It’s Friday…
President Biden’s public schedule for 04/12/2024:
| 10:00 AM | In-Town Pool Call Time In-Town Pool |
| 12:00 PM Presidential Daily Brief | The President receives the President’s Daily Brief Oval Office Closed Press |
| 1:30 PM | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Stakeout Location Out-of-Town Pool |
| 2:45 PM Virtual Remarks | The President delivers virtual remarks at the National Action Network Convention South Court Auditorium Pre-Credentialed Media |
| 4:00 PM | Supplemental Pool Call Time |
| 5:15 PM Leaves the White House | The President departs the White House en route to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware South Lawn Open Press |
| 6:10 PM Arrives in Rehoboth Beach | The President arrives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware |
President Biden Delivers Virtual Remarks at the National Action Network Convention @2:45 p.m. D.C., time:
State Visit/Trilateral Meeting Tweets
From Thursday…
Mr. Prime Minister and Mrs. Kishida – on behalf of America – Jill and I thank you for your partnership, your leadership, and your friendship. pic.twitter.com/9C4FMC4N5l
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 11, 2024
Last night, as we celebrated the Alliance between Japan and the United States, we remembered the work that was done to find healing where there was hardship.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 11, 2024
We remembered the Japanese and American people who not only brought us together –
But brought us forward to this day. pic.twitter.com/hRv3B04TeY
From the White House…
04/10/2024:
Today, I met with President Marcos of the Philippines to discuss the unprecedented strength of our alliance and our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. pic.twitter.com/w2ow1WsIe2
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 11, 2024
From the White House…
04/11/2024:
The decisions we make today are going to determine the course of the future for decades to come.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 11, 2024
I know that Japan and the United States will stand together, committed to each other and committed to building a future worthy of the highest hopes of our people. pic.twitter.com/7aI50TJq2O
The video clip is 1 minute and 9 seconds long.
Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan at Arrival Ceremony; the YouTube is 33 minutes and 30 seconds long.
Mr. Prime Minister, Mrs. Kishida, welcome. Welcome, welcome, welcome. On behalf of Jill and me, the Vice President and the Second Gentleman, and all the American people, welcome to the White House.
[snip]
Let me end with this. It’s spring in Washington. The sun is shining. And every spring, cherry blossoms bloom across the city thanks to a gift from Japan of 3,000 cherry trees over a century ago. People travel all over our country and the world to see these magni- — these magnificent blossoms.
Last night, the Prime Minister and Mrs. Kishida, Jill and I, took a stroll down the driveway across the lawn here at the White House to visit three cherry blossom trees. One that Jill and Mrs. Kishida planted together a year ago. The other two are among the 250 new trees that Japan has given the United States to honor our 250th birthday two years from now. They’ll be planted at the Tidal Basin, not far from the Martin Luther King Memorial. And like our friendship, these trees are timeless, inspiring, and thriving.
[snip]
The alliance between Japan and the United States is a cornerstone of peace, security, prosperity in the — in the Indo-Pacific and around the world. Ours is truly a global partnership. For that, Mr. Prime Minister Kishida, I thank you.
[snip]
Today, our economic relationship is one of the strongest and deepest in the world. Our democracies are beacons of freedom, shining across the globe. And the ties of friendship, family connect the Japanese and American people as a source of joy, meaning — and meaning for millions — millions of our people.
Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan at Arrival Ceremony. 04/10/2024.
It was an honor to host President Marcos and Prime Minister Kishida this afternoon for the first-ever U.S.-Philippines-Japan leaders’ summit.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 12, 2024
We are taking our cooperation to new heights to ensure a free, open, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. pic.twitter.com/vGjVBXqYDS
From the White House…
04/11/2024:
PPI Tweet
From Thursday…
Today we learned that inflation for companies making things in America was 2.1% over the last year, down 80% from its peak.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 11, 2024
Profits are also up and higher than before the pandemic.
It’s time big corporations passed those earnings onto consumers in the form of lower prices.
BLS.gov said:
The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.2 percent in March, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices moved up 0.6 percent in February and 0.4 percent in January. (See table A.) On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand increased 2.1 percent for the 12 months ended in March, the largest advance since rising 2.3 percent for the 12 months ended April 2023.
The March increase in the index for final demand is attributable to a 0.3-percent rise in prices for final demand services. In contrast, the index for final demand goods edged down 0.1 percent.
The index for final demand less foods, energy, and trade services moved up 0.2 percent in March after rising 0.3 percent in February. For the 12 months ended in March, prices for final demand less foods, energy, and trade services increased 2.8 percent.
BLS.gov. 04/11/2024.
CNBC News said:
The producer price index rose 0.2% for the month, less than the 0.3% estimate from the Dow Jones consensus and not as much as the 0.6% increase in February, according to a release Thursday from the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
However, on a 12-month basis, the PPI climbed 2.1%, the biggest gain since April 2023, indicating pipeline pressures that could keep inflation elevated.
