President Joe Biden on Friday said he was still considering whether to give pardons to people who have been criticized or threatened by President-elect Donald Trump.Related video above: Biden grants clemency to nearly 1,500 people in historic moveSpeaking to reporters at the White House, Biden said he and his aides were playing close attention to rhetoric from Trump and his allies about his political opponents and those involved in his various criminal and civil woes.It depends on some of the language and expectations that Trump broadcast in the last couple days here as to what hes going to do,” Biden said. The idea that he would punish people for not adhering to what he thinks should be policy related to his well-being is just outrageous.”Biden has just 10 days left in office, and the institutionalist has been using his waning days in office to restore some of the transition norms broken by his predecessor-turned-successor. But issuing preemptive pardons for actual or imagined offenses by Trumps critics that could be investigated or prosecuted by the incoming administration would stretch the powers of the presidency in untested ways.Trump’s frequent targets include Republican Liz Cheney, the former Wyoming congresswoman, and Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat. They helped lead the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. He has aimed particular criticism at special counsel Jack Smith, who charged Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.Biden, who Trump has said should be jailed, scoffed at the notion that he would pardon himself. What would I pardon myself for? he asked incredulously. No, I have no contemplation of pardoning myself for anything. I didnt do anything wrong.Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of the Republican members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, rejected the prospect of a pardon from Biden earlier this week in an appearance on CNN.I understand the theory behind it because Donald Trump has clearly said hes going to go after everybody, he said. But the second you take a pardon and it looks like youre guilty of something Im guilty of nothing besides bringing the truth to the American people and, in the process, embarrassing Donald Trump.In his remarks to reporters, Biden said a decision by the social media giant Meta to end fact-checking on Facebook was really shameful, calling it contrary to American justice.The move to replace third-party fact-checking with user-written community notes, similar to those on Trump backer Elon Musks social platform X, was the latest example of a media company moving to accommodate the incoming administration. It comes on the fourth anniversary of Zuckerberg’s banning Trump from his platforms after the insurrection.Biden added: You think it doesnt matter that they let it be printed? Where millions of people read it, things that are simply not true. I mean, I dont know what thats all about. Its just completely contrary to everything Americas about. We want to tell the truth.
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President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would move to try to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” a name he said has a “beautiful ring to it.”It’s his latest suggestion to redraw the map of the Western Hemisphere. Trump has repeatedly referred to Canada as the “51st State,” demanded that Denmark consider ceding Greenland, and called for Panama to return the Panama Canal. Related video above: Trump outlines bold international and domestic priorities in first press conference since election certificationHere’s a look at his comment and what goes into a name. Why is Trump talking about renaming the Gulf of Mexico?Since his first run for the White House in 2016, Trump has repeatedly clashed with Mexico over a number of issues, including border security and the imposition of tariffs on imported goods. He vowed then to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and make Mexico pay for it. The U.S. ultimately constructed or refurbished about 450 miles of wall during his first term.The Gulf of Mexico is often referred to as the United States’ Third Coast due to its coastline across five southeastern states. Mexicans use a Spanish version of the same name for the gulf: El Golfo de Mxico.Americans and Mexicans diverge on what to call another key body of water, the river that forms the border between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. Americans call it the Rio Grande; Mexicans call it the Rio Bravo.Related video below: Gulf Coast residents react to Trumps proposal to rename Gulf of MexicoCan Trump change the name of the Gulf of Mexico?Maybe, but it’s not a unilateral decision, and other countries don’t have to go along.The International Hydrographic Organization of which both the United States and Mexico are members works to ensure all the worlds seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted uniformly, and also names some of them. There are instances where countries refer to the same body of water or landmark by different names in their own documentation.Related video below: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum talks about the Gulf of Mexico’s nameIt can be easier when a landmark or body of water is within a country’s boundaries. In 2015, then-President Barack Obama approved an order from the Department of Interior to rename Mount McKinley the highest peak in North America to Denali, a move that Trump has also said he wants to reverse.Just after Trump’s comments on Tuesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said during an interview with podcaster Benny Johnson that she would direct her staff to draft legislation to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico, a move she said would take care of funding for new maps and administrative policy materials throughout the federal government.How did the Gulf of Mexico get its name?The body of water has been depicted with that name for