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Biden wants Congress to take action on gun reform

PHOTO: *** BESTPIX *** WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 10:  U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as he makes a statement at the South Court Auditorium at Eisenhower Executive Building February 10, 2021 in Washington, DC.
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Alex Wong/Getty Images
First lady surprises with Valentine’s Day hearts on White House lawn
By Libby Cathey, Emily Shapiro, Tia Humphries, Lauren King, Morgan Winsor
Last Updated: February 14, 2021, 3:46 PM

This is Day 26 of the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Top headlines:

  • Biden calls on Congress to take action on gun reform on 3rd anniversary of Parkland shooting
  • 1st tweet from Biden after impeachment vote is focused on COVID relief
  • Why Biden allies in Senate opposed calling witnesses: Sources
  • Biden calls on Congress to pass COVID-19 relief
  • Biden, Harris meet with bipartisan group of governors, mayors
Here is how events are unfolding. All times Eastern.

Feb 14, 2021 3:46 PM

Biden calls on Congress to take action on gun reform on 3rd anniversary of Parkland shooting

In a statement marking the 3 year anniversary of the Parkland Shooting, President Biden is calling on Congress to take action on gun control reform.

"This Administration will not wait for the next mass shooting to heed that call. We will take action to end our epidemic of gun violence and make our schools and communities safer. Today, I am calling on Congress to enact commonsense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets," Biden said in the statement. "We owe it to all those we’ve lost and to all those left behind to grieve to make a change. The time to act is now."

PHOTO: Magaly Newcomb, right, comforts her daughter Haley Newcomb, 14, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, at a memorial outside the school in Parkland, Fla., Feb. 18, 2018.
Gerald Herbert/AP, FILE
Magaly Newcomb, right, comforts her daughter Haley Newcomb, 14, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, at a memorial outside the school in Parkland, Fla., Feb. 18, 2018.
Gerald Herbert/AP, FILE

Senior members of the Biden administration met with gun control advocacy groups virtually last week to discuss other "commonsense gun law reforms," but to date, Biden has not addressed the issue in Congress on in any of his executive actions in the early days of his administration.

MORE: Video: America in transition: How Biden could tackle gun debate

Biden acknowledged the pain of the Parkland families on the 3rd anniversary of the shooting that claimed the lives of 17, but also addressed the issue as a whole, and noted the disproportionate impact of gun violence on communities of color.

"All across our nation, parents, spouses, children, siblings, and friends have known the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. And in this season of so much loss, last year’s historic increase in homicides across America, including the gun violence disproportionately devastating Black and Brown individuals in our cities, has added to the number of empty seats at our kitchen tables. Today, as we mourn with the Parkland community, we mourn for all who have lost loved ones to gun violence," the statement read.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle


Feb 13, 2021 9:35 PM

1st tweet from Biden after impeachment vote is focused on COVID relief

Following the Senate impeachment vote Saturday -- in which seven Republicans voted guilty, and Trump was acquitted -- the first tweet posted to Biden's account highlighted his bipartisan meeting Friday with mayors and governors in the Oval Office on the American Rescue plan. 

"America’s governors and mayors understand the fight against COVID-19 and the urgency of another relief bill. Yesterday, I met with a bipartisan group of them to discuss the American Rescue Plan and how we can work together to meet the crises we face," the POTUS account tweeted with a photo of the meeting.

America’s governors and mayors understand the fight against COVID-19 and the urgency of another relief bill. Yesterday, I met with a bipartisan group of them to discuss the American Rescue Plan and how we can work together to meet the crises we face. pic.twitter.com/QpJqaKQFuM

— President Biden (@POTUS) February 13, 2021

The White House continuously dodged questions on impeachment this week, saying the administration’s focus was on helping Americans struggling amid the pandemic.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle


Feb 13, 2021 8:31 PM

Why Biden allies in Senate opposed calling witnesses: Sources

Biden allies in the Senate told House impeachment managers during their deliberation Saturday afternoon that they opposed calling witnesses, making it clear that calling witnesses would take away from the president’s agenda and had the potential to derail COVID-19 relief, according to multiple sources close to the deliberations behind the scenes.

PHOTO: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republican senators and staff talk on the floor after a vote on the motion to allow witnesses in the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in the Senate. Feb. 13, 2021.
AP
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republican senators and staff talk on the floor after a vote on the motion to allow witnesses in the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol, Feb. 13, 2021.
AP

A White House official told ABC News that the White House was not involved with discussions over calling witnesses or the deal that was made.

The Senate Saturday voted 55-45 to hear from witnesses, but then the Trump legal team and House impeachment managers came to the agreement to admit the written testimony of Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., into evidence and not request further witnesses.

PHOTO: The U.S. Senate votes 55-45 to call witnesses in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump on charges of inciting the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, during the 5th day of the Senate trial on Capitol Hill, Feb. 13, 2021.
U.S. Senate TV via Reuters
The U.S. Senate votes 55-45 to call witnesses in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump on charges of inciting the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, during the 5th day of the Senate trial on Capitol Hill, Feb. 13, 2021.
U.S. Senate TV via Reuters

Herrera Beutler, one of ten House Republicans who voted to impeach, tweeted a statement Friday reiterating comments she made about a talk she had with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy regarding Trump's involvement in the Capitol siege.

In Herrera Beutler's statement, she reiterated her claims -- which she made earlier to Washington newspaper The Daily News -- that McCarthy spoke to Trump as rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, but Trump refused to stop them.

-ABC News’ Cecilia Vega, Katherine Faulders and Ben Siegel



Feb 13, 2021 2:22 AM

State Department raises Myanmar travel advisory level

The U.S. Department of State raised Myanmar's travel advisory level to "Level 4: Do Not Travel" Friday, as protests against the military's seizure of power earlier this month continue. 

The updated travel advisory states to not travel to Myanmar "due to COVID-19 as well as areas of civil unrest and armed conflict."

MORE: Myanmar protests against coup continue as military junta frees thousands of prisoners

"The Burmese military has detained and deposed elected government officials," the travel advisory states. "Protests and demonstrations against military rule have occurred and are expected to continue."  

The State Department has not ordered the evacuation of U.S. Embassy staff at this time.

-ABC News' Conor Finnegan


Feb 01, 2021 8:12 PM

White House: 'I can't say we miss [Trump] on Twitter'

Asked if former President Donald Trump's absence on Twitter had made the White House's job easier amid COVID-19 negotiations, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, "This may be hard to believe. We don't spend a lot of time talking about or thinking about President Trump here -- former President Trump, to be very clear."

She said it was a better question for Republicans and added, "But I can't say we miss him on Twitter."

WH Press sec. Psaki: "We don't spend a lot of time thinking about or talking about President Trump here... but I can't say we miss him on Twitter." https://t.co/QoqEhAh8CM pic.twitter.com/iZV1Y9F8Xn

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 1, 2021

 
She said it remained up to Twitter and other social media platforms "to continue to take steps to reduce hate speech."

Asked if the White House made a determination about whether it will continue to extend the privilege of intelligence briefings to Trump as a former president, given the concern among some Democrats that he could misuse it or leverage it to enrich himself, Psaki said it's been raised when their national security team.

"It's something, obviously, that's under review, but there was not a conclusion the last I asked them about it," she said, adding she'll follow up if there's more to share.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who has been outspoken in his opposition to Trump receiving any intelligence briefings, has since called on the Biden administration to withhold the post-presidency perk from Trump in a tweet.

"We know Trump will abuse any intel for his own gain. He must not be given the chance," Schiff wrote.

-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky and Ben Gittleson


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