Biden and Trump news: Biden to speak with Trudeau in first foreign leader ‘meeting’ as he declares major disaster in Texas
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Your support makes all the difference.President Joe Biden has announced he will meet virtually with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, making it his first bilateral meeting with a foreign leader since taking office.
Earlier the White House announced Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in Texas and has asked federal agencies to identify extra resources to help millions hit by a deep freeze in the state.
Millions of Texans lost heat and power this week as the cold snap caused extended outages and many even lost access to drinking water.
At least 69 deaths across the US have been blamed on the blast of unseasonable weather.
It comes as pro-Trump news network Newsmax, which rose to prominence on the back of its false claims about presidential election fraud, attracted scorn after it turned its ire on Mr Biden’s German Shepherd dog Champ.
“Did you see the dog? I wanted to show you something I noticed. Doesn’t he look a little rough?” host Greg Kelly said, to which a guest responded that Champ was “dirty” and “very unlike a presidential dog”.
Key stories:
Legal analyst says statute of limitations over potential Trump finance crimes could expire
“What in the world is going on with the campaign finance crimes Donald Trump committed together with Michael Cohen? asks Glenn Kirschner, a legal analyst for NBC News, in a video post on Twitter.
Mr Cohen, Mr Trump’s former personal lawyer, was imprisoned in 2019 over the breaking of campaign finance laws in a bid to assist the former president’s 2016 election campaign.
“Donald Trump has not even been charged yet,” Mr Kirschner says, before warning that the statute of limitations on any crimes committed in 2016 will soon expire.
“Are we going to really let the big fish swim free in the warm waters of Florida, when these crimes committed by Donald Trump and Michael Cohen were designed to bury from the American people deeply damaging information about Donald Trump’s relationship with Stormy Daniels.”
Mr Trump denies wrongdoing over the issue.
‘Say no to your kids’: Houston police chief slams Ted Cruz
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo blasted Texas Republican Senator and Houston resident Ted Cruz after he flew off to Cancun to avoid power outages and freezing temperatures in his home state.
“We’ve all made poor choices,” Mr Acevedo said while speaking to CNN, adding: “I think it’s a little tone-deaf. And sometimes you got to teach your kids the word ‘no’ and this probably would have been a good time to tell your kids ‘no, we’re blessed, but we have to wait till we get Texas on our feet’.
“Again, we’ve all made bad decisions sometimes. As a dad, maybe his heart got the best of him.”
Read more here:
‘Say no to your kids’: Houston police chief slams Ted Cruz
Houston police chief calls Cruz’s Mexico trip ‘tone-deaf’ and says it would have been a good time to ‘teach your kids the word ‘no’
Florida governor orders flags at half mast for Rush Limbaugh
Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis ordered flags in the state to be lowered to half mast in honour of the death of far-right radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Mr Limbaugh, 70, died after a long battle with lung cancer, his wife announced last week - a year after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-president Donald Trump.
The move by Mr Trump sparked much controversy, due to Mr Limbaugh’s history divisive rhetoric and stoking of conspiracy theories.
And it appears Mr DeSantis has triggered a similar response.
‘Very unpresidential’: Pro-Trump Newsmax launches bizarre attack on Biden’s ‘junkyard’ dog
Pro-Trump news network Newsmax has launched a bizarre attack on Joe Biden’s dog Champ.
During his show on Friday, host Greg Kelly and Ronald Reagan biographer Craig Shirley condemned the 12-year-old Champ as “dirty” and “unlike a presidential dog”.
Speaking about Champ, who lives at the White House with fellow German Shepherd Major, Mr Kelly said: “Did you see the dog? I wanted to show you something I noticed. Doesn’t he look a little rough? I love dogs, but this dog needs a bath and a comb and all kinds of love and care.”
Read more here:
Pro-Trump Newsmax launches bizarre attack on Biden’s ‘junkyard’ dog
Comments described on social media as ‘beyond parody’
Damages from winter storm in Texas could approach $50 billion
The cost of the devastating winter storm in Texas could end up costing the region close to $50 billion to recover from, it has been estimated.
