Biden news today: President opens oil reserve to tackle gas prices, says Putin appears to be ‘self-isolating’ and is skeptical about Ukraine pullback

White House press Secretary Jen Psaki criticizing four bills signed into law in Arizona and Oklahoma this week targeting transgender young people and restricting abortion care, among dozens of bills filed by Republican legislators this year aimed at LGBT+ Americans and abortion rights.

President Joe Biden claimed on Thursday that Vladimir Putin appears to be “self-isolating” from his closest intelligence officials as his invasion of Ukraine appears to be largely stalled across the country.

In an address announcing efforts to lower gas prices, which the US have blamed on the efforts to divest from Russian oil as well as inflation, the president explained that he didn’t “want to put too much stock” in the reports but essentially confirmed reporting that has for weeks indicated that a major rift exists between Mr Putin and his top aides and strategists.

Kate Bedingfield’s debut in the White House press briefing room this week came under unlikely circumstances — the benching of two of her colleagues due to Covid-19 — but could lead to greater visibility for Joe Biden’s longtime comms director.

“I know I am not the redhead you’re accustomed to seeing at this podium, but I hope you will hang with me nonetheless,” Ms Bedingfield, 40, joked to reporters at her first briefing on Tuesday.

John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.

President Joe Biden on Thursday slammed oil companies for refusing to increase production to make up shortfalls caused by the removal of Russian oil from US markets.

Calling the crisis stemming from Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine “a moment of crisis and peril for the world and pain at the pump for American families,” Mr Biden said the spike in oil and gas prices brought on by the US ban on Russian oil could be “a moment of patriotism” for domestic oil producers.

Andrew Feinberg has the latest for The Independent from Washington DC.

Congress recently declined to provide billions of dollars in new funding for the government’s Covid-19 response effort, and Joe Biden yesterday warned that if the money isn’t forthcoming soon, the consequences could be severe.

Andrew Feinberg has the story.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a withering condemnation of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Thursday as it becomes clear that the highest court’s ethical standards and practices are facing historic scrutiny.

At her weekly press briefing, the House Democratic leader told reporters that she never believed that Mr Thomas should have joined the court in the first place, and added that his wife had been revealed as a “admitted and proud contributor to a coup of our country “.

The remarks were some of the sharpest criticism issued so far by a high ranking Democratic leader as the fallout over text messages Ginni Thomas sent to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows both prior to and following the January 6 attack continues.

John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.

An inflation gauge closely monitored by the Federal Reserve jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, with sharply higher prices for food, gasoline and other necessities squeezing Americans’ finances.

The figure reported Thursday by the Commerce Department was the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982. Excluding volatile prices for food and energy, so-called core inflation increased 5.4% in February from 12 months earlier.

A federal judge struck down portions of a Florida election law passed last year, saying in a ruling Thursday that the Republican-led government was using subtle tactics to suppress Black voters.

The law rules tightened on mailed ballots, drop boxes and other popular election methods — changes that made it more difficult for Black voters who, overall, have more socioeconomic disadvantages than white voters, US District Judge Mark Walker wrote in his ruling.

The Human Rights Campaign has praised the White House’s transgender initiatives, saying that LGBT+ people have “an ally in the White House”.

“News of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to policy reforms that will improve the lives of transgender and non-binary people in this country is a wonderful way to kick off this year’s International Transgender Day of Visibility,” the campaign’s interim president, Joni Madison said in a statement.

President Joe Biden will announce a new gender X marker on applications for US passports on Thursday, as well as gender-neutral airport scanners, in addition to other measures aimed at making the federal government more inclusive for transgender people.

Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC.

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm released the following statement on President Joe Biden’s historic response to soaring gas prices as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.

The Department of Energy will execute President Biden’s authorization of an immediate release of one million barrels per day for six months from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and we are coordinating with our international allies and partners to join us in releasing additional oil from strategic reserves. This action is the latest move by the historic Biden-Harris administration to lower energy costs for working families, including yesterday’s DOE announcement of nearly $3.2 billion for home weatherization through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Department of Energy also supports President Biden’s decision to use the Defense Production Act to boost American production of critical minerals that are key to building up our clean energy supply chains. Putin’s actions in Ukraine and the resulting disruptions to global energy markets have demonstrated the urgent need to accelerate our clean energy transition, which will make our country more energy independent and much less vulnerable to the whims of attackers. The Department of Energy and this administration are aggressively investing in a wide range of clean energy technologies, which will grow our economy, create good-paying jobs, lower costs for American families, and combat the climate crisis.