влада, вибори, народ
Biden’s Ambitious Legislative Agenda Faces Significant Obstacles
With the first one hundred days of his presidency now behind him, Joe Biden faces formidable battles to pass the rest of his legislative agenda on Capitol Hill. VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports on the obstacles Democrats face to pass nearly $4 trillion in legislation.Producer: Katherine Gypson
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By Polityk | 05/04/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Бойовики 9 разів за добу обстріляли позиції українських військових – штаб
Українські військові вели вогонь у відповідь, внаслідок обстрілів ніхто з них не постраждав
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By Gromada | 05/04/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Рятувальники попереджають про пожежну небезпеку в більшості регіонів України
Надзвичайна пожежна небезпека означає «загрозливе поєднання високої температури повітря та сухої погоди»
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By Gromada | 05/04/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Biden Pushes Education Spending at Stops in Virginia
President Joe Biden traveled Monday to coastal Virginia to promote his plans to increase spending on education and children, part of his $1.8 trillion families proposal announced last week. Visiting Tidewater Community College with first lady Jill Biden, the president discussed his $109 billion proposal to provide Americans with two years of tuition-free community college. He’s also seeking more than $80 billion for Pell Grants to help college affordability and $62 billion for programs that could improve completion rates at community colleges and institutions that predominantly serve disadvantaged students. The president said that education was the key to the country’s dominance and that people needed classes beyond high school for the nation to be globally competitive. “When America made 12 years of public education universal in America in the early 1900s, it made us the best educated nation in the world,” Biden said. “The rest of the world has caught up to us. They’re not waiting. And 12 years is no longer enough to compete with the world in the 21st century and lead the 21st century.” Community college is an issue of personal importance to the Bidens. The first lady is an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria. “My students, like all the students here, I’m sure, come from every walk of life,” she said. “They show up, they don’t complain, and all they ask is for one thing in return: the chance to work hard and build a good life for themselves and their families.” Biden joked that advocacy for community colleges was crucial for his own marital happiness. “I have to admit if I didn’t have these positions, I’d be sleeping on Lincoln bedroom,” the president teased. There is uncertainty about Biden getting an ambitious set of spending programs through narrow Democratic majorities in Congress. He has proposed a combined $4.1 trillion to be spent on infrastructure, broadband, new school buildings, electric vehicle charging stations, the power grid, child tax credits and child care, among other programs. All of that would be mostly financed by higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy, an idea that has met immediate opposition from Republicans. The Bidens began their trip by touring a fifth-grade class at Yorktown Elementary School. The president went around asking the students, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “A fashion designer,” one student responded. “A chef,” another said, to which Biden replied, “Holy mackerel, I’ll be darned!” “A hairdresser,” one student said. Biden quipped: “I could use some, some hair, I mean.”
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By Polityk | 05/04/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden to Quadruple Refugee Cap
U.S. President Joe Biden, who initially decided to keep intact his predecessor’s historically low number of annual refugee admissions, Monday announced he is quadrupling this year’s total. “I am revising the United States’ annual refugee admissions cap to 62,500 for this fiscal year,” the president said in a statement Monday afternoon. “This erases the historically low number set by the previous administration of 15,000, which did not reflect America’s values as a nation that welcomes and supports refugees. The new admissions cap will also reinforce efforts that are already under way to expand the United States’ capacity to admit refugees, so that we can reach the goal of 125,000 refugee admissions that I intend to set for the coming fiscal year.” President Joe Biden speaks at Tidewater Community College, in Portsmouth, Va., May 3, 2021.Two weeks ago, the White House announced that the cap for the current fiscal year would be kept at 15,000, the level set by former President Donald Trump. That announcement came despite Biden’s promise that after his inauguration in January he would significantly expand the program. The move prompted a backlash from some of his fellow Democrats in Congress, as well as refugee advocates. White House officials have acknowledged that the previous announcement, issued when opposition Republicans were criticizing Biden for an influx of migrants at the U.S. southern border, did not send the right message. Monday’s announcement, they say, reinforces that admitting refugees is critical to America’s place in the world. “It is important to take this action today to remove any lingering doubt in the minds of refugees around the world who have suffered so much, and who are anxiously waiting for their new lives to begin,” said Biden in his statement. “The sad truth is that we will not achieve 62,500 admissions this year. We are working quickly to undo the damage of the last four years. It will take some time, but that work is already under way.