Biden Bits: Undaunted By Any Challenge…

Biden Tweets Christmas Logo. Image by Lenny Ghoul.


President Biden’s Public Schedule for Friday, December 2nd 2022:

9:00 AM The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Closed Press
9:30 AM In-Town Pool Call Time
In-Town Pool
10:00 AM In-Town Pool Call Time
In-Town Pool
10:15 AM The President delivers remarks and signs H.J.Res.100, providing a resolution to avert a nationwide rail shutdown
Roosevelt Room In-Town Pool
11:25 AM Out-of-Town Pool Call Time
Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool
12:25 PM The President departs the White House en route Joint Base Andrews
North Grounds In-Town Travel Pool
12:55 PM The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route Boston, Massachusetts
Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool
2:15 PM The President arrives in Boston, Massachusetts
Open Press
2:50 PM The President greets His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
Out-of-Town Pool
4:10 PM The President participates in an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers phone bank
5:45 PM The President participates in a reception for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Restricted Out-of-Town Pool
6:55 PM The President departs Boston, Massachusetts en route Joint Base Andrews
Open Press

President Biden’s remarks and law signing were added to his public schedule. Because of this I was unable to post the post quickly enough. We are catching the replay…


The audio only press gaggle is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. D.C., time.


President Biden has tweeted…

Right now; President Biden has only 1 tweet. I assume this will change before post time.

Full statement from Prime Minister Modi of India:

Today, India commences its G20 Presidency.

The previous 17 Presidencies of the G20 delivered significant results – for ensuring macro-economic stability, rationalising international taxation, relieving debt-burden on countries, among many other outcomes. We will benefit from these achievements, and build further upon them.

However, as India assumes this important mantle, I ask myself – can the G20 go further still? Can we catalyse a fundamental mindset shift, to benefit humanity as a whole?

I believe we can.

Our mindsets are shaped by our circumstances. Through all of history, humanity lived in scarcity. We fought for limited resources, because our survival depended on denying them to others. Confrontation and competition – between ideas, ideologies and identities – became the norm.

Unfortunately, we remain trapped in the same zero-sum mindset even today. We see it when countries fight over territory or resources. We see it when supplies of essential goods are weaponised. We see it when vaccines are hoarded by a few, even as billions remain vulnerable.

Some may argue that confrontation and greed are just human nature. I disagree. If humans were inherently selfish, what would explain the lasting appeal of so many spiritual traditions that advocate the fundamental one-ness of us all?

One such tradition, popular in India, sees all living beings, and even inanimate things, as composed of the same five basic elements – the panch tatva of earth, water, fire, air and space. Harmony among these elements – within us and between us – is essential for our physical, social and environmental well-being.

India’s G20 Presidency will work to promote this universal sense of one-ness. Hence our theme – ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’.

This is not just a slogan. It takes into account recent changes in human circumstances, which we have collectively failed to appreciate.

Today, we have the means to produce enough to meet the basic needs of all people in the world.

Today, we do not need to fight for our survival – our era need not be one of war. Indeed, it must not be one!

Today, the greatest challenges we face – climate change, terrorism, and pandemics – can be solved not by fighting each other, but only by acting together.

Fortunately, today’s technology also gives us the means to address problems on a humanity-wide scale. The massive virtual worlds that we inhabit today demonstrate the scalability of digital technologies.

Housing one-sixth of humanity, and with its immense diversity of languages, religions, customs and beliefs, India is a microcosm of the world.

With the oldest-known traditions of collective decision-making, India contributes to the foundational DNA of democracy. As the mother of democracy, India’s national consensus is forged not by diktat, but by blending millions of free voices into one harmonious melody.

Today, India is the fastest growing large economy. Our citizen-centric governance model takes care of even our most marginalised citizens, while nurturing the creative genius of our talented youth.

We have tried to make national development not an exercise in top-down governance, but rather a citizen-led ‘people’s movement’.

We have leveraged technology to create digital public goods that are open, inclusive and inter-operable. These have delivered revolutionary progress in fields as varied as social protection, financial inclusion, and electronic payments.

