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Former Mueller prosecutor Greg Andres joins probe

Former Mueller prosecutor Greg Andres joins probe

Prosecutor Greg Andres.

Source: CSPAN

The New York State Assembly hired attorneys from a well-known Manhattan law firm – one of whom was a prosecutor on the then Robert Mueller team – to investigate the impeachment investigation of Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo, who denies wrongdoing, is under investigation by the congregation’s judicial committee on allegations of sexual harassment of aides and other women, as well as covering up Covid death dates related to nursing home patients.

Davis Polk & Wardwell firm has been hired to lead this investigation, congregation spokesman Carl Heastie and judicial committee chairman Charles Lavine said in a statement Wednesday. Both leaders of the assembly are Democrats, as is Cuomo.

Attorneys for the investigation include Davis Polk partner Greg Andres, a former federal attorney who worked on Mueller’s extensive investigation into people related to former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russian meddling in this year’s election.

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The impeachment investigation is different from an ongoing Cuomo investigation conducted by a team of other lawyers in private practice overseen by Attorney General Letitia James.

That team spent four hours this week interviewing at least one woman who has made allegations against Cuomo: former aide-de-camp Charlotte Bennett.

In another investigation, police in Albany, New York were informed of allegations that Cuomo aggressively groped a current employee at the governor’s mansion after calling her there on the pretext of helping him with his cell phone.

Andres served as a prosecutor in the 2018 Virginia trial of former Trump campaign leader Paul Manafort, which resulted in a conviction on financial crime charges related to the Republican advisor’s work in Ukraine.

One month before leaving office in January, Trump pardoned Manafort, who had also pleaded guilty separately in another federal trial.

Andres was the subject of news articles during the Manafort trial when the federal judge in the case, TS Ellis, which the prosecutor had complained about, prevented him from asking vital questions to a witness, suspected that Andres was crying in court.

Andres denied he cried, and a number of lawyers said Ellis’ behavior toward the prosecutor was wrong.

In addition to his work on the Mueller probe, Andres previously served as a federal attorney in Brooklyn, New York, and in Washington, where he served as the deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice’s crime department from 2010 to 2012.

Davis Polk’s other attorneys hired on the Cuomo investigation include Angela Burgess, co-chair of the firm’s commercial defense and investigations group, and Martine Beamon, partner in the legal department who previously served as a prosecutor in the firm’s office US attorney for the southern borough of New York.

Only one New York governor has ever been charged: William “Plain Bill” Sulzer, who was removed from office in 1913 on charges of campaign fraud.

If the assembly, which has 150 members, 106 Democrats and 43 Republicans, indicts Cuomo, Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul will assume the office of incumbent governor until the Senate completes a trial of Cuomo. The jurors in this process include not only senators, but also the seven members of the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeal.

Those judges include the court’s chief judge, Janet DiFiore, who is married to former Davis Polk partner Dennis Glazer, whom Cuomo has appointed to the board of directors of the State University of New York, Purchase. Last month, Cuomo DiFiore failed to get the investigation to work with the Attorney General.

There are 43 Senate Democrats and 20 Republicans. Majority leader, Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, has called for Cuomo’s resignation.

If Cuomo is acquitted by the Senate, he would serve as governor again. To convict him, two-thirds of the jury would have to vote.

Heasties approval of the Justice Committee’s impeachment investigation last week came after a meeting of the Democratic caucus.

At that meeting, some members reportedly believed that Heastie’s attempt to clear an investigation, rather than immediately launching impeachment proceedings, should give Cuomo more time to politically bail out.

Other members reportedly deemed the move appropriate for the Attorney General’s office to conclude their investigation.

Heastie said in a statement Wednesday that Judicial Officer Lavine has been “conducting a vigorous search for a top-notch company to help with the investigation” since last week.

“The hiring of Davis Polk will give the committee the experience, independence and resources necessary to properly and expeditiously process this important investigation,” said Heastie.

Lavine said, “The addition of Davis Polk will allow my colleagues on the Judicial Committee and myself to investigate the allegations fully and fairly.”

“These are serious allegations and will be treated with fairness, due process and discretion,” said Lavine.

Governor Andrew Cuomo touches his nose during a visit to a new Covid-19 vaccination site on Monday, March 15, 2021, at New York State University at Old Westbury.

Mark Lennihan | AFP | Getty Images

In addition to Bennett, several women, including other former employees and at least one employee, have said that Cuomo sexually molested them, touched them in any other way, or spoke to them in a way they believed was inappropriate.

Cuomo has denied taking inappropriate action against a woman. But he has apologized for comments that he says he now understands that some women have felt uncomfortable.

He has repeatedly turned down calls to resign from individuals who include the majority of the Democratic members of the New York congressional delegation – including both US state senators – and over 60 Democratic members of the state legislature. The National Organization of Women has also called for Cuomo’s resignation.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said if the women’s allegations against Cuomo are confirmed, the governor should resign.

And when that happens, Biden said, “I think he’ll likely be prosecuted.”

Biden’s comments, beyond previous White House statements not about whether or not Cuomo should resign, were made during an interview with ABC News that aired on Good Morning America Wednesday.

Biden said in the same interview that “a woman should be assumed to be telling the truth and not become a scapegoat and victim for coming forward.”

“It takes a lot of courage to come forward,” said Biden. “So the guess is that they should be taken seriously. And it should be investigated. And that is exactly what is happening now.”

