It’s Tuesday…
Was looking for something else and found this instead…
When Biden Bits was posted for Monday, President Biden had tweeted 1 time. He added 3 more tweets giving him a Monday Tweeting Total of 4 tweets and 0 retweets…
Before the press conference there was a 1 minute and 35 second Oval Office pool spray…
Their full remarks:
PRESIDENT BIDEN: Welcome, everyone. I’m delighted to have the Chancellor here today — Chancellor Scholz. We’ve met before, but this is the first time I’m able to host you in the White House. And it’s good to have a chance to get to know you more personally. And we’re going to spend some time alone together, I hope.
And, you know, to state the obvious, Germany is one of America’s closest allies. We’re working in lockstep to further deter Russian aggression in Europe and to address the challenges posed by China and to promote stability in the We- — in the Western Balkans.
We then — we have to take on the pandemic, climate change, and — among many others issues. So, we have a lot to talk about, Mr. Chancellor — Chancellor, and — Olaf. And I’m — I’m looking forward to us working closely together with you and this year during Germany’s presence at the G7. I’m looking forward to that as well. So, welcome, welcome, welcome.
The floor is yours, sir, if you wish to say anything.
CHANCELLOR SCHOLZ: Yeah. Thank you for having me here. And, really, I appreciate very much that we have the chance to discuss all the topics you raised. They are very important.
We are closest allies and working intensely together. And this is necessary for doing the steps that we have to do — for instance, fighting against Russian aggression against Ukraine.
So, it’s an important meeting at a very, very important time.PRESIDENT BIDEN: Thank you all.
White House.gov. 02/07/2022.
The press conference YouTube is 27 minutes and 7 seconds long. Their full remarks can be found here.
I’m not sure how to frame this additional unprompted content so I’ll just share it:
Asked yesterday by reporters if the President had received assurances from the Chancellor that; Germany will, in fact, pull the plug on this project if Russia invades Ukraine? And did you discuss what the definition of “invasion” could be?
President Biden says: The first question first. If Germany — if Russia invades — that means tanks or troops crossing the — the border of Ukraine again — then there will be — we — there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.
The Chancellor doesn’t seem as bold in his willingness to say the same…
As I’ve already said, we are acting together, we are absolutely united, and we will not be taking different steps. We will do the same steps, and they will be very, very hard to Russia, and they should understand.
White House.gov. 02/07/2022.
President Biden and Chancellor Scholz were asked again about Nord Stream 2…
Q: Michael Fischer, DPA. Mr. President, one question to you: The U.S., over the last few years, have exported heavy weapons to Ukraine, and Germany excludes that — has only delivered 5,000 helmets to Ukraine. Don’t you think that NATO should act unanimously in this respect and Germany, as the strongest European NATO partner, should also deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine? And Ukraine has asked Germany to do so. And on Nord Stream 2, I would also like to ask: Don’t you think, with regards to the threat posed by Russia, Germany should already rethink its position on Nord Stream 2?And the third question, if I may: Over the last few days and weeks, there has been severe criticism from the U.S. media and from Congress as well vis-à-vis Germany about the reliability of Germany as an ally. This has been called into question. Do you understand this criticism? Is Germany a reliable partner, from your point of view? And, Mr. Chancellor, also a question to you: Nord Stream 2 — you said all options around the table. You’re not mentioning Nord Stream 2 by name. Don’t you think if you were to spell this out, you could win back trust as a strong ally here for the U.S.?
President Biden: There’s no need to win back trust. He has the complete trust of the United States. Germany is our — one of our most important allies in the world. There is no doubt about Germany’s partnership with the United States. None. With regard to helping Ukraine, one of the largest contributors financially to Ukraine has been Germany. Germany has been in the forefront of making sure — providing economic assistance. You also asked the question — you asked so many I can’t remember them all. But in terms of the U.S. media saying Germany is not reliable, Germany is completely reliable — completely, totally, thoroughly reliable. I have no doubt about Germany at all.
