#GoodMorningDC.It's Monday, and the first one hundred days are knocking on president Biden's doors.
Good Morning DC. It’s Monday, and the first one hundred days are knocking on president Biden’s doors. On Wednesday, President will give an address to a joint session of Congress. The verdicts for the first one hundred days of Biden’s presidency are already coming in. Fox News and NBC polls look positive for Biden on various issues. On the economy, 52%-43% approval in the NBC poll and 48%-42% in the Fox News poll.
Pundits are already talking about “Biden doctrine,” but he has not formulated one yet in practice.
What will Biden do today?
At 9:50 am, the President will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the Oval Office. For the rest of the day, there is nothing scheduled.
At noon, Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese will brief the press.
Meanwhile, on the Hill…
At 3 pm the Senate will convene to resume consideration of the nomination of Jason Scott Miller of Maryland to be Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget.
In Orlando, Florida, House Republicans are meeting for their annual policy conference. Good Morning DC has learned that Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Ari Fleischer will talk today to Republicans about dealing with the press. I do not know about Fleischer, but as a member of the media who covered the White House under Huckabee Sanders, I can only say that the most toxic White House Press Office’s relationship with the press was under Sanders.
Across the pond, MP Andrew Bridgen insists that there must be a public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal that is shaking up the U.K.
“This whole affair is a national scandal that has led to innocent people being jailed and hundreds of other hard-working individuals losing their livelihood and good names,” said Bridgen.
Having campaigned on this issue for 10 years, Biden said that “the Post Office and Government Ministers knew the Horizon System was flawed,” and that they “covered it up and spent hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on lawyers to defend the indefensible whilst allowing individuals to go to prison and others having their lives ruined.”
Serbian President Vucic is in Brussels meeting with the EU representatives. Ursula von der Leyen tweeted this morning,
“Glad to meet Predsednik Vucic. We discussed
• Fight against #COVID19
• Economic recovery
• Accession process where we need to continue to see positive developments in Rule of Law
• Belgrade-Pristina dialogue
• Belgrade-North Macedonia railway, which we are ready to support.”
One hundred days into Biden’s term, America is finally ready to help India against Covid-19. America will send rapid test kits, ventilators, therapeutics, and PPE, as well as the raw materials required to produce vaccines. The United States also is pursuing options to provide oxygen generation and related supplies on an urgent basis. The U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is funding a substantial expansion of manufacturing capability for BioE, the vaccine manufacturer in India, enabling BioE to ramp up to produce at least 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022.
“Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need,” said President Biden.
Did you watch the Oscars last night? If you did not, we have the news for you. Nomadland won the Oscars for Best Picture. Frances McDormand won the award for Best Actress, and Chloé Zhao won Best Director as the first Asian female to win the prize in Oscars history.
After winning BAFTA, Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for his role in the movie The Father. Hopkins wasn’t in attendance, given the time zones, so the Zoom call ended up abruptly. In his bed, sleeping in Wales, the actor did not expect to get an award. “At 83 years of age, I did not expect to get this award, I really didn’t,” he said in his acceptance speech this morning. “Very grateful to the Academy and thank you, and I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too early.”
And that’s a wrap for this Monday morning, April 26, 2021.Thanks for waking up with me. Good Morning DC will be back tomorrow to bring you the latest first.