Tag: White House

White House defends vaccine mandate against court challenge

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden’s administration on Sunday issued a vocal defense of a controversial Covid-19 vaccine mandate for large companies despite a court challenge that temporarily freezes the program. “The president and the administration wouldn’t have put these requirements in place if they didn’t think they were appropriate and necessary,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said on ABC talk show “This Week.” “The administration is certainly prepared to defend them.” And White […]

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White House press secretary tests positive for Covid-19

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Sunday she has tested positive for Covid-19, after deciding not to travel to Europe with US President Joe Biden when members of her family contracted the virus. Psaki said in a statement that though she had tested negative several times last week, her test came back positive on Sunday. “While I have not had close contact in person with the president or senior members of the White House staff […]

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Biden delays release of JFK assassination files

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House said Friday it would delay the release of long-classified documents related to the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy. President Joe Biden wrote in a statement that the remaining files “shall be withheld from full public disclosure” until December 15 next year — nearly 60 years after Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, Texas in 1963. In 2018, former president Donald Trump released several thousand secret files on […]

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White House says 50% of Americans fully vaccinated against Covid

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Half of the US population is now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the White House said Friday, as inoculations rise in response to the surging Delta variant of the coronavirus. “50% of Americans (all ages) are now fully vaccinated. Keep going!” Cyrus Shahpar, the White House’s Covid-19 data director, tweeted. That means more than 165 million people have received either the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or the one-and-done Johnson & […]

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Biden accuses Russia trying to disrupt 2022 elections

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday accused his Russian counterpart of seeking to disrupt the 2022 congressional elections by spreading “misinformation.” “Look at what Russia is doing already about the 2022 elections and misinformation,” Biden said during a trip to the office of the director of national intelligence near Washington, referring to information he receives during his daily briefing. “It’s a pure violation of our sovereignty.” He also lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin. […]

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Vaccinated W.House official tests positive for Covid: spokeswoman

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A vaccinated White House official has tested positive for Covid-19, a spokeswoman said Tuesday, adding that the person had not had contact with President Joe Biden or other top-level staff. “I want to confirm that yesterday a fully vaccinated White House official tested positive for Covid-19 off campus,” Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing, adding that the official, who has not been identified, had mild symptoms. She […]

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Olivia Rodrigo to star in White House vaccine promotion

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Teen pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo is set to visit the White House on Wednesday to put some star power into the Biden administration’s flagging Covid-19 vaccination campaign. Rodrigo, 18, will meet with President Joe Biden and his top coronavirus advisor Anthony Fauci and “record videos about the importance of young people getting vaccinated,” the White House said Tuesday. The actress and singer, who has some 28 million social media followers, […]

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US gov’t demands immediate release of Suu Kyi, other Myanmar leaders detained by military

  (Eagle News) — The United States government said it is “alarmed” over reports of the detention of Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior officials of the country as it called on the Myanmar military to immediately release the officials it had detained. “The United States is alarmed by reports that the Burmese military has taken steps to undermine the country’s democratic transition, including the arrest of State Counselor Aung San […]

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No crowds, intense security mark scaled-down Biden inauguration

  by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Two weeks after pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol, America reclaimed its citadel of democracy Wednesday with the latest transition of power — but Joe Biden’s inauguration, coming amid unprecedented security threats and pandemic woe, was unlike any other. For one, his twice-impeached predecessor Donald Trump was absent, having fled Washington hours earlier, leaving Vice President Mike Pence to represent the White House in […]

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Biden becomes 46th president, calls for unity across America

    by Michael Mathes and Shaun Tandon Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Joe Biden on Wednesday became the 46th president of the United States with a call to unity, vowing to bridge deep divides and defeat domestic extremism two weeks after a mob attack tried to undo his election victory. On a frigid but sunny day at the very Capitol building that was assaulted on January 6, Biden swore the oath […]

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Trump told to step down or be impeached

  by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump was told Friday to step down or face impeachment, as the top Democrat in Congress announced she had discussed with the military how to block the “unhinged” leader from the nation’s nuclear arsenal. As his presidency imploded, Trump signalled a final, unrepentant display of division by announcing on Twitter that he will skip the inauguration of Joe Biden on […]

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White House planning for second Trump term despite defeat: official

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House is planning for President Donald Trump to serve a second term despite his reelection loss, a top official said Friday. “We are moving forward here at the White House under the assumption that there will be a second Trump term,” the outgoing president’s trade advisor Peter Navarro said on Fox Business Network. Trump has yet to concede nearly a week after US media announced that his […]

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