Biden Bits: Room for Two Commanders…

Biden Tweets Logo. Image by Lenny Ghoul.

It’s Thursday…

My Thursday Goal…

Current status…

When Biden Bits was posted for Wednesday, President Biden had tweeted 2 times. He added 7 tweets giving him a Wednesday Tweeting Total of 9 tweets and 0 retweets…

As seen in Beth’s Notes for Wednesday…

Found via the comment section of Tuesday’s Note

Day’s before Christmas President Biden introduced us to their new puppy…

Wednesday, President Biden along with the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden hosted an event at the White House to Reignite the Cancer Moonshot. The video is 41 minutes and 7 seconds long. President Biden begins speaking at the 17 minute and 9 second mark. His full remarks can be found here. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden opened the event her full remarks can be found here.

President Biden: And that’s why, today, I’m proud to announce our plan to supercharge the Cancer Moonshot as a central effort of the Biden-Harris administration.

President Biden: The goal is to cut the cancer death rate in half in the next 25 years — at least by 50 percent — and to turn more cancers from death sentences into chronic diseases that people can live with; to create a more supportive experience for patients and their families; and, by doing these things and more, to end cancer as we know it.

President Biden: [this appears in between the text above] It’s bold.  It’s ambitious.  But it’s completely doable.

President Biden: The goal is to cut the cancer death rate in half in the next 25 years — at least by 50 percent — and to turn more cancers from death sentences into chronic diseases that people can live with; to create a more supportive experience for patients and their families; and, by doing these things and more, to end cancer as we know it.

President Biden: And our message today is this: We can do this.  I promise you we can do this.  For all those we lost, for all those we miss, we can end cancer as we know it. 

President Biden: First, I’ve formed a new Cancer Cabinet, which is convened in the com- — we will convene in the coming weeks, to include members of the Cabinet who are here today — all of the people sitting on the stage here.  They’ll drive a whole-of-government effort to unleash every possibility within our — within our power, within their jurisdictions.

From the fact-sheet; Form a Cancer Cabinet, which will be convened by the White House, bringing together departments and agencies across government to address cancer on multiple fronts. These include the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Agriculture (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Domestic Policy Council (DPC), Gender Policy Council (GPC), Office of the First Lady (OFL), Office of the Vice President (OVP), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA), Office of Public Engagement (OPE), along with additional members, as needed, to help establish and make progress on Cancer Moonshot goals. 

Last Friday in Biden Bits, President Biden posted a tweet that shared an imagine from his meeting with Auschwitz survivor Bronia Brandman.

The video from that meeting is 4 minutes and 3 seconds long.

President Biden: Your doing what you’ve done, since you’ve gotten out of the camp, has been so consequential to so many people.

Bronia Brandman: I hope so.

President Biden: I guarantee it has.

Bronia Brandman: Having face to face with you, I am hoping that this will make a difference. I think we have to teach the children what racism and hatred can do.

The video cuts away from their Oval Office meeting to focus on her story:

Bronia Brandman: My name is Bronia Brandman, I went to Auschwitz at age twelve, I survived almost two years of the Holocaust.

Bronia Brandman con’t: We lived in a small town, almost walking distance to Auschwitz. By the time I was eleven, that was 1942. They ordered us to meet in the schoolyard. As we were standing there for hours we realized we were never going to return home.

Bronia Brandman con’t: We were told to leave everything behind, and then, the men were separated from the women, the children went with their mothers and that was fatal for both mothers and children.

Bronia Brandman con’t: They had us strip naked, and standing there for hours naked. Our hair was shaved by men and then they tattooed us, so I have a number on my arm. We were assigned to a barrack, that consisted mostly of three tiers of wooden planks, from end to end, with one blanket for ten people.

Bronia Brandman con’t: I was alone in Auschwitz, it was so that I forgot that I ever had parents. I forgot that I ever had siblings. They had destroyed all my past and there was no future.

Bronia Brandman con’t: In December of 1944, word came from Berlin to destroy the gas chambers, and we were made to march from Poland to Germany. And if you slowed down, you were shot.

Bronia Brandman con’t: We were liberated in May of 1945. I found myself alone in the world. Where was I going to go? I was 14 by then. At that point I assumed that nobody survived.

Bronia Brandman con’t: Why don’t we teach the children the horrors of hate? Can we use our free will to build a United States that we were always proud of? Change is slow, but it gets better in time. That’s my message to the world. Do something. Go and make this planet a better planet. You have the free will. It’s up to you.

While I normally, allow you the reader to decide what clip you watch, song you listen too, or what fact-sheet–EO–whatever you read. I do highly recommend you spend 4 minutes to watch and listen to Bronia Brandman share her story as a child of Auschwitz.

For Thursday, February 3rd, 2022, President Biden and Vice President Harris attended the National Pray Breakfast. After breakfast President Biden with Attorney General Merrick Garland to Manhattan, New York, where they will meet with Mayor Eric Adams Governor Kathy Hochul for a Gun Violence Strategies Partnership meeting. Late afternoon they will visit a New York public school to discuss community violence intervention programs with local leaders.

The White House early Thursday morning added remarks from President Biden on the Successful counterterrorism operation that took place in northwest Syria late Wednesday night…

On Tuesday Press Secretary Jen Psaki previewed the upcoming visit to New York during the daily press briefing.

Also, one other update for all of you at the top.  As you know, the President is headed to New York City on Thursday, and I wanted to give you a quick preview of his trip. 
He will be joined on the trip by Attorney General Garland to talk about the steps the administration has taken so far to reduce cri- — gun crime, and how we can be a strong partner for New York City and other cities grappling with increased gun violence over the past two years.
The President and the Attorney General will join with law enforcement officials alongside elected leaders, including Mayor Adams, Governor Hochul, at the New York Police Department headquarters to discuss the work that federal, state, and local law enforcement officials are doing to quickly take guns and repeat shooters off of our streets.
Afterward, President Biden, Attorney General Garland, Mayor Adams, Governor Hochul, and other elected leaders will visit with community violence intervention leader — leaders in Queens to talk about the community-led work to interrupt gun violence. 
The President outlined a comprehensive plan last year to tackle gun crime that includes giving cities historic funding through the American Rescue Plan to put more cops on the beat and support community violence intervention programs, as well as initiatives like afterschool programming, creating economic opportunities, and reducing recidivism to address the root causes of gun crime.
The President’s budget also doubles federal support for community policing, with $300 million more for cities plus another $200 million for community violence interventions — a total of a half a billion dollars for these strategies that are proven to reduce gun crime.  And he’s going to continue to urge Congress to act on that.
Finally, the Department of Justice continues to step up their efforts to combat violent crime and gun trafficking, including through five strike forces launched last year in New York City and other regions. 
As the Department of Justice reported just last week, those efforts have resulted in thousands of guns and violent criminals being taken off the streets over the past year.  But they will, of course, have more to say on Thursday.

White House. 02/01/2022.

Thursday the White House released; More Actions to Reduce Gun Crime and Calls on Congress to Fund Community Policing and Community Violence Intervention:

Today, the Biden Administration is announcing additional actions to reduce gun crime and make communities safer. This plan builds on the steps the President has taken since the beginning of his Administration to stop the flow of guns being used in crimes, bolster federal, state, and local law enforcement, invest in community-based programs that prevent, interrupt, and reduce violence, expand opportunity, lower recidivism, and increase funding for community policing.

The President is committed to serving as a strong partner for communities on the frontlines of the fight against crime. That’s why his American Rescue Plan gives cities and states historic levels of funding that they can use to put more cops on the beat, and invest in community-based violence prevention and intervention programs.

