Joe Biden’s recent press conference, where he reaffirmed his intention to continue his presidential campaign, has failed to quell dissent within his own party. Three Democratic leaders have now joined others in urging Biden to withdraw from the race.
Calls for the 81-year-old to step aside have intensified since his uneven performance in a televised debate against Republican Donald Trump last month.
During a lengthy briefing on Thursday night, Biden appeared more composed and articulate, but there were notable slip-ups. In one instance, he mistakenly referred to his vice president, Kamala Harris, as “Vice President Trump,” and earlier in the day at a NATO event, he initially referred to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” before correcting himself.
Despite his efforts, doubts persist about Biden’s candidature, compounded by potential defections in the coming days. Several donors, including actor George Clooney, have withdrawn their financial support, questioning his competence for another term.
A Democratic fundraiser, speaking to the BBC, acknowledged Biden’s adequate performance at the conference but noted it wasn’t enough to sway sceptics within the party.
Looking ahead, Biden faces relentless scrutiny at every public appearance. Any misstep is seized upon as evidence of his alleged inadequacy to run for re-election. Shortly after the press conference, Connecticut Congressman Jim Himes praised Biden’s public service record but urged him to step aside from the campaign.
The strongest candidate to confront the “threat” posed by Trump, he wrote, was no longer Joe Biden. Illinois congressman Eric Sorensen also posted on social media that Mr Biden ran in 2020 “with the purpose of putting country over party. Today I am asking him to do that again”.
California congressman Scott Peters was the third to speak out, saying the “stakes are high, and we are losing course”. They bring the tally of Democratic politicians calling on Mr Biden to go to 19.
During the briefing, Biden insisted to reporters that he’s in the race to “complete the job”.
“If I slow down and can’t get the job done, that’s a sign I shouldn’t be doing it,” he said. “But there’s no indication of that yet.” Many of his supporters in Congress came out immediately after the news conference to echo his belief that he is the best candidate. “We’ve got to stop the nitpicking and then focus on the work ahead. This guy has done it, he’s done it in the past,” said Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison.
US allies have voiced their support for President Biden.UK Prime Minister Keir Starmerpraised Biden’s demeanour during their recent summit meeting, describing him as “very impressive.” French President Emmanuel Macron characterised Biden’s errors as minor slips of the tongue, emphasizing Biden’s command of issues.
Meanwhile, former President Trump took a jab at Biden over his Kamala Harris gaffe, sarcastically commenting, “Great job, Joe!” on Truth Social.
Joe Biden took to the stage with his presidency, re-election hopes, and political future hanging in the balance during a high-stakes news conference on Thursday night.
This session, lasting an hour, marked the conclusion of a NATO summit and was his first unscripted public appearance since a challenging debate with his opponent, Donald Trump. Biden’s earlier gaffe, where he mistakenly referred to Ukraine’s President Zelensky as “President Putin,” had already sparked concerns.
Throughout the conference, Biden, 81, faced persistent questions about his age and fitness to serve another term, concerns that were amplified by his debate performance. Despite these challenges and growing calls from several Democratic politicians and donors for him to withdraw from the presidential race, Biden remained composed.
He repeatedly dismissed worries about his campaign, asserting that his focus was not on his legacy but on completing the work he started when he assumed office in 2021.
“If I slow down and can’t get the job done, that’s a sign I shouldn’t be doing it,” he said. “But there’s no indication of that yet.”
From different perspectives, President Joe Biden’s Thursday night news conference at the NATO summit was seen either as a display of resolute determination or a sign of denial regarding his precarious political standing.
Despite the high stakes, Biden, 81, appeared unfazed by the pressure to step down, prompted by his earlier missteps, such as confusing Ukraine’s President Zelensky with “President Putin” and referring to Vice-President Kamala Harris as “Vice-President Trump.”
These gaffes added fuel to the calls from several Democratic politicians and donors for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. The president, however, remained defiant, insisting that he is committed to completing his term and pushing his campaign forward.
He reassured the public of his capability to lead, despite continuous scrutiny over his age and cognitive abilities. Biden’s confident demeanor at the news conference, despite these stumbles, aimed to reassure his supporters and dispel doubts about his capacity to win another term and compete against his rival, Donald Trump.
The political landscape remains tense as more Democratic members of Congress join the call for Biden to step down, and his campaign must now grapple with whether this momentum will continue to build. Nonetheless, Biden maintains that the campaign is just beginning and expresses confidence in his ability to secure victory in the upcoming election.
The Democratic delegates who will officially back him as the party’s nominee at next month’s convention were free to change their minds as they pleased, he said, before mock whispering: “It’s not going to happen.”
He indicated that he might step aside if his staff provided data showing he couldn’t win, but current polls still suggest the race is very close. For example, an Ipsos survey released on Thursday showed Mr. Biden just one point behind his opponent, well within the margin of error.
Since the start of the year, support for both candidates has remained remarkably stable, despite the extraordinary controversies surrounding them.
However, polling alone won’t ease the anxiety among many Democratic officials, and the concerns hovering over Biden’s campaign are not easily dismissed. Reports suggest that more Democratic politicians are prepared to publicly break with the president, having waited until after the conclusion of the NATO summit to express their doubts.
President Joe Biden confirmedat the G7 summit in Italy that he would not intervene to reduce his son Hunter Biden’s prison sentence for a federal gun charge.
This statement comes a day after the White House chose not to address the matter.
Hunter Biden was convicted by a Delaware jury on Tuesday for falsifying information about his drug use during the purchase of a revolver in 2018.
“I said I abide by the jury decision. I will do that. And I will not pardon him,” the president said Thursday.
When questioned, Mr. Biden reiterated his stance that he would not exercise his presidential authority to commute or reduce his son’s sentence. Prior to the verdict, he had affirmed that he wouldn’t consider a pardon if his son was found guilty.
However, following the verdict, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment and referred to the president’s earlier statements.
In the United States, presidents can commute sentences for federal convictions, opting to lessen the punishment while keeping the conviction on record.
They also have the authority to issue full pardons, which erase convictions entirely. It’s important to note that these powers do not extend to cases tried at the state level.
“I’m extremely proud of my son, Hunter,” President Biden said during Thursday’s news conference. “He has overcome an addiction. He’s one of the brightest, most decent men I know. And I am satisfied that I’m not going to do anything.”
Hunter Biden entered a plea of not guilty to charges involving falsifying information about his drug use on a federal background check and possession of a firearm while allegedly addicted to or using drugs.
The 54-year-old claimed he was in recovery at the time of purchasing the gun in October 2018. Legal analysts suggest that despite facing a potential maximum sentence of 25 years, such a lengthy term is improbable.
There is ongoing debate among constitutional scholars regarding whether a president’s power to pardon extends to themselves. Notably, if elected in November,Donald Trump couldpotentially be the first to test this precedent in light of his pending federal criminal cases.
Attorneys representing formerPresident Donald Trump haverequested that the judge in his New York hush-money case lift the gag order now that the trial has ended.
In a letter sent to Judge Juan Merchan on Monday, Trump’s legal team argued that the court’s previous concerns no longer warrant ongoing restrictions on Trump’s right to free speech.
Last Thursday, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a payment intended to silence a pornographic actress who claims to have had a sexual encounter with him. The gag order, implemented on March 26, prohibited Trump from making public comments about witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff, and their families.
Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote in the letter to the judge that Trump should enjoy “unrestrained campaign advocacy”.
They say his case is “made even stronger” after his political opponent, US President Joe Biden, spoke publicly about the case. They add that Trump is currently unable to defend himself against “continued public attacks” by witnesses for the prosecution, like his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen and the porn star, Stormy Daniels.
The letter also mentions that on June 27, Trump will take part in the first presidential debate against Joe Biden. Judge Merchan will sentence Trump on July 11, which is four days before he is formally nominated by the Republican Party for president.
The judge has turned down his team’s several attempts in the past to have the gag order lifted. Judge Merchan threatened to put Trump in jail if he continued to break the gag order and fined him $10,000 (£7,800) during the trial.
“The last thing I want to consider is jail,” Judge Merchan told him in court. “You are [the] former president and possibly the next president.”
“Your continued willful violation of the court’s order…constitutes a direct attack…and will not be allowed to continue,” he said.The order still permitsTrump to criticise DistrictAttorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the case against Trump, and Judge Merchan.
Prosecutors had argued that the gag order was needed to “protect the integrity of this criminal proceeding and avoid prejudice to the jury”.
On Friday, Trump told reporters that he believed the gag order should have expired at the conclusion of the trial, and that his lawyers were seeking clarity from Judge Merchan.
“I’m under a gag order, nasty gag order,” he said at Trump Tower after the verdict. Referring to Cohen, a star witness for the prosecution, he said: “I’m not allowed to use his name because of the gag order.” Also on Friday, Mr Biden referred to Trump as a “convicted felon”, telling reporters at the White House, “it’s literally driving him crazy.”
President Joe Biden is poised toissue a comprehensive new executive order from the White House targeting the influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border, possibly as soon as Tuesday.
According to CBS, the order aims to expedite the deportation process for individuals entering the US unlawfully, bypassing asylum procedures once a daily threshold is reached.
This measure is intended to enable border officials to manage and restrict migrant arrivals more effectively, as outlined by three unnamed sources familiar with the forthcoming order.
Despite a significant decline in migrant arrivals this year, which some experts believe may not be sustainable, more than 6.4 million migrants have been intercepted crossing into the US illegally during Biden’s tenure—a historic high that has rendered him politically vulnerable as he seeks reelection.
Reports from CBS and other US media outlets suggest that Biden is considering leveraging a 1952 law to limit access to the American asylum system.
The law, known as 212(f), allows the US president to “suspend the entry” of foreigners if their arrival is “detrimental to the interests” of the country.
