It’s Friday.
For Friday, July 23rd, 2021, President Biden has received his daily brief. Tonight, President Biden will attend a campaign event for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. After the campaign event President Biden will travel to his home in Delaware.
President Biden has retweeted one-time so far for Friday.
When Thursday’s Biden Bits was posted President Biden had tweeted 1 time. He added 7 tweets giving him a Thursday Tweeting Total of 8 tweets and 0 retweets.
As mentioned yesterday, fact-checker Daniel Dale fact-checked some claims from President Biden’s CNN town-hall. At the time of publish, Dale’s fact-check was not available. It is now.
I’m going to skip the coronavirus vaccine claims as we covered those yesterday. I will be using the transcript published by the White House to show the question and President Biden’s answer that was fact-checked by Dale.
Automobile Prices:
Q: So, my question is: The economy is picking up significantly as it reopens from the pandemic. Are you concerned about the higher inflation prices, especially as we see gasoline, automotive, and food prices increase rapidly? What is your administration doing to help prevent the economy from overheating, such as the poor and middle class are not hurt by the higher prices of goods in the long run?
President Biden said: First of all, the good news is the economy is picking up significantly. It’s rational, when you think about it. The cost of an automobile bill, it’s kind of back to what it was before the pandemic. We compare what the prices were for the last year in the pandemic, and they are up. They’re up because, in fact, there was not much to call for.
White House.gov. Published 07/22/2021. Comments made on 07/21/2021.
Daniel Dale says: This is false, even with the wiggle room Biden granted himself with the phrase “kind of.” Because of challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic, new car prices and used car prices are significantly higher today than they were before the pandemic, whether “before the pandemic” means mid-2019 or early 2020. Used car prices have experienced a particularly large increase.
Kelly Blue Book said via prnewswire.com on July, 19th, 2021, that “the estimated average transaction price (ATP) for a light vehicle in the United States was $42,258 in June 2021, according to the analysts at Kelley Blue Book. New-vehicle prices increased $2,527 (up 6.4%) from June 2020, while increasing $928 (up 2.2%) from May 2021.”
The blurb, for lack of a better word, quotes industry intelligence analyst at Cox Automotive, Kayla Reynolds as saying; Despite unprecedented low incentives and inventory levels in June, last month showcased more historically high average transaction prices, reaching an all-new record. New-vehicle affordability continues to decline as the income required to purchase the average new vehicle continues to climb. In June, for the first time in a decade, vehicle buyers were essentially paying sticker price – the manufacturer’s suggested retail price – for new vehicles
Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework; A letter…
This fact-check is based on an exchange between President Biden and CNN town-hall Moderator Don Lemon.
MR. LEMON: Okay. So, then — but they’re expected to vote again on Monday, but how much time do you think that they need to get this done?
President Biden: Until Monday. *(Laughter.) Look — no, I’m not being facetious. I’m not being facetious. You had up to 20 Republicans sign a letter saying, “We think we need this deal. We think we need this deal.” And so I think there’ll be — by the way, the reason we’re talking this way: We need 60 votes to get something moving. And what’s going to happen is, I believe — because I take my Republican colleagues at my — at their word when you shake. I come from a tradition in the Senate: You shake your hand. That’s it. You keep your word. And I found Rob Portman does that. I found that — you know, your governor is a good man. You shake his hand, it’s done. (Applause.) No, I really mean that. I’m not — I’m not being falsely complimentary.
*This is a personal choice I’ve decided to make as I learn more about the deaf community via TikTok. The words in parentheses give more life to the words they read*
White House.gov. Published 07/22/2021. Comments made on 07/21/2021.
Daniel Dale says; If he was talking about the letter that was in the news the day he spoke, Biden exaggerated the extent of Republican support. According to Republican Sen. Rob Portman, 11 Republican senators sent a letter to Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in which they made clear they would vote no if Schumer held a procedural vote on Wednesday to advance the bipartisan infrastructure proposal but that they intended to vote yes if a vote were held next Monday. (Biden did say “up to 20,” not plain “20,” but 11 is so far away from 20 that the claim is at least misleading.)
