Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed his US counterpart <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> for calling Russia's Vladimir Putin a "killer," saying the comments by the US president were "unacceptable".&nbsp;

"Mr. Biden's statements about Mr. Putin are not fitting of a president, and a president coming out and using such remarks against the president of a country like Russia is truly unacceptable, not something that can be stomached," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul, as reported by news agency Reuters.&nbsp;

Watch |

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In a TV interview when Biden was asked whether he considers the Russian president a killer, the US president responded "I do".&nbsp;

Putin in his response mocked Biden which roughly translates into "it takes one to know one" and wished him good health.&nbsp;

Erdogan also praised Putin for his response to the US president, calling his answer "very smart" and "elegant".&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/subtle-art-of-diplomacy-biden-and-putin-engage-in-verbal-spat-371511">Subtle art of diplomacy: Biden and Putin engage in verbal spat</a>

"In my opinion, Mr. Putin has done what is necessary by giving a very, very smart and elegant answer," the Turkish president said.&nbsp;

The remarks by Erdogan can escalate tensions between Washington and Ankara as Biden's administration has been critical of Turkey's worsening record on human rights, something his predecessor Donald Trump was silent of.&nbsp;

Despite Turkey growing proximity with Russia during Trump-era, the ties remained largely normal, however, Biden since his inauguration has not engaged in any conversation with Erdogan so far via a phone call.&nbsp;

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed his US counterpart Joe Biden for calling Russia's Vladimir Putin a "killer," saying the comments by the US president were "unacceptable".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed his US counterpart Joe Biden for calling Russia's Vladimir Putin a "killer," saying the comments by the US president were "unacceptable". "Mr. Biden's statements about Mr. Putin are not fitting of a president, and a president coming out and using such remarks against the president of a country like Russia is truly unacceptable, not something that can be stomached," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul, as reported by news agency Reuters. Watch | In a TV interview when Biden was asked whether he considers the Russian president a killer, the US president responded "I do". Putin in his response mocked Biden which roughly translates into "it takes one to know one" and wished him good health. Erdogan also praised Putin for his response to the US president, calling his answer "very smart" and "elegant". Also read | Subtle art of diplomacy: Biden and Putin engage in verbal spat "In my opinion, Mr. Putin has done what is necessary by giving a very, very smart and elegant answer," the Turkish president said. The remarks by Erdogan can escalate tensions between Washington and Ankara as Biden's administration has been critical of Turkey's worsening record on human rights, something his predecessor Donald Trump was silent of. Despite Turkey growing proximity with Russia during Trump-era, the ties remained largely normal, however, Biden since his inauguration has not engaged in any conversation with Erdogan so far via a phone call.

Erdogan slams Biden for 'killer' remarks, says Putin's response 'elegant'

U.S.-Russia ties reached a new low after Joe Biden called Vladimir Putin a killer. The Russian leader replied saying 'it takes one to know one'. Does this rule out any hope of reconciliation? Can the two leaders move beyond their 'killer' remarks? WION's Palki Sharma tells you.

Gravitas: Joe Biden calls Vladimir Putin a 'killer'

There are no easy fixes for US and China's trusty relations in the first high-level in-person talks of the Biden administration with China. Top diplomats from the two world powers discussed a laundry list of issues in the Alaska summit.

First US-China in-person talks under Biden begins on sour note

Amid the verbal spat, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday invited his US counterpart <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> for virtual talks.&nbsp;

"I want to invite President Biden to continue our discussion, but on condition that we will do this practically live, as they say, online," the Russian president said in televised comments, hinting that their talks could be held either on Friday or Monday.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

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He added that the discussion would be an "open direct" one and "interesting" for the people of both nations.&nbsp;

Putin's comments came after Washington and Moscow exchanged barbs following Biden's comments in which he said he agrees that Putin is a "killer" in an interview.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/takes-one-to-know-one-putin-strikes-back-on-bidens-killer-comment-371402">'Takes one to know one': Putin strikes back on Biden's 'killer' comment</a>

Biden also told ABC News in the interview that Putin would "pay a price" for attempting to undermine his candidacy in the 2020 US election.

The White House on Thursday defended the American president, saying the "president gave a direct answer to a direct question.&nbsp;

Earlier on Thursday, the Russian president mocked Biden's "killer" comments, saying "it takes one to know one".&nbsp;

The US president's remarks escalated one of the biggest diplomatic crisis between Russia and the US in years as Moscow late Wednesday asked its Washington ambassador to return back for urgent consultations.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Amid the verbal spat, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday invited his US counterpart Joe Biden for virtual talks. "I want to invite President Biden to continue our discussion, but on condition that we will do this practically live, as they say, online," the Russian president said in televised comments, hinting that their talks could be held either on Friday or Monday.

Amid the verbal spat, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday invited his US counterpart Joe Biden for virtual talks. "I want to invite President Biden to continue our discussion, but on condition that we will do this practically live, as they say, online," the Russian president said in televised comments, hinting that their talks could be held either on Friday or Monday. Watch | He added that the discussion would be an "open direct" one and "interesting" for the people of both nations. Putin's comments came after Washington and Moscow exchanged barbs following Biden's comments in which he said he agrees that Putin is a "killer" in an interview. Also read | 'Takes one to know one': Putin strikes back on Biden's 'killer' comment Biden also told ABC News in the interview that Putin would "pay a price" for attempting to undermine his candidacy in the 2020 US election. The White House on Thursday defended the American president, saying the "president gave a direct answer to a direct question. Earlier on Thursday, the Russian president mocked Biden's "killer" comments, saying "it takes one to know one". The US president's remarks escalated one of the biggest diplomatic crisis between Russia and the US in years as Moscow late Wednesday asked its Washington ambassador to return back for urgent consultations.

Amid row over Biden's 'killer' remarks, Putin invites US president for virtual talks

Hours after shootings at three different spas and massage parlors killing six Asian women, the US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> has condemned violence against Asian Americans.

Talking about the incident and several other similar incidents in the past, Biden said the recent attacks against the Asian-Americans is "very troublesome".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-eyes-next-stage-of-covid-19-fight-slams-attacks-on-asian-americans-during-pandemic-369816">Biden eyes next stage of Covid-19 fight, slams attacks on Asian-Americans during pandemic</a>

"I know that Asian Americans are very concerned because, as you know, I've been speaking about the brutality against Asian-Americans for the last couple of months," he said in an interview. "I think that it is very, very troublesome."

However, he also stressed that while the shootings are troublesome, the motivation of these are not yet confirmed.

The local authorities have taken a 21-year-old male in custody on suspicion of the shootings, but have not confirmed it to be racially motivated yet.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-fineprint-8-people-killed-at-3-massage-parlors-in-atlanta-suspect-arrested-371221">Watch |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-fineprint-8-people-killed-at-3-massage-parlors-in-atlanta-suspect-arrested-371221/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"This is still early, but (the suspect) does claim it was not racially motivated," Captain Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said.

Biden's statement has come a little after his fellow Democrat and former US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a> took to Twitter to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/obama-condemns-rising-anti-asian-violence-after-atlanta-shooting-371224">condemn these killings.</a>

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Even as we’ve battled the pandemic, we’ve continued to neglect the longer-lasting epidemic of gun violence in America. Although the shooter’s motive is not yet clear, the identity of the victims underscores an alarming rise in anti-Asian violence that must end.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1372191746583629827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
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"Although the shooter's motive is not yet clear, the identity of the victims underscores an alarming rise in anti-Asian violence that must end," Obama tweeted.

He also reminded people about the rising cases of gun violence in the country. "Even as we’ve battled the pandemic, we’ve continued to neglect the longer-lasting epidemic of gun violence in America," he said.

Hours after shootings at three different spas and massage parlors killing six Asian women, the US President Joe Biden has condemned violence against Asian Americans.

Hours after shootings at three different spas and massage parlors killing six Asian women, the US President Joe Biden has condemned violence against Asian Americans. Talking about the incident and several other similar incidents in the past, Biden said the recent attacks against the Asian-Americans is "very troublesome". Also read | Biden eyes next stage of Covid-19 fight, slams attacks on Asian-Americans during pandemic "I know that Asian Americans are very concerned because, as you know, I've been speaking about the brutality against Asian-Americans for the last couple of months," he said in an interview. "I think that it is very, very troublesome." However, he also stressed that while the shootings are troublesome, the motivation of these are not yet confirmed. The local authorities have taken a 21-year-old male in custody on suspicion of the shootings, but have not confirmed it to be racially motivated yet. Watch | "This is still early, but (the suspect) does claim it was not racially motivated," Captain Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said. Biden's statement has come a little after his fellow Democrat and former US President Barack Obama took to Twitter to condemn these killings. Even as we’ve battled the pandemic, we’ve continued to neglect the longer-lasting epidemic of gun violence in America. Although the shooter’s motive is not yet clear, the identity of the victims underscores an alarming rise in anti-Asian violence that must end. — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 17, 2021 × "Although the shooter's motive is not yet clear, the identity of the victims underscores an alarming rise in anti-Asian violence that must end," Obama tweeted. He also reminded people about the rising cases of gun violence in the country. "Even as we’ve battled the pandemic, we’ve continued to neglect the longer-lasting epidemic of gun violence in America," he said.

Violence against Asian Americans 'very troublesome', says Biden after Atlanta shootings

Russian President hits back at Joe Biden's 'killer' remarks. Vladimir Putin called the remarks unprecedented & recalled its ambassador from Washington.

WION Dispatch: US-Russia tensions escalate over 'killer' remarks

The US House voted to reauthorise the Violence Against Women Act, which enshrines critical legal protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence.

The act had lapsed during the previous Congress. The original bill was first passed in 1994 and was championed by President Joe Biden, who was a US senator at the time. It was updated in 2000, 2005 and 2013.

The measure -- which would provide grants to groups addressing domestic violence,&nbsp;sexual assault&nbsp;and prevention, fund rape crisis centres and facilitate outreach in underserved communities --&nbsp;passed on a bipartisan 244-172 vote.&nbsp;

It also funds a first-time programme to fight domestic violence against LGBTQ individuals through the use of prevention education and training, and improves housing access for victims and survivors.&nbsp;

Twenty-nine Republicans joined all Democrats present in supporting the measure.

The updated version of the Violence Against Women Act also closes the so-called dating partner and stalker loopholes by extending gun purchase bans to any ex-partner or stalker charged with domestic abuse, an element that could complicate passage of VAWA in the 50-50 Senate.

The 2019 version of VAWA passed the House, but the Senate's Republican leader at the time, Mitch McConnell, refused to put it to a vote.

Biden hailed the bill's passage in the House, calling the original one of his proudest legislative accomplishments, and urged the Senate to pass the measure.

"This should not be a Democratic or Republican issue -- it's about standing up against the abuse of power and preventing violence," he said in a statement.

The vote came against a backdrop of horrific violence against women in the United States.

On Tuesday, eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were murdered in three attacks at spas and massage parlors near Atlanta, Georgia.

The US House voted to reauthorise the Violence Against Women Act, which enshrines critical legal protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence. The act had lapsed during the previous Congress.

The US House voted to reauthorise the Violence Against Women Act, which enshrines critical legal protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence. The act had lapsed during the previous Congress. The original bill was first passed in 1994 and was championed by President Joe Biden, who was a US senator at the time. It was updated in 2000, 2005 and 2013. The measure -- which would provide grants to groups addressing domestic violence, sexual assault and prevention, fund rape crisis centres and facilitate outreach in underserved communities -- passed on a bipartisan 244-172 vote. It also funds a first-time programme to fight domestic violence against LGBTQ individuals through the use of prevention education and training, and improves housing access for victims and survivors. Twenty-nine Republicans joined all Democrats present in supporting the measure. The updated version of the Violence Against Women Act also closes the so-called dating partner and stalker loopholes by extending gun purchase bans to any ex-partner or stalker charged with domestic abuse, an element that could complicate passage of VAWA in the 50-50 Senate. The 2019 version of VAWA passed the House, but the Senate's Republican leader at the time, Mitch McConnell, refused to put it to a vote. Biden hailed the bill's passage in the House, calling the original one of his proudest legislative accomplishments, and urged the Senate to pass the measure. "This should not be a Democratic or Republican issue -- it's about standing up against the abuse of power and preventing violence," he said in a statement. The vote came against a backdrop of horrific violence against women in the United States. On Tuesday, eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were murdered in three attacks at spas and massage parlors near Atlanta, Georgia.

US House reauthorises Violence Against Women Act

Almost a day after US President Joe Biden agreed that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, is a 'killer', the latter has broken his silence. Putin, on Thursday, talking about Biden's comment said&nbsp;it "takes one to know one".

The Russian President also acknowledged Biden's statement about the two leaders knowing each other well. "As for the statement by my American counterpart, we really are, as he said, personally acquainted. What would I answer him? I would tell him: stay healthy! I wish him good health," Putin said in televised remarks.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-dismisses-us-reports-on-poll-meddling-as-biden-doubles-down-on-allegations-371153">Russia dismisses US reports on poll meddling as Biden doubles down on allegations</a>

He also pointed out that people usually project onto others what they think about themselves. "There have been many difficult, dramatic, and bloody events in the history of each nation. But when we assess other people, when we assess other states, other peoples, we are always looking in the mirror. We always see ourselves there."

Putin added that Moscow would not sever ties with Washington but would work with the US on terms "beneficial" to Russia.

His&nbsp;statement came a few minutes after Kremlin expressed disappointment in the weakening relationship between the two countries. On Thursday, the Kremlin said it is clear that Joe Biden has no interest in improving the strained relationship between the two countries.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-recalls-washington-envoy-for-consultations-371250">Russia recalls Washington envoy for consultations&nbsp;</a>

"These statements from the president of the United States are very bad. It is clear that he does not want to get the relationship with our country back on track, and we will proceed from that," the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

This has come after Biden, during an interview, said "I do" when asked if he thinks Putin is a 'killer'.&nbsp;The US President had also claimed that Putin will "pay a price" for allegedly meddling in the US election 2020.

"I know him [Putin] relatively well," Biden said, recalling his conversation with the Russian ruler in January 2021. "The most important thing dealing with foreign leaders in my experience [...] is just know the other guy," he added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-president-biden-talks-about-putins-interference-in-us-elections-371382">Watch |</a>&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-president-biden-talks-about-putins-interference-in-us-elections-371382/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Biden had also described Putin to have no soul, which is the first time the newly-elected President has passed such a harsh statement on some foreign leader.

These claims, however, have been declined by the Kremlin and recalled the Russian envoy back to the country for consultations on ties with the US to prevent an 'irreversible deterioration' in relations.&nbsp;

"The Russian ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, has been invited to come to Moscow for consultations conducted with the aim of analysing what should be done and where to go in the context of ties with the United States," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Konstantin Kosachyov, deputy chairman of parliament’s upper house, took to Facebook to condemn Biden's comments, which Kremlin claims are an attack on Russia as a whole.