President Biden also recognizes the important role that federal law enforcement plays in supporting their local partners – especially in stopping the interstate flow of guns used in crimes, like the gun that was used in the tragic recent fatal shooting of two NYPD officers. The Department of Justice has launched five gun trafficking strike forces, including one in New York City, and it has implemented a nationwide strategy to combat violent crime, which has focused over the past year in taking violent criminals and thousands of crime guns off the streets.

Stronger law enforcement is critical in stopping gun crime, but it’s made more effective when we make real investments in making our communities stronger and in addressing the causes of crime before it spills over into violence. That’s why President Biden’s comprehensive approach makes sure cities and states have the funding, training, and know-how they need to invest in proven tactics including community policing, street outreach by credible messengers, hospital-based intervention, and youth programming. And it’s bolstered by additional funding to create economic opportunity with job training, expand after-school activities, and provide stable housing and other stabilizing supports necessary to reduce recidivism and help formerly incarcerated individuals reenter their communities. That’s also why the President continues to urge Congress to act on his $300 million budget request to more than double the size of the Department of Justice’s COPS community policing grant program.

Taken together, this strategy steps up and focuses law enforcement efforts on violent offenders, stems the trafficking of illegal guns, and makes real investments in communities to intervene in and prevent gun violence. The President knows a complex and devastating challenge like the surge of gun crime we’ve seen over the last two years requires an ambitious, evidence-based response that uses every tool at our disposal, and that’s exactly what his plan does.

The President’s Comprehensive Strategy to Reduce Gun Crime

Last June, President Biden announced a five-part, comprehensive strategy to tackle the persistent spike in gun crime cities across the country have experienced since the start of the pandemic. The President’s strategy:

White House.gov. 02/03/2022.
  • Stems the flow of firearms used to commit violence,
  • Supports local law enforcement with federal tools and resources to address violent crime,
  • Invests in evidence-based community violence interventions,
  • Expands summer programming, employment opportunities, and other services and supports for teenagers and young adults, and
  • Helps formerly incarcerated individuals successfully reenter their communities.

New Actions to Implement the President’s Comprehensive Strategy

Surging Efforts to Enforce Our Gun Laws and Keep Guns out of Dangerous Hands

Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a set of important new actions to stem the flow of firearms used to commit violence and support local law enforcement partners in efforts to combat gun crime. The Justice Department will:

White House.gov. 02/03/2022.
  • Prioritize combating violent crime by directing every U.S. Attorney’s Office nationwide to increase resources dedicated to district-specific violent crime strategies. The Justice Department will work with state and local law enforcement to address the most significant drivers of violence in each district, including to get repeat gun violence offenders off of our streets.  New York City’s Gun Violence Strategic Partnership – which the President and Attorney General will visit today with Mayor Eric Adams – is one model of the strategies Justice will help expand nationwide.
  • Crack down on the “Iron Pipeline” – the illegal flow of guns sold in the south, transported up the East Coast, and found at crime scenes in cities from Baltimore to New York City – and other firearms trafficking by adding personnel and other resources to strengthen the Justice Department’s multijurisdictional task forces that target interstate firearms trafficking.
  • Launch a National Ghost Gun Enforcement Initiative, which will train a national cadre of prosecutors and disseminate investigation and prosecution tools to help bring cases against those who use ghost guns to commit crimes.   
  • Pursue unlawful gun sellers that put firearms in the wrong hands by taking steps such as prioritizing federal prosecutions of those who criminally sell or transfer firearms that are used in violent crimes, including unlicensed dealers who sell guns to criminals without the required background checks. 

Read more about the Justice Department’s new actions here.

Providing States and Cities with the Resources They Need to Reduce Gun Crime

Today, the President is reaffirming his call for Congress to reach a bipartisan agreement on FY22 appropriations that include half a billion dollars in new funding for proven strategies we know will reduce gun crime: a $300 million increase to expand accountable community policing through the COPS Hiring Program and $200 million for evidence-based community violence interventions. Facing a spike in gun crime that has persisted since the start of the pandemic, cities across the country cannot wait any longer for Congress to provide the resources the President requested as part of his FY22 Budget to save lives.