Dale says that he might have confused the letter with a public statement that was endorsed by 22 Senators, but that public statement still only had the support of 11 Republicans–10 Senators and 1 House member.
There are a couple of more fact-checks provided by Daniel Dale, including the coronavirus vaccine statements.
I condemn the mass detentions and sham trials that are the Cuban regime's efforts to threaten the Cuban people into silence. My Administration stands with the Cuban people, and is imposing new sanctions targeting those in the Cuban regime responsible for this crackdown.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 22, 2021
Read my full statement: https://t.co/WjuBXXGV5t
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 22, 2021
His full statement:
I unequivocally condemn the mass detentions and sham trials that are unjustly sentencing to prison those who dared to speak out in an effort to intimidate and threaten the Cuban people into silence. The Cuban people have the same right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly as all people. The United States stands with the brave Cubans who have taken to the streets to oppose 62 years of repression under a communist regime.
Today, my Administration is imposing new sanctions targeting elements of the Cuban regime responsible for this crackdown—the head of the Cuban military and the division of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior driving the crackdown—to hold them accountable for their actions. This is just the beginning–the United States will continue to sanction individuals responsible for oppression of the Cuban people.
As we hold the Cuban regime accountable, our support for the Cuban people is unwavering and we are making sure Cuban Americans are a vital partner in our efforts to provide relief to suffering people on the Island. We are working with civil society organizations and the private sector to provide internet access to the Cuban people that circumvents the regime’s censorship efforts. We are reviewing our remittance policy to determine how we can maximize support to the Cuban people. And we are committed to restaffing our embassy in Havana to provide consular services to Cubans and enhance our ability to engage with civil society, while ensuring the safety of U.S. diplomats serving in Cuba.
Advancing human dignity and freedom is a top priority for my Administration, and we will work closely with our partners throughout the region, including the Organization of American States, to pressure the regime to immediately release wrongfully detained political prisoners, restore internet access, and allow the Cuban people to enjoy their fundamental rights.
White House.gov. 07/22/2021.
The White House posted the following fact-sheet regarding the actions taken against the Cuban regime:
- Holding the Cuban Regime Accountable: On July 22, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned one Cuban individual and one Cuban entity for serious human rights abuse, pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world. This action targets the Cuban Minister of Defense and the Brigada Especial Nacional del Ministerio del Interior of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior for their role in facilitating the repression of peaceful, pro-democratic protests in Cuba that began on July 11.
- Engaging the International Community: The Administration remains deeply concerned about the welfare of the hundreds of protestors who have been unjustly detained and disappeared simply for demanding their most fundamental rights. The President continues to call for the swift release of those peaceful protestors who have been unjustly detained. The Administration is also actively engaged with the Organization of American States (OAS), the United Nations, and our international partners to collectively condemn the violence and repression upon the Cuban people for demanding freedom.
- Engaging the International Community: The Administration remains deeply concerned about the welfare of the hundreds of protestors who have been unjustly detained and disappeared simply for demanding their most fundamental rights. The President continues to call for the swift release of those peaceful protestors who have been unjustly detained. The Administration is also actively engaged with the Organization of American States (OAS), the United Nations, and our international partners to collectively condemn the violence and repression upon the Cuban people for demanding freedom.
- Ensuring Cuban Citizens Have Internet Access: The Administration is actively collaborating with the private sector to identify creative ways to ensure that the Cuban people have safe and secure access to the free flow of information on the Internet. The President continues to call on Cuba’s leaders to reinstate and to maintain access to all Internet and telecommunications services for all people within its border, and condemns the use of partial or complete Internet shutdowns and network restrictions imposed by the Cuban Government, which restricts the exercise of human rights and disrupts access to essential services. The intentional blocking of access to the Internet should be strongly condemned by the international community.
- Listening to Cuban American Leaders: The Administration has been consistent in its belief that Cuban-Americans are the best ambassadors for freedom and prosperity in Cuba. The Administration will continue to meet with Cuban American leaders and stakeholders as they work to help elevate the voices of demonstrators in Cuba, and provide their recommendations for how the U.S. government can help.
