Welcome to the first ever edition of the Biden Tracking Weekly newsletter. It is Monday, November 14th, Day 663 of the Biden presidency.
Monday, November 7th (Day 655):
Biden calls presumed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamín Netanyahu to congratulate him
Following Netanyahu’s presumed accent to the Prime Ministership in Israel after the most recent Israeli election, President Biden called Netanyahu to offer his congratulations. According to Netanyahu’s spokesman, Biden also added “We're brothers; we'll make history together” and “My commitment to Israel is unshakeable.” Netanyahu is currently facing multiple corruption charges.
LA Times reports that that ICE is currently holding 31,000 immigrants.
New reporting from Los Angeles Times immigration reporter Hamed Aleaziz, found that the Biden administration is now holding 31,000 immigrants in ICE detention. That’s the highest total under the Biden administration, and the most since 2020. When Biden took office in January 2021, there was only 15,000 immigrants in ICE detention.
Wednesday, November 9th (Day 657):
Biden makes comments during post midterm press conference
In a press conference following the midterm elections, President Biden was asked what he intends to do differently in the next two years, especially with 75% of voters saying that the country was heading in the wrong direction. In a lengthy response, he argued that nothing needed to be changed. His policies were good for the American people, they just took time to be fully felt. He finished his response with the "I'm not going to change anything in any fundamental way." Later in that same press conference, he mentioned that it was intention to run for President again in 2024.
U.S. Military conducts Air Strike in Somalia
On Friday, we learned that the U.S. Military killed 17 alleged terrorists in an air strike in Somalia. The strike was at the request of the Somali government. A similar air strike in Somalia was done in late October, killing 2 alleged terrorists.
Thursday, November 10th (Day 658):
Biden Administration proposes new Climate rules.
On Thursday, the Biden administration introduced new rules for federal contractors ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Egypt. Not only does the rule require federal contractors to set targets for reducing their emissions in line with the Paris Climate Accord, but it also mandates federal contractors publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and the risks they face from climate change. As part of the runup to the event, the Washington Post also reported that the Biden administration would propose a rule that would allow oil and gas companies more flexibility in how they monitor their wells for methane emissions. The Washington Post suggested that by introducing these proposals prior to the conference, President Biden aims to “reassure America’s partners overseas that the U.S. government can continue to fulfill its climate pledges even in the face of Republican opposition.”
On Thursday, the Biden administration directed The Office of Refugee Resettlement to avoid placing migrant children who are pregnant or who suffered sexual assault in shelters in Republican-led states that restrict abortion access. The directive was made following a review into how the Supreme Court's abortion ruling in June has affected the department's programs, according to CBS News.
Federal Judge rules against Biden’s student loan cancellation.
On Thursday, a federal judge struck down the Biden administration’s student loan relief. The judge argued that the federal government did not have the power to issue the cancellation. In response, the Biden administration appealed the ruling, but did remove the ability to apply for student loan relief on the studentaid.gov website.
That’s it for the first ever edition of the Biden Tracking newsletter. Feedback is always welcome, emails can be sent to bidentracking@gmail.com. The next edition will be sent on Monday, November 21st at 8PM ET.