Biden news - live: Steph Curry defends Biden taking the knee after Kamala refused to at Warriors photo op

After the Golden State Warriors presented him with a “46” jersey at a White House ceremony honouring the team, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris lined up for a photo with the NBA champions, with the president taking a knee in the front row.

Meanwhile, Mr Biden continues to face pointed questions over the discovery of a small number of classified documents from his time as vice president in the garage of his Wilmington, Delaware, home and at an office at a Washington DC think tank.

On Tuesday, an NBC reporter was caught on a hot mic chiding the president for dodging questions on the matter during a White House meeting with Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Further, it has now emerged that the Justice Department (DOJ) considered joining the search carried out by Mr Biden’s lawyers at his home – but decided not to.

Sources told the Wall Street Journal that Mr Biden’s attorneys and the DOJ discussed having FBI agents oversee the search. They instead reached an agreement where Mr Biden’s team would notify the DOJ immediately if any potentially classified documents were found.

Key points

• NBC reporter heard chiding Biden for dodging classified documents questions

• Obama admin official slams Biden over classified document

• Biden continues to dodge questions on classified documents

• Biden welcomes the Warriors as he pledges support for California

• Biden to travel to storm-ravaged California on Thursday

Harris takes abortion fight to Florida on Roe anniversary

18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Vice President Kamala Harris will headline the White House’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Roe v Wade on Sunday, a bitter historical milestone for the Biden administration after the US Supreme Court rolled back the national right to abortion.

Administration officials said she’ll speak in Florida, where Democrats have been on guard for new efforts to restrict abortion from Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 presidential candidate.

Read on:

Harris to push abortion fight in Florida on Roe anniversary

If the Oval Office isn’t secure, then where is?

18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Lincoln Project battles MAGA narrative on Biden documents

17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

In its efforts to fight the rot of political dialogue by equating the Biden and Trump documents cases, the anti-Trump conservative group The Lincoln Project lays out why they are different in a tweet thread this morning.

The group states that ultra-MAGA talking points are endangering the political conversation and that the media has a bad habit of normalising bogus narratives from the right-wing ecosystem.

“We’re fighting bothsidesism (bias that presents an issue as balanced even when the evidence doesn’t support it),” the group tweeted.

“The right-wing media trying to equate Biden’s handling of classified documents with Trump’s malintent rots the political dialogue - and one of the Lincoln Project’s missions is to stop it.”

Setting out the facts as they stand in an attempt to help people set the record straight, the tweet thread continues:

1. No intent: There is no evidence President Biden ever actively knew about these documents.

2. Zero Coverup: President Biden has made no bizarre claim to have retroactively declassified these documents with his mind (you know, like the insane Trump excuse).

3. Total Cooperation: President Biden has completely cooperated with the investigation from the onset, including fully accepting the newly appointed special counsel.

“Disinformation can come in many different forms, and even small equivocations can damage the long-term health of our democracy,” the group concludes before directing followers to previous content on how to battle the right-wing ecosystem.

Biden: ‘Hang in there and keep the faith’ on student loan debt relief

17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Ilhan Omar ‘glad’ special counsel investigating Biden classified documents case

16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Democrat Ilhan Omar is among the progressive Democrats calling for an investigation into president Joe Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Last week attorney general Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate the discovery of the classified papers.

Appearing on MSNBC’s Symone, Ms Omar said to host Symone Sanders-Townsend that she believes Mr Biden should face an investigation into the documents.

Sravasti Dasgupta has the story.

Ilhan Omar ‘glad’ special counsel is investigating Biden classified documents case

Sinema and Manchin taunt left flank of Democratic Party at Davos summit

16:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The US Senate’s two most controversial Democrats appeared eager to taunt their party’s left flank as they appeared in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum this week.

John Bowden has the story.

Anger as Sinema and Manchin high five at Davos summit over filibuster support

Steph Curry commends ‘iconic’ moment Biden took the knee during Warriors presentation

15:45 , Oliver O'Connell

After the Golden State Warriors presented him with a “46” jersey at a White House ceremony honouring the team, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris lined up for a photo with the NBA champions, with the president taking a knee in the front row.

