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Tag: Joe Biden

  • President Joe Biden Calls for Bipartisan Action Against Big Tech

    President Joe Biden Calls for Bipartisan Action Against Big Tech

    President Joe Biden has penned an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, calling on Democratic and Republican lawmakers to tackle Big Tech.

    Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have grown increasingly worried about Big Tech, the power it holds, and the information it gathers about ordinary citizens. Despite the growing concern, very little progress has been toward passing any meaningful regulation.

    Biden outlined the dangers Big Tech poses in his op-ed:

    “The risks Big Tech poses for ordinary Americans are clear,” he writes. “Big Tech companies collect huge amounts of data on the things we buy, on the websites we visit, on the places we go and, most troubling of all, on our children. As I said last year in my State of the Union address, millions of young people are struggling with bullying, violence, trauma and mental health. We must hold social-media companies accountable for the experiment they are running on our children for profit.

    “To keep Americans on their platforms, Big Tech companies often use users’ personal data to direct them toward extreme and polarizing content that is likely to keep them logged on and clicking. All too often, tragic violence has been linked to toxic online echo chambers.”

    While acknowledging there are many things the two parties disagree on, Biden makes the case that regulating Big Tech shouldn’t be one of them:

    “We need bipartisan action from Congress to hold Big Tech accountable,” he continues. “We’ve heard a lot of talk about creating committees. It’s time to walk the walk and get something done. There will be many policy issues we disagree on in the new Congress, but bipartisan proposals to protect our privacy and our children; to prevent discrimination, sexual exploitation, and cyberstalking; and to tackle anticompetitive conduct shouldn’t separate us. Let’s unite behind our shared values and show the nation we can work together to get the job done.”

    Big Tech may prove to be the one issue both parties can agree on. If so, the coming months may see some major changes for the industry.

  • Biden Urges Congress to Pass CHIPS Act

    Biden Urges Congress to Pass CHIPS Act

    President Joe Biden has urged Congress to pass the CHIPS Act, as the US looks to become more semiconductor independent.

    The CHIPS Act is a piece of legislation that would provide $52 billion in subsidies to chipmakers that manufacture on US soil. The pandemic shone a spotlight on the risks of being dependent on one country, or one region, for something as important as semiconductors. As the pandemic spread, early lockdowns in China and Asia helped contribute to a shortage the industry is still grappling with. National security concerns have increased in recent years as well, leading to an even bigger push toward semiconductor independence.

    The goal of CHIPS Act is to help companies establish the infrastructure and manufacturing facilities needed to competitively manufacture chips in the US. Intel has been a big proponent of the legislation, and CEO Pat Gelsinger was in attendance when Biden addressed Congress during the State of the Union, according to CNET.

    “Intel’s CEO, Pat Gelsinger, who is here tonight, told me they are ready to increase their investment from $20 billion to $100 billion. That would be one of the biggest investments in manufacturing in American history,” Biden said. “And all they’re waiting for is for you to pass this bill…Send it to my desk. I’ll sign it.”

    Intel has already begun heavily investing in US-based manufacturing, building factories in Ohio and Arizona.

  • ’Huawei Loophole’ Closed, Huawei and ZTE Cut Off From All Licensing

    ’Huawei Loophole’ Closed, Huawei and ZTE Cut Off From All Licensing

    US President Joe Biden has signed the Secure Equipment Act into law, preventing Huawei and ZTE from obtaining telecom licenses.

    Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese telecom companies have been deemed a security threat by the US government and intelligence agencies. The companies, especially Huawei, have been accused by governments around the world of serving as an avenue for Beijing to spy on organizations.

    Despite Huawei and ZTE being banned from participating in US networks, that hasn’t completely stopped the two companies. Both have applied for, and been granted, licenses that did not involve federal funds. In fact, since 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved more than 3,000 such licenses for Huawei alone, leading to the nickname “Huawei Loophole.”

    The Secure Equipment Act passed the Senate with unanimous support, and passed the House with only four votes against. With Biden’s signature, the legislation becomes law, closing the Huawei Loophole.

    When the Secure Equipment Act was first introduced, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr praised the implications of the new legislation.

    “I commend Republican Whip Steve Scalise and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo for their leadership in securing America’s communications infrastructure,” Carr stated. “Their bipartisan Secure Equipment Act would close a glaring loophole that Huawei and other entities are exploiting today to place their insecure gear into our networks. I applaud their work to eliminate the threats posed by this equipment.”

  • President Biden Signs Executive Order on Cybersecurity

    President Biden Signs Executive Order on Cybersecurity

    President Biden has signed an executive order aimed at improving US cybersecurity in the wake of major attacks.

    The last few months have seen multiple high-profile, crippling cybersecurity attacks on US agencies and businesses. SolarWindsimpacted private and public organizations alike, with the full extentstill under investigation. Most recently, Colonial Pipeline was hit with a crippling ransomware attack, severely impacting fuel prices all along the East Coast.

    The threat is exacerbated by hacker groups that are state-sponsored, giving them access to the funds and technology needed to wreak havoc.

    In response, President Biden has issued an executive order aimed at “Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.” The order focuses on major changes, rather than incremental improvements, in an effort to keep pace with rapidly-evolving threats.

    Incremental improvements will not give us the security we need; instead, the Federal Government needs to make bold changes and significant investments in order to defend the vital institutions that underpin the American way of life. The Federal Government must bring to bear the full scope of its authorities and resources to protect and secure its computer systems, whether they are cloud-based, on-premises, or hybrid. The scope of protection and security must include systems that process data (information technology (IT)) and those that run the vital machinery that ensures our safety (operational technology (OT)).

  • Charter Ends Petition to Get Government Approval For Data Caps

    Charter Ends Petition to Get Government Approval For Data Caps

    Charter is ending its petition to get government approval for imposing broadband data limits on customers.

    Charter is somewhat unique in that it must get government approval before imposing data limits. While other internet service providers (ISPs) are free to do what the market will bear, Charter’s restrictions were imposed as terms of its purchase of Time Warner Cable.

    The company submitted its request in June 2020. The following month, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai requested public comment on Charter’s request. Since then, no forward progress has been made.

    In a very brief filing, Charter has withdrawn its request.

    Charter Communications, Inc. respectfully withdraws its petition in the above-referenced proceeding.

    While no reason was given, a likely motivation is the incoming Biden/Harris administration and, with it, a Democratic-controlled FCC. As a result, it’s likely Charter would have faced significant pushback in any efforts to impose data caps, especially during a pandemic when internet connectivity is more important than ever.

  • Tesla Replaces Facebook As Fifth Most Valuable US Company

    Tesla Replaces Facebook As Fifth Most Valuable US Company

    Tesla entered an exclusive club Friday, becoming the fifth most valuable US company at Facebook’s expense.

    Tesla closed the day Friday with a valuable of $820 billion, making it one of the top five most valuable US companies, according to CNBC. The previous fifth-place company, Facebook, was worth $763 billion at the close of market.

    Tesla’s new valuation places it in exclusive company, along with Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet. It also underscores the importance of the electric vehicle (EV) market as countries and companies pivot to environmentally sustainable transportation.

    As CNBC points out, Tesla is benefiting from the recent elections, with President-elect Joe Biden committed to heavy investment in EV charging infrastructure and the domestic auto industry. Similarly, Democratic candidates winning the Georgia runoff races was seen as another boost to Tesla, as it clears potential obstacles to Biden’s agenda and environmental initiatives.

  • Biden Taps Open Source Dev David Recordon As White House Director of Technology

    Biden Taps Open Source Dev David Recordon As White House Director of Technology

    The Biden transition team has selected David Recordon as the next White House Director of Technology.