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a joint news conference in London, May 3, 2021.Shortly after the president’s announcement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated: “It is in our DNA as a nation to open our door to those seeking refuge, and it remains in our national interest to treat individuals applying for these programs fairly and with dignity and respect.” Refugees International President Eric P. Schwartz called it “a proud and historic moment.” He added, “At a time of great humanitarian need, welcoming refugees is not only a moral imperative, but also promotes U.S. national security, bolsters our economy, enriches our communities, and demonstrates that we’re willing to work together with other governments on some of the world’s most complex problems.” While raising the refugee cap is welcome, “the reality is that this is coming too late in the year to make a real impact,” according to Alex Nowrasteh, Cato Institute director of immigration studies. “Refugee agencies are so overburdened that we’ll be lucky if one-quarter of the new 62,500 cap is filled this year.”FILE – People are detained by a U.S. Border Patrol agent after crossing the Rio Bravo River to turn themselves in to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, March 29, 2021.There is a “need for systematic reform, expansion and privatization of the refugee system so that a future administration like Trump’s won’t have the ability to kill such an important program at the stroke of a pen,” Nowrasteh told VOA. Republican lawmaker Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, noting Biden had committed last month to keeping Trump’s cap in place, calls the president’s decision to increase the number of refugees “a direct threat to our national security and public health safety.” The Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in the House of Representatives, objected to the move.”During the highest influx of illegal immigration our country has seen in 20 years, @JoeBiden just raised the refugee cap over 400%. Let’s be clear: this self-inflicted crisis is absolutely intentional,” it posted on Twitter. Trump, during his four years as president, had pared the size of the refugee program, which is distinct from the asylum system for migrants. “The most powerful thing we can do as a country is to lead by example,” said Andrew Albertson, executive director of Foreign Policy for America. “Today’s announcement from President Biden makes it clear that the United States is ready to lead again.” The chairman of the Senate’s foreign relations committee, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, said Biden’s announcement is “an important step in continuing our proud, bipartisan tradition of providing refugees protection through resettlement.”
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By Polityk | 05/04/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump Calls 2020 Election Defeat a ‘Big Lie’
Former U.S. President Donald Trump lost his reelection contest to Democrat Joe Biden six months ago Monday, but he is still claiming he was cheated out of another term in the White House, leaving some Republican officials at odds with one another and Trump over the legitimacy of Biden’s victory.”The Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020 will be, from this day forth, known as THE BIG LIE!” Trump said in a new statement.The former president’s commentary from his Atlantic Ocean mansion in Florida appropriated the “big lie” sentiment his political opponents have used to describe his claims that he won. Trump decisively lost the election by a 306-232 margin in the Electoral College, which determines the outcome of U.S. presidential contests, and by more than 7 million votes in the popular vote count.After Trump made his claim Monday, one of his staunchest critics among Republicans, Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming, said on Twitter, “The 2020 presidential election was not stolen. Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system.”Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the House Republican Conference chair, speaks with reporters following a GOP strategy session on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 20, 2021.Cheney was one of 10 Republicans in the House of Representatives who voted to impeach Trump for inciting a mob of hundreds of his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol January 6 as Congress was certifying Biden’s Electoral College victory. Five people were left dead.Trump has vowed to endorse any Republican candidate who runs against Cheney in next year’s congressional elections. He has also voiced support for other Republican candidates who are opposing the 10 Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach him in the waning days of his administration or the seven senators who voted to convict him in the Senate impeachment trial in which Trump was acquitted.Shortly after Cheney’s vote to impeach Trump, Wyoming Republicans voted to censure her, and several vocal Trump allies in the House called for her to be ousted as chairwoman of the House Republican Conference. But other Republicans supported her, and she retained the position.In Utah, another Western state, some Republicans on Saturday booed one of the state’s U.S. senators, Mitt Romney, as he spoke at a party convention. Romney was the party’s losing 2012 presidential nominee and voted to convict Trump at both of his Senate impeachment trials. An attempt to censure him failed. Other Republicans have muted their criticism of Trump’s continued unfounded claims that he was cheated out of reelection, and several have traveled to Mar-a-Lago, his Florida mansion, to visit with him and talk politics.Trump lost dozens of court challenges to the election outcome but never formally conceded defeat to Biden, leaving Washington just hours ahead of Biden’s January 20 inauguration.Trump has suggested he might run again for the presidency in 2024 but has also said he would not decide until after the November 2022 congressional elections, in which control of both houses of Congress will be at stake. Democrats currently narrowly control both chambers.
