U.S. And International Politics

[Rick Plant]

When President Biden ran for office in 2020, he made a promise that he would be able to work across the aisle with Republicans to get legislation passed, and he has more than kept his campaign promise.

Last year, Congress passed President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which was the largest package in history to update our crumbling infrastructure and to renovate our cities all across America. Other presidents only "talked about getting it done", but President Biden got it done just 7 months into his presidency, and now new infrastructure projects have already started all across the country.     

President Biden promised he would address gun violence and crime in our cities. He promised he would get gun reform passed. Congress just passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act last month, which is the most comprehensive gun reform in over 30 years. This bill also helps to fight crime in our cities. The President celebrated the signing of that law yesterday. Yes, more needs to be done, but the President was able to get another bipartisan law passed when other presidents never could. Two major Bipartisan bills passed in a year and a half under Biden is quite a feat, especially when no other president had an Infrastructure and gun reform bill passed in the same year. 

Clean water, secure bridges, smooth roads, and safer communities benefit ALL Americans and not just voters from one political party. All Americans support these laws because it benefits their lives and makes it better. These are the bills being passed because of President Biden which is Building Back Better, just like he promised.       


Biden praises bipartisan gun law: 'We're opening door to get much more done'



President Joe Biden hosted an event at the White House on Monday to celebrate new bipartisan gun safety restrictions and indicate a path toward safer communities.

Congress passed and Biden signed the Safer Communities Act last month.

Democrats in both chambers and several Republicans approved the $13 billion bill, which includes millions of dollars for mental health, school safety, crisis intervention programs and incentives for states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

The law also makes changes to the process when someone age 18 to 21 goes to buy a firearm, closes the so-called "boyfriend loophole" and encourages states to create or enhance red-flag laws.

At Monday's event, Biden hosted families who have been affected by gun violence, including the recent supermarket shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., and the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

"Nothing can bring back your loved ones, but what we did here is to make sure that other families don't have to experience the same loss and pain that you've experienced," the president said. "You have felt and feel the price of inaction."

Biden said the new law will save lives.

"What we're doing here today is real," Biden added. "It's vivid. It's relevant. The action we take today is a step designed to make our nation the kind of nation we should be. It's about the most fundamental things in the life of our children and our loved ones."

Biden said it is time for the country to match "thought and prayers" for victims and their families with action.

"That's what we're doing here today," he said. "Despite the many naysayers, we can make meaningful progress.

"More has to be done. The provisions in this new legislation will save lives. It's a call to action for all of us to do more. The takeaway from this is how we're opening the door to get much more done."

Several people who have been recently affected by gun violence spoke at the event.

"It is an honor to be here and celebrate the first major gun legislation in 30 years," Dr. Roy Guerrero, a pediatrician in Uvalde, said to applause at the start of the event.

"I spend half of my days convincing kids that no one is coming for them," he added. "But how do I say that knowing that the very weapons used in the attack are still freely available?"

"For 30 years, our nation has failed to pass meaningful gun violence legislation," Vice President Kamala Harris said. "Again and again, Americans have called for common sense action to protect our communities. Last month, their call was finally answered."

The White House said earlier Monday that Biden will build on the law's passage by proposing $32 billion in additional funding to fight crime, including $20.6 billion in discretionary funding for federal, state and local law enforcement and crime prevention programs.

"There is so much more that can and must be done to save lives," the White House said in a statement. "The president will continue to urge Congress to take further legislative action to keep dangerous guns out of dangerous hands, including a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, strengthening background checks and enacting safe storage laws."

AFP

[Rick Plant]

Ted Lieu @tedlieu

Our Constitutional Republic cannot tolerate Supreme Court Justices who lied in order to get confirmed. The legitimacy of the Court is at stake.

Letter from @AOC and me requesting the Senate to make a finding on whether Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch lied to the American people.





https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1546568769748606976

[Rick Plant]

A “high level” discussion on climate… By Herschel Walker

You can't make this stuff up! 

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1546533641865543682

[Rick Plant]

Moms Demand Action @MomsDemand 

You emailed, called, tweeted, voted, and organized to pass the first major federal gun safety law in almost 3 decades! This bipartisan victory shows what’s possible when we roll up our red sleeves, keep going, and follow survivors’ lead. #GunLawsSaveLives



https://twitter.com/MomsDemand/status/1546541618064400391

[Rick Plant]

Jan. 6 hearings to focus on Trump's messages to supporters

Tuesday's hearing is expected to focus on the rise of radical extremism and the possible impact the former president’s tweets had on supporters

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/video/jan-hearings-focus-trumps-messages-supporters-86654354

[Rick Plant]

Another huge deal for President Biden as he continues to clean up the multiple Trump disasters that was given to him.

Donnie made "immigration" his number one issue during his 4 failed years in office. He made an absolute mess at the border for Biden to deal with, and the bogus right wing media calls it the "Biden Border Crisis" when it was Trump who handed Biden the crisis to begin with. 

Donnie also lied claiming that he was going to "build a beautiful border wall" and make Mexico pay for it. That was nothing but a sham and a total lie because U.S. tax payers had to pay for it. 

President Biden promised he would clean up the Trump border disaster and he made good on another campaign promise. Biden was able to get Mexico to invest $1.5 Billion in new border technology. Mexico should be paying to curb illegal immigration and Biden got them to pay for it when Trump never could.

