US History/Biden

thumb|President Joseph "Joe" Biden in the White House. Early Presidency On January 20th, 2021 Joseph Biden was sworn in as President of the United States of America.Joe Biden sworn in as 46th president of the United States https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/20/joe-biden-sworn-in-46th-president-inauguration 20 January 2021 the Guardian 20 January 2021 en President Biden inherited a nation in crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic still raged on, where over 400,000 American lives had already been lost before he took office.As Death Rate Accelerates, U.S. Records 400,000 Lives Lost To The Coronavirus https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/01/19/957488613/as-death-rate-accelerates-u-s-records-400-000-lives-lost-to-the-coronavirus 20 January 2021 NPR.org en President Biden also inherited an economy that had ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic experiencing unemployment and wage loss.COVID-19 ends longest employment recovery and expansion in CES history, causing unprecedented job losses in 2020 : Monthly Labor Review : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2021/article/covid-19-ends-longest-employment-expansion-in-ces-history.htm 2025-09-06 Bureau of Labor Statistics en COVID-19 Response As the COVID-19 pandemic continued, so did hate speech and attacks on Asian Americans,Cowan Jill A Tense Lunar New Year for the Bay Area After Attacks on Asian-Americans https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/us/asian-american-racism.html 12 February 2021 The New York Times 12 February 2021Lazo Alejandro Violence Against Asian-Americans Raises Concern in Bay Area https://www.wsj.com/articles/violence-against-asian-americans-raises-concern-in-bay-area-11613145477 12 February 2021 Wall Street Journal 12 February 2021Anger And Fear As Asian American Seniors Targeted In Bay Area Attacks https://www.npr.org/2021/02/12/966940217/anger-and-fear-as-asian-american-seniors-targeted-in-bay-area-attacks 12 February 2021 NPR.org en and leading the White House to issue a memorandum condemning such acts on January 26th, 2021.Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/26/memorandum-condemning-and-combating-racism-xenophobia-and-intolerance-against-asian-americans-and-pacific-islanders-in-the-united-states/ The White House 12 February 2021 26 January 2021 The vaccine rollout that began under the Trump administration continued into 2021.LaFraniere Sharon Biden Got the Vaccine Rollout Humming, With Trump’s Help https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/10/us/politics/biden-coronavirus-vaccine.html 17 June 2021 The New York Times 2021-03-10 The Delta strain created a surge of infections in Summer of 2021.Delta COVID variant now dominant strain worldwide, U.S. deaths surge -officials https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/delta-covid-variant-now-dominant-worldwide-drives-surge-us-deaths-officials-2021-07-16/ 4 August 2021 Reuters 16 July 2021Delta Is Now The Dominant Coronavirus Variant In The U.S. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/07/06/1013582342/delta-is-now-the-dominant-coronavirus-variant-in-the-u-s 4 August 2021 NPR.org en By May 17, 2022 the American death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic had reached one million lives.Donovan Doug U.S. officially surpasses one million COVID-19 deaths https://hub.jhu.edu/2022/05/17/one-million-covid-19-deaths/ 25 June 2022 The Hub 17 May 2022 en Domestic thumb|Protests over the issue of Abortion in New York City - May 2022. The Biden Administration saw the first African American to serve as Defense Secretary.Lloyd Austin Confirmed As Defense Secretary, Becomes 1st Black Pentagon Chief https://www.npr.org/sections/president-biden-takes-office/2021/01/22/959581977/lloyd-austin-confirmed-as-secretary-of-defense-becomes-first-black-pentagon-chie 22 January 2021 NPR.org en On February 12th, 2021, Biden halted further construction of the southern border wall.Mexican president hails Biden's border wall freeze https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-border-idUSKBN2AC1M2 15 February 2021 Reuters 12 February 2021 enPresident Biden cancels funding for Trump border wall https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56031481 15 February 2021 BBC News 11 February 2021 Following the second impeachment of President Trump by the House on January 13th, 2021,Donald Trump Impeached a Second Time in Historic House Vote https://time.com/5928988/donald-trump-impeached-second-time/ 12 February 2021 Time the Senate continued the trial on February 9th, 2021.Stanford’s David Sklansky on the Second Impeachment of Donald J. Trump https://law.stanford.edu/2021/02/10/stanfords-david-sklansky-on-the-second-impeachment-of-donald-j-trump/ Stanford Law School 12 February 2021 en As a 2/3 majority was not reached Trump was acquitted for a second time by the Senate on February 13th, 2021.Fandos Nicholas Cochrane Emily 7 Senate Republicans vote ‘guilty,’ the most bipartisan margin in favor of conviction in history. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/13/us/impeachment-trial/7-senate-republicans-vote-guilty-the-most-bipartisan-margin-in-favor-of-conviction-in-history 13 February 2021 The New York Times 13 February 2021Hughes Siobhan Ballhaus Rebecca Senate Votes to Acquit Trump in Impeachment Trial https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-to-hear-closing-arguments-in-trump-impeachment-11613212204 13 February 2021 Wall Street Journal 13 February 2021 A winter storm created an emergency in Texas in February 2021, as infrastructure buckled under the storm.Texas weather: ‘We’re on day three of no power' https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-56106967 18 May 2021 BBC News On June 17th, 2021, legislation was signed which made Juneteenth a federal holiday.Karni Annie Broadwater Luke Biden Signs Law Making Juneteenth a Federal Holiday https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/us/politics/juneteenth-holiday-biden.html 18 June 2021 The New York Times 2021-06-17Juneteenth: What is the newest US holiday and how is it celebrated? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57515192 18 June 2021 BBC News 2021-06-17 On June 24th, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned their prior decision on Roe v. Wade when deciding Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.Liptak Adam In 6-to-3 Ruling, Supreme Court Ends Nearly 50 Years of Abortion Rights https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/24/us/roe-wade-overturned-supreme-court.html 25 June 2022 The New York Times 24 June 2022 President Biden condemned the decision, and two weeks after the ruling issued an executive order directing the federal government to take actions to expand abortion access where possible.Shear Michael D. Stolberg Sheryl Gay Under Pressure, Biden Issues Executive Order on Abortion https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/08/us/politics/biden-abortion-executive-order.html 8 July 2022 The New York Times 8 July 2022Kim Juliana A new executive order aims to preserve abortion access, but its reach is limited https://www.npr.org/2022/07/08/1110455155/abortion-rights-biden-executive-order 8 July 2022 NPR 8 July 2022 en Economy thumb|From 2021 through 2024 (Ongoing), Inflation was a major concern. In early 2022 gas prices reached very high levels due to global supply issues with crude oil.Koeze Ella Krauss Clifford Why Gas Prices Are So High https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/06/14/business/gas-prices.html 25 August 2022 The New York Times 14 June 2022 A number of measures were employed to control the price of gas, leading to a slow decline in gas prices.Simonetti Isabella Gas Prices Have Fallen 57 Straight Days https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/10/business/gas-prices-inflation.html 25 August 2022 The New York Times 10 August 2022Horsley Scott Gas prices are finally dropping. Here are 4 things to know https://www.npr.org/2022/08/06/1115440553/gas-prices-oil-inflation-cost-of-living August 6, 2022 25 August 2022 NPR.org en Even so, the high oil prices increased the costs of many items.Ballentine Claire It's Not Just Gas: Surging Oil Prices Are Making More Things Expensive https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-21/oil-inflation-is-raising-costs-for-uber-rides-housing-groceries-and-vacations 25 August 2022 Bloomberg.com 21 March 2022 en This was made worse, as a combination of general reduced supply and increased demand for consumer goods over the pandemic caused inflation to rise sharply.Swanson Ana Consumer Demand Has Been Key Driver of Inflation in the U.S. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/business/inflation-demand-prices-us.html 25 August 2022 The New York Times 24 August 2022 In 2022 the Inflation Reduction Act was passed, nominally in order to fight inflation, but contained many costly efforts to fight climate change.Newburger Emma Inflation Reduction Act could curb climate damages by up to $1.9 trillion, White House says https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/24/inflation-reduction-act-could-cut-climate-damages-by-1point9-trillion.html 25 August 2022 CNBC August 24, 2022 en However there was criticism that the bill did not do enough on the inflation front.Critics call Inflation Reduction Act a ‘missed opportunity’ https://www.abc4.com/news/national/critics-call-inflation-reduction-act-a-missed-opportunity/ 25 August 2022 ABC4 Utah 17 August 2022 In August of 2022, it was announced that holders of federal student loans would have $10,000 to $20,000 dollars of their debt forgiven, and that the student loan pause would end at the conclusion of the year.Kanno-Youngs Zolan Cowley Stacy Tankersley Jim Biden to Cancel $10,000 in Student Debt; Low-Income Students Are Eligible for More https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/us/politics/student-loan-forgiveness-biden.html 25 August 2022 The New York Times 24 August 2022 The Supreme Court held these loan forgiveness efforts unconstitutional in two separate cases, ruling that the Secretary of Education does not have the authority to unilaterally cancel debt and that Congress must act to do so.Skorup Jarrett Federal Court Strikes Down Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan https://www.mackinac.org/pressroom/2025/federal-appellate-court-strikes-down-bidens-student-loan-forgiveness-plan 2025-09-06 Mackinac Center en International relations Withdraw from Afghanistan Honoring a previous commitment made by the Trump administration to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, America began to withdraw Troops from the country, leading the Taliban to quickly overrun much of Afghanistan outside of Kabul in Summer of 2021.Sanger David E. Cooper Helene Taliban Sweep in Afghanistan Follows Years of U.S. Miscalculations https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/14/us/afghanistan-biden.html 15 August 2021 The New York Times 14 August 2021 This resulted in an evacuation of Kabul.Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Leaves Country As Taliban Forces Enter Kabul https://www.npr.org/2021/08/15/1027847038/taliban-forces-sweep-into-kabul-as-talks-underway-on-transfer-of-power 15 August 2021 NPR.org en, which ended on August 30th, 2021 with over 122,000 evacuees, many dead, and many Afgan allies left behind.Last U.S. troops depart Afghanistan after massive airlift ending America's longest war https://www.reuters.com/world/last-us-forces-leave-afghanistan-after-nearly-20-years-2021-08-30/ 31 August 2021 Reuters 30 August 2021 en Thirteen U.S. service-members were killed in the Withdrawal.Groves Stephen Knickmeyer Ellen 2024-09-10 Congress bestows its highest honor on the 13 troops killed during Afghanistan withdrawal https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-withdrawal-trump-harris-a68d5e5c551037123aa2ed691773d6c0 2025-09-06 AP News en $7 billion worth of U.S. military equipment was left behind, which was later sold to militant groups such as al-Qaeda affiliates.2025-02-04 Taliban holding on to $7 billion of U.S. military equipment left behind after withdrawal - CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-military-weapons-left-in-afghanistan-taliban/ 2025-09-06 www.cbsnews.com en-US2025-04-17 US weapons left in Afghanistan sold to militant groups, sources tell BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr78nkg548lo 2025-09-06 www.bbc.com en-GB Ukraine thumb|Joe Biden visiting Kyiv on February 20, 2023. On February 24th, 2022 a war began between Ukraine and Russia.Leonhardt David War in Ukraine https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/briefing/ukraine-russia-invasion-putin.html 25 June 2022 The New York Times 24 February 2022 In February 2023 President Biden visited Kyiv.Beaumont Peter Borger Julian US informed Russia of Joe Biden’s Kyiv visit hours before departure https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/20/how-biden-pulled-off-a-visit-to-an-active-ukrainian-war-zone 12 March 2023 The Guardian 20 February 2023 Balloon Incident thumb|A U-2 Pilot next to the balloon over the United States In February 2023 an unusual balloon was sighted traveling over the continental United States, and was later shot down off the coast of South Carolina.Sanger David E. Balloon Incident Reveals More Than Spying as Competition With China Intensifies https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/05/us/politics/balloon-china-spying-united-states.html 12 March 2023 The New York Times 5 February 2023 Some of the debris of the Balloon were recovered for inspection.Stewart Phil U.S. completes Chinese balloon recovery, object searches called off https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-announce-successful-conclusion-chinese-balloon-recovery-sources-2023-02-17/ 12 March 2023 Reuters 18 February 2023 en Pending Health Issues On the 18th of May 2025 Joe Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer after telling his doctor about his urination issues, the effects of which being painful and unbearable for the former president. After inspection of his prostate his prostate was diagnosed to have a deadly cancerous tumor. Conflict in Middle East Technology and Science right|thumb|Perseverance rover. 2021 saw the first Science advisor to be appointed to the cabinet level, which was in addition to a number of appointments of notable scientists to leadership positions.Biden has assembled a stellar science team — now they must pull together Nature 3 February 2021 590 7844 7–8 10.1038/d41586-021-00184-y https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00184-y 19 February 2021 enBiden Names Science Team, Appoints Science Advisor to Cabinet https://www.aip.org/fyi/2021/biden-names-science-team-appoints-science-advisor-cabinet 19 February 2021 www.aip.org 20 January 2021 enZimmer Carl Biden to Elevate Science Adviser to His Cabinet https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/15/science/biden-science-cabinet.html 19 February 2021 The New York Times 16 January 2021 On February 18th, 2021 the Perseverance rover successfully landed on Mars.Chang Kenneth NASA’s Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars to Renew Search for Extinct Life https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/science/nasa-peseverance-mars-landing.html 19 February 2021 The New York Times 18 February 2021Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ 19 February 2021 mars.nasa.gov en References Presidency of Joe Biden Trump 2024 Vote 2 0%