“I suspect it will not be the last one if no explanation or apology follows from the American side,” Kosachyov said in a Facebook post. "This kind of assessment is not allowed from the mouth of a statesman of such a rank. This kind of statement is not acceptable under any circumstances."

Almost a day after US President Joe Biden agreed that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, is a 'killer', the latter has broken his silence. Putin, on Thursday, talking about Biden's comment said it "takes one to know one".

Almost a day after US President Joe Biden agreed that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, is a 'killer', the latter has broken his silence. Putin, on Thursday, talking about Biden's comment said it "takes one to know one". The Russian President also acknowledged Biden's statement about the two leaders knowing each other well. "As for the statement by my American counterpart, we really are, as he said, personally acquainted. What would I answer him? I would tell him: stay healthy! I wish him good health," Putin said in televised remarks. Also read | Russia dismisses US reports on poll meddling as Biden doubles down on allegations He also pointed out that people usually project onto others what they think about themselves. "There have been many difficult, dramatic, and bloody events in the history of each nation. But when we assess other people, when we assess other states, other peoples, we are always looking in the mirror. We always see ourselves there." Putin added that Moscow would not sever ties with Washington but would work with the US on terms "beneficial" to Russia. His statement came a few minutes after Kremlin expressed disappointment in the weakening relationship between the two countries. On Thursday, the Kremlin said it is clear that Joe Biden has no interest in improving the strained relationship between the two countries. Also read | Russia recalls Washington envoy for consultations "These statements from the president of the United States are very bad. It is clear that he does not want to get the relationship with our country back on track, and we will proceed from that," the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. This has come after Biden, during an interview, said "I do" when asked if he thinks Putin is a 'killer'. The US President had also claimed that Putin will "pay a price" for allegedly meddling in the US election 2020. "I know him [Putin] relatively well," Biden said, recalling his conversation with the Russian ruler in January 2021. "The most important thing dealing with foreign leaders in my experience [...] is just know the other guy," he added. Watch | Biden had also described Putin to have no soul, which is the first time the newly-elected President has passed such a harsh statement on some foreign leader. These claims, however, have been declined by the Kremlin and recalled the Russian envoy back to the country for consultations on ties with the US to prevent an 'irreversible deterioration' in relations. "The Russian ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, has been invited to come to Moscow for consultations conducted with the aim of analysing what should be done and where to go in the context of ties with the United States," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. Meanwhile, Konstantin Kosachyov, deputy chairman of parliament’s upper house, took to Facebook to condemn Biden's comments, which Kremlin claims are an attack on Russia as a whole. “I suspect it will not be the last one if no explanation or apology follows from the American side,” Kosachyov said in a Facebook post. "This kind of assessment is not allowed from the mouth of a statesman of such a rank. This kind of statement is not acceptable under any circumstances."

'Takes one to know one': Putin strikes back on Biden's 'killer' comment

North Korea on Thursday&nbsp;blasted the recent attempt made by the&nbsp;United States to&nbsp;initiate contact as&nbsp;a "cheap trick" that would never be answered until Washington dropped hostile policies.

The statement by Choe Son Hui, the first vice minister of foreign affairs for&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea, is the first formal rejection of tentative approaches by the new US&nbsp;administration under President Joe Biden, who took office in January.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/blinken-says-us-weighs-pressure-diplomatic-options-on-north-korea-371295">Blinken says US weighs pressure, diplomatic options on North Korea</a>

It came as US&nbsp;Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting South&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a first overseas trip by top-level members of Biden's administration.

The attempts at contact were made by sending e-mails and telephone messages via various routes, including by a third country, Choe said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA.

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She called the attempts at contact a "cheap trick" for gaining time and building up public opinion.

"What has been heard from the US&nbsp;since the emergence of the new regime is only lunatic theory of 'threat from&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea' and groundless rhetoric about 'complete denuclearisation,' Choe said.

The White House said earlier this month it had reached out to&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea, but received no response, and did not elaborate.

Speaking in Seoul on Wednesday, Blinken accused&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;of committing "systemic and widespread abuses" against its own people and said the United States and its allies were committed to the denuclearisation of&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea.

Blinken and Austin are due to continue meetings with South&nbsp;Korean leaders on Thursday, before flying to Alaska for the administration's first talks with Chinese officials, where the&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;standoff is expected to be discussed.

Talks aimed at reducing tensions with&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;and persuading it to give up its arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles have been stalled since 2019, after a series of historic summits between then-US&nbsp;President Donald Trump and&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Choe criticized the United States for continuing military drills, and for maintaining sanctions aimed at pressuring Pyongyang.

No dialogue would be possible until the United States rolled back its hostile policy toward&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;and both parties were able to exchange words on an equal basis, she said.

North Korea on Thursday blasted the recent attempt made by the United States to initiate contact as a "cheap trick" that would never be answered until Washington dropped hostile policies.

North Korea on Thursday blasted the recent attempt made by the United States to initiate contact as a "cheap trick" that would never be answered until Washington dropped hostile policies. The statement by Choe Son Hui, the first vice minister of foreign affairs for North Korea, is the first formal rejection of tentative approaches by the new US administration under President Joe Biden, who took office in January. Also read| Blinken says US weighs pressure, diplomatic options on North Korea It came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting South Korea alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a first overseas trip by top-level members of Biden's administration. The attempts at contact were made by sending e-mails and telephone messages via various routes, including by a third country, Choe said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA. She called the attempts at contact a "cheap trick" for gaining time and building up public opinion. "What has been heard from the US since the emergence of the new regime is only lunatic theory of 'threat from North Korea' and groundless rhetoric about 'complete denuclearisation,' Choe said. The White House said earlier this month it had reached out to North Korea, but received no response, and did not elaborate. Speaking in Seoul on Wednesday, Blinken accused North Korea of committing "systemic and widespread abuses" against its own people and said the United States and its allies were committed to the denuclearisation of North Korea. Blinken and Austin are due to continue meetings with South Korean leaders on Thursday, before flying to Alaska for the administration's first talks with Chinese officials, where the North Korea standoff is expected to be discussed. Talks aimed at reducing tensions with North Korea and persuading it to give up its arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles have been stalled since 2019, after a series of historic summits between then-US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Choe criticized the United States for continuing military drills, and for maintaining sanctions aimed at pressuring Pyongyang. No dialogue would be possible until the United States rolled back its hostile policy toward North Korea and both parties were able to exchange words on an equal basis, she said.

North Korea blasts US attempt to initiate contact as 'cheap trick'

The United States President Joe Biden believes that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is a 'killer' and would 'pay a price' for interfering in US elections.

US President Biden talks about Putin's 'interference' in US elections

United States President Joe Biden has urged migrants not to come to the US as criticism mounted over a surge in people arriving at the southern border with Mexico, including thousands of unaccompanied children.

United States: President Joe Biden tells migrants 'don't come over'

US President Joe Biden has urged migrants to not make their way to the United States, as criticism mounted over a surge in people arriving at the southern border with Mexico -- including thousands of unaccompanied children.

"Yes I can say quite clearly don't come over... Don't leave your town or city or community," he said in an interview with ABC News, addressing the migrants.

Biden on Tuesday spoke a day after top Republican congressman, Kevin McCarthy, visited the border in Texas with fellow Republican lawmakers and accused Biden of creating a "crisis," and hours after his head of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, defended the administration's immigration policies.

He also shrugged off claims that his dismantling of former president Donald Trump's tough stance had encouraged the surge, pointing out that there had been similar surges in 2019 and 2020.

"The idea that Joe Biden said 'come' - I heard the other day that they're coming because I'm a nice guy... Here's the deal, they're not," he said.

On January 20, his first day in office, Biden scrapped several of Donald Trump's contentious immigration policies, including halting new construction of a border wall and proposing legislation to create a citizenship pathway for the nearly 11 million people living illegally in the US.

Mayorkas acknowledged the United States was "on pace" to encounter more migrants at the border than at any time in two decades, but said such spikes were "not new," having also occurred in 2019, 2014 and earlier.

"The situation we are currently facing at the southwest border is a difficult one," Mayorkas said in a statement.&nbsp;

"We are keeping our borders secure, enforcing our laws, and staying true to our values and principles."

Mayorkas said the rise in unaccompanied children -- some as young as six or seven -- comes from ending the policies of Trump, whose administration "cruelly expelled young children into the hands of traffickers."

"They are vulnerable children and we have ended the prior administration's practice of expelling them," he said.

The Biden administration continues to expel most single adults and people travelling in families.

In February, the US Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) arrested about 100,000 people at the southern border -- including nearly 9,500 unaccompanied children -- a 28 percent jump over January.

Mayorkas blasted the Trump administration for having cut aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras meant to tackle the root causes of migration such as violence and the impacts of natural disasters.

Holding facilities for apprehended migrants are crowded, Mayorkas said, noting authorities had not "had the capacity to intake the number of unaccompanied children we have been encountering."

Complicating conditions, pandemic-related physical distancing protocols have further reduced space, said Mayorkas, who has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help activate additional facilities.

(with inputs)

US President Joe Biden has urged migrants to not make their way to the United States, as criticism mounted over a surge in people arriving at the southern border with Mexico -- including thousands of unaccompanied children.

US President Joe Biden has urged migrants to not make their way to the United States, as criticism mounted over a surge in people arriving at the southern border with Mexico -- including thousands of unaccompanied children. "Yes I can say quite clearly don't come over... Don't leave your town or city or community," he said in an interview with ABC News, addressing the migrants. Biden on Tuesday spoke a day after top Republican congressman, Kevin McCarthy, visited the border in Texas with fellow Republican lawmakers and accused Biden of creating a "crisis," and hours after his head of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, defended the administration's immigration policies. He also shrugged off claims that his dismantling of former president Donald Trump's tough stance had encouraged the surge, pointing out that there had been similar surges in 2019 and 2020. "The idea that Joe Biden said 'come' - I heard the other day that they're coming because I'm a nice guy... Here's the deal, they're not," he said. On January 20, his first day in office, Biden scrapped several of Donald Trump's contentious immigration policies, including halting new construction of a border wall and proposing legislation to create a citizenship pathway for the nearly 11 million people living illegally in the US. Mayorkas acknowledged the United States was "on pace" to encounter more migrants at the border than at any time in two decades, but said such spikes were "not new," having also occurred in 2019, 2014 and earlier. "The situation we are currently facing at the southwest border is a difficult one," Mayorkas said in a statement. "We are keeping our borders secure, enforcing our laws, and staying true to our values and principles." Mayorkas said the rise in unaccompanied children -- some as young as six or seven -- comes from ending the policies of Trump, whose administration "cruelly expelled young children into the hands of traffickers." "They are vulnerable children and we have ended the prior administration's practice of expelling them," he said. The Biden administration continues to expel most single adults and people travelling in families. In February, the US Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) arrested about 100,000 people at the southern border -- including nearly 9,500 unaccompanied children -- a 28 percent jump over January. Mayorkas blasted the Trump administration for having cut aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras meant to tackle the root causes of migration such as violence and the impacts of natural disasters. Holding facilities for apprehended migrants are crowded, Mayorkas said, noting authorities had not "had the capacity to intake the number of unaccompanied children we have been encountering." Complicating conditions, pandemic-related physical distancing protocols have further reduced space, said Mayorkas, who has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help activate additional facilities. (with inputs)

Biden asks migrants to not head to US as criticism grows

Twenty-one Republican attorneys general pressed the Biden administration Tuesday to clarify a provision in the $1.9 trillion economic aid package that the president signed into law last week, warning that its restrictions on state efforts to cut taxes could be “the greatest attempted invasion of state sovereignty by Congress in the history of our Republic.”

The seven-page letter was signed by a host of Republican officials, including the attorneys general of Texas, Arizona, Georgia and Utah. They take issue with a restriction that lawmakers included in a $350 billion relief effort for state, local and tribal governments that prevents them from using the federal funds “to either directly or indirectly offset a reduction in the net tax revenue” as a result of tax cuts. These governments have suffered revenue hits and laid off more than 1 million public employees during the coronavirus pandemic.

The law requires repayment to the federal government of any money that violates those conditions.

In their letter, the Republican officials asked Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary, to clarify how expansively her department would interpret that portion of the law. Does it simply prohibit states from using the federal dollars to offset new tax cuts, or instead prohibit them from cutting taxes for any reason, even if those cuts were in the works before the law passed? The officials said the broader restriction would be damaging and most likely unconstitutional.

“This language could be read to deny states the ability to cut taxes in any manner whatsoever — even if they would have provided such tax relief with or without the prospect of COVID-19 relief funds,” the attorneys general wrote. “Absent a more sensible interpretation from your department, this provision would amount to an unprecedented and unconstitutional intrusion on the separate sovereignty of the states through federal usurpation of essentially one half of the state’s fiscal ledgers” — their ability to collect revenues.

Oklahoma, for example, has already passed an income-tax cut through its House of Representatives, including an expansion of the state’s earned-income tax credit that is meant to help low-income workers, Mike Hunter, the state’s attorney general, said in a statement Tuesday. “But,” he warned, “the federal stimulus bill might prohibit Oklahoma from providing this economic relief without losing its share of federal funding.”

A White House spokesman declined on Tuesday evening to comment on the letter. A Treasury Department spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment.

Republican lawmakers in Washington and around the country previously raised concerns over the provision.

“We were planning on giving — reducing the sales tax on used cars, that is low-income and middle-income,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas said on the CBS program “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “And now we’re worried about whether that’s going to be prohibited under this bill. The language seems to indicate it is.”

Twenty-one Republican attorneys general pressed the Biden administration Tuesday to clarify a provision in the $1.9 trillion economic aid package that the president signed into law last week, warning that its restrictions on state efforts to cut taxes could be “the greatest attempted invasion of state sovereignty by Congress in the history of our Republic.

Twenty-one Republican attorneys general pressed the Biden administration Tuesday to clarify a provision in the $1.9 trillion economic aid package that the president signed into law last week, warning that its restrictions on state efforts to cut taxes could be “the greatest attempted invasion of state sovereignty by Congress in the history of our Republic.” The seven-page letter was signed by a host of Republican officials, including the attorneys general of Texas, Arizona, Georgia and Utah. They take issue with a restriction that lawmakers included in a $350 billion relief effort for state, local and tribal governments that prevents them from using the federal funds “to either directly or indirectly offset a reduction in the net tax revenue” as a result of tax cuts. These governments have suffered revenue hits and laid off more than 1 million public employees during the coronavirus pandemic. The law requires repayment to the federal government of any money that violates those conditions. In their letter, the Republican officials asked Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary, to clarify how expansively her department would interpret that portion of the law. Does it simply prohibit states from using the federal dollars to offset new tax cuts, or instead prohibit them from cutting taxes for any reason, even if those cuts were in the works before the law passed? The officials said the broader restriction would be damaging and most likely unconstitutional. “This language could be read to deny states the ability to cut taxes in any manner whatsoever — even if they would have provided such tax relief with or without the prospect of COVID-19 relief funds,” the attorneys general wrote. “Absent a more sensible interpretation from your department, this provision would amount to an unprecedented and unconstitutional intrusion on the separate sovereignty of the states through federal usurpation of essentially one half of the state’s fiscal ledgers” — their ability to collect revenues. Oklahoma, for example, has already passed an income-tax cut through its House of Representatives, including an expansion of the state’s earned-income tax credit that is meant to help low-income workers, Mike Hunter, the state’s attorney general, said in a statement Tuesday. “But,” he warned, “the federal stimulus bill might prohibit Oklahoma from providing this economic relief without losing its share of federal funding.” A White House spokesman declined on Tuesday evening to comment on the letter. A Treasury Department spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment. Republican lawmakers in Washington and around the country previously raised concerns over the provision. “We were planning on giving — reducing the sales tax on used cars, that is low-income and middle-income,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas said on the CBS program “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “And now we’re worried about whether that’s going to be prohibited under this bill. The language seems to indicate it is.”