The Trump administration previously employed the same regulation to implement immigration and travel bans from several predominantly Muslim nations and to deny asylum to migrants apprehended crossing into the US unlawfully, prompting allegations of racism.
However, asylum processing at official ports of entry is anticipated to remain unaffected by the forthcoming order.
Approximately 1,500 asylum seekers utilise the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) app, CBP One, to schedule appointments and undergo processing daily at these ports.
Ahead of the president’s announcement, mayors from various border towns, such as Brownsville and Edinburg in Texas, were slated to attend the event in Washington.
Democratic lawmakers have reportedly been briefed on the plan, though the proposal is expected to face legal challenges, either from immigration advocates or Republican-led states.
A White House official informed the BBC on Friday that no definitive decisions had been reached regarding potential executive actions. Additionally, a White House spokesperson highlighted the failure of a bipartisan border security agreement earlier this year, citing opposition from Republicans in Congress.
“While Congressional Republicans chose to stand in the way of additional border enforcement, President Biden will not stop fighting to deliver the resources that border and immigrational personnel need to secure our border,” the spokesperson said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t00HS85TcU
“As we have said before, the administration continues to explore a series of policy options and we remain committed to taking action to address our broken immigration system,” the spokesperson added.
Republicans have criticizedPresident Biden’s border plan as a political tactic for the upcoming election year, arguing that existing US laws already address illegal immigration but are not adequately enforced by the Democratic administration.
This critique emerges amid decreasing numbers of migrant detentions at the US-Mexico border. According to recent CBP statistics, approximately 179,000 migrant “encounters” were documented in April, a notable decrease compared to the historic high of 302,000 recorded in December.
Both US and Mexican officials attribute this decline largely to increased enforcement efforts by Mexican authorities, although experts caution that these reductions may not be sustainable in the long term.
The decline in migrant crossings at the US border coincides with a politically sensitive period for President Biden, as immigration emerges as a key electoral concern for many voters in the upcoming November presidential election.
A Gallup poll conducted at the end of April revealed that 27% of Americans consider immigration the most pressing issue facing the country, surpassing concerns about the economy and inflation.
There is mounting pressure onUS President Joe Biden to authorize Ukraine to utilize weapons provided by Western nations to target Russian territory.
Several allies of the US have signaled their openness to this possibility after months of concerns about escalating tensions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued warnings of “serious consequences,” particularly for what he termed “small countries” in Europe.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, currently attending a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Prague, stated that Washington’s stance on the matter would “adapt and adjust” based on changing battlefield conditions.
Meanwhile, White House national security spokesman John Kirby emphasized that while US support for Kyiv has evolved, there have been no changes to existing policies.
Ukraine continues to grapple with countering a Russian offensive in its eastern regions, with Kharkiv enduring weeks of deadly attacks often launched from Russian military outposts near the Ukrainian border.
Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron made more direct comments, suggesting that Ukraine should be permitted to use weapons supplied by Western nations against military targets in Russian territory, albeit strictly avoiding civilian sites.
Mr Macron has for some time advocated for more direct intervention in the Ukraine war – but other Western leaders also appear to be softening to the idea.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has remained cautious in public but a spokesman in Berlin said that “defensive action is not limited to one’s own territory, but also includes the territory of the aggressor”.
Last week, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg told the Economist that the West should allow Ukraine to defend itself by striking military bases in Russia. “Ukraine has the right to defend themselves. And that includes striking targets on Russian territory,” he said.
UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said earlier this month that it was up to Ukraine to decide how to use British weapons, while this week the Polish Deputy Defence Minister said that Ukrainians could use Polish weapons “as they see fit”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said it was “unfair” for Western countries to impose limits on the use of their weapons, while acknowledging that Ukraine could not risk the support of its partners.
Russia has reacted angrily to the prospect of Western weapons being used against targets on Russian territory.
“In Europe, especially in small countries, they should be aware of what they are playing with,” Vladimir Putin said, noting that many European countries had “small territory” and a “dense population”.
The Russian leader added that responsibility for any strikes inside his country’s territory would lie with Western arms suppliers, even if Ukraine’s forces carried out the strikes.
Some Nato countries remain nervous about the prospect. On Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she did not think it necessary to hit Russian military bases and urged the West to supply more air defences to Ukraine instead.
However, it is thought Ukraine has already used some Western-supplied weapons for attacks on Russian territory, although it has done so without fanfare.
Latvia’s foreign minister, Baiba Braze, told Ukrainian media that some countries had already provided weapons “without conditions” to Ukraine but that “not everything” was said aloud.
Other countries have been more forthcoming in giving Ukraine permission to use their weapons inside Russia. The US has already supplied Ukraine with thousands of defensive weapons, tanks and air defence systems.
Since April, it has also sent Ukraine the longest-range version of ATACMS missiles, which can travel up to 190 miles (300km). Until now, Ukraine has been using drones to attack targets ever further into Russian territory.
Earlier this week it was reported that Ukrainian drones had managedto hit an early-warning radar near the city of Orsk, around 1,500km (932 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
US President Joe Biden has achieved a resounding victory in the Democratic primary in South Carolina. Following Saturday’s vote and with nearly all ballots counted, Biden secured all 55 pledged delegates, as projected by the BBC’s US partner CBS. This primary marks the first official contest within the Democratic Party leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
Facing limited competition within his party, President Biden aimed to position Republican Donald Trump as a “loser.” He fondly recalled how South Carolina voters played a crucial role in revitalizing his 2020 campaign and expressed confidence that they would pave the way for his victory in the 2024 presidential race.
Democrats Marianne Williamson and Dean Phillips lagged significantly behind Biden, with preliminary figures indicating they each secured only 2% of the votes. South Carolina’s diverse population, particularly its substantial Black community, played a pivotal role in Biden’s successful bid for the Democratic nomination in 2020.
In a January address to a predominantly Black audience in the state, Biden acknowledged their significance, stating, “You’re the reason I’m president. You’re the reason Donald Trump is a loser, and you’re the reason we’re gonna win and beat him again.”
Formally announcing his 2024 re-election bid in April 2023, Biden emphasized the country’s pivotal moment and his need for more time to “finish this job.” The President actively advocated for changes to his party’s rules, ensuring that South Carolina became the first state in the nomination process, with a campaign adviser highlighting the goal of reflecting the diversity of the Democratic Party.
A group from Iraq that is supported by Iran and is suspected of attacking with a drone in Jordan and killing three US soldiers, has stopped fighting against US forces.
Kataib Hezbollah, a group that is part of a larger organization, said they attacked to stop the Iraqi government from feeling ashamed.
The US defense department said: “Actions are more important than just saying things. ”
US President Joe Biden said he has a plan to respond to the attack, but he didn’t explain what it is.
Iran said it would fight back if anyone attacks what they care about.
The US has suggested that they might use force in different stages.
Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi said on Tuesday that they will stop attacking the occupation forces to avoid causing problems for the Iraqi government. However, they will still support the people in Gaza in different ways.
Three American soldiers were killed at a base near the border between Jordan and Syria by a type of Shahed drone. The drones were given to Russia by Iran and are designed for one-way attacks. This information was shared by a US official with CBS News, the BBC’s partner in the United States.
Many soldiers were hurt in the attack on Tower 22 while US forces were sleeping.
The US says Iran-backed groups are responsible, but they’re not sure if Kataib Hezbollah did it.
A Pentagon spokeswoman said it showed signs of the group’s involvement.
“Pat Ryder told reporters that what people do is more important than what they say, after the group put out their statement. ”
“He said there will be bad results. ”
At the same time, the US is making Tower 22 more secure. Around 350 US soldiers are there to fight against the Islamic State (IS) group.
More air defences are being sent to the base, a US official told CBS News on Tuesday. This includes a system made to stop drones.
What can the US do in response to the attack in Jordan.
“Iran is responsible for the attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement against ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner told media.
“He said we need to reply in a way that shows we’re not just going to keep defending. ”
He said that the US response will make Iran realize that the conflict will affect them directly.
MrBiden is thinking about different ways to get back at Iran, like attacking militia bases and leaders.
The US might also attack top leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iraq or Syria.
The US might also attack inside Iran. This would be the most serious action Mr. Biden could take.
In New York, the person representing Iran at the UN said that Iran will strongly react if attacked, no matter the reason. Iran’s news agency Irna reported this.
He also said that there were no messages sent between the US and Iran through other people in the last two days.
Iran has created a big group of friends who have weapons and help them in different countries in the Middle East. They all don’t like Israel and the US, and they call themselves the “Axis of Resistance”. But it’s not clear how much control Iran has over them.
The US says the IRGC and its Quds Force control co-ordination. The US calls both of them terrorist groups, also some other regional armed groups like Kataib Hezbollah.
The groups have increased their attacks on Israel, US forces, and other related targets since the war between Israel and Hamas began in Gaza in October. They say they are doing this to show support for the Palestinian people.
A lot of drone, rocket, and missile attacks have happened at US bases in Iraq and Syria since October 17. A group of Iran-backed militias called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for many of these attacks.
The US attacked groups associated with the IRGC, including Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
The attack on Sunday was the first time US troops were killed in the region since the Gaza war started, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for it.
Last month, the US bombed groups connected to Iran after three US soldiers were hurt in a drone attack on a base in northern Iraq. One soldier was hurt badly.
In January, a US attack in Baghdad took out a leader of Harakat al-Nujaba who was blamed for attacking US people.
Last week, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the attacks on three buildings in Iraq owned by Kataib Hezbollah and other groups were a direct response to a series of escalating attacks on US and other international forces in Iraq and Syria.
There has been a lot of pressure on President Biden to do something about the border between the US and Mexico as he tries to win a second term as president. He will probably compete against Mr. Trump again in the next election.
Immigration is a big topic in the election. People in Iowa and New Hampshire helped Mr. Trump win because they are worried about the border.