Building on Progress: One Year of Action to Reduce Gun Violence

Below are a few highlights of the Administration’s work to implement the President’s comprehensive gun crime reduction strategy over the past seven months. You can read a full wrap-up of the Administration’s first year of gun violence prevention work here.

White House.gov. 02/03/2022.

1. Stemming the flow of firearms used to commit violence. In June 2021, the Justice Department announced a new policy to underscore zero tolerance for certain willful violations of the law by federally licensed firearms dealers that put public safety at risk. In July, the Justice Department launched five new law enforcement strike forces focused on addressing significant firearms trafficking corridors that have diverted guns to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and Washington, D.C. Those strike forces have already opened more than 540 investigations and taken custody of almost 3,100 crime guns. Last year, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued a proposed rule to help curb the proliferation of “ghost guns,” which are unserialized, privately made firearms that are increasingly being recovered at crime scenes and have been identified by law enforcement officials as a serious threat to public safety.  ATF is analyzing public comments in response to the proposed rule, the next step in the regulatory process.

2. Supporting local law enforcement with federal tools and resources to address violent crime. The Biden Administration made historic levels of funding from the American Rescue Plan – $350 billion in state and local funding – available for law enforcement purposes such as hiring more officers, investing in retention strategies, and paying overtime to advancing community policing strategies in communities experiencing an increase in gun violence associated with the pandemic. Funds were also made available for prosecuting gun traffickers, rogue dealers, and other parties contributing to the supply of crime guns, as well as collaborative federal/state/local efforts to identify and address gun trafficking channels. Cities across the country, such as Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Syracuse, New York; and Mobile, Alabama, have responded to this call by committing and deploying ARP funds to community-oriented policing and other law enforcement strategies. In addition, as part of the Justice Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime, the Justice Department has supported law enforcement in local communities in addressing gun violence. In particular, the Justice Department has provided enforcement support from the ATF, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and United States Marshals Service (USMS). 

3. Investing in evidence-based community violence interventions. As part of his Build Back Better agenda, President Biden proposed $5 billion in funding for the Department of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to invest in community violence interventions – evidence-based programs that are shown to help reduce violent crime. While working to secure this funding, the Biden Administration is using existing resources to expand community violence interventions. For example, the Biden Administration made certain American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding – $350 billion in state and local funding, and $122 billion in K-12 funding – available as unprecedented resources for CVI. Senior White House advisors also issued a memo to state and local officials outlining how these elected leaders not only can – but should – use ARP funds for CVI. Cities across the country, such as Seattle, Washington; Buffalo, New York; and Atlanta, Georgia – have responded to this call by committing and deploying ARP funds for CVI. In addition, five federal agencies made changes to 26 different programs to direct vital support to community violence intervention programs as quickly as possible. In July, senior White House staff established The White House Community Violence Intervention Collaborative, a 16-jurisdiction cohort of mayors, law enforcement, CVI experts, and philanthropic leaders committed to using American Rescue Plan funding or other public funding to increase investment in their community violence intervention infrastructure. The Collaborative is spending 18 months strengthening and scaling the jurisdictions’ community violence intervention infrastructure to reduce gun crime and promote public safety. National experts and federal agencies are providing training and technical assistance to help communities assess their existing public safety ecosystem, identify gaps, and build the capacity to expand programming that saves lives. 

4. Expanding summer programming, employment opportunities, and other services and supports for teenagers and young adults. The Biden Administration has made historic levels of funding from the American Rescue Plan  – $350 billion in state and local funding and $122 billion in school funding  – available for purposes such as hiring nurses, counselors, and social workers; providing court personnel and operations costs to return to pre-pandemic operation levels; providing and expanding employment services, including summer jobs for young people and programs that provide training and work experience for formerly incarcerated persons and other individuals who live in communities most impacted by high levels of violence; providing and expanding summer education and enrichment programs, including summer camp; and scaling up wraparound services, such as housing, medical and mental health care, trauma-informed care, substance use disorder treatment, food assistance, and job placement services, for victims of crime, young people, formerly incarcerated persons, and individuals and households facing economic insecurity due to the pandemic. Cities and counties across the country, including St. Louis, Missouri; Tucson, Arizona; and Los Angeles County, California, have responded to this call by committing and deploying ARP funds for these purposes.