Republican attorneys general press Biden over restrictions on state aid in stimulus plan

A few hours after a US intelligence report claimed that the Russian President Vladimir Putin likely directed meddling in US election 2020, the current US President<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden"> Joe Biden</a> has said he agrees that Putin is a 'killer'.

"He will pay a price. You'll see shortly," Biden said during an interview with an international media house, ABC News.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/putin-likely-directed-meddling-in-2020-us-election-report-claims-371004">Putin likely directed meddling in 2020 US election, report claims</a>

"I know him [Putin] relatively well," Biden said, recalling his conversation with Russian ruler in January 2021. "The most important thing dealing with foreign leaders in my experience [...] is just know the other guy," he added.

The US President also added a subtle "I do" when asked if he believes his Russian counterpart is a 'killer'.&nbsp;

This statement has come after a 15-page report, released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday, claimed that the Russian President likely directed efforts to try and sabotage Biden's chances of winning the US election 2020 against <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump.</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-fineprint-biden-says-putin-is-a-killer-and-will-pay-a-price-371217">Watch |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-fineprint-biden-says-putin-is-a-killer-and-will-pay-a-price-371217/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Putin had purview over the activities of Andriy Derkach," the report said. "Other senior officials also participated in Russia's election influence efforts - including senior national security and intelligence officials who we assess would not act without receiving at least Putin's tacit approval."

However, these claims were <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-calls-us-allegations-over-putin-directed-election-meddling-baseless-371074">dismissed by Russia</a>. "The document prepared by the US intelligence community is another set of groundless accusations against our country of interfering in American internal political processes. The conclusions of the report on Russia conducting influence operations in America are confirmed solely by the confidence of the intelligence services of their self-righteousness. No facts or specific evidence of such claims were provided," &nbsp;the Russian Embassy in Washington said on Wednesday.

Immediately after Biden's statement,&nbsp;Russia's lower house of parliament denounced the US President for agreeing that Putin is a 'killer'. Claiming that attacks on Putin are attacks on Russia, State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin wrote on his Telegram channel that "Biden insulted the citizens of our country with his statement".

A few hours after a US intelligence report claimed that the Russian President Vladimir Putin likely directed meddling in US election 2020, the current US President Joe Biden has said he agrees that Putin is a 'killer'.

A few hours after a US intelligence report claimed that the Russian President Vladimir Putin likely directed meddling in US election 2020, the current US President Joe Biden has said he agrees that Putin is a 'killer'. "He will pay a price. You'll see shortly," Biden said during an interview with an international media house, ABC News. Also read | Putin likely directed meddling in 2020 US election, report claims "I know him [Putin] relatively well," Biden said, recalling his conversation with Russian ruler in January 2021. "The most important thing dealing with foreign leaders in my experience [...] is just know the other guy," he added. The US President also added a subtle "I do" when asked if he believes his Russian counterpart is a 'killer'. This statement has come after a 15-page report, released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday, claimed that the Russian President likely directed efforts to try and sabotage Biden's chances of winning the US election 2020 against Donald Trump. Watch | "Putin had purview over the activities of Andriy Derkach," the report said. "Other senior officials also participated in Russia's election influence efforts - including senior national security and intelligence officials who we assess would not act without receiving at least Putin's tacit approval." However, these claims were dismissed by Russia. "The document prepared by the US intelligence community is another set of groundless accusations against our country of interfering in American internal political processes. The conclusions of the report on Russia conducting influence operations in America are confirmed solely by the confidence of the intelligence services of their self-righteousness. No facts or specific evidence of such claims were provided," the Russian Embassy in Washington said on Wednesday. Immediately after Biden's statement, Russia's lower house of parliament denounced the US President for agreeing that Putin is a 'killer'. Claiming that attacks on Putin are attacks on Russia, State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin wrote on his Telegram channel that "Biden insulted the citizens of our country with his statement".

Russia dismisses US reports on poll meddling as Biden doubles down on allegations

The United States President Joe Biden believes that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is a "killer" and would "pay a price" for interfering in US elections.

WION Fineprint: Biden says Putin is a 'killer' and will 'pay a price'

The Biden administration warned Tuesday that the United States expected to make more apprehensions along the southwestern border this year than at any time in the past two decades, underscoring the urgency for the White House to develop solutions for the chronic problems with immigration from Central America.

The grim prediction by Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security, came as President Joe Biden was being assailed for his handling of a surge at the border involving thousands of unaccompanied children and teenagers from the region — with attacks coming from the right for not being tough enough and from the left for not being humane enough.

The president has pleaded for time and patience, blaming his predecessor for dismantling the immigration system in his zeal to keep foreigners out. But even Biden’s top advisers acknowledge that after unwinding President Donald Trump’s harsh policies, there is no easy or quick fix for a problem that has been a recurring crisis.

“We have no illusions about how hard it is, and we know it will take time,” Mayorkas said in a statement on Tuesday as the House prepared to vote this week on several immigration measures and the administration rushed to provide more housing for the young migrants arriving at the border. But, he added, “We will get it done.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/what-explains-influx-of-migrants-at-us-border-371117">Watch |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/what-explains-influx-of-migrants-at-us-border-371117/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The approach being developed by the administration involves steps that it can take relatively quickly and others that will take longer and require agreement from Congress or cooperation from the governments of Central American nations. And it will have to deal with several categories of people, including the unaccompanied minors who are overwhelming the system now and eventually asylum-seeking families and those trying to slip past border agents.

In the short term — as warmer weather invites even more people to migrate north — Biden’s administration must find a way to temporarily care for the thousands of migrant children who are arriving at the United States border without a legal guardian.

That includes expanding facilities where the children can be held legally for up to 72 hours in the custody of the Border Patrol. And it means finding more residential places where the migrant children can live for weeks or even months while the government searches for a relative or friend to take care of them while officials decide whether they must return to their home countries.

The Biden administration is struggling to quickly ramp up capacity. But the longer-term challenges are even more daunting.

Biden’s advisers have said they want to establish systems in Mexico that would provide a way for migrants to file applications to seek refuge to the United States in an orderly, safe manner, without coming to the border. But doing so will take months, and it is not yet clear whether migrants will use them.

For those who do apply for asylum, Biden’s team has said it will shorten the review process, which currently can take years to reach a final decision. Mayorkas has said asylum cases should be decided in weeks, one way or the other. But making that happen will require investing money and hiring people to process huge backlogs of cases.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-migrant-crisis-us-opens-shelter-for-migrant-children-371030">Watch |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-migrant-crisis-us-opens-shelter-for-migrant-children-371030/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Finally, Biden has vowed to vastly increase support for places like Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala so that Central Americans no longer feel the need to flee their homes. But even with the $4 billion that the president has proposed, rebuilding societies wracked by violence, gangs and stagnating economies will take years or decades — if it works at all.

All of the solutions Biden is considering have been under discussion for decades, often included in comprehensive immigration legislation that has repeatedly failed to get through Congress, falling victim to deep partisan divisions.

For now, Biden has left in place a Trump-era pandemic emergency rule that empowers agents to rapidly turn away most migrants other than unaccompanied minors without providing them the chance to have their asylum claims heard.

Mayorkas’ prediction about the scale of apprehensions this year includes migrants who will be detained in border facilities, as well as those rapidly turned away under the pandemic rule. It does not include those who managed to avoid border agents when crossing into the country.

“The administration, they’re asking for patience but that only goes for so long when you’re looking at these kind of numbers. And what happens after patience?” said R. Gil Kerlikowske, a commissioner of Customs and Border Protection under President Barack Obama. “What is the plan for dealing with this? What is the plan going forward?”

Short-Term Solutions

During the current fiscal year, which started Oct. 1, Customs and Border Protection has recorded more than 396,000 migrant crossings, including at official ports of entry, compared with about 201,600 during the same period last fiscal year.

A majority of those crossings involved single adults, who under current rules are often quickly expelled back to Mexico or their home countries. But unaccompanied children are taken by a border agent first to a detention facility, where they are then supposed to be transferred within 72 hours to a shelter managed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Those shelters were operating until recently with restricted capacity because of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving thousands of minors stuck in the jails along the border, including some who have been left to sleep on mats with foil sheets, according to lawyers who visited a facility in Texas.

But even before the pandemic, the shelter system had often been pushed beyond capacity.

The Biden administration this month directed the shelters to return to their normal capacity, allowing the government to increase the number of available beds in those shelters by about 40%.

With the number of minors at the border climbing, the administration is now scrambling to find additional space, including at a convention center in downtown Dallas; at a former camp for oil field workers in Midland, Texas; at a NASA site in California; and at a tent encampment in Arizona.

Biden said during an interview with ABC News on Tuesday that the administration could have enough shelter space by next month for the unaccompanied minors stuck in border facilities.

The government is also trying to reduce the amount of time it takes to transfer a child from border facilities to the shelters by streamlining a system that sends them through three different bureaucracies: the Border Patrol, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the Department of Health and Human Services. Coordination between the three agencies has often broken down and resulted in delays.

The Biden administration has started placing officials from the Department of Health and Human Services in border facilities to accelerate the process of finding a relative or other sponsor in the United States who can take the migrants in.

While the Biden administration continues to invoke the emergency pandemic rule to turn away most adults and migrant families, senior Homeland Security officials have acknowledged that they will be able to use the emergency rule only for so long as vaccination becomes more widely available.

In the meantime, the president and his top border officials have issued statements about the perilous journey to the United States, hoping to discourage migration to the border.

The administration held a series of private calls with pro-immigrant groups and advocates last week to discuss Biden’s immigration agenda. David Shahoulian, a top immigration official at the Department of Homeland Security, said that the messaging to discourage migrants from coming had not been working and that the administration would need to be clearer in the future, especially given that smugglers continue to encourage migrants to travel to the United States, according to people familiar with the discussion.

Mayorkas had said this month that the administration’s message was not “don’t come” but rather “don’t come now.” Roberta S. Jacobson, a special assistant overseeing border issues, initially said mistakenly in Spanish during a news briefing that the border was not closed, but then corrected herself to say it was closed.

By Tuesday, the president had an even more direct message: “I can say quite clearly, ‘Don’t come over,’ ” Biden said on ABC News, adding that the administration was working on creating opportunities for migrants to apply closer to their homes for asylum. “Don’t leave your town or city or community.”

Medium-Term Solutions

The administration is working on an agreement with Central American countries to reduce pressure on the border, Shahoulian said on the call. And it is examining options for expediting the processing of asylum cases.

“We will shorten from years to months the time it takes to adjudicate an asylum claim,” Mayorkas said in his statement Tuesday, adding that the administration would soon introduce a regulation to improve the system. He said that the administration was working to establish processing centers in Central America so that they could be screened and “brought to the United States if they qualify for relief under our humanitarian laws and other authorities.”

Biden said in his campaign platform that he would increase the number of judges and immigration officers to combat a backlog that nearly doubled during the Trump administration to more than 1.2 million cases.

Biden has already begun to restart the Obama-era Central American Minors program, which was intended to allow some children to apply in their home region for permission to live in the United States with a parent or other relative. When Trump ended the program, about 3,000 Central American children had been approved for travel to the United States.

It will take time to ramp up the program, which has strict vetting requirements, in order to verify the relationships of the children and their relatives.

Now, the administration is eager to examine even broader efforts to consider asylum applications remotely.

The administration is already testing a system where migrants, who were told by the Trump administration to wait along the border in squalid camps in Mexico, can use an app on their cellphones to apply for asylum and track their cases. That kind of system might be expanded more broadly, officials said.

“This is the road map going forward for a system that is safe, orderly and fair,” Mayorkas said.

Many of the changes Biden wants are included in comprehensive immigration legislation he sent to Congress on his first day in office. But that bill is a long way from becoming law, especially with Trump and other Republicans again using immigration to stoke their partisan base.

Long-Term Solutions

Biden’s most ambitious — and difficult — goal is to use the United States’ wealth and diplomatic power to reshape the region in the hopes of diminishing the root causes of migration from Central America, starting with poverty and violence.

It is an effort that has been tried before. Obama and members of Congress from both parties agreed to invest several hundred million dollars into Central America with the hope of improving the courts, diminishing the drug cartels and improving economic conditions.

Trump cut that spending, arguing that it was a waste of money, before restoring some of it. But Biden’s team is betting that even more investment will produce results. In Honduras, for example, the country’s coffee production has been hurt by hurricanes and slumping prices for coffee beans, driving many people into poverty.

But helping to reverse those kinds of economic trends could take years.

“When the president talks about ‘root causes,’ some of this is immediate humanitarian aid, but a lot of it is policy and aid together, making sure that you tackle the root causes of migration,” Jacobson said. “Otherwise, what you see is continued cycles.”

The Biden administration warned Tuesday that the United States expected to make more apprehensions along the southwestern border this year than at any time in the past two decades, underscoring the urgency for the White House to develop solutions for the chronic problems with immigration from Central America.

