Thomas Watkins is Washington bureau chief at The National
March 08, 2024
US President Joe Biden had set limited expectations for himself before Thursday night’s State of the Union speech, as a series of gaffes and stumbles fuelled a narrative that he was too old for a second term in the White House.
The bar for an acceptable performance was so low that many Democrats would have been happy if Mr Biden had simply read the teleprompter for an hour without falling off the podium.
But instead of a senile old man mumbling through his lines, the 81-year-old Mr Biden come out swinging for a loud and pugnacious performance that his fellow Democrats saw as proof he has the stamina for a bruising eight months until the November 5 general election.
He turned the address, historically a sombre and solemn occasion designed to project political and national unity, into a rhetorical partisan hammer to bash his challenger Donald Trump and the Republican Party writ large.
Frequently shouting, he accused Mr Trump, who he never mentioned by name but referred to as his “predecessor” 13 times, of “bowing down” to Russian President Vladimir Putin after the former president said the US might not protect Nato allies who are not spending enough on defence from any Russian invasion.
“Wasn’t long ago when a Republican president named Ronald Reagan thundered, 'Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall,'” Mr Biden said.
“Now, now my predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin: 'Do whatever the hell you want.' … It’s outrageous, it’s dangerous, and it’s unacceptable.”
Mr Trump, 77, had hyped what he promised would be a live stream of his retorts to the State of the Union address, but his Truth Social platform experienced frequent glitches and outages, and his one-line comebacks amounted to feeble projections of his own inadequacies.
“This was an angry, polarising, and hate-filled speech,” wrote the man who whips supporters into a frenzy at rallies and whose hate-filled rhetoric and election denialism fuelled an insurrection that sought to end the peaceful handover of power.
Donald Trump reacts to President Joe Biden's speech in real time. Photo: Screengrab
For the first two years of his presidency, Mr Biden refused to even mention Mr Trump, but as it has become clear that the November 5 election will be a referendum on the two of them he has sharpened his attacks.
“Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today,” Mr Biden said.
“My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. Other people my age see it differently.
“The American story of resentment, revenge and retribution – that’s not me.”
Mr Biden seemed to delight in goading Republican hecklers, who long ago abandoned any sense of decorum and frequently screamed at the President as he spoke about the economy, immigration and gun violence.
When he chastised the conservatives for cutting taxes for the mega-rich to the tune of $2 trillion, Republicans booed loudly at him.
“Oh no, you guys don’t want another $2 trillion tax cut?” Mr Biden said, smiling. “I kinda thought that’s what your plan was. Well, that’s good to hear.”
Republicans interrupted Mr Biden several other times and he pushed back quickly, seeming to relish the combative exchanges, particularly around the issue of immigration.
“I will not demonise immigrants saying they 'poison the blood of our country' as [Mr Trump] said in his own words,” said Mr Biden, who previously has accused Mr Trump of using Nazi-like rhetoric.
Opinion polls show American voters are distinctly unenthusiastic about the seemingly inevitable Biden-Trump 2024 rematch (it won't be certain until they are nominated by their parties over the summer), with Mr Biden trailing Mr Trump in polls.
Mr Biden, who beat Mr Trump in 2020 by more than seven million votes, says he relishes the idea of a November rematch and frequently expresses confidence his track record shows he is the man who can beat the former president once more.
But one night's decent performance does not a strong campaign make, and Mr Biden remains dogged by any number of perils, including crumbling support from progressives and Arab Americans over his handling of the Israel-Gaza war.
Marjorie Taylor Green, a Republican congresswoman from Georgia, frequently heckled Mr Biden as she wore a pro-Trump hat. EPA
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany - At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people - Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed - Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest - He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah 5.10pm: Continous 5.45pm: Raging Torrent 6.20pm: West Acre 7pm: Flood Zone 7.40pm: Straight No Chaser 8.15pm: Romantic Warrior 8.50pm: Calandogan 9.30pm: Forever Young
CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
Don't get fined
The UAE FTA requires following to be kept:
Records of all supplies and imports of goods and services
All tax invoices and tax credit notes
Alternative documents related to receiving goods or services
All tax invoices and tax credit notes
Alternative documents issued
Records of goods and services that have been disposed of or used for matters not related to business
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best DocumentaryOf Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best FilmYomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
Founder: Ayman Badawi
Date started: Test product September 2016, paid launch January 2017
Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm) Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm) Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees
Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme
Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks
Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets