Biden news – live: President warns of ‘extremist threat’ to democracy from MAGA Republicans ahead of speech

President Joe Biden will deliver a prime-time speech on the “battle for the soul of the nation” this week ahead of the midterm elections later this year.

The White House says that Mr Biden will travel to Philadelphia on Thursday to give the speech at the city’s Independence National Historical Park. The speech will be the president’s second appearance in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania this week, coming after a rally yesterday at which he spoke about his crime prevention plans and gun control legislation.

Celebrating the passage of this year’s gun safety legislation, which he said represented a triumph over the National Rifle Association, Mr Biden insisted he is determined to ban assault weapons from the US.

He also bucked the progressive wing of his party with a promise to fund the police – and declared that Republicans who called 6 January rioters “patriots” cannot justifiably call themselves supporters of law enforcement.

Key Points

• Biden “determined to ban assault weapons"

• Strong defence of law enforcement comes with condemnation of 6 January riot

• President to speak in Philadelphia tonight on “soul of the nation”

White House press secretary gives examples of GOP lawmaker promoting violence

20:37 , Oliver O'Connell

When asked if it is fair criticism by Republicans that this is not unifying language coming from the president, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre lists examples of GOP lawmakers promoting violence.

Biden warns of ‘extremist threat’ to US democracy from MAGA Republicans

20:29 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden believes MAGA Republicans are the extreme part of the party and constitute a threat to democracy and he will not shy away from saying that, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

The president thinks that there is an extremist threat to our democracy. The president has been clear as he can be on that particular piece, when we talk about a democracy when we talk about our freedoms, the way that he sees it, the MAGA Republicans are the most energised part of the Republican Party. That ... is an extreme threat to our democracy, to our freedom, to our rights. They just don’t respect the rule of law … and they are pursuing an agenda that takes away people’s rights. Which is what the president said last week on Thursday, you all heard him. This is what the president said yesterday, and that’s what he’s going to continue to say.

And here’s the thing, the president is not going to shy away, to call out what he clearly sees is happening in this country. And, you know, again, MAGA Republicans are this extreme part of their party, and that is just fact. And that’s what he’s going to continue to lay out.

Why are Biden and Trump in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, this week?

20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden is travelling to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to discuss gun violence.

Then, on Saturday, former president Donald Trump will head to the same small town to hold a rally at the Mohegan Sun Arena to support Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.

On the surface, it might be surprising to see two presidents visit a city with less than 41,000 residents that is a two-hour drive from Philadelphia.

Eric Garcia explains why there’s good reason for both men to be there.

Why are Joe Biden and Donald Trump both going to this small Pennsylvania City?

Charlie Crist resigns from Congress to focus on Florida gubernatorial run

19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Representative Charlie Crist, the Democratic nominee for governor of Florida, announced he would resign from Congress to campaign against Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, The Tampa Bay Times reported.

Mr Crist served as governor from 2007 to 2011 and ran as a Republican before he ran for Senate initially with the GOP before running as an independent.

He ran for governor as a Democrat in 2014 and narrowly lost to Governor Rick Scott before he won a congressional seat representing Pinellas County in 2016.

Read more:

Charlie Crist resigns from Congress to campaign against DeSantis full-time

More than 40% of Americans say civil war likely in next decade

19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A newly released poll has found that a significant number of Americans believe the United States will be embroiled in a civil war within the next 10 years as political divisions continue to strain the country’s civic bonds.

The online survey of 1,500 adults — commissioned by The Economist and conducted by YouGov from 20 to 23 August — found that 29 per cent of respondents said a civil war would be “somewhat likely”, while 14 per cent said such a conflict would be “very likely”.

Andrew Feinberg looked at the poll numbers:

More than four in 10 Americans say civil war is more likely within the next decade

Biden campaign paperwork not sign of a re-election launch

18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A 30 August form filed with the Federal Election Commission by Joe Biden’s campaign committee is not a sign that an announcement of a re-election bid is imminent, a Democratic National Committee official has said.

On Tuesday, Mr Biden’s 2020 committee, “Biden for President,” filed an updated “Statement of Organization” with the FEC.

But the Democratic official told The Independent the filing was routine.

Read more:

Biden campaign paperwork not sign of a re-election launch

Could Democrats hold onto their majority in the House of Representatives?

18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

For much of the past year, many political observers assumed that Democrats would likely lose their majority in the House of Representatives, if not the Senate, largely because of President Joe Biden’s lagging approval ratings and high inflation numbers.

But John Della Volpe, the director of polling for Harvard’s Kennedy School Institute of Politics, said he always questioned that wisdom.

“If you look at the generic ballot, between then and today, it has not deviated more than four points,” he told The Independent. “I don’t think Republicans had a lead ever more than four points. Today, it’s essentially even.”

Read more:

How Democrats could hold onto their majority in the House

Biden spoke at length with Israeli PM about Iran nuclear negotiations

17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid spoke at length with President Joe Biden today about the negotiations towards a nuclear agreement with Iran, per the prime minister’s office and a White House official.

Biden to give primetime speech on ‘soul of the nation’ on Thursday

17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden will deliver a prime-time speech on the “battle for the soul of the nation” this week ahead of the midterm elections later this year.

The White House says that Mr Biden will travel to Philadelphia on Thursday to give the speech at the city’s Independence National Historical Park.

An official told NBC News that the speech in the battleground state of Pennsylvania would focus on how America’s “rights and freedoms are still under attack”, echoing his message from his 2020 victory over Donald Trump.

Graeme Massie reports for The Independent.

Biden to give primetime speech on ‘soul of the nation’ in Philadelphia

Harris adds Harry Reid alum to team ahead of midterms

17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Vice President Kamala Harris has hired a top operative from the late Harry Reid’s Nevada political operation, Politico reports.

Megan Jones, a longtime aide to the former Senate leader, is joining the vice president’s office ahead of the midterm elections, three people familiar with the hire told the outlet.

Ms Jones, who worked as a senior adviser to Ms Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign in Nevada, is set to begin in the VP’s office this week in a temporary position as a special government employee, one of the people said. For the next few months, she is expected to help with political planning, outreach, and coordination, according to a second person, describing her as a reliable, no-nonsense operative.

The move comes as the vice president’s team gears up to deploy her in battleground states ahead of the midterms, but also following a wave of staff departures and hires in Ms Harris’s office.

Biden says GOP can’t claim to be party of law and order if they won’t condemn Jan 6

17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

As he continues ramping up his campaign appearances for this year’s midterm elections, Joe Biden used a speech in Pennsylvania to condemn those in the Republican Party who defend the rioters who attacked the US Capitol on January 6 2021.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Wilkes-Barre, Mr Biden reflected that while the lethal attack itself was incredible enough, it was even more incredible to see Republican members who proclaim themselves to be defenders of law enforcement also defending those who attacked and even killed police officers during the riot.

Andrew Naughtie reports.

Biden: GOP can’t be ‘party of law and order’ and defend Jan 6 rioters

States tapping historic surpluses for tax cuts and rebates

16:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Flush with federal pandemic aid and their own surging tax revenue, states have cut income tax rates for individuals and businesses, expanded tax deductions for families and retirees, pared back property taxes, waived sales taxes on groceries and suspended motor fuel taxes to offset inflationary price spikes. Many also have provided immediate tax rebates.

Republicans and Democrats alike have joined the tax-cutting trend during a midterm election year.

States tapping historic surpluses for tax cuts and rebates

Biden: Whose side are you on?

16:22 , Oliver O'Connell

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden spoke about upholding the rule of law and chastened members of the Republican Party for their defence of the January 6 Capitol rioters.

A safer America requires all of us to uphold the rule of law, not the rule of any one party or any one person.  Let’s be clear: You hear some of my friends in the other team talking about political violence and how it’s necessary.

Think about this now.  Did any of you think, even if you’re as old as I am, you’d ever be in an election where we talk about [if] it’s appropriate to use force — political violence in America?  It’s never appropriate.  Never.  Period.  Never, never, never.  No one should be encouraged to use political violence.  None whatsoever.

And look, you know, if we’re in a situation where — to this day, the MAGA Republicans in Congress defend the mob that stormed to Capitol on January 6th. Defend them. You all saw it. I don’t care how frustrated you are.

…

What I find even more incredible is the defense of it.  Cops attacked and assaulted; speared with flagpole — with flagpoles; sprayed with mace; stomped on, dragged, brutalised.  Police lost their lives as a result of that day.  Police lost their lives.

One of the officers said it was worse than anything he had experienced in war in Iraq.

So let me say this to my MAGA Republican friends in Congress: Don’t tell me you support law enforcement if you won’t condemn what happened on the 6th. Don’t tell me. Can’t do it.

For God’s sake, whose side are you on? Whose side are you on?

Look, you’re either on the side of a mob or the side of the police.  You can’t be pro-law enforcement and pro-insurrection. You can’t be a party of law and order and call the people who attacked the police on January 6th “patriots.” You can’t do it.

