Kayleigh McEnany Says Jen Psaki ‘Does Not Have Faith’ in Joe Biden Taking Press Questions

President Joe Biden‘s lack of press conferences has raised questions about the administration’s communications strategy in recent days as some have criticized the Democrat for not being more available to journalists’ questions.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has defended the president’s approach, while former Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who served under Donald Trump, made critical remarks and compared Biden unfavorably to his predecessor. McEnany also suggested that Psaki “does not have faith” in Biden to perform well under questioning.

Biden has been president for more than 40 days but has not yet held a solo press conference. Both former President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama had both done so by this point in their presidency. Biden has often taken reporters’ questions during or after events, but has not yet held any formal press conferences.

Source: Kayleigh McEnany Says Jen Psaki ‘Does Not Have Faith’ in Joe Biden Taking Press Questions

Chinese foreign minister calls for ‘non-interference’ between China, U.S.

  • Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday at a high-level press conference that the U.S. needs to remove “unreasonable restrictions” and stop interfering in what Beijing considers its domestic affairs.
  • U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has maintained a tough position on China and raised concerns about Beijing’s stance around Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.
  • Wang did not specify what the restrictions were, and pointed to a phone call between the two countries’ leaders in February as a positive basis for rebuilding the bilateral relationship.

Source: Chinese foreign minister calls for ‘non-interference’ between China, U.S.

Biden to sign executive order expanding voting access – CNNPolitics

(CNN)President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order Sunday expanding voting access in what the White House calls “an initial step in this Administration’s efforts to protect the right to vote and ensure all eligible citizens can freely participate in the electoral process.”

The move comes just three days after the House of Representatives passed HR1, a sweeping ethics and election package aimed at ensuring voting rights, with provisions expanding early and mail-in voting, restoring voting rights to former felons, and easing voter registration for eligible Americans.

Sunday’s order directs the heads of all federal agencies to submit proposals for their respective agencies to promote voter registration and participation within 200 days, while assisting states in voter registration under the National Voter Registration Act. In addition, the order would instruct the General Services Administration to modernize the federal government’s Vote.gov portal.”

The President’s commitment to democracy includes making it easier and more equitable for all eligible Americans to exercise their fundamental right to vote,” an administration official told reporters Saturday, adding Sunday’s executive order would “leverage the resources of the federal government to expand citizens’ opportunities to register to vote, and to learn about and participate in the electoral process.”

Source: Biden to sign executive order expanding voting access – CNNPolitics

Biden announces $1,400 payments will begin this month | TheHill

President Biden on Saturday announced that the $1,400 coronavirus stimulus checks will begin being distributed in March.

The payments come after the Senate passed the nearly $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill Saturday in a 50-49 partisan vote.

This is the first round of stimulus checks that will be given out under Biden. Former President Trump passed two stimulus checks last year, one for $1,200 and another for $600.

The payments will go to 85 percent of Americans, Reuters reported.

The $1.9 trillion bill was debated for weeks among senators, with provisions such as an increase to a $15 minimum wage being taken out in order to get the bill through.

Source: Biden announces $1,400 payments will begin this month | TheHill

1 dead after shooting near George Floyd Square in Minneapolis

One person has died after reports of shots fired near the George Floyd Memorial in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Police say they received ShotSpotter reports along with 911 calls for two people who were shot in the area of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, the site of the George Floyd Memorial in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood.

Initially, officers were told by callers the victim would be brought to a barricade that blocks off the memorial from traffic. However, when police arrived, they say they learned the victims had been transported to a nearby hospital. Officers say they were also met with “interference” from people at the memorial.

Source: 1 dead after shooting near George Floyd Square in Minneapolis

After Border Patrol release, asylum-seekers test positive for Covid in Brownsville, Texas

A number of migrants seeking asylum and released by Border Patrol have tested positive to Covid-19 tests in Brownsville, Texas. Some plan to continue their journey to other cities and states.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Miriam Izaguirre, a 35-year-old asylum-seeker from Honduras, crossed the Rio Grande at dawn Monday with her young son and turned herself in to the authorities.