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By Polityk | 05/03/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Православні християни світу вже вдруге святкують Великдень на тлі глобальної пандемії COVID-19 – фотогалерея
Православні християни в цілому світі вдруге святкують Великдень на тлі карантинних обмежень
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By Gromada | 05/03/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
З початку року поліція передала до суду 6 справ про перешкоджання журналістській діяльності – МВС
Протягом І кварталу 2021 року розпочато досудове розслідування за 48 кримінальними правопорушеннями, пов’язаними з перешкоджанням законній професійній діяльності журналістів, заявили у МВС
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By Gromada | 05/03/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Як у Києві святкували Великдень в умовах карантинних обмежень – фотогалерея
Православні християни східного обряду 2 травня по всьому світу відзначають Великдень в умовах карантинних обмежень.
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By Gromada | 05/02/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Поліція відкрила справу проти одесита за комуністичну символіку
Поліцейські відкрили кримінальне провадження за статтею про виготовлення чи поширення комуністичної чи нацистської символіки
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By Gromada | 05/02/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Закон про олігархів врахує практику антитрестового законодавства США – Кулеба
Голова МЗС вказав на те, що «феномен олігархії» мав місце в різних країнах, в тому числі і в США.
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By Gromada | 05/02/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
US Secretary of State to Hold Talks in Ukraine About Russian Aggression
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken leaves for Europe on Sunday, where he will hold meetings in London and Kyiv.Blinken’s first stop will be London, where he will meet with the foreign secretaries from the Group of Seven countries. Later in the week, he will travel to Kyiv to show U.S. support for Ukraine’s government as it faces threats to its sovereignty from Russia.The meetings in London with the G-7 ministers are in preparation for the meeting of the G-7 leaders in June in Cornwall.The ministers are also expected to discuss their handling of challenges they are all facing, including the coronavirus outbreak and climate change.Blinken is also scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.In Kyiv, Blinken will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior government officials. His appearance is designed to show Washington’s support for Ukraine’s government against Russian threats.While Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Russia has most recently engaged in a military buildup along its border with Ukraine.State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement that Blinken will “reaffirm unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression.”
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By Polityk | 05/02/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Одеса: поліція повідомила про охорону Куликового поля в річницю подій 2 травня
На проходах до Куликового поля встановили фільтраційні пункти, довкола обох площ обмежили рух транспорту
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By Gromada | 05/02/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Християни східного обряду святкують другий Великдень в умовах пандемії
Святкування в багатьох країнах відбувається з обмеженнями на відвідування церков
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By Gromada | 05/02/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
В УПЦ (МП) повідомили про прибуття Благодатного вогню в Україну
Церемонія сходження Благодатного вогню відбулася сьогодні у Єрусалимі
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By Gromada | 05/01/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Радіо Вільна Європа / Радіо Свобода відзначає 70 років від першого виходу в ефір
Упродовж останніх років стрімко погіршується ситуація з правами людини в Ірані, Білорусі та Росії, також потребують уваги експансіоністські дії режиму Путіна проти Грузії та України. За таких обставин існує постійна потреба в медіа, яке несе неупереджену та збалансовану інформацію
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By Gromada | 05/01/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Biden Celebrates Amtrak’s 50 Years on the Rails
President Joe Biden, once a regular Amtrak rider, helped the nation’s passenger rail system celebrate 50 years of service Friday.As a U.S. senator, Biden was a fixture on Amtrak trains between his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and Washington when the Senate was in session. He continued riding Amtrak as vice president. He has sometimes been referred to as “Amtrak Joe.”But with a presidential train trip challenging because of security concerns, Biden instead flew to Philadelphia for Amtrak’s celebration at its busy 30th Street Station. He was introduced by a conductor who worked the route when Biden was a regular passenger. The next generation of Amtrak’s high-speed Acela train, scheduled to enter service next year, was on display.”I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” said Biden, who recalled his years of racing to catch the 7:28 p.m. train to head home to Wilmington and, on a few occasions, falling asleep and missing his stop.”He knew just about everybody that worked in the station and the conductors and other people and Amtrak folks who were on the train for those many, many years that he rode the rail,” said Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn.Devoted riderFlynn described Biden as one of the rail service’s “most loyal customers.” Biden held annual Christmas parties for Amtrak employees and attended funeral services for some of the workers he came to know over the years.”He regularly engaged with them and knew quite a bit about them, and I think that’s why he was anxious or willing to be part of our 50th anniversary,” Flynn said of the president.Biden’s appearance in Philadelphia, his third visit to Pennsylvania while in office, came as he marked his first 100 days as president. It also followed his speech to Congress on Wednesday, when he outlined his $2.3 trillion jobs-and-infrastructure plan and previewed $1.8 trillion in proposed spending on education, child