Pool Reports by Philip Wegmann, RealClearPolitics
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| December 9, 2021 08:15 |
In Town Pool Report #1: Democracy Summit Begins President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken arrived in the Southern Auditorium in the Eisenhower Office Building at 8:11AM to kick off "the Summit for Democracy." The two are now sitting opposite one another while facing a screen of world leaders attending virtually (by your pooler's count, there are 55 world leaders online at the moment). Remarks are ongoing and streamed live. |
| December 9, 2021 08:29 |
In Town Pool Report #2: Remarks Conclude POTUS concluded remarks at 8:25. Blinken began his speech thereafter. Pool escorted out. |
| December 9, 2021 09:37 |
In Town Pool #3: Motorcade Rolling The motorcade rolled through the gates of the White House at 9:34 and headed east to the US Capitol where President Biden will pay his respects to former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole who is lying in state there. Also a correction: There were 80 world leaders on screen at the Democracy Summit, not the previous number your pooler counted earlier (there was a second screen that I didn't spot). |
| December 9, 2021 09:46 |
In Town Pool Report #4: Arrival The motorcade arrived on Capitol Hill at 9:42. Pool is still holding in the vans, and word from our wrangler is that we will continue to do so throughout the Dole memorial service. |
| December 9, 2021 11:00 |
In Town Pool Report #5: Rolling (Briefing Moved) The motorcade left Capitol Hill at 10:59. Also, the White House announced moments ago that the press briefing with Press Secretary Jen Psaki and NEC Director Brian Deese will now begin at 2:00 PM. |
| December 9, 2021 11:08 |
In Town Press Pool #6: Return The motorcade arrived back at the White House shortly after 11:00. |
| December 9, 2021 11:43 |
In Town Pool Report #7: Full List of Democracy Participants Per White House, the following countries/entities were in attendance at the virtual Summit for Democracy: Albania |
| December 9, 2021 11:45 |
In Town Pool Report #8: Lunch Lid until 12:30 Per White House just now, we have a lunch lid until 12:30. |
| December 9, 2021 13:46 |
In Town Pool Report #9: Zelenskyy Call Begins Per the White House just now, President Biden's secure call with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy began at 1:34 PM EST. |
| December 9, 2021 14:10 |
In Town Pool Report #10: 2 Minute Warning [APP Note: No additional text was included in this report.] |
| December 9, 2021 15:04 |
In Town Pool Report #11: COVID Response Team Meeting Now at 4:00 Per White House just now, the President and the Vice President's meeting with members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team will be at 4:00 PM. Psaki briefing still ongoing. |
| December 9, 2021 15:20 |
In Town Pool Report #12: Zelenskyy Call Ends The White House announces just now that President Biden's secure call with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, which began at 1:34PM EST, ended at 2:50 PM EST. |
| December 9, 2021 15:24 |
In Town Pool Report #13: Briefing Ends Briefing ended at 3:23 |
| December 9, 2021 16:02 |
In Town Pool Report #14: Bucharest Nine Call Per the White House just now, the President's call with the leaders of the Bucharest Nine group of our eastern flank NATO Allies lasted from 3:17 PM to 3:57 PM EST. |
| December 9, 2021 17:18 |
In Town Pool Report #15: Biden COVID Briefing and Lid After admiring the White House Christmas decorations and waiting for some time, the pool was ushered into the State Dining shortly before 5:00pm. President Biden and Vice President Harris were seated there with various members of the administration's COVID response team (a full list of participants is below). "We got some encouraging news from Pfizer yesterday," Biden said, noting that the company believes that three shots of that vaccine protect against the Omicron variant. There was more good news, he continued: "Today we got word from the FDA and the CDC--16 and 17-year-olds are eligible for boosters." Biden went on to say, again, that if you were vaccinated six months ago to get the booster. "We're seeing a lot more Americans do just that," he added. He also said also that "America is making progress," before promising that "we're gonna make it through this. And we'll be okay." The president then sat back in his chair and waited for his COVID briefing to begin. He didn't answer but only smiled as the press shouted questions about Ukraine and Russia. The White House called a lid shortly at 5:01pm. Full List of Participants: · Rohini Kosoglu, Deputy Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President |
| December 9, 2021 19:32 |
In Town Pool Report #16: Jimmy Fallon
The White House announces just now that tomorrow night at 11:35 PM EST, the President will appear virtually on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. |
Pool Reports below by Kevin Freking, Associated Press
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| December 9, 2021 11:03 |