A few hours later she was released, and the first thing she did was take a rapid test for Covid-19 at the Brownsville bus station. They told her her test came out positive.

“Right now we were tested for Covid and they separated about eight of us because we were positive,” she told Noticias Telemundo Investiga. “We are waiting right now.” She was waiting to catch a bus to Houston.

Source: After Border Patrol release, asylum-seekers test positive for Covid in Brownsville, Texas

Coronavirus variants driving another surge across Europe – Axios

Why it matters: European countries reported around 1 million new cases last week, around a 9% increase from the week prior. Last week’s surge ended a six-week decline in new infections, the WHO said Thursday, according to AP.

By the numbers: The variant first found in the United Kingdom, which may be more transmissible and more deadly than the original strain of the virus, is spreading in 27 European countries monitored by WHO, according to AP.

  • It’s now the dominant strain in at least 10 countries: Britain, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Israel, Spain and Portugal.
  • Meanwhile, the variant first discovered in South Africa has been found in 26 European countries. Vaccine producers ModernaPfizer and Novavax have each reported their vaccines, while still effective, offer less protection against the South African variant.
  • The Brazilian variant, detected in 15 European countries, may be able to reinfect people who survived infections with earlier versions of the coronavirus, according to Reuters.

The big picture: Italy’s government tightened coronavirus restrictions in some of its 20 regions this week in response to the surge.

Source: Coronavirus variants driving another surge across Europe – Axios

Rep. Gohmert to Newsmax TV: Americans Paying to Ship Migrant Drug Dealers All Over US | Newsmax.com

American taxpayers are footing the bill to ship migrant drug dealers all over the country, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, says of President Joe Biden’s free-wheeling immigration plan.

”I’ve been down there on the border too many times, all hours of the day and night, and I’ve seen them standing in the dark. They’re lined up, they’re being processed,” Gohmert said Friday during an appearance on Newsmax TV’s ”Chris Salcedo Show.”

”The border patrolmen starting at the other end and you’ve got people that are passing kids around. Who’s going to be the parent? They’re pushing kids around to decide who’s going to act like their parent. I’ve seen them addresses that the drug cartel gets them on where they want them to be shipped, by ICE, by border patrol taking them in.

”Then they tell the border patrol, ‘This is where my relative is,’ and the government pays to ship them all over the country.

 

Source: Rep. Gohmert to Newsmax TV: Americans Paying to Ship Migrant Drug Dealers All Over US | Newsmax.com

2 killed, 1 injured in 3 overnight Pittsburgh shootings; arrest made in 1 case | TribLIVE.com

Two men were killed in separate shootings overnight in Pittsburgh.

In the first fatal shooting, police said Kristofer Lee Metzger, 35, was found dead in a vehicle when they responded to multiple 911 calls of shots fired shortly after midnight Saturday on the 2700 block of Zephyr Avenue in Sheraden.

In the second deadly shooting, Julian Carter, 30, was found shot and killed about two hours later on the 7600 block of Frankstown Avenue in Homewood.

Earlier Friday night, police responded to a call of a shooting on the 7200 block of Tioga Street in Homewood South.

When police and rescue crews arrived, they found a juvenile male who had been shot in the back of his left leg.

Source: 2 killed, 1 injured in 3 overnight Pittsburgh shootings; arrest made in 1 case | TribLIVE.com

Man wanted for shooting, killing IUP student from Pittsburgh arrested in Altoona

ALTOONA, Pa. — The U.S. Marshals Service and the Altoona Police Department arrested a man wanted in connection with shooting and killing an IUP student last fall.

Police said they found out Terrion Gates was in the Altoona area and he was taken into custody Friday without incident.