care and other family needs.The Amtrak party was Biden’s latest stop in a post-speech tour to sell the infrastructure, jobs and families plans. He campaigned in Atlanta on Thursday and plans a stop in Yorktown, Virginia, on Monday.President Joe Biden arrives to speak at an event to mark Amtrak’s 50th anniversary at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, April 30, 2021.The infrastructure proposal would devote $621 billion to improving roads, bridges, public transit and other fixed transportation installations. Of that, $80 billion would go toward tackling Amtrak’s repair backlog, improving service along the Northeast Corridor and expanding service across the U.S. Biden has said Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor is a critical part of the U.S. economy.Amtrak said after Biden announced the plan that the corporation would upgrade and expand service, including by adding 30 new routes and adding trains on 20 existing routes across the U.S. by 2035. New service would begin in portions of northeast Pennsylvania including Scranton, where Biden was born, as well as Nashville, Tennessee; Columbus, Ohio; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Houston; Dallas; and Austin, Texas, if approved by Congress.Repair backlogBut while the $80 billion represents a significant investment, the money would not go far in terms of funding high-speed rail. Amtrak has estimated that it has a $31 billion repair backlog for its trains in the Northeast Corridor alone, and transportation analysts say adding new lines in that region could easily use up the funds that remain.Biden also noted that the U.S. badly trails China, which has 23,000 miles (37,000 kilometers) of high-speed rail, in modernizing railways. Biden, in pitching his call for the massive infrastructure investment, has repeatedly said the plan is necessary, in part, to keep up with Beijing as an economic competitor.”We’re way behind the rest of the world now,” Biden said.A Senate Republican counteroffer to Biden’s plan, totaling $568 billion, would devote a much slimmer $20 billion to U.S. rail service.Amtrak President Stephen Gardner said earlier financial assistance from Biden’s pandemic relief plan has allowed the rail service to recall 1,200 employees who had been furloughed to compensate for revenue lost after travelers began avoiding public transportation.Ridership is returning to pre-COVID-19 levels, including reservations for summer travel, Flynn said. He attributed the rebound to the availability of vaccines and people’s desire to travel.Biden’s lifelong association with Amtrak began soon after rail service began in May 1971. Amtrak was formed after President Richard Nixon signed the Rail Passenger Service Act in 1970.
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By Polityk | 05/01/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Литва відкрила почесне консульство в Сєвєродонецьку
Посол Литви в Україні Вальдемарас Сарапінас назвав відкриття представництва «політично важливим кроком»
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By Gromada | 04/30/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Захист кримчанина Олега Приходька готує скаргу на вирок до ЄСПЛ – адвокат
Захист Приходька готується подати скаргу до Європейського суду з прав людини, щойно вирок йому набуде чинності
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By Gromada | 04/30/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
ОАСК скасував статус зеленої зони Протасового Яру на вимогу забудовника – Закревська
Адвокат назвала рішення «очікуваним» і додала, що на нього буде апеляція
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By Gromada | 04/30/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
CPJ закликає розслідувати напад на журналіста за спробу зняти порушення карантину в ресторані
Нікішин повідомляє, що на нього напав син мера Бродів, у чиєму комплексі журналіст хотів зафіксувати вечірку з порушенням карантину
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By VilneSlovo | 04/30/2021 | Повідомлення, Свобода слова
У Черкасах перевірили шкільні тири після того, як учень зазнав поранення в голову в одному з них
Тир гімназії №9 Черкас, де стався інцидент, досі опечатано правоохоронцями. Розслідування триває
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By Gromada | 04/30/2021 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Florida Legislature Passes Bill Limiting Ballot Access
Florida’s Legislature on Thursday passed a bill that makes it harder to access drop boxes and mail-in ballots, the latest Republican-led state to push for what activists say is voter suppression.Republicans cite former President Donald Trump’s claims that President Joe Biden stole the November election as reasons for the sweeping measures. Judges discredited such claims, made without evidence, in more than 60 lawsuits that failed to overturn the election result.Democrats say the Republican measures are designed to lessen the impact of Black voters, whose heavy turnout helped propel Biden to victory and delivered Democrats two U.S. Senate victories in Georgia in January. Georgia passed major new voting restrictions in March.The bill in neighboring Florida, also a political battleground, includes stricter requirements about drop box staffing and requires voters to apply more frequently for mail-in ballots.The bill also stipulates a widening of the “no-solicitation” area around polling places and expands the definition of solicitations to include “the giving, or attempting to give, any item to a voter by certain persons.” Rights groups warn that will dissuade activists from handing out water and food to voters standing in long lines in the often-sweltering state.Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the bill into law.Marc Elias, a Democratic lawyer who is representing a coalition of civil rights groups suing Georgia over its voting restrictions, tweeted that the Florida business community should have stood up against the bill.”These voter suppression laws are targeted at Black, Brown and young voters,” Elias tweeted. “Bill now heads to Governor’s desk. Watch this space for more news once it is signed.”A record 158 million people voted in the November elections, in part thanks to new rules that made voting easier during COVID-19 pandemic. New York University’s nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice found 29 states and the District of Columbia passed laws and changed procedures to expand voting access during the health crisis.