What are we teaching our children? It’s just that simple.

But now it’s sickening to see the new attacks on the FBI, threatening the life of law enforcement agents and their families for simply carrying out the law and doing their job.

Look, I want to say this as clear as I can: There is no place in this country -- no place for endangering the lives of law enforcement. No place. None. Never. Period.

I’m opposed to defunding the police.  I’m also opposed to defunding the FBI.

‘Biden has right message’ on crime says Cleveland mayor

16:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Mayor Justin Bibb of Cleveland, Ohio, says that President Joe Biden has the right message on crime.

He told NBC News’s Peter Alexander says as a mayor he understands the importance of accountability in policing, but also the importance of investing in good quality law enforcement.

Watch below:

Biden: Fund the police

15:57 , Oliver O'Connell

“Everybody is entitled to be treated with dignity — just simple dignity,” said President Joe Biden, quoting his father, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday.

“The fact is they want to be able to go to good schools, in safe neighborhoods, a decent place to live, and just a fair shot — just a fair shot for their kids. You know, peace of mind knowing your kids can go to school or to the playground or the movies or the high school game and come home safely and not have to think about it.

“But for too long, too many families haven’t had that peace of mind. They watch the news and they see kids being gunned down in schools and on the streets. Almost every single night you turn the news on, that’s what you see.

“They see their neighbors lose their loved ones to drugs like fentanyl, which is a flat killer.

“They see hate and anger and violence just walking the streets of America, and they just want to feel safe again. They want to feel a sense of security. And that’s what my crime plan is all about.

“You know, I call it the Safer America Plan, and both your members of Congress voted for it.  It’s based on a simple notion: When it comes to public safety in this nation, the answer is not ‘defund the police’, it’s ‘fund the police’. Fund the police.”

Continuing by saying that the country expects the police to do everything from being psychologists to dealing with domestic violence incidents and all police work in between, the president said: “We ask so much of you.”

Calling for investment in effective and accountable community policing that builds public trust and strengthens public safety, through his Safer America Plan, the president said: “Folks, look, we’re in a situation in this country where we have to give them additional resources they need to get their job done.”

‘We have to act’: Biden renews call for updated assault weapons ban

15:45 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden on Tuesday reiterated his call for Congress to pass an updated version of the ban on military-style semiautomatic rifles that was a centrepiece of the 1994 anti-crime legislation he authored as a senator.

Mr Biden renewed his call for an updated assault weapons ban at an event in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to highlight what his administration is calling the “Safer America Plan”. He said banning the types of military-style rifles that have become the weapon of choice for mass shooters in recent years would be a “common-sense action” that builds on the Safer Communities Act — the first gun control legislation to pass Congress in decades — which he signed into law earlier this year.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Biden renews call for updated assault weapons ban: ‘We have to act’

About the portrait unveiling...

15:27 , Oliver O'Connell

Yes, a presidential portrait unveiling traditionally happens much closer to the end of a president’s term — sometime when their successor is in office.

No prizes for guessing why the Obamas had to wait more than five years for this moment.

Bidens to host Obamas for portrait unveiling

15:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The White House has announced that President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Former President Barack Obama and Former First Lady Michelle Obama for the unveiling of their official White House portraits on 7 September.

Statement of President Joe Biden on the passing of President Mikhail Gorbachev

15:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Mikhail Gorbachev was a man of remarkable vision.

When he came to power, the Cold War had gone on for nearly 40 years and communism for even longer, with devastating consequences. Few high-level Soviet officials had the courage to admit that things needed to change. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I saw him do that and more. As leader of the USSR, he worked with President Reagan to reduce our two countries’ nuclear arsenals, to the relief of people worldwide praying for an end to the nuclear arms race. After decades of brutal political repression, he embraced democratic reforms. He believed in glasnost and perestroika – openness and restructuring – not as mere slogans, but as the path forward for the people of the Soviet Union after so many years of isolation and deprivation.

These were the acts of a rare leader – one with the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it. The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people.

Even years after leaving office, he was still deeply engaged. When Mr Gorbachev visited the White House in 2009, he and I spoke for a long time about our countries’ ongoing work to reduce US and Russian nuclear stockpiles. It was easy to see why so many worldwide held him in such high esteem.

We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends, and to people everywhere who benefited from his belief in a better world.

