It’s Friday.
For Friday, July 16th, 2021, President Biden will have participated in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Virtual Retreat. He’ll have received his daily brief. This afternoon prior to President Biden’s departure from the White House he will receive a coronavirus briefing from the White House COVID-19 Response Team. Once he arrives to Camp David, he will receive his weekly economic briefing.
On July, 14th, 2021, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki released the following statement regarding the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Virtual Retreat.
On Friday July 16, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Virtual Retreat, where Leaders will discuss ending the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting the global economic recovery, hosted by Prime Minister Ardern of New Zealand. The President’s participation will demonstrate U.S. leadership in the Indo-Pacific region and the President’s commitment to multilateral institutions. As President Biden’s first engagement with many of the APEC Leaders, particularly those in Southeast Asia, he will emphasize the importance he places on the region as well as his vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. He will provide an update to Leaders on what the U.S. is doing to serve as an arsenal of vaccines for the region and to support all those suffering from COVID-19. He will also advance an economic agenda that promotes our shared prosperity, leverages the economic potential in the region, and builds inclusive and resilient economies.
White House.gov. 07/14/2021.
On Thursday, July 15th, 2021, the White House released a readout of President Biden’s call with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. today spoke by phone with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand. They discussed our interest in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and President Biden underscored the enduring U.S. commitment to the region. The leaders discussed our close partnership on a range of issues, including efforts to support the global economic recovery and to end the COVID-19 pandemic. President Biden commended Prime Minister Ardern for her steadfast and effective leadership throughout the pandemic. President Biden expressed U.S. support for the Christchurch Call to Action. They also discussed our cooperation on and engagement with Pacific Island nations. President Biden also thanked Prime Minister Ardern for hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Virtual Leaders’ Retreat on July 16, and they agreed on the importance of multilateral institutions and economic cooperation throughout the region.
White House.gov. 07/15/2021.
His first tweet so far for Friday will be shared down thread.
When Thursday’s Open Thread was posted, President Biden had tweeted 3 times. He added 7 tweets giving him a Thursday Tweeting Total of 10 tweets and 0 retweets.
The video stream is 17 minutes and 54 seconds long. President Biden begins his remarks at the 3 minute and 38 second mark. His full remarks can be found here.
President Biden (4:42): Beginning this morning, nearly all working families — that is people making under $150,000 as families or an individual making under $120,000 — $125,000 who have children, are raising children in America, they’re going to receive their first monthly — first monthly tax cut payment. That payment — that payment from the expanded Child Tax Credit that we signed into law as part of my — our American Rescue Plan. It’s one of the largest-ever single tax cuts for families with children, and it’s a reflection of our belief that the people of this country who need a tax cut aren’t the folks at the top. They’ve got plenty of tax cuts. They’re doing just fine. But it’s the people in the middle, the folks who are struggling, who are just looking for a little bit of — my dad would say, “a little bit of breathing room.” A little bit of breathing room.
President Biden (10:00): You know — and to give you a sense of how transformative this is: This would be the largest-ever one-year decrease in child poverty in the history of the United States of America — as we begin now. Historic reductions in child poverty among white, Black, and Latinos, and AAPI communities. It’s not even close. The benefits will be felt for years.
President Biden (12:45): That’s why — excuse me for all these terms I’m using, but my Build Back Better agenda, which still needs to be voted on in the Congress, keeps this tax cut for working families in place for years to come. We shouldn’t let taxes go up on working families. We shouldn’t let child poverty continue to stain the conscience or drag down our economy. And so, I say to my colleagues in Congress: This tax cut for working families is something we should extend, not end, next year.
For more info on the expanded Child Tax Credit @ IRS.gov.
The American Rescue Plan text @ Congress.gov.
Build Back Better agenda @ White House.gov.
His random plug of the day tweet…
The White House published the following statement on Thursday.
When I ran for President, I promised the American people that I would build on the historic foundation of the Affordable Care Act to ensure that every American has access to quality, affordable health care. As part of that promise, just weeks after taking office, my Administration opened a special enrollment period through HealthCare.gov to provide all Americans the opportunity to sign up for health insurance.
Five months later, the results are clear: two million Americans have signed up for the peace of mind that health insurance brings. That’s two million more Americans who can sleep soundly at night, no longer having to worry whether their family would lose everything due to a heart attack, a cancer diagnosis, or an accident. This milestone is in addition to our progress expanding access to health insurance through vital programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which now cover more than 81 million Americans.
I pledged to lower the cost of health care — and that’s exactly what we did with my American Rescue Plan. Thanks to the law, nine million Americans who buy their coverage through the Affordable Care Act have lower premiums, saving families an average of $50 per person per month — that’s $2,400 per year for a typical family of four. In fact, four out of five people can now find a quality plan with a premium of $10 or less per month. And my Build Back Better agenda will expand on these efforts and make health care more affordable — including by adding dental, vision, and hearing coverage to Medicare; closing the Medicaid coverage gap for low-income Americans; and making the premium reductions in the American Rescue Plan permanent.
With 30 days to go until the opportunity for special enrollment closes and more affordable quality plans, now is the time to sign up for health coverage. Today, my Administration is launching a final 30-day “Summer Sprint to Coverage” campaign to help people and communities across America who still need health insurance sign up for it. I encourage everyone who is not yet covered to visit HealthCare.gov and sign up by August 15. If you already have coverage, help get your friends, family, neighbors, and others in your community signed up as well.
More than a decade after the landmark passage of the Affordable Care Act, as we emerge from a once-in-a-century pandemic, we are on our way to truly making health care a right and not a privilege. I urge Congress to do its part by passing the critical health care reforms in my Build Back Better agenda — and I urge all Americans to get covered today.