The New York Times on Tuesday detailed how current Cuomo employees attempted in December to get former employees to sign a letter attacking the credibility of former employee Lindsey Boylan, which appeared in several Twitter posts accused the governor of sexual harassment on Twitter posts. The letter was never published publicly.

Boylan sparked the current wave of allegations last month with a blog post detailing her allegations against Cuomo. She wrote that he kissed her once without her consent and jokingly suggested that they play strip poker on an official flight.

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Treasury Ramps Up Racial Fairness Evaluation as It Deploys Aid Funds

Treasury Ramps Up Racial Equity Review as It Deploys Relief Funds

WASHINGTON – The Treasury Department is conducting a formal review of the agency’s racial justice and programs, and is working to ensure economic fairness prevails across the Biden administration as $ 1.9 trillion in aid is being paid out.

The initiative is expected to be led by Adewale Adeyemo once he is confirmed as deputy finance minister, according to people familiar with the matter. It is being carried out in close collaboration with Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen, who is making racial justice a centerpiece of her agenda as she oversees the disbursement of much of the stimulus package.

The review follows an executive order signed by President Biden in January calling on federal agencies to pursue racial justice and support underserved communities in their policies and programming. The order was a sharp departure from the policies of President Donald J. Trump, who passed an executive order last year banning the “malicious ideology” of racial awareness training across government.

The Treasury Department is developing its own civil rights strategy and working to ensure that the financial support distributed through the latest aid laws is distributed fairly. The White House noted in January that previous rounds of stimulus checks were sometimes slow to arrive with colored people. Minority business owners who did not have close ties with banks often had difficulty gaining access to the small business paycheck protection program.

The entire Senate is expected to vote on Mr. Adeyemo’s nomination this month. If approved, he would be the nation’s first black deputy finance minister. At his confirmation hearing last month, he spoke about how the coronavirus pandemic was worsening inequality in the United States.

“Until we contain the pandemic, economic policies must focus on relieving those affected by the public health crisis, especially those who are disproportionately affected: low-income communities and color communities,” Adeyemo said.

A tax official said it was premature to say what role Mr Adeyemo will play as he has not yet been sworn in. However, he is expected to work closely with Ms. Yellen on racial justice issues if sustained.

The plan for Mr Adeyemo to lead the initiative was discussed in internal finance meetings, according to a person familiar with the matter.

All federal agencies are required to submit plans for diversity and inclusion to the Office of Administration and Budget this month in accordance with the provisions of the implementing regulation.

The Treasury Department also reviews its human resources policies to ensure that the agency and the departments it oversees – including the IRS and the US Mint – are diverse and comprehensive.

Frequently asked questions about the new stimulus package

How high are the business stimulus payments in the bill and who is entitled?

The stimulus payments would be $ 1,400 for most recipients. Those who are eligible would also receive an identical payment for each of their children. To qualify for the full $ 1,400, a single person would need an adjusted gross income of $ 75,000 or less. For householders, the adjusted gross income should be $ 112,500 or less, and for married couples filing together, that number should be $ 150,000 or less. To be eligible for a payment, an individual must have a social security number. Continue reading.

What Would the Relief Bill do for Health Insurance?

Buying insurance through the government program known as COBRA would temporarily become much cheaper. Under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, COBRA generally lets someone who loses a job purchase coverage through their previous employer. But it’s expensive: under normal circumstances, a person must pay at least 102 percent of the cost of the premium. Under the relief bill, the government would pay the full COBRA premium from April 1 to September 30. An individual who qualified for new employer-based health insurance elsewhere before September 30th would lose their eligibility for free coverage. And someone who left a job voluntarily would also be ineligible. Continue reading

What would the child and dependent care tax credit bill change?

This loan, which helps working families offset the cost of looking after children under the age of 13 and other dependents, would be significantly extended for a single year. More people would be eligible and many recipients would get a longer break. The bill would also fully refund the balance, which means you could collect the money as a refund even if your tax bill were zero. “This will be helpful for people on the lower end of the income spectrum,” said Mark Luscombe, chief federal tax analyst at Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting. Continue reading.

What changes to the student loan are included in the invoice?

There would be a big one for people who are already in debt. You wouldn’t have to pay income tax on debt relief if you qualified for loan origination or cancellation – for example, if you’ve been on an income-based repayment plan for the required number of years, if your school cheated on you, or if Congress or the President wipe out $ 10,000 debt gone for a large number of people. This would be the case for debts canceled between January 1, 2021 and the end of 2025. Read more.

What would the bill do to help people with housing?

The bill would provide billions of dollars in rental and utility benefits to people who are struggling and at risk of being evicted from their homes. About $ 27 billion would be used for emergency rentals. The vast majority of these would replenish what is known as the Coronavirus Relief Fund, which is created by the CARES Act and distributed through state, local, and tribal governments, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. This is on top of the $ 25 billion provided by the aid package passed in December. In order to receive financial support that could be used for rent, utilities and other housing costs, households would have to meet various conditions. Household income cannot exceed 80 percent of area median income, at least one household member must be at risk of homelessness or residential instability, and individuals would be at risk due to the pandemic. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, assistance could be granted for up to 18 months. Lower-income families who have been unemployed for three months or more would be given priority for support. Continue reading.

As part of this, there are plans to send a team to assess the US mint, which has long been accused of promoting a culture of racism. The inspector general of the Treasury opened an investigation last year into what employees in the agency described as “rampant racism”. These included an arch on the walls of toilets and a white worker leaving a noose in a black coworker’s work area.