    Recordon is well-known in the open source community. He is one of the developers behind OpenId and oAuth, he has served as Engineering Director at Facebook and even served as the first Director of White House Information Technology under President Obama.

    Recordon made the announcement of his appointment on LinkedIn:

    I’m honored to have the opportunity to join the Biden-Harris administration’s White House senior team and am excited to both rebuild past and create new relationships with the incredible teams of career civil servants, active duty military members, and intelligence professionals who make technology work day in and day out for such an important set of missions. The pandemic and ongoing cyber security attacks present new challenges for the entire Executive Office of the President, but ones I know that these teams can conquer in a safe and secure manner together.

    Give his vast, and prior, experience, it’s a safe bet Recordon will be well-equipped for his new role.

  • Section 230’s Future Is Shaky…Even With a Biden/Harris Administration

    Section 230’s Future Is Shaky…Even With a Biden/Harris Administration

    The controversial Section 230, protecting social media companies, may be under threat even with the incoming Biden/Harris administration.

    Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects online platforms from being legally responsible for the content their users post. This has, in some ways, given rise to the toxic culture often associated with social media, as there are not strong incentives for companies to crack down on hate speech, cyberbullying and the like.

    While companies have slowly began to self-moderate, it has increasingly become a murky situation. On the one hand, some critics have praised Facebook, Twitter and others for beginning to crack down on some content, while others have decried their attempts as censorship. These accusations have come from the very heights of government, as President Trump has alternated between using Twitter as his preferred communication platform and blasting the company when it flags his posts containing misinformation. As a result, most recently, Trump has even threatened to veto a defense spending bill unless Section 230 is repealed.

    The situation is further complicated by the very fact that social media companies have begun moderating content. Critics argue the companies no longer need, nor should have, the protections of Section 230 since they’ve already begun to self-moderate—the very thing they weren’t legally required to do.

    While Trump has been clamoring for the repeal of Section 230, some had thought a new administration might take a different approach. It appears, however, that Section 230’s future may still be uncertain.

    At a virtual book launch hosted by Georgetown Law, Bruce Reed—who served as a top tech advisor for President-elect Joe Biden during his campaign—made the case for changes to Section 230.

    I think there’s an emerging consensus that it’s long past time to hold the big social media platforms accountable for what’s published on their platforms, the way we do newspaper publishers and broadcasters.

    Needless to say, Reed’s comments are non-binding. In the interview he even goes so far as to say that he doesn’t speak for the new administration’s tech policy. Nonetheless, his observations come from years serving as a close associate of Biden, both as a campaign tech advisor and as his chief of staff during his time as vice-president.

    Therefore, while non-binding, Reed’s comments may very well indicate change is on the horizon for Section 230.

  • FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Will Resign in January

    FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Will Resign in January

    Ajit Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has announced he will step down on January 20.

    Chairman Pai has presided over the FCC for the last four years, enacting a number of controversial changes. Most notably, Pai oversaw the repeal of the Obama-era net neutrality rules, as well as pursued efforts to block states from implementing their own. At the same time, under Pai’s oversight, the FCC focused on closing the digital divide and paving the way for faster 5G adoption.

    Given the incoming Biden/Harris administration’s stand on net neutrality, and tech in general, it is not surprising that Chairman Pai is planning to resign. In is statement announcing his departure Pai highlighted his accomplishments, both personal and professional:

    It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve at the Federal Communications Commission, including as Chairman of the FCC over the past four years. I am grateful to President Trump for giving me the opportunity to lead the agency in 2017, to President Obama for appointing me as a Commissioner in 2012, and to Senate Majority Leader McConnell and the Senate for twice confirming me. To be the first Asian-American to chair the FCC has been a particular privilege. As I often say: only in America.

    I also deeply appreciate the chance to have worked alongside the FCC’s talented staff. They are the agency’s best assets, and they have performed heroically, especially during the pandemic. It’s also been an honor to work with my fellow Commissioners to execute a strong and broad agenda. Together, we’ve delivered for the American people over the past four years: closing the digital divide; promoting innovation and competition, from 5G on the ground to broadband from space; protecting consumers; and advancing public safety. And this FCC has not shied away from making tough choices. As a result, our nation’s communications networks are now faster, stronger, and more widely deployed than ever before.

    Although it seems likely the incoming administration will reinstate net neutrality rules, it remains to be seen what other changes or rollbacks may be in store for current FCC policies.

  • Net Neutrality and a Biden Presidency

    Net Neutrality and a Biden Presidency

    A Biden presidency could have an enormous impact on net neutrality, one of the most contested rules in recent years.

    Net neutrality laws were implemented under President Obama. The purpose of the regulation was to ensure platforms had equal footing, regardless of size or reach. Proponents of net neutrality say it is vital to ensure internet service providers can’t choke out a competitor by charging it or its customers more for access. A perfect example is AT&T recently favoring its own HBO Max service over Netflix, by now counting HBO Max access against customers’ mobile data usage.

    Opponents of the regulation say it unnecessarily regulates the internet and stifles investment. These companies, including at one point AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, point to the long and successful history of the internet without any such regulation existing.

    Shortly after Ajit Pai was appointed FCC Chairman, the FCC rolled back the net neutrality rules, despite its broad support from Microsoft, Google, Mozilla, Netflix and others. Supporters of net neutrality unsuccessfully sued to prevent the rollback. While the courts said the FCC was within its rights, it did not allow the FCC to block individual states from implementing their own net neutrality rules, as some have done.

    Throughout the campaign, Joe Biden said very little about net neutrality, although its restoration is part of the Democratic platform. As a result, it’s a safe bet we haven’t heard the last of net neutrality on a national scale.

  • Joe Biden Aides Say He’s Likely to Join 2016 Presidential Race

    Joe Biden aides have spoken volumes in recent days–with their actions more so than with their words, however. A new report claims they have contacted Democratic donors and supporters to discuss the timing of an announcement–one that puts Joe Biden in the 2016 presidential race.

    On Monday, Vice-President Joe Biden met with political advisors, and discussed jumping into the 2016 campaign in time to make the Democratic debate, scheduled for October 13. They are said to be perfecting his campaign message and hiring campaign staff.

    Of course it’s still entirely possible that Biden will opt out at the 11th hour, as he is still feeling the emotional trauma of having lost his son, Beau Biden, to cancer in May.

    If Joe Biden enters the race, it will be timed perfectly with Hillary Clinton’s plan to reassure her supporters that probes into her use of a personal email server while she was Secretary of State won’t throw her candidacy off track. The controversy hasn’t served Hillary well, and has instead boosted Bernie Sanders in the Democratic polls.

    There are only four Democratic debates scheduled before the February 1 Iowa caucuses. If Joe Biden is throwing his hat into the proverbial ring, he will likely either do it before that first October debate, or not do it at all.

    Hillary Clinton is set to appear before the Republican-controlled House committee on October 22, and testify on the Benghazi attack in 2012 that killed four Americans. It is likely she will be questioned about use of the personal email server at that time, too. Her statements on October 22 could serve to enhance Joe Biden’s candidacy, should he choose to run.

    Do you agree with recent chatter on behalf of Joe Biden’s aides that the vice-president is likely to join the 2016 race? Will he wait until after the October 13th debate or pass up the national TV opportunity, relying instead of his position as VP to keep him in the public eye?

    How do you expect Joe Biden’s entrance will impact Hillary Clinton’s campaign?

  • Chris Martin: Coldplay Front Man Sings at Funeral for Beau Biden

    Chris Martin, the front man for Coldplay and boyfriend of actress Jennifer Lawrence, sang at the funeral of Vice-President Biden’s son, Beau Biden, in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday.

    Delaware Online reports that Martin volunteered to sing at the funeral after learning that Beau Biden was a big Coldplay fan.