For all these reasons, India’s experiences can provide insights for possible global solutions.

During our G20 Presidency, we shall present India’s experiences, learnings and models as possible templates for others, particularly the developing world.

Our G20 priorities will be shaped in consultation with not just our G20 partners, but also our fellow-travellers in the global South, whose voice often goes unheard.

Our priorities will focus on healing our ‘One Earth’, creating harmony within our ‘One Family’ and giving hope for our ‘One Future’.

For healing our planet, we will encourage sustainable and environment-friendly lifestyles, based on India’s tradition of trusteeship towards nature.

For promoting harmony within the human family, we will seek to depoliticise the global supply of food, fertilizers and medical products, so that geo-political tensions do not lead to humanitarian crises. As in our own families, those whose needs are the greatest must always be our first concern.

For imbuing hope in our future generations, we will encourage an honest conversation among the most powerful countries – on mitigating risks posed by weapons of mass destruction and enhancing global security.

India’s G20 agenda will be inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, and decisive.

Let us join together to make India’s G20 Presidency a Presidency of healing, harmony and hope.

Let us work together to shape a new paradigm – of human-centric globalisation.

Naendra Modi.in. 11/30/2022.

The statement includes pictures in between text; I omitted the images.


I was right he added 4 tweets.

Give the untimely loss of my internet service I’ve decided to include a tweet from yesterday in with 2 of today’s added tweets as they are connected.

Thursday:

Friday Tweets:

His full statement posted on Thursday:

On Tuesday, I met with Congressional leaders from both parties and told them that Congress needed to move quickly to avert a rail shutdown and economic catastrophe for our nation. Now, I want to thank Congressional leadership who supported the bill and the overwhelming majority of Senators and Representatives in both parties who voted to avert a rail shutdown. Congress’ decisive action ensures that we will avoid the impending, devastating economic consequences for workers, families, and communities across the country. Communities will maintain access to clean drinking water. Farmers and ranchers will continue to be able to bring food to market and feed their livestock. And hundreds of thousands of Americans in a number of industries will keep their jobs. I will sign the bill into law as soon as Congress sends it to my desk.

Working together, we have spared this country a Christmas catastrophe in our grocery stores, in our workplaces, and in our communities.

I know that many in Congress shared my reluctance to override the union ratification procedures. But in this case, the consequences of a shutdown were just too great for working families all across the country. And, the agreement will raise workers’ wages by 24%, increase health care benefits, and preserve two person crews.

I have long been a supporter of paid sick leave for workers in all industries – not just the rail industry – and my fight for that critical benefit continues.

This week’s bipartisan action pulls our economy back from the brink of a devastating shutdown that would have hurt millions of families and union workers in countless industries. Our economy is growing and inflation is moderating, and this rail agreement will continue our progress to build an economy from the bottom up and middle out.

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

I posted the YouTube of his added remarks above the tweets…


The above comes in response to comments made by Kayne West now known as Ye Suck Monkey Balls while appearing on Infowars with Alex Jones.

Now, I’m super late cause of the internet national crisis of December 2022…

I’m also torn. I do not want to share the clips, cause they are absolutely Antisemitic and hate like that should die in the dark after it’s killed with fire. But at the same time I do believe this kind of hate and Antisemitic behavior should be shown.

So here is two but no more than three clips:

Warning: He’s a fucking petty little racist man.

There were more posted in the comment section, I think Biden Bits for Thursday…


He finally tweeted about the Jobs Report…

From the report:

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 263,000 in November, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, health care, and government. Employment declined in retail trade and in transportation and warehousing.

The revisions:

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for September was revised down by 46,000, from +315,000 to +269,000, and the change for October was revised up by 23,000, from +261,000 to +284,000. With these revisions, employment gains in September and October combined were 23,000 lower than previously reported. (Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.) 

When the post was posted for Thursday, President Biden had tweeted 4 times. He added 11 tweets giving him a Thursday Tweeting Total of 15 tweets and 0 retweets.