Ms. Yellen has already taken steps to create a more inclusive atmosphere in the Treasury and to demonstrate her desire to promote racial justice. She announced plans this month to invest $ 9 billion in community development financial institutions and minority depositaries to boost lending.

In a message to Black History Month staff in February, Ms. Yellen said the Treasury Department will play an important role in ensuring the pandemic is not a “generational setback” for people of color.

“Instead of this crisis doing what crises cause – and driving an economic wedge between races – we could emerge from the pandemic on the right track,” she wrote, “towards higher prosperity and higher wages for all.”

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Russia and Iran tried to intervene with 2020 election, US intel businesses say

Russia and Iran tried to interfere with 2020 election, US intel agencies say

Russia and Iran were conducting operations to try to meddle in the 2020 presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, according to a U.S. intelligence report released Tuesday.

U.S. intelligence also noted that China made no attempt to change the 2020 race outcome, and there is no evidence that foreign actors tried to change the U.S. ballot or voting tables, the report said .

The assessment was released as the Biden administration works to strengthen ties with key US allies to put pressure on Russia and Iran.

“On his first phone call with President Putin, President Biden knew the United States would respond to a series of destabilizing Russian actions,” a White House official said in a statement to NBC News late Tuesday.

These actions include the SolarWinds hack, for which, according to US authorities, Russia is likely to be responsible, as well as the alleged poisoning of the well-known Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny.

“You have already seen that we have taken a number of measures to respond to the use of a chemical weapon by Russia in the attempted murder of Alexey Navalny,” the official said. “There will be more soon.”

Tehran and Moscow have previously denied any involvement in an attempt to influence the US elections.

The report said, however, that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “approved influence operations aimed at denigrating President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party, supporting former President Trump, and undermining public confidence in the electoral process.” to exacerbate the socio-political divisions in the USA “.

One of Moscow’s key strategies, according to the report, was to use proxies affiliated with Russian intelligence agencies to spread misleading claims and narratives among certain US media and individuals – “including some close to former President Trump and his administration”.

These plans have been put into action by “a number of Russian government organizations,” according to the report.

Iran “meanwhile,” carried out a complex covert campaign of influence to undermine former President Trump’s prospects for re-election – without directly promoting his rivals – in order to undermine public confidence in the electoral process and US institutions, and to sow division and to exacerbate social tensions in the US, “the report said.

Intelligence experts also noted that China, previously believed to be expanding its US influence efforts, ultimately failed to use any operations to influence the outcome of the Trump-Biden election.

Chinese President Xi Jinping

Fred Dufour | AFP | Getty Images

“China sought stability in its relations with the United States and did not see either election result as favorable enough for China to risk meddling,” the report said.

Beijing “assessed its traditional instruments of influence – especially targeted economic measures and lobbying – as sufficient to achieve its goal of shaping politics between the US and China independently of the winner.”

However, an expert – the National Cyber ​​Intelligence Officer – noted that China “has taken some steps to undermine the re-election of former President Trump”.

These assessments, each made with “high confidence”, were published in a declassified report released by the Office of the Director of the National Intelligence Service. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Justice and Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

The report also found that, unlike the previous presidential cycle, there was no evidence of foreign actors attempting to change voter registration, ballot papers, or voting in the 2020 US election.

“We estimate that it would be difficult for a foreign actor to manipulate electoral processes on a large scale without doing so by gathering information about the actors themselves, by monitoring the physical and cybersecurity of electoral systems across the country or by Audits after the elections will be determined, “wrote the authors of the intelligence report.

In a statement, House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Stressed that the report shows that Russia remains the greatest threat to the US elections.

While China and Iran have also “taken specific steps related to US elections,” Schiff said, they are “on a far less significant or systematic level than those taken by Russia.”

“We have to be clear and straightforward to the American people that different countries have different intentions and capabilities and do not threaten our free and fair elections equally,” said Schiff.

Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, D-Va., Said while the U.S. has stepped up its defenses against foreign interference, “The problem of foreign actors trying to influence American voters is not going away and, given the current partisan differences in this country, it could find fertile ground on which to grow in the future.”

In addition to Iran and Russia, the investigation found that Cuba, Venezuela and Lebanese Hezbollah also worked to influence the elections, albeit on a smaller scale.

The unclassified rating released on Tuesday builds on the analysis the intelligence services provided to policy makers throughout the 2020 election cycle.

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Feinstein’s Future May Swing on Husband’s Potential Posting Abroad

Feinstein’s Future Could Swing on Husband’s Potential Posting Overseas

According to White House staff, Mr. Biden is open to appointing Mr. Blum as an ambassador who is among the most desirable positions in any administration. After prioritizing the appointments of their West Wing and Cabinet staff, the President and his top advisors have only recently considered who to send overseas.

A potential ambassador, speaking on a sensitive subject on condition of anonymity, said Mr Biden himself wanted to think about the list of potential candidates and did not feel rushed.

There is, however, an increasing impatience among potential envoys. Former Senators, including some who have served in the Senate with Mr. Biden, are trying particularly hard to clarify and have noted how few in their ranks have joined the administration, according to a prominent Democrat who spoke to them .

The President, himself a former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is attempting a delicate balancing act: He rewards loyal donors and former colleagues without flooding the diplomatic corps with political representatives, as some of his staff do for former President Donald J. Trump had held.

Former senators who could be named ambassadors include Jeff Flake, the Arizona Republican who supported Mr. Biden; Joe Donnelly from Indiana; Heidi Heitkamp from North Dakota; Ken Salazar from Colorado; and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut.