more than four centuries, an original determination believed to have been taken from a Native American city of Mexico.Has renaming the Gulf of Mexico come up before?Yes. In 2012, a member of the Mississippi Legislature proposed a bill to rename portions of the gulf that touch that state’s beaches Gulf of America, a move the bill author later referred to as a joke. That bill, which was referred to a committee, did not pass.Two years earlier, comedian Stephen Colbert had joked on his show that, following the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it should be renamed Gulf of America because, “We broke it, we bought it.Related video below: Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer addresses Trump’s idea to rename Gulf of Mexico on Senate floorAre there other international disputes over the names of places?There’s a long-running dispute over the name of the Sea of Japan among Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, with South Korea arguing that the current name wasn’t commonly used until Korea was under Japanese rule. At an International Hydrographic Organization meeting in 2020, member states agreed on a plan to replace names with numerical identifiers and develop a new digital standard for modern geographic information systems.The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of Gulf and Arabian Gulf is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps.There have been other conversations about bodies of water, including from Trumps 2016 opponent. According to materials revealed by WikiLeaks in a hack of her campaign chairmans personal account, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2013 told an audience that, by Chinas logic that it claimed nearly the entirety of the South China Sea, then the U.S. after World War II could have labeled the Pacific Ocean the American Sea.
A total of $200,000 is available for this round of Dairy Processor Grants.
The new sanctions target “Russia’s key source of revenue” for funding its war against Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Yellen said.
For the first time in Indy Autonomous Challenge, or IAC, history, four autonomous race cars competed on an oval track at the same time.
President Joe Biden’s administration announced Friday that it’s expanding sanctions against Russia’s critically important energy sector, unveiling a new effort to inflict pain on Moscow for its nearly 3-year-old war in Ukraine as President-elect Donald Trump gets set to return to office vowing to quickly end the conflict.The outgoing Democratic administration billed the new sanctions as the most significant to date against Moscow’s oil and liquefied natural gas sectors, the driver of Russia’s economy. Officials said the sanctions, which punish entities that do business with the Russians, have the potential to cost the Russian economy upward of billions of dollars per month.More than 180 oil-carrying vessels that are suspected to be part of a shadow fleet utilized by the Kremlin to evade oil sanctions as well as traders, oil field service firms and Russian energy officials are also targeted by the new sanctions. Several of the vessels targeted are also suspected of shipping sanctioned Iranian oil, according to the Treasury Department.British officials are also announcing complementary sanctions against Russias energy sector Friday. Both countries are targeting two of Russia’s major oil producers, Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, and dozens of the companies’ subsidiaries.The United States is taking sweeping action against Russias key source of revenue for funding its brutal and illegal war against Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. With todays actions, we are ratcheting up the sanctions risk associated with Russias oil trade, including shipping and financial facilitation in support of Russias oil exports.”Biden administration officials said that it will ultimately be up to Trump’s administration whether to keep or scrap the new sanctions.Trumps transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the sanctions. But Trump told reporters on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to meet, and we are setting it up.Trump’s warm relationship with Putin over the years has come under heavy scrutiny. The Republican president-elect has also balked at the cost of aid to Kyiv, pledging to move quickly to end the conflict upon his return to office on Jan. 20.Trump added a new layer of doubt about future American support earlier this week when he appeared to sympathize with Putin’s position that Ukraine should not be part of NATO. The president-elect has criticized the Biden administration for expressing support for Kyivs eventual membership in the transatlantic military alliance.The Kremlin on Friday dismissed the new sanctions ahead of the anticipated announcement.We are aware that the administration will try to leave as difficult legacy in bilateral relations as possible for Trump and his team, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.The designation comes under a sanctions authority approved during Russias 2014 invasion and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula, according to administration officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.Should the Trump administration move to roll back the sanctions, it would have to first notify Congress, which would have the ability to take a vote of disapproval of such a move, the officials added.The Biden administration unveiled a new $500 million military aid package on Thursday as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.Zelenskyy had been scheduled to meet with Biden in Italy on Friday, but Biden scrapped his plans to travel overseas so he could remain in Washington to help oversee the federal response to the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles.Trump earlier this week expressed concern at the loss of life during the conflict, while arguing that the “this war would never have happened if he were president.