Gates was wanted for shooting and killing 20-year-old Jayden Wright of Pittsburgh in the parking lot of the Carriage House Apartments on Oakland Avenue in October. Wright was taken to the Indiana Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Gates was one of four suspects police were searching for in connection with the murder. He was extradited to Indiana County for arraignment.

Source: Man wanted for shooting, killing IUP student from Pittsburgh arrested in Altoona

DA: 2 arrested, 750 stamp bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl seized in Jefferson County | WJAC

 

Authorities say two men were arrested and more than 700 stamp bags of heroin seized following a months-long drug trafficking investigation in Jefferson County. According to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, the county’s Drug Task Force executed a search warrant Tuesday at a home along Roller Coaster Road in Clover Township. Investigators say they found 15 bricks of suspected heroin/fentanyl (750 stamp bags, cash and several guns.

Source: DA: 2 arrested, 750 stamp bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl seized in Jefferson County | WJAC

Senate passes Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan after all-night votes – CNNPolitics

(CNN)The Senate passed President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan on Saturday, after an all-night “vote-a-rama” and a 12-hour struggle to get one Democrat to support the party’s plan on a critical issue.

The vote was 50 to 49 on a party-line vote. The House will vote Tuesday on the bill to approve changes made in the Senate, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced, and then it will go to Biden to be signed into law.
Biden hailed the Senate passage in remarks from the White House Saturday afternoon, touting his plan’s widespread public support even if it didn’t earn any Republican votes.
“By passing this plan, we’ll have proved that this government, this democracy, can still work. It has to be done. It will improve people’s lives,” Biden said.

Source: Senate passes Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan after all-night votes – CNNPolitics

Car bomb explodes in Somalia’s capital, killing at least 20 people – CNN

Mogadishu, Somalia (CNN)At least 20 people were killed and more than 30 others wounded in a car bomb blast in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Friday night, police and emergency services said.

A car packed with explosives was detonated at the gates of Luul Yemeni restaurant near the port at around 8 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET), Captain Aden Osman, a senior police officer in the capital, confirmed to CNN.
The explosion was followed by heavy gunfire.
The powerful blast caused widespread destruction of several buildings and business centers in the area, Osman added. Aamin Ambulance services confirmed 30 people have been wounded in the bombing and were rushed to local hospitals.

Source: Car bomb explodes in Somalia’s capital, killing at least 20 people – CNN

Charlamgne Tha God and Bill Maher clash over sex pest claims against New York Governor | Daily Mail Online

 

The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, was the subject of a series of barbs from comedian Bill Maher during his HBO show on Friday night while Maher dicussed him with Charlamagne Tha God.

  • The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, was the subject of a series of barbs from comedian Bill Maher during his HBO show on Friday night
  • Three women, including two former aides, have come forward recently to say that Cuomo had sexually harassed them or made inappropriate remarks 
  • Maher had a heated debate with radio presenter Charlamagne Tha God who likened Cuomo’s allegations to those against Joe Biden
  • Tara Reade, who was previously a staffer for then-Senator Biden, claimed her former boss sexually assaulted her
  • Biden and his presidential campaign repeatedly denied her allegations

Source: Charlamgne Tha God and Bill Maher clash over sex pest claims against New York Governor | Daily Mail Online

Bucking Republican trend, Alabama governor extends mask order

Breaking with other Southern GOP governors, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey extended her state’s mask order for another month Thursday but said the requirement will end for good in April. Following the recommendations of medical officials, Ivey said she will keep the mask order that was set to expire Friday in place until April 9. Texas and neighboring Mississippi are easing health restrictions as vaccination numbers rise and illnesses linked to the coronavirus decline.

Source: Bucking Republican trend, Alabama governor extends mask order

Nicolas Cage, 56, ties the knot for the 5TH TIME in Las Vegas

Nicolas Cage, 56, has tied the knot for the fifth time to 26-year-old girlfriend Riko Shibata in a small Las Vegas ceremony where his ex-wife and son joined in the celebrations, DailyMail.com can reveal. The Oscar-winning actor married Riko in an ‘intimate’ wedding at the Wynn Casino and Hotel in Sin City back on February 16, with the date chosen to honor the birthday of the groom’s late father.

