Fairplay's Josh Golin discusses lawsuits against social media companies over claims the platforms negatively impact youth mental health and Council on Foreign Relations' James Lindsay discusses the Israel-Hamas war.
2024 Republican presidential hopefuls Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis (FL), Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, and Sen. Tim Scott (SC) are among those speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual leadership conference in Las Vegas.
Republican and Democratic members of Congress discussed freedom from religious persecution at an event commemorating the 25th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act. Topics included the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, advocating against religious persecution, and the impact of the International Religious Freedom Act
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Ms. Jodie Haydon to the White House with a ceremony on the South Lawn. With the sounds of the military band playing in the background, the leaders greeted government officials and guests before giving remarks on the importance of the U.S.-Australia alliance. These remarks took place ahead of the state dinner scheduled later in the evening.
President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese discussed U.S.-Australia relations before meeting privately in the Oval Office. They commented on their defense and economic partnerships, as well as a new compact pertaining to climate change, critical minerals, and clean energy. Later that evening, President Biden hosted a state dinner for Prime Minister Albanese.
President Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke with reporters from the Rose Garden following a meeting at the White House. They reiterated their commitment to the U.S.-Australia alliance and discussed shared priorities for the two countries, including the AUKUS agreement with the U.K. and investment into nuclear powered submarines. Additional topics included the Israel-Hamas war and security in the Indo-Pacific region. These remarks came before an official State Dinner at the White House later that evening.
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted a state dinner honoring Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The evening began with the prime minister's arrival at the North Portico of the White House, and continued with red carpet arrivals of the guests. The President and first lady then took official portraits marking the historic visit and toasted the prime minister at the dinner.
2024 Republican presidential hopefuls Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis (FL), Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, and Sen. Tim Scott (SC) spoke at the Republican Jewish Coalition's leadership conference in Las Vegas.
IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said the Internal Revenue Service is making progress in its modernization efforts and improvements in customer service during his testimony before a joint hearing of two House Oversight and Accountability subcommittees. Several topics were addressed, including enforcement and fraud mitigation, workforce challenges, funding concerns, and disparities in audit rates between low income and wealthy taxpayers and corporations. Also appearing at the hearing was Jessica Lucas-Judy, strategic issues director at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), who testified on the implementation of recommendations made to the IRS for improvement in agency operations.
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien testified on security in the Black Sea amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War during a public hearing before a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee. Topics included grain and oil production in the region, Black Sea shipping ports, E.U. enlargement, and reconstruction amid the Russia-Ukraine War.
Teachers' union presidents Randi Weingarten (American Federation of Teachers) and Becky Pringle (National Education Association) spoke at the Center for American Progress' annual IDEAS conference in Washington, DC. They said that the national debate about parental involvement in K-12 public education was a false narrative, explaining that parents play an integral role and that "extremists" were trying to cause division through culture war talking points. They also discussed the opportunities and practical skills associated with career and technical education. The Washington Post's Alexi McCammond moderated the conversation.
The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee held a hearing on how to better combat financing for terrorism. This occurred amid Hamas's recent attack on Israel and Iran's long-standing support for Hamas. One of the witnesses included counterterrorism expert Matthew Levitt, who testified that Hamas raises $300-450 million per year by various means through its de facto control of Gaza, in addition to receiving $70-100 million per year from Iran. He also called for more robust surveillance regarding the transfer of money and resources via Syria and Gaza's maritime areas, saying, "All of us failed here when you look at the weapons that got in." Also, senators and witnesses examined the way in which cryptocurrency is used to finance terrorism and the Biden administration's sanction policies toward Iran.