Chancellor Scholz: (As interpreted.) We are united. And the transatlantic partnership between Germany and the U.S. is one of the permanent pillars of German policy, and it will be relevant in the future as well — just as relevant. And this will be one of our top priorities always. On behalf of NATO, we are the country in continental Europe that is doing — making the largest contribution: financial means and also military power. And we are the country that contributes a great share — we’re not fully — we don’t fully agree with you as who pays the biggest part of financial support to Ukraine. So, since 2014, about 2 billion U.S. dollars direct bilateral support and, within the EU, an additional 3.8 billion that is made available. So a substantial financial means to stabilize the Ukraine economy, and we are willing to continue with that sort of contribution. So, this is the very strong and unbreakable friendship between our two countries. Part of this is that with regard to the difficult situation at the Ukrainian border due to the Russian troops, we have made it very clear we will unanimously act in terms of sanctions.
The White House published the following readout:
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. welcomed Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany to the White House. President Biden reaffirmed his commitment to further strengthening U.S.-German relations and working with the new Chancellor to deepen the transatlantic partnership. The leaders discussed ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts in response to Russia’s continued military build-up on Ukraine’s borders, reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and reiterated their commitment to preventing Russia from using energy as a weapon. The leaders also discussed Germany’s G7 Presidency, including taking stronger joint action to end the COVID-19 pandemic, building back better health security, tackling the climate crisis, and supporting an inclusive global economic recovery. The leaders committed to cooperate closely on challenges posed by China and to continue promoting stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans.
White House.gov. 02/07/2022.
The article, at least for me, a non-sub holder; is not pay-walled. It also tells me it’s 7 minutes long, if I decide to listen to it…
Which means for more than one reason I will not be sharing the whole thing, even though the President shared it…
The summary in snips:
Getting a pair of hearing aids can cost up to $5,000. The White House says they should be as little as a few hundred dollars. And it says it has a plan to make that possible: deregulate the market to increase competition.
[snip]
At present, just four manufacturers control 84% of the hearing-aid market, according to the Open Markets Institute, a think tank critical of corporate concentration. The reason, analysts say, is federal and state rules that compel manufacturers to sell through medical professionals. That added burden deters potential new market entrants, some industry analysts say.
In response, President Biden directed the Food and Drug Administration last year to speed up issuance of regulations, first authorized by Congress in 2017, allowing hearing aids to be sold over the counter for mild to moderate hearing loss.
[snip]
More than 37 million American adults have some difficulty hearing. Yet only one-fifth of people who could benefit from a hearing aid use one, according to the FDA.
The White House has argued that is because of expense. Hearing aids typically cost between $1,500 to $5,000 a pair, said Frank Lin, director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.
Wall Street Journal. 02/05/2022.
The rest of the article quotes industry peeps that fear over-counter hearing aids might cut safety corners. Economists fear inflation. Bose has a product line of hearing aids it sells for about $849 on it’s website and is looking at branching out into more over the counter options in the future. Apple too makes ear buds that improve hearing, but aren’t classified as hearing aids.
My take:
Two things that would greatly improve the quality of life for a lot of people especially the elderly; hearing aids and glasses. Both things are very expensive for folks living on their social security which =’s the elderly turning up the volume on things like the TV thus hurting their hearing even more or not replacing outdated glasses that don’t work the same leading to car accidents or more often than not falls where the person breaks a hip, arm, leg, or back or worse a neck…
The issue being that for a lot of people their government issued insurance does not cover them as they are deemed “cosmetic,” never mind that by providing these two things the government insurance would save money in the long run by pro-actively helping to prevent some car accidents and falls…
I don’t have access to the studies any more I read from a billion years ago on this matter; my research was unrelated to senior and hearing aids. At the time I was fighting our school district to provide hearing impaired children with basic things so they could attend public school and happened to find the studies.
Those studies showed that basic access to things like hearing aids for moderate hearing lose or glasses for those not blind or suffering a medical illness could improve their quality of life.
But now that my parents are seniors who skip basic needs that would make their lives better; I do find myself thinking back to those studies and wonder where I put them as I copied them from the library…
As I said it was a billion years ago…
For Tuesday, February 8th, 2022, President Biden has received his daily brief. This afternoon he delivers remarks on rebuilding American manufacturing. This afternoon he will receive his weekly economic brief.
President Biden has tweeted 2 times so far for Tuesday…
Unlike the Wall Street Journal article; I’m paywalled. Lovely….