The State Visit Tweets:

The YouTube is 41 minutes and 57 seconds long. Their full remarks can be found here.


He tagged President Macron in the tweet. Tagged tweets still don’t show up in word press. The text in the tweet comes from remarks he gave at the welcome ceremony. The YouTube is 34 minutes and 40 seconds long. Their full remarks can be found here.

President Biden: The wellspring of our strength is a shared commitment to liberty and justice for all — liberté, egalité, fraternité.

The 36 second video is snips taken from the Oval Office pool spray prior to their bilateral meeting. The YouTube is 4 minutes and 56 seconds long.

President Biden:

Well, it’s great to have my good friend back here.  Welcome back to the White House.  This is his second visit. 

And we’ve always — it’s interesting — as we said today in our short remarks, France and the United States have always stood together.  And I can say that President Macron and I have stood together since we’ve worked together in the G7 meetings, the G20.  And we — France is an incredibly, incredibly valued ally.

And I know it sounds like hyperbole, but from — from the Revolutionary War to the world wars to today, we’re — we’ve been locked at the hip in what we’ve been doing. 

And our efforts are continuing at NATO, the G7, the G20.  And there’s a lot — a lot going on. 

As I constantly am probably boring you all with, we are at a real inflection point.  Things are changing rapidly — really rapidly. 

And it’s really important that we stay in close communication.  It doesn’t mean that every single, solitary thing we agree on.  But it does mean that we agree on almost everything.

And we’re working together to strengthen the security and prosperity across the Atlantic and in each of our countries, but also Europe as a whole.

Emmanuel is not just the leader of France, he’s one of the leaders of Europe.  He’s been very outspoken, and he has been very, very commanding in Europe. 

And this morning, we’re going to discuss our cooperation on all the issues, from high-tech commerce to defense to cyber to space to a whole range of issues that are on both of our agendas.

Mr. President, I look forward to our conversation today.  I know you’ve had some good conversations already with some of our senior administration officials.  And I look forward to today.

The floor is yours, sir.

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

President Macron:

Thank you.  Thank you, Mr. President, dear Joe.

Let me first say that I’m extremely happy and honored to be here for the first state visit of your administration.  And this is, for me, the best evidence of this, indeed, very long-term friendship and partnership.  And this is exactly the basis of — of our relation.

We will discuss about a lot of topics, but, obviously, we — we are together in challenging times globally and with the war in Ukraine launched by Russia.  And so, obviously, it will be the first topic of discussion for both of us.

And since the very beginning of this war, we worked very hard together in order to help Ukraine to resist and to be resilient, and we will reinforce this — this action. 

But what we want to do as well — and I want really to pay tribute to a lot of statements you made — we want to build peace.  And sustainable peace means full respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine but, at the same time, a new architecture to be sure that we have a sustainable peace on the long run.  And we are very much committed on — on the — on this issue.

We will discuss about, as well, energy, economy, space, nuclear.  And I spoke about this: We’re in synchronization.  And I think this is extremely important, precisely, to have close coordination between us on these different issues.  Because we want to fix the direct and indirect consequences of the war on our economies and our people. 

But at the same time, we want to prepare for future generations a carbon-neutral economy, creating a lot of jobs, which means investing a lot in our economies.  And we have to synchronize our action on this issue.  And it will be an important topic of discussion.

Beyond that, we will discuss climate change and biodiversity and the common actions in the — in this field, health, and a lot of global topics where our alliance is so critical.

But let me, once again, thank you — thank you and your wife for the wonderful dinner we had yesterday, for the friendship, and, really, for the quality of the discussion we have together and the common action and the common decisions we take in this so difficult times. 

Because I think when we look at our common history, this friendship always prevailed — with quite good results, by the way. 

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

From the welcoming ceremony remarks:

President Biden: The temperature may be a little chilly on this December night — day, but our hearts are warm and to welcome such close friends to the White House. 

I got nothing to add here.

It’s a 7 second gif, with no sounds or text.