White House.gov. 07/15/2021.
His last two tweets plus the first one from Friday focus on his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The joint-press conference stream is 34 minutes and 17 seconds. President Biden opens first with his remarks lasting until the 7 minute mark. The Q&A starts around the 16 minute and 7 second mark. Their full remarks can be found here.
Today, the President of the United States and the Chancellor of Germany affirm their commitment to close bilateral cooperation in promoting peace, security, and prosperity around the world.
The foundation of our relationship is a shared commitment to democratic principles, values, and institutions. Together, we will uphold the rule of law, promote transparency and good governance, and support civil society and independent media. We will defend the rights and dignity of all individuals, and counter injustice and inequality wherever it occurs. We uphold the universal values at the heart of the United Nations Charter and stand together in our commitment to promote respect for human rights everywhere, including by rejecting and responding in concert to violations of human rights. We must act now to demonstrate that democracy delivers for our people at home and that democratic leadership delivers for the world.
We commit ourselves to defending an open world. Across the globe, all nations must be free to determine their political futures free from foreign interference, coercion, or domination by outside powers. As two nations whose economies depend on the free transit of goods around the world, we affirm the critical importance of the freedoms of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea, consistent with international law. This vision is unachievable in a world carved into competing spheres of influence and we will resist attempts to create them, be it through attempts at territorial annexation, control of digital infrastructure, transnational repression, or weaponized energy flows.
More than three decades after German reunification, we will continue to work tirelessly for a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace. Where outside powers present barriers to the realization of this vision, we will join together to collectively strengthen our defense, cultivate our resilience, and enhance our solidarity. NATO will remain the cornerstone of this effort, and our commitment to Article 5 is ironclad. We underscore the need to build upon our alliances and partnerships for the challenges that lie ahead – including cyber threats, energy security, disinformation, corruption, democratic backsliding, and interference in our elections.
We will work together to ensure that the rules, norms, and standards that govern emerging technologies are channeled toward freedom rather than repression. As technology reshapes our citizens’ lives, our national economies, and our geopolitical environments, it must reflect our core democratic values. We will deepen cooperation between our scientists, engineers, and mathematicians to ensure that the major innovations of this century advance democratic governance, rather than authoritarianism. States need to protect the rights of citizens, and we will resist the use and spread of surveillance technologies to improperly restrict the exercise of human rights.
We recognize our responsibility to lead in the development of global solutions to shared challenges. Our citizens’ lives are subject to disruption by a range of international forces that demand a collective response. We are committed to taking urgent action to address the climate crisis, including by launching the Climate and Energy Partnership to deepen collaboration on the policies and energy technologies needed to accelerate the global net-zero transition. We will work to strengthen global health and health security, including resilience against future pandemics. We will work tirelessly toward a sustainable global economic recovery, constructed on a fair, inclusive, sustainable, rules-based global economy for the 21st century. With shared strength and ingenuity, we will innovate novel solutions to these novel challenges – and work together bilaterally, as well as in the G7 and G20, to ensure the multilateral system, including the UN system, can meet the demands of our time.
Since the end of World War II, countless people from all walks of life – including business and science, civilian and in uniform, civil society organizations, think tanks and academic networks – have strengthened and deepened the bond between our two nations. As a lasting demonstration of our bilateral relationship and our commitment to the above principles, we are launching a U.S.-German Futures Forum that will fully utilize the expertise and innovative power of our societies and recommend solutions to jointly shape our future. To facilitate cooperation on crucial economic issues, we will also establish a U.S.-German Economic Dialogue.
White House.gov. 0715/2021.
His first tweet from Friday:
President Biden (6:32): Madam Chancellor, I know that the partnership between Germany and United States will continue to grow stronger on the foundation that you have helped to build. [But on a personal note, I must tell you, I’ll miss seeing you at our summits. I truly will.] So, thank you again, Angela, for making the journey, for our productive meeting today, and for your friendship.
Side-bar:
Lots of questions over communism have surfaced since Sunday when protesters began protesting in Cuba. Yesterday, during the daily press briefing White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the unrest and if the White House has had time to think that maybe it’s about more than just a shortness of the coronavirus vaccine.
She said:
To be fair, I don’t watch TV news, I read news, and watch clips of TV news, so I never read it was all about the lack of vaccine as a hot take. I did read, I believe in the Washington Post, that to outsiders it appeared the lack of vaccines triggered an already angry Cuban people over lack of food, water, and well, basically all basic human necessities.
President Biden was asked about her statement:
Question in part: When it comes to Cuba, what is your current thinking on American sanctions toward Cuba and the embargo? And today, your Press Secretary said that communism is a “failed ideology.” I assume that’s your view. I was wondering if you could also give us your view on socialism.
President Biden: And communism is a failed system — a universally failed system. And I don’t see socialism as a very useful substitute, but that’s another story.
His second tweet, yeah, he tweeted again, which I knew he would share this video, I had just thought it would happen over the weekend. I was wrong.
Day 3 of Who the hell is Olivia Rodrigo continues, this time, she teams up with Dr. Fauci to read positive tweets. I will not be transcribing the tweet reading, but the gist, get vaccinated it’s free-it’s easy–it’s important. Also, apparently Dr. Fauci has a bobble head doll. She’s seen it, she thinks “it’s amazing.”
For Day 1 @ the News Blender.
For Day 2 @ same.
The White House Press Briefing is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. D.C., time.
I have news…
The time has come guys to say farewell to our featured “under construction” image and the dumb headline I hate. On Monday, our afternoon thread gets a makeover!
This is an Open Thread.
HAPPY FRIDAY!