That’s okay we will just go to the fact-sheet shared by the White House this morning…
Tritium Announces EV Charger Manufacturing Facility in Tennessee; To Produce Up To 30,000 Buy America-Compliant Chargers Per Year, Create 500 Jobs
Since his first day in office, President Biden relentlessly focused on an industrial strategy to revitalize our manufacturing base, strengthen critical supply chains, drive down prices, and position U.S. workers and businesses to compete and lead globally in the 21st century. This whole-of-government effort is leading to a historic recovery in domestic manufacturing. During President Biden’s first year in office, the economy added 367,000 manufacturing jobs – the most in nearly 30 years. The U.S. economy grew at the fastest pace in nearly 40 years in 2021, and manufacturing as a share of U.S. GDP has returned to pre-pandemic levels. Manufacturing activity has seen a significant expansion every month that President Biden has been in office, consistently above pre-pandemic levels.The Build America, Buy America Act in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expands on the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to ensure that the future is made in America by American workers by strengthening and expanding Buy America rules to all taxpayer-funded infrastructure and public works projects.
Today, President Biden and Jane Hunter, CEO of Tritium, will announce that Tritium will break ground on its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Lebanon, Tennessee. This facility will house six production lines that will produce up to 30,000 Buy America-compliant DC Fast Chargers per year at peak production and create 500 local jobs.
This is the latest of announcements in recent weeks by major companies announcing investments in U.S. manufacturing and jobs, including Intel, General Motors, and Boeing, and more than $200 billion in investments in domestic manufacturing of semiconductors, electric vehicles, aircraft, and batteries announced since 2021.
White House.gov. 02/08/2022.
In addition to Tritium, EV charging manufacturers large and small are investing and expanding U.S. operations, driven by the Administration’s economic strategy, Made in America policies, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law:
- Siemens, which is investing and expanding its U.S. manufacturing operations to support electric vehicle infrastructure in America, will produce 1 million EV chargers by 2025. This investment, spurred by the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is the latest in the company’s strategic plan to meet accelerating electric vehicle charging demand, and expand its U.S. manufacturing capabilities.
- ABB, which currently manufactures Buy America-compliant transit bus chargers in the U.S., will expand its US EV charging manufacturing operations, including Level 2 and DC Fast Chargers, over the coming five years, employing hundreds of Americans and producing thousands of EV chargers each year.
- FreeWire Technologies, based in Oakland, California, currently manufactures Buy America-compliant battery-integrated EV charging equipment, and recently announced groundbreaking on a research, manufacturing, and testing facility in Newark, California. FreeWire currently employs and plans to add more than 200 jobs in electrification and clean energy in and around disadvantaged communities this year.
- Dunamis Clean Energy Partners, a Black- and woman-owned EV charger manufacturer based in Detroit, Michigan, will manufacture Level 2 EV chargers and charging connectors in a new production facility in Detroit beginning this summer. Dunamis’ training and workforce development efforts will focus on underrepresented, economically disadvantaged communities most impacted by greenhouse gas emissions.
The future of the auto industry is electric, and America can own that future by building more here at home, creating good-paying jobs in the process. In August, President Biden set an ambitious target and roadmap to get to 50% of electric vehicle (EV) sale shares in the U.S. by 2030. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included a down payment on the EV future, with more than $7 billion in funding to secure an American EV supply chain, from materials processing to battery manufacturing and recycling, along with $7.5 billion to build out the first-ever nationwide public EV charging network.
This charging network will provide a convenient, reliable, affordable and equitable charging experience, with a focus on serving national highway corridors, rural areas, and underserved communities. It will also accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, fight the climate crisis, and support domestic manufacturing jobs.
Later this week, Department of Transportation Secretary Buttigieg and Department of Energy Secretary Granholm will announce the state allocations and guidance for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, which will provide $5 billion over five years to help states create a network of EV charging stations along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors on the Interstate Highway System.
White House.gov. 02/08/2022.
The Biden-Harris Administration has already taken action to prepare for the build-out of the nationwide public EV charging network.
- In December, Vice President Harris announced the EV Charging Action Plan to outline the steps the Administration is taking to accelerate the EV charging investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- In December, the Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation announced the creation of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which will support and accelerate deployment of the national EV charging network, including by providing technical assistance to states as they develop their comprehensive EV charging plans. This week, the Joint Office launched DriveElectric.gov to support the states in their planning.
- Last week, the Department of Transportation released an EV Rural Charging Toolkit, a one-stop resource for rural communities to plan and implement EV charging infrastructure projects.
For some odd reason I read the above tweet and thought this…
President Biden’s remarks are scheduled for 1:45 p.m. D.C., time.
The daily press briefing is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. D.C. time.
This is an Open Thread.