    Singing the band’s 2005 hit song, ‘Til Kingdom Come,’ Chris Martin wasn’t the only big name at the funeral. President Barack Obama delivered a eulogy. Bill and Hillary Clinton were in attendance as well.

    Martin sang solo against a backdrop of white flowers in the pulpit of the Catholic church where Beau Biden was remembered by a huge crowd.

    Chris Martin sang just before the closing prayer at Beau Biden’s funeral. He hugged both Vice-President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, after his performance.

    Beau Biden died on May 30th of brain cancer. He was just 46 years old.

  • Portia de Rossi, Ellen DeGeneres Take Birthday Selfies

    Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres shared some lovely selfies with their fans just ahead of Ellen’s 57th birthday. Despite the talk show host’s dry humor and hilarious antics, these photos depicted the softer, sweeter side to this married couple.

    Ellen and Portia appeared in the shots, sans any makeup or special wardrobe, locked in an embrace on a beach at sunset.

    “My last sunset of 56 with my favorite person,” DeGeneres captioned one of the shots.

    Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres–who have been together since 2004 and married since August of 2008–appear both relaxed and very much in love in their sunset scene.

    Portia was noticeably absent when Ellen DeGeneres celebrated her birthday on her show, however. Instead, the host celebrated with Joe Biden and Keith Urban, who sang her a very special song.

    Ellen DeGeneres was her usual upbeat, hilarious self while celebrating her birthday on her show–she even gave away two Mercedes cars–but nothing says happiness like the look on her face in the selfies taken with Portia de Rossi. Despite recent rumors that things aren’t going well for the couple, there appeared to be a sense of love and peace in those shots.

  • Joe Biden Swims Naked, Upsets Secret Service?

    A controversial new book that claims to have insider information about the goings-on of Secret Service details is turning some heads in Washington. The book is called “The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of Presidents” and is written by Ronald Kessler.

    Kessler used to write for the Washington Post and has written other books about Secret Service details, a biography of Joseph Kennedy, and another book about supposed secrets of the FBI.

    In this book, Kessler quotes unnamed Secret Service sources as saying that Vice President Joe Biden likes to swim in the nude, much to the chagrin of any females on his Secret Service detail.

    “Agents say that, whether at the vice president’s residence or at his home in Delaware, Biden has a habit of swimming in his pool nude. Female Secret Service agents find the behavior offensive,” Kessler writes.

    “Biden likes to be revered as everyday Joe, and that’s his thing,” an unnamed agent said. “But the reality is no agents want to go on his detail because Biden makes agents’ lives so tough.”

    Kessler goes on to credit these sources with telling him that the Vice President is careless with his own security detail, cutting back on the number of agents he uses at his Delaware home out of concern for his neighbors.

    “What’s going to happen is either you’re going to have a dead vice president in Delaware or you’re going to have agents killed in Delaware because Secret Service management refused to stand up to (Biden),” Kessler quotes one agent as saying.

    What irks some is that Kessler uses this book as an opportunity to take shots at Hillary Clinton, writing that the Biden security detail is considered only the second-worst for an agent. The worst, Kessler claims, is being assigned to Hillary.

    Image via YouTube

  • Katy Perry Gets Waxed in Washington, D.C.

    Katy Perry Gets Waxed in Washington, D.C.

    Katy Perry has gotten waxed. No–she hasn’t been waxed. Who would report on Katy getting her legs or armpits or even worse waxed? Katy Perry is now forever enshrined in wax at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in Washington, D.C. She’s in the nation’s capital for three months before she makes her way down south to Orlando.

    The Roar singer is just the latest addition to the wax museum which sees lots of fans come in for ‘selfies’ with the stars they can sometimes only hope to meet in person. Last night in Washington, D.C., however, the real Katy Perry performed at the Verizon Center in front of a sold out crowd. And to those who couldn’t get tickets–well, Katy’s in town for three months.

