By Miriam Raftery; Jonathan Goetz contributed to this report

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“My purpose tonight is to wake up the Congress and alert the American people that this is no ordinary moment...What makes our moment rare is that freedom and democracy are under attack at — both at home and overseas at the very same time.” -- President Joe Biden

March 9, 2024 (Washington D.C.) – In a powerful State of the Union speech, President Joe Biden announced his intent to “both wake up Congress and alert the American people” about threats to our democracy at home and abroad.  He likened the global threat to 1941, when President Franklin Roosevelt addressed Congress with a warning while Hitler on the march and war raged in Europe. Biden warned of Russia’s threats to the free world, as well as threats to freedoms in the U.S.

In addition, Biden  touted historic economic gains, plans for a mortgage tax credit, a goal to cut more prescription drug costs, and a goal to further reduce the deficit by increasing taxes on wealthy individuals earning over $400,000  whose taxes were cut by the Trump administration.  He called on Congress to pass aid to Ukraine and a bipartisan border security and immigration reform bill, also announcing emergency orders for the military to build a pier to bring more humanitarian aid to Gaza.

By Jonathan Goetz

March 5, 2024 (San Diego's East County) -- On Super Tuesday, President Joe Biden won all 16 states holding Democratic contests for President, while former President Donald Trump won at least 12 of the 14 states holding Republican primaries or caucuses today. Neither secured enough delegates yet to secure their party’s nominations, though both appear on track to do so. This is Biden's first loss to primary challengers in the 2024 election cycle and Trump's second, following Haley's victory in Washington, D.C.

Jason Palmer, a venture capitalist and former staffer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, defeated Incumbent President Joe Biden by 51 votes to 40, in American Samoa's caucus. As a result, Palmer secured all six Democratic delegates from American Samoa. Palmer told NBC news after his surprising win, “You can never expect to beat an incumbent president, but I love the people of American Samoa, and they’ve been so wonderful to me this past month.”

Trump was denied a sweep by Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Governor (ret.) of South Carolina, who won the Republican primary in the State of Vermont, picking up at least 9 of 17 Republican delegates.

NATO forces fought in Afghanistan to protect the U.S. after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, but Trump made clear he would not defend our NATO Allies

By Miriam Raftery

Photo (cc by SA) --  The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington D.C. caused NATO to invoke its collective defense article for the first time.

February 12, 2024 (San Diego) — Former president Donald Trump said Saturday that if reelected, he would not defend U.S. allies under the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance, or NATO, unless they paid at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense. He claimed to have told the leader of a major ally that if Russia were to attack that nation, “No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.”

Trump’s comments during a South Carolina rally sent shockwaves around the world, drawing strong rebukes from NATO and world leaders.

Retired General Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, called the remarks “treasonous,” in a CNN interview.

Earlier, he issued this statement:  “On 9/11, when America was under attack, NATO nations all mobilized to come to our defense and fought alongside us to crush al Qaeda. They didn’t ask us for money. They didn’t put strings on it.  That is the kind of iron-clad commitment that has kept western democracies—including our own—alive for 75 years.”

General Clark added, “For Donald Trump to publicly signal to Vladimir Putin that he can take as much of Europe as he wants, and we will sit by and cheer him on, isn’t just breaking the promise the United States has made, and it isn’t just threatening Europe. It is encouraging World War III, which will hit our shores and cost American lives....The lives of every American, both in uniform and civilian, are at severe risk if Donald Trump wins this election.”

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Rep. Darrell Issa at Gold Star Family hearing last August in Escondido. Photo by Chris Stone

December 14, 2023 (Washington, D.C.) - The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to formally authorize its ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden as Republicans unite behind the effort even though they have yet to find evidence of wrongdoing by the Democrat.

View video of full 2023 State of the Union address on C-Span

By Miriam Raftery

February 10, 2023 (Washington D.C.) – U.S. President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union speech on Feb. 7, celebrating  American accomplishments and resilience since he took office amid the pandemic.  “We’ve saved millions of lives and opened America back up,” said Biden. “So let’s look at the results.”

 Among his administration’s achievements, he cited:

• Cutting the deficit by over $1.7 trillion, the largest deficit reduction in U.S. history. (Under the Trump administration, by contrast, the deficit increased for four straight years.)
• Creating 12 million jobs in two years, more than any prior administration created in four years
• Creating 800,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs, the fastest growth in 40 years. Instead of factories  moving overseas, the U.S. is once again exporting American products.
• Attaining an unemployment rate of 3.4%, the lowest in 50 years, including record low unemployment rates for Black and Hispanic workers
• Ending the emergency declaration as COVID no longer controls our lives and COVID deaths have dropped 90%
• Capping the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare
• Inflation, a global problem due to supply disruptions form the pandemic and the Ukraine war, is now coming down; gas prices are down $1.50 a gallon, food prices are dipping and inflation has fallen each month for the past six months, following passage of the Inflation Reduction Act
• Enacting the CHIPS and Science Act to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs to make “sure the supply chain for America begins in America”, making semiconductor chips in the U.S. for use in cellphones, autos and more.
• Signing over 300 bipartisan laws including an infrastructure bill that is putting Americans to work building and repairing roads and bridges, as well as replacing lead pipes to provide clean water to schools, homes and childcare centers and bringing high-speed internet to rural communities
• Signing a law to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits
• Signing a bill to reduce the deficit by $115 billion by cracking down on wealthy tax cheats
• Providing tax credits to buy electric vehicles and investing in charging stations, as well as clean energy
• Recovering billions of taxpayer dollars lost to rampant fraud by bringing back watchdogs -  inspector generals sidelined by the prior administration
• Allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices to reduce costs.
• Launching a new border plan last month that resulted in a 97% drop in  unlawful migration from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Biden said his vision for the nation has always been to “restore the soul of the nation, to rebuild the backbone of America, the middle class,” and “to unite the country.”  In a vigorous speech that could preface an announcement to seek reelection, Biden pledged to “finish the job.”

