Greg Clugston

President Biden has been meeting with bickering Democrats, trying to salvage his economic agenda. With key votes coming up on his economic agenda, the president is trying to unite a divided House caucus. The president’s legislative priorities are at risk because of sharp disagreements among Democratic lawmakers. Liberals says they won’t support a one-trillion dollar bipartisan infrastructure deal unless it’s coupled with a 3-and-a-half trillion dollar tax and spend package. But moderate Democrats say the price tag is too high.

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a booster dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in people 65 and older. The FDA also granted emergency use authorization for the extra vaccine dose to those at high risk from the virus. It’s the latest step toward the U-S offering boosters. But it’s not a done deal yet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has yet to weigh in on who it believes should get boosters and when. The Biden administration wants to dispense third doses of the vaccine amid the spread of the delta variant, which has driven a surge in cases and deaths.

France is making a U-turn in its diplomatic spat with the United States. After talking by phone with President Biden, French President Macron said he will send the French ambassador back to Washington next week. France had recalled the ambassador, expressing its unhappiness with a new security deal the U-S announced with Britain and Australia. France said it was blindsided by the announcement and the loss of a multi-billion dollar submarine deal.

President Biden emphasized diplomacy and cooperation in his first speech at the United Nations.

The president told the U-N General Assembly that the U-S is focused on diplomacy, not conflict.

In a sharp reversal from the Trump administration, President Biden is seeking a return to the Iran nuclear deal.

He also said the U-S is seeking the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

President Biden is urging world leaders to act cooperatively to address global crises.

In his debut speech at the U-N, the president said the world is entering a “decisive decade.”

Amid growing tensions with China, Mr. Biden made this declaration.

He appealed for cooperation to deal with a range of global issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and human rights abuses.

The United States will soon ease COVID-19 travel restrictions. Beginning in November, all foreign nationals flying into the country will need to be fully vaccinated. The White House says travelers coming here will need to demonstrate proof of vaccination before boarding, as well as proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of flight. President Biden will also tighten testing rules for unvaccinated American citizens, who will need to be tested within a day before departure to the U-S, as well as on their return.

It’s a big week of foreign policy for President Biden, who addresses the United Nations General Assembly this week. In addition to the U-N speech, the president will hold a virtual COVID-19 summit on Wednesday and meet with Pacific allies on Friday. The meetings with world leaders come following a much-criticized U-S military withdrawal from Afghanistan and a new diplomatic crisis with France, which recalled its ambassador from Washington after the president announced a new security alliance with Britain and Australia.