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WASHINGTON — As former President Trump’s second impeachment trial opened Tuesday, the White House press secretary made it clear in the briefing room — three times — that President Biden had nothing to say about it. “Joe Biden is the president. He’s not a pundit,” Jen Psaki told the 14 reporters seated before her. “He’s not going to opine on the back-and-forth arguments in the Senate, nor is he watching them.” Biden echoed that assertion moments later as he sat in the Oval Office to discuss his top priority, a $1.9-trillion coronavirus relief package, with a group of business leaders. A day later when Psaki appeared in the briefing room, reporters pressed her about Biden’s refusal to comment on the “historic” events occurring in the Senate. One, seemingly incredulous, asked just how the public “should interpret his silence?” “The American public,” Psaki said, “should read it as his commitment on delivering on exactly what they elected him to do, which is not to be a commentator … [Read more...] about ‘Not a pundit,’ Biden ignores impeachment trial to focus on his priorities

Five years ago, Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden sat down for an interview with The Washington Post and said "we believe that climate change is real. We believe that the threat of climate change is real. And we believe that action is needed." Then he added: "It doesn't mean we have to kiss hydrocarbons goodbye. In fact, we can't. But it does mean that we have to make more intelligent choices." Today, however, Shell and other oil companies are under fire from those who don't believe industry leaders are making intelligent choices. Dissident shareholders sought to use annual meetings to press their cases this week. And at Shell's annual meeting in London on Tuesday, dozens of climate activists wore "Christian Climate Action" T-shirts and rhythmically chanted "we will, we will stop you," forcing the company's chairman to halt the proceedings for over an hour. At the heart of the matter is the disagreement over the purpose of big oil and gas companies. Should they do further … [Read more...] about Climate pressure from employees, shareholders rattles Big Oil

Yesterday, Senate Republicans voted down a bill to strengthen the federal government’s ability to monitor domestic extremism . The practical implications of this legislative defeat are relatively modest. But it has much larger significance as another indicator of the Republican Party’s unwillingness to dislodge the faction of violent extremists that has gained a foothold on its right flank. In its substance, the bill consisted of a few modest provisions that until recently would have been unobjectionable. It would have established a new office to monitor and prosecute domestic terrorism in each of the FBI, the Justice Department, and the Department of Homeland Security. It would have required regular reporting on domestic terror threats as well as a focus on “white supremacist and neo-Nazi infiltration of the uniformed services.” It did not create new federal powers, define new crimes, or define additional groups as terrorist. In response to concerns from civil libertarians, it … [Read more...] about Republicans Block Bill to Monitor Their Violent Allies