The tweet text comes from his welcoming ceremony remarks:

President Biden: Stalwart friends in times of triumph and of trial, France and the United States will meet the future, just as we always have: confident in our shared capacity, sustained by the strength of our shared values, and undaunted by any challenge that lies ahead. 

The White House posted the following joint-statement:

Today, the President of the United States and the President of the French Republic met in Washington during the first State Visit of the Biden-Harris Administration. This special occasion reaffirms a relationship founded on more than two centuries of friendship, economic partnership, defense and security cooperation, and shared commitment to democratic principles, values, and institutions. France is the United States’ oldest ally, and while our relationship is rooted in history, it is oriented squarely toward the future. Building on their joint statement of October 29, 2021, the leaders outlined a shared vision to strengthen security and increase prosperity worldwide, combat climate change, build greater resilience to its effects, and advance democratic values. This vision is built on a shared conviction that the United States and its European allies and partners can better face our greatest challenges and capitalize on our most promising opportunities together. This includes addressing global issues such as climate change and energy transition, investing in technologies and building resilient value chains in strategic sectors such as health, semiconductors, and critical minerals, as well as strengthening our security and defense cooperation. 

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Transatlantic, European and Global Security 

The Presidents resolve to continue working tirelessly for a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace. This entails maintaining our nations’ collective defense and security, including through NATO; pursuing a more robust, integrated, and coherent approach to building national and collective resilience against military and non-military threats to our security; and promoting international stability in response to the full range of current threats. The Presidents recognize the importance of a stronger and more capable European defense that contributes positively to transatlantic and global security and is complementary to and interoperable with NATO.  European-led missions and operations, such as in Bosnia and the training mission for Ukraine, are positively contributing to transatlantic security.

The Presidents commend the U.S.-France defense relationship and welcome the Statement of Intent signed on November 30, 2022, by the U.S. Secretary of Defense and French Minister of Armed Forces, which allows for increased interoperability and enhanced cooperation in the areas of space, cyberspace, intelligence, and countering malign influence. The Presidents intend to expand defense cooperation on advanced capabilities and key technologies that will be critical to deterrence and defense in the future. 

They welcome progress made by the U.S.-France Defense Trade Strategic Dialogue in fostering shared views on defense market access and export issues. The United States and France intend to continue our cooperation to enhance the efficiency of the defense export authorization process, with a view to developing stronger and interoperable defense industrial bases in Europe and in the United States as a means to deliver better military capabilities for the benefit of the Alliance. 

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Ukraine 

The Presidents strongly condemn Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and stress that intentionally targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure constitutes war crimes whose perpetrators must be held accountable. They also condemn and reject Russia’s illegal attempted annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory, in clear violation of international law. The United States and France deplore Russia’s deliberate escalatory steps, notably its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and its disinformation regarding alleged chemical attacks, and biological and nuclear weapons programs. They reaffirm their nations’ continued support for Ukraine’s defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, including the provision of political, security, humanitarian, and economic assistance to Ukraine for as long as it takes.  This includes the provision of significant resources to support Ukrainian civilian resilience through the winter, including stepping up the delivery of air defense systems and equipment needed to repair Ukraine’s energy grid. The United States and France plan to continue working with partners and allies to coordinate assistance efforts, including at the international conference taking place in Paris on December 13, 2022. They also intend to continue providing robust direct budget support for Ukraine, and to urge the international financial institutions to scale up their financial support.

The United States and France reiterate their duty to uphold applicable international obligations and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter. They also reiterate their steadfast resolve to hold Russia to account for widely documented atrocities and war crimes, committed both by its regular armed forces and by its proxies, including mercenary entities such as Vagner and others, through support for international accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, the Ukrainian prosecutor general, UN Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry, and the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, sanctions, and other means. 

The United States and France remain committed to addressing the wider effects of Russia’s war, including working with the international community to build greater resilience to food and energy disruptions.  

