‘One of the worst fires’ in New York history leaves 19 dead, including children – reports

A police source said nine of the dead were children, including a four year old, according to the New York Post, though fire officials have yet to confirm the fatalities

A five-alarm fire at a high-rise apartment building has left at least 19 people dead and dozens more critically injured in the New York borough of the Bronx, according to US media. Many are hospitalized with smoke inhalation.

The fire broke out on the third floor of the 19-story building on Sunday morning. While the original cause remains unknown, firefighters were called to the site around 11am local time and say the door to the apartment where it began was left open, allowing the conflagration to spread more quickly. Photos of the building showed flames and smoke billowing out a third-story window as people climbed down a ladder mounted by rescuers.

Mayor Eric Adams called it one of the worst fires in the city’s history, declaring the impact would be felt by everyone.

Some 200 firefighters were sent to battle the fire in the Fordham Heights neighborhood before it was finally controlled. City officials are mobilizing resources to the area near East 181st St and Valentine Avenue, where the building is located, to help displaced residents and their family members.

Biden held fewer press conferences than past 5 presidents – report

The numbers have shown the president is not as open to engagement with reporters as the White House would like to claim

President Joe Biden has given fewer press conferences and interviews during his first year than any of his five most recent predecessors, a report by the Associated Press has revealed.

When Biden was inaugurated just over a year ago, he immediately began wielding executive power. During his first two months in office he signed nearly 50 executive orders, attacked a foreign country, pushed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, and warned America that democracy itself was under threat by “domestic terrorists” after the pro-Trump riot on Capitol Hill.

Biden did all of that without speaking to the press. By the time he eventually held a press conference, he had broken a 100 year record of presidential silence, waiting longer to face the media than any of his 15 most recent predecessors. That trend continued throughout his first year in office, with an Associated Press report on Sunday revealing that Biden has held a total of nine press conferences and gave 22 interviews to the media so far.

Former President Trump, by contrast, had held 22 press conferences at this point of his term, during which he often stood for more than an hour trading verbal blows with reporters. Trump was also interviewed by the media 92 times in his first year. 

Read more

Where’s Biden hidin’? EVEN CNN begins asking questions, as president goes record time without press conference with Q&A

Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush all gave more pressers in their first year than Biden. W. Bush gave the second fewest of this list, but still appeared in front of the media 19 times, more than twice as often as Biden did.

Ronald Reagan was the only president in recent memory to hold fewer first-year press conferences than Biden, but Reagan’s first year was interrupted when he was shot and wounded by a would-be assassin in March 1981, and his public appearances were scaled back afterwards.

Biden’s initial delay in speaking to the press was cited by Republicans as evidence of his declining mental health, with Fox News host Sean Hannity declaring the lack of media appearances proof that the president was “struggling cognitively.” Even during the Q&A sessions that followed, Biden has been savaged by conservatives for taking what appeared to be planned questions from hand-picked reporters.

Where Biden has stood out, however, is the number of times he’s stopped and traded words with reporters on the way to and from events, and after scripted speeches. The Associated Press counted 216 such impromptu interviews, more than any of his five predecessors except Clinton. However, these so-called interviews have often been limited, with Biden sometimes issuing one-sentence replies to questions, and other times simply leaving the room mid-answer.

Read more

Biden’s mental fitness increasingly worries voters – poll

After a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, which took place as Biden was under fire from Catholics over his stance on abortion, the president spoke to the press for less than a minute, giving two seemingly contradictory answers.

While White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has described these soundbite sessions as adding up to a transparent president, reporters are pushing Biden to be more open with them.

“Fleeting exchanges are insufficient to building the historical record of the president’s views on a broad array of public concerns,” White House Correspondents’ Association head Steven Portnoy told AP. “The more formal the exchange with the press, the more the public is apt to learn about what’s on the man’s mind.”

Blinken Furious As Experts Warn of Severe Blowback to US/EU from Anti-Russia Sanctions

Blinken Furious As Experts Warn of Severe Blowback to US/EU from Anti-Russia Sanctions, Moscow Rules Out Concessions Ahead of Talks
News Topic 385

Biden officials weighing Russia sanctions options after warnings about economic fallout, heightened cyber risk for US and allies

Biden officials weighing Russia sanctions options after warnings about economic fallout, heightened cyber risk for US and allies

The Biden administration is still weighing exactly how it would penalize Russia if the country invades Ukraine, as US diplomats are just days away from high-stakes meetings with Kremlin officials.

Secretary Antony J. Blinken at a Press Availability – United States Department of State

Secretary Antony J. Blinken at a Press Availability – United States Department of State

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon, everyone. Very good to see folks here. And to those I haven’t had a chance to say this to, Happy New Year. This morning, NATO’s North Atlantic Council met to discuss our coordinated response to Russia’s military buildup along the Ukraine border and its increasingly sharp threats and inflammatory rhetoric.

Background Press Call by a Senior Administration Official on Russia

Background Press Call by a Senior Administration Official on Russia | The White House

Via Teleconference 1:11 P.M. EST MODERATOR: Hi, everyone. Good afternoon. And thanks for joining us on a Saturday. Today’s call will be on background, attributed to a “senior administration official,” and the contents will be embargoed upon [until] conclusion. For your information only, the speaker today is going to be [senior administration official].

https://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/1793236/

Moscow Won’t Stoop to Discussing NATO Demands on ‘De-escalation Measures’ on Russia’s Own Territory

Moscow Won’t Stoop to Discussing NATO Demands on ‘De-escalation Measures’ on Russia’s Own Territory

https://sputniknews.com/20220109/russia-has-not-been-thrown-off-balance-by-us-tough-position-on-security-guarantees-moscow-says-1092135168.html Moscow Won’t Stoop to Discussing NATO Demands on ‘De-escalation Measures’ on Russia’s Own Territory Moscow Won’t Stoop to Discussing NATO Demands on ‘De-escalation Measures’ on Russia’s Own Territory The Russian Foreign Ministry laid down publicly a pair of security proposals to the US and NATO which Moscow believes could ease tensions considerably and end…