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The US Senate confirmed retired general Lloyd Austin as secretary of defense Friday, the second cabinet nominee of new President Joe Biden to gain approval and the first African American to lead the Pentagon.
Austin sailed through with overwhelming support from both Biden's Democrats and opposition Republicans, who voted 93-2 in his favor.
<p>The retired four-star general will be the first African American to lead the Department of Defense, and takes on the job as the Pentagon sees the need for greater efforts to root out racism in the ranks and give more opportunities for leadership positions to minorities.</p><p>Biden picked Austin, and the Senate endorsed him, despite a law that says the US military must be led by a civilian or, if a former military official, someone who has been out of the service at least seven years.</p><p>The requirement is to ensure civilian control of the military,</p><p>That meant both houses of Congress had to grant a waiver for Austin, who retired in 2016.</p><p>Biden chose a former officer he knew well from when he was vice president in the administration of Barack Obama.</p><p>Austin, a West Point graduate who served four decades in the military, was commander of US forces in Iraq and then head of the US Central Command covering the Middle East, from 2010 to 2016.</p><p>The two bonded because Austin was friendly with Biden's late son when both were serving in Iraq.</p><p>Biden called him "uniquely qualified to take on the challenges and crises we face in the current moment" when announcing the nomination in December.</p><p>Austin, known to be media-shy and not particularly politically savvy, tweeted a statement quickly after gaining Senate approval.</p><p>"It's an honor and a privilege to serve as our country's 28th Secretary of Defense, and I'm especially proud to be the first African American to hold the position," he wrote.</p><p>"Let's get to work."</p><h1>Key threats: China, extremism</h1><p>He honed in on two urgent issues facing the US military in his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.</p><p>He singled out China as the country's most potent adversary.</p><p>Under his leadership, the Pentagon would "make sure that we are prepared to meet any challenge and that we continue to present a credible deterrent to China or any other aggressor who would want to take us on, and convince them that would be a really bad idea," he said.</p><p>He also pledged to tackle extremists in the forces, after some members of the military took part in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of then-president Donald Trump. </p><p>"The activity that we've seen recently in terms of potential racists or extremist behavior within our ranks is in my view absolutely unacceptable," Austin said.</p><p>"The job of the Department of Defense is to keep America safe from our enemies. But we can't do that if some of those enemies lie within our own ranks," he added. </p>
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The View's Meghan McCain busted for pushing 'false equivalency' to criticize Biden and Fauci
January 22, 2021
"The View" co-host Meghan McCain wasn't about to join in the celebration of the new presidential administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The other co-hosts were pleased to see Dr. Anthony Fauci speak more freely than he'd been permitted under former president Donald Trump, but the conservative McCain bashed the infectious disease expert and President Joe Biden.
<p>"Since everyone has come after the Trump administration, I think that it's okay to hold the feet to the fire of Dr. Fauci, as well," she said. "I remember being told, and I would like to be treated like an adult, too, that masks don't work. I was pregnant in New York City when the pandemic broke out. I had a bunch of masks and I ended up giving them away. Just say to me, 'First responders need them more than average American, please donate them for the good of your heart.' I would have done the same thing, but iIwas lied to."</p><p>"We have President Biden yesterday, him and his family, they're not wearing masks after mandating and requiring people to wear masks on federal property," she added. "He and his family were not wearing masks out. So again, I think the 'rules for thee, but not for me' that have been going on for a long time in the Trump administration, and now you're seeing with President Biden, I was really disappointed he wasn't wearing a mask."</p><p>Moderator Joy Behar wasn't too convinced by McCain's arguments, and suggested she was floating a false comparison to attack the new administration.</p><p>"Do you think that this is a false equivalency that we just heard or not?" Behar asked co-host Sunny Hostin.</p><p>Hostin seemed to agree with Behar, saying the former president had needlessly injected politics into the pandemic response.</p><p>"The reason that this is a partisan issue is because Trump made it a partisan issue," Hostin said. "Trump politicized the virus in ways that I don't think any of us would have imagined. I mean, he politicized wearing masks. He, you know, doled out resources according to red states and blue states, and, you know, I just read this morning that Walgreens says up to 80 percent of the staff of some long-term care facilities declined COVID-19 vaccines, and that is because people are scared because of President Trump."</p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
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President Joe Biden, in just his third day on the job, ordered help for hungry Americans Friday in a rush to pull the country from its multi-pronged pandemic crisis.
The latest orders boosting food aid and speeding up stimulus payments were modest in scale but reinforced Biden's message that he wants to act decisively against coronavirus and the related economic fallout.
<p>It's a task he is trying to accomplish while simultaneously getting his government confirmed -- with defense secretary nominee Lloyd Austin winning Senate approval Friday -- and bracing for turmoil from a looming Trump impeachment trial.</p><p>"The American people can't afford to wait," Brian Deese, director of the White House's National Economic Council, told reporters.</p><p>"So many are hanging by a thread. They need help and we are committed to doing everything we can to provide that help as quickly as possible." </p><p>The new administration has brought a calmer style after the stormy Donald Trump era, but Biden's cascade of executive orders since Wednesday is making plenty of noise of its own.</p><p>Day one saw the 78-year-old Democrat sign 17 actions, day two he signed 10, and later Friday he was expected to reach for the box of ceremonial pens to put his signature on two more.</p><p>The slew of orders has covered top campaign agenda items, including the political hot potato of immigration reform.</p><p>Here, Biden extended protections from deportation for so-called "Dreamers" -- children of illegal immigrants who have grown up in the country.</p><p>But the offensive is overwhelmingly targeted on a Covid-19 pandemic that the new president described Thursday as a wartime-level catastrophe, with the current toll of more than 400,000 dead likely to hit half a million next month.</p><p>As well as ordering masks to be worn on trains, planes and in airports, Biden said Thursday that people coming to the United States will be required to quarantine on arrival.</p><p>He is simultaneously trying to reenergize and expand a faltering vaccination program. Only 16.5 million vaccines have been administered to Americans and Biden is calling for 100 million shots in 100 days.</p><h1>Congress role key</h1><p>With unemployment jumping by another 1.3 million applications last week, Biden argues that recovery from the initially catastrophic plunge in the US economy after the pandemic first hit last year is faltering.</p><p>"Much, much more is needed," Deese said.</p><p>Biden's flagship policy is a $1.9 trillion economic rescue package that he outlined last week.</p><p>But Congress, having already passed two huge economic relief bills, is reluctant. The president's Democratic Party has only a small majority in the House and a razor thin advantage in the Senate.</p><p>Biden is also relying on Congress to hurry up and approve his cabinet nominations.</p><p>A first key security figure was confirmed on Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. The Senate's confirmation of Austin on Friday makes him the first African American to lead the Pentagon.</p><p>Tony Blinken for secretary of state and Janet Yellen for treasury secretary appeared to be headed for confirmation either Friday or next week.</p><h1>Hungry Americans</h1><p>Much of Friday, however, the White House will be focused on promoting Biden's latest two orders. Biden was set to speak at the signing ceremony and his press secretary Jen Psaki was scheduled to brief journalists.</p><p>The Commerce Department reported in mid-December that 13.7 percent of adults live in households where they sometimes or often do not have enough to eat.</p><p>Hunger is becoming a threat in particular to millions of poorer children who relied on meals served by their schools -- now shut due to Covid-19.</p><p>Biden's Friday orders boost an existing payout, giving a family with three children an extra $100 or so every two months to supplement grocery shopping.</p><p>Other measures include asking the Treasury Department to step on the accelerator and get stimulus payments of up to $600 a person that were already approved under Trump out more quickly.</p>
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