President Biden is respected by world leaders and so is Vice President Harris, as Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador had nothing but praise for her.

This is a huge deal between the United States and Mexico to help curb illegal immigration. This major story should have been top headline news yesterday but it was barely covered.   

The media made a big deal about illegal immigration for months, and now when a deal was struck to curb illegal immigration, it goes unnoticed in the media. That's how awful the mainstream media has been by not reporting on Biden's achievements and only trying to manufacture controversy for ratings. The news isn't supposed to be a reality show but they turned it into that. 

Once again, President Biden comes through with another major achievement that no other president could get done.

Yes, that is called Building Back Better.


Mexico agrees to invest $1.5B in ‘smart’ border technology



WASHINGTON (AP) — Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador agreed to spend $1.5 billion over the next two years to improve “smart” border technology during meetings Tuesday with President Joe Biden — a move the White House says shows neighborly cooperation succeeding where Trump administration vows to wall off the border and have Mexico pay for it could not.

A series of agreements the two countries hammered out as their leaders spoke called for several other concrete moves, including expanding the number of work visas the U.S. issues, creating a bilateral working group on labor migration pathways and worker protections and welcoming more refugees. Both also pledged to continue joint patrols for Mexico and Guatemala to hunt human smugglers along their shared border.

But the Biden administration hailed securing border funding from Mexico after years of failed attempts by former President Donald Trump.

“Borders that are more resilient, more efficient, and safer, will enhance our shared commerce,” Biden and López Obrador said in a joint official statement. “We are committed like never before to completing a multi-year joint U.S.-Mexico border infrastructure modernization effort for projects along the 2,000-mile border.”

The agreements came after López Obrador began the discussions by talking for more than half an hour as reporters looked on. His far-ranging discourse touched on everything from American drivers heading south for cheaper prices at the pump at Mexican gas stations to the New Deal politics of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He also chiding conservatives and said the U.S. and Mexico should reject the “status quo” on the border.

López Obrador said both countries “should close ranks to help each other” amid spiking inflation and border challenges brutally underscored by 53 migrants who died last month after being abandoned in a sweltering tractor-trailer on a remote back road in San Antonio.

“Increasing inflation impacts the well-being of families in both our countries, and requires strong, immediate, and concerted action,” the joint statement said. “That is why we have committed to jointly combat inflation by accelerating the facilitation of bilateral trade and reducing trade costs.”

López Obrador struck a positive tone with Biden while while heaping praise on Vice President Kamala Harris.

“So happy to be here at the White House once more,” López Obrador said.

Biden was equally conciliatory, saying, “I see, we see Mexico as an equal partner” and shrugging off differences of opinion on policy with López Obrador: “You and I have a strong and productive relationship and I would argue a partnership.”

Biden said “we know we have to meet these challenges together.” He said the U.S. and Mexico agree on the need to increase opportunities for legal migration, especially since more workers can help alleviate U.S. labor shortages and potentially help calm rising prices.

Tuesday’s was the second in-person meeting between Biden and López Obrador at the White House. First lady Jill Biden hosted Mexican first lady Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller during this spring’s White House celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

In the agreed upon announcements released Tuesday night, both Mexico and the U.S. pledged joint actions to modernize and improve infrastructure along key parts of their border, enhance law enforcement cooperation against fentanyl smuggling and promote clean energy.

Biden also said that a “major anti smuggling operation” against fentanyl traffickers has been underway since April and had led to more than 3,000 arrests, and that both countries would continue to cooperate. In addition to the pilot program exploring more avenues for legal migration, Biden noted that the U.S. has already worked to expand visa programs for workers from Mexico and Central America.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been tasked with exploring the root causes of immigration across Latin America, also hosted López Obrador for a Tuesday breakfast. Speaking with Mexico’s president outside the Naval Observatory, which is the vice president’s residence, Harris referenced visiting his country previously.

"The time that I spent with you in Mexico was so special to me,” she said, noting the “friendship that has been so important to both nations.”

“She is our friend,” López Obrador said. “But also a woman with principles. An intelligent woman. Honest. She is a partisan of equality. So I congratulate the American people because they have a first order vice president.”

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

U.S. gun regulation agency fills empty director post after seven years



The US Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the federal agency overseeing gun regulations, which had lacked a permanent director for over seven years.

Steve Dettelbach, 56, will now become the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), following a series of deadly mass shootings that have shaken the country.

The former federal prosecutor was narrowly confirmed with the support of 48 senators, including two Republicans, against 46 opposed.

He will oversee the ATF's 5,000 employees, half of whom are ballistics specialists who investigate gun crimes. The agency is also tasked with regulating the nation's firearms industry, making it a perennial enemy of the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA).

"After years of obstruction by the gun lobby, the Senate has finally confirmed a permanent director to lead the ATF," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

"While certainly not a panacea to the gun violence epidemic plaguing our nation, having Mr Dettelbach at the helm of the ATF will ensure the feds have all hands on deck in the fight to stop gun trafficking, prevent illegal possession of firearms, and make sure our kids can’t get their hands on dangerous weapons," he added.

According to the Gun Violence Archive website, more than 23,300 people have been killed by firearms in the United States so far this year, including nearly 12,800 who died by suicide.

Agence France-Presse