Pool Reports by Courtney Subramanian, Los Angeles Times
| Sent: | Reports: | |
| December 13, 2022 09:31 |
In-town pool report #1 - Schedule change Good morning. I'll be your in-town print pooler for today. Please note the White House guidance on today's schedule has changed to include remarks from POTUS on efforts to tackle inflation at 10 am. Please reach out with any questions.
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| December 13, 2022 10:41 |
In-town pool report#2 - Two-minute warning Two minute-warning at 10:25am. You can watch the president's remarks here: |
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| December 13, 2022 10:52 |
In-town pool report #3 - Remarks Apologies for the spotty service. POTUS entered the Roosevelt Room with economic advisers Cecilia Rouse and Brian Deese. He began speaking at 10:32am and spoke for seven minutes. Please check against quotes. POTUS said the latest inflation numbers showed "a lot of good news on the horizon" but there is still work to do. "Inflation is coming down in America," Biden said. "Make no mistake prices are still too high. We still have work to do." "For the last several months, wages have gone up more than prices have gone up." POTUS said it's going to take time to get inflation back to normal levels but "what is clear is that my economic plan is working and we're just getting started," Biden said. "By taking action we're making real progress in strengthening and stabilizing our economy," he said. Says there's "bright spots all across America." He said he would take no questions but stopped to answer one on when he expected prices to get back to normal: "I hope by the end of next year we're much closer," he said. "But I can't make that prediction. I'm convinced they're not going to up. I'm convinced they're going to continue to go down." POTUS finished speaking 10:39am. |
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| December 13, 2022 11:07 |
In-town pool report #4 - Lunch lid We have a lunch lid until 2pm. |
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| December 13, 2022 14:36 |
In-town pool report #4 - Two-minute warning Two-minute warning for the press briefing. |
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| December 13, 2022 14:39 |
In-town pool report #5 - Briefing begins White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took the podium at 2:37pm. She brought a surprise guest with her: Cyndi Lauper, who will be performing at today's signing ceremony for the Respect for Marriage Act. You can watch here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/ |
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| December 13, 2022 15:09 |
In-town pool report #6 - Briefing ends The briefing ended at 3:05pm. |
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| December 13, 2022 15:59 |
In-town pool report #7 - Bill signing Apologies, we have no service out here. Pool was escorted out to the South Lawn for the Respect for Marriage bill signing ceremony. Music was blaring from the loudspeakers as crowds of bundled guests stood on the South Lawn in front of a platform with the White House as the backdrop. Pool could not see the makeshift stage from where we were positioned, but it appeared to be lined with yellow poinsettias. Senate Majority Leader spoke first, saying passing the Respect For Marriage Act was not only the right thing to do, it was personal. He said the tie he is wearing is the tie he wore on the day his daughter married her wife. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi then spoke - "he took my speech," she joked. She said the legislation wouldn't have happened without the support of those in the crowd at the grassroots level. She said she was "overwhelmed with emotion" when the House passed the bill last week. "This is the latest leap forward in our fight for equality," she said, noting advocate work on HIV and combatting hate crime. Following their remarks, performing artist Sam Smith took the stage and performed "Stay with Me." Cyndi Lauper then performed "True Colors." After she finished, audio of Biden's 2012 "Meet the Press" interview in which he publicly declared his support for gay marriage played over an instrumental version of "America, the free." More tk |
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| December 13, 2022 16:57 |
In-town pool report #8 - More color/quotes from bill signing Gina and Heidi Nortonsmith spoke, reflecting on their case that led to marriage equality in Massachusetts and ultimately, the United States. "Literally, the day that the court validated that our love was equal, we got married." "It takes the efforts of many to bend the arc of history toward justice. Even now, there are so many places where people in our community are under attack. The work will continue. But look at how far we've come." POTUS, FLOTUS, VP Harris and SGOTUS took the stage at 3:59pm. Rainbow lights were displayed on the White House. The VP spoke first by reflecting on the week of Valentine's Day in 2004, when she performed some of the nation's first same-sex marriages at San Francisco City Hall. "This is a victory and it's part of a larger fight," she said. The Dobbs decision is a reminder that "fundamental rights are interconnected, including the right to marry who you love, the right to access contraception, and the right to make decisions about your own body." POTUS, wearing his trademark aviators, started speaking at 4:04pm. "Today is a good day. A day America takes a vital step toward equality." Deciding who to marry "is one of the most profound decisions a person can make," Biden said, noting he got "in trouble" for making similar comments in 2012. "Marriage is a simple proposition. Who do you love? And will you be loyal to that person you love?" He said. "It's not more complicated than that. We all recognize that everyone should have the right to answer those questions for themselves without the government interference," he said. He thanked Pelosi, Feinstein, Rep. Nadler and others for their work on the fight for marriage equality. "The road to this moment was long, but those who believe in equality and justice, you never gave up. Many of you standing on the South Lawn here - so many of you put your relationship on the line, your jobs on the line, your lives on the line, to fight for the law of about the sign." Congress was acting "because of an extreme Supreme Court has stripped away the right important to millions of Americans that existed for half a century," he said, referring to the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. "When a person can be married in the morning and thrown out of a restaurant for being gay in the afternoon, this is still wrong," he said. The antidote to hate is love, he said. He closed by noting the same day Congress sent him this bill, Britney Griner was freed and on her way home. He recalled his conversation with Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, who said after they spoke to Britney, "today my family is whole." POTUS finished speaking at 4:19pm. He took a seat at a desk and signed the bill as Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" began blaring from the loudspeakers and the crowd roared. POTUS then began working the rope line for about 15 minutes, taking photos with members of the crowd. Attendees The Vice President Pre-Program DJ Tezrah Program Musical performances |
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| December 13, 2022 17:08 |
In-town pool report #9 - travel/photo lid We have a travel/photo lid as of 5:07pm. Have a great night! |
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| December 13, 2022 17:34 |
In-town pool report #10 - Guest count One post-lid note from the WH: There were 5,300 guests in attendance for the President's ceremony on the South Lawn to sign the Respect for Marriage Act. |
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Pool Reports of December 13, 2022 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/359142