In December, over 9,500 people a day crossed the US-Mexico border, according to the US government.
Furthermore, some Republicans are saying that they will only give more aid to Ukraine if there is a deal made for border security. A border agreement is necessary for more money for Israel and Taiwan. Republicans in the House won’t support extra funding without it.
Mr Biden said something new and Senate leaders are trying to make some House members agree with a border deal that some of them want to cancel.
Leading Senate Republicans, such as Mitch McConnell, have encouraged them to approve it.
Mr Mc Connell said it was a special chance to get things done with a government that has different opinions, which wouldn’t happen if everyone agreed.
Mr Johnson has not indicated that he and his colleagues will agree to the deal. Earlier today, Mr. Johnson told reporters that the deal is not going to be accepted in its current form.
Sources reveal that US climate envoy John Kerry is set to resign from his position to focus on President Joe Biden‘s re-election campaign, according to officials briefed on the matter.
The former senator and secretary of state, who held the climate role for three years, will reportedly be involved in promoting Mr Biden’s work on combating global warming.
The 80-year-old conveyed his decision to his staff on Saturday.
In November, Americans will participate in the electoral process to choose their next president.
Mr Kerry’s departure follows the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, where he helped negotiate an agreement for countries to move away from using fossil fuels.
During his tenure, he also worked effectively with China despite strained diplomatic ties.
Alongside Beijing’s top climate official Xie Zhenhua, he pushed for their two countries – the largest emitters of greenhouse gases – to work towards tripling renewable energy globally by 2030.
“The climate crisis is a universal threat to humankind and we all have a responsibility to deal with it as rapidly as we can,” he said during a trip to the Chinese capital last year.
The former secretary of state was key to brokering the landmark 2015 Paris climate deal
As secretary of state under President Barack Obama, Mr Kerry was key to brokering the crucial 2015 Paris climate agreement.
That deal saw nearly the whole world for the first time support a common strategy to cut the greenhouse gas emissions which cause global warming.
Mr Biden has pledged to cut US emissions in half by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. Two years ago, he passed $369bn (£290bn; €337bn) worth of green subsidies through Congress in a landmark bill.
While carbon pollution from greenhouse gases in the US went down by almost 2% last year – this was not fast enough to meet the 2030 target, according to an independent research firm.
Mr Kerry is still expected to attend the Munich Security Conference next month and attend the World Economic Forum in Davos next week.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, warns the Houthis that there will be more punishment if they keep acting badly.
The US and UK did a lot of airstrikes on Friday. They targeted nearly 30 Houthi positions because the Houthis attacked ships in the Red Sea.
Five people were killed, and the group said they will take revenge.
Mr Biden said the attacks went well and he believes the Houthis are a “terrorist” group.
The Houthis said that 73 missiles were fired at Yemen during the attack. They said that the attack meant that UK and US interests are now okay to be targeted.
“The US and UK did something very stupid by attacking us,” said Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam.
John Kirby, a person who works in the White House, said that we don’t want to have a war with Yemen.
However, he said that Mr. Biden will not hesitate to take more action to protect our soldiers, buildings, and trade with other countries.
The Pentagon says the group might not be able to fight back with a big army right now.
“The Director of Operations, Lt Gen Douglas A Sims ll, said today that we saw a missile being fired, but it didn’t hit any ships. ”
Before, a UK maritime security group said that someone shot a missile at a boat near the south coast of Yemen, but no one got hurt and nothing was damaged.
The company Ambrey, which protects ships at sea, said that the Houthis made a mistake by attacking a tanker that was carrying Russian oil. They thought the ship was connected to the UK, but it wasn’t.
However, the US is saying they think Iran is helping the Houthi group with the resources to carry out the Red Sea attacks.
Tehran criticized the attacks on Yemen and said they broke international laws.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the strikes on Friday were not too much, but Turkey said Britain and the US are trying to make the Red Sea very dangerous.
BothSunak and Mr. Biden were criticized because they did not consult fully with their legislatures before launching the attacks.
The UK and US want to make it clear that the strikes were meant to protect shipping routes and were not related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, which they worry could cause more problems in the Middle East.
Many countries supported Israel after the Hamas attacks on 7 October. Around 1,300 people died and about 240 were taken hostage.
The Houthis are helping Hamas, a group in Gaza that Israel is attacking. So far, 23,350 people have died in the attacks, according to the health ministry in Gaza run by Hamas.
When the war started, the Houthis began attacking ships that they believed were going to Israel or had connections to Israel. They said these ships were fair game to attack.
So far, the Pentagon says that 27 ships have been attacked in the Red Sea. But it seems that many of the ships that were attacked are not military ships.
The Houthis are a big danger and now big ships are not going there and it costs 10 times more to insure them since December.
In the city of Sanaa in Yemen, which is controlled by the Houthi group, many people protested against the airstrikes by the US and UK.
“This rally is the first to speak out against the attack on Yemen last night,” one man told the Reuters news agency.
“This is also a message to Britain and the United States of America that they will suffer consequences for this attack. ”
Since October, there have been big rallies in Yemen to support the Palestinians and Gaza. This Friday’s rallies were even bigger than usual.
The Houthis are a group of fighters from a smaller group of Shia Muslims in Yemen called the Zaidis. They say they are part of the Iranian-led “axis of resistance” with Hamas and Hezbollah. They are against Israel, the US, and the wider West.
They have taken over a big part of north-western Yemen, including the biggest city, Sana’a, and are now the main government there since taking control in 2014.
The police said today that all protesters have left the area near Westminster Bridge. Police are still working in central London and are ready to handle more protests.
The United States President Joe Biden’s administration has once again authorized an emergency weapons sale to Israel, bypassing Congress, as Israel intensifies and broadens its attacks on the Gaza Strip, sparking international outrage.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed Congress of his second emergency determination in less than a month, approving a $147.5 million equipment sale to Israel, announced by the State Department on Friday.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against the threats it faces,” the State Department stated, citing the urgency of Israel’s defensive needs.
The package includes ancillary items necessary for Israel to manufacture the 155mm shells it had previously acquired. This emergency determination bypasses the usual congressional review process for foreign military sales, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to Israel’s security.
Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington, DC, highlighted the broader context, noting the Biden administration’s previous calls for Israel to reduce conflict intensity. Despite such calls, the emergency weapons sale provides Israel with the munitions required for a high-intensity campaign.
Ensuring Israel gets weapons to continue its intense phase of the war, while also urging it to lower the intensity of fighting, is “strategically self-defeating” for Washington, according to Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara, who called Friday’s decision “astounding”.
“One really has to look deep to see if there is any meaningful explanation for why the Biden administration wants to bypass Congress in order to expedite weapons to a country that is involved in war crimes,” he said on Saturday.
The move was “morally scandalous” given that the war has caused record damage and killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, Bishara said, but it is also “politically suspect in the sense that why would you want to bypass Congress twice in the same month? What is the urgency to bypass your own guidelines?”
On December 9, the Biden administration made another emergency determination to approve the sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106m.
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, criticised the US’s role in the war, saying: “While these crimes have been committed with Israeli hands, they were sponsored and backed up by the US administration.”
In a televised statement on Saturday, he added that the group holds the Biden administration “accountable for their direct role in sponsoring and orchestrating this ongoing genocide against our people”.
‘Record’ devastation
The move to expedite more weapons comes as Biden’s request for an enormous $106bn package that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and other perceived national security needs has yet to pass Congress, as it is entangled in a debate over US immigration and border security policies.
The Biden administration has tried to counter criticism over the mounting death toll in Gaza and continued US arms sales to Israel by saying it constantly maintains contact with Israel to stress the importance of minimising civilian casualties.
However, Luciana Zaccara, an associate professor in Gulf politics at Qatar University, told Al Jazeera it was pursuing a “dual-track” approach when it comes to the war.
“On the one hand they are trying to convince the public opinion that the US is really concerned about civilian casualties but also they keep sustaining Israel (militarily),” he said. “It is totally contradicting … it is hard to understand how this is in the national interest.”
The policy was especially perplexing in light of “mounting pressure” in the US, including among Democrats, against the war as civilian casualties in Gaza continue to rise, Zaccara said.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the war “is generating destruction comparable in scale to the most devastating warfare in the modern record”.
By mid-December, Israel had dropped 29,000 bombs, munitions and shells on Gaza, destroying or damaging nearly 70 percent of homes, the report said.
Some Democratic lawmakers have suggested further significant aid to Israel should be contingent on concrete promises by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to curb civilian casualties in Gaza.
More than 21,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the besieged enclave since October 7, most of them children and women, in what has been widely described as collective punishment. Thousands more are missing.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said on Saturday that Israeli authorities continue to impose “severe restrictions” on humanitarian access despite deliveries of aid from Egypt and through the Rafah crossing.
He also said they are “creating a stream of baseless misinformation” to accuse aid agencies over gaps in deliveries.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned again that the conflict could spread to the wider region if not halted immediately.
Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to officially start looking into Joe Biden, which could lead to him being removed from office.
It can be tough to quit.
Three out of the four times in the past, the House decided to impeach after taking this step. The only time it didn’t happen was because Richard Nixon quit before a vote could happen.
Republicans say that the president got advantages from his family’s business in other countries, even though they haven’t shown any clear proof yet.
In the short term, the House’s decision gives the investigating committees more authority to ask for documents and testimony and for judges to make sure those requests are followed. The Biden White House didn’t give some information because there was no formal vote, but now they might have to.
In the end, this vote could make it possible for House Republicans, who don’t have a big majority, to support impeachment in early 2024.
They have agreed to continue the process. If moderate Republicans in areas that voted for Biden in 2020 are going to be blamed for starting the investigation, they might decide it’s best to finish it.
The issue would go to the Senate, where the Democrats are in charge. It would need a two-thirds majority vote to find the president guilty and remove him from office.
