Biden points to historic nature of madame vice president — It s about time thehill.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thehill.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
“We have all seen the knee of injustice on the neck of Black America,” Biden told said during his first address to Congress, referencing the death of George Floyd, who was killed last May when an officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck, was convicted of murder and manslaughter earlier this month.
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“Now is our opportunity to make real progress,” the president continued. “We have to come together. To rebuild trust between law enforcement and the people they serve. To root out systemic racism in our criminal justice system. And to enact police reform in George Floyd’s name that passed the House already.”
“With regard to Russia, I know it concerns some of you, but I made very clear to President Putin that while we don’t seek escalation but their actions will have consequences if they turn out to be true, and they turned out to be true,” the president said during a speech to a joint session of Congress.
“I responded in a direct and proportionate way to Russia’s interference in our elections and cyber-attacks on our government and businesses – and they did both of these things and I told them I would respond and we have.”
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Biden in April imposed sanctions on Russia targeting the country’s sovereign debt. He also blacklisted a handful of technology companies, expelled Russian diplomats in the U.S. and sanctioned dozens of individuals over election interference and cyber-hacking.
Former President Trump in an interview early Thursday knocked President Biden for his handling of the situation at the southern border, saying he did not dedicate enough time on the subject during his joint address to Congress.