Jen Psaki Responds to Retirement Rumors
President Joe Biden commented this morning on another successful jobs report, with employment returning to pre-pandemic levels and unemployment falling to levels not seen since 1969.
While inflation remains a major concern for Americans, Mr. Biden has also ordered the release of up to 1 million barrels a day of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the next six months in a bid to control prices that have fallen since the US and its Allies have skyrocketed severe sanctions against Russia after it launched its war against Ukraine.
Answering questions from reporters on Thursday, Mr Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin “appears to have isolated himself and there is evidence he has fired some of his advisers or placed them under house arrest.”
Meanwhile, new reports say White House press secretary Jen Psaki will leave her post this spring to take a job at MSNBC. It had long been speculated that Ms Psaki would soon be leaving the administration after more than a year in the role.
At Friday’s news conference, Ms Psaki refused to comment on her plans other than saying she would spend time with her children and sleep when she left.
Pressured to be an effective briefer with plans to join a media outlet, Ms Psaki said she adheres to all ethical rules and legal requirements.
Important points
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Amazon workers declare victory with company’s first-ever US union
Amazon workers in New York City have declared a victory, a bitter defeat for one of the largest, following preliminary results of a union election at a Staten Island warehouse where workers voted to form the first union among the company’s warehouse workers in the United States companies of the world during a historic wave of unionizing across the country.
Around 6,000 people work at JFK8, the company’s largest logistics center in New York.
Oliver O’Connell2. April 2022 03:45
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Oliver O’Connell2. April 2022 03:00
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The House of Representatives votes to decriminalize marijuana, but the Senate is unlikely to follow suit
Marijuana would be decriminalized at the federal level by legislation the House of Representatives passed Friday as Democrats lobbied to allow states to set their own policies on marijuana.
The bill is unlikely to become law as it is expected to die in the Senate. That would mirror what happened when a similar measure passed by the House to remove marijuana from the state-controlled substances list went nowhere in the Senate two years ago.
Still, Friday’s vote gave lawmakers a chance to voice their opinion on a decriminalization push that appears to have broad support among voters across the country.
Oliver O’Connell2. April 2022 02:30
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Labor Market Report: Unemployment falls to 3.6 percent
US unemployment is now at a low of 3.6 percent, a level not seen since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As Andrew Feinberg reports:
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “total nonfarm payrolls” increased by 431,000 from March 1 to March 31, with “notable” increases in “leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, retail and manufacturing.”
The total number of unemployed in the US fell by 318,000 to 6 million.
BLS said the March 2022 figures were “little different” from those in February 2020, the month before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, which rocked the US and the global economy.
Oliver O’Connell2. April 2022 01:30
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ICYMI: Democratic congressman ridicules Cawthorn’s ‘cocaine and orgies’ during marijuana debate
Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin took a shot at his Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives while debating legislation that would legalize marijuana at the federal level.
The phrase “cocaine-fueled orgies” is now in the Congressional Records.
Oliver O’Connell2. April 2022 00:30
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Observe: Biden celebrates jobs, denounces the deficit of the predecessor
Joe Biden used his speech on the jobs report and his proposed budget to announce that he is getting the deficit “under control” after the Trump administration’s “reckless policies and mismanagement”.
Oliver O’Connell1. April 2022 23:45
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The US obtains the release of a reservist held by the Taliban
Safi Rauf, a 27-year-old marine reservist who has been held by the Taliban since December, has been released after months of negotiations. As reported by CNN, he and his brothers formed a group that worked to evacuate people trying to flee Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul last year.
Bevan Hurley has the story.
Oliver O’Connell, April 1, 2022, 11:00 p.m
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Biden statement on UN-brokered ceasefire in Yemen
I welcome today’s announcement of a two-month ceasefire in the Yemen conflict. This initiative is a long-awaited respite for the Yemeni people. It includes the cessation of all military activities by any party within and across Yemen, the entry of fuel ships into the port of Hudaydah, and the renewal of commercial flights to and from Saan’a to agreed destinations.
These are important steps, but they are not enough. The ceasefire must be respected and, as I said, it is imperative that we end this war. After seven years of conflict, negotiators must do the hard and necessary work to reach political compromises that can bring about a lasting future of peace for all people of Yemen.
I am grateful for the leadership of Saudi Arabia and Oman in bringing this initiative to fruition ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. I am also grateful for the Yemeni government’s hard work and trust in UN-led mediation.
The United States of America will work to ward off threats to our friends and partners as we continue to seek de-escalation and peace across the region. I wish the people of Yemen a peaceful Ramadan and assure them of our continued commitment to end this terrible war.
Oliver O’Connell, April 1, 2022 at 10:40 p.m
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Jen Psaki will not confirm White House resignation rumors
Following reports that she will soon be leaving the White House for a career in cable news, Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Friday afternoon and said she had nothing to confirm about her future public service or any plans she might have.
Oliver O’Connell, April 1, 2022 10:30 p.m
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Vulnerable Dems are asking Biden to delay reopening Asylum
The Biden administration’s decision to end sweeping asylum restrictions at the border in May this year met calls from prominent Democrats who are eagerly awaiting the end of a program created by Donald Trump in the name of public health.
But it poses thorny policy challenges for border region Democrats who face the likely prospect of a surge in migrants who have been denied the ability to seek asylum in the United States for the past two years.
In unusually harsh criticism of a president of their own party, some of the congressional Democrats with the toughest re-election prospects are warning that the administration is woefully unprepared for the situation.
Oliver O’Connell1. April 2022 22:00