It’s not just former members of Congress looking for positions. A handful of current lawmakers are still hoping to join the government but are waiting based on Mr Biden’s own deliberations and the narrow Democratic majority. For example, Nevada representative Dina Titus, an early Biden supporter, is hoping for a message, but currently there are three Democratic posts in the House where the party has a slim majority.

However, Mr Blum’s wish for a message could prove to be a consequence. California Governor Gavin Newsom promised in an interview with MSNBC’s Joy Reid Monday night that he would appoint a black woman to replace Ms. Feinstein. He admitted that he had “multiple names in mind” for a vacancy that didn’t exist.

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Putin pushed Biden misinformation to Trump allies throughout election

Putin pushed Biden misinformation to Trump allies during election

Russian President Vladimir Putin will chair a meeting with members of the government in Moscow on February 5, 2020.

Aleksey Nikolskyi | Sputnik | Kremlin | Reuters

Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, approved intelligence services to promote misinformation about President Joe Biden through the U.S. media and people close to then-President Donald Trump in an effort to increase Trump’s election chances, a U.S. intelligence report said Tuesday.

Specifically, the report said that Putin was “in control of the activities of Adriy Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker who played a prominent role in Russia’s electoral influence”.

Derkach, who has ties to Russian intelligence, is known to have met with Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney who spent months making discredited allegations against Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

The results are the second “key verdict” in the released National Intelligence Council report on “Foreign Threats to the 2020 US Federal Election”.

That section states: “We evaluate that Russian President Putin authorized and conducted a number of Russian government organizations to influence operations aimed at denigrating President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party to ex-President Trump support to undermine public confidence in the electoral process and exacerbate socio-political divisions in the US. “

“Unlike in 2016, we have not seen any sustained Russian cyber efforts to gain access to the electoral infrastructure. We have great confidence in our assessment. Russian state and electoral representatives, who all serve the interests of the Kremlin, have the US -Influences the public in a consistent manner, “the report said.

“A key element of Moscow’s strategy in this electoral cycle has been the use of officials associated with Russian intelligence to spread narratives of influence – including misleading or unfounded allegations against President Biden – on US media organizations, US officials and prominent US individuals, including some related parties, transferring former President Trump and his administration. “

This is the latest news. Check for updates again.

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As Biden Confronts Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy, Republicans Are a Explicit Problem

As Biden Confronts Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy, Republicans Are a Particular Challenge

WASHINGTON – When President Biden urges that as many Americans as possible be vaccinated, many Republicans have deep skepticism about convincing a group that challenges him in particular.

While there has been some resistance to vaccination against the coronavirus from a number of groups, including African Americans and anti-vaccine activists, polls suggest that opinions on the part of the party are severely disrupted.

A third of Republicans in a poll by CBS News said they would not get the vaccine – compared to 10 percent of Democrats – and another 20 percent of Republicans said they weren’t sure. Other surveys have found similar trends.

As the Biden administration prepares television and internet commercials and other efforts to promote vaccination, the challenge for the White House is compounded by the perception of former President Donald J. Trump’s stance on the matter. Although Mr Trump was vaccinated before leaving office and last month urged Conservatives to get vaccinated, many of his supporters appear not to be, and he has not played a prominent role in promoting vaccination.

When asked when asked at the White House on Monday, Mr Biden said Mr Trump’s help in promoting vaccination was less important than bringing trusted community figures on board.

“I have discussed it with my team and they say that what has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA people is what the local doctor, the local preacher, the local people in the church are saying “Biden said, referring to Mr. Trump’s supporters and the campaign slogan” Make America Great Again “. Until everyone is vaccinated, Americans should keep wearing masks, Biden added.

Widespread resistance to vaccination, if not overcome, could prevent the United States from reaching the point where the virus can no longer easily spread and cut back efforts to get the economy going again and the To lead people back to a more normal life. While the problem so far has been access to relatively scarce vaccine supplies, government officials soon anticipate the possibility that supply will exceed demand if many Americans hesitate.

However, many conservative and rural voters continue to point to a variety of concerns. Some conservatives have religious concerns about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which uses fetal cell lines derived from abortion.

Republicans often cite suspicion of the government as a reason not to get vaccinated, according to the CBS poll. They fear the vaccines were being made too quickly. And in some communities, so many people have already had the coronavirus that they believe they have developed herd immunity and don’t need the shots.

Other Trump supporters believe the Democrats exaggerated the toll of the pandemic to hurt the former president.

This poses a major challenge to a democratic government, the success of which depends on convincing Americans who did not vote for Mr Biden that the vaccines are safe, effective and necessary.

“We’re not always the best messengers,” said Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, last week.

This meant that a crucial part of the coronavirus response has been outsourced to the administration.

“It’s not an easy endeavor,” said John Bridgeland, founder and executive director of the Covid Collaborative, a non-partisan group of political and scientific leaders who work on vaccine education and meet regularly with the White House on vaccine hesitation.

“The good news is that the White House has been across all of these populations, including realizing that they’re not nicely positioned to reach out to conservatives,” he said. “That’s why they reach us and others.”

The governors have urged the Biden government on the need for clear communication about the vaccines.

White House officials said their research showed that improving access to the vaccines and buying in locally from doctors and pharmacists is the best way to get skeptical conservatives to sign up for a shot. They are planning a flash of commercials on television, radio and the internet to target problem areas: young people, colored people and conservatives, a clerk said.