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Indo-Pacific 

The United States and France, two nations of the Indo-Pacific, are strengthening their partnership in the Indo-Pacific region to advance prosperity, security, and shared values based on a rules-based international order, transparent governance, fair economic practices, and respect for international law, including freedom of navigation. The United States and France intend to expand their regional diplomatic, development, and economic engagement with a view to building resilience in the Pacific Islands. They also intend to increase practical coordination in the region on maritime security. The United States intends to increase its support and material contributions to air and maritime deployments conducted by France and other European nations in the region. 

The United States and France will continue to coordinate on our concerns regarding China’s challenge to the rules-based international order, including respect for human rights, and to work together with China on important global issues like climate change. The Presidents reaffirm the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Both leaders also strongly condemn the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) unprecedented number of unlawful ballistic missile tests this year that violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions and pose a threat to regional peace and stability, and are committed to continue coordination at the UN Security Council to address DPRK violations.

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Africa 

The Presidents renew their resolve to work with African partners to pursue shared governance, security, and economic priorities on the continent. They affirm the importance of African voices in multilateral fora, especially in addressing global crises like climate change, pandemic response and recovery, sustainable energy access, and food insecurity. They aim to support democratic institutions and civil societies in Africa to enhance accountability and the delivery of basic services. 

They reaffirm their joint support for the African-led Great Green Wall initiative to address the climate and biodiversity crisis, contributing to sustainable development, peace, and security in the Sahara and Sahel regions. Fighting disinformation and terrorism remain joint priorities of France and the United States on the continent. France and the United States intend to continue to work closely with the African Union and African regional organizations to address the continent’s challenges and seize opportunities to increase trade and investment.

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Middle East

France and the United States are determined to work closely in support of peace and prosperity in the Middle East. The Presidents welcome the launch of the Negev Forum and the second anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords, along with the historic breakthrough of the October 2022 Israel-Lebanon maritime boundary agreement. They are determined to sustain joint efforts to urge Lebanon’s leaders to elect a president and advance critical reforms. They remain committed to maintain the means and capabilities necessary for the counterterrorism mission in Iraq and Syria as members of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. France and the United States continue to work to improve the grave humanitarian situation faced by the Syrian people as well as to promote a long-lasting, just solution to the Syrian conflict. They will continue engaging with partners in the Middle-East and follow up on the August 2021 Baghdad Conference.
 
The Presidents also express their respect for the Iranian people, in particular women and youth, who are bravely protesting to gain the freedom to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms, which Iran itself has subscribed to and is violating.
 
They remain determined to ensure that Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon. France and the United States continue to work with other international partners to address Iran’s nuclear escalation, its insufficient cooperation with the IAEA, including on serious and outstanding issues relating to Iran’s legal obligations under its Non-Proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement, and its destabilizing activities in the Middle East, most urgently its transfers of missiles and drones, including to non-state actors. These transfers can threaten key Gulf partners and stability and security in the region, contravene international law, and now contribute to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. France and the United States will work with partners to enhance cooperation regarding enforcement of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and countering these activities. They will undertake joint efforts aimed at further strengthening the international framework constraining the proliferation of Iranian missile and unmanned aerial vehicle technologies in the region and beyond and in enhancing practical efforts to counter this proliferation.

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Nuclear Deterrence, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament

The United States and France reaffirm that nuclear deterrence remains essential for their national security and a core component of NATO’s overall capabilities for deterrence and defense. They reaffirm that the fundamental purpose of NATO’s nuclear capability is to preserve peace, prevent coercion, and deter aggression against the Alliance. They reaffirm the importance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and their opposition to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which does not reflect the increasingly challenging international security environment and is at odds with the existing non-proliferation and disarmament architecture. The United States and France also reaffirm support for their Mutual Defense Agreement and intend to expand their technical cooperation on a wide range of strategic risk reduction topics.

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Economy, Emerging Technologies, Trade, and Supply Chains

The bilateral investment and trade relationship between our nations is longstanding and deep, creating significant jobs and prosperity for both. The United States and France reaffirm their commitment to an open and rules-based multilateral trading system, with a modernized WTO at its core. In that spirit, they continue to promote bilateral trade and investments that support supply chain resilience and our high-tech and innovative industries, including aerospace, information technology, pharmaceuticals, and finance. With a view to further enhancing their bilateral trade and investment relationship, they intend to hold discussions on reciprocal facilitation of visa issuance and renewal, and authorizations of stay.