ICYMI: Biden on assault weapons

14:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Joe Biden renewed his call for a ban on assault weapons last night, calling again for Congress to pass an updated version of the 1994 anti-crime legislation he authored as a senator, banning military-style semiautomatic rifles.

Referring to this summer’s elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, Biden said: “You know what some of the parents had to do? Supply DNA. Supply DNA, because the AR-15 just rips the body apart. Could not identify, could not identify the body.

“For god’s sake, what’s the rationale for these weapons outside of a war zone?”

Biden on Safer American Plan: “fund the police”

13:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Joe Biden took a bold stance last night against the idea of “defunding the police”. Instead, he pointed out how much the US expects from law enforcement – and insisted that “I’ve not met a cop who likes a bad cop”.

Mr Biden took the same stance at his State of the Union back in March, when many Republicans and centrist Democrats gave him a standing ovation for insisting that the police should not lose funding. Read Eric Garcia’s report from that night:

Biden gets standing ovation as he says: ‘The answer is not to defund the police’

Biden calls out Lindsey Graham for “riots” remarks

12:30 , Andrew Naughtie

Joe Biden on Tuesday implicitly rebuked senator Lindsey Graham for predicting “riots in the street” over the possible prosecution of Donald Trump for taking classified documents after leaving the White House.

“No one expects politics to be pattycake,” the president said during a speech at the Wilkes University in Pennsylvania.

“Sometimes it gets mean as hell. But the idea you turn on a television and see senior senators and congressmen saying ‘if such and such happens, there’ll be blood in the street’....where the hell are we?” he said in an apparent reference to comments made by Mr Graham on Fox News.

Namita Singh has more.

Biden condemns former friend Graham for predicting violence if Trump is prosecuted

How could Democrats hold onto their majority in the House?

11:30 , Andrew Naughtie

For much of the past year, many political observers assumed that Democrats would likely lose their majority in the House of Representatives, if not the Senate, largely because of President Joe Biden’s lagging approval ratings and high inflation numbers.

But John Della Volpe, the director of polling for Harvard’s Kennedy School Institute of Politics, said he always questioned that wisdom.

“If you look at the generic ballot, between then and today, it has not deviated more than four points,” he told The Independent. “I don’t think Republicans had a lead ever more than four points. Today, it’s essentially even.”

Eric Garcia reports.

How Democrats could hold onto their majority in the House

Why are both Biden and Trump headed for Wilkes-Barre?

10:30 , Andrew Naughtie

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden is travelling to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to discuss gun violence.

Then, on Saturday, former president Donald Trump will head to the same small town to hold a rally at the Mohegan Sun Arena to support Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.

On the surface, it might be surprising to see two presidents visit a city with less than 41,000 residents that is a two-hour drive from Philadelphia.

But while these trips are ostensibly about Mr Biden promoting his agenda and Mr Trump attempting to rally voters for his preferred candidates, both men have their eyes trained on 2024. Mr Trump is all but certain to want a rematch against Mr Biden – and places like Wilkes-Barre will be vital for either candidate.

Read more from Eric Garcia:

Why are Joe Biden and Donald Trump both going to this small Pennsylvania City?

‘We have to act’: Biden renews call for updated assault weapons ban

09:30 , Andrew Naughtie

President Joe Biden on Tuesday reiterated his call for Congress to pass an updated version of the ban on military-style semiautomatic rifles that was a centrepiece of the 1994 anti-crime legislation he authored as a senator.

Mr Biden renewed his call for an updated assault weapons ban at an event in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to highlight what his administration is calling the “Safer America Plan”. He said banning the types of military-style rifles that have become the weapon of choice for mass shooters in recent years would be a “common-sense action” that builds on the Safer Communities Act — the first gun control legislation to pass Congress in decades — which he signed into law earlier this year.

Andrew Feinberg watched the president’s remarks.

Biden renews call for updated assault weapons ban: ‘We have to act’

Biden campaign paperwork not sign of a re-election launch

08:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A 30 August form filed with the Federal Election Commission by Joe Biden’s campaign committee is not a sign that an announcement of a re-election bid is imminent, a Democratic National Committee official has said.

On Tuesday, Mr Biden’s 2020 committee, “Biden for President,” filed an updated “Statement of Organization” with the FEC.

But the Democratic official told The Independent the filing was routine.

Andrew Feinberg has the details.

Biden campaign paperwork not sign of a re-election launch

Mandela Barnes security costs being made campaign issue

06:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate, logged more than 10 times as many hours of security than his predecessor, an issue that Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is raising in the hotly contested race.