The extortionate figure would cover the cost of lost wages, repairing damages to businesses and people’s homes, as well as the cleanup cost in and around the state, according to forecasters AccuWeather.
Its chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter said: “[The estimate] denotes the historic magnitude and just how much of a life-threatening crisis this has been for people in the Southern Plains, the southeast and especially Texas.
Read more here:
Winter storm leaves Texas counting cost of cleanup and repairs
The estimate accounts for lost wages, damages to businesses and homes and cleanup costs
Biden's 1st month was about erasing the mark of 'former guy'
Joe Biden is a month into his presidency and at least one pattern is clear. He doesn’t want to talk about the “the former guy.”
That guy is Donald Trump But if Biden is reluctant to say Trump’s name too much, a lot of what he has been doing has been in direct contrast to his predecessor’s legacy.
On policy, symbolism and style, from the Earth’s climate to what’s not on his desk (Trump’s button to summon a Diet Coke), Biden has been purging Trumpism however he can in an opening stretch that is wholly unlike the turmoil and trouble of his predecessor’s first month.
Read more here:
Biden's 1st month was about erasing the mark of 'former guy'
Joe Biden is a month into his presidency and at least one pattern is clear
Democrat Senator Joe Manchin opposes Biden budget pick over her ‘toxic’ tweets
Senator Joe Manchin has announced he opposes the nomination of Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Office of Management & Budget, Neera Tanden.
The West Virginia Democrat said in a statement: “Her overtly partisan statements will have a toxic and detrimental impact on the important working relationship between members of Congress and the next director of the Office of Management & Budget. For this reason, I cannot support her nomination.”
With the Senate split 50:50, his opposition could sink Ms Tanden’s nomination.
Read more here:
Democrat Senator Joe Manchin opposes Biden budget pick over her ‘toxic’ tweets
‘No’ vote by Manchin will likely sink Neera Tanden’s nomination with the Senate split 50:50
Will voters remember? Cruz trip tests durability of scandal
Ted Cruz s political career already featured many surprise twists before a jaunt to Mexico this week brought him a new level of notoriety.
The Texas senator was once the biggest threat to Donald Trump capturing the 2016 presidential nomination. During a particularly bitter stretch of that year’s Republican primary, Cruz called Trump a “coward” and “pathological liar.” By last month, however, Cruz was one of Trump’s staunchest allies and a leader in the former president’s baseless attempt to overturn the November election.
Such shifts are intended to keep Cruz in a strong position with the GOP base if he runs for the White House again in 2024. But they’ve also turned him into one of Washington’s most villainized figures, someone willing to take any politically convenient position if it keeps his future ambitions alive.
Read more here:
Will voters remember? Cruz trip tests durability of scandal
Ted Cruz has been one of Donald Trump’s staunchest allies and fiercest critics, personifying both sides of the bind the larger Republican Party now finds itself in
BREAKING: Biden declares major disaster in Texas
Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in Texas, freeing up the federal government to send additional assistance to the state, which has been hit by a devastating deep freeze that has left millions without power and many without drinking water.
Warmer temperatures are though spreading across the southern US on Saturday, bringing some relief to a winter weary region that faces a challenging clean-up and expensive repairs from the days of extreme cold. In hard-hit Texas the warm-up is expected to last for several days.
Judge rejects Devin Nunes defamation lawsuit against CNN
A defamation lawsuit U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes brought against CNN was tossed out by a Manhattan judge on Friday.
The lawsuit seeking over $435 million in damages was rejected by U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain, who said the California Republican failed to request a retraction in a timely fashion or adequately state his claims.
Nunes had alleged the cable news company intentionally published a false news article on Nov. 22, 2019 and engaged in a conspiracy to defame him and damage his personal and professional reputation.
Read more here:
Judge rejects Rep. Devin Nunes defamation suit against CNN
A Manhattan judge has thrown out a defamation lawsuit U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes brought against CNN
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