No president in US history has ever reached that high standard. Some Republicans are worried that the vote on Wednesday shows that the impeachment process is being made less important.
Asa Hutchinson, a former congressman and current Republican running for president, was one of the people who argued against Mr. Clinton during his trial in 1999.
“He told the BBC that impeachment should only be used for very serious crimes. ” “That’s how the people who started our country made it. ” We don’t want to get into the back-and-forth argument between the two political parties about removing the president from the other side. “It’s a problem. ”
Worries or problems were not the most important thing on Wednesday. The investigations will keep going as we get closer to the November 2024 presidential election.
Republicans have always seen Joe Biden’s son Hunter as a problem for his father in politics. “If they can show that his business and personal behavior are connected to the president, they could hurt Joe Biden’s reputation with American voters. ”
A serious investigation to impeach Mr. Biden could cause big problems for him during the election. This is still true even if Republicans don’t have any solid proof connecting the president to his son’s wrongdoing.
We can’t predict what unexpected things will happen during this investigation. Although there is no proof directly connecting Mr. Biden to his son’s problems at work and in his personal life, having a lot of power can lead to unexpected outcomes.
Bill Clinton was in trouble for lying about having a relationship with a person who worked for him. It all started with an investigation into a real estate deal that went wrong. Hillary Clinton’s email server issue started because of an investigation into the death of a US ambassador in Libya.
Sometimes when people go fishing, they catch a fish.
If nothing is found, people might still think Biden is corrupt, which could hurt his reputation.
Republicans might use impeachment and Hunter Biden’s legal issues to distract from the legal troubles of their likely presidential nominee, Donald Trump.
People are discussing when to start the impeachment process to distract from a possible federal trial for Trump in March. He is being charged with trying to overturn the 2020 election.
In a country where people already don’t like politicians, the upcoming election next year might make things even worse.
Kerry and the US team are working hard to win in Dubai, worrying that if Trump becomes president again, their work will be undone.
President Trump said the US would not be part of the Paris agreement in 2017. In 2024, if he wins again, he plans to do a lot of drilling for oil.
The agreement released yesterday didn’t meet the US goal to get rid of fossil fuels without using technology to capture their carbon.
Kerry said in a private meeting that this was the final opportunity to keep the global temperature from rising by more than 1. 5 degrees Celsius
“Kerry asked world leaders to use less fossil fuels,” according to reports.
“I think many of you here don’t want to be involved in a fake act. ”
US representatives say it’s really important for the world to agree on something strong. They also say it’s important for Joe Biden to be elected as president again.
Young people who care about the environment were important supporters of Biden in the 2020 election.
Many people are not happy with Joe because of his actions in Gaza and allowing oil drilling on public lands.
Joe Biden said that if the fighting in Gaza keeps going, it will give Hamas what they want.
The President of the United States said that Hamas started fighting on October 7th because they are afraid of Israelis and Palestinians living peacefully together.
“He said that if we keep fighting and causing harm, we will be giving Hamas what they want. ”
His tweet made people confused. Some people wondered if Biden was suggesting that the US might be less strict in the conflict.
Biden did not support stopping the fighting because he didn’t think it would help make peace between Israel and Hamas.
“He wrote in an article that as long as Hamas wants to destroy things, a ceasefire is not real peace. ”
However, a high-ranking official from Biden’s administration told Jewish Insider that his message on social media was “not a change in policy”. The official added that the message was a shortened version of a longer speech he gave last week.
“He said we should not give up hope for peace in the region. It’s very important to keep working towards a lasting peace through a two-state solution. “
The US president, Joe Biden talked about a potential hostage deal at a Thanksgiving ceremony a few hours ago.
Answering reporters at the ceremony when he was asked if a deal was close, Biden said “I think so” while crossing his fingers.
This came after a White House national security official named Jon Finer said on Sunday that people trying to make a deal were “closer than we have been perhaps at any point since these negotiations began weeks ago”.
Qatar’s Prime Minister said over the weekend that they are close to bringing back the hostages.
The Joined together States and China have concurred to continue a working bunch on climate participation and vowed a major ramp-up of renewable vitality, the two sides reported Wednesday ahead of a leaders’ summit in San Francisco, as the world’s two biggest polluters look for to overcome their geopolitical pressures to handle the climate emergency.
The declaration came hours some time recently US President Joe Biden and Chinese pioneer Xi Jinping are set to sit down on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Financial Participation summit for their to begin with conversation in a year – a profoundly expected assembly pointed at stabilizing rough relations.
Participation on climate alter has long been seen as a uncommon shinning spot in an something else troublesome US-China relationship strained by pressures over exchange, innovation, human rights and geopolitics. But indeed that shinning spot had darkened over the past year, with Beijing cutting off climate talks with Washington in striking back for a high-level US visit to Taiwan final summer.
The explanation on Wednesday, discharged independently by the US State Division and China’s Service of Environment and Environment, taken after days of gatherings between US climate emissary John Kerry and his Chinese partner Xie Zhenhua at the Sunnylands withdraw in California prior this month. The two emissaries moreover met in Beijing for talks this summer.
The two sides chosen to “operationalize” a suspended respective working bunch to “engage in discourse and participation to acknowledge concrete climate actions” in this decade, agreeing to the articulation. That working bunch was to begin with proposed by Kerry and Xie in 2021 at the Joined together Countries climate summit in Glasgow, but has been on hold since Eminent final year.
The articulation too promises a major ramp-up of renewable vitality counting wind, sun oriented, and battery capacity to assist run each country’s gigantic power sector – particularly to require the put of planet-warming fossil fills like coal, oil and gas.
China and the US committed to “sufficiently quicken renewable vitality deployment” in their economies until the conclusion of 2030 to speed up “the substitution for coal, oil and gas.” They moreover swore to bolster endeavors to “triple renewable vitality capacity all inclusive by 2030,” and said they arrange to genuinely diminish emanations from their control division inside this decade.
Both nations concurred to economy-wide diminishments of all nursery gasses in their worldwide climate commitments for 2035, counting carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrofluorocarbons. The understanding includes endeavoring to cut emanations in line with keeping worldwide temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius – a significant edge over which researchers say climate alter impacts such as heatwaves and dry seasons will gotten to be troublesome for people and whole biological systems to adapt to.
The articulation marks the primary time China has formally expressed its aim to control the discharge of all nursery gas outflows – not fair carbon dioxide as laid out in its current climate objectives, said a Chinese climate researcher in Beijing, who talkedon the condition of anominity as he did not get endorsement to talk to the media.
“Under the current political environment, both parties have attempted their best to discover a few down to earth and attainable focuses that can be progressed. It is exceptionally pragmatic,” the researcher said.
Li Shuo, the chief of China Climate Center at the Asia Society Arrangement Organized, said China’s vow to set discharge targets for all nursery gas outflows was seemingly the foremost outstanding point within the articulation.
“Carbon dioxide is as it were one of the nursery gasses. Non-carbon dioxide gasses such as methane still account for a impressive share of China’s nursery gas emissions,” he said.
“If you don’t incorporate them, you’re not really covering a noteworthy parcel of the country’s whole emissions.”
China had already committed to cresting its emanations “before 2030,” but has not indicated precisely when it would do so. But there are signs that the country’s rapid buildout of wind and sun based may well be beginning to uproot coal; a Carbon Brief examination discharged this week said China’s emanations may begin to drop following year – and seem forecast a broader move descending.
Still, indeed with the guarantees of a critical ramp-up of renewables, there were no express words from China on whether it would stage out or stage down its utilize of coal – the foremost contaminating shape of fossil fuel.
The Sunnylands articulation moreover comes three weeks some time recently the yearly UN climate conference known as COP28, which is being held this year in Dubai. Other nations are as often as possible observing for signs of participation between the world’s two greatest emitters – which can set the tone and pace for the yearly conference.
Li, at the Asia Society, said the Sunnylands articulation was a “timely exertion of adjusting the US and China” ahead of COP28, as their engagement is “a precondition for important worldwide progress.”
But he said the challenging US-China relationship implied the climate understanding between them would as it were be “floor setting”, not “tone setting” – and COP 28 has its work cut out for it.
“The US-China talks will offer assistance stabilize the legislative issues when nations meet within the UAE, but basic issues such as fossil fuel stage out still require much political efforts. China moreover ought to consider what assist aspiration can be brought to the COP. Halting the endorsement of unused coal control ventures may be a great next step,” he included.
The health department in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, reported that over 10,000 individuals have died in the Palestinian area since Israel began bombing it a month ago.
The ministry reported that over 4,000 children were among the people who died.
The number of people killed in Gaza during Israel’s conflicts with Hamas since 2007 is higher than the United Nations’ estimate of around 5,400.
Israel started attacking Gaza after Hamas murdered 1,400 individuals and took over 200 hostages on October 7th.
It means that it is breaking down Hamas’ buildings and killing its soldiers in order to stop Hamas from being able to harm Israel anymore.
US President Joe Biden has doubted the correctness of the health ministry’s statistics, while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) caution against trusting information from a terrorist organization.
But, last week, Richard Brennan, who works for the World Health Organization (WHO) and is in charge of emergencies in the region, said that he trusted the numbers given by the health ministry. He is based in Cairo.
“We believe that the systems for managing information that the health ministry has implemented are effective,” he stated, also noting that the data gathered over the years has been reliable.
On Sunday night, the Israeli military attacked the Gaza Strip very intensely. They have now said that in the last 24 hours, they hit 450 places.
The health ministry controlled by Hamas said that over 200 people were killed in the overnight attacks.
The head of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said to the BBC that due to communication problems, people were using donkeys and their own cars to transport dead bodies instead of using ambulances.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that there has been no communication in Gaza for the third time since the war started, and they have lost contact with their teams.
On Monday morning, communication was fixed, but it is still hard to get information from Gaza City.