Then-President Donald Trump revoked the team’s invitation to the White House in 2017 after Warriors star Steph Curry criticised his attacks on Black athletes for their on-field protests against racism and police violence.

Rather than visit the Trump White House, the team toured the National Museum of African-American History and Culture with local Washington students. In remarks on 17 January, Mr Biden acknowledged the controversy, saying, “The Golden State Warriors are always welcomed in this White House.”

Alex Woodward has the story.

Steph Curry commends ‘iconic’ moment Biden took the knee during Warriors presentation

Explainer: Biden inaction, mixed signals on death penalty

15:15 , Oliver O'Connell

In Boston, the Justice Department is pressing judges to uphold Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev‘s death sentence. In New York, it’s asking jurors to impose the death penalty on a man who killed eight people in an attack on a bicycle path.

President Joe Biden campaigned on a pledge to work toward abolishing federal capital punishment but has taken no major steps to that end, though the Justice Department has imposed a moratorium that means no federal executions are likely to happen anytime soon.

The department continues to press for the death penalty in certain cases but not in others.

Read on:

EXPLAINER: Biden inaction, mixed signals on death penalty

Biden confident in White House team as fallout from classified documents continues

14:45 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden took no questions about the ongoing investigation into his own handling of classified documents on Tuesday while his press secretary insisted that he had confidence in the team responsible for managing the situation in the public eye.

John Bowden reports.

Biden ‘has confidence’ in White House team amid fallout from classified papers

NBC reporter caught on hot mic attacking Biden for not responding to classified document questions

14:15 , Rachel Sharp

An NBC reporter has been caught on hot mic speaking to another reporter about president Joe Biden ignoring his question on his handling of classified documents.

On Tuesday, Mr Biden met Netherlands prime minister Mark Rutte for a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office.

Ahead of the meeting, reporters were present as the two leaders made remarks at a photo op. After the photo op, reporters started shooting questions at the president.

Read more here:

NBC reporter caught on hot mic attacking Biden for not responding to questions

White House defends document disclosure

13:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The White House brushed aside criticism Tuesday of its fragmented disclosures about the discovery of classified documents and official records at President Joe Biden‘s home and former office, saying it may withhold information to protect the Justice Department‘s investigation.

Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House counsel’s office, told reporters that the White House was releasing information as it deemed it “appropriate.” Responding to criticism of the piecemeal disclosures, Sams said the White House was trying to be mindful of the “risk” in sharing information “that’s not complete.”

White House defends its delayed, limited document disclosure

Voices: Will Biden’s rising approval rating sink after classified documents headache?

13:15 , Rachel Sharp

Will Biden’s rising approval rating sink after classified documents headache?

DOJ considered joining classified document search – but decided not to

12:45 , Rachel Sharp

It has now emerged that the Justice Department (DOJ) considered joining the search for classified documents at President Joe Biden’s home – but decided not to.

Sources told the Wall Street Journal that Mr Biden’s attorneys and the DOJ discussed having FBI agents oversee the search.

But instead they reached an agreement where Mr Biden’s team would notify the DOJ immediately if any potentially classified documents were found.

According to the sources, both sides agreed that – if the FBI joined in the search – it could complicate matters later in the investigation. The decision was also reached because Mr Biden’s attorneys had been cooperating with the investigation and had turned over the initial batch of documents as soon as they were discovered.

Biden to visit flood devastated California on Thursday

12:15 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden will travel to California‘s central coast Thursday to visit areas that have been devastated by extreme weather.

The White House said in a statement Monday that the president would visit with first responders and state and local officials, survey recovery efforts and assess what additional federal support is needed.

The president’s trip was announced as the ninth atmospheric river in a three-week series of major winter storms was churning through California.

Read on:

Biden to visit devastated areas of California on Thursday

Obama administration official slams Biden over classified documents

11:51 , Rachel Sharp

President Joe Biden continues to face pointed questions over the discovery of a small number of classified documents from his time as vice president in the garage of his Wilmington, Delaware, home and at an office at a Washington DC think tank.