The Biden administration warned Tuesday that the United States expected to make more apprehensions along the southwestern border this year than at any time in the past two decades, underscoring the urgency for the White House to develop solutions for the chronic problems with immigration from Central America. The grim prediction by Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security, came as President Joe Biden was being assailed for his handling of a surge at the border involving thousands of unaccompanied children and teenagers from the region — with attacks coming from the right for not being tough enough and from the left for not being humane enough. The president has pleaded for time and patience, blaming his predecessor for dismantling the immigration system in his zeal to keep foreigners out. But even Biden’s top advisers acknowledge that after unwinding President Donald Trump’s harsh policies, there is no easy or quick fix for a problem that has been a recurring crisis. “We have no illusions about how hard it is, and we know it will take time,” Mayorkas said in a statement on Tuesday as the House prepared to vote this week on several immigration measures and the administration rushed to provide more housing for the young migrants arriving at the border. But, he added, “We will get it done.” Watch | The approach being developed by the administration involves steps that it can take relatively quickly and others that will take longer and require agreement from Congress or cooperation from the governments of Central American nations. And it will have to deal with several categories of people, including the unaccompanied minors who are overwhelming the system now and eventually asylum-seeking families and those trying to slip past border agents. In the short term — as warmer weather invites even more people to migrate north — Biden’s administration must find a way to temporarily care for the thousands of migrant children who are arriving at the United States border without a legal guardian. That includes expanding facilities where the children can be held legally for up to 72 hours in the custody of the Border Patrol. And it means finding more residential places where the migrant children can live for weeks or even months while the government searches for a relative or friend to take care of them while officials decide whether they must return to their home countries. The Biden administration is struggling to quickly ramp up capacity. But the longer-term challenges are even more daunting. Biden’s advisers have said they want to establish systems in Mexico that would provide a way for migrants to file applications to seek refuge to the United States in an orderly, safe manner, without coming to the border. But doing so will take months, and it is not yet clear whether migrants will use them. For those who do apply for asylum, Biden’s team has said it will shorten the review process, which currently can take years to reach a final decision. Mayorkas has said asylum cases should be decided in weeks, one way or the other. But making that happen will require investing money and hiring people to process huge backlogs of cases. Watch | Finally, Biden has vowed to vastly increase support for places like Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala so that Central Americans no longer feel the need to flee their homes. But even with the $4 billion that the president has proposed, rebuilding societies wracked by violence, gangs and stagnating economies will take years or decades — if it works at all. All of the solutions Biden is considering have been under discussion for decades, often included in comprehensive immigration legislation that has repeatedly failed to get through Congress, falling victim to deep partisan divisions. For now, Biden has left in place a Trump-era pandemic emergency rule that empowers agents to rapidly turn away most migrants other than unaccompanied minors without providing them the chance to have their asylum claims heard. Mayorkas’ prediction about the scale of apprehensions this year includes migrants who will be detained in border facilities, as well as those rapidly turned away under the pandemic rule. It does not include those who managed to avoid border agents when crossing into the country. “The administration, they’re asking for patience but that only goes for so long when you’re looking at these kind of numbers. And what happens after patience?” said R. Gil Kerlikowske, a commissioner of Customs and Border Protection under President Barack Obama. “What is the plan for dealing with this? What is the plan going forward?” Short-Term Solutions During the current fiscal year, which started Oct. 1, Customs and Border Protection has recorded more than 396,000 migrant crossings, including at official ports of entry, compared with about 201,600 during the same period last fiscal year. A majority of those crossings involved single adults, who under current rules are often quickly expelled back to Mexico or their home countries. But unaccompanied children are taken by a border agent first to a detention facility, where they are then supposed to be transferred within 72 hours to a shelter managed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Those shelters were operating until recently with restricted capacity because of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving thousands of minors stuck in the jails along the border, including some who have been left to sleep on mats with foil sheets, according to lawyers who visited a facility in Texas. But even before the pandemic, the shelter system had often been pushed beyond capacity. The Biden administration this month directed the shelters to return to their normal capacity, allowing the government to increase the number of available beds in those shelters by about 40%. With the number of minors at the border climbing, the administration is now scrambling to find additional space, including at a convention center in downtown Dallas; at a former camp for oil field workers in Midland, Texas; at a NASA site in California; and at a tent encampment in Arizona. Biden said during an interview with ABC News on Tuesday that the administration could have enough shelter space by next month for the unaccompanied minors stuck in border facilities. The government is also trying to reduce the amount of time it takes to transfer a child from border facilities to the shelters by streamlining a system that sends them through three different bureaucracies: the Border Patrol, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the Department of Health and Human Services. Coordination between the three agencies has often broken down and resulted in delays. The Biden administration has started placing officials from the Department of Health and Human Services in border facilities to accelerate the process of finding a relative or other sponsor in the United States who can take the migrants in. While the Biden administration continues to invoke the emergency pandemic rule to turn away most adults and migrant families, senior Homeland Security officials have acknowledged that they will be able to use the emergency rule only for so long as vaccination becomes more widely available. In the meantime, the president and his top border officials have issued statements about the perilous journey to the United States, hoping to discourage migration to the border. The administration held a series of private calls with pro-immigrant groups and advocates last week to discuss Biden’s immigration agenda. David Shahoulian, a top immigration official at the Department of Homeland Security, said that the messaging to discourage migrants from coming had not been working and that the administration would need to be clearer in the future, especially given that smugglers continue to encourage migrants to travel to the United States, according to people familiar with the discussion. Mayorkas had said this month that the administration’s message was not “don’t come” but rather “don’t come now.” Roberta S. Jacobson, a special assistant overseeing border issues, initially said mistakenly in Spanish during a news briefing that the border was not closed, but then corrected herself to say it was closed. By Tuesday, the president had an even more direct message: “I can say quite clearly, ‘Don’t come over,’ ” Biden said on ABC News, adding that the administration was working on creating opportunities for migrants to apply closer to their homes for asylum. “Don’t leave your town or city or community.” Medium-Term Solutions The administration is working on an agreement with Central American countries to reduce pressure on the border, Shahoulian said on the call. And it is examining options for expediting the processing of asylum cases. “We will shorten from years to months the time it takes to adjudicate an asylum claim,” Mayorkas said in his statement Tuesday, adding that the administration would soon introduce a regulation to improve the system. He said that the administration was working to establish processing centers in Central America so that they could be screened and “brought to the United States if they qualify for relief under our humanitarian laws and other authorities.” Biden said in his campaign platform that he would increase the number of judges and immigration officers to combat a backlog that nearly doubled during the Trump administration to more than 1.2 million cases. Biden has already begun to restart the Obama-era Central American Minors program, which was intended to allow some children to apply in their home region for permission to live in the United States with a parent or other relative. When Trump ended the program, about 3,000 Central American children had been approved for travel to the United States. It will take time to ramp up the program, which has strict vetting requirements, in order to verify the relationships of the children and their relatives. Now, the administration is eager to examine even broader efforts to consider asylum applications remotely. The administration is already testing a system where migrants, who were told by the Trump administration to wait along the border in squalid camps in Mexico, can use an app on their cellphones to apply for asylum and track their cases. That kind of system might be expanded more broadly, officials said. “This is the road map going forward for a system that is safe, orderly and fair,” Mayorkas said. Many of the changes Biden wants are included in comprehensive immigration legislation he sent to Congress on his first day in office. But that bill is a long way from becoming law, especially with Trump and other Republicans again using immigration to stoke their partisan base. Long-Term Solutions Biden’s most ambitious — and difficult — goal is to use the United States’ wealth and diplomatic power to reshape the region in the hopes of diminishing the root causes of migration from Central America, starting with poverty and violence. It is an effort that has been tried before. Obama and members of Congress from both parties agreed to invest several hundred million dollars into Central America with the hope of improving the courts, diminishing the drug cartels and improving economic conditions. Trump cut that spending, arguing that it was a waste of money, before restoring some of it. But Biden’s team is betting that even more investment will produce results. In Honduras, for example, the country’s coffee production has been hurt by hurricanes and slumping prices for coffee beans, driving many people into poverty. But helping to reverse those kinds of economic trends could take years. “When the president talks about ‘root causes,’ some of this is immediate humanitarian aid, but a lot of it is policy and aid together, making sure that you tackle the root causes of migration,” Jacobson said. “Otherwise, what you see is continued cycles.”

Surge in migrants defies easy or quick solutions for Biden

The US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> has warned that the country will not be able to withdraw all of the US troops from Afghanistan by May 01, which was part of a deal with the Taliban.

However, the Taliban has retaliated by asserting that the US troops must leave Afghanistan by the decided deadline or face the "consequences".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-dismisses-us-reports-on-poll-meddling-as-biden-doubles-down-on-allegations-371153" hreflang="en">Russia dismisses US reports on poll meddling as Biden doubles down on allegations</a>

As per an agreement signed in Qatar with the Taliban, the US is supposed to completely withdraw all of its troops from Afghanistan within six weeks.

On Wednesday, however, Biden cast a cloud of doubt on this by saying that a complete withdrawal "could happen, but it is tough".

"I'm in the process of making that decision now as to when they'll leave," Biden said.

Also watch |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/donald-trump-to-decide-on-2024-presidential-run-371136" hreflang="en">Donald Trump to decide on 2024 Presidential run</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/donald-trump-to-decide-on-2024-presidential-run-371136/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Directly attacking the former US President, Donald Trump, Biden said, "The fact is that that was not a very solidly negotiated deal that the president, the former president worked out."

"The failure to have an orderly transition from the Trump presidency to my presidency, which usually takes place from election day to the time he's sworn in, has cost me time and consequences," Biden added. "That's one of the issues we're talking about now, in terms of Afghanistan."

This statement by Biden has not been well received by the Taliban. "The Americans should end their occupation in accordance with the Doha deal and fully withdraw their forces from Afghanistan by May 1," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP.

He warned the US of 'consequences' if the deal is not respected. "If they don't do it, be it for any reason and pretexts, then they will be responsible for the consequences," he added.

The US President Joe Biden has warned that the country will not be able to withdraw all of the US troops from Afghanistan by May 01, which was part of a deal with the Taliban.

The US President Joe Biden has warned that the country will not be able to withdraw all of the US troops from Afghanistan by May 01, which was part of a deal with the Taliban. However, the Taliban has retaliated by asserting that the US troops must leave Afghanistan by the decided deadline or face the "consequences". Also read | Russia dismisses US reports on poll meddling as Biden doubles down on allegations As per an agreement signed in Qatar with the Taliban, the US is supposed to completely withdraw all of its troops from Afghanistan within six weeks. On Wednesday, however, Biden cast a cloud of doubt on this by saying that a complete withdrawal "could happen, but it is tough". "I'm in the process of making that decision now as to when they'll leave," Biden said. Also watch | Donald Trump to decide on 2024 Presidential run Directly attacking the former US President, Donald Trump, Biden said, "The fact is that that was not a very solidly negotiated deal that the president, the former president worked out." "The failure to have an orderly transition from the Trump presidency to my presidency, which usually takes place from election day to the time he's sworn in, has cost me time and consequences," Biden added. "That's one of the issues we're talking about now, in terms of Afghanistan." This statement by Biden has not been well received by the Taliban. "The Americans should end their occupation in accordance with the Doha deal and fully withdraw their forces from Afghanistan by May 1," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP. He warned the US of 'consequences' if the deal is not respected. "If they don't do it, be it for any reason and pretexts, then they will be responsible for the consequences," he added.

Biden says US troops withdrawal 'tough' by May 1; Taliban warns of 'consequences'

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely directed efforts to try to swing the 2020 US presidential election to Donald Trump, an American intelligence report has claimed.

Democrat Biden defeated Republican Trump and became president in January.

The 15-page report, released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday, will likely trigger US sanctions on Russia. According to Reuters, Washington is now expected to impose sanctions on Moscow as soon as next week because of the allegations.

The report named Derkach, who met Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani in 2019, as someone whose movements were tracked, if not directed, by Putin. It added heft to longstanding allegations that some of Trump's top lieutenants were playing into Moscow's hands by amplifying claims made against then-candidate Joe Biden by Russian-linked Ukrainian figures in the run-up to the November 3 election. It also added new findings that Putin either oversaw or at least approved of the election meddling to benefit Trump.

The said report has concluded that Russia-backed figures such as Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach enlisted unnamed US political figures in their campaign to smear Biden and his son Hunter.

"Putin had purview over the activities of Andriy Derkach," the report said. "Other senior officials also participated in Russia's election influence efforts - including senior national security and intelligence officials who we assess would not act without receiving at least Putin's tacit approval."

US intelligence agencies and former Special Counsel Robert Mueller had previously concluded that Russia also interfered in the 2016 election to boost Trump's candidacy with a campaign of propaganda aimed at harming his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kremlin-accuses-us-of-meddling-in-affairs-but-says-ready-to-talk-359012">Also read |&nbsp;Kremlin accuses US of meddling in affairs, but says ready to talk</a>

Mueller found extensive contacts between Trump's campaign and Russia. Trump while president also faced questions about ties by his associates with Russia and Russia-linked figures in Ukraine. The US House of Representatives impeached Trump in 2019 - the first of two times - on charges arising from his request that Ukraine investigate the Bidens.

The US intelligence report also found other foreign attempts to sway American voters in 2020 including a "multi-pronged covert influence campaign" by Iran intended to undercut Trump. As president, Trump pulled the United States out of a multilateral nuclear deal with Iran and imposed fresh sanctions.

The report also punctured a counter-narrative pushed by Trump's allies that China was interfering on Biden's behalf, concluding that Beijing "did not deploy interference efforts."

"China sought stability in its relationship with the United States and did not view either election outcome as being advantageous enough for China to risk blowback if caught," the report said.

US officials said they also saw efforts by Cuba, Venezuela and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to influence the election, although "in general, we assess that they were smaller in scale than those conducted by Russia and Iran."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-russia-and-iran-call-meddling-claims-groundless-337188">Also read |&nbsp;US election 2020: Russia and Iran call meddling claims 'groundless'</a>

A key role was played by another man with Russian intelligence ties, Konstantin Kilimnik, according to the report. It said Kilimnik and Derkach met and gave materials to Trump-linked people to push for formal investigations, and Derkach released four audio recordings seeking to suggest Biden tried to protect his son Hunter from a corruption probe in Ukraine. Giuliani was among those promoting such claims.

Kilimnik was an associate of Paul Manafort, who served as Trump's 2016 campaign chairman. Trump last year pardoned Manafort for a criminal conviction stemming from Mueller's investigation.

(with inputs)

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely directed efforts to try to swing the 2020 US presidential election to Donald Trump, an American intelligence report has claimed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely directed efforts to try to swing the 2020 US presidential election to Donald Trump, an American intelligence report has claimed. Democrat Biden defeated Republican Trump and became president in January. The 15-page report, released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday, will likely trigger US sanctions on Russia. According to Reuters, Washington is now expected to impose sanctions on Moscow as soon as next week because of the allegations. The report named Derkach, who met Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani in 2019, as someone whose movements were tracked, if not directed, by Putin. It added heft to longstanding allegations that some of Trump's top lieutenants were playing into Moscow's hands by amplifying claims made against then-candidate Joe Biden by Russian-linked Ukrainian figures in the run-up to the November 3 election. It also added new findings that Putin either oversaw or at least approved of the election meddling to benefit Trump. The said report has concluded that Russia-backed figures such as Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach enlisted unnamed US political figures in their campaign to smear Biden and his son Hunter. "Putin had purview over the activities of Andriy Derkach," the report said. "Other senior officials also participated in Russia's election influence efforts - including senior national security and intelligence officials who we assess would not act without receiving at least Putin's tacit approval." US intelligence agencies and former Special Counsel Robert Mueller had previously concluded that Russia also interfered in the 2016 election to boost Trump's candidacy with a campaign of propaganda aimed at harming his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Also read | Kremlin accuses US of meddling in affairs, but says ready to talk Mueller found extensive contacts between Trump's campaign and Russia. Trump while president also faced questions about ties by his associates with Russia and Russia-linked figures in Ukraine. The US House of Representatives impeached Trump in 2019 - the first of two times - on charges arising from his request that Ukraine investigate the Bidens. The US intelligence report also found other foreign attempts to sway American voters in 2020 including a "multi-pronged covert influence campaign" by Iran intended to undercut Trump. As president, Trump pulled the United States out of a multilateral nuclear deal with Iran and imposed fresh sanctions. The report also punctured a counter-narrative pushed by Trump's allies that China was interfering on Biden's behalf, concluding that Beijing "did not deploy interference efforts." "China sought stability in its relationship with the United States and did not view either election outcome as being advantageous enough for China to risk blowback if caught," the report said. US officials said they also saw efforts by Cuba, Venezuela and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to influence the election, although "in general, we assess that they were smaller in scale than those conducted by Russia and Iran." Also read | US election 2020: Russia and Iran call meddling claims 'groundless' A key role was played by another man with Russian intelligence ties, Konstantin Kilimnik, according to the report. It said Kilimnik and Derkach met and gave materials to Trump-linked people to push for formal investigations, and Derkach released four audio recordings seeking to suggest Biden tried to protect his son Hunter from a corruption probe in Ukraine. Giuliani was among those promoting such claims. Kilimnik was an associate of Paul Manafort, who served as Trump's 2016 campaign chairman. Trump last year pardoned Manafort for a criminal conviction stemming from Mueller's investigation. (with inputs)

Putin likely directed meddling in 2020 US election, report claims

'Don't come': US facing biggest migrant surge in 20 years

US President Joe Biden has said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo should resign if accusations that he sexually harassed women are proven. Notably, Cuomo is a powerful member of Biden's Democratic party.

