, diversification of equipment suppliers, and future telecommunications, including through close cooperation with our private sectors and industry;
- Facilitate cooperation to monitor trends and opportunities related to developments in critical and emerging technology, including biotechnology;
- Convene dialogues on critical technology supply chains.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan attended Friday’s daily press briefing and explained that the Quad did discuss the challenge posed by China but the meeting was not fundamentally about China.
The four leaders did discuss the challenge posed by China, and they made clear that none of them have any illusions about China. But today was not fundamentally about China.
White House.gov. 03/12/2021.
Sullivan went on to say:
With respect to COVID-19, these four leaders made a massive joint commitment today: With Indian manufacturing, U.S. technology, Japanese and American financing, and Australian logistics capability, the Quad committed to delivering up to 1 billion doses to ASEAN, the Indo-Pacific, and beyond by the end of 2022.
The leaders also agreed that they would meet in person before the end of the year, and they launched a set of working groups, including an emerging technology group that will help set standards in key technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence, and another on cyber that will help our four countries meet this growing threat.
White House.gov. 03/12/2021.
Sullivan also fielded some questions from reporters. His opening remarks and answers take up the first 19 minutes of the 1 hour daily brief.
7:45 p.m. D.C., time he shares an image from the Rose Garden celebration.
See above for the details of the Friday event.
8:30 p.m. D.C., time he shares a 50 second video that featured 5 people saying how they plan to spend their stimulus check.
All five mentioned taking care of some bills that have piled up as the pandemic continues. One man mentioned the ability to finally fix the flat tire on his car he hasn’t driven in months since he couldn’t afford new tires.
9:04 p.m. D.C., time he uses an 8 second video clip of himself walking to mark 51 days down as President.
For Saturday he tweeted 3 times.
10:00 a.m. D.C., time he shares a 2 minute 20 second video from his visit to W.S. Jenks & Son hardware store in D.C..
The visit on Tuesday March 9th, 2021, was to highlight the Paycheck Protection Program.
The White House, published President Biden’s brief remarks and exchange with co-owner Mike Siegel. Siegel introduces Mary Ackley who owns Little Wild Things that shares space with W.S. Jenks & Son. Ackley explains that her business grow salad greens, microgreens, and edible flowers.
2:30 p.m. D.C., time he posts a 10 second video saying that “help is here,” regarding the American Rescue Plan.
See above for more on the American Rescue Plan. Yes, I’d hoped like you guys that once the bill was passed and signed, we’d move on, but alas…
3:49 p.m. D.C., time he remarks on the one-year anniversary of the death of emergency room technician Beronna Taylor. Taylor was shot and killed by police on March 13, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky.
In September of 2020, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced that the grand jury had decided to indict one of the three Louisville Metro Policy Department officers involved in the fatal shooting of Taylor.
Two of the officers according to NPR, Johnathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove were said to be justified in their use of force as they executed a no-knock warrant.
None of the officers involved faced charges regarding Taylor’s death.
On Sunday President Biden tweeted 3 times and retweeted 0 times.
11:15 a.m. D.C., time he shares an image of himself from the Oval Office.
The next two tweets for Sunday, one at 2:45 p.m. D.C., time and the second one sent at 8:48 p.m. D.C., time regard the coronavirus pandemic and the American Rescue Plan.
For Monday he has tweeted 1 time and yes, you guessed it, it’s regarding the American Rescue Plan.
9:45 a.m. D.C., time.
From the link posted on 03/10/2021:
Here’s an overview of what the American people need to know about the direct payments in the American Rescue Plan:
- For households who have already filed their income tax return for 2020, the IRS will use that information to determine eligibility and size of payments.
- For households that haven’t yet filed for 2020, the IRS will review records from 2019 to determine eligibility and size of payment. That includes those who used the “non-filer portal” for previous rounds of payments.
- For tax returns with direct deposit or bank account information, the IRS will be able to send money electronically. For those households for which Treasury cannot determine a bank account, paper checks or debit cards will be sent.
And just like that he has added one more tweet to his one tweet for Monday, making that 2 tweets so far.
12:30 p.m. D.C., time he says that after a long, dark year there are better days ahead…
Speaking of getting vaccinated…
The White House daily press briefing is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. D.C., time.
Live Feed: The White House.
President Biden’s remarks on the Implementation of the American Rescue Plan are scheduled to start at 1:45 p.m. D.C., time.
Live Feed: The White House.
This is an Open Thread.