On Tuesday, former Obama administration ethics chief Walter Shaub weighed into the scandal, slamming the president for what he described as “an inexcusable neglect” of basic security protocols.

“It’s nothing like Trump’s deliberate refusal to return classified records demanded by the National Archives, but Biden’s own retention of classified records reflects an inexcusable neglect of the most basic security protocols,” he told Fox News Digital.

“The fact that the White House didn’t mention that records were found in more than one location when first asked about them was a breach of trust with the public and a self-inflicted wound.

“Based on what we know so far, it seems unlikely that he’s at risk of any of legal consequences, but I’m glad Garland appointed a special counsel to show even-handed treatment of the current and former president.”

Biden condemns ‘fiscally demented’ congressional GOP

11:15 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden has pledged to strike down a “fiscally demented” tax agenda from House Republicans, which would strip funding to and ultimately abolish the federal tax agency, explode the deficit by tens of billions and shift the nation’s tax burdens on lower-income Americans.

In remarks spanning civil rights and wealth inequality on Martin Luther King Jr Day, the president condemned the new Republican House majority and its recently passed legislation to revoke new Internal Revenue Service funding aimed at boosting compliance against tax cheats.

The president pledged to veto such legislation, which is guaranteed to fail in a Democratic-controlled Senate.

Alex Woodward reports.

Biden condemns ‘fiscally demented’ congressional Republicans for IRS and tax agenda

CNN host confronts GOP lawmaker for only caring about Biden classified documents find

10:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Rep James Comer was asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday whether he and other Republicans were holding Joe Biden to a double standard after refusing to criticise former president Donald Trump for his stash of classified material at Mar-a-Lago.

The question came as the GOP, including Mr Comer, have vowed to investigate whether Mr Biden mishandled classified materials as they take power in the House. Mr Comer is set to lead at least some of that effort as the incoming chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the House’s main investigative body.

John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.

GOP lawmaker confronted on CNN over statements about Trump’s classified documents

GOP demands for logs of visitors at Biden homes won’t be met... because they don’t exist

08:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Republicans who are demanding to see visitor logs from President Joe Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware home will be disappointed to learn that no such logs exist because none have ever been kept.

Andrew Feinberg explains.

GOP demands for logs of visitors at Biden homes won’t be met because they don’t exist

Biden’s MLK remarks revive demands to protect voting rights after defeat in Congress

06:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A lot can happen in a year.

One year ago in Atlanta, President Joe Biden warned how history has treated the architects of voter suppression and the opponents of landmark civil rights laws as state lawmakers mulled a wave of antidemocratic legislation taking aim at the right to vote.

One year later, not a single piece of critical federal legislation that he championed – including the renewal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was to be named in honour of the late civil rights leader John Lewis – passed in Congress. The new Republican-controlled House of Representatives and a paper-thin Democratic majority in the Senate are unlikely to revisit them.

Alex Woodward reports.

Biden’s MLK remarks revive demands to protect voting rights after defeat in Congress

ICYMI: Video of Biden overseeing the creation of MLK Day in 1983 goes viral

04:15 , Oliver O'Connell

An old video of Joe Biden overseeing the 1983 creation of Martin Luther King Jr Day was widely shared on Sunday ahead of the president’s scheduled sermon at Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Sravasti Dasgupta has the story.

Video of Biden overseeing the creation of MLK Day in 1983 goes viral

Jill Biden's skin cancer could fuel advocacy

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Jill Biden‘s advocacy for curing cancer didn’t start with her son’s death in 2015 from brain cancer. It began decades earlier, long before she came into the national spotlight, and could now be further energized by her own brush with a common form of skin cancer.

The first lady often says the worst three words anyone will ever hear are, “You have cancer.” She heard a version of that phrase for herself this past week.

Read on:

Jill Biden's skin cancer could fuel advocacy in cancer fight

Explainer: How ominous is the debt limit problem?

00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

On the brink of hitting the nation's legal borrowing limit on Thursday, the government is resorting to “extraordinary measures” to avoid a default.

Sounds ominous, right?

But — take a breath — the phrase technically refers to a bunch of accounting workarounds. Yes, accounting.