5. Helping formerly incarcerated individuals successfully reenter their communities. On June 21 the Department of Labor awarded $85.5 million to help formerly incarcerated adults and young people in 28 communities transition out of the criminal justice system and connect with quality jobs. This included $60 million for Pathway Home projects serving adults, including beginning while participants are still incarcerated and continuing post-release, as well as $25.5 million in Young Adult Reentry Partnership grants to organizations serving young adults 18-24 who were previously involved with the justice system or who left high school before graduation. The President’s FY22 budget proposal calls for an increase in these grants, to $150 million, for reentry employment opportunities. The Treasury and Labor Departments has provided training and technical assistance to employers to help leverage multiple federal resources, including the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and the federal bonding program to encourage employment of formerly incarcerated persons. In FY21, the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provided more than $110 million in grant awards to support adults and youth returning to their communities after confinement. The President’s FY22 budget proposal calls for a $25 million increase for Second Chance Act programs, to further invest in diversion and substance abuse treatment programs, enhance reentry and rehabilitation efforts, and connect people with mental health services.

In addition, the President’s House-passed Build Back Better Act includes $1.5 billion for grants to help formerly incarcerated individuals secure good jobs and successfully reenter their communities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will create hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs that formerly incarcerated individuals will be able to access. Lastly, in his Executive Order on Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility President Biden directed the Office of Personnel Management to evaluate barriers to federal employment for formerly incarcerated persons and actions to reduce these barriers, including educating and partnering with agencies to leverage hiring authorities to bring formerly incarcerated individuals into federal government.

White House.gov. 02/03/2022.

President Biden has tweeted 5 times and retweeted 1 time so far Thursday…

His full statement:

Last night at my direction, U.S. military forces in the northwest Syria successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation to protect the American people and our Allies, and make the world a safer place. Thanks to the skill and bravery of our Armed Forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi—the leader of ISIS. All Americans have returned safely from the operation. I will deliver remarks to the American people later this morning. May God protect our troops.

White House.gov. 02/03/2022.

His remarks began at 10:20-ish D.C., time.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby released a statement:

U.S. Special Operations forces under the control of U.S. Central Command conducted a counterterrorism mission this evening in northwest Syria.  The mission was successful.  There were no U.S. casualties. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Defense.gov. 02/03/2022.

The re-tweet:

NPR reported early Thursday:

The Syria Civil Defence, the rescue organization known as the White Helmets, tells NPR that 13 civilians died in bombings and clashes, including six children. The group said it received initial word of an airborne raid shortly after midnight, and clashes and bombings continued after the initial air raid. They lasted until 3:07 AM, “when helicopters exited the scene.”

The attack targeted a two-story building in the town of Atmeh near the Turkey-Syria border.

The Associated Press *reports this was the largest strike in Idlib since the 2019 strike that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, which also killed civilians. Residents in Atmeh told the AP they witnessed a large ground assault and that American forces used loudspeakers warning women and children to flee.

The Pentagon said it would provide more information when it was available

NPR. 02/03/2022.

*The link to “Associated Press” takes you a log-in screen not a news article*

His added 3 tweets:

His remarks were short, he took no questions.

I can confirm two things from his remarks; he said that ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi died by suicide. He also didn’t say he “died like a dog.”

Authors note: The YouTube video I shared, may be pulled and replaced once they edit out the dead air from before his remarks and shortly after.

The daily press briefing will be held aboard Air Force One…

The pool spray for the New York gun violence meeting is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., D.C., time. I doubt that starts on time.

This is an Open Thread.

About the opinions in this article…

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About Tiff 2520 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.