The Israeli military has said that its soldiers have now reached the coast in the southern part of Gaza City. This means that they have effectively split the territory into two separate parts.
The leaders of important UN groups have made a rare statement together. They are asking for a quick ceasefire to help people in need. They are saying that the situation has gone on for too long and needs to stop now.
“For nearly a month, the entire world has been closely observing the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian area with shock and horror. The increasing number of lives lost and families torn apart has been deeply distressing,” explained the leaders of the United Nations.
US President Joe Biden went to Maine to meet people from the community who were directly affected by a shooting where 18 people were killed.
On 25 October, there was an attack at a place where people play bowling and go to a bar in the town of Lewiston. This attack also caused injuries to 13 people.
Mr Biden stood outside the bowling alley and said again that he wants assault-style rifles to be banned.
However, he was unable to make such a big change even when his fellow Democrats were in control of both Congress chambers.
Mr Biden said that as we feel sad in Maine today, this tragedy is causing a lot of pain throughout the entire country.
He said that the attack should make Congress act quickly to create and pass new laws about guns.
“He said that no matter our political beliefs, the main goal is to safeguard our ability to freely visit places like bowling alleys, restaurants, schools, and churches without the fear of getting shot and losing our lives. ”
The shooting was done by a person who is 40 years old and serves in the US Army part-time. This caused a search for the person for three days.
The attack started at Just-In-Time Recreation, a place where bowling leagues play. Then, the gunman went to Schemengees Bar & Grille, which was hosting a cornhole tournament.
A grandfather, a skilled young bowler, and four people from a deaf cornhole team were killed.
Sean Gosselin, who lives in the area, told the BBC that although it has been tough, the town is gradually going back to feeling normal and dealing with the situation as well as possible.
On Thursday, Mr Gosselin said a lot of people from the town gathered to watch the Lewiston Blue Devils, the local high school’s football team, play against their rivals from Auburn, a nearby town.
“It represents strength and determination,” he said, “of not giving up and moving forward, while still acknowledging the suffering of the victims of this terrible crime. ”
The shooting in Lewiston was the most serious of the year in the US and the most serious in Maine’s history.
The person who committed the crime, Robert Card, was found dead from shooting himself after a few days from when he killed people.
MrBiden has asked Republican lawmakers to allow victims of shootings to hold gun manufacturers legally responsible for their products.
On Friday, people who support guns and use social media criticized the president for asking for more control over guns.
The Truth About Guns shared a post from someone with conservative views who was wondering why Mr. Biden didn’t give his speech in Chicago, which is known for having a lot of shootings this year and is mostly dominated by Democratic party supporters.
Maine officials are having a hard time understanding how the Lewiston shooter was allowed to legally get guns, even after his Army Reserve unit warned about his mental health problems.
Maine’s Democratic Governor, Janet Mills, expressed gratitude for Mr. Biden’s consistent and strong support for the state following the shooting.
As the head of the Navy, she is the first woman to join a special group of high-ranking military officers called the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Her appointment was accepted with a vote of 95 in favor and 1 against, as the Senate made an effort to fill important positions in military leadership.
A senator from the Republican party is trying to stop the appointment of military personnel because they disagree with the Pentagon’s policy on abortion.
The person is a 38-year veteran of the Navy. They used to be in charge of the US 6th Fleet and US naval forces in South Korea, and they also commanded a group of aircraft carriers.
President Joe Biden nominated a woman for the first time to lead a military service branch of the Pentagon.
The US Coast Guard is led by a woman named Admiral Linda Fagan. However, instead of being part of the Department of Defense, it falls under the Department of Homeland Security.
Senators also took up two other important positions.
General David Allvin became the top officer in the US Air Force and Lt Gen Chris Mahoney became the second-in-command of the Marine Corps. This happened quickly because the Commandant of the Marine Corps had a heart attack.
Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville has been stopping the Democrat-led Senate from approving almost 400 military promotions for the past nine months. He opposes a Pentagon policy that covers the travel costs of service members who need to go to another state for an abortion.
On Wednesday night, the Republicans disagreed with him for the first time and loudly stated the names of 61 people to vote on each one separately, which went around his refusal.
Alaska Republican Dan Sullivan criticized Mr. Tuberville for punishing the careers of US troops. He mentioned that these soldiers had nothing to do with a policy dispute and had no authority to resolve it.
Many military officials and lawmakers believe that he is endangering the safety of the United States during the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that both groups need to cooperate to make sure our military is fully ready and has all the resources it needs to protect the American people, especially during this difficult time.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he is happy that some job assignments have been approved, but he also said that the extremely long wait to confirm our military’s top leaders has harmed our military’s preparedness and created unnecessary burdens on military families.
“He said in a statement that these individuals are excellent leaders who have served their country for many years. He is confident that they will continue to be great leaders of our group as they address the important national security concerns we face during these difficult times. ”
However, we still have over 370 highly qualified leaders who have had their nominations delayed for no good reason.
US President Joe Biden announced that Uganda, Gabon, Niger, and the Central African Republic will no longer be part of a special trade program between the US and Africa.
The president said that some countries either did really bad things to people’s rights or weren’t getting better at being a democracy.
In 2000, the United States created the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa).
It lets certain countries in sub-Saharan Africa trade goods with the US without having to pay taxes for over 1,800 different products.
President Biden said that Niger and Gabon cannot receive benefits from Agoa because they have not shown enough progress in establishing political freedom and the rule of law. Both countries are currently being governed by the military due to recent coups.
He also said that the CAR and Uganda were removed from the programme because their governments did really bad things to people’s rights.
In May, the US government said it might take Uganda out of Agoa and impose punishments on the country because of a law it passed against homosexuality that many people disagreed with.
The law that punishes people with death if they are caught doing certain same-sex activities has been strongly criticized around the world.
President Biden said in a letter to the speaker of the US House of Representatives that even though the United States has been working closely with the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, and Uganda, these countries have not been meeting the criteria required to be eligible for Agoa.
The four countries have not responded to the announcement yet.
They will be kicked out of Agoa starting next year, and this is likely to hurt their economies because Agoa has been helping them sell more things, grow their economy, and create jobs.
The US government is considering excluding Niger and Gabon from Agoa. This is because the countries are currently being led by military governments.
Last week, the US State Department said that it had stopped giving most help to Gabon from other countries, and would only start again if Gabon’s temporary government starts doing things in a fair and open way.
In August, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that the US is temporarily stopping some aid programs that help the government of Niger.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea were once kicked out of Agoa because they had military takeovers in their countries.
The crisis is causing new problems for President Biden’s administration. It is making people pay more attention to the current chaos in Congress and could make the 2024 US elections more uncertain.
The American people usually don’t pay much attention to events happening in other countries. However, when they see terrible pictures of innocent people dying in the Middle East, especially when Americans are involved, they will definitely be interested in and concerned about this story.
The argument and accusations start.
Joe Biden‘s critics are already blaming him for the violence in Israel.
They have blamed Iran for planning the attack and claim that US actions towards Iran, such as letting them sell more oil and access frozen assets, in exchange for freeing American prisoners, showed American “weakness”.
A high-ranking government official said on Saturday that the accusation was silly. They explained that only groups not from Iran have been able to use the $6 billion, and it can only be used for helping people in need.
Former president Donald Trump said in a speech in New Hampshire that he wants to bring back all US punishments on Iran and impose a travel ban on all predominantly Muslim countries affected by terrorism.
Mr Trump highlighted his achievement of negotiating the Abraham Accords between Israel and two Gulf states as an example of progress towards peace in the Middle East.
But some experts think that by not addressing the Palestinian issue, the agreements between Israel and Saudi Arabia and the efforts by the Biden administration to improve their relations could have made the Hamas attack more likely. One of the people running against Mr. Trump for president, Governor Ron DeSantis from Florida, said that Democratic administrations have been too lenient on Iran.
“Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that this was ultimately an attack carried out by the Iranians. ” Both Biden and Obama had a positive view of Iran in their US policy.
Most Republicans criticized Mr. Biden the most, but there were also some disagreements within the party about their views on intervening in foreign affairs, which used to be a common practice among Republican presidents.
Former vice-president Mike Pence took the opportunity to criticize some of his Republican rivals for having views that he believes are focused on protecting their own country and being separate from the rest of the world.
“We must definitely speak up and criticize the leaders in the Republican Party,” he stated in a message sent out by his campaign. “Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis are individuals who promote peaceful settlements, but I think their ideas go against our party’s long-standing belief that America should take charge as the leader of the free world. ”
A House divided
On Monday morning, Kevin McCarthy, who used to be the Speaker of the House, joined other Republicans in blaming Mr. Biden’s decisions for making the attack possible.
Mr McCarthy was affected by a revolt among conservative individuals with right-wing beliefs, and his removal has stopped the chamber from making any progress until Republicans can come together and agree on a new speaker – a process that might take a few more days at least.
Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who came up with and led the effort against the then-speaker, said that he doesn’t believe his actions made it harder for the US Congress to help Israel. He pointed out that America gives Israel $3 billion in military aid each year.
Israel is not requesting anything that we cannot do. It will take us a few days to choose a new speaker. People don’t think too much about Mr. McCarthy’s political career. It was a chance for Mr. McCarthy’s supporters to criticize a colleague they strongly dislike again.
“I observe the world and the various dangers present,” said Michael McCaul, head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Sunday. “What are we showing our opponents when we can’t lead, when we’re not working well, when we don’t even have a Speaker of the House. ”
The Biden administration has stated that they don’t think it’s necessary to have a aid package for Israel approved by Congress right now. However, two important people informed US senators today that they believe new help should be given alongside ongoing support for Ukraine, all in one package.
Some Republicans are against giving more money to Ukraine. We don’t know if this disagreement will make it more likely or less likely for the aid package to pass. The post on social media by Senator Josh Hawley, who is a member of the Republican party, appeared to indicate this.