"Yes," Biden told ABC News when asked if Cuomo should step down in those circumstances.

"I think he'll probably end up being prosecuted, too," he added.

Eight women have come forward since last month to denounce what they said were inappropriate words and gestures from Cuomo. One former employee said he slipped his hand under her blouse last year.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-imperious-rise-and-accelerating-fall-of-andrew-cuomo-370378">Also read |&nbsp;The imperious rise and accelerating fall of Andrew Cuomo</a>

Cuomo faces accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct levelled by several women, including former aides, and has come under pressure from disclosures that his administration withheld the number of nursing home residents killed in the state by Covid-19.&nbsp;

Apart from these allegations of groping, sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour made by women, Cuomo also faces an independent investigation into those accusations; an impeachment inquiry by state legislators; a federal investigation into his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic; and collapsing support from leaders in his own party.

Cuomo, however, denies sexual harassment and is refusing the calls to resign.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/can-biden-stay-on-the-sidelines-of-the-andrew-cuomo-saga-370872">Also read |&nbsp;Can Biden stay on the sidelines of the Andrew Cuomo saga?</a>

US President Joe Biden has said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo should resign if accusations that he sexually harassed women are proven. Notably, Cuomo is a powerful member of Biden's Democratic party.

US President Joe Biden has said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo should resign if accusations that he sexually harassed women are proven. Notably, Cuomo is a powerful member of Biden's Democratic party. "Yes," Biden told ABC News when asked if Cuomo should step down in those circumstances. "I think he'll probably end up being prosecuted, too," he added. Eight women have come forward since last month to denounce what they said were inappropriate words and gestures from Cuomo. One former employee said he slipped his hand under her blouse last year. Also read | The imperious rise and accelerating fall of Andrew Cuomo Cuomo faces accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct levelled by several women, including former aides, and has come under pressure from disclosures that his administration withheld the number of nursing home residents killed in the state by Covid-19. Apart from these allegations of groping, sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour made by women, Cuomo also faces an independent investigation into those accusations; an impeachment inquiry by state legislators; a federal investigation into his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic; and collapsing support from leaders in his own party. Cuomo, however, denies sexual harassment and is refusing the calls to resign. Also read | Can Biden stay on the sidelines of the Andrew Cuomo saga?

Biden says New York governor should resign if harassment claims proven

Do you know Iran has a city of Missiles? It's a never-ending underground corridor of scores of missile systems. The location is unknown, but the message is clear & is directed at the Joe Biden administration. WION's Palki Sharma gets you a report.

Gravitas: Iran unveils new city of Missiles

A migrant crisis is brewing in the US southern border. The Joe Biden administration is scrambling to accommodate unaccompanied children crossing the US-Mexico border. Watch video to know more

What explains influx of migrants at US border?

About two years ago I did something foolish: I wrote an optimistic column arguing that a polarizing issue was ripe for deescalation and compromise.

The issue was voting rights, where Republicans have long championed voter ID laws as a bulwark against alleged voting fraud, while Democrats have countered that such restrictions unfairly burden many Americans, racial minorities especially, in the exercise of their hard-won right to vote.

The good news, I said back then, was that lots of studies suggest that voter ID laws don’t do either thing. They don’t prevent much (or any) fraud, but they also don’t have much (if any) effect on turnout, for minorities or any other group. So conservatives could stop pushing them, liberals could stop freaking out about them, and without either side losing anything substantial, compromise and conciliation could rule the day.

Naturally since then the voting wars have only burned hotter, thanks to the exigencies of the coronavirus era and the arson of Donald Trump. The virus prompted a vast expansion of mail-in voting in the name of public health, Trump blamed vote-by-mail fraud (among other conspiracies) for his defeat, and soon a large swathe of conservatives became convinced corrupt balloting had stolen the election.

Now Republicans all over the country are advancing bills that answer the “theft” of 2020 with new ID requirements and new limits on absentee and early votes, while Democrats are advancing a national bill that would essentially federalize election law and make certain Republican restrictions impermissible. And each side is talking like this is an existential fight, with the very concept of a fair democratic election hanging in the balance.

But the facts continue to suggest otherwise, with two new studies adding to the case for compromise and calm.

The first study, from the Democracy and Polarization Lab at Stanford University, looks at the effects of “no-excuse absentee voting” on the 2020 election — the kind of balloting that a lot of states expanded and that many Republican state legislators now want to roll back. Contrary to liberal expectations, easing the voting rules this way seemed to have no effect on turnout: “States newly implementing no-excuse absentee voting for 2020 did not see larger increases in turnout than states that did not.”

Then contrary to Republican fears, the easement didn’t help Democrats at the GOP’s expense: “No-excuse absentee did not substantially increase Democratic turnout relative to Republican turnout.” Overall the authors argue that what drove higher turnout in 2020 was simply “voter interest” in the election, not the major voting rule change, which “mobilized relatively few voters and had at most a muted partisan effect.”

The second study comes from a doctoral candidate at the University of Oregon, and it looks further back in time to assess the effects of Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court revision of the Voting Rights Act that made it easier for states to impose voter ID laws and other restrictions. Using data from six federal elections, the author finds no post-Shelby divergence between white and African American turnout in states affected by the ruling. Indeed, if anything, the jurisdictions saw African American turnout rise relative to white turnout in the 2016 election, suggesting that new obstacles to voting prompt swift mobilization in response.

So rule changes favored by Democrats that make it modestly easier to vote probably didn’t help Democrats win the 2020 elections, and rule changes favored by Republicans that make it modestly harder to vote probably haven’t suppressed minority votes. Great news! I’m sure that &lt;em&gt;now&lt;/em&gt; we can call off the voting war and just find a sensible compromise instead.

For instance, my own preferred grand bargain would limit absentee voting but increase funding for polling places and make Election Day a national holiday. This would address reasonable Republican concerns about the civic benefits of having most people vote together, on the same day with the same information, while also answering Democratic concerns about long lines and working-class access to the polls. But there are other possible compromises as well …

No, ha-ha, just kidding, we aren’t going to compromise, not when there’s an apocalypse to fundraise off. And to be clear, Republicans are much more at fault for the needless escalation here. Democrats are guilty of rhetorical exaggeration and policy excess (their big voting rights bill, for instance, includes various traducements of free speech), but Republicans instigated the policy battle and thanks to Trump they’ve gone deepest into paranoia. At their most sincere, they can seem clueless about how the history of Jim Crow shadows these debates; at their most cynical or Trumpy, they’re just indulging a racialized fear of mobs in cities stealing elections from decent white suburbanites. And the deeper they dig in against reasonable critiques, the more the primal conservative suspicion of mass democracy, a “lower turnout is good, actually” mentality, has a way of coming out.

Some suspicion of pure democracy is essential to conservatism. But a high-minded case for lower turnout assumes that a smaller electorate will be more politically engaged and therefore more civic-minded. The evidence of recent American history, though, is that highly engaged, high-information voters tend to be zealous and blinkered hyperpartisans, in desperate need of balancing by more chilled-out and conflicted low-information votes.

The cynical conservative case for lower turnout, meanwhile, assumes that conservatism is the natural party of the responsible, always-registered-to-vote upper middle class. But as the GOP’s base has become more populist and working-class, the American right more anti-establishment, this self-interested logic is crumbling. If voter ID rules or absentee ballot limits did reduce turnout among occasional voters, a lot of those no-shows might be Trump supporters.

This is part of why the conservative fixation on hypothetical voter fraud is so exasperating. If the Trump era proved anything, it’s that Republicans can hold their ground as turnout rises, that they can be competitive with low-propensity voters and minority voters as well. But instead of taking that as an opportunity to actually reach for majorities again, under the influence of #StoptheSteal the party is effectively telling potential supporters that it doesn’t want high turnout, which is basically a way of saying, we don’t want your votes.

Then on the Democratic side, the focus on voting rules feeds a persistent misapprehension about the true constraints on liberal power. Liberals are disadvantaged in the American system at the moment, but it is long-standing constitutional structures, the Electoral College and the Senate above all, that give Republicans a modest advantage, not recent innovations in vote suppression. There isn’t a vast nonvoting majority that would sweep the left into power if only it were easier to vote, and the push for voter ID on the right isn’t actually a replay of Jim Crow. It’s a sideshow, fed by conservative paranoia, to the real struggle for power in America.

The shrewder left-wing analogy, offered by Corey Robin a few days ago in The New Yorker, isn’t to the Reconstruction-era South but to “Britain in the years before the Reform Act of 1832,” when it was antique constitutional structures that stifled democracy, not some sort of dramatic fascist putsch. From a conservative perspective I like this analogy, because it implies that today’s Republicans could learn something from Benjamin Disraeli, the opportunistic 19th-century Tory who leaned into democratization and proved the right could win mass working-class support.

But even Robin’s analogy exaggerates the structural limits on liberal power in the United States today. Those limits certainly exist; they delivered Trump the White House in 2016 with a minority of the popular vote. But the Democratic Party of 2021 has power that’s only marginally out of proportion to its popular support: Democrats won the national House vote by roughly 51% to 48% and the presidential popular vote by roughly 51% to 47%, and the fulcrum of power in Joe Biden’s Washington, a 51-50 Senate, is awfully close to those popular-vote splits.

This suggests that like the Republican minority, the Democratic majority runs a risk of letting a fixation on the structures of democracy become an excuse to shirk the more important work of a political party — which is to persuade the largest possible majority, not just a bare 51%, to vote its way. And the intensity of the debates over rules and structures, IDs and absentee ballots, reflects a bipartisan dynamic where neither coalition seems able to imagine being other than what it’s become in the last 10 years — a blocking minority for Republicans, a super-slim majority for Democrats.

Again, I don’t expect a compromise to emerge out of this stalemate. Instead, I expect the election rules of the future to be written by the party that recognizes that the surest way to make certain your opponents can’t win unfairly is to make sure the election isn’t close.

About two years ago I did something foolish: I wrote an optimistic column arguing that a polarizing issue was ripe for deescalation and compromise. The issue was voting rights, where Republicans have long championed voter ID laws as a bulwark against alleged voting fraud, while Democrats have countered that such restrictions unfairly burden many Americans, racial minorities especially, in the exercise of their hard-won right to vote.