Barnes' security costs become campaign issue in Senate run

Fetterman campaign calls on Biden to decriminalise weed

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

John Fetterman does not want to hear “any bull****” from his Republican opponent Mehmet Oz about his support for decriminalising cannabis, or any attempts from the TV doctor-turned-GOP candidate to conflate weed “with seriously harmful crime”.

Pennsylvania’s Democratic nominee for US Senate has pressed Joe Biden’s administration to decriminalise cannabis ahead of the president’s planned trip to Pittsburgh on Labor Day, saying in a message from his campaign that it is “long past time” to remove cannabis from the federal government’s most-restricted categories of drugs, alongside heroin and LSD.

Alex Woodward reports.

Fetterman campaign calls on Biden to decriminalise weed ahead of Pennsylvania visit

Photo resurfaces of Biden talking to homeless man outside movies

01:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A photograph of PresidentJoe Biden speaking to an individual who appears to be homeless has resurfaced, thanks to a popular Reddit post.

The post, captioned “After seeing a movie with his family, Biden takes a moment to speak with a homeless man”, shows Mr Biden leaning down on a public street speaking with a man in a gray sweatshirt and black jacket. The post already has more than 76,000 engagements since it was published on Monday.

Abe Asher reports.

Photo of Biden talking to homeless man outside movies resurfaces

Pennsylvania AG breaks with Dems on Covid policies in gubernatorial race

Wednesday 31 August 2022 00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

As attorney general, Josh Shapiro went to court repeatedly to defend Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration against legal challenges to his pandemic-era mandates and shutdowns.

Now, as he’s running to succeed Wolf as governor, Shapiro says he is against some of the same COVID-19 containment measures that his fellow Democrat used to help manage the nation’s worst pandemic in over a century.

Shapiro breaks with Dems on COVID policies in Pa. gov race

Biden headed to Milwaukee and Pittsburgh on Labor Day

Tuesday 30 August 2022 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden plans to travel to the battleground states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania on Labor Day, about two months before the election.

Biden will speak at Milwaukee‘s Laborfest celebration and will go to Pittsburgh where other national labor leaders are appearing at that city’s Labor Day Parade, both the White House and labor unions said Monday. Biden plans to “celebrate Labor Day and the dignity of American workers,” according to the White House.

Biden headed to Milwaukee, Pittsburgh on Labor Day

Biden: Attacks on FBI ‘sickening'

Tuesday 30 August 2022 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Biden renews call for updated assault weapons ban: ‘We have to act

Tuesday 30 August 2022 21:57 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden on Tuesday reiterated his call for Congress to pass an updated version of the ban on military-style semiautomatic rifles that was a centrepiece of the 1994 anti-crime legislation he authored as a senator.

Mr Biden renewed his call for an updated assault weapons ban at an event in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to highlight what his administration is calling the “Safer America Plan”. He said banning the types of military-style rifles that have become the weapon of choice for mass shooters in recent years would be a “common-sense action” that builds on the Safer Communities Act — the first gun control legislation to pass Congress in decades — which he signed into law earlier this year.

Andrew Feinberg watched the president’s remarks.

‘We have to act’: Biden renews call for updated assault weapons ban

In pictures: President Joe Biden delivers remarks on gun crime

Tuesday 30 August 2022 21:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Tuesday 30 August 2022 21:17 , Oliver O'Connell

President Biden closes out his remarks by slightly flubbing his lines and mistakenly calling on Pennsylvania to elect Attorney General Shapiro to the Senate and “that big old boy” Lt Gov John Fetterman as governor.

It’s actually the other way around.

Tuesday 30 August 2022 21:11 , Oliver O'Connell

“I’m opposed to defunding the police. I’m also opposed to defunding the FBI,” he says referring to the latest attacks on the agency by Trump-loyalist Republicans.

Tuesday 30 August 2022 21:09 , Oliver O'Connell

A big cheer from the crowd when Mr Biden says: “Don’t tell me you support law enforcement if you won’t condemn what happened on January 6. For God’s sake, who’s side are you on?”

Tuesday 30 August 2022 21:08 , Oliver O'Connell

“It’s time to hold every elected official’s feet to the fire and ask them: Are you for banning assault weapons, yes or no? Ask them. If the answer is no, vote against them.”

Tuesday 30 August 2022 21:07 , Oliver O'Connell

“More children in America die from guns than active-duty police and active-duty military personnel combined. We have to act.”

The president gets emotional talking about his visit to Uvalde, Texas after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in a classroom, noting that some grieving families had to submit DNA in order to identify their children’s remains.