He said that Israel is in great danger and could potentially cease to exist. “Money for Ukraine should be given to Israel right away instead. ”
Currently, people who believe in democracy are supporting widely.
If the Israel crisis has shown divisions among Republicans, the same cannot be said for divisions among Democrats – at least for now.
The Democratic Party used to strongly support Israel, but that has changed as the party has moved left. They now criticize the right-wing government of Israel and its aggressive building of settlements in the occupied territories.
In January 2023, a survey by Gallup found that more Democrats felt supportive towards Palestinians (49%) than Israelis (38%) for the first time in the 22-year history of the poll.
However, the violent and on-going attack by Hamas on innocent Israeli people has made it difficult to notice these differences within the group.
Some very liberal groups have shown support for the Palestinians, but most Democrats have been vocal in their support for Israel and quick to criticize any disagreement from their own party.
Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib from Michigan and Cori Bush from Missouri, who are known for openly criticizing Israel, expressed their condolences for both Israeli and Palestinian civilians who have been killed. They also urged for the United States to stop providing financial support to Israel. Some people in the same political party criticized their comments.
Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey expressed his strong disapproval of the Israeli people having to mourn their family members who were shot in their homes. He criticized the idea of Congress removing financial support from Israel, a country that is considered a democratic ally of the United States. The congressman thinks this would only lead to harm and suffering for innocent civilians. Ms Bush and Ms Tlaib are currently not supported by most people in their political group. Bernie Sanders, a leader of the progressive left, strongly condemned the terrible attack and expressed his disapproval in a statement on Saturday.
“There is no reason for this violence, and many innocent people from both sides will suffer greatly as a result,” he wrote on social media.
As more news focuses on the Israeli ground campaign in Gaza instead of Israeli civilian deaths, Democrats may start to feel the same way they did earlier this year.
The situation in the Middle East has changed a lot in just a few days. The current crisis in the US is likely to have unpredictable effects on domestic politics due to the existing conflicts and divisions among different groups.
The prosecutors say that Mr. Biden, who is 53 years old, did not tell the truth about using drugs when he filled out the forms to buy the weapon in 2018.
Mr Biden admitted to using a lot of crack cocaine, but he says he didn’t do anything illegal.
If he is found guilty of the three federal charges, he could be sent to prison for a maximum of 25 years.
He was accused of telling lies twice and owning a gun illegally. The charges are about him buying a gun at a store in Delaware in October 2018. He had the gun for about 11 days.
According to Mr. Biden, as he wrote in his book published in 2021, he was heavily addicted to something at that time.
Two of the charges against him say that he could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison. This is because there are claims that Mr. Biden was not honest about his drug use on official documents. A third charge, linked to him having a gun while using drugs, can result in a sentence of up to five years.
In September, Mr. Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, filed a document in court where they asked for Mr. Biden to appear in court remotely instead of in person. In that document, Lowell also stated that Mr. Biden would say he is not guilty.
He showed up on Tuesday in a courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware – where the Bidens live.
Hallie Biden, who is the widow of Hunter’s brother Beau, found the gun in his car, which is the main point of the case. Biden threw the weapon into a trash can because she was worried he might use it to harm himself.
It was found and given back to the store, but not before it caused the police in Delaware and the US Secret Service to look into it separately.
In June, prosecutors and Hunter Biden’s lawyers made a deal. Hunter Biden agreed to admit that he had a gun illegally and he also promised to get help for his addiction and be watched by authorities. In simpler terms, he would also get in trouble for not paying his taxes on time in 2017 and 2018, but with smaller charges called misdemeanors.
The judge, Maryellen Noreika, said she couldn’t simply approve the agreement without reviewing it carefully. She also said that the solution to the gun charge in the deal was not normal.
The tax charges were dropped in August, but prosecutors might bring them back again in Washington DC or California.
In September, Mr. Biden sued the Internal Revenue Service. He claimed that two of their agents wanted to purposely focus on him and make him feel ashamed by sharing his private tax information.
This situation could imply that Hunter Biden might have to go to court for a potential crime, at the same time his father is running for president again.
Mr Biden is going to visit car workers in the area before his main competitor, Donald Trump, does the same thing.
The White House announced that the president will not participate in negotiations, but he will still give a speech.
Mr Biden has proudly claimed to be the president who supports labor unions the most in the history of the United States.
US lawmakers and presidential candidates often visit strikes to show support for American workers. however, it is unusual for a current president to do the same.
In September, the UAW went on strike against Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. They were demanding better wages and other improvements in their new labor contracts.
The White House was very involved in settling a disagreement between rail workers in 2022. The White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters on Monday that they were not going to participate in negotiations. She did not give an answer about whether Mr. Biden supports the current UAW proposal.
Ms Jean-Pierre said that Mr. Biden is visiting Michigan to demonstrate our backing for the car industry employees.
“To make it clear, he is supporting them to ensure they receive an equal portion,” she said.
The White House said that Mr Biden would visit the UAW workers last week, after Mr Trump said he would not attend the Republican presidential debate on September 27th in California. Instead, he would go to Detroit, which is where cars and trucks are made in the US.
On his social media site called Truth Social, Mr. Trump expressed his anger and claimed he had initiated the presidential visit.
“Joe Biden, who is not honest, didn’t plan to visit the United Autoworkers until I said I was going to Michigan to support them and assist them,” he stated.
The president of the UAW group, Shawn Fain, invited Mr. Biden to visit their members. Shawn Fain has sometimes said negative things about Mr.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump, who has not been invited by the UAW, promised that auto workers will be in trouble if they don’t support him and if he doesn’t win the election.
MrBiden and Mr. Trump, who is currently leading in the race to become the Republican nominee, are both making visits to an important region called the Rust Belt. This region is crucial for both Republicans and Democrats in terms of winning elections. The Rust Belt is known for having a lot of blue-collar workers, such as members of the UAW (United Auto Workers) union, who play a significant role in voting.
The competition for votes in Michigan is expected to be very fierce. Democrats just barely won the state in the 2020 presidential election, even though they had lost there in 2016.
In 2020, the UAW supported Mr Biden for President. However, for the 2024 election, they haven’t chosen a favorite candidate yet. They believe that any candidate who wants their support must prove they deserve it.
MrBiden’s visit to the picket line is happening at the same time when his administration is working towards increasing electric vehicle production in the United States. Some union members are worried because they think that electric vehicles need less workers to make them, and they might be made in factories that are not part of the union and pay workers much less money.
After a meeting with his advisors at the White House, Biden once again shared his opinion with Zelensky that Russia is the main obstacle to peace. He also mentioned reports about Russia moving many Ukrainian children within its own borders.
Biden said on Thursday afternoon that what they did to your children is very wrong and should be considered a crime.
Biden said that Russia can stop this right away. The new package provides money for Ukraine to buy things that can help them protect themselves against Russia, such as air defense equipment, weapons to use against tanks, and cluster bombs. This is the 47th batch of equipment that the Pentagon is giving to Ukraine since August 2021.
Biden said the new help package will keep Ukraine safe and protect important places like grain silos, hospitals, schools, and power plants. It will also help save lives in Ukraine.
Zelensky spent the day trying to get support at the White House and Capitol. He said the trip was very important because he met with lawmakers and the Biden administration. His second visit to the US was not as extravagant as his first visit during the war when lawmakers welcomed him eagerly.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy did not ask Zelensky to give a speech to Congress together because he said there wasn’t enough time. Some Republicans are starting to doubt and hesitate about sending millions of dollars to Ukraine because they think Kyiv’s counteroffensive is not progressing quickly enough.
But Biden repeated that the United States will support Ukraine. When a reporter asked Zelensky if Congress members promised him any money, Biden interrupted and said: ‘I trust that the United States Congress will make good decisions. ‘ There is no other option available.
Zelensky gave a heartfelt speech at the National Archive, where he thanked the Americans. He pointed out the similar beliefs about democracy that Americans and Ukrainians have.
Zelensky said that every person in Ukraine is thankful to America. ‘To you, the people who assist us not out of obligation but because you genuinely care and can’t help but do so. ’
Since President Zelensky of Ukraine was present in the room, Joe Biden didn’t talk much about Ukraine in his speech. But he spoke honestly and confidently.
In simpler terms, he said that the US will continue to strongly support because it’s important to defend basic principles like sovereignty, territorial integrity, and human rights. He said that if Russia can harm Ukraine, then no country can feel safe. The group from Ukraine was paying close attention and showed their approval by clapping.
President Biden made a commitment that the United States will keep supporting and protecting freedom. He needs to convince the American people and his fellow Republicans that spending billions of dollars to support Ukraine’s defense is worthwhile.
Biden wanted to show how he thinks the US can lead in fighting climate change, poverty, and Ukraine. Discussing new collaborations in the regions of Indo-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. Claiming to be a leader in addressing all the major global issues.
Today’s speech was a request for every country to follow the basic ideas that the United Nations was built upon. And a reason for them to keep thinking of America as the main country that protects its own independence, promotes peace, and helps people thrive.
“We were very scared,” said a 56-year-old woman named Jayanti Devi, while trying to save what remained of her things in the center of New Delhi. They broke everything. We don’t have anything remaining.
For the last 30 years, her house has been on a broken pavement, next to a dirty sewage drain, across from the large Pragati Maidan complex, which is an important meeting place in India’s capital. This week, leaders from the Group of 20 (G20) countries will gather there.
However, when US President Joe Biden, France’s Emmanuel Macron, or British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak come for the important summit, they will not see the actual residence.
Devi is one of many poor people living in New Delhi who have been forced to leave their homes before the G20 meeting. The government is demolishing houses in different parts of the city.
The government is tearing down buildings because they are considered “illegal”. They also promised to find new homes for the people who are being affected by this demolition.