While working to increase vaccine availability across the country, administrative officials also work with groups like the NTCA – the Rural Broadband Association and the National Farmers Union – to reach out to rural communities on their behalf.

Shirley Bloomfield, the association’s executive director, has worked with the White House to share what she hears from their local members who have deployed broadband lines in rural areas.

Updated

March 16, 2021, 9:07 a.m. ET

“We have worked to have them designated as essential workers at the federal level,” she said. “I didn’t know we had this problem until people came back and said that less than 30 percent of my team would take the shot.”

Ms. Bloomfield said the second gentleman’s office, Doug Emhoff, reached out to her directly to ask about her members and her views on the vaccines.

Mr. Trump got his vaccine secret before leaving office. In particular, he was not featured in a public announcement vaccinating all other former living presidents – Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter – and encouraging others to follow suit.

Mr Trump was not asked to attend like the others because at the time of filming during Mr Biden’s inauguration, he had not yet revealed that he had been vaccinated.

But behind the scenes there was a quiet effort to convince Mr. Trump to get involved. Joe Grogan, the former director of the White House Home Affairs Council under Mr Trump, has worked with the Covid Collaborative to address conservative reluctance to offer vaccines.

Mr Grogan has made calls about what the best message would be to persuade Mr Trump to get involved – one that inevitably underscores his desire for recognition for the vaccine development as part of Operation Warp Speed.

“As soon as we found out he was vaccinated, I reached out to Joe Grogan,” said Bridgeland, who helped organize the commercial with the former presidents. “We were thrilled to have him vaccinated and would like him to encourage his supporters to get the vaccine.”

A Trump adviser said the former president had not yet been formally approached to speak directly to his supporters.

“It would be very helpful if President Trump made a public announcement,” said Grogan. However, the Biden White House seems divided over how effective Mr Trump’s involvement would really be.

Although Mr Biden denied the need for Mr Trump’s help on Monday, his chief medical advisor, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, on Sunday on Fox News, said it would “make all the difference in the world” if the former president encouraged his followers to get vaccinated. And Andy Slavitt, a senior White House pandemic advisor, said Sunday, “This is an effort Republicans should know that started before we got here and we are making it.”

Frank Luntz, a Republican strategist, said the best way for the White House to take politics out of the issue.

What you need to know about the vaccine rollout

“That means Joe Biden should acknowledge what Donald Trump did to make the vaccine a reality,” Luntz said. He has worked with the de Beaumont Foundation, an organization focused on improving public health through politics, to encourage conservatives to get vaccinated.

“I don’t think the Trump administration understood the role of communication,” Luntz said, “and I don’t think the Biden administration understands what it means to communicate with Trump voters.”

On Saturday, Mr. Luntz hosted a focus group of about 20 Conservatives to hear from Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor; and several Republican members of Congress.

Some of the conservatives on the call initially described the vaccines as “rushed” and “experimental” and the coronavirus as “opportunistic” and “government manipulation”. More than half of the callers said their fear of vaccination was greater than their fear of the virus.

But almost all of the participants said they had a more positive opinion about the vaccines after Dr. Frieden had given them five facts about the virus, including: “The more we vaccinate, the faster we can grow the economy and get jobs.”

Mr. Christie emphasized how random the virus can be as it affects different people, including younger adults. Not only did he and Mr. Trump become seriously ill, but he also reminded the group that Hope Hicks, the 32-year-old former Trump adviser, was also very ill.

“She was away for a good 10 days and never had to go to the hospital, but called me and said this was the sickest she had ever been,” said Christie.

Right now, the White House is relying on the work of political opponents like Mr. Christie to sell the message for them. The only substitute within the Biden government that they consider effective among Conservatives is Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, a scientist and Evangelical Christian who stands in both religious and scientific communities.

In the past few weeks, Dr. Collins performed at the Christian Broadcasting Network’s 700 Club, a show popular with evangelical Christians and hosted by Pat Robertson for decades. Dr. Collins also plans to reach out to the National Association of Evangelicals, someone familiar with the planning.

Joshua DuBois, former head of the Office for Faith-Based Partnerships and Neighborhood Partnerships in the Obama White House, was impressed with the efforts of the Biden administration to ease vaccine hesitation.

He said Mr. Biden’s top advisors, such as Marcella Nunez-Smith and Cameron Webb, had asked the religious community to answer questions about the vaccines. The calls included black and Hispanic organizations, as well as white evangelicals.

Mr DuBois acknowledged that hesitation in minority communities was rooted in history. When coronavirus vaccines were launched last year, researchers tracked a surge in social media posts about the infamous Tuskegee study, in which health officials followed and did not treat African American men infected with syphilis.

“There is a history of distrust, but current devastation around us,” said DuBois, “and in response to that devastation, people are choosing to be vaccinated.”

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Two charged with assaulting police officer Brian Sicknick in Capitol riot

Two charged with assaulting police officer Brian Sicknick in Capitol riot

George Pierre Tanios, included on the FBI arrest warrant in the photo.

Source: DOJ

Authorities have arrested two men on charges of assaulting Brian Sicknick, the police officer who died in the U.S. Capitol on January 6 as a result of the pro-Trump invasion.

Julian Elie Khater, 32, from Pennsylvania and George Pierre Tanios, 39, from West Virginia were arrested on Sunday and charged with attacking Sicknick and other officials with a substance similar to bear spray. You are currently not accused of killing Sicknick.

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During their first appearances in separate federal courts on Monday afternoon, both men were ordered to be temporarily detained behind bars until future hearings.