    The real Katy Perry managed to pose for some fun Washington, D.C. photos while she was in town–some of which she shared with her followers on Instagram.

    Here’s Katy pretending she can reach the top of the Washington Monument.

    Here she is with Vice President Joe Biden.

    And just a few days prior to her wax unveiling and her concert she took this selfie with Hillary Clinton. In fact, she offered to write Hillary’s theme song if she runs for president. She met the former Secretary of State at a book signing in D.C.

    Katy Perry shared her political side while in Washington, D.C., telling concert-goers that any one of them could run the country.

    “You know what’s so great about America?” she asked the crowd.

    “Any one of you can be president now.”

    Maybe that could be Katy’s next gig. She could throw her hat in the political arena and see what comes of it. These days–who knows?

    She has a while to decide anyway since she’s sticking around D.C. for the next three months. Oh, wait. That’s wax Katy. Have you ever been to Madame Tussaud’s? How much do you suppose wax Katy Perry resembles the real deal?

    Image via Instagram

  • Christina Hendricks Pushes For Family-Friendly Work Policies, Campaigns To End ‘Mad Men’ Era

    On Monday, Mad Men star Christina Hendricks spoke at the White House Summit on Working Families where she shared her views on current policies for women in the workplace.

    According to reports, the United States is the only developed nation that does not require paid leave for new mothers. “Only three countries in the world report that they don’t offer paid maternity leave – three – and the United States is one of them,” Obama said.

    Hendricks plays a single mom named Joan in the 1960’s drama Mad Men.

    In her brief speech, she said “When President Obama discusses the issues facing working families, equal pay for women, affordable child care, to name a few, he often says that current policies seem to be from the Mad Men era.”

    She also said that in this century, “the only place for a story like Joan’s should be on TV.”

    Vice President Joe Biden opened the summit by discussing the importance of family time. “Not all of us have the kind of flexibility that I have,” he said.

    On Sunday, Obama’s adviser Valerie Jarrett said that the President is attempting to start a national conversation in order to explore the issue. Jarrett, however, acknowledged that cost is an issue for any federal program, but said that the Obama administration wants to give middle-class families paid leave without raising taxes. “But we also know what a good investment in our workforce it would be if they had paid leave, and that investment will pay great returns,” she said.

    Based on the 1993 Family Medical Leave Act, employers are only required to provide unpaid leave to employees who have family or medical emergencies.

    Obama advised Congress to pass legislation that would require employers to facilitate pregnant employees while they work. He also called for federal agencies to make their work arrangements more flexible.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Joe Biden: Could We Get a President Gaffe?

    “An hour late? Oh, give me a f**king break!” –Joe Biden

    Anytime you bring up Joe Biden’s name, the first word out of the mouth of someone standing nearby is “gaffe”. In fact, before Biden got onto the Dem ticket in 2008, you could count on one hand the number of times you heard the word “gaffe” in a year. Now some people seem to think it is the Vice-President’s middle name.

    It’s kind of like how the term “white Ford Bronco” used to be innocuous back before O.J. Simpson. Now, if you say that phrase, everyone knows what you mean. Say the word “gaffe”, and people chuckle about Joe Biden.

    And Joe has it coming, to be honest, even he would probably admit that. This is the guy who once said to a man in a wheelchair, “Stand up, Chuck, let ’em see ya.”

    Then came his remark to an Indian-American man, “You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent…. I’m not joking.”

    The fact is, we live in an era when every sentence a politician says is recorded, scrutinized, and comes back to haunt him. This has even derailed otherwise promising political campaigns and whole careers. Remember “macaca?”

    George Allen was the U.S. Senator from Virginia, and was favored to win reelection in 2012 until this video hit the news and YouTube. His campaign suffered a blow that it never recovered from when the video of him referring to the man behind the camera, an Indian-America fellow, as “macaca”.

