• President Joe Biden responded to a question about inflation by calling a Fox News reporter a vulgarity. The president was in the East Room of the White House on Monday for a meeting of his Competition Council, which is focused on changing regulations and enforcing laws to help consumers deal with high prices. Reporters shouted questions after Biden’s remarks. Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked him about inflation, which is at a nearly 40-year high, calling out, “Do you think inflation is a political liability ahead of the midterms?” Biden responded with sarcasm: “It’s a great asset — more inflation.” Then he shook his head and added, “What a stupid son of a b****.” The president’s comments were captured on video and by the microphone in front of him. Doocy laughed it off in a subsequent appearance on his network, joking, “Nobody has fact-checked him yet and said it’s not true.” Doocy told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Biden called him later to clear the air. He said Biden told him, “It’s nothing personal, pal.” But the president has shown a willingness to challenge media that he deems overly critical, especially Fox News and Doocy. At his news conference last week, Biden said to Doocy with sarcasm, “You always ask me the nicest questions.”https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrXgCPBOPFhLnMAo0fQtDMD;_ylu=Y29sbwNncTEEcG9zAzUEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1643227458/RO=10/RU=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arkansasonline.com%2Fnews%2F2022%2Fjan%2F26%2Fnames-and-faces%2F/RK=2/”I have a whole binder full,” the reporter answered. “I know you do,” Biden said. “None of them make a lot of sense to me. Fire away.”
• Rihanna is backing her belief that climate change is a social-justice issue by pledging $15 million to the movement through her Clara Lionel Foundation. The “We Found Love” singer Tuesday announced the donation to 18 climate justice organizations doing work in seven Caribbean nations and the United States. They include the Climate Justice Alliance, the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Movement for Black Lives. “Climate disasters, which are growing in frequency and intensity, do not impact all communities equally, with communities of color and island nations facing the brunt of climate change,” said Rihanna, who is from the eastern Caribbean island of Barbados. She noted that disparity is the reason her foundation, which is named after her grandparents, prioritizes both climate resilience and climate justice work. The grants, made in partnership with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s #StartSmall philanthropic initiative, are focused on groups with female, LGBT, Black and Indigenous leaders.
FILE — Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asks a question at a White House briefing in Washington, July 26, 2021. In a hot-mic moment that may enter the annals of presidential insults, President Joe Biden directed an under-the-breath expletive toward Doocy that was amplified by a live microphone onto television and laptop screens around the world. (Tom Brenner/The New York Times)
FILE – Rihanna attends an event for her lingerie line Savage X Fenty at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles on on Aug. 28, 2021. Rihanna is backing her belief that climate change is a social justice issue by pledging $15 million to the movement through her Clara Lionel Foundation. The “We Found Love” singer Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, announced the donation to 18 climate justice organizations doing work in seven Caribbean nations and the United States, including the Climate Justice Alliance, the Indigenous Environmental Network, and the Movement for Black Lives.(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)