WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is preparing to formally acknowledge that the systematic killing and deportation of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in modern-day Turkey more than a century ago was genocide, according to U.S. officials. The anticipated move — something Biden had pledged to do...
Valley Lawmakers Join Push for Biden to Recognize Armenian Genocide
President Joe Biden is facing calls to recognize the Armenian genocide of more than a century ago, something he pledged to do as a candidate but that could further complicate an already tense relationship with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A bipartisan group of more than 100 House members on...
Biden to Pledge Halving Greenhouse Gases by 2030
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will pledge to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at least in half by 2030 as he convenes a virtual climate summit with 40 world leaders, according to three people with knowledge of the White House plans. The 50% target would nearly double America's previous commitment...
Biden Seems Ready to Extend US Troop Presence in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — Without coming right out and saying it, President Joe Biden seems ready to let lapse a May 1 deadline for completing a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Orderly withdrawals take time, and Biden is running out of it. Biden has inched so close to the deadline that...
Biden Making New Moves on Guns, Including Naming ATF Boss
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, in his first major gun control measures since taking office, is announcing executive actions Thursday aimed at addressing what the White House calls a “gun violence public health epidemic." Biden also is nominating David Chipman, a former federal agent and adviser at the gun control...
Senate Gives Biden a Big Tool to Work Around GOP Filibuster
WASHINGTON — With a powerful new tool, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has fresh options for potentially advancing President Joe Biden’s infrastructure package and other priorities past Republican obstruction in the 50-50 split Senate. Republicans still pledge to do all they can to halt Biden, but an official parliamentarian’s opinion...
Will Biden Give Californians Some Tax Relief?
Seven Democratic governors called on President Joe Biden to lift the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions Friday that was a part of former President Donald Trump's massive 2017 tax law, arguing the “assault” disproportionately targeted Democratic-run states and ultimately increased taxes on families. The letter comes a...
Biden Lifts Trump Sanctions on International Court Officials
President Joe Biden on Friday lifted sanctions that Donald Trump had imposed on two top officials of the International Criminal Court, undoing one of the past administration's more aggressive moves targeting international institutions and officials. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement stressed that the United States still strongly...
Will COVID Package Serve Up a Dish of Relief to Struggling Local Restaurants?
The 'American Rescue Plan' signed by President Joe Biden on Thursday will revive restaurants and save jobs across the country, according to the National Restaurant Association. The bill includes $28.6 billion to create a 'Restaurant Revitalization Fund'. The RRF will create a new federal program for restaurant owners with 20...
Dyer Warns of Public Safety Cuts Without Biden Aid
Jerry Dyer is worried that without another round of federal relief money, the city could be facing a severe budget shortfall. This week, the Fresno mayor warned of a potential $30 million deficit in comments to the Washington Post. At a news conference at the Welcome Inn on Wednesday, Dyer...