“Do you realise the bullet out of an AR-15 travels five times as rapidly as a bullet shot out of any other guns and can pierce Kevlar?” Mr Biden says. “Imagine being a parent just losing a child not being able to physically identify the child.”

“What the hell’s the matter with us?” he asks.

Tuesday 30 August 2022 20:57 , Oliver O'Connell

Big applause for Biden when he delivers a line about beating the National Rifle Association:“We took them on and we beat them straight up. You have no idea how intimidating they are to elected officials.”

“I’m determined to ban assault weapons in this country — determined!” he adds. “I did it once before and I’ll do it again.”

Tuesday 30 August 2022 20:54 , Oliver O'Connell

“You gotta know and be able to trust the police. The police have to be able to trust the community. But we slipped away from that. We have a hell of a lot fewer cops today than we did when I wrote that initial crime bill. But now we have to get back to it.”

Tuesday 30 August 2022 20:50 , Oliver O'Connell

“I’m old enough to remember when cops used to walk the beat, in Wilmington and in Scranton, because they knew everybody. They knew if someone was in trouble, they knew whose house to go knock on the door, and say, ‘mom, your son just did.’ I’m not being facetious.”

Tuesday 30 August 2022 20:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Biden, to cheers in Wilkes-Barre: “You know, I call it the Safer America Plan. And both of your members of Congress voted for it. It’s based on a simple notion — when it comes to public safety in this nation, the answer is not defund the police, it’s fund the police.”

Biden delivering remarks on Safer America Plan

Tuesday 30 August 2022 20:47 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden is delivering remarks on the Safer America Plan in the small city of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

He spends time praising Pennsylvania lawmakers and notes the proximity of his hometown.

“We’re almost in heaven; we’re almost in Scranton, almost.”

Singling out Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, running for the Senate, he says: “I used to be, in the old days, a pretty good athlete. And if someone was really big and tough you’d say, ‘I wouldn’t screw with him if I had a sledgehammer’.”

The president adds: “I tell you what, Fetterman’s a hell of a guy. A powerful voice for working people. And he’s going to make a great United States senator.”

ICYMI: Biden likens Trump’s Maga movement to ‘semi-fascism’

Tuesday 30 August 2022 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

In his sternest denunciations of Republicans to date, Joe Biden has excoriated his predecessor Donald Trump’s core Maga philosophy as “semi-fascism” and declared that the extreme right are committed to “destroying America”.

Mr Biden made the remarks as he hit the midterm campaign trail in earnest for the first time, tearing into pro-Trump Republicans at a closed-door Democratic fundraiser and in a fiery speech in Maryland.

Shweta Sharma reports.

Joe Biden likens Trump’s Maga movement to ‘semi-fascism’

Why are Biden and Trump both going to this small Pennsylvania city?

Tuesday 30 August 2022 20:09 , Oliver O'Connell

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden is travelling to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to discuss gun violence.

Then, on Saturday, former president Donald Trump will head to the same small town to hold a rally at the Mohegan Sun Arena to support Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.

On the surface, it might be surprising to see two presidents visit a city with less than 41,000 residents that is a two-hour drive from Philadelphia — Eric Garcia explains why that’s not the case.

Why are Joe Biden and Donald Trump both going to this small Pennsylvania City?

Is the Safer America Plan the 1994 Crime Bill reheated?

Tuesday 30 August 2022 19:55 , Oliver O'Connell

It’s 1994 again in Washington.

Americans are once again worried about rising crime rates. Democrats are once again worried that Republican attacks about them being “soft on crime” will cost them at the polls. And a backslapping, centrist Delaware legislator named Joe Biden is once again leading the charge to hire 100,000 new police officers, just as he did with his signature 1994 crime bill.

In 2022, the president is asking Congress to fund the $37bn Safer America Plan, which includes nearly $13bn to put 100,000 more police officers on the street.

Josh Marcus and Alex Woodward take a look at President Biden’s latest crime prevention plan, the subject of today’s speech in Pennsylvania.

Why does Biden want to hire 100,000 more police officers?

Biden to give primetime speech on ‘soul of the nation’

Tuesday 30 August 2022 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden will deliver a prime-time speech on the “battle for the soul of the nation” this week ahead of the midterm elections later this year.

The White House says that Mr Biden will travel to Philadelphia on Thursday to give the speech at the city’s Independence National Historical Park.

Graeme Massie reports.

Biden to give primetime speech on ‘soul of the nation’ in Philadelphia