Excluding food and energy, the core PPI also rose 0.2%, meeting expectations. Excluding trade services from the core level, the increase was 0.2% monthly but 2.8% from a year ago.
[snip]
The economic data points are being watched closely as the Federal Reserve contemplates its next moves on monetary policy.
Wednesday’s CPI release jolted markets, which had been anticipating an aggressive series of interest rate cuts this year. The report showed annual inflation running at 3.5%, well above the Fed’s 2% target.
The market now is pricing in the possibility of just two cuts this year, likely not starting until September, according to CME Group data.
CNBC News. 04/11/2024.
Bipartisan Safer Communities Tweet
From Thursday…
For so long, unlicensed gun dealers have sold guns without running background checks, allowing them to wind up in the hands of abusers and violent felons.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 11, 2024
My Administration is clarifying that all those in the business of selling guns must get a license and run background checks. pic.twitter.com/QIreUt9PE3
From the White House…
04/11/2024:
Student Debt Tweets
From Thursday…
I vowed to fix the broken system that has left millions with crushing debt.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 11, 2024
Thanks to various actions taken by my Administration, we’re on course to relieve student debt for over 30 million Americans.
From Friday…
Today, my Administration is canceling student debt for 277,000 more people – bringing the total number of Americans who have been approved for debt relief so far under my Administration to 4.3 million through various actions.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 12, 2024
I will never stop working to cancel student debt.
From the White House…
04/12/2024:
New debt cancellation for borrowers enrolled in SAVE, other Income-Driven Repayment plans, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness comes on the heels of President Biden announcing new plans that could benefit tens of millions of Americans.
Today, President Biden announced that 277,000 more Americans will get their student debt canceled, bringing the total debt relief approved by the Biden-Harris Administration to $153 billion for 4.3 million Americans through various actions. This latest round of debt cancellation comes on the heels of President Biden announcing new plans that, if implemented, would cancel student debt for over 30 million Americans when combined with actions the Administration has taken over the last three years. This week’s announcements reinforce the President’s commitment to using every path available to deliver student debt relief to as many borrowers as possible through various actions.
President Joe Biden Announces $7.4 Billion in Student Debt Cancellation for 277,000 More Americans, Pursuing Every Path Available to Cancel Student Debt. 04/12/2024.
The 277,000 Americans receiving this latest round of debt relief are borrowers enrolled in the SAVE Plan, other borrowers enrolled in Income-Driven Repayment plans, and borrowers receiving Public Service Loan Forgiveness. The Biden-Harris Administration fixed Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) and launched the SAVE Plan last year – the most affordable repayment plan ever. Already 8 million borrowers are enrolled in SAVE, 4.5 million of those borrowers have a monthly payment of $0, and over 1 million additional borrowers have a monthly payment of less than $100. And if borrowers took out low balances of loans, the SAVE Plan puts them on a faster path to debt relief after at least ten years of payments.
Since President Biden took office, his Administration has approved over $54 billion in debt cancellation for 1.3 million borrowers enrolled in income-driven repayment plans, including the new SAVE Plan. This builds on additional actions the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to cancel debt for nearly 900,000 public service workers, 1.3 million borrowers cheated by their schools or borrowers covered by related court settlements, and nearly 550,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability, including many veterans.
While the Administration continues to cancel Americans’ student debt through improving existing forgiveness programs and through the SAVE Plan, the Biden-Harris Administration is also pursuing new plans that, if implemented, would cancel student debt for tens of millions more. Earlier this week, the President announced his Administration’s alternative path to debt cancellation in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court decision. Learn more about these plans at StudentAid.gov/DebtRelief.
I omitted the links to all states fact-sheet…
Today, my Administration is canceling student debt for 277,000 more people, bringing the total number of Americans who have been approved for debt relief so far under my Administration to 4.3 million borrowers through various actions. These 277,000 borrowers are enrolled in my Administration’s SAVE Plan, or were approved for relief because of fixes we made to Income-Driven Repayment Plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
Today’s announcement comes on top of the significant progress we’ve made for students and borrowers over the past three years. That includes: providing the largest increases to the maximum Pell Grant in over a decade; fixing Public Service Loan Forgiveness so teachers, nurses, police officers, and other public service workers get the relief they are entitled to under the law, and holding colleges accountable for taking advantage of students and families. And, earlier this week, I laid out my Administration’s new plans that would cancel student debt for more than 30 million Americans when combined with everything we’ve done so far.
From day one of my Administration, I promised to fight to ensure higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity. I will never stop working to cancel student debt – no matter how many times Republican elected officials try to stop us.
Statement from President Joe Biden on $7.4 Billion in Student Debt Cancellation for 277,000 More Borrowers. 04/12/2024.
From the Department of Education…
04/12/2024:
“New” from the White House…
04/11/2024:
- Readout of White House Care Convening; the White House YouTube of the event is 1 hour and 5 minutes long
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre; the YouTube is 47 minutes and 57 seconds long.
This is an Open Thread.