Major fires across Los Angeles this week have killed at least 10 people, forced 180,000 to flee their homes, and destroyed thousands of structures. Here are some of the organizations accepting support for those impacted:ChildrenProject Camp: The Los Angeles-based organization runs trauma-informed pop-up day camps for children displaced or out of school due to natural disasters. Its in the process of setting up multiple sites to help families impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires. It is accepting monetary donations as well as volunteers to staff the camps. Impacted families can also find out how to sign up for a camp here.Boys and Girls Clubs of Malibu: Informed by its experience helping kids and families after the 2018 Woolsey fire, the organization is offering free counseling, case management and resource referrals for area families. It’s collecting donations to provide emergency grants and, when its facilities can safely reopen, it will create an emergency relief distribution center. Those looking for help can fill out intake forms in English and Spanish.Displaced householdsGoFundMe.org: The crowdfunding platform’s nonprofit arm uses its Wildfire Recovery Fund to give emergency grants to verified people and families fundraising for themselves or others, as well as small businesses and nonprofits.Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) and bstrong: In partnership with Bethenny Frankel’s bstrong disaster relief fund, GEM will distribute cash cards to evacuated residents to help with immediate needs like accommodation, gas and food. The organizations are accepting cash donations.Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: The food bank is supporting a network of more than 600 partner agencies to make sure impacted households are fed. It’s accepting cash donations, food donations at two sites, and volunteers.First responders and volunteersCalifornia Fire Foundation: California Professional Firefighters founded the nonprofit in 1987 to support families of fallen firefighters, firefighters and communities impacted by fires. The foundation is supporting both firefighters responding to the Los Angeles fires as well as people affected.Watch Duty: The nonprofit service provides real-time updates on wildfire activity, evacuations, shelters and more via its free app, which more than 1.4 million people downloaded in the 48 hours since the fires began. The organization relies on donations and a team of 200 volunteers, gathering and vetting information from radio scanners and official sources, to do its work.AnimalsPasadena Humane Society: The animal rescue had taken in over 300 animals due to evacuations as of Wednesday night, including some with burns and injuries. Its officers are also on the ground finding animals that need help. It is accepting monetary donations as well as purchased goods from its Amazon wishlist.Longterm recoveryCalifornia Community Foundation: The 110-year-old Los Angeles-based foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund addresses longterm recovery needs like temporary housing, rebuilding homes, mental health and medical care. It also provides updated equipment to firefighters and helps rebuild emergency communications systems. It is accepting cash donations and helps company match employees’ gifts as well.Team Rubicon and Samaritan’s Purse: Both organizations will help people who lost homes with debris removal once cleanup begins, among other work related to rebuilding. Team Rubicon is currently helping local agencies with tasks like clearing roads and Samaritan’s Purse has deployed 20 chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team to provide spiritual support.People you knowFriends and family who lost property may need cash, temporary housing, or emotional support. But it’s important to reach out delicately, and to not have expectations for how or whether they will respond, said Dr. Adrienne Heinz, clinical research psychologist at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD. Here are some tips she has:1. It can be helpful to check in. It can be comforting to know that others are thinking about you and want to lend their support during a difficult time. An example: Im so sorry for what has happened to your community. There arent really words to describe how sad this is. Can I send your family a meal tonight? Im here for you and will keep checking in. No pressure to respond.2. Offer concrete ways of helping like lodging, gift cards, meals, childcare.3. Give them grace. They may not be able to respond for a number of reasons.4. Refrain from phrases that minimize or invalidate their experience, like At least youre alive, or Everything happens for a reason. Just because someone didnt lose their home, doesnt mean they arent hurting. The entire community is still enduring a stressful and likely traumatic event.
Overwhelming participation during the holiday season paused the program as officials look for more permanent funding options.
NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — S&P Global’s (NYSE: SPGI) fourth quarter and full-year 2024 results will be issued on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 via news release at approximately
Company reports 300% revenue growth in 2024 and advances partnerships with nation’s leading health systems
Two small pigs were recently spotted in the City of Buffalo. No, they weren’t going to the market, but they did draw some attention on city’s West Side.
Consumer Watchdog Executive Director Carmen Balber talks about the complex insurance claims process that awaits homeowners affected by wildfires. (Source: CNN)