White House - The African Mirror

Nov

2022

Biden White House cheers ‘red ripple’ as Republicans underperform midterm forecasts

TREVOR HUNNICUTT and JEFF MASON U.S. President Joe Biden, who declared optimism about the midterm elections this week despite opinion polls predicting Republican wins, had reason to feel vindicated morning even though his Democrats could still lose control of Congress. Republicans may eke out a narrow majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate was still up for grabs with key races in Arizona, Georgia and Nevada undecided. But that was all part of better-than-expected news for the White House. Democrats bucked dire forecasts in national races, clinched governors' races in states seen as crucial to the next election in 2024,…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

U.S. voters decide control of Congress, and Biden’s agenda, in midterms

WORLD

JOSEPH AX AMERICANS cast the final ballots in closely fought elections that will determine whether Democrats lose control of Congress, and with it the ability to push forward on President Joe Biden's agenda in the next two years. The party that controls the White House typically loses seats in midterm elections. Polls suggest Tuesday's results will be no exception, as concerns about high inflation and crime, as highlighted by Republicans, outweigh warnings from Democrats about the end of national abortion rights and the violent January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. Thirty-five Senate seats and all 435 House of Representatives seats are on the ballot. Republicans are widely…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

No-boom, no-bust economy dogs Democrats in U.S. midterm elections

WORLD

HOWARD SCHNEIDER HOUSEHOLD cash is near record levels in the United States, and consumers are using it to pack restaurants and aeroplanes and buy new cars. Jobs are there for the taking. Net worth is 30% higher than before the pandemic, more so for those in the bottom half. And people have soured on President Joe Biden despite all of that. Midterm elections on Tuesday could hamstring the Democratic president with a Republican-controlled Congress, and opinion polls and public sentiment surveys suggest that a gloomy mood around economic issues is pushing voters in that direction. It is a fact of…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

Biden to donate 500 million Pfizer doses

COVID-19

STEVE HOLLAND and ANDREA SHALAL U.S. President Joe Biden plans to buy and donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine to more than 90 countries, while calling on the world's democracies to do their part to help end the deadly pandemic, the White House said. The announcement of the vaccine donation - the largest ever by a single country - comes before Biden meets leaders of the other Group of Seven advanced economies in England. "The goal of today's donation is to save lives and end the pandemic and will provide the foundation for additional actions to be…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Biden administration joins global campaign against online extremism

WORLD

THE United States will join a New Zealand-led global campaign to stamp out violent extremism online, the White House said, making a policy change two years after the administration of former President Donald Trump declined to participate. The initiative was started by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019 after a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch while live-streaming his rampage on Facebook. Biden administration spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States would join the "Christchurch Call to Action to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

U.S. concerned over Tigray crisis

NEWS

WHITE House national security adviser Jake Sullivan expressed U.S. concerns over the crisis in the Tigray region in a call with Ethiopia's deputy prime minister, Demeke Mekonnen, the White House said yesterday. The two "discussed critical steps to address the crisis, including expanded humanitarian access, cessation of hostilities, departure of foreign troops, and independent investigations into atrocities and human rights violations," in their phone call on Wednesday, the White House said. Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia Demeke Mekonnen, gives a press briefing on the current situation of the country at the Prime Minister office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia November 4,…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Biden’s first month was a ‘honeymoon,’ but bigger challenges loom ahead

WORLD

TREVOR HUNNICUTT ONE month into the job, President Joe Biden is on the cusp of securing a bigger economic rescue package than during the 2009 financial crisis. He has wiped out his predecessor Donald Trump's policies from climate change to travel bans, while the U.S. daily COVID-19 vaccine distribution rate grew 55%. That may have been the easy part. The White House's broad strategy - avoid unwinnable political fights, focus on policies with mass voter appeal, and mostly ignore Republican attacks - will be increasingly difficult in the months ahead, Democrats and Republicans say, even as millions more are vaccinated…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Biden launches COVID-19 initiatives on first full day in White House

WORLD

TREVOR HUNNICUTT and NANDITA BOSE US President Joe Biden has launched initiatives to rein in the raging COVID-19 pandemic, tackling his top priority on his first full day in the White House as he tries to turn the page on Donald Trump's tumultuous leadership. His administration plans a coordinated federal coronavirus response aimed at restoring trust in the government and focused on boosting vaccines, increasing testing, reopening schools and addressing inequalities thrown up by the disease. "We can and will beat COVID-19. America deserves a response to the COVID-19 pandemic that is driven by science, data, and public health —…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Trump vows to ‘be back in some form’ as tumultuous presidency ends

WORLD

STEVE HOLLAND and JEFF MASON Donald Trump left the White House and Washington for a final time as commander-in-chief yesterday after a tumultuous presidency stained by two impeachments, deep political divisions, and a pandemic that caused 400,000 U.S. deaths. The Republican president departed the White House with his wife, Melania, saying it had been a great honor to serve and giving a final wave as he boarded the Marine One helicopter for Joint Base Andrews, where he delivered farewell remarks. "So just a goodbye. We love you. We will be back in some form," Trump told supporters before boarding Air…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Trump’s presidency in photographs

MULTIMEDIA

A PICTURE AND ITS STORY-Protests, rallies and two impeachments: Trump's presidency in photographs From a reality TV star's journey to the White House, to mass protests, pumped up crowds, the siege on the U.S. Capitol and two impeachments, Reuters photographers were on the ground covering the most important stories during U.S. President Donald Trump's one-term tenure. Below is a selection of a dozen standout Reuters pictures taken during the past four years, along with the stories behind them in the photographers' own words. Jonathan Ernst: "This picture is from a rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on his first road swing…