However, some people who work to bring about change have raised concerns about the timing of these demolitions. They believe that instead of focusing on making the city more beautiful, the demolitions are actually a part of a plan to remove the city’s beggars and slums in order to impress important visitors from other countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to show that India is a powerful, advanced country that leads other developing nations and speaks up for poor countries at the G20 summit. However, people are saying that the government is keeping a big problem that has been around for a long time a secret.
Social activist Harsh Mander, who helps homeless families and street children, says that he is most surprised by the fact that India, as a country, feels embarrassed about its obvious poverty. “It wants to hide poverty from people who visit. ”
In July, the Indian government said in writing to parliament that they didn’t think demolishing homes had anything to do with the G20 summit.
This city has both very rich people living in big and beautiful houses, as well as very poor families living on the streets nearby. In this city, children sell toys to people in cars when they stop at traffic lights. This city brings in a lot of business, but there are not enough jobs for everyone who wants them.
According to a report from the Centre for Policy Research, out of the 16 million people living in the capital, only 23. 7% of them live in neighborhoods that were planned or approved.
The others live in specific slums, villages, and places that were not officially approved.
In April, Savita and her four daughters felt very sad and worried when government officials came to their neighborhood, which was not approved, near the 14th century Tughlaqabad Fort, a famous monument in Delhi. The officials destroyed their small house and everything inside, erasing all the memories they had from the past seven years. “I can’t describe how sad everyone was when they destroyed the houses,” Savita said. “Many people were shouting, crying, and pleading for them to cease. ”
According to court documents seen by CNN, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) demolished the homes of Savita and her neighbors. ASI says that Savita and her neighbors illegally built their homes on the land. According to court documents, in January the ASI told the residents to remove any illegal buildings they had built within 15 days and at their own expense.
The ASI did not reply when people asked for their opinion or response.
Savita said she knew her family was buying land in a place they weren’t supposed to when they built their home in 2016.
“We were aware of the danger involved. ” “We don’t have much money, so this is the only thing we can buy,” she explained. “Many individuals have resided in this place for more than 40 years. ” Why didn’t the government tear down these houses sooner. Why is it happening now. People without a home or enough food to eat.
Over 100,000 people in the Tughlaqabad area lost their houses in April, as stated in a petition filed by a lawyer who is helping them, in the Supreme Court.
Many people, like Savita’s family, had to live outside because they didn’t have anywhere to go or money to rent an apartment. They had to use tarpaulin sheets as a makeshift shelter on the rough ground, even though the city was experiencing heavy rains and floods.
During the day, they asked nearby police officers for bread to split between the six of them. One night, she said that some men attempted to steal her neighbor’s daughter by dragging her into the dark woods while she was screaming.
Savita cried while saying, “We went through this tough time for six weeks. ” Her daughters were sad and isolated because they had to study next to piles of trash while stray dogs and cows searched through rotting food.
This has happened before when the Indian government removed slums before a big international event.
In 2010, when the Indian National Congress (who are now not in power) was in charge, they made beggars leave the streets of New Delhi and destroyed slums before the Commonwealth Games. This caused a lot of disruption and affected the lives of many people in the capital.
Mander, who helps people in the community, said it was not right for the government to focus on low-income families who live on land without permission.
Mander said that the government does not accept that these poor people have been made to do illegal things. This city was designed so that there are no legal places for them to live. The destructions are happening very cruelly.
The Delhi government plans to help Savita and her family get back on their feet. However, Savita hasn’t received any assistance yet and is currently fighting her case in court. Her family is currently staying with a family member in a small apartment in a crowded and cramped area.
The strong smell of cow poop fills the small streets, where many flies gather outside houses and skinny cats wander around the narrow paths.
Savita said that her kids don’t enjoy being here. “They want to know why this is happening to us. ” What should I say to them.
India, with a population of 1. 4 billion, has become a leader of countries in the Global South since becoming president of the G20. This comes at a time when people are struggling with high prices for food and energy due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Modi believes that India is a powerful and modern country, representing and advocating for those who are ignored and taking charge in the 21st century. Earlier this month, India accomplished a successful soft moon landing. This made India the fourth country in the world to achieve this.
Modi, while he was in the United States in June, talked to Congress and said that it is important to listen to and represent the countries in the southern part of the world.
As the war continues to make the global economy unstable and unpredictable, India has shown that it wants to address the various issues faced by developing countries, such as climate change problems and ensuring there is enough food and energy for everyone.
Modi said in February that the G20 has a big responsibility to help with issues like growth, development, economic strength, disaster protection, financial stability, crime, corruption, terrorism, and food and energy security.
However, people who fight for change highlight the funny part in that picture when the poorest people in India are finding it difficult to survive in their own homes.
Mander said that people are dying on the streets during the cold winter and we are tearing down homes. Everyone should have the basic right to be alive and to live with respect and honor.
Savita stood among the broken pieces of her house, which she had lived in for seven years. She said that she had many hopes and plans for her family.
I wanted my kids to grow up in this place. She said she wanted to provide them with a stable childhood.
Right now, security guards are walking around the Tughlaqabad area as workers are building a wall to close off the land. “Residents angrily asked the guards where they were on the day bulldozers took away our home. ” “Why didn’t you come to assist us. ”
Devi, who used to live in Pragati Maidan, now has to live in a temporary tent by the road because of the scorching summer heat.
She says no one has assisted her in finding another place to live.
She sells tea and snacks to make enough money to survive. She is surrounded by garbage that is rotting away and there is an open sewage drain nearby. This drain attracts many mosquitoes and flies. She feels very sad and like she has no one to help her.
Devi said that we are very mad, but we can’t do anything about it because we’re poor. “We are unable to express our opinions. ”
The drug is against the law for the whole country, even though 40 out of 50 states in the US have made their own laws allowing people to use it in certain ways.
Cannabis is currently categorized in the same group of drugs as heroin and LSD.
If the DEA changes how it categorizes drugs, it could be the biggest change in US drug policy in many years.
Cannabis is currently considered a very dangerous drug by the government. They say it has no medical benefits and is very likely to be abused.
The change to schedule 3 would make it similar to drugs that are considered less likely to be addictive or misused. Ketamine, codeine, and anabolic steroids belong to that category.
Last year, President Joe Biden requested his attorney general and health secretary to examine whether cannabis should be classified as a less harmful drug.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) submitted a proposal to the DEA on Tuesday.
HHS has done a scientific and medical evaluation for DEA to consider.
The DEA is in charge of deciding which drugs are classified as legal or illegal. They can also change the classification of a drug if necessary. The DEA will now start its review.
The HHS said that they finished a process in less than 11 months. They worked together and took charge to make sure that a thorough scientific evaluation was done quickly and shared with others.
The suggestion does not completely take cannabis off the list of controlled substances in the Controlled Substances Act. Some people want the government to remove the drug from the Controlled Substances Act and treat it like alcohol or tobacco.
If we reschedule it, more research can be done and banks can freely provide services to the cannabis industry. Right now, many marijuana businesses in the US have to only use cash because the law doesn’t allow banks to handle money made from certain drug sales.
Surveys show that most Americans are in favor of making the drug legal in some way.
Cannabis is allowed for adults to use for fun in 23 states, which includes all the states on the west coast and Washington DC. Medical use is allowed in 38 states.
The US attorney general has declared that a special counsel with expanded authority will now be looking into Joe Biden‘s son Hunter.
David Weiss, the federal prosecutor who has already brought charges in the case, now has more respect due to Merrick Garland.
The president’s son’s plea agreement on tax and gun charges was rejected earlier this month.
The investigation of Hunter Biden‘s financial transactions is being pushed for by Republicans.
Mr. Garland indicated that he was making the decision in response to a request made by Mr. Weiss earlier this week in a shocking revelation at the Department of Justice on Friday.
The new classification will provide the prosecutor additional tools to carry out the investigation and perhaps file charges outside of Delaware.
When the special counsel’s job is complete, Mr. Garland said a report will be produced, and the justice department will make as much of it public as is practical.
“The appointment of Mr. Weiss reinforces for the American people the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters,” Mr. Garland said at a news conference.
Chris Clark, Hunter Biden’s attorney, responded in a statement, saying, “We are confident that when all of these manoeuvres are over, my client will have resolution and will be successfully moving on with his life.”
The probe has already been ongoing for five years, Mr. Clark noted.
In 2018, former President Donald Trump chose Mr. Weiss to fill the position of US attorney in Delaware. Soon after, in 2019, he began an investigation into claims that Hunter Biden had engaged in criminal activity.
According to the US Attorney’s Office in Delaware, Hunter Biden has since been charged with two misdemeanour tax offences for allegedly failing to pay income taxes in 2017 and 2018, years in which he made more than $1.5 million (£1.1 million).
He is also accused of taking illegal narcotics and having a gun in his possession, which is a felony.
Hunter Biden earlier made a deal with the prosecution to accept guilt to the firearms violation and to the tax charges in order to avoid going to jail.
Judge Maryellen Noreika of the US District Court rejected the agreement due to its “non standard terms” and the “unusual” character of the suggested resolution for the gun accusation.
Hunter Biden has since attempted to reach a plea agreement with the prosecution, but to no avail. In a court document filed on Friday, Mr. Weiss’s legal team stated that they now anticipate that the matter will go to trial and that they may bring additional, more serious accusations in California or Washington, DC.
Republicans want the president and the younger Mr. Biden to both face additional criminal charges. They assert that Mr. Biden benefited financially from his son’s business ventures in China and the Ukraine.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy stated that regardless of the special counsel’s appointment, the Republican-led body would still be looking into the president and his son.
He shared the worry of several Republicans who felt that Mr. Weiss’s investigation had not been aggressive enough.
Other Republicans have questioned whether the push to relocate the trial from Delaware, where it had been overseen by Ms Noreika, a Trump appointee, was an effort to find a legal setting more accommodating to the Bidens.