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By Polityk | 04/30/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden Travels to Georgia, a State that Secured His Legislative Ambitions
Marking his first 100 days in office, U.S. President Joe Biden traveled Thursday to Georgia, a state where Democratic victories in the Senate allowed him to pursue a far more ambitious legislative agenda. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
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By Polityk | 04/30/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Largest Aid Package in US History Caps First Weeks of Biden Presidency
U.S. President Joe Biden took office three months ago working with a Congress narrowly controlled by Democrats. While Biden faced twin economic and public health crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Capitol Hill was consumed by the second impeachment trial of his predecessor, Donald Trump. VOA congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson looks at the new president’s dealings with lawmakers during his first 100 days.Producer: Katherine Gypson.
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By Polityk | 04/30/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden Takes Victory Lap at Drive-In Rally on 100th Day in Office
Marking his 100th day as president of the United States, Joe Biden said Thursday that he had never been more optimistic about the future of America, because the country “is on the move again. We’re choosing hope over fear, truth over lies, light over darkness.”Biden spoke at a drive-in political rally near Atlanta, funded by the Democratic National Committee.”You’re proving democracy can deliver for the people,” the president said to the approval of the honking horns of the 315 vehicles in attendance on the grounds of the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, northeast of Atlanta.The U.S. Senate runoffs in January in the state of Georgia, with victories by Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, gave Biden’s Democrats unified control of the federal government.The president last month used the 50 Democratic seats in the Senate to get approval for his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, although no Republicans voted for it. The legislation also won approval in the House, also controlled by the Democrats.Response to protestersEarly in the president’s remarks on Thursday, he paused when a few demonstrators voiced concerns about detentions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, shouting, “Our families are dying!””I agree with you. I’m working on it, man. Give me another five days,” responded Biden. “Folks, you all know what they’re talking about. There should be no private prisons, none, period. That’s what they’re talking about — private detention centers. They should not exist, and we are working to close all of them.”The president then returned to reminding the audience he had kept his promise to get coronavirus vaccines into American arms and to deliver relief to millions of citizens.Biden’s victory lap came less than 24 hours after he delivered his first speech to a joint session of Congress in which he promoted proposals to promote job growth, modernize infrastructure, and assist families with child care and education that would cost trillions of dollars.A U.S. president’s first 100 days has become a notable milestone since Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933 during the depths of the Great Depression.”American aspiration has defined these first 100 days,” Vice President Kamala Harris said earlier Thursday at a mass vaccination site inside a stadium in Baltimore.The vice president said that when she and Biden took office, “More than 10 million Americans were out of work. Schools were closed. Businesses were closed. And beyond the pandemic, our democracy was under assault. And our Capitol had just been attacked by insurgents.”Republican responseLittle of what the Biden-Harris team has achieved in its first 100 days has impressed the Republicans’ leader in the Senate.The Democrats’ agenda is “an attempt to continue dragging a divided country farther and faster to the left,” according to Senator Mitch McConnell.”Our president will not secure a lasting legacy through go-it-alone radicalism,” added McConnell in a statement to mark Biden’s 100th day in office. “He won’t get much done that way. It won’t be good for the country. And whatever the Democrats do get done through partisan brute force will be fragile.”
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By Polityk | 04/30/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