Video footage of Khater and Tanios on Jan. 6 shows the two men “worked together and had a plan to use the toxic spray against law enforcement,” according to a search warrant affidavit in West Virginia federal court.

Julian Khater from his court appearance on March 15, 2021.

Source: Art Lien

George Tanios from his court appearance on March 15, 2021.

Source: Art Lien

“Give me the bear s —” said Khater before reaching into Tanios’ backpack, claiming the affidavit and citing “open source media video” of the incident outside the Capitol.

“Wait, wait, not yet, not yet … it’s still early,” Tanios replied, according to the affidavit.

At around 2:20 p.m., Khater, holding a white spray canister, walks towards a bicycle rack barrier in front of the building where a number of officers, including Sicknick, were stationed, the court document says.

Minutes later, Khater appears to be lifting the canister and pointing it at the officers who, according to the affidavit, were standing 5 to 8 feet away.

City Police officer D. Chapman, armed with a working Body Weared Camera (BWC) device, holds his arm against a person identified by the Justice Department as Julian Elie Khate, who appears to be holding a canister in a still image a video captured in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 and published on a Justice Department criminal complaint posted in Washington, United States on March 15, 2021.

DOJ | via Reuters

Sicknick and two other officers “all react one after the other to something that hits them in the face,” says the affidavit. “The officers immediately withdraw from the line, bring their hands to their faces and rush to find water to wash their eyes out,” it said.

“All three officers were unable to work and were unable to perform their duties for at least 20 minutes or more while they were recovering from the spray,” the affidavit said.

Lt. Bagshaw of the Metropolitan Police Department, armed with a working Body Weared Camera (BWC), sprayed a person identified by the Justice Department as Julian Elie Khate into a still image from a video captured on January 6, 2021 and in the United States was published criminal complaint from the Department of Justice in Washington, USA, March 15, 2021.

DOJ | via Reuters

Sicknick died around 9:30 p.m. on January 7th from injuries sustained during the riot, according to the US Capitol Police. He joined the USCP in 2008.

Both men were arrested on Sunday. Khater was arrested while getting off a plane at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, and Tanios was arrested at his home in West Virginia, according to a Justice Department press release.

Khater and Tanios are charged with attacking federal officials with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy, obstruction of an official process, restricted violence and disorderly behavior, the Justice Department said.

The most serious charges concern imprisonment for a maximum of 20 years.

“The attack on the US Capitol and on our police officers, including Brian Sicknick, was an attack on our democracy,” said Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman in a USCP statement Monday afternoon.

“Those who committed these heinous crimes must be held accountable and – let me be clear – these unlawful acts will not and will not be tolerated by this department,” said Pittman.

The statement stated that a “multi-jurisdiction investigation” into Sicknick’s death is still active.

Khater and Tanios were reportedly among the thousands who stormed the Capitol or stirred up outside the building, forced a joint congressional session to evacuate their chambers, and delayed efforts to confirm President Joe Biden’s election victory over then-President Donald Trump.

The invasion of the pro-Trump mob resulted in five deaths. To date, more than 300 people have been charged in connection with the riot and prosecutors are awaiting further charges.

The arrests were first reported by the Washington Post on Monday morning.

– CNBC’s Dan Mangan contributed to this report.

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Can Biden Keep on the Sidelines of the Andrew Cuomo Saga?

Can Biden Stay on the Sidelines of the Andrew Cuomo Saga?

So far, President Biden has only made a brief comment on the crises that have gripped Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, and he seems to be hoping he won’t be dragged further into it.

But as a longtime friend of the New York governor, Mr. Biden is one of the few people in the nation who has the potential to prevent a protracted stalemate between an increasingly isolated Mr. Cuomo and the rest of the Democratic Party. This has weighed on Mr. Biden’s efforts to stay firmly on the sidelines as the governor faces a plethora of calls for resignation.

Mr. Cuomo faces a number of allegations and investigations into sexual harassment, a toxic workplace, manipulation of the death toll in New York nursing homes, and perceived loyalty tests by the governor’s vaccine tsar.

Mr. Biden and Mr. Cuomo didn’t speak, said people close to the two men. When asked on Sunday evening whether Mr Cuomo should resign, Mr Biden simply said, “I think the investigation is ongoing and we should see what it brings us.”

The governor and his allies have urged people to wait for the results of the investigation to buy time in hopes of stabilizing Mr Cuomo’s support. And Mr. Biden seems inclined to give him that time – at least for now.

But a long period of internal party sparring about Mr Cuomo’s future could be problematic for Mr Biden. It threatens to detract from his early initiatives, including mass vaccination efforts and his party’s need to sell to the public through the nearly $ 2 trillion stimulus package Mr Biden put into law last week.

The New York Times and Washington Post reported over the weekend that Larry Schwartz, the governor’s vaccine czar and longtime lieutenant, tried to assess the loyalty of county executives to Mr. Cuomo when making phone calls about vaccine distribution – which caught the attention of the county Whites attracted home on Monday.

Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said the reports were “worrying” and that Mr. Schwartz’s calls were “inappropriate reported conduct”.

The calls prompted an executive to file a preliminary complaint with the Public Integrity Office of the Attorney General’s Office. Mr Schwartz denied discussing vaccines in a political context.

Ms. Psaki insisted that the system run “checks” to prevent the vaccine from being distributed based on his preference.

