Just remember, the #RepublicanParty's entire national platform is completely influenced by a former US President who is currently facing about 85 felony crimes. And #Trump will go on trial next week for paying hush money to a porn star for the sex they had.
We should also mention the racketeering and espionage act felony charges he'll be facing later this year.
Oh, and Trump is taking credit for the outlawing of abortion in the US.
If he's your pick for #POTUS, you might be in a #cult.
Thurs, the #Biden admin announced they are closing what is known as the #"GunShowLoophole," by tightening up the definition of what it means to be "engaged in the business" of selling #firearms.
The #ATF has just implemented a change in the federal register language, which was previously more specific to who was selling guns, & the agency did it in accordance w/the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, passed in 2022.
By being more specific & precise in the definition, #Biden admin ofcls on a call w/reporters said it would require more people to register for a federal selling #license & run a background check on the person they are selling to.
#POTUS said in a statement he has spent time w/people who lost loved ones to #GunViolence, & that he is taking action to make sure fewer guns are sold w/o #BackgroundChecks.
#Trump saw more turnover in his #Cabinet than any other recent president, & it’s not even close. #POTUS#Biden, on the other hand, has had relatively little change in his admin’s top roles so far.
As Trump & Biden barrel toward a fall rematch, The WaPo is examining the numbers behind their time as president. In this case, we reviewed how they ran the vast #ExecutiveBranch of govt through the lens of the #stability of their Cabinets.
“Let there be no illusion. If Donald Trump is elected & the #MAGA#Republicans in #Congress put a #NationalAbortioBan on the Resolute Desk, #Trump will sign it into #law. Donald Trump & all those responsible for overturning Roe don’t have a clue about the #power of #women in America. But they are about to find out.” - #POTUS#Biden
#Trump relies on a doctor who is a member of his golf club to vouch for his health
After Trump escalated his longstanding attacks on Pres #Biden’s #health & #mental#fitness last fall, he released the 1st updated report on his own condition in >3 yrs.
The report had just 3 paragraphs w/o specific numbers, proclaimed that Trump was in “excellent health” & had “exceptional” cognitive ability, & did not disclose Trump’s weight.
Aronwald’s letter lacks the specifics necessary to discern much [of anything]…about #Trump’s health. #Biden has released a 6-page letter that details his blood tests, conditions & medications, which the WH said gives voters a clearer picture of health. “Joe Biden is proud to have been transparent w/his health records as VP, as a presidential candidate, & as #POTUS,” WH spox Andrew Bates said in a stmnt. “He believes all leaders owe that level of #honesty to the American people.” #BidenHarris2024
Book review #21 for 2024 is Edward P. Crapol's John Tyler, the Accidental President. I think that seeing the 1840's era Presidents getting more critical looks is good for the study of American History in general and presidential history in particular. I think that the work adds to the understand of not just Tyler's administration but of 1840's America as well. A ☕☕☕☕ review #books#bookstodon#POTUS#biography#JohnTyler@bookstodon@books@bookstodon
Book review #20 for 2024 is Robert Caro's The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson. The first volume of this series, The Path to Power began a 40 plus year reading journey of every American President, that, with exception of POTUS 46 and 45, has continued to this day. This volume of Caro's series focuses on the 1960 election and up to the spring of 1964. Well written and moving.
A☕☕☕☕☕review. #books#bookstodon#POTUS#biography#LBJ@bookstodon@bookstodon@books
The announcement came hours after #POTUS had a tense phone call w/PM #Netanyahu during which Biden threatened to condition future support for Israel depending on how it addresses his concerns about #CivilianCasualties & the #HumanitarianCrisis in Gaza.
In a stmnt, the #NSC said that #Israel had agreed to open the #ErezCrossing to allow #aid into northern #Gaza & to also open the #PortOfAshdod. The measures were being taken “at the president’s request,” the stmnt added.
“These steps,” the stmnt said, “must now be fully & rapidly implemented.”
There was no immediate confirmation from the #Israeli government.
Nearly all of #aid that has reached Gaza has entered through 2 border crossings in the south, & conditions are especially bad in northern #Gaza, where most of the population lived before being #displaced by #Israel’s invasion.
“In the coming HOURS & DAYS, we will be looking for concrete, tangible steps that they’re taking” - WH spox John Kirby
The call between the 2 leaders came 3 days after 7 workers from the José Andrés-run #WCK were killed by an Israeli strike on a clearly marked convoy, igniting outrage in the #UnitedStates & abroad. #POTUS held the call w/ #Netanyahu specifically because of the deadly strikes, Kirby said, adding that #Biden was “shaken” by the attack.
It marked the 1st time #Biden has indicated a willingness to reassess his unwavering support of #Israel’s campaign in #Gaza, as pressure grows among prominent #Democrats to condition #weapons sales to Israel as the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 32k, acc/to the Gaza Health Ministry. #POTUS’ rhetoric has grown increasingly sharp regarding Israel’s handling of the crisis, but until now he had not directly warned Israel of #consequences if it does not change course.
#Biden added that the #UnitedStates expected to see #Israel not just “announcing” changes, but “executing” & “implementing” them.
The WH summary of the Biden - #Netanyahu call added that #POTUS had told the Israeli prime minister that the #humanitarian situation in #Gaza was “unacceptable” & had called for an “immediate #ceasefire.”
Trump said at a "messaging event" in #GrandRapids, #Michigan, "It's a very bad thing happening. It's going to end on the day that I take office, which will be Jan 20."
Yeah, this is why I say that @potus forced the hand of the Fediverse.
Like it or not, most Americans want to see President Biden’s messages. I therefore suspect that many people will migrate to servers where they can follow him.
I’m not saying certain servers are wrong for de-federating Threads. But just because a server enacts a policy doesn’t mean that end users agree with it. Both figuratively and literally, people have a right to vote in the matter.
If they haven’t already, they will vote with their feet.
...HOWEVER knowing the precisely address/root/whatever, I don't really really the details anymore, it was possible to access these "#FediDarkweb" handle without much ado.
The #UnitedStates has allowed >40k #refugees into the country in the first 5 months of the fiscal yr after they passed a rigorous, often yearslong, #screening process that includes #security & #medical#vetting & interviews w/ American officers overseas.
POTUS is posting into the Fediverse (from threads, but it is something....)
I think it i important for folks to see follows from the broad Fediverse there. It is the pathway for people to chose to come here, either organically, or when the next billionaire fucks up.
The fact that you can follow the president of the United States (@potus) from your Mastodon account instead of being forced to have an X or Threads account for it is a huge W in my book. Of course our team is fully available to help if they'd want to set up Mastodon on whitehouse.gov. I believe governments should not rely on 3rd party platforms to connect with their constituents.
...except he is not on the fediverse. He's on threads.net, which is a walled garden you can't interact with, and the content the president's PR flacks will post there is hardly unique. I mean, I could set up a script that reposts the whitehiuse.gov RSS feed to mastodon with a #potus tag. Would that mean the president is "on" mastodon?