On Tuesday, President Joe Biden honored nearly two dozen individuals and groups during a White House ceremony, including Bruce Springsteen, Gladys Knight, and Julia Louis Dreyfus. He awarded medals to these honorees, praising their work for deepening the country’s “understanding of the humanities and broadening our citizen’s engagement with history, literature, philosophy, and so many other subjects.”

During the ceremony, Biden made a reference to a potential 2024 campaign while introducing author Colson Whitehead, who won two Pulitzer prizes for his consecutive novels “The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys.” Biden quipped, “How in the hell did you do that? Pretty good man. I’m kinda looking for back-to-back myself,” prompting a loud applause.

Biden has repeatedly said his intention is to run for reelection, but he has yet to make any formal announcement. The ceremony also included Biden’s praise for rock music icon Bruce Springsteen, joking that “some people are born to run.”

“Bruce Springsteen, a poet troubadour, chronicler of American life and resilience and hope and dreams, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, along with 20 Grammys, an Oscar, a Tony, and an unyielding love from millions of fans across generations,” Biden said.

Biden introduced Dreyfus as “President Julia Louis Dreyfus” for her role as Selina Meyer in the hit HBO sitcom “Veep.”

“I’m gonna talk to Julia later whether she liked being VP or president better,” he joked. “I got to figure that one out.”

During the White House ceremony honoring American legends, President Biden recognized each honoree and highlighted their accomplishments in their respective fields.

Notable recipients included Gladys Knight, Mindy Kaling, Vera Wang, Bryan Stevenson, and writers such as Ann Patchet, Amy Tan, Walter Isaacson, and Tara Westover. Biden described Knight as the “Empress of Soul” and praised her contributions to music.

The President also made a playful remark about Kaling’s roots in Scranton, Pennsylvania, referencing her work on “The Office.”

Biden awards arts medals for the first time since taking office amidst COVID-19 pause; previously awarded Elton John with National Humanities Medal during White House concert last fall.

“You do make the country better, make it a better place,” Biden said to the 2021 awardees as the event came to a close.

On Tuesday, the teachers’ union in Los Angeles initiated a three-day strike, resulting in approximately 30,000 teachers going on strike.

The second-largest school district in the United States was forced to cancel classes for nearly 500,000 students.

The Service Employees International Union Local 99 is demanding an increase in the poverty wages of its members, which include school bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and classroom assistants, with an average salary of $25,000 per year.

The strikes have impacted over 420,000 students, many of whom rely on schools for meals, counseling, and other social services.

On Tuesday, the district stated that numerous school district employees and volunteers provided more than 124,000 meals to these students.

Protestors, including teachers and supporters, congregated outside the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters for a rally under the banner “United for LA Schools.”

“This school system is inadequately funded,” stated Findlay Bunting, a special education teacher.

“As educators, we work closely with support staff, who are remarkable. However, they have been underpaid for years.”

The striking workers have the support of at least 35,000 members of the United Teachers Los Angeles union.

Several regions of the United States are grappling with a shortage of teachers, as educators continue to protest against low wages and burnout.

LA schools superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, acknowledges that the workers are not receiving adequate pay.

The union is requesting a 30 percent salary increase and an additional $2 per hour for the lowest-paid workers, as per the Los Angeles Times.

On Monday, Carvalho informed reporters that the district was proposing a 23 percent raise plus a three percent bonus, with additional resources still on the table.

According to a survey by the National Education Association last year, 55 percent of educators were contemplating leaving the profession due to burnout and low pay.

Since the onset of the pandemic, at least 86 percent of respondents reported that many of their colleagues have already quit.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen will be visiting two of her Central American allies, Guatemala and Belize, but with unofficial stops in the US. This move has sparked concerns about escalating tensions with China, as the US administration under President Joe Biden seeks to emphasize the “personal” nature of the stops.

According to the National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, these stops are called “transits,” and are not uncommon, with President Tsai having done it six times before. Kirby dismissed the notion that the US administration was trying to diminish the significance of any visits, stating that it was merely a matter of being factual.

The US maintains diplomatic ties with China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory. China is known for opposing state-to-state relations between Taiwan and other nations, and just recently, Honduras indicated that it would likely cut its diplomatic ties with Taiwan and establish a relationship with China.

Taiwan would be left with only 13 official diplomatic allies if this happens. In the meantime, the US administration is taking measures to ensure that Taiwan’s unofficial stops in the US are perceived as personal visits and not diplomatic overtures.

Despite this, the US has faced criticism from China for maintaining unofficial relations with Taiwan, such as the sale of military weapons and equipment. On Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry denounced President Tsai’s upcoming visit, cautioning against any contact between the US and Taiwan governments.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Ministry, stated that “We once again caution the Taiwan authorities that there is no possibility of achieving independence for Taiwan, and any aspirations to collude with external forces for independence or to provoke are doomed to fail.”

He also criticized Germany for its education minister’s recent trip to Taiwan, characterizing it as a display of “disgusting behavior.” Germany, like the US, does not maintain official relations with Taiwan and denied allegations that the visit breached the “One China” policy.

To alleviate diplomatic tensions, the Biden administration stressed on Tuesday that President Tsai’s visit to the US would be “informal” and consistent with standard protocol.

Kirby addressed reporters, stating that “There is no need for China to respond in an exaggerated manner. In fact, there is no need for them to respond at all. This is a routine matter, as I have mentioned.”

However, reports of President Tsai’s layovers in the US have fueled speculation that she may have plans to meet with Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in the US House of Representatives.

McCarthy had been rumored to be considering a trip to Taiwan, similar to the one taken by former Speaker of the House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi. Her brief visit last August, along with five other Democratic Party members, made her the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan since 1997.

However, China was outraged and conducted military exercises around the island, including missile drops near its shores.

President Tsai’s visit to the US may offer an alternative to Kevin McCarthy, who was considering a potentially controversial trip to Taiwan.

When asked about the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders, Taiwan’s Vice Foreign Minister Alexander Yui declined to confirm any plans, stating that specifics would be disclosed at a later time.

According to Tsai’s spokesperson, Lin Yu-chan, she will arrive in New York on March 30 en route to Central America. She is also expected to pass through Los Angeles on April 5, which happens to be McCarthy’s home state in California.

The cost of living rose unexpectedly last month after slowing for three straight months, led by eating out and rising grocery prices.

Inflation, which measures the increase in the price of something over time, rose to 10.4% through February from 10.1% in January.

Grocery costs are increasing at the fastest rate in 45 years, especially for some salads and vegetables.

The price increase occurred after a shortage was identified in supermarkets.

Tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are among some of the vegetables that are in short supply, largely because of the extreme weather conditions that are affecting crops in Spain and North Africa.

The bottleneck is also exacerbated by high energy prices affecting UK manufacturers and supply chain issues.

Alcohol prices in pubs and restaurants also fueled inflation last month after falling in January, said the Office for National Statistics, which released the results.

Grant Fitzner, the chief economist at the ONS, said higher food prices for February were “not that surprising” but added, “what people didn’t expect was, firstly, in February, we saw an increase in alcohol prices in pubs and restaurants after certain discounts.”

“We are also seeing higher prices for clothing, particularly children’s and women’s clothing,” he added.

The surprise spike in inflation comes ahead of the Bank of England’s decision on whether to raise interest rates as it continues to battle inflation.

Most economists expect inflation to ease again in February, but Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says a slowdown is not “inevitable.”

“We recognize how difficult it is for families across the country, and as we work to fight inflation, we will be helping families this year with an average of £3,300 in living expenses per household.”