On Tuesday, the White House will hold its weekly coronavirus call to the National Governors Association, which Mr. Cuomo normally heads as the group’s chairman. Ms. Psaki said she expected Mr. Cuomo to join the call, adding, “We’ll leave that up to him.”

New York Senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, called on Mr. Cuomo last Friday to resign along with most of the state’s Democratic Congress delegations. One factor in the timing of members of Congress, who made their announcements in quick succession, was a desire not to overshadow Mr Biden’s signing of the pandemic relief package, according to those involved in the discussions.

Mr. Cuomo was surprised at what Ms. Gillibrand and Mr. Schumer said; He had believed earlier that day that they would not join the calls against him, someone familiar with his thinking.

Even so, the governor flatly refused to consider resigning while questioning the motives of the women who accused him of sexual harassment and invoking “cancel culture,” a popular Republican topic of conversation when he met on Friday deepened.

“There is a job to be done and the New Yorkers have elected the governor to do it,” Richard Azzopardi, a senior adviser to Mr. Cuomo, said Monday. “He remains focused on vaccine distribution and a state budget due in two weeks, and we are grateful for the help the White House has provided on both fronts.”

During the presidential campaign, Mr Biden successfully avoided getting involved in controversies that were not directly related to him. But the bullying behavior that Mr Cuomo has been accused of is contrary to the standard that Mr Biden has set for his own White House.

There are two inquiries into the sexual harassment allegations against Mr Cuomo, one by the Attorney General and one by the State Assembly.

Mr Biden and Mr Cuomo went different ways when charged with improper conduct. When Mr Biden was charged with sexual assault in 2020 by a woman who had worked in his Senate office decades earlier, he denied her allegation but did not deny her motives. Mr Cuomo has questioned the motives of some of his accusers.

A senior administration official said Mr Biden’s desire to stay away was partly due to his personal relationship with Mr Cuomo and partly due to pragmatism.

Should he at some point be drawn into the matter, Mr Biden’s options range from encouraging Mr Cuomo to step down to asking not to run for office again in 2022, as the governor has indicated he still intends to do.

“Biden has a long friendship with Cuomo, and I think he and [Nancy] Pelosi and others clearly hope that this investigative process will resolve the situation on its own and they are giving him so much leash, but how tenable that will be over time is very questionable, ”said David Axelrod, former senior advisor to President Barack Obama.

While it would be an extraordinary move for Mr Biden to step in, there is a precedent for a Democratic president to get into a chaotic situation involving a New York governor of his own party. In 2009, Mr. Obama sent the then administration a message through intermediaries. David Paterson that he did not want him to run for another term the following year.

Mr. Paterson, embroiled in constant controversy, had become an undesirable distraction for the Obama administration; He soon announced that he would no longer run and paved the way for Mr. Cuomo for 2010.

There was one significant difference, however, between Mr Paterson and Mr Cuomo: Mr Paterson’s polling numbers were dismal, with a 21 percent approval rating in June 2009, threatening Democratic influence over a seat that a Republican, George Pataki, held three terms to 2006.

Mr Cuomo has much stronger support from his electorate. A new poll at Siena College on Monday found that only 35 percent of New York voters want an immediate resignation from Mr Cuomo (and only 25 percent of Democrats), although the poll was largely conducted before the wave of congressional demands for his exit .

Understand the scandals that challenge Governor Cuomo’s leadership

The three-time governor faces two crises at the same time:

Still, support for Mr Cuomo has waned significantly with the highs of his coronavirus press conferences in the spring of 2020 – when he hit 71 percent approval – and even from February when his approval of all voters was 56 percent in a Siena College poll .

His current approval rate of 43 percent is lower than his disapproval rate of 45 percent. However, his support is still high among the Democrats: 59 percent and 61 percent among the black voters.

A majority of state legislators – and more than 40 percent of Albany’s democratic legislators – have already called for Mr. Cuomo’s resignation. The State Assembly has launched an impeachment investigation, and alongside Mr. Biden, the politician with the greatest control over the fate of Mr. Cuomo is the assembly spokesman, Carl E. Heastie, who will decide if and when to proceed.

Charging and removing a governor is a serious endeavor, and Mr Cuomo can hope that it is too big a leap even for those who have signed a letter demanding his resignation.

“He cites the legislature’s bluff on an impeachment vote and recognizes that casting an impeachment vote is a tough vote for many,” said Bakari Sellers, a former South Carolina House member responsible for the impeachment of the then government voted. Mark Sanford in 2009. (Mr. Sanford was eventually censored.)

“The state is about to flush with Covid cash,” Sellers said. “Better days for voters. Wait until you become everyone’s favorite bank. “

Some members of Congress and their aides were deterred by a statement made in defense of Mr. Cuomo by former senior delegation Representative Nita Lowey of Westchester, according to a person familiar with the matter. Members felt that Ms. Lowey was being inappropriately “instrumentalized” as a shield for Mr. Cuomo, the person said, adding that while speaking out last Friday was not the triggering event for other members, it had made an impression .

A member of the Cuomo family had contacted Ms. Lowey, another person familiar with the events, prior to testifying.

“That’s ridiculous,” said Ms. Lowey. “I don’t get used to things like that.” She said she had known the Cuomos for decades as they were neighbors in Queens.

Mr Biden and Mr Cuomo have been relatively close politically in recent years. When Mr Biden was considering a late candidacy for president in 2015, they met in New York. Although Mr. Cuomo officially supported Hillary Clinton at the time, he did not discourage Mr. Biden from running at the White House.