- Reviewing the Remittances Policy: The Administration is focused on letting families support one another, by maximizing the flow of remittance payments to the Cuban people. This is a complex issue that requires a measured and thoughtful approach in coordination with experts that will help to inform the Administration’s policy. The Administration’s guiding principle is ensuring that funds, to the greatest extent possible, get to the Cuban people without a portion of the proceeds being siphoned off by the regime. The President remains concerned that remittances do not reach their intended recipients, including some of the most vulnerable populations on the island, and instead are being used as a stopgap to treat their government’s failures.
- Restaffing U.S. Embassy Havana:The Administration is working to enhance our ability to provide Consular services to the Cuban people given their dire circumstances under an oppressive authoritarian regime. The re-staffing of our Embassy in Havana will serve to enhance our diplomatic, civil society, and Consular service engagement all of which are part of our demonstrated effort to support the Cuban people and their desire for freedom. The Administration is also mindful of the fact that USG personnel have suffered grave injuries while posted to Cuba. Before augmenting our staff in Havana we must do our utmost to ensure that they can safely and securely serve in Cuba.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued the following statement on Thursday:
Starting on July 11, tens of thousands of Cubans in dozens of cities and towns throughout their country took to the streets to peacefully demand respect for their fundamental freedoms and a better future. In response, the Cuban regime violently repressed the protests, arresting hundreds of demonstrators simply for exercising their human rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The actions of Cuban security forces and violent mobs mobilized by Cuban Communist Party First Secretary Miguel Diaz-Canel lay bare the regime’s fear of its own people and unwillingness to meet their basic needs and aspirations.
Today, the United States is imposing sanctions on Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba Álvaro López Miera and the Cuban Ministry of the Interior’s Special National Brigade or “Boinas Negras” (Black Berets). López Miera and the Special National Brigade have been involved in suppressing the protests, including through physical violence and intimidation. We take this action pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
We stand with every Cuban seeking a government that respects the human rights and dignity of the Cuban people. We will continue to take action to promote accountability for the Cuban government’s human rights abuses, including through additional sanctions pursuant to Global Magnitsky, as appropriate.
State.gov. 07/22/2021.
The video stream is 11 minutes and 32 seconds long. His full remarks can be found here.
President Biden has broken tradition by not tweeting out quotes found in his, sometimes daily, remarks to the public. I will post some highlights:
Today, I think is a day of hope. And I mean that. A day of hope and healing for victims or crime and organizations that support those victims of crime.
And I want to thank the Vice President and the Second Gentleman, Senators Durbin — I think he’s here; I thought I saw him. Senators Durbin and Baldwin and Grassley and Graham and Murkowski. Representatives Nadler and Fitzpatrick and Jackson-Lee and Wagner and Scanlon. And everyone who has helped make possible this moment, including so many of you who are here today that I haven’t mentioned.
When someone commits a crime, it’s — it’s not enough to bring the predator to justice; we also need to support the victims. And it’s something that, way back — 150 years ago, when I was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, we spent a lot of time working on and setting up victims’ funds. That’s what this Crime Victims Fund does.
This bill is going to allow us to make — make sure that all the fines and penalties that are from federal cases go into the victims — the Crime Victims Fund to rebuild this fund, because it’s badly needed.
This is going to enable us to provide more help and support to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, trafficking, and other crimes all across America.
In order to provide more access and safety and services for victims of gender-based violence, it’s long past time to re- — reauthorize and strengthen the protections through the Violence Against Women Act. Please. Please. You know, you can — (applause).
You know, after these changes in the Victims Crime Act passed this week, a leader from one of the state’s — state’s Coalition Against Domestic Violence sent a letter to her national organization. And she wrote about working in the shelter where their ability to serve people rose and fell based on the fundings of victim services. She told the story of a client she lost to domestic violence homicide because the budget cuts left them without space at the shelter or staff needed to help this particular woman.
Upon learning about the law I’m about to sign today, she wrote, and I quote — I quote, “I think about her every day. This is going to be truly lifesaving,” end of quote. This is what you’ve done — truly lifesaving.
White House.gov. 07/22/2021.
His last two tweets focus on the Build Back Better agenda….surprise!
The daily press briefing is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. D.C., time.
This is an Open Thread.
HAPPY FRIDAY MY FRIENDS!
