Biden news: White House defends ‘Neanderthal’ slur of GOP states, as Trump shifts blame for Senate loss
Live updates from the White House
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Press secretary Jen Psaki said it was a reflection of his frustration at governors rolling back Covid lockdowns, recognizing that the president can't enforce a national mask mandate.
It comes as Donald Trump tried to shift the blame for the Senate race defeats in Georgia, saying Mitch McConnell only offering $600 stimulus checks led to the defeats of Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue.
On the US Mexico border, child migrants detained by authorities have increased 583 per cent under Joe Biden, according to internal documents from the Department of Health and Human services reported by Axios.
An average of 321 children are taken into custody per day in the week ending March 1, compared to just 47 under the Trump administration during the first week of January.
The White House denied reports that it had reviewed the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) guidelines for people who have already received a Covid-19 vaccination.
Earlier reports claimed the administration's Covid-19 taskforce told the CDC to “hold off on releasing” the recommendations during a series of meetings and calls over the last two days.
As questions mount, Biden himself is under increasing pressure to hold a press conference after going 43 days without facing the media. Of the 15 president of the past 100 years, all have held a press conference within 33 days of being sworn into office. Trump did it 27 days in. Obama outdid Trump by a week at 20 days.
• Warnings of possible QAnon threat to Capitol
• Giuliani mocked for warning of dangers of misinformation
• US Catholic group tells followers to avoid Johnson and Johnson vaccine
• Biden criticises Texas and Mississippi governors for dropping Covid restrictions
Good morning
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s blog on all things US politics. We’ll be bringing you the latest news from the White House and beyond.
Proud Boys wanted to incite ‘normies’ at Capitol riot to ‘smash some pigs to dust’, court filings claim
The Proud Boys went undercover during the Capitol Riot so they could incite the “normies” to “smash some pigs to dust,” according to federal prosecutors.
Authorities say that a Washington state leader of the right-wing group was nominated to have “war powers” and take charge of the attack on the Capitol, court papers state.
Graeme Massie has all the details
Proud Boys wanted to incite ‘normies’ at Capitol riot to ‘smash’ cops
Prosecutors say Ethan Nordean given ‘war powers’ to lead the group’s attack on Capitol
House Democrats pass major voting rights bill
The House of Representatives passed a sweeping voting rights and government ethics bill on Wednesday evening.
It would constitute the single-largest piece of election protection legislation since the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act, if adopted into law, writes The Independent’s Alex Woodward
House Democrats pass major voting rights bill
With a murky path ahead in the Senate, the For The People Act takes aim at GOP voter suppression as state lawmakers push restrictive voting laws across US
US House passes ambitious police reform
The US House of Representatives last night passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, the most ambitious effort in decades to overhaul policing nationwide.
The sweeping legislation, which was first approved last summer but stalled in the Senate, was named in honour of Floyd, whose killing by police in Minnesota last Memorial Day sparked protests nationwide.
The bill would ban chokeholds and “qualified immunity” for law enforcement and create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability.“
My city is not an outlier, but rather an example of the inequalities our country has struggled with for centuries,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who represents the Minneapolis area near where Floyd died.
Floyd‘s family watched the emotional debate from a nearby House office building.
Additional reporting by AP
Trump accused of ‘political interference’ in case of Huawei executive held in Canada
Donald Trump’s comments about intervening in the case of a Huawei executive to get a better trade deal with China are being cited by lawyers as a reason to have her extradition case dismissed.
Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecoms giant, is accused of misleading HSBC about the company’s business dealings in Iran, which would put the bank in danger of violating US sanctions.
The former president’s alleged political interference and violation of her legal rights have now been presented as reasons by her lawyers that Ms Meng’s extradition case should be thrown out.
Oliver O’Connell has all the details
Trump accused of ‘political interference’ in case of Huawei executive held in Canada
Lawyers for Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou say extradition case should be dismissed after ex-president’s comments
Tensions between the US and China threaten progress on climate change
The world’s hopes for curbing climate change hinge on action by two giant nations whose relations are deteriorating: China and the United States.
The two countries both say they are intent on retooling their economies to burn less climate-wrecking coal, oil and gas. But tensions between them threaten their ultimate success.
China and the United States are the world’s No. 1 and No. 2 carbon polluters, respectively, pumping out nearly half of the fossil fuel fumes that are warming the planet’s atmosphere.
The fast cuts in carbon needed to stave off the worst of climate change are all but impossible unless these countries work together and basically trust each other’s pledges, as reported by Associated Press
US-China tensions threaten global climate change efforts
The world’s hopes for curbing climate change hinge on action by two giant nations whose relations are deteriorating
Why today’s date means so much to believers of QAnon
The Independent’s Harriet Sinclair has explored the significance of today’s date to conspiracy group QAnon and why it has led to a bolstering of security in the US Capitol today.
She writes: “Today – 4 March – is, for those unfamiliar with QAnon vernacular, the date of what right-wing conspiracy theorists believe will be an alternative inauguration, returning Donald Trump to the White House. As such, there is naturally the potential for violence.”
Get all the details here
Why today’s date means so much to believers of QAnon
Security is being reinforced around the US Capitol today as some right-wing conspiracy theorists gear up for what they believe will be a second, secret inauguration, writes Harriet Sinclair
Paris Hilton wins victory as Utah passes bill banning harsh treatment in youth facilities
The bill, titled SB 127, prohibits Utah’s youth treatment centres from certain punishments of children, such as denying food or water, spanking, hitting, or other treatments “intended to frighten or humiliate”.
Paris Hilton testified on 8 February about the alleged abuse she dealt with while attending Provo Canyon School, which is based in Springville, Utah, saying that she experienced verbal, emotional, and physical abuse during the 11 months she attended in the 1990s.
Report by Rachel Brodsky
Paris Hilton wins victory as Utah bans harsh treatment in youth facilities
‘This is only the beginning – I plan to approach the federal arena with a bill that will protect youth across the nation in these types of facilities,’ the socialite says
Mike Pence falsely claims 2020 election marked by ‘voting irregularities’
Former vice-president Mike Pence has repeated false claims of “voting irregularities” in the 2020 election as part of a push back against a Democrat initiative to streamline election standards.
Writing in the The Daily Signal he said the election was marked by “significant voting irregularities” and that he shared “the concerns of millions of Americans about the integrity of the 2020 election” .
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the presidential election and Pence makes no specific allegations in his piece.
Pence’s target in the op-ed is the For The People Act which contains reforms on voting rights, something he said would would “trample the First Amendment, further erode confidence in our elections, and forever dilute the votes of legally qualified eligible voters.”
Why do QAnon supporters think Trump will return as US president today?
Some QAnon supporters are still holding out hope that Donald Trump will return as president this year and have been discussing March 4 as the day he will seize power.
Louise Hall explains why today is significant for supporters of the far-right conspiracy group.
Why do QAnon supporters think Trump will return as US president today?
Bizarre conspiracy theory belief hinges on 4 March
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