    Many speculated that Allen knew the pejorative use for the term — monkey, an insult to dark skinned-people — due to his mother’s heritage. In any case, it cost him a lot of time handling this embarrassment, and he lost his reelection bid in what was considered an easy battle. Such is the scrutiny of elected officials.

    Before Joe Biden was the ineffable Dan Quayle, VP to George H.W. Bush. Quayle’s greatest hits include:

    “Hawaii has always been a very pivotal role in the Pacific. It is in the Pacific. It is a part of the United States that is an island that is right here.”

    “The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation’s history… No, not our nation’s, but in World War II. I mean, we all lived in this century. I didn’t live in this century, but in this century’s history.”

    and, finally …

    “I made a misstatement and I stand by all my misstatements.”

    Some say that Joe Biden’s relaxed attitude toward precision and tendency to flub it up a bit every now and then would prevent folks from taking him seriously as a Presidential candidate in 2016.

    And others think that Biden does not stand a chance with a presumptive Hillary Clinton run.

    Americans have a sense of humor. We’ll see where they end up landing on Biden’s loose tongue issues.

    Image via YouTube

  • Joe Biden Joins Instagram, Pimps Ray Bans

    Vice President Joe Biden joined Instagram today, you know, in the way that President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama joined Instagram and various other social networks–not actually. If you’re really high up in the executive branch, you probably don’t have time to be running multiple social media accounts. But hey, politicians have to be cool with the internets, so they have their office run the account for them.

    Of course, this is VP Biden we’re talking about here, so we’ll take what we can get. Instagram can only be improved by Biden’s presence. Honestly, who doesn’t want more shots of Biden bein’ Biden?

    Which brings us to the Veep’s first-ever Instagram post.

    I mean, I think it’s an ad for Ray Ban.

    “Vice President Biden’s getting ready to head to Pennsylvania with President Obama this afternoon, where he’ll lay out steps we can take to train America’s workers with the skills they need for good middle-class jobs. Follow @VP for the latest from the Vice President, and the occasional aviators pic,” says the post.

    That’s an ad for Ray Ban. How can that not be a Ray Ban ad? YOU’RE NOT THE ONE IN FOCUS, MR. VICE PRESIDENT.

    Biden’s second post shows him deplaning in Pennsylvania, as he joins the President to talk jobs in Pittsburgh.

    I’m gonna follow Biden on Instagram. For sure. Over the next year, there’s a one hundred percent chance that he his team posts something made of pure, liquid gold. And I’ll be there. Oh, will I be there.

    Image via VP on Instagram

  • Joe Biden Sparks Outrage With Boston Marathon Speech

    The first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing was today, and Vice President Joe Biden appeared at the memorial ceremony to deliver a speech. While most of Biden’s speech went smoothly, he hit a bump in the road at one point left many people shocked and outraged.

    An estimated 3,000 people attended the Boston Marathon Memorial today, including survivors, family of the three people that lost their lives, and first responders. Several people spoke at the memorial ceremony, including former Boston Mayor Tom Menino, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and Vice President Joe Biden.

    When it was Biden’s turn to speak, he told the crowd, “Even though I’m not a Boston fan, I love you guys, man.” No problem there, but then the vice president followed that up with telling the survivors, “My God, you have survived and you have soared…it was worth it. I mean this sincerely, just to hear each of you speak.” The “it was worth it” remark there sparked confusion and outrage on Twitter.

    Check out Biden’s speech at the Boston Marathon Memorial below. Skip to the 0:54 mark to hear the offending comment.

    A lot of people either missed or are ignoring the “I mean this sincerely, just to hear you speak” part of the comment and are assuming that Joe Biden means that it was a good thing the tragedy happened. Admittedly, Biden has made his share of blunders as vice president, but it’s probably safe to assume that he was telling the victims he was glad he made the trip to Boston to hear what they had to say. Judging from the reaction from the crowd, they didn’t take Biden’s comments in a negative way, so that’s something, at least.