The United States and France are committed to developing diverse and robust supply chains for critical minerals, including through their collaboration in the Mineral Security Partnership and the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. They reaffirm their shared goal of accelerating the global green energy transition. They look forward to the work of the U.S.-EU Taskforce on the Inflation Reduction Act to further strengthen the U.S.-EU partnership on clean energy and climate through mutually beneficial ways.  

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Space

The Presidents are committed to strengthening the U.S.-France alliance across all sectors of space cooperation. They highlight their engagement in continuing the longstanding bilateral cooperation in Earth observation for monitoring and assessing climate change and adapting to its consequences. In that spirit, they plan to working jointly on future Earth science missions. They welcome France’s commitment not to conduct destructive, direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing and will work towards universal adherence to this pledge.  The United States and France are determined to deepen collaboration on defense space activities, including military planning, information sharing, and operational coordination. They welcome the June 2022 signings of the Artemis Accords by France and of the Space for Climate Observatory Charter by the United States, as well as the first meeting of the U.S.-France Comprehensive Dialogue on Space in Paris in November 2022.

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Energy

The Presidents welcome the successful first year of the U.S.-France Bilateral Clean Energy Partnership, which convened most recently in October 2022, as the high-level platform to advance our energy and climate cooperation. In reaffirming their joint determination to further synchronize and deepen cooperation on civil nuclear energy, the United States and France plan to set up a nuclear energy small group within the Partnership’s framework. The Partnership’s priorities also include deepening civilian nuclear cooperation and contributing to a reliable nuclear supply chain, in accordance with the highest standards of nuclear nonproliferation, including the application of IAEA Additional Protocol, and by further reducing reliance on civil nuclear and related goods from Russia. The Partnership will promote advanced nuclear power globally, which has a key role to play in order to reduce global CO2 emissions, while continuing efforts to limit the spread of sensitive enrichment and reprocessing technology.
 
The United States and France continue to promote energy policies, technology, and innovation that enhance renewable energy production and accelerated deployment. They intend to continue to support the diversification of Europe’s natural gas supply, including through U.S. liquified natural gas exports, as well as to cooperate in reducing overall demand for natural gas in alignment with climate objectives. The Presidents welcome the progress made through the U.S.-EU Task Force on Energy Security to diversify the EU’s natural gas supplies, reducing its cost and limiting its dependence on natural gas.

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Climate and Biodiversity 

The Presidents express their deep concern regarding the growing impact of climate change and nature loss and intend to continue to galvanize domestic and global action to address it. France and the United States plan to continue pursuing their efforts to support the phase out of coal as soon as possible, both domestically and in emerging economies. They plan to increase their support towards those countries that host the most critical reserves of irrecoverable carbon and important biodiversity. France and the United States will also work together to protect rainforests and to tackle deforestation and illegal forest clearances, including through the One Forest Summit that will be held early 2023 in Libreville. They will work together to ensure better ocean protection in view of the next UN Ocean Conference that will be held in France in 2025 and are fully mobilized at the highest level for the conclusion of the UN Treaty on the protection of the High Sea in 2023. 

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Strengthening the International Financial Architecture

France and the United States intend to work jointly to strengthen the international financial architecture to support the most vulnerable countries in a context of multiple shocks, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the repercussions of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the accelerating effects of climate change. The United States and France will also cooperate closely to reduce the financing gap in emerging and developing economies in order to foster sustainable pathways towards net zero. This includes working together to ensure that multilateral systems are delivering timely debt relief from all key creditors to countries in distress. 

As two major shareholders, France and the United States reaffirm their determination to drive an evolution of the multilateral development banks, starting with the World Bank, to better address global challenges and support private investment in emerging and developing markets. France and the United States reiterate their commitment to help meet the global ambition of $100 billion U.S. dollars in voluntary contributions as soon as possible for countries most in need, including through the channeling of special drawing rights. 

