Biden Administration

NBC News reports: The White House has been working urgently in the past 24 hours to get a Senate confirmation process in motion for President Joe Biden’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Israel, according to two White House officials. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is now expected to hold a confirmation hearing for Jack Lew, a former Treasury secretary …

The Associated Press reports: The Biden administration announced it waived 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow border wall construction on Wednesday, marking the administration’s first use of a sweeping executive power employed often during the Trump presidency. The Department of Homeland Security posted the announcement on the U.S. Federal Registry with few details outlining the construction in Starr …

The Associated Press reports: The Biden administration announced Monday that it has awarded more than $1.4 billion to projects that improve railway safety and boost capacity, with much of the money coming from the 2021 infrastructure law. “These projects will make American rail safer, more reliable, and more resilient, delivering tangible benefits to dozens of communities where railroads are located, …

The New York Times reports: The Biden administration, looking ahead to a possible winter surge of Covid-19, announced on Wednesday that it was reviving its program of offering Americans free coronavirus tests through the mail and would spend more than $600 million to buy tests from a dozen domestic manufacturers. The website for the program, covidtests.gov, will begin accepting orders …

PBS NewsHour reports: The U.S. Census Bureau asked the Biden administration Tuesday for permission to test questions about sexual orientation and gender identity for people age 15 and above on its most comprehensive annual survey of life in the country. The statistical agency wants to test the wording, response categories and placement of gender identity and sexual orientation questions on …

The Associated Press reports: Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday is set to come face-to-face with his most ardent critics as House Republicans prepare to use a routine oversight hearing to interrogate him about what they claim is the “weaponization” of the Justice Department under President Joe Biden. Garland is appearing before the House Judiciary Committee for the first time …

The Hill reports: The White House will create a federal Climate Corps, a major wish list item for progressive Democrats and environmentalist groups, Biden administration officials confirmed on a call with reporters Tuesday. On the call, administration officials said the program will employ 20,000 people in its first year. These recruits, they said, will be “doing the important task of …

Roll Call reports: Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee will confront Attorney General Merrick B. Garland at an oversight hearing Wednesday as they move forward with an impeachment investigation of President Joe Biden that involves accusations of lenient Justice Department treatment for the president’s son. The hearing will offer Justice Department critics a rare chance to question the attorney general …

Reuters reports: The Biden administration on Tuesday released its list of 10 prescription medicines that will be subject to the first-ever price negotiations by the U.S. Medicare health program that covers 66 million people, with big-selling blood thinner Eliquis from Bristol Myers Squibb. President Joe Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law last year, allows the Medicare health …

Reuters reports: The Biden administration plans to urge all Americans to get a booster shot for the coronavirus this autumn to counter a new wave of infections, a White House official said on Sunday. The official said that while the CDC is reporting an increase in infections and hospital admissions from the virus, overall levels remain low. On Thursday, Moderna …

Reuters reports: The Biden administration on Monday issued new guidance to colleges and universities on how they could still legally encourage racial diversity on their campuses even after the U.S. Supreme Court ended affirmative action in college admissions. The guidance, from the Education and Justice departments, came after the conservative-majority Supreme Court in June ruled that colleges cannot legally consider …

Politico Europe reports: The United States on Tuesday sharply limited Hungary’s participation in its visa waiver program over security concerns regarding new passports issued between 2011 and 2020. After coming to power in 2010, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government implemented a major policy change that granted citizenship to ethnic Hungarians abroad — including in Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. Domestic …

Reuters reports: The U.S. State Department on Thursday ordered non-emergency government personnel and family members to leave Haiti as soon as possible, citing “kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure.” The State Department said U.S. citizens not working for the government should also leave Haiti as soon as possible “by commercial or other privately available transportation options.” “Kidnapping …

Via press release from the White House: Millions of Americans are currently experiencing the effects of extreme heat, which is growing in intensity, frequency, and duration due to the climate crisis. President Biden has asked the Department of Labor (DOL) to issue the first-ever Hazard Alert for heat, and DOL will also ramp up enforcement to protect workers from extreme …

NBC News reports: The Justice Department on Monday filed a lawsuit against Texas for placing buoys in the Rio Grande as part of an effort by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to deter migrants from crossing into the United States. The civil suit said Texas violated federal law by installing the barrier and asked a judge to order its removal. The …

The Associated Press reports: Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and other companies that are leading the development of artificial intelligence technology have agreed to meet a set of AI safeguards brokered by President Joe Biden’s administration. The White House said Friday that it has secured voluntary commitments from seven U.S. companies meant to ensure their AI products are safe before they …

The Associated Press reports: The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday granted a temporary stay of a July 4 order putting sweeping limitations on the Biden administration’s communications with social media companies. The stay was granted by a panel of 5th Circuit judges, which includes Clinton-appointee Carl E. Stewart, Obama-appointee James E. Graves and Trump-appointee Andrew S. Oldham. Oldham …

Bloomberg News reports: A federal judge in Louisiana denied a request by the US government to delay an order he imposed last week banning federal agencies and officials from communicating with social media companies. The Justice Department is expected to ask the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene after US District Court Judge Terry Doughty on Monday refused …

Axios reports: The Biden administration is appealing a court ruling that would limit government officials and agencies from communicating with social media companies on content moderation, according to court filings Wednesday. U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday in relation to an ongoing lawsuit from Republican attorneys general filed by Louisiana and Missouri that alleges the …

From the Justice Department: The Justice Department, together with federal and state law enforcement partners, announced today a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 78 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that included over $2.5 billion in alleged fraud. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for …