By Miriam Raftery

July 21, 2022 This morning, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19.  According to a White House briefing, he is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms.    The 79-year-old President has begun taking Paxlovid, an anti-viral medication effective during the first several days after symptoms appear.

According to the White House physician Kevin O’Connor’s letter, those symptoms include a runny nose, fatigue and a dry cough.

The President’s last negative test was Tuesday; the positive result was found during routine testing for the President. All contacts since Tuesday will be notified, per the White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

“Consistent with CDC guidelines, he will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time.  He has been in contact with members of the White House staff by phone this morning, and will participate in his planned meetings at the White House this morning via phone and Zoom from the residence,” the release states.

By John Meitz

July 4, 2022 (El Cajon) --  I have been a voter in El Cajon for over 30 years. I used to be a lifelong Republican.just like my father before me.

That all changed when I saw Trump turn my Republican Party into a Trump Cult. If you are a Trump supporter it may be hard to hear this. It may be hard to accept that former President Trump betrayed your trust and deceived you. But those are the facts.

Stop the big lie! Like former Attorney General Bill Barr said, “There was no widespread voter fraud."

Source: U.S. Health and Human Services Dept.

Photo: CC via Bing

 

April 4, 2022 (Washington D.C.) -- The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing today that more than 59 million Americans with Medicare Part B, including those enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, now have access to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, authorized, or cleared over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at no cost.  People with Medicare can get up to eight tests per calendar month from participating pharmacies and health care providers for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

By Miriam Raftery

Read full transcript of State of the Union speech

View video of State of the Union speech

View part 2 of our coverage, on domestic issues addressed by Biden

View the Republican response

Photo: President Joe Biden, center, says of the Ukrainian people, "You inspired the world.'  Left, Vice President Kamala Harris, right, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

March 2, 2022 (Washington D.C.) –President Joe Biden drew bipartisan applause during his State of the Union speech last night, when he recognized the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. and asked those in the Capitol chamber to rise and show the world that, “We, the United States of America, stand with the Ukrainian people.”

Biden announced new, strenuous actions against Russia and key supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin. These include:

• Closing off U.S. air space to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia;
• Ordering the U.S.  Justice Department to form a task force to go after crimes committed by Russian oligarchs and “corrupt leaders” profiting off Putin’s regime;
• Plans to seize oligarchs’ assets including yachts, private jets and luxury homes
• Releasing 30 million gallons of oil from America’s strategic reserved, matched by an equal amount from other nations to help reduce gas prices without Russian oil.

These add to recently imposed sanctions including:

While world leaders denounce Russia for violating international law,  on eve of invasion Trump praised Putin for recognizing separatist regions as independent, predicted Russian president intended to "keep the peace."

By Miriam Raftery

Updated 2:06 p.m. with additional comments from Sara Jacobs.

February 24, 2022 (San Diego) – In defiance of international law, according to the United Nations, Russia last night launched a full-scale attack on the Ukraine including missile attacks on the capital, Kyiv, military targets and other cities far beyond separatist regions in dispute. Russian troops and tanks are also moving in on three sides of the Ukraine in the largest military threat Europe has faced since World War II.

Ukraine’s leaders have fled the capitol.  Chillingly, today exiled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted, ““Russian occupation forces are trying to seize the Chernobyl [Nuclear Power Plant]. Our defenders are sacrificing their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated," rerferring to the core meltdown at the nuclear reactor site

He added, “This is a declaration of war against the whole of Europe.” 

President Joe Biden condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for choosing ”a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering,” adding,”The world will hold Russia accountable.” In addition to sanctions already imposed, Biden announced he will convene a meeting of G7 leaders today and coordinate with NATO allies to ensure “a strong, united response that deters any aggression against the Alliance. Tonight, Jill and I are praying for the brave and proud people of the Ukraine.”

Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa (Simon & Schuster, New York, 2021, 482 pages)

Book Review by Dennis Moore

          “We have much to do in this winter of peril.” -- President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in his inaugural address, January 20, 2021, at the United States Capitol

October 12, 2021 (San Diego) -- Peril, by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa is the scariest book that I have read among my more than 400 book reviews, for it portends the destruction of our democracy as we once knew it. The publishers of this well written book, Simon & Schuster, states: “The transition from President Donald J. Trump to President Joseph R. Biden Jr. stands as one of the most dangerous periods in American history.”

This book is scary for all the revelations made in it about the former president, which is ongoing in the aftermath of the January 6, 2021 attempt at a coup at the Capital Building in Washington, DC, and the ties between former President Trump and his supporters. The co-author of this book, Robert Costa, gives a riveting audio presentation to NPR, which readers can listen to by clicking here.

By Donald H. Harrison, Editor, San Diego Jewish World, a member of the San Diego Online News Association 

Photo:  President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

June 17, 2021 (San Diego) - I was delighted to learn that Congress, by an overwhelming vote, has decided that Juneteenth should be a federal holiday. President Joe Biden subsequently signed the Juneteenth bill into law.

By Miriam Raftery

May 31, 2021 (Arlington, Va.) – President Joe Biden laid a Memorial Day wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, where he said we “remember those who gave their all in the service of America, in the service of freedom, in the service of justice.”

Local child care provider Shaunte Brown will be Jacobs’ virtual guest

April 28, 2021 (San Diego) -- Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-53) will hold a virtual watch party for President Biden’s address to the Joint Session of Congress tonight at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

At tonight’s event, Congresswoman Jacobs will speak and invite constituents to share their thoughts on what they hope President Biden will discuss in his remarks.