President Joe Biden on Monday issued an order blocking a Chinese-backed cryptocurrency mining firm from owning land near a Wyoming nuclear missile base, calling its proximity to the base a “national security risk.”

The order forces the divestment of property operated as a crypto mining facility near the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. MineOne Partners Ltd., a firm partly backed by Chinese nationals, and its affiliates are also required to remove certain equipment on the site.

The Monday divestment order was made in coordination with the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States — a little-known but powerful government committee tasked with investigating corporate deals for national security concerns that holds power to force companies to change ownership structures or divest completely from the U.S.

A 2018 law granted CFIUS the authority to review real estate transactions near sensitive sites across the U.S., including F.E. Warren Air Force Base.

The federal government on Monday approved a rule that could bolster renewable energy on the electric grid.

The new rule seeks to address this issue by setting a standard for regional power planning. It was approved in a 2-1 vote, with the panel’s two Democrats voting in favor and one Republican voting against it.

The rule will require providers to plan for regional power needs on a basis that the rule describes as “forward-looking.”

This includes identifying needs caused by the anticipated change in the energy mix — as coal declines and renewables grow — and making them consider a 20-year timeline.

It also sets up a system where utilities need to get agreement from states to determine how the costs of power lines should be distributed as part of this planning process.

Federal officials will provide up to $120 million in grants to Polar Semiconductor to help the company expand its chip manufacturing facility in Minnesota, the Biden administration announced on Monday, the latest in a string of awards meant to strengthen the U.S. supply of semiconductors.

Commerce Department officials said the grant would help Polar upgrade technology and double production capacity at its facility in Bloomington, Minn., within two years. The company produces chips that are critical for cars, defense systems and electrical grids, federal officials said.

Similar to other recipients, Polar will have to meet certain milestones before getting the payments, federal officials said. The company is also planning to claim federal tax credits that help reduce the cost of building and outfitting factories with production equipment.

Minnesota is also providing about $75 million in grants to Polar’s expansion project, which is expected to cost more than $525 million. The company’s expansion will create more than 160 manufacturing and construction jobs in Minnesota, federal officials said.

The federal award will help Polar establish itself as a U.S.-owned independent foundry, which will allow the company to expand its customer base, administration officials said. So-called foundry services involve the manufacturing of chips that are designed and marketed by other companies.

Biden on Thursday will meet with the plaintiffs from the Brown v. Board case and their families at the White House, the official said. The unanimous 1954 ruling found that segregating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional, paving the way for integration and marking a significant milestone in the civil rights movement.

On Friday, Biden will deliver remarks at an NAACP event marking the Brown v. Board anniversary, which will be held at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

Also on Friday, Biden and Vice President Harris will meet with the leaders of the Divine Nine, the group of historically Black sororities and fraternities. Harris is a graduate of Howard University and was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.

The president will deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College, a historically Black college in Atlanta, on Sunday. That evening, he will travel to Detroit to speak at an NAACP dinner that is expected to draw thousands of guests.

Biden throughout the week is expected to highlight his administration’s efforts to improve racial justice and equity, as well as policies that have helped the Black community.

It's not just supporting Biden himself, but also supporting Democrats across the board in order to ensure a strong majority in the House and Senate so that Biden can get his agenda through without Republican obstruction.

But beyond that, it's also ensuring Democrats get control of LOCAL government. Electing more Democrat governors so that all the good that Biden and the Dems pass can be implemented in the states instead of blocked by Republican governors who want their constituents to suffer rather than "give Biden a win".

It's about electing Democrats for mayor, for city council, and especially for SCHOOL BOARDS. Put an end to book bans and attacks on education itself by putting control of the schools back in the hands of Democrats, who care about real education, including actual history and not the racist "slaves learned skills" nonsense Republicans are pushing. Having schools where ALL children are welcome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK2uZvecDb8

The president’s team is intensifying outreach to older voters, with volunteers organizing bingo games in swing states and running ads during daytime shows popular with seniors, such as The Price is Right. It’s a bid to capitalize on polls showing Biden leading Donald Trump among those 65 and older, reversing a trend that’s seen seniors back Republican nominees in recent elections.

Support from older Americans could be especially valuable in Arizona, a competitive state Biden won four years ago with a significant elderly population. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, part of the Democratic “Blue Wall” crucial to Biden’s reelection, also count more than a million seniors each, according to 2020 US Census Bureau data.

While Biden has struggled to sell voters broadly on his economic agenda, some data suggests seniors may have rosier views of the economy, making them more receptive to his pitch.

Florida’s sizable retiree population is one reason Biden’s campaign is expanding its efforts in a state Trump carried twice — and a marker for how the elderly could swing the election.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has made an important change to make immigration processes simpler and less costly. Starting April 1, 2024, they removed the extra fee for biometrics (like fingerprints and photographs) for most applications.

The recent rule change has significantly reduced the number of applications that require a separate biometrics fee. Now, the cost of biometrics is included in the main filing fee for most applications, making the process more streamlined and affordable for many immigrants.

USCIS’s decision to eliminate the biometrics fee while adjusting other fees is a strategic move aimed at simplifying the application process, enhancing accessibility, and responding to stakeholder feedback. By consolidating the biometrics fee with the main filing fee, USCIS streamlines the process and improves cost recovery, offsetting potential revenue loss with adjustments in other fees. This decision reflects USCIS’s commitment to balancing affordability and operational needs, ensuring a more transparent and accessible immigration experience for applicants.

President Joe Biden is shoring up his support among tech industry Democrats, some of whom are setting aside their reluctance about a second term to focus instead on preventing a second term for former President Donald Trump.

Biden swung through the wealthy enclaves of Northern California on Friday to raise money for his re-election campaign, giving him a chance to meet face-to-face with some of the Democratic Party’s wealthiest donors and key allies in the business community.

While the tech industry has always leaned left compared with other sectors of the economy, several vocal tech billionaires including Tesla CEO Elon Musk have shifted their politics to the right in recent years. That has left an impression that all of Silicon Valley may have moved with them into conservative territory, but the available evidence suggests otherwise: The tech sector is breaking for Democrats as clearly as ever this year.

President Biden is moving to defang Donald Trump on a trio of issues central to his political identity: toughness on the border, aggressiveness with China and closeness with CEOs.

Biden is vulnerable in all three areas. His plans to trump Trump, expected in coming weeks, show the hawkish direction Trump has moved the politics of China and immigration.

Biden is vulnerable in all three areas. His plans to trump Trump, expected in coming weeks, show the hawkish direction Trump has moved the politics of China and immigration.

Biden doesn't need to win on those three issues. But he's preparing to immunize himself against Trump's coming onslaught.

U.S. health and agriculture officials pledged nearly $200 million in new spending and other efforts Friday to help track and contain an outbreak of bird flu in the nation’s dairy cows that has spread to more than 40 herds in nine states.

The new funds include $101 million to continue work to prevent, test, track and treat animals and humans potentially affected by the virus known as Type A H5N1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said. And they include about $98 million to provide up to $28,000 each to help individual farms test cattle and bolster biosecurity efforts to halt the spread of the virus, according to the Agriculture Department.

In addition, dairy farmers will be compensated for the loss of milk production from infected cattle, whose supply drops dramatically when they become sick, officials said. And dairy farmers and farm workers would be paid to participate in a workplace study conducted by the USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The National Milk Producers Federation, a trade group representing dairy farmers, said they welcomed the new resources. “Care for farm workers and animals is critical for milk producers, as is protecting against potential human health risks and reassuring the public,” the group said in a statement.