About two years ago I did something foolish: I wrote an optimistic column arguing that a polarizing issue was ripe for deescalation and compromise. The issue was voting rights, where Republicans have long championed voter ID laws as a bulwark against alleged voting fraud, while Democrats have countered that such restrictions unfairly burden many Americans, racial minorities especially, in the exercise of their hard-won right to vote. The good news, I said back then, was that lots of studies suggest that voter ID laws don’t do either thing. They don’t prevent much (or any) fraud, but they also don’t have much (if any) effect on turnout, for minorities or any other group. So conservatives could stop pushing them, liberals could stop freaking out about them, and without either side losing anything substantial, compromise and conciliation could rule the day. Naturally since then the voting wars have only burned hotter, thanks to the exigencies of the coronavirus era and the arson of Donald Trump. The virus prompted a vast expansion of mail-in voting in the name of public health, Trump blamed vote-by-mail fraud (among other conspiracies) for his defeat, and soon a large swathe of conservatives became convinced corrupt balloting had stolen the election. Now Republicans all over the country are advancing bills that answer the “theft” of 2020 with new ID requirements and new limits on absentee and early votes, while Democrats are advancing a national bill that would essentially federalize election law and make certain Republican restrictions impermissible. And each side is talking like this is an existential fight, with the very concept of a fair democratic election hanging in the balance. But the facts continue to suggest otherwise, with two new studies adding to the case for compromise and calm. The first study, from the Democracy and Polarization Lab at Stanford University, looks at the effects of “no-excuse absentee voting” on the 2020 election — the kind of balloting that a lot of states expanded and that many Republican state legislators now want to roll back. Contrary to liberal expectations, easing the voting rules this way seemed to have no effect on turnout: “States newly implementing no-excuse absentee voting for 2020 did not see larger increases in turnout than states that did not.” Then contrary to Republican fears, the easement didn’t help Democrats at the GOP’s expense: “No-excuse absentee did not substantially increase Democratic turnout relative to Republican turnout.” Overall the authors argue that what drove higher turnout in 2020 was simply “voter interest” in the election, not the major voting rule change, which “mobilized relatively few voters and had at most a muted partisan effect.” The second study comes from a doctoral candidate at the University of Oregon, and it looks further back in time to assess the effects of Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court revision of the Voting Rights Act that made it easier for states to impose voter ID laws and other restrictions. Using data from six federal elections, the author finds no post-Shelby divergence between white and African American turnout in states affected by the ruling. Indeed, if anything, the jurisdictions saw African American turnout rise relative to white turnout in the 2016 election, suggesting that new obstacles to voting prompt swift mobilization in response. So rule changes favored by Democrats that make it modestly easier to vote probably didn’t help Democrats win the 2020 elections, and rule changes favored by Republicans that make it modestly harder to vote probably haven’t suppressed minority votes. Great news! I’m sure that now we can call off the voting war and just find a sensible compromise instead. For instance, my own preferred grand bargain would limit absentee voting but increase funding for polling places and make Election Day a national holiday. This would address reasonable Republican concerns about the civic benefits of having most people vote together, on the same day with the same information, while also answering Democratic concerns about long lines and working-class access to the polls. But there are other possible compromises as well … No, ha-ha, just kidding, we aren’t going to compromise, not when there’s an apocalypse to fundraise off. And to be clear, Republicans are much more at fault for the needless escalation here. Democrats are guilty of rhetorical exaggeration and policy excess (their big voting rights bill, for instance, includes various traducements of free speech), but Republicans instigated the policy battle and thanks to Trump they’ve gone deepest into paranoia. At their most sincere, they can seem clueless about how the history of Jim Crow shadows these debates; at their most cynical or Trumpy, they’re just indulging a racialized fear of mobs in cities stealing elections from decent white suburbanites. And the deeper they dig in against reasonable critiques, the more the primal conservative suspicion of mass democracy, a “lower turnout is good, actually” mentality, has a way of coming out. Some suspicion of pure democracy is essential to conservatism. But a high-minded case for lower turnout assumes that a smaller electorate will be more politically engaged and therefore more civic-minded. The evidence of recent American history, though, is that highly engaged, high-information voters tend to be zealous and blinkered hyperpartisans, in desperate need of balancing by more chilled-out and conflicted low-information votes. The cynical conservative case for lower turnout, meanwhile, assumes that conservatism is the natural party of the responsible, always-registered-to-vote upper middle class. But as the GOP’s base has become more populist and working-class, the American right more anti-establishment, this self-interested logic is crumbling. If voter ID rules or absentee ballot limits did reduce turnout among occasional voters, a lot of those no-shows might be Trump supporters. This is part of why the conservative fixation on hypothetical voter fraud is so exasperating. If the Trump era proved anything, it’s that Republicans can hold their ground as turnout rises, that they can be competitive with low-propensity voters and minority voters as well. But instead of taking that as an opportunity to actually reach for majorities again, under the influence of #StoptheSteal the party is effectively telling potential supporters that it doesn’t want high turnout, which is basically a way of saying, we don’t want your votes. Then on the Democratic side, the focus on voting rules feeds a persistent misapprehension about the true constraints on liberal power. Liberals are disadvantaged in the American system at the moment, but it is long-standing constitutional structures, the Electoral College and the Senate above all, that give Republicans a modest advantage, not recent innovations in vote suppression. There isn’t a vast nonvoting majority that would sweep the left into power if only it were easier to vote, and the push for voter ID on the right isn’t actually a replay of Jim Crow. It’s a sideshow, fed by conservative paranoia, to the real struggle for power in America. The shrewder left-wing analogy, offered by Corey Robin a few days ago in The New Yorker, isn’t to the Reconstruction-era South but to “Britain in the years before the Reform Act of 1832,” when it was antique constitutional structures that stifled democracy, not some sort of dramatic fascist putsch. From a conservative perspective I like this analogy, because it implies that today’s Republicans could learn something from Benjamin Disraeli, the opportunistic 19th-century Tory who leaned into democratization and proved the right could win mass working-class support. But even Robin’s analogy exaggerates the structural limits on liberal power in the United States today. Those limits certainly exist; they delivered Trump the White House in 2016 with a minority of the popular vote. But the Democratic Party of 2021 has power that’s only marginally out of proportion to its popular support: Democrats won the national House vote by roughly 51% to 48% and the presidential popular vote by roughly 51% to 47%, and the fulcrum of power in Joe Biden’s Washington, a 51-50 Senate, is awfully close to those popular-vote splits. This suggests that like the Republican minority, the Democratic majority runs a risk of letting a fixation on the structures of democracy become an excuse to shirk the more important work of a political party — which is to persuade the largest possible majority, not just a bare 51%, to vote its way. And the intensity of the debates over rules and structures, IDs and absentee ballots, reflects a bipartisan dynamic where neither coalition seems able to imagine being other than what it’s become in the last 10 years — a blocking minority for Republicans, a super-slim majority for Democrats. Again, I don’t expect a compromise to emerge out of this stalemate. Instead, I expect the election rules of the future to be written by the party that recognizes that the surest way to make certain your opponents can’t win unfairly is to make sure the election isn’t close.

Can anything end the voting wars?

Days after Lindsey Boylan became the first woman to accuse Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, people tied to the governor started circulating an open letter that they hoped former staff members would sign.

The letter was a full-on attack on Boylan’s credibility, suggesting that her accusations, made in a series of Twitter posts in December, were premeditated and politically motivated. It disclosed personnel complaints filed against her and attempted to link her to supporters of former President Donald Trump.

“Weaponizing a claim of sexual harassment for personal political gain or to achieve notoriety cannot be tolerated,” the letter concluded. “False claims demean the veracity of credible claims.”

The initial idea, according to three people with direct knowledge of the events, was to have former Cuomo aides — especially women — sign their names to the letter and circulate it fairly widely.

Multiple drafts were created, and Cuomo was involved in creating the letter, one of the people said. Current aides to the governor emailed at least one draft to a group of former advisers. From there, it circulated to current and former top aides to the governor.

It is not clear how many people were asked to sign the letter, but two former officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to anger Cuomo, decided that they did not want their names on it.

The letter, which was reviewed by The New York Times, was never released. Boylan did not immediately elaborate or follow up on her Twitter posts in December, allowing her accusations to fade, along with the urgency of the effort to discredit her. Still, the letter shows that the Cuomo administration was poised to quickly and aggressively undercut Boylan, a Democrat who is running for Manhattan borough president.

At the time, officials in the governor’s office were aware of another sexual harassment issue involving Cuomo that had not yet become public.

Six months earlier, Charlotte Bennett, an executive assistant and senior briefer, had told two senior officials in the governor’s office that he had harassed her, asking her probing personal questions including whether she was monogamous and whether she slept with older men.

Bennett went public with her allegations in The New York Times last month, saying in an interview how she “understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me,” adding that she “felt horribly uncomfortable and scared.”

Bennett came forward just days after Boylan had written an essay on Medium, detailing the allegations that she initially made on Twitter Dec. 13. Boylan wrote that the governor would repeatedly try to touch her on her arms, legs and lower back, and that he once suggested they “play strip poker.”

Since then, several other women have accused Cuomo of inappropriate conduct, from unwanted sexual advances to unsolicited kisses and groping.

The governor has denied ever touching anyone inappropriately and has pleaded with New Yorkers to await the outcome of two separate investigations: one overseen by the state attorney general, Letitia James, and another by the state Assembly. While Cuomo has suggested that some of his actions or statements may have been misinterpreted, his rejection of Boylan’s claims has been far more strenuous.

“I believe a woman has the right to come forward and express her opinion and express issues and concerns that she has,” Cuomo said Dec. 14. “But it’s just not true.”

The allegations and resulting political firestorm have left the governor at the lowest political ebb in his decadelong tenure, defiantly resisting calls from most of New York’s prominent elected officials to resign.

In an ABC News interview broadcast Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden said that he believed Cuomo should resign if investigators confirmed the accusers’ claims. The president’s remarks represented a slight shift — and increased stakes for Cuomo — from comments Biden made Sunday, when he noted only that “the investigation is underway, and we should see what it brings us.”

Richard Azzopardi, a senior adviser to the governor, said Tuesday that the administration had no comment on the letter about Boylan, citing the ongoing investigations.

At least one version of the letter included Boylan’s text exchanges with some of Cuomo’s senior advisers last year, in an effort to suggest that she was malicious. The Times is not quoting extensively from the letter, to avoid publishing character attacks that were not made publicly.

The draft extensively disparaged Boylan and accused her of using her claims for “political retribution.”

The letter pointed out that Boylan’s campaign consultant also represented a political adversary of the governor’s, and that Boylan was “supported by lawyers and financial backers of Donald Trump: an active opponent of the governor.”

The initial plan for a letter about Boylan illustrated how the Cuomo administration was prepared to launch a broader effort to damage her credibility.

The approach appeared consistent with a culture of intimidation from the governor’s office that former aides have described, and Boylan was clearly a target.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that aides to Cuomo called at least six former aides shortly after Boylan’s Twitter posts, which accused the governor of harassing her in front of others. The calls were to ask whether the former aides had heard from the accuser, or to learn things about her. Some of those contacted felt as if the calls were meant to intimidate them from speaking out.

Another of Cuomo’s accusers and another former aide, Ana Liss, said that she had received a call from a top adviser to the governor shortly after Boylan tweeted about the governor in December.

“I thought, why would he do that?” Liss, who now works for Monroe County, said in an interview. “He was trying to confirm how broad Lindsey’s network was.”

On Tuesday, Boylan’s lawyer, Jill Basinger, said the letter was another attempt to smear her client.

“Once again, a victim of sexual harassment who has the courage to tell her story is put in the position of not only having to relive the trauma of a toxic work environment but defend herself against the malicious leaking of supposed personnel files, character assassinations and a whisper campaign of retaliation,” Basinger said. “This page needs to be ripped out of the governor’s harassment handbook.”

The use of such tactics in harassment claims is so commonplace that it has its own acronym: DARVO, which stands for “deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender.”

“It is incredibly common for individuals who experience sexual harassment to also experience retaliation,” said Emily Martin, vice president for education and workplace justice at the National Women’s Law Center, which runs the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. “We’ve heard from thousands of individuals who are seeking help to address workplace harassment, and more than 70% of them say they have also experienced retaliation.”

Shortly after Boylan had first accused Cuomo, several media organizations published details of her personnel records that were released by the Cuomo administration, outlining unflattering accounts of Boylan’s past actions as a boss and recommendations of disciplinary action against her.

For supporters of Cuomo, who has denied any wrongdoing, the documents were exculpatory, painting a picture of a disgruntled employee with an ax to grind.

Beth Garvey, acting counsel to Cuomo, defended the release of Boylan's records, saying on Tuesday that, with certain exceptions, “it is within a government entity’s discretion to share redacted employment records, including in instances when members of the media ask for such public information and when it is for the purpose of correcting inaccurate or misleading statements.”

She, too, cited the attorney general’s investigation and refrained from additional comment.

The speed at which the documents were provided was exceptional, particularly considering that statehouse reporters in Albany and elsewhere are accustomed to waiting for months, if not years, for access to public records through the state’s Freedom of Information Law.

“The administration has a well-documented record to being pretty closed on FOIL,” said Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, noting efforts to stymie reporters looking into Joseph Percoco, a close aide of Cuomo’s who was convicted of federal corruption charges in 2018. “There’s considerable and consistent examples of them making it extremely difficult to get records.”

Lawyers who work on sexual harassment said that an employee's work history was immaterial to whether or not they can claim harassment.

“There’s not a defense to harassment that the person was a bad employee,” said Elizabeth Kristen, a senior staff attorney with Legal Aid at Work in San Francisco, adding, “It’s not even relevant. Maybe she was the worst employee in the world, but she could still be harassed.”

Days after Lindsey Boylan became the first woman to accuse Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, people tied to the governor started circulating an open letter that they hoped former staff members would sign.

Days after Lindsey Boylan became the first woman to accuse Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, people tied to the governor started circulating an open letter that they hoped former staff members would sign. The letter was a full-on attack on Boylan’s credibility, suggesting that her accusations, made in a series of Twitter posts in December, were premeditated and politically motivated. It disclosed personnel complaints filed against her and attempted to link her to supporters of former President Donald Trump. “Weaponizing a claim of sexual harassment for personal political gain or to achieve notoriety cannot be tolerated,” the letter concluded. “False claims demean the veracity of credible claims.” The initial idea, according to three people with direct knowledge of the events, was to have former Cuomo aides — especially women — sign their names to the letter and circulate it fairly widely. Multiple drafts were created, and Cuomo was involved in creating the letter, one of the people said. Current aides to the governor emailed at least one draft to a group of former advisers. From there, it circulated to current and former top aides to the governor. It is not clear how many people were asked to sign the letter, but two former officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to anger Cuomo, decided that they did not want their names on it. The letter, which was reviewed by The New York Times, was never released. Boylan did not immediately elaborate or follow up on her Twitter posts in December, allowing her accusations to fade, along with the urgency of the effort to discredit her. Still, the letter shows that the Cuomo administration was poised to quickly and aggressively undercut Boylan, a Democrat who is running for Manhattan borough president. At the time, officials in the governor’s office were aware of another sexual harassment issue involving Cuomo that had not yet become public. Six months earlier, Charlotte Bennett, an executive assistant and senior briefer, had told two senior officials in the governor’s office that he had harassed her, asking her probing personal questions including whether she was monogamous and whether she slept with older men. Bennett went public with her allegations in The New York Times last month, saying in an interview how she “understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me,” adding that she “felt horribly uncomfortable and scared.” Bennett came forward just days after Boylan had written an essay on Medium, detailing the allegations that she initially made on Twitter Dec. 13. Boylan wrote that the governor would repeatedly try to touch her on her arms, legs and lower back, and that he once suggested they “play strip poker.” Since then, several other women have accused Cuomo of inappropriate conduct, from unwanted sexual advances to unsolicited kisses and groping. The governor has denied ever touching anyone inappropriately and has pleaded with New Yorkers to await the outcome of two separate investigations: one overseen by the state attorney general, Letitia James, and another by the state Assembly. While Cuomo has suggested that some of his actions or statements may have been misinterpreted, his rejection of Boylan’s claims has been far more strenuous. “I believe a woman has the right to come forward and express her opinion and express issues and concerns that she has,” Cuomo said Dec. 14. “But it’s just not true.” The allegations and resulting political firestorm have left the governor at the lowest political ebb in his decadelong tenure, defiantly resisting calls from most of New York’s prominent elected officials to resign. In an ABC News interview broadcast Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden said that he believed Cuomo should resign if investigators confirmed the accusers’ claims. The president’s remarks represented a slight shift — and increased stakes for Cuomo — from comments Biden made Sunday, when he noted only that “the investigation is underway, and we should see what it brings us.” Richard Azzopardi, a senior adviser to the governor, said Tuesday that the administration had no comment on the letter about Boylan, citing the ongoing investigations. At least one version of the letter included Boylan’s text exchanges with some of Cuomo’s senior advisers last year, in an effort to suggest that she was malicious. The Times is not quoting extensively from the letter, to avoid publishing character attacks that were not made publicly. The draft extensively disparaged Boylan and accused her of using her claims for “political retribution.” The letter pointed out that Boylan’s campaign consultant also represented a political adversary of the governor’s, and that Boylan was “supported by lawyers and financial backers of Donald Trump: an active opponent of the governor.” The initial plan for a letter about Boylan illustrated how the Cuomo administration was prepared to launch a broader effort to damage her credibility. The approach appeared consistent with a culture of intimidation from the governor’s office that former aides have described, and Boylan was clearly a target. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that aides to Cuomo called at least six former aides shortly after Boylan’s Twitter posts, which accused the governor of harassing her in front of others. The calls were to ask whether the former aides had heard from the accuser, or to learn things about her. Some of those contacted felt as if the calls were meant to intimidate them from speaking out. Another of Cuomo’s accusers and another former aide, Ana Liss, said that she had received a call from a top adviser to the governor shortly after Boylan tweeted about the governor in December. “I thought, why would he do that?” Liss, who now works for Monroe County, said in an interview. “He was trying to confirm how broad Lindsey’s network was.” On Tuesday, Boylan’s lawyer, Jill Basinger, said the letter was another attempt to smear her client. “Once again, a victim of sexual harassment who has the courage to tell her story is put in the position of not only having to relive the trauma of a toxic work environment but defend herself against the malicious leaking of supposed personnel files, character assassinations and a whisper campaign of retaliation,” Basinger said. “This page needs to be ripped out of the governor’s harassment handbook.” The use of such tactics in harassment claims is so commonplace that it has its own acronym: DARVO, which stands for “deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender.” “It is incredibly common for individuals who experience sexual harassment to also experience retaliation,” said Emily Martin, vice president for education and workplace justice at the National Women’s Law Center, which runs the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. “We’ve heard from thousands of individuals who are seeking help to address workplace harassment, and more than 70% of them say they have also experienced retaliation.” Shortly after Boylan had first accused Cuomo, several media organizations published details of her personnel records that were released by the Cuomo administration, outlining unflattering accounts of Boylan’s past actions as a boss and recommendations of disciplinary action against her. For supporters of Cuomo, who has denied any wrongdoing, the documents were exculpatory, painting a picture of a disgruntled employee with an ax to grind. Beth Garvey, acting counsel to Cuomo, defended the release of Boylan's records, saying on Tuesday that, with certain exceptions, “it is within a government entity’s discretion to share redacted employment records, including in instances when members of the media ask for such public information and when it is for the purpose of correcting inaccurate or misleading statements.” She, too, cited the attorney general’s investigation and refrained from additional comment. The speed at which the documents were provided was exceptional, particularly considering that statehouse reporters in Albany and elsewhere are accustomed to waiting for months, if not years, for access to public records through the state’s Freedom of Information Law. “The administration has a well-documented record to being pretty closed on FOIL,” said Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, noting efforts to stymie reporters looking into Joseph Percoco, a close aide of Cuomo’s who was convicted of federal corruption charges in 2018. “There’s considerable and consistent examples of them making it extremely difficult to get records.” Lawyers who work on sexual harassment said that an employee's work history was immaterial to whether or not they can claim harassment. “There’s not a defense to harassment that the person was a bad employee,” said Elizabeth Kristen, a senior staff attorney with Legal Aid at Work in San Francisco, adding, “It’s not even relevant. Maybe she was the worst employee in the world, but she could still be harassed.”