Pool report #1 for Dole Lying in state ceremony The White House travel pool was held in vans during the memorial service for Sen. Dole in the Rotunda and had no eyes on the president during his remarks in the Rotunda. Due to the rare restriction -- which left today's print pooler unable to provide a report -- the following dispatch is being distributed via special arrangement with the congressional pool. ------------- Pool report #1 for Dole lying-in-state ceremony in U.S Capitol Rotunda – arrivals and pre-ceremony – 9:00-10:00 AM Good morning from the Capitol Rotunda where Senator Bob Dole will lie in state with a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. that will include President Joe Biden, congressional leadership, Mr. Dole's wife, former Senator Elizabeth Dole, and his daughter, Robin Dole. Formal arrival of the casket is scheduled to begin at 9:45 a.m (but has not yet occurred as of the sending of this pool report). The president will speak at the ceremony, which is to begin momentarily. Vice President Kamala Harris will also attend. The program notes that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will make remarks. The musical selection is "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." Dr. Barry C. Black, the Senate chaplain, will provide the benediction. Guests are taking their seats now. They will sit in a circle around the casket. The seating reflects social distancing standards and there appears to be about 100 chairs in the room. Behind the speaker's podium is the bronze sculpture of another notable Kansan, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who appears to be looking down upon the ceremony. The statues of two other major figures in the senator's life are also behind the podium – Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. The podium indeed seems strategically and appropriately placed to underscore the shared history. Some of the lawmakers who arrived early in preparation for the ceremony are Sen. James Inhofe, R-OK, Rep. Fred Upton, R-MI, Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-MI, Rep. Steve Scalise, R-LA, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-MD, and Kansan Reps. Sharice Davids, D, Jake LaTurner, R, Tracey Mann, R, and Ron Estes, R. It appears that most of the Senate has just arrived. An array of former lawmakers who served with the senator, close aides and friends are on an attendees list provided to the pool. They include: Gia Colombrano |
| December 9, 2021 11:21 |
Pool report #2 for Dole lying-in-state ceremony The White House travel pool was held in vans during the memorial service for Sen. Dole in the Rotunda and had no eyes on the president during his remarks. Due to the rare restriction -- which left today's print pooler unable to provide a report -- the following dispatch is being distributed via special arrangement with the congressional pool. ---------------- Pool report #2 for Dole lying-in-state ceremony in U.S. Capitol Rotunda – ceremony – 10:00-11:00 AM The room hushed down to a murmur about three minutes before the ceremony. At 10:02 House and Senate leadership walked in: McCarthy, followed by McConnell, followed by Schumer, followed by Pelosi. Then VP Harris and husband Doug Emhoff were escorted in, followed by POTUS and FLOTUS. Knocked three times, doors opened and service members carried in the flag-draped casket slowly chanting something. They took it in a circle around the catafalque. People put their hands over their hearts as it came in. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-KS, saluted. One man has on a sunflower mask (sunflowers are the state flower of Kansas) Invocation delivered. Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, gave the sign of the cross after the invocation. McConnell spoke first. Schumer checked his notes during McConnell's speech. When McConnell talked about Dole copying Strom Thurmond's eating habits, there were chuckles from some senators. McConnell pat Schumer on the back as he walked up to give his speech. So far, all of the speeches have emphasized Dole's small town, humble roots. McConnell talked about the dust bowl upbringing; Schumer talked about the Dole family having to rent out part of their house. They also talked about his wit a lot. People laughed when Schumer said "don't worry Bob, it's safe to be between me and the cameras today." Schumer mentioned the iconic moment when Dole stood from his wheelchair to salute the late Sen. Daniel Inouye. Pelosi blew former Sen. Elizabeth Dole a kiss as she went to speak. Then they shook hands. McCarthy didn't speak. As Biden starts to speak, Jill Biden and Elizabeth Dole blow each other a kiss. Biden mentioned Dole's hero, Dwight Eisenhower, another Kansan who lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda. Biden gets a laugh after he says Dole voted to fund Amtrak because Biden would stay overnight and cause more trouble. Biden gave Dole "the final word" by reading some of his words. But he didn't really give him the last word because then he talked about how unity and consensus are the most important way and urged people to reach consensus on basic fundamental principles. He shook Robin Dole's hand and shook Elizabeth Dole's hand on the way back to his seat. They played "Great is Thy Faithfulness" which was set to music by William Runyan in Kansas in 1923. It was also popularized by Billy Graham, who also lay in honor in the Capitol Rotunda in 2018. During the song, Sen. Roger Marshall turned to face the singer. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-KS, continued to look at the casket and bobbed his head and took a deep sign. Former Sen. Pat Roberts, R-KS, watched the singer and bowed his head at a point. Harris and Emhoff looked toward the casket. The Bidens turned toward the singer. Elizabeth Dole looked at the casket and nodded along to the song at some points. When he hit a high note, she looked upward. A wreath with white and red roses was presented from the House Side. McCarthy and Pelosi walked around and stood by it as it was placed at the casket. They paused for a couple seconds and then walked around, past the Doles. Then the Senate wreath was brought out and Schumer and McConnell stood in front of it. McConnell signaled to Schumer and they walked closer. Schumer stuck out his hand in a wave when he walked by the Doles. Biden put his hand on his heart while he stood by the wreath, then did the sign of the cross. He grabbed both of Elizabeth Dole's hands on his way back to his seat. Elizabeth Dole put her hand and then head to the casket, she briefly lifted her head up and then put it back down again before walking away. Robin Dole put her hand on the casket. Sen. Pat Roberts saluted the casket. The Bidens went up to the top of the casket together, put their hands on the blue part of the flag, Biden rubbed it. They held hands as they walked away. VPOTUS and SGOTUS stood by the corner of the casket. Pelosi touched the casket and did the sign of the cross and put her hand on her heart. |
Pool Reports below by Raquel Krähenbühl, GloboNews-Brazil
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| December 9, 2021 07:51 |
Foreign Pool Report #1 - Summit for Democracy Background Good morning! It's Democracy Day in the White House. President Biden's open remarks are schedule for 8am. 110 leaders from governments representing diverse democratic experiences will participate - including some states with authoritarian characteristics (Angola, Congo, Iraq, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Zambia) and some experiencing democratic backsliding (Brazil, India, Philippines, Poland). Some countries not invited: China, Russia, Hungary- the only member of the European Union not invited to the summit- Turkey. A senior administration official explained this week : "From President Biden down, we've made clear that no democracy, including the United States, is perfect. And we've been clear that all too many governments around the world are experiencing forms of democratic backsliding. I think you're going to hear that as a key theme in the summit itself. And in instances in which democratic governments have violated human rights or taken steps to curtail democratic institutions, the Biden administration has spoken up both publicly and privately." Today, the leaders will be speaking as follow- (most of them were pre-recorded): https://www.state.gov/official-intervention-schedule-the-summit-for-demo... Bulgaria In addition to world leaders, the summit will bring together members of civil society (activists, journalists) and the private sector. The summit will focus on three themes: "defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and advancing respect for human rights" A senior administration official said "the United States is approaching the summit from a place of humility" and "will announce new initiatives and commitments to bolstering free and independent media, fighting corruption, defending free and fair elections, strengthening democratic reformers, and harnessing technology for democratic renewal". Ahead of the summit, the administration launched the first-ever U.S. National Strategy on Countering Corruption. Next year, President Biden will host an in- person summit and countries that will be invited are the ones that lived up to the commitments made today and tomorrow. |
| December 9, 2021 08:58 |
Foreign Pool Report #2 - Summit for Democracy President Biden started his remarks at 8:11am and finished at 8:25am. He opened the summit saying protecting democracy is the "challenge of our time" and noted that "half of all democracies have experienced a decline in at least one aspect of democracy over the last 10 years, including the United States". In front of him there were two panels with 80 world leaders participating virtually - including France, Canada, India, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguai, Japan, Israel, the Philippines. You can see the pictures here: https://twitter.com/Rkrahenbuhl/status/1468940212214587395 I asked the WH for a list with all the leaders and will send them over as soon as I get it. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. |
| December 9, 2021 09:58 |
Foreign Pool Report #3 - Summit for Democracy/ Initiative for Democratic Renewal/ Correction The White House flagged this correction: "The President opened the Summit for Democracy and announced the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal. The United States is planning to provide up to $424.4 million toward the Initiative." President Biden has said $224 million in his remarks. |
| December 9, 2021 11:40 |
Foreign Pool Report #4 - Summit for Democracy / List of participants The White House provided the list of countries/entities in attendance at the virtual Summit for Democracy: Albania |
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Pool Reports of December 9, 2021 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/353701