US ends Trump-era policy of blocking asylum seekers on Covid grounds – live | US news

Psaki confirmed that the US was supplying equipment to Ukraine in advance of any possible chemical or biological attack by Russian forces.

The US and international partners, she said, “have, of course, repeatedly warned about the potential for Russia to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine and that Moscow was possibly planning a false flag operation.

“The US government is providing the government of Ukraine with life-saving equipment and supplies that could be deployed in the event of Russian use of a chemical and biological weapon against Ukraine. It does not compromise our domestic preparedness in any way, shape or form.”

Asked about Biden’s stance on video of an apparent Ukraine helicopter attack on a fuel depot in Russia, Psaki noted that the incident had not been confirmed.

But, she said: “We do know is that this is not going how President Putin had planned, that his intention of winning a quick war, defeating the Ukrainians quickly, is not how it has played out.

“We have seen troops be demoralized. We have seen troops run out of equipment that they need on the Russian side, and that is clearly not what he had planned. There is one aggressor here and that is President Putin and the Russian military at his direction.”

The White House press secretary Jen Psaki has just wrapped up a wide-ranging briefing, at which the toughest questions were about her own future.

As well as covering events in the Russia-Ukraine war, the ending of the Title 42 immigration policy, gas prices and Covid-19, Psaki was pressed about reports she would soon be leaving the Biden administration to join MSNBC as a host.

Psaki, back in the briefing room after a 12-day absence for testing positive for Covid, appeared awkward as reporters asked if it was ethical for her to be negotiating terms with a media company while still representing the White House from the podium.

“Anyone who is having conversations about future employment does so through consultation with the White House counsel’s office and ensuring they abide by any ethics and legal requirements,” she said.

“Those are conversations that I have taken very seriously and abided by every component of. I’ve complied with all ethics requirements and gone beyond and taken steps to recuse myself from decisions as appropriate.”

The House of Representatives has voted to decriminalize marijuana, three Republicans joining Democrats to nudge the measure through by 220-204.

The elements of the bill sponsored by the New York Democrat Jerry Nadler include federal authorities no longer being able to deny security clearances for marijuana use; the Veterans Association being able to provide marijuana for veterans with stress disorders; and the authorization of a sales tax on marijuana sales for the first time.

Florida Republicans Matt Gaetz and Brian Mast, both fierce critics of president Joe Biden, joined Tom McClintock of California in voting for the bill.

A similar pro-marijuana bill is under discussion in the US Senate, but neither version is likely to win the 60 votes needed in that chamber for it to be sent for Biden’s signature.

3h ago14:22

Martin Pengelly

The White House has just announced that press secretary Jen Psaki, who has been absent from the briefing room after testing positive for Covid-19, will return to the podium imminently for today’s conference scheduled for 2.30pm.

She is certain to be asked about reports that she is about to quit the Biden administration to become a host at MSNBC.

Axios first reported the move on Friday, citing anonymous sources “close to the matter”. CNN then said it had confirmed the news, and that Psaki was expected to remain in her role through the end of April.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the deputy White House press secretary, and Kate Bedingfield, the communications director who has led the briefings in Psaki’s absence, were among names touted as possible successors.

Axios said Psaki, 43, had been “treading carefully on the ethics and legal aspects of her plans” and had not yet signed a deal, but was in line to host a show on the Peacock streaming service and feature as a guest commentator elsewhere.

Read the full story here:

The end of the Title 42 policy has, predictably, drawn strong reaction from politicians on both sides of the immigration debate.

Pramila Jayapal, Democratic congresswoman for Washington and chair of the House progressive caucus, hailed the move.

“This is a momentous day for immigrant rights activists, immigrants, and refugees everywhere. Title 42 was a cruel and discriminatory policy that circumvented US law, preventing people from accessing protections,” she said in a tweet.

“I’m thrilled to see the Biden Admin do the right and moral thing by ending this extremely harmful, xenophobic, and shortsighted policy that disproportionately impacted Black and Brown migrants.”

The California Republican congressman Clay Higgins, meanwhile, branded the move “insane,” warning in a tweet that “The ending of Title 42 is a grave mistake. This is the worst border crisis in our nation’s history, and the Biden administration is about to make it even worse by doubling down on their failed policies.”

And the Republican senator for Florida Rick Scott said the decision was “unconscionable.”

“Joe Biden’s failed policies of open borders & amnesty have overwhelmed our brave @CBP agents & allowed 62,000+ migrants to escape into the U.S. with no consequences. The Biden admin’s unconscionable plan to end Title 42 will only make this crisis worse,” Scott wrote in a tweet.

Scott was the lead author of 13 Republican senators who wrote to the department of homeland security last week demanding to know the Biden administration’s plans for ending Title 42.

The secretary of homeland security Alejandro Mayorkas has issued a statement welcoming the CDC decision to end Title 42, promising that the Biden administration “is committed to pursuing every avenue within our authority to secure our borders, enforce our laws, and stay true to our values.”

He sought to ease concern over warnings, including from his own department as well as the Biden administration’s political opponents, that up to 18,000 migrants a day were preparing to show up at the border seeking admission.

“Once the Title 42 Order is no longer in place, DHS will process individuals encountered at the border pursuant to Title 8, which is the standard procedure we use to place individuals in removal proceedings,” Mayorkas wrote.

“Nonetheless, we know that smugglers will spread misinformation to take advantage of vulnerable migrants. Let me be clear: those unable to establish a legal basis to remain in the United States will be removed.”

An update on the Amazon unionization vote: workers in Staten Island, New York, have voted to form the company’s first labor union.

The “historic victory” is likely to sweep in a new era of labor…