    Fortunately, the rest of Biden’s speech went fine and nothing else he had to say contributed to further Twitter outrage:

    Next Monday, on Patriots’ Day, when I’m told up to 36,000 people will line up to start the marathon, you will send a resounding message around the world not just to rest of the world, but to the terrorists that we will never yield. We will never cower. America will never, ever, ever stand down. We are Boston. We are America. We respond. We endure. We overcome. And we own the finish line.

    The 2014 Boston Marathon will be held Monday, April 21. Hear from two runners that participated in the Boston Marathon last year in the video below.

    Image via YouTube

  • Seth Meyers: ‘Late Show’ Debut Review

    If you are a fan of Seth Meyers on Saturday Night Live, you most likely enjoyed his debut on Late Night.

    Meyers replaced Jimmy Fallon on Late Night. Fallon had a great run as the Late Night host with popular segments such as The History of Rap and Slow-jamming the News. He made his debut appearance as The Tonight Show’s host on February 17 with guests Will Smith and U2, as well as appearances from Robert De Niro, Kim Kardashian, Seth Rogen, Lady Gaga, and Stephen Colbert.

    Meyers’ first appearance as the host of Late Night garnered mixed reviews from audiences. He was able to transition his SNL persona to the talk show format smoothly, but based on some reviews, he still has to learn the ropes of delivering monologues. However, he did a good job “talking.” According to The Los Angeles Times, Meyers’ monologue was similar in style to his headline segment, Weekend Update.

    The debut show’s guests were Meyers’ friend Amy Poehler, another SNL alum, and Vice President Joe Biden. Poehler and Meyers were amusing to watch as they targeted insults at each other. Vice President Biden was also a delight, as he seemed comfortable, most likely because of Poehler’s presence. Poehler has already worked with the Vice President when she asked him to do a cameo on her show Parks and Recreation. The show was capped off with a musical performance by A Great Big World.

    Darren Franich from Entertainment Weekly also gave his opinion on the show, giving it a “B.” He said that he laughed more with Fallon’s The Tonight Show, but laughed at Meyers’ more than he did at Fallon.

    Just like other late night hosts, Meyers will be flying solo but has the support of friends. Fred Armisen, also a SNL alum, in leading the Late Night band. Armisen’s humor meshes well with Meyers’, probably because of their years together in SNL. Overall, critics say that Meyers’ had a good Late Night Debut.

    Image via Twitter

  • Joe Biden Calls LaGuardia A Third World Airport

    Vice President Joe Biden has been known to speak his mind on occasion, and by now most people know that biting his tongue isn’t one of his best skills, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when he spoke poorly of LaGuardia Airport, in New York, but it might be surprising to hear that he compared it to an airport in a third world country.

    “If I blindfolded someone and took them at 2 o’clock in the morning into the airport in Hong Kong and said ‘where do you think you are?’ They would say ‘this must be America. This is a modern airport,’” said Biden. “If I took them blindfolded and took them to LaGuardia airport in New York, he would be like ‘I must be in some third world country.’ I’m not joking.”

    Some may think that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio would be in scramble mode after Biden made his comments, and quickly assemble a team to make all the necessary improvements, but that wasn’t the case at all. Instead, he seemed annoyed at what Biden said and struck back.

    “LaGuardia obviously needs an upgrade,” he said in a press conference. “But that being said the airport manages an extraordinary amount of traffic and the people work there make it work under very difficult circumstances. So as a proud New Yorker, I didn’t like that comment, and I think it was not the right way to talk about it.”

    The people who run LaGuardia, which are the folks at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said they don’t totally disagree with Biden’s assessment, which is why they’re making a lot of improvements in the years to come.

    “Significant investment in transportation infrastructure is the key to growing our economy and creating jobs,” they said. “Which is why the Port Authority this week proposed a 10-year $27 billion capital plan that creates more than 126,000 jobs and invests $8 billion in modernizing the region’s airports.”

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