In 2018, when Mr. Cuomo was presented with a major challenge of her own by Cynthia Nixon, the actress and activist, Mr. Biden offered full support to Mr. Cuomo at the New York Democratic Party Congress.

Mr Biden’s preference for Mr Cuomo does not necessarily extend to the staff level. The governor’s sharp-edged political operation has hit many people along the way over the years.

Mr Biden tapped Mr Cuomo for a prime-time speech on the first night of the Democratic Convention last year, at the height of the governor’s popularity. In the opinion of those involved in the process, the organizers of congresses were given little opportunity to revise the address recorded, in which Mr Biden was only mentioned by name towards the end. They said the Cuomo team was one of the toughest companies to work with when planning the entire four day event.

Mr. Cuomo’s political operation also submitted a production bill that far surpassed other similar congressional videos; Congress officials refused to pay the full amount.

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Deb Haaland confirmed as Inside secretary

Deb Haaland confirmed as Interior secretary

The Senate voted Monday to reaffirm Rep. Deb Haaland, DN.M., as Secretary of the Home Office to President Joe Biden, making the second-term Democrat the first Native American Cabinet Secretary in US history.

The vote took place between 51 and 40, with four Republicans joining the Democrats.

Haaland, a registered member of Laguna Pueblo, has received non-partisan support to run the interior department, which employs 70,000 people and is responsible for overseeing the country’s natural resources. The agency manages nearly 500 million acres, or one-fifth the size of the United States.

Haaland’s confirmation fills one of the few vacancies in Biden’s cabinet almost two months after he was sworn in. With most of the key posts now occupied, prominent positions include the United States Sales Representative, Secretary of Labor, and Secretary for Health and Human Services.

“We’ve made history twice now in the last few minutes,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said after the vote, noting that Haaland was the first Native American Secretary of the Interior and first Native American Cabinet Secretary .

The confirmation marks a win for progressives who campaigned for Haaland’s nomination, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Haaland, a Green New Deal supporter, was a co-chair of Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign.

Republicans tried to take Haaland’s progressive stance toward her during their confirmation hearings last month. Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., Urged Haaland for her support for the Green New Deal and the falling number of jobs in the fossil fuel industry.

“I believe there are millions of jobs in a clean energy future,” replied Haaland, consistent with previous statements from Biden. “If we can all work together, we can do it all. I think we can protect our public land and create jobs.”

When asked about her opposition to fracking on public land, Haaland replied that if affirmed, she would support Biden’s agenda, not necessarily her own.

“I understand that President Biden does not endorse a ban on fracking,” she said.

During the hearing, Haaland stressed her bipartisan references. In her first year in Congress, Haaland instituted more bills with a co-sponsor of another party than any other newcomer to the House, according to GovTrack. This makes it the tenth largest politically left member of Congress.

The Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted in early March to push Haaland’s nomination 11 to 9. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined 10 Democrats for her endorsement.

In a somewhat unusual maneuver, Haaland also extolled the support of Rep. Don Young, another Republican from Alaska, who introduced her to the committee.

“I let her reach across the aisle to talk to me about Alaska. She’s non-partisan,” Young told lawmakers.

Murkowski was one of the obvious skeptics on the committee, despite having voted to push Haaland’s nomination.

“I will place my trust in Rep Haaland and her team despite some very real concerns,” said Murkowski.

The four Republicans who voted for Haaland’s confirmation on Monday were Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C., and Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine.

Senator Joe Manchin, the influential and closely watched moderate Democrat from West Virginia, also gave his approval. Manchin, quoting Young’s approval, said it was “a long time since a Native American woman got a seat on the cabinet table.”

Haaland at the hearing pledged to work to repair the U.S. federal government’s relationship with Native American tribes if confirmed. She pointed to her own story as an inspiration.

“If an Indigenous woman from humble beginnings can be confirmed as Home Secretary, our country holds promise for everyone,” she said.

Haaland is one of the first two Native American women to be elected to Congress, along with Democratic colleague Sharice Davids of Kansas, a member of the Ho Chunk Nation.

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U.S. Tried to Restart Nuclear Talks With North Korea

U.S. Tried to Restart Nuclear Talks With North Korea

The Biden government has tried to resume talks with North Korea over the fate of its nuclear program, but its overtures have not been returned, the White House press secretary confirmed on Monday.

Jen Psaki, the press secretary, told reporters in an afternoon briefing that “we reached out to North Korean officials” but hadn’t heard from them, and confirmed a Reuters report over the weekend.

“We have a number of channels that we can reach as always,” said Ms. Psaki. “We also focus on advising many former government officials involved in North Korea policy, including several previous administrations. We have and will continue to work with our Japanese and South Korean allies to seek input and explore new approaches. We listened to their ideas carefully. “

“Diplomacy is always our goal,” said Ms. Psaki. “Our goal is to reduce the risk of escalation. However, so far we have not received a response. “

Mr Biden took office in the face of the increasing threat of nuclear proliferation around the world, including North Korea, which has expanded its arsenal of missiles, including those that could reach the United States.

His predecessor Donald J. Trump cultivated a personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un – including being the first American president in 70 years of conflict and conflict to meet in person with a North Korean head of state – to advance disarmament. These efforts failed. North Korea continued to develop new weapons. A North Korean official said last summer that hopes for peace with South Korea and the United States had “turned into a dark nightmare.”

Mr Biden discussed the North Korean issue with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in early February and agreed to “closely coordinate” the matter, according to a reading of the appeal by the White House.