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Friday, March 8, 2024

3/8 WAKE-UP CALL: Biden Zeroes In on Abortion, Ukraine—and Trump


Confronting congressional Republicans, an angry sounding President Biden on Thursday sought to convince Americans that his policies have bolstered the economy and warned that their freedoms are at risk in a feisty election-year State of the Union address that drew repeated contrasts with former President Donald Trump. Biden’s speech before a joint session of Congress focused heavily on his case for a second term. It came two days after Trump cemented his position as the presumptive Republican nominee with victories in nearly all of the Super Tuesday states, setting the stage for an unusual rematch between two candidates who have both sat behind the Resolute Desk.

Biden said his lifetime “has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality.” He added, in a veiled reference to Trump: “Now some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That’s not me.”

Biden never uttered Trump’s name but referred to his “predecessor” more than a dozen times, repeatedly comparing his record with Trump’s. He appeared to relish a give-and-take with congressional Republicans who largely oppose his agenda. At one point, he referred to the bipartisan border agreement in the Senate that would have allowed the government to expel migrants if crossings surpassed a daily threshold of 4,000, prompting jeers from Republicans. “Oh, you don’t like that bill, huh?” he asked. Trump opposed the plan and urged congressional Republicans to reject it. “I’ll be darned,” he said, adding later that he was ready to fix the border if Republicans pass the Senate agreement.

Biden also went off script to address Republicans who shouted questions at him about the killing of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in Athens, Ga. Police allege she was killed by a Venezuelan citizen, who immigration officials said entered the U.S. illegally. Holding a badge passed around by conservatives with Riley’s name on it, Biden incorrectly said Riley’s first name. He added: “But how many of the thousands of people are being killed by illegals,” a reference to the rarity of such killings.

➤NO DEAL ON GAZA: Negotiators for Hamas left Cairo without a cease-fire deal Thursday, apparently ending hopes that a deal could be in place ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said Israel “refuses to commit to and give guarantees regarding the cease-fire, the return of the displaced and withdrawal from the areas of its incursion.” But he said the talks would resume next week. Ramadan will begin Sunday or Monday depending on the sighting of the moon. There was no immediate comment from Israel, which did not send representatives to the latest round of talks. Israel first wants Hamas to provide detailed information on the hostages. Hamas said the captives are held by multiple groups and no accounting can take place until a cease-fire is in place.

➤CHINESE CARGO CRANES UNDER SCRUTINY: A probe of Chinese cargo cranes at U.S. ports has found communications equipment that doesn’t appear to support normal operations. The discovery has fueled concerns that the foreign machines may pose a covert national-security risk. The installed components in some cases include cellular modems, according to congressional aides and documents, that could be remotely accessed. The Pentagon and intelligence officials at other agencies have grown increasingly alarmed by the potential threat of disruption and espionage presented by the giant cranes built by ZPMC, a Chinese state-owned manufacturer that accounts for nearly 80% of ship-to-shore cranes in use at U.S. ports. ZPMC didn’t respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson at the Chinese embassy in Washington didn’t address specific questions about the modems but said claims that China-made cranes pose a national-security risk to the U.S. is “entirely paranoia.”

➤JUDGE SAYS TRUMP NEEDS TO PAY-UP: Former President Donald Trump lost his bid on Thursday for a three-day shield from E. Jean Carroll trying to collect on her $83.3 million federal defamation verdict. Without a court order to protect him, Carroll can begin trying to collect on the $83.3 million judgment next week if Trump hasn't posted a sufficient bond or deposit with the court. The likely Republican presidential nominee asked New York federal Judge Lewis Kaplan on Feb. 23 to block Carroll from going after the money until 30 days after Kaplan rules on Trump's post-trial motions, including a request for the court to give Trump a win despite the jury's verdict and a request for a new trial.

➤WARNINGS ON MICROPLASTICS: Microplastics are everywhere – even in the fatty deposits called plaque that can build up in the arteries and cause heart disease and strokes. Now researchers in Italy have found that in people with microplastic in the plaque clogging their neck arteries, the risk of heart attack, stroke or death was four-and-a-half times higher than in those whose plaque didn’t contain plastic, said Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and executive vice president of Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. “It's extraordinary," he said. "I’m a cardiologist for three decades plus and I never envisioned we’d have microplastic in our arteries and its presence would accelerate arteriosclerosis,” he said.

➤FROSTBITE IS SERIOUS: The medical director at the Grossman Burn Center at Research Medical Center says 70% of patients referred for frostbite injuries suffered during the bitter cold in January are now being advised to schedule amputations. Majority of them are Chiefs fans who attended the team’s frigid playoff game. It was the fourth-coldest game in NFL history and coldest in Chiefs franchise history. one fan who took his gloves off for just five minutes in order to put up a tent in the parking lot outside Arrowhead Stadium.


➤FRIDAY'S WEATHER MAP:




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