EXPLAINER: How ominous is the debt limit problem?

Schiff calls for threat assessment of Biden’s handling of classified papers

Tuesday 17 January 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

California Rep Adam Schiff says that the handling of classified documents discovered at President Joe Biden’s home and former office must be assessed to see if it endangered US national security.

Adam Schiff calls for intelligence assessment of Biden handling of classified papers

Biden: ‘Golden State Warrior alway welcome in this White House’

Tuesday 17 January 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Biden welcomes the Warriors, pledges support for California

Tuesday 17 January 2023 22:55 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden celebrated the NBA champion Golden State Warriors at the White House on Tuesday as he expressed concern for Californians who have suffered through waves of destructive weather.

“We’re all closely monitoring the storms, the floods, the landslides all across California, and our heart is with all of the families of the communities that are hurting,” he said.

Biden plans to visit the state Thursday, and he has approved disaster assistance for the state.

Biden welcomes the Warriors, pledges support for California

Voices: Biden is picking a new fight with Kevin McCarthy – here’s why

Tuesday 17 January 2023 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

The Biden White House has fired its opening salvo against House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as they prepare to face off on the debt limit: The deals the speaker made with conservatives will cause a crisis.

Biden is picking a new fight with Kevin McCarthy – here’s why

Watch: Steph Curry commends VP Harris for being a Warriors fan and representing Bay Area in DC

Tuesday 17 January 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Biden to survey devastated areas of California as extreme weather subsides

Tuesday 17 January 2023 21:39 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden will travel to California‘s central coast Thursday to visit areas that have been devastated by extreme weather.

The White House said in a statement Monday that the president would visit with first responders and state and local officials, survey recovery efforts and assess what additional federal support is needed.

The president’s trip was announced as the ninth atmospheric river in a three-week series of major winter storms was churning through California.

Read on:

Biden to visit devastated areas of California on Thursday

Voices: Will Biden’s rising approval rating sink after classified documents headache?

Tuesday 17 January 2023 21:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Will Biden’s rising approval rating sink after classified documents headache?

White House defends document disclosure delay

Tuesday 17 January 2023 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The White House brushed aside criticism Tuesday of its fragmented disclosures about the discovery of classified documents and official records at President Joe Biden‘s home and former office, saying it may withhold information to protect the Justice Department‘s investigation.

Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House counsel’s office, told reporters that the White House was releasing information as it deemed it “appropriate.” Responding to criticism of the piecemeal disclosures, Sams said the White House was trying to be mindful of the “risk” in sharing information “that’s not complete.”

Read on:

White House defends its delayed, limited document disclosure

Goldman schools Jordan over ‘dumb questions’ about FBI and Biden classified documents

Tuesday 17 January 2023 20:50 , Oliver O'Connell

When Ohio Republican Rep Jim Jordan tried drawing attention to alleged disparities between how former President Donald Trump was treated over his trove of classified documents versus how President Joe Biden has been, he might not have thought he was about to be schooled at the hand of new Democrat rep and Trump impeachment officer, Daniel Goldman.

Mr Jordan asked on Twittter: “Why was President Trump’s home raided but not President Biden’s? Why did the FBI take pictures of President Trump’s so-called classified documents but not President Biden’s?”

He added: “Americans are tired of the double standard.”

Mr Goldman, who represents downtown Manhattan and northern parts of Brooklyn, responded: “1) because Trump obstructed justice by failing to comply with a subpoena. Biden volunteered all docs. 2) It’s standard procedure for the FBI to photograph everything they find during a search warrant.”

He added: “In the future, feel free to reach out to me directly with your questions.”

Mr Goldman didn’t stop there. In a follow-up tweet, he wrote: “And before you ‘investigate the FBI’ to obstruct their investigations into you and others, you might want to brush up on the FBI Manual of Investigative Operations and Guidelines (MIOG) so you don’t ask any more dumb questions.”

Ouch.

Biden condemns ‘fiscally demented’ congressional GOP

Tuesday 17 January 2023 20:40 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden has pledged to strike down a “fiscally demented” tax agenda from House Republicans, which would strip funding to and ultimately abolish the federal tax agency, explode the deficit by tens of billions and shift the nation’s tax burdens on lower-income Americans.