The Presidents affirm their willingness to cooperate to raise the level of ambition on these issues, including at the summit to be held in Paris in June 2023.  

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Global Health and Food Security

It is fitting that this State Visit coincides with World AIDS Day, given our nations’ leadership in turning the tide of the AIDS pandemic and as the most recent hosts of the replenishments for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic, France and the United States plan to intensify their cooperation on global health security and pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, including by supporting the newly established Pandemic Fund, bolstering national health systems, training health workers, and strengthening multilateral institutions including the World Health Organization.  The United States and France intend to continue working together to respond to regional and global food security challenges. They also intend to promote and safeguard an open and transparent agricultural market, to invest in resilient food systems, and to refrain from imposing any unnecessary trade obstacles.

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Democracy and Human Rights

The Presidents recognize that strengthening democratic values and respect for universal human rights is essential to meeting the unprecedented challenges of our time. They reinforce the commitments they each made at the first Summit for Democracy to support free and independent media, tackle the proliferation of surveillance technologies and disinformation, bolster democratic reformers, and advance technology for democracy. The United States and France intend to strengthen and expand the Freedom Online Coalition, advance the commitments made in the Christchurch Call to Action to counter the dissemination of terrorist and violent extremist content online to better protect human rights both on- and off-line, and plan to promote the principles outlined in the Declaration for the Future of the Internet.

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Cyber and Disinformation

The Presidents renew their determination to work alongside partners and stakeholders to advance cybersecurity and to uphold international law and established, non-binding global peacetime norms in cyberspace, including through the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace and through an ambitious United Nations Program of Action. The United States and France plan to hold their fifth U.S.-France Cyber Dialogue in early 2023. They also intend to strengthen bilateral coordination in combating foreign manipulation of information online. They reaffirm their support for independent media at the international level, including through the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) to be hosted in Paris. The United States and France underscore the importance of last month’s Counter Ransomware Initiative Summit where they and 35 other participants reaffirmed their cooperation to disrupt ransomware globally. Recognizing the growing use of commercial space capabilities to support critical functions and the increasing cybersecurity threats to those capabilities, France and the United States intend to work together to strengthen the cybersecurity of these space systems.

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

Education and Science Partnerships

The United States and France are committed to deepening their educational cooperation with the shared objective of fostering greater equity and access to excellence in education. Because the power of language and international mobility can lead to meaningful partnerships, they intend to undertake new initiatives to foster language learning, such as facilitating French and English language teaching assistant exchanges between their respective countries. They welcome and support the French for All initiative, which promotes greater and more equitable access to French language education and the benefits of bilingualism for young learners across the United States.
 
The United States and France aim for a robust network of educational partnerships and exchange programs to reach the next generation of transatlantic leaders who will shape Franco-American relations for decades to come. This includes strengthening the flagship U.S.-French Fulbright Program, which will celebrate the 75th anniversary in 2023. They also intend to develop new ways for young French and Americans to learn about each other’s culture and history, including through Villa Albertine’s residency program for French and Francophone creators across the United States as well as for American creators across France.  Likewise, they are creating the “250 for 250” program, which celebrates France’s role in the founding of the United States, and the enduring friendship between their two nations, by sending 250 French students to study or intern in the United States and 250 American students to study or intern in France. 
 
Through technical and scientific exchange, the United States and France intend to deepen their collaboration on shared priorities such as health, the environment, and emerging technologies, including biotechnology, quantum science, and artificial intelligence. 

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

C-Span did not have a lot of clips @Howard Mortman has more arrivals to the State Dinner.

President Biden and President Macron offered brief remarks at the State Dinner; I’m not locating a video of those full remarks just snips.

Their full remarks:

Please, have a seat.  Good evening, everyone.  Jill and I are honored.  We’re truly honored to welcome you all to the first State Dinner that the President and the First Lady of United States have been able to have because of COVID.  And we couldn’t have had a better guest than the President of France and the First Lady of France.