Source: Nicolas Cage, 56, ties the knot for the 5TH TIME in Las Vegas

Photos appear to show a giant ship hovering over the water off the English coast – CBS News

David Morris said he was “stunned” to see a giant vessel seemingly suspended over the surface of the sea. It’s a truly “superior mirage.”

“Superior mirages occur because of the weather condition known as a temperature inversion, where cold air lies close to the sea with warmer air above it,” Braine said. “Since cold air is denser than warm air, it bends light towards the eyes of someone standing on the ground or on the coast, changing how a distant object appears.”

Source: Photos appear to show a giant ship hovering over the water off the English coast – CBS News

Biden Admin Pushes Bill That Would Force Cops to Pull Over Women for No Reason

The Biden administration has endorsed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a sweeping police “reform” bill intended to fight “systemic racism” in police departments.

The House approved HR 1280, introduced by California Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, on Wednesday. A similar bill was passed by the House last year, but it stalled in the Senate. The new bill could face the same fate.

Source: Biden Admin Pushes Bill That Would Force Cops to Pull Over Women for No Reason

Doughbar, a new pizza destination, to open on South Side | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

There are few foods that evoke as much passion as pizza: Ask a dozen people their favorite and you might get a dozen answers, and everyone has a fierce loyalty for their neighborhood pizza shop.

Matt Porco, Donnie Amman and Chris Clark can rattle off theirs without batting an eye — Casa Del Sole in Aspinwall, Don Campiti’s in Dormont and Napoli in Bridgeville, respectively. It’s a combination of that neighborhood nostalgia along with a career’s worth of experience at top restaurants in Pittsburgh and New York that they’ll bring to Doughbar Pizzeria & Rotisserie, slated to open March 17 at 1831 E. Carson St. on the South Side.

Though whole- or half-bird rotisserie chicken and wings will be on the menu, pizza is the star.

“When you look at Pittsburgh’s pizza historically, we have a neighborhood pizza culture. We are bridging the gap between that and a full-service restaurant with the experience we have, the ideas that we can present, and creating an environment that is a destination,” said Porco, executive chef and co-owner.

“We’re hoping that you can get a little bit of nostalgia,” Clark said. “We’re incorporating ideas from the pizzas we liked when we were young.”

“Our menu is going to be a riff on a neighborhood pizzeria,” Mr. Porco said.

The new pizza restaurant from Matt Porco, Donnie Amman and Chris Clark will open on March 17.

Source: Doughbar, a new pizza destination, to open on South Side | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Unemployment benefits: Senate Democrats look to trim weekly boost but add a month of payments in stimulus bill – CNNPolitics

(CNN)Jobless Americans would get a smaller weekly boost to unemployment benefits but receive those payments for an additional month under a last-minute revision of the Senate’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on Friday.

This is a significant change from the House bill, which would provide an extra $400 a week through August 29 and continue the two pandemic programs for the same period. The House bill does not contain the tax provision.

But West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — the Democrats’ crucial 50th vote — does not yet support the plan, but has been supportive of a Republican proposal to extend $300-a-week federal benefits through July.

Progress on the overall bill paused Friday afternoon as senators negotiated the issue.

The Senate was voting Friday on a series of amendments in a process known as a “vote-a-rama” before moving to a final vote on the entire relief package.

Source: Unemployment benefits: Senate Democrats look to trim weekly boost but add a month of payments in stimulus bill – CNNPolitics

Kids More Likely To Die From Suicides Due To COVID-19 Lockdowns: Study Shows

A Fair Health Study shows that lockdowns due to COVID-19 greatly affect the mental health of kids and often leads to suicide, a cause of death for kids that is more rampant than the infection of the virus itself.

In Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight broadcast on March 2, Carlson explained in depth how kids are 10 times more likely to die from suicide due to mental health issues brought about by the lockdown than “from the coronavirus they’re meant to be protected from.”

Source: Kids More Likely To Die From Suicides Due To COVID-19 Lockdowns: Study Shows

Pittsburgh Police Investigating Woman Found Dead Inside Her Home – CBS Pittsburgh

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – An investigation is underway after a woman was found dead inside her bathroom.

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Just before 11:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, police, fire, and EMS were called to a home in 5800 block of Black Street for a report of an unconscious woman at the home.

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When they arrived, a family member showed them to the bathroom where she was unconscious.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Pittsburgh Police are investigating the incident.

Source: Pittsburgh Police Investigating Woman Found Dead Inside Her Home – CBS Pittsburgh

Bipartisan group of senators introduces bill to rein in Biden’s war powers | TheHill

A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill on Wednesday to repeal two military authorizations, effectively curbing President Biden’s war powers.

The bill, spearheaded by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), would repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force (AUMF), which both deal with Iraq.

The bill comes as lawmakers have voiced frustration about a lack of consultation with Congress over the United States’ strikes last week in Syria, marking the first known military action ordered by Biden. The administration didn’t cite either authorization for those actions.

Source: Bipartisan group of senators introduces bill to rein in Biden’s war powers | TheHill

Does Ivermectin Alleviate Covid-19 Symptoms? 

“Ivermectin is currently being used widely,” said Dr. Eduardo López-Medina, a doctor and researcher at the Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases in Cali, Colombia, who led the new trial. “In many countries in the Americas and other parts of the world, it’s part of the national guidelines of treating Covid.”

But the drug has also proved divisive. While some scientists see potential, others suspect that effectively inhibiting the coronavirus may require extremely high, potentially unsafe doses. Health officials have also worried that people desperate for coronavirus treatments might take versions of the drug that have been formulated for pets. (It is commonly used to prevent heartworm in dogs.)

Source: Ivermectin Does Not Alleviate Mild Covid-19 Symptoms, Study Finds – The New York Times

President Joe Biden hasn’t had a press conference. 

Obama held a Q&A with reporters on Day 20, Trump on Day 27. The Biden White House has found other ways for the president to get its message out.

Nearly halfway into his first 100 days, President Joe Biden has yet to personally hold a press briefing, the longest any president has waited to make himself broadly accessible to the media in decades.

Presidential press briefings have historically been one of the few forums where the commander-in-chief is open to direct questioning and scrutiny, shedding light on an administration’s thoughts outside official public statements.

Source: President Joe Biden hasn’t had a press conference. Does it matter?

20 state AGs denounce Democrats’ HR 1 as unconstitutional

 

Twenty Republican state attorneys general signed a letter denouncing the House Democrats’ controversial election reform bill as unconstitutional for a slew of reasons just hours before the measure was expected to be voted on.

The letter — led by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita — tore into H.R. 1, the “For the People Act,” a massive election reform bill and a leading priority for House Democrats this Congress.

“This monstrosity of a bill betrays the Constitution, dangerously federalizes state elections, and undermines the integrity of the ballot box,” Rokita said in a statement to Fox News. “As a former chief election officer, and now an Attorney General, I know this would be a disaster for election integrity and confidence in the processes that have been developed over time to instill confidence in the idea of ‘one person, one vote.’”

The attorneys general said the bill “betrays several Constitutional deficiencies and alarming mandates” that would “federalize” statewide elections across America and that “states have principal —and with presidential elections, exclusive — responsibility to safeguard” how they hold elections under the Constitution.

“The Act would invert that constitutional structure, commandeer state resources, confuse and muddle elections procedures, and erode faith in our elections and systems of governance,” they wrote.

They then warned lawmakers that they “may wish to consider the Act’s constitutional vulnerabilities as well as the policy critiques of state officials.”

Source: 20 state AGs denounce Democrats’ HR 1 as unconstitutional

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