In remarks spanning civil rights and wealth inequality on Martin Luther King Jr Day, the president condemned the new Republican House majority and its recently passed legislation to revoke new Internal Revenue Service funding aimed at boosting compliance against tax cheats.

The president pledged to veto such legislation, which is guaranteed to fail in a Democratic-controlled Senate.

Alex Woodward reports.

Biden condemns ‘fiscally demented’ congressional Republicans for IRS and tax agenda

Golden State Warriors attend White House press briefing

Tuesday 17 January 2023 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Biden dodges questions on classified documents

Tuesday 17 January 2023 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden ignored shouted questions from reporters regarding the discovery of classified documents at his Delaware home and at a think tank’s office he once used after his time as vice president.

As White House staff led the press out of the Oval Office following a photo spray with Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands, Mr Biden sat in silence appearing to smirk as reporters asked about the investigation into the papers.

CNN anchor confronts GOP lawmaker for ‘only caring about’ Biden and not Trump classified documents

Tuesday 17 January 2023 19:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Rep James Comer was asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday whether he and other Republicans were holding Joe Biden to a double standard after refusing to criticise former president Donald Trump for his stash of classified material at Mar-a-Lago.

The question came as the GOP, including Mr Comer, have vowed to investigate whether Mr Biden mishandled classified materials as they take power in the House. Mr Comer is set to lead at least some of that effort as the incoming chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the House’s main investigative body.

John Bowden has the story.

GOP lawmaker confronted on CNN over statements about Trump’s classified documents

McCarthy accuses Biden of hypocrisy over classified documents

Tuesday 17 January 2023 19:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy accused President Joe Biden of hypocrisy over the classified documents found at his home and former office when he criticised former president Donald Trump for a similar misdeed.

The White House has in turn accused Republicans of hypocrisy for dismissing Mr Trump’s handling of classified papers last year and only demanding action when it was Mr Biden at fault.

Watch Mr McCarthy’s comments below via C-Span.

GOP demands for logs of visitors at Biden homes... but they don’t exist

Tuesday 17 January 2023 19:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Republicans who are demanding to see visitor logs from President Joe Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware home will be disappointed to learn that no such logs exist because none have ever been kept.

On Sunday, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain asking for the White House to turn over records of who has visited the Wilmington residence where Mr Biden has spent most weekends since taking office in January 2021.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.

GOP demands for logs of visitors at Biden homes won’t be met because they don’t exist

White House response on classified documents find

Tuesday 17 January 2023 18:50 , Oliver O'Connell

“The president takes this seriously and he believes in handling it the right way. And that’s because he believes deeply in the rule of law. We’re also providing the public with information about this matter, as it’s appropriate.”

"But the very nature of being cooperative with an ongoing investigation means that we need to let that investigation play out and to try to be respectful of facts as they come to light through that investigation."

Watch: Biden hosts Dutch prime minister

Tuesday 17 January 2023 18:35 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden is hosting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the Oval Office today. Mr Biden wants to persuade the Netherlands to further limit China’s access to advanced semiconductors with export restrictions.

Tuesday’s wide-ranging talks are also expected to cover the countries’ efforts to thwart Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and an upcoming democracy summit, according to the White House.

Biden’s remarks honouring MLK revive demands to protect voting rights

Tuesday 17 January 2023 18:21 , Oliver O'Connell

A lot can happen in a year.

One year ago in Atlanta, President Joe Biden warned how history has treated the architects of voter suppression and the opponents of landmark civil rights laws as state lawmakers mulled a wave of antidemocratic legislation taking aim at the right to vote.

One year later, not a single piece of critical federal legislation that he championed – including the renewal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was to be named in honour of the late civil rights leader John Lewis – passed in Congress. The new Republican-controlled House of Representatives and a paper-thin Democratic majority in the Senate are unlikely to revisit them.

Alex Woodward reports.

Biden’s MLK remarks revive demands to protect voting rights after defeat in Congress