Tonight, we cel- — (applause) — tonight, we celebrate the enduring alliance between France and United States, a partnership that’s marked by so many firsts.  France was our first ally, the first country to fly the American flag after our revolution.  (Applause.)  And Franc [France] hosted the first diplomatic posts.  Before — more than anything else, France has been our first friend.

Ladies and gentlemen, I actually grew up in a place called New Castle, Delaware — County, and — near Brandywine Battlefield, where a young man named Marquis de Lafayette fought for the American cause and became close friends with a fellow named George Washington.

Later, Lafayette wrote of their friendship, he’d quote — and I quote, “It was a such simplicity that two friends were united by the greatest of causes.”

Today, we’re still united by the greatest causes: democracy, liberty, equality, opportunity, and freedom.  We stand together against oppression and injustice.  We stick up for one another in our — and democratic values to which Washington and Lafayette dedicated their lives.  And we still strive to build a world that’s worthy of our highest hopes and of our future, knowing that we can always, always count on one another as allies and friends.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me — (applause) — please join me in raising our glasses, which neither one of us have — (laughter) — there you go — to raising our glasses, to President Macron and his wife Brigitte, to France, ladies and gentlemen, to the history that binds us and the values that still unite us, and to the future we’re going to forge together.

Vive la France.  And God bless America.  (Applause.)

(President Biden offers a toast.) 

PRESIDENT MACRON:  To our friendship.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  It’s all yours, boss.

PRESIDENT MACRON:  Let’s applaud.  (Applause.) 

Mr. President, dear Joe; Madam First Lady, dear Jill; ladies and gentlemen; distinguished members: I — I do hope you had a great dinner.  (Laughter.) 

But let me tell — let me tell you that it’s a great honor that Brigitte and myself and our delegation were invited for this first state visit and to be with you tonight at the White House in this (inaudible) setting.  And it means a lot for us.  A lot.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  It means a lot to us. 

PRESIDENT MACRON:  You perfectly described the challenges we have in front of us.  And I will not repeat what — several times this morning, in the wonderful celebration you organized — what we told both of us. 

We come from the same values.  I (inaudible) during this (inaudible) to Judge Breyer this Constitution of the United States.  “We the people.”  “We the people.” 

And when Lafayette came here indeed to fight, he fought for these principles and to have people here living in democracy and freedom.  And this is the same — it’s the same thing in my country. 

And when these principles were at risk in my country, you came and did the same.  And in a lot of places today, these principles are at risk or challenged.  Even in our societies, in our democracies, a lot of people just want to jeopardize or revert on this principle, challenge and contest elections and so on. 

We stand together, shoulder to shoulder, precisely to be entitled to say, at the same time, “We the people” and “Liberté, égalité, fraternité.”  (Applause.)

This is why this evening we are not just honored and moved, but we feel the importance of this moment.  It means a lot for all of us, because this is our history, this is our shared life, because a lot of you have beloved on the other side of the oceans or share your life between our countries. 

But this is how to build our future and how to work together for climate, to fight against inequality, for inclusive societies, to unify our nations.  Shoulder to shoulder, we will do so and we will prevail.

So, I want to thank you.  And let me have a toast as well with you. 

Dear Joe, my dear friend — my dear friend, I’m immensely grateful for the honor once again of this unique opportunity.

Et laisse-moi dire, vive les États-Unis d’Amérique, vive la France, et vive l’amitié entre nos deux pays.

(President Macron offers a toast.)  (Applause.)

Cheers.  Thank you. 

White House.gov. 12/02/2022. (remarks took place on 12/01/2022).

The White House Press Secretary issued the following statement:

We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case on our student debt relief plan for middle and working class borrowers this February. This program is necessary to help over 40 million eligible Americans struggling under the burden of student loan debt recover from the pandemic and move forward with their lives. The program is also legal, supported by careful analysis from administration lawyers.  President Biden will keep fighting against efforts to rob middle class families of the relief they need and deserve. As we previously announced, student loan payments will remain paused while the Supreme Court resolves the case.

White House.gov. 12/01/2022.

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About Tiff 2508 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.

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