How Cuomo’s team tried to tarnish one of his accusers

President Joe Biden will express support for the Northern Ireland peace agreement in the face of Brexit-related tensions when he meets Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin for virtual Saint Patrick's Day celebrations Wednesday.

Biden and Martin have plenty of serious matters to discuss in their bilateral video talks, especially concerns for the future of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland following Britain's chaotic exit from the European Union.

But Biden, only the second Roman Catholic president in US history and proud of his Irish ancestry, is also placing plenty of focus on the Saint Patrick's Day events.

The White House said Biden would attend morning Mass at a church in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware before making the trip back to Washington for his long-distance get-together.

As every year since 1952, the meeting will include presentation of shamrocks -- small sprigs of clover that symbolize Ireland. Despite Biden and Martin being unable to gather in person, the traditional bowl holding the gift is not being left out.

"The Irish government have sent a beautiful engraved bowl," a senior Biden administration told reporters, asking not to be identified. "We will be able to preserve this part of the bilateral meeting."

"We are determined to fully celebrate the holiday," the official said, noting that Biden had instructed staff to arrange things "as close to the way" they would be in person as possible.

The official said Biden will "reaffirm the historic partnership and the extraordinary people-to-people ties between our two countries."

- Peace agreement worries -

One thing Biden and the Irish leader are likely to focus on is coordination of efforts to get the global economy back on track through mass coronavirus vaccinations and a "sustainable" recovery, the administration official said.

The Irish prime minister will also hear Biden's support for the Good Friday Agreement that largely ended decades of violent unrest in the British province of Northern Ireland.

Biden wants to express "strong support for this agreement and our commitment to advancing that hard-won peace," the official said.

There is concern in Washington that a post- Brexit&nbsp;row between London and the European Union over customs controls on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republican of Ireland is threatening the complex political balance underpinning the deal.

"President Biden has been unequivocal in his support for the Good Friday Agreement . . . not (to) become a casualty of Brexit," the administration official said.

Biden "encourages both sides to continue prioritizing economic and political stability," the official said.

As for the border issue, "we view that as&nbsp;a trade issue to be resolved between the UK and the EU," the official said.

President Joe Biden will express support for the Northern Ireland peace agreement in the face of Brexit-related tensions when he meets Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin for virtual Saint Patrick's Day celebrations Wednesday.

President Joe Biden will express support for the Northern Ireland peace agreement in the face of Brexit-related tensions when he meets Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin for virtual Saint Patrick's Day celebrations Wednesday. Biden and Martin have plenty of serious matters to discuss in their bilateral video talks, especially concerns for the future of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland following Britain's chaotic exit from the European Union. But Biden, only the second Roman Catholic president in US history and proud of his Irish ancestry, is also placing plenty of focus on the Saint Patrick's Day events. The White House said Biden would attend morning Mass at a church in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware before making the trip back to Washington for his long-distance get-together. As every year since 1952, the meeting will include presentation of shamrocks -- small sprigs of clover that symbolize Ireland. Despite Biden and Martin being unable to gather in person, the traditional bowl holding the gift is not being left out. "The Irish government have sent a beautiful engraved bowl," a senior Biden administration told reporters, asking not to be identified. "We will be able to preserve this part of the bilateral meeting." "We are determined to fully celebrate the holiday," the official said, noting that Biden had instructed staff to arrange things "as close to the way" they would be in person as possible. The official said Biden will "reaffirm the historic partnership and the extraordinary people-to-people ties between our two countries." - Peace agreement worries - One thing Biden and the Irish leader are likely to focus on is coordination of efforts to get the global economy back on track through mass coronavirus vaccinations and a "sustainable" recovery, the administration official said. The Irish prime minister will also hear Biden's support for the Good Friday Agreement that largely ended decades of violent unrest in the British province of Northern Ireland. Biden wants to express "strong support for this agreement and our commitment to advancing that hard-won peace," the official said. There is concern in Washington that a post- Brexit row between London and the European Union over customs controls on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republican of Ireland is threatening the complex political balance underpinning the deal. "President Biden has been unequivocal in his support for the Good Friday Agreement . . . not (to) become a casualty of Brexit," the administration official said. Biden "encourages both sides to continue prioritizing economic and political stability," the official said. As for the border issue, "we view that as a trade issue to be resolved between the UK and the EU," the official said.

Biden, Irish PM set for virtual Saint Patrick's Day talks

President Joe Biden and his allies are hitting the road this week to promote the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill he signed in law last week as the right prescription for a country humbled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden and a slate of advocates including Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden are being deployed to politically important states and to television as part of what the White House is calling the "Help is Here Tour" to tout measures that include a $1,400 check for most U.S. households.

"I promised the American people, and I guess it`s becoming an overused phrase, that help was on the way," Biden told a White House ceremony on Friday. "We`ve delivered on that promise."

The bill was Biden`s first legislative priority on taking office in January and his fellow Democrats used narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate to pass a large measure of what Biden originally proposed without Republican support.

Democrats regard the bill as good policy and politics. Opinion polls show majorities supporting efforts to shore up the coronavirus vaccination campaign, prepare schools to reopen and ease poverty after a year-long pandemic that has killed over 526,000 Americans and put millions out of work.

Republicans, who broadly supported coronavirus relief early in the crisis when Republican Donald Trump was president, have dismissed the latest measure as an overpriced collection of pet projects unrelated to the pandemic.

The White House has said it does not believe President Barack Obama`s administration, in which Biden served as vice president, did enough to promote its more than $800 billion 2009 economic rescue program. Democrats went on to lose control of the House to Republicans the next year.

Taking their case directly to the people, Harris will launch the tour on Monday in Las Vegas, while Biden goes to Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday and Atlanta on Friday. He will also do an interview on Wednesday on ABC`s "Good Morning America" program.

Biden defeated Trump in closely divided Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia in the 2020 presidential election.

Each state will also feature a competitive Senate race in 2022. Losing just one seat in that evenly divided chamber would all but doom Biden`s legislative agenda, handing Senate control to Republicans for the rest of the president`s four-year term.

At least two outside political spending groups that backed Biden`s presidential bid, Priorities USA and Unite the Country, said they would put millions into advertisements supporting the stimulus measures.

Priorities USA said its ads would partly be targeted at voters who flipped from supporting Trump in 2016 to Biden in 2020, in "2022 battleground states" including Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

President Joe Biden and his allies are hitting the road this week to promote the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill he signed in law last week as the right prescription for a country humbled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Joe Biden and his allies are hitting the road this week to promote the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill he signed in law last week as the right prescription for a country humbled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden and a slate of advocates including Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden are being deployed to politically important states and to television as part of what the White House is calling the "Help is Here Tour" to tout measures that include a $1,400 check for most U.S. households. "I promised the American people, and I guess it`s becoming an overused phrase, that help was on the way," Biden told a White House ceremony on Friday. "We`ve delivered on that promise." The bill was Biden`s first legislative priority on taking office in January and his fellow Democrats used narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate to pass a large measure of what Biden originally proposed without Republican support. Democrats regard the bill as good policy and politics. Opinion polls show majorities supporting efforts to shore up the coronavirus vaccination campaign, prepare schools to reopen and ease poverty after a year-long pandemic that has killed over 526,000 Americans and put millions out of work. Republicans, who broadly supported coronavirus relief early in the crisis when Republican Donald Trump was president, have dismissed the latest measure as an overpriced collection of pet projects unrelated to the pandemic. The White House has said it does not believe President Barack Obama`s administration, in which Biden served as vice president, did enough to promote its more than $800 billion 2009 economic rescue program. Democrats went on to lose control of the House to Republicans the next year. Taking their case directly to the people, Harris will launch the tour on Monday in Las Vegas, while Biden goes to Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday and Atlanta on Friday. He will also do an interview on Wednesday on ABC`s "Good Morning America" program. Biden defeated Trump in closely divided Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia in the 2020 presidential election. Each state will also feature a competitive Senate race in 2022. Losing just one seat in that evenly divided chamber would all but doom Biden`s legislative agenda, handing Senate control to Republicans for the rest of the president`s four-year term. At least two outside political spending groups that backed Biden`s presidential bid, Priorities USA and Unite the Country, said they would put millions into advertisements supporting the stimulus measures. Priorities USA said its ads would partly be targeted at voters who flipped from supporting Trump in 2016 to Biden in 2020, in "2022 battleground states" including Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

Biden White House launching 'Help is Here' tour to promote stimulus package in key states

Russia on Wednesday refuted US intelligence allegations that President Vladimir Putin had likely directed efforts to try to swing the 2020 presidential election in&nbsp;Donald Trump's favour, terming them baseless.

A 15-page American intelligence report, released on Tuesday, said several Trump's top lieutenants played&nbsp;into Moscow's hands by amplifying claims made against then-candidate Joe Biden by Russian-linked Ukrainian figures in the run-up to the November 3 presidential&nbsp;election.

"The document prepared by the US intelligence community is another set of baseless accusations against our country for interfering in American domestic political processes," Russia's embassy in the United States said in a statement on Facebook.

"The conclusions of the report on Russia conducting influence operations in America are confirmed solely by the confidence of the intelligence services of their self-righteousness. No facts or specific evidence of such claims were provided."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/putin-likely-directed-meddling-in-2020-us-election-report-claims-371004">Also read |&nbsp;Putin likely directed meddling in 2020 US election, report claims</a>

Washington is expected to impose sanctions on Moscow as soon as next week because of the allegations. Those sanctions could also address the cyber hack blamed on Russia that used US company SolarWinds Corp to penetrate American government networks.

Russia has already denied any involvement in that hack.

The United States imposed sanctions on four senior Russian officials earlier this month over Moscow's treatment of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, something Moscow cast as unacceptable meddling in its domestic affairs.

Russia's US embassy in Washington on Wednesday, to this end, accused the United States of seeking to besmirch Russia's image and of blaming others for its own problems.

"We state that Washington continues to practice 'megaphone diplomacy, with the main goal to maintain a negative image of Russia. To blame external players for destabilising the situation inside the country," the embassy said in the same statement.

"This attitude of the administration hardly corresponds to our proposed equal and mutually respectful expert dialogue in search of solutions to the most pressing issues. Washington's actions do not lead to the normalisation of bilateral relations."

(with inputs from agencies)

Russia on Wednesday refuted US intelligence allegations that President Vladimir Putin had likely directed efforts to try to swing the 2020 presidential election in Donald Trump's favour, terming them baseless.

Russia on Wednesday refuted US intelligence allegations that President Vladimir Putin had likely directed efforts to try to swing the 2020 presidential election in Donald Trump's favour, terming them baseless. A 15-page American intelligence report, released on Tuesday, said several Trump's top lieutenants played into Moscow's hands by amplifying claims made against then-candidate Joe Biden by Russian-linked Ukrainian figures in the run-up to the November 3 presidential election. "The document prepared by the US intelligence community is another set of baseless accusations against our country for interfering in American domestic political processes," Russia's embassy in the United States said in a statement on Facebook. "The conclusions of the report on Russia conducting influence operations in America are confirmed solely by the confidence of the intelligence services of their self-righteousness. No facts or specific evidence of such claims were provided." Also read | Putin likely directed meddling in 2020 US election, report claims Washington is expected to impose sanctions on Moscow as soon as next week because of the allegations. Those sanctions could also address the cyber hack blamed on Russia that used US company SolarWinds Corp to penetrate American government networks. Russia has already denied any involvement in that hack. The United States imposed sanctions on four senior Russian officials earlier this month over Moscow's treatment of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, something Moscow cast as unacceptable meddling in its domestic affairs. Russia's US embassy in Washington on Wednesday, to this end, accused the United States of seeking to besmirch Russia's image and of blaming others for its own problems. "We state that Washington continues to practice 'megaphone diplomacy, with the main goal to maintain a negative image of Russia. To blame external players for destabilising the situation inside the country," the embassy said in the same statement. "This attitude of the administration hardly corresponds to our proposed equal and mutually respectful expert dialogue in search of solutions to the most pressing issues. Washington's actions do not lead to the normalisation of bilateral relations." (with inputs from agencies)

Russia calls US allegations over Putin-directed election meddling 'baseless'

With a promise of "shots in arms and money in pockets," President Joe Biden on Monday kicked off a week of promotion and travel for the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill he signed into law last week to help the country move past the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
Biden and other advocates including Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden are being deployed to various states and to television as part of what the White House is calling the "Help Is Here Tour." 
 
The package, one of the largest economic stimulus measures in U.S. history, provides $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, $350 billion in aid to state and local governments, an expansion of the child tax credit and increased funding for vaccine distribution. 
 
"Help is here, and hope is here, in real and tangible ways," Biden said in remarks from the White House. 
 
The legislation was Biden`s first legislative priority on taking office in January. His fellow Democrats used narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate to pass a large measure of what Biden originally proposed without Republican support. 
 
The Democratic president said his administration would reach two important goals over the next 10 days: 100 million coronavirus shots in people`s arms and 100 million checks in people`s pockets or bank accounts. 
 
"Shots in arms and money in pockets. That`s important. The American Rescue Plan is already doing what it was designed to do: make a difference in people`s everyday lives. And we`re just getting started," Biden added. 
 
The White House has said it does not believe former President Barack Obama`s administration, in which Biden served as vice president, did enough to promote its more than $800 billion 2009 economic rescue program. Democrats went on to lose control of the House to Republicans the next year. 
 
Taking their case directly to the people, Harris traveled to Las Vegas on Monday, while Biden goes to Pennsylvania on Tuesday and Atlanta on Friday. He will also do an interview on Wednesday on ABC`s "Good Morning America" program. 
 
"We want to avoid a situation where folks are unaware of what they`re entitled to and then this moment passes and they don`t get the full relief," the vice president told reporters in Las Vegas. 
 
POPULAR SUPPORT 
 
Democrats regard the bill as good policy and good politics. Opinion polls show majorities supporting efforts to shore up the coronavirus vaccination campaign, prepare schools to reopen and ease poverty after a year-long pandemic that has killed more than 535,000 Americans and put millions of people out of work. 
 
Republicans, who broadly supported coronavirus relief early in the crisis when Republican Donald Trump was president, have called the latest measure an overpriced collection of pet projects unrelated to the pandemic. 
 
Harris said she visited Nevada because of the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on the state`s hospitality industry. Speaking with workers and labor unions about the legislation`s benefits, she urged people to file their taxes so they can receive such relief faster. 
 
She will visit Colorado on Tuesday. Both there and in Nevada, Democrats will be defending U.S. Senate seats in elections next year that could be critical in helping the party maintain narrow control of that chamber.

With a promise of "shots in arms and money in pockets," President Joe Biden on Monday kicked off a week of promotion and travel for the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill he signed into law last week to help the country move past the COVID-19 pandemic.

With a promise of "shots in arms and money in pockets," President Joe Biden on Monday kicked off a week of promotion and travel for the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill he signed into law last week to help the country move past the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden and other advocates including Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden are being deployed to various states and to television as part of what the White House is calling the "Help Is Here Tour." The package, one of the largest economic stimulus measures in U.S. history, provides $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, $350 billion in aid to state and local governments, an expansion of the child tax credit and increased funding for vaccine distribution. "Help is here, and hope is here, in real and tangible ways," Biden said in remarks from the White House. The legislation was Biden`s first legislative priority on taking office in January. His fellow Democrats used narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate to pass a large measure of what Biden originally proposed without Republican support. The Democratic president said his administration would reach two important goals over the next 10 days: 100 million coronavirus shots in people`s arms and 100 million checks in people`s pockets or bank accounts. "Shots in arms and money in pockets. That`s important. The American Rescue Plan is already doing what it was designed to do: make a difference in people`s everyday lives. And we`re just getting started," Biden added. The White House has said it does not believe former President Barack Obama`s administration, in which Biden served as vice president, did enough to promote its more than $800 billion 2009 economic rescue program. Democrats went on to lose control of the House to Republicans the next year. Taking their case directly to the people, Harris traveled to Las Vegas on Monday, while Biden goes to Pennsylvania on Tuesday and Atlanta on Friday. He will also do an interview on Wednesday on ABC`s "Good Morning America" program. "We want to avoid a situation where folks are unaware of what they`re entitled to and then this moment passes and they don`t get the full relief," the vice president told reporters in Las Vegas. POPULAR SUPPORT Democrats regard the bill as good policy and good politics. Opinion polls show majorities supporting efforts to shore up the coronavirus vaccination campaign, prepare schools to reopen and ease poverty after a year-long pandemic that has killed more than 535,000 Americans and put millions of people out of work. Republicans, who broadly supported coronavirus relief early in the crisis when Republican Donald Trump was president, have called the latest measure an overpriced collection of pet projects unrelated to the pandemic. Harris said she visited Nevada because of the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on the state`s hospitality industry. Speaking with workers and labor unions about the legislation`s benefits, she urged people to file their taxes so they can receive such relief faster. She will visit Colorado on Tuesday. Both there and in Nevada, Democrats will be defending U.S. Senate seats in elections next year that could be critical in helping the party maintain narrow control of that chamber.

Promising people vaccine shots and cash payments, Biden kicks off stimulus tour

US President Joe Biden and his allies are hitting the road to promote $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill this week. The White House has named it 'Help Is Here' tour.

Biden team to tour the US to promote $1.9 Trillion COVID relief bill

So far, President Joe Biden has made only a passing comment on the crises that have engulfed Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and he seems to be hoping to avoid getting pulled in any further.

But as a longtime friend of the New York governor, Biden is one of the very few people in the nation with the potential to prevent a protracted standoff between an increasingly isolated Cuomo and the rest of the Democratic Party. That has strained Biden’s efforts to stay firmly on the sidelines as the governor faces a fusillade of calls to resign.

Cuomo is confronting a spiraling set of allegations and investigations involving sexual harassment, a toxic workplace, the manipulation of the number of deaths at New York nursing homes and perceived loyalty tests from the governor’s vaccine czar.

Biden and Cuomo have not spoken, people close to both men said. Asked on Sunday night whether Cuomo should resign, Biden said only, “I think the investigation is underway, and we should see what it brings us.”

The governor and his allies have urged people to wait for the results of the investigations to buy time, in the hope of stabilizing Cuomo’s support. And Biden appears inclined to give him that time — at least for now.

But a prolonged period of intraparty sparring over Cuomo’s future could be problematic for Biden. It threatens to distract from his early initiatives, including mass vaccination efforts and his party’s imperative to sell the public on the nearly $2 trillion stimulus package Biden signed into law last week.

The New York Times and Washington Post reported over the weekend that Larry Schwartz, the governor’s vaccine czar and a longtime lieutenant, had tried to assess the loyalty of county executives to Cuomo during phone calls about vaccine distribution — drawing particular attention at the White House on Monday.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said that the reports were “concerning” and that Schwartz’s calls were “inappropriate reported behavior.”

The calls prompted one executive to file a preliminary complaint with the state attorney general office’s public integrity bureau. Schwartz denied that he discussed vaccines in a political context.

Psaki insisted there were “checks” in the system to prevent the vaccine from being distributed based on favoritism.

On Tuesday, the White House will hold its weekly call on the coronavirus with the National Governors Association, which Cuomo typically leads as chair of the group. Psaki said she expected Cuomo would join the call, adding, “We’ll leave that up to him.”

Both of New York’s senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, called on Cuomo to resign Friday, along with most of the state’s Democratic congressional delegation. One factor in the timing for members of Congress who made their announcements in quick succession was the desire not to overshadow Biden’s signing of the pandemic relief package, according to people involved in the discussions.

Cuomo was surprised by the statement from Gillibrand and Schumer; he had believed earlier that day that they would not join the calls against him, according to someone familiar with his thinking.

Still, the governor has flatly refused to contemplate resignation while questioning the motives of the women who have accused him of sexual harassment, invoking “cancel culture,” a favorite Republican talking point, as he dug in Friday.

“There’s a job to do, and New Yorkers elected the governor to do it,” Richard Azzopardi, a senior adviser to Cuomo, said Monday. “He remains focused on vaccine distribution and a state budget that’s due in two weeks, and we’re thankful for the help that the White House has provided on both those fronts.”

A senior administration official said Biden’s desire to stay away is driven partly by his personal relationship with Cuomo and partly by pragmatism.

Should he eventually become drawn into the issue, Biden’s options range from encouraging Cuomo to resign to asking him not to run for office again in 2022, as the governor has indicated he still plans to do.

“Biden has a long friendship with Cuomo, and I think he and [Nancy] Pelosi and others are clearly hoping the situation will resolve itself through this investigative process, and they’re giving him that much leash, but how tenable that will be over time is very questionable,” said David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama.

Already, a majority of state legislators — and more than 40% of Democratic lawmakers in Albany — have called for Cuomo’s resignation. The state Assembly has launched an impeachment inquiry, and beyond Biden, the politician with the most control over Cuomo’s fate is the Assembly speaker, Carl E. Heastie, who will determine if and when to proceed.

Impeaching and removing a governor is a serious undertaking, and Cuomo can hope that it is too big a leap even for those who signed a letter urging his resignation.

“Calling the Legislature’s bluff on an impeachment vote, he recognizes casting a vote for impeachment is a heavy vote for many to make,” said Bakari Sellers, a former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, who voted to impeach then-Gov. Mark Sanford in 2009. (Sanford was eventually censured.)

“The state is about to be flush with COVID cash,” Sellers said. “Better days ahead for constituents. Hang on until you become everyone’s favorite bank.”

Biden and Cuomo have been relatively close politically in recent years. In 2015, when Biden was considering a belated run for president, they met in New York; though Cuomo was formally backing Hillary Clinton at the time, he did not discourage Biden from a White House run.

In 2018, when Cuomo faced a primary challenge of his own from Cynthia Nixon, the actress and activist, Biden offered a full-throated endorsement of Cuomo at the New York Democratic Party convention.

Biden’s fondness for Cuomo does not necessarily extend to the staff level. The governor’s sharp-elbowed political operation has jabbed at many people in his path over the years.

Biden tapped Cuomo for a prime-time speech on the first night of the Democratic convention last year at the height of the governor’s popularity. The prerecorded address, which did not mention Biden by name until near the end, was thrust on convention organizers with little opportunity for revision, according to people involved in the process; they said the Cuomo team was among the most difficult to work with in planning the entire four-day event.

Cuomo’s political operation also submitted a production bill that far exceeded other similar convention videos; convention officials declined to pay the full amount.

So far, President Joe Biden has made only a passing comment on the crises that have engulfed Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and he seems to be hoping to avoid getting pulled in any further.

So far, President Joe Biden has made only a passing comment on the crises that have engulfed Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and he seems to be hoping to avoid getting pulled in any further. But as a longtime friend of the New York governor, Biden is one of the very few people in the nation with the potential to prevent a protracted standoff between an increasingly isolated Cuomo and the rest of the Democratic Party. That has strained Biden’s efforts to stay firmly on the sidelines as the governor faces a fusillade of calls to resign. Cuomo is confronting a spiraling set of allegations and investigations involving sexual harassment, a toxic workplace, the manipulation of the number of deaths at New York nursing homes and perceived loyalty tests from the governor’s vaccine czar. Biden and Cuomo have not spoken, people close to both men said. Asked on Sunday night whether Cuomo should resign, Biden said only, “I think the investigation is underway, and we should see what it brings us.” The governor and his allies have urged people to wait for the results of the investigations to buy time, in the hope of stabilizing Cuomo’s support. And Biden appears inclined to give him that time — at least for now. But a prolonged period of intraparty sparring over Cuomo’s future could be problematic for Biden. It threatens to distract from his early initiatives, including mass vaccination efforts and his party’s imperative to sell the public on the nearly $2 trillion stimulus package Biden signed into law last week. The New York Times and Washington Post reported over the weekend that Larry Schwartz, the governor’s vaccine czar and a longtime lieutenant, had tried to assess the loyalty of county executives to Cuomo during phone calls about vaccine distribution — drawing particular attention at the White House on Monday. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said that the reports were “concerning” and that Schwartz’s calls were “inappropriate reported behavior.” The calls prompted one executive to file a preliminary complaint with the state attorney general office’s public integrity bureau. Schwartz denied that he discussed vaccines in a political context. Psaki insisted there were “checks” in the system to prevent the vaccine from being distributed based on favoritism. On Tuesday, the White House will hold its weekly call on the coronavirus with the National Governors Association, which Cuomo typically leads as chair of the group. Psaki said she expected Cuomo would join the call, adding, “We’ll leave that up to him.” Both of New York’s senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, called on Cuomo to resign Friday, along with most of the state’s Democratic congressional delegation. One factor in the timing for members of Congress who made their announcements in quick succession was the desire not to overshadow Biden’s signing of the pandemic relief package, according to people involved in the discussions. Cuomo was surprised by the statement from Gillibrand and Schumer; he had believed earlier that day that they would not join the calls against him, according to someone familiar with his thinking. Still, the governor has flatly refused to contemplate resignation while questioning the motives of the women who have accused him of sexual harassment, invoking “cancel culture,” a favorite Republican talking point, as he dug in Friday. “There’s a job to do, and New Yorkers elected the governor to do it,” Richard Azzopardi, a senior adviser to Cuomo, said Monday. “He remains focused on vaccine distribution and a state budget that’s due in two weeks, and we’re thankful for the help that the White House has provided on both those fronts.” A senior administration official said Biden’s desire to stay away is driven partly by his personal relationship with Cuomo and partly by pragmatism. Should he eventually become drawn into the issue, Biden’s options range from encouraging Cuomo to resign to asking him not to run for office again in 2022, as the governor has indicated he still plans to do. “Biden has a long friendship with Cuomo, and I think he and [Nancy] Pelosi and others are clearly hoping the situation will resolve itself through this investigative process, and they’re giving him that much leash, but how tenable that will be over time is very questionable,” said David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama. Already, a majority of state legislators — and more than 40% of Democratic lawmakers in Albany — have called for Cuomo’s resignation. The state Assembly has launched an impeachment inquiry, and beyond Biden, the politician with the most control over Cuomo’s fate is the Assembly speaker, Carl E. Heastie, who will determine if and when to proceed. Impeaching and removing a governor is a serious undertaking, and Cuomo can hope that it is too big a leap even for those who signed a letter urging his resignation. “Calling the Legislature’s bluff on an impeachment vote, he recognizes casting a vote for impeachment is a heavy vote for many to make,” said Bakari Sellers, a former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, who voted to impeach then-Gov. Mark Sanford in 2009. (Sanford was eventually censured.) “The state is about to be flush with COVID cash,” Sellers said. “Better days ahead for constituents. Hang on until you become everyone’s favorite bank.” Biden and Cuomo have been relatively close politically in recent years. In 2015, when Biden was considering a belated run for president, they met in New York; though Cuomo was formally backing Hillary Clinton at the time, he did not discourage Biden from a White House run. In 2018, when Cuomo faced a primary challenge of his own from Cynthia Nixon, the actress and activist, Biden offered a full-throated endorsement of Cuomo at the New York Democratic Party convention. Biden’s fondness for Cuomo does not necessarily extend to the staff level. The governor’s sharp-elbowed political operation has jabbed at many people in his path over the years. Biden tapped Cuomo for a prime-time speech on the first night of the Democratic convention last year at the height of the governor’s popularity. The prerecorded address, which did not mention Biden by name until near the end, was thrust on convention organizers with little opportunity for revision, according to people involved in the process; they said the Cuomo team was among the most difficult to work with in planning the entire four-day event. Cuomo’s political operation also submitted a production bill that far exceeded other similar convention videos; convention officials declined to pay the full amount.

Can Biden stay on the sidelines of the Andrew Cuomo saga?

oe Biden, Kamala Harris, Jill Biden and allies are hitting the road in US to promote Covid Relief Bill this week. @WhiteHouse's 'Help Is Here' tour aims to aware Americans about the $1.9 Trillion Pandemic bill & its benefits. Susan M. Tehrani brings you more.

White House launches 'Help Is Here' tour

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