The White House dismissed the charges as “insane conspiracy theories” and denied Mr. Biden’s involvement in his son’s business dealings.
Mr. Weiss has been looking at this issue for years. He has not yet discovered any proof that Hunter Biden’s business interests have profited from his father’s position as president.
The special counsel’s appointment, together with the potential for further charges that might result in a jury trial, almost guarantees that the investigation into Hunter Biden will continue well into the 2024 presidential election cycle, if not past the actual election day. White House officials will continue to be distracted by it even if they had hoped for a resolution not long ago.
However, the decision on Friday might help dispel some of the conservative arguments that the US has two sets of justice—one for Republicans and one for the Bidens.
One of China‘s largest real estate developers, Country Garden, has issued a warning that its first-half losses could reach $7.6 billion (£6 billion).
The announcement is the most recent indication of the serious problems the second-largest economy in the world is having.
China plunged into deflation for the first time in more than two years, according to official data released this week.
Along with a steep decline in exports, youth unemployment has reached an all-time high.
On Friday afternoon, Country Garden Holdings‘ stock fell more than 5% in Hong Kong exchange.
In a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Country Garden stated that it “expects to record a net loss ranging from approximately RMB45 billion [$6.24 billion; £4.9 billion] to RMB55 billion for the six months ended 30 June 2023.”
The anticipated deficit contrasts with a $265 million profit at this time last year.
The company added that it has formed a special task group under the leadership of Yang Huiyan, its chairman, to look for measures to revive the company.
The company’s rating was reduced earlier on Thursday by rating agency Moody’s, which highlighted “heightened liquidity and refinancing risks” as its justification.
It happened at a time when China was struggling economically, which has led some to wonder how quickly the country is recovering from the pandemic.
In line with expectations, the nation’s exports declined by a larger-than-expected 14.5% in July compared to the same month last year, while imports decreased by 12.4%.
As a record 11.58 million university graduates are anticipated to enter the job market this year, youth unemployment, which is at an all-time high, is also being keenly studied.
President of the United States Joe Biden stated on Thursday that China’s economic woes are a “ticking time bomb.”
Mr. Biden also stated that “China is in trouble” while highlighting its high unemployment and ageing workforce at a fundraising event in the western state of Utah.
The nation is also addressing issues with the housing market and the soaring local government debt.
Evergrande, formerly China’s largest real estate company, disclosed this month that it lost a combined $81.1 billion in 2021 and 2022.
It happened at the same time that the company, which went into debt default in late 2021, announced to investors its overdue earnings.
Evergrande has been battling debts worth an estimated $300 billion.
The significant losses show how severely the developer was impacted by the Chinese real estate crisis in recent years.
Given that the property sector makes up around a third of China’s GDP and encompasses everything from home construction to the manufacturing of white goods used in them, issues there might have a significant influence on the nation.
A new national monument that will protect a huge area of land surrounding the Grand Canyon in Arizona is scheduled to be announced by US President Joe Biden.
Thousands of indigenous cultural sites can be found within the 404,700-hectare (almost 1 million acres) Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument.
The designation substantially restricts the area’s ability to mine.
Five national monuments have already been named by Mr. Biden since taking office.
For several tribal groups in the US Southwest, including the Hopi, Navajo, and Yavapai-Apache peoples, the region—also known as the Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument—is important culturally.
Many Republican lawmakers and leaders of the mining sector have opposed calls by indigenous advocacy organisations and environmental organisations for the area to be protected, claiming that mining there is crucial to the US economy and national security.
According to officials, 1.3% of all US uranium reserves are located in the vicinity of the monument.
A previous effort to designate the region as a national monument under President Barack Obama was unsuccessful because Mr. Obama withdrew in the face of vehement opposition from the state’s two senators and then-Gov. Doug Ducey.
Among those pleading with Mr. Biden to exercise his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate the region a national monument was the state’s current governor, Katie Hobbs.
According to National Public Radio, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the nation’s first Native American cabinet secretary, the proclamation was “historic”.
Ms. Hobbs’ office has “heard from people across the political spectrum including sporting groups, faith leaders, outdoor recreation businesses, conservation groups and others from a broad array of interests that support this monument designation,” she stated in a statement in May.
She claimed that it would aid in preserving areas that many tribes referred to as their “eternal home,” a site of healing, and a source of spiritual sustenance. “It will ensure that indigenous peoples can continue to utilise these areas for religious ceremonies, hunting and gathering of plants, medicines, and other materials, including some found nowhere else on the earth,”
For the sake of tribes, the general public, and future generations, Ms. Haaland concluded that it would safeguard historic and scientifically significant items.
Only two authorised mining operations will be permitted to operate inside the boundaries of the national monument as a result of its declaration. It will also be possible to keep claims that were made before the mining embargo that was announced in 2012.
18 US presidents have declared national monuments at geographically or historically significant sites across the nation since the Antiquities Act was passed in 1906.
During his time in office, Mr. Biden has established four additional national monuments, most recently the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Illinois and Mississippi.
Former President Donald Trump has disclosed his precise strategy, months after boasting he could put an end to Russia’s assault on Ukraine in a single day after retaking the White House.
In an appearance with Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Trump described how he thinks he could resolve the dispute. In his opening remarks, Trump said that international leaders are smart and that his replacement, President Joe Biden, is ill-equipped to cope with them.
These are intelligent people, including French President Emmanuel Macron. I could mention everyone on the list, including (Vladimir) Putin… These individuals are nasty, tough, and generally savage. Trump then attacked Biden, saying, “They’re vicious, and they’re at the top of their game.”
‘We have a man that has no clue what’s happening. It’s the most dangerous time in the history of our country.’
Ex-President Donald Trump said that President Joe Biden ‘has no clue what’s happening’ (Picture: Fox News)
Host Maria Bartiromo pressed Trump on his prior claim.
‘So what should be the response?’ she said. ‘You said you could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. How would you do that?’
Trump replied that he knows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ‘very well’. He added that Zelensky was ‘very honorable’ because ‘he didn’t even know what they were talking about’ when ‘they asked him about the perfect phone call’.
He was referring to a July 2019 call between himself and Zelensky, in which Trump offered a ‘quid pro quo’ agreement to pressure Zelensky into pushing conspiracy theories about his 2020 opponent Biden in exchange for aid from the US.
Bartiromo cut Trump off and said, ‘Well, that’s not going to be enough for Putin to stop bombing Ukraine.’
Trump proceeded to elaborate on his plan.
‘No, no, no. No, I’m not saying that. I… what I’m saying is that I know Zelensky very well, and I know Putin very well, even better. And I had a good relationship, very good, with both of them,’ Trump said.
‘I would tell Zelensky: No more. You got to make a deal. I would tell Putin: If you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give them a lot. We’re going to give them more than they ever got, if we have to.’
He reiterated his claim: ‘I will have the deal done in one day, one day.’
Trump in May told GB News, ‘If I were president, and I say this, I will end that war in one day, it would take 24 hours.
Some Republicans interpreted Trump’s remarks as him favoring possibly sending even more aid to Ukraine than Biden has. His comments ‘commenced an all-out freakout among the GOP’s Ukraine funding skeptics’, noted Washington Post writer Aaron Blake.
In his analysis, Blake wrote that Trump is actually ‘talking about playing hardball. The idea is that he’s going to bluff to both sides – or at least one side (you pick which) – until they reach a deal’.
‘Credit to Bartiromo for actually getting Trump to offer something more about a promise that had been, up to this point, a platitude without a plan,’ wrote Blake. ‘What she revealed was nothing amounting to a thoroughly considered course of action – just a bluff that she, deliberately or not, called.
As Joe Biden met Rishi Sunak in No. 10, he called the alliance between the US and the UK “rock-solid.”
In his official vehicle, known as the “Beast” because of its size, Mr. Biden arrived at Downing Street during a stopover in London on his way to the Nato summit in Lithuania.
The president lauded the strong links between the two countries as the leaders conversed in the garden of the prime minister.
According to him, he “couldn’t be meeting with a closer friend and a greater ally.”
Mr Sunak, meanwhile, said the pair would continue talks on how the UK and US can ‘strengthen our co-operation, our joint economic security, to the benefit of our citizens’.
Mr Biden, on his first visit to No 10 as president, ignored questions from reporters, during the meet-up, which happened just weeks after Mr Sunak’s trip to Washington.
Although both leaders emphasised the closeness of their relationship, the US not currently backing Ukraine’s bid to join Nato and their decision to provide Kyiv with controversial cluster munitions, are signs the two countries differ on some international matters.
The president has defended what he described as the ‘difficult’ decision to send the munitions to Ukraine.
Mr Sunak responded by saying Britain ‘discourages’ their use as one of 123 signatories of a convention banning the bombs, but Downing Street did not say whether the PM would raise the issue today.
It’s believed Ukraine’s ambitions for Nato membership will be discussed at the upcoming summit in Vilnius tomorrow.
All attendees agree Ukraine should not become a member while still at war, but the US appears to be the most reluctant to see the country join at all in the near future.
MrBidenhas described Kyiv’s bid as ‘premature’, telling CNN: ‘I don’t think it’s ready for membership in Nato.’
Britain, on the other hand, has indicated support for a fast-track approach for Ukraine.
It comes weeks after Sweden and Finland were officially invited to join the alliance.
Mr Biden arrived at Downing Street just after 10.30am today, with a heavy security presence, and the two men spoke for around 40 minutes.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and several senior national security advisers were among those also attending.
The president has also met King Charles today at Windsor Castle for tea and talks on the climate crisis.
Though it is not a full-blown state visit, he was treated to a display of pomp and pageantry.
The US leader received a royal salute and heard the US national anthem, courtesy of the Welsh Guards, before having tea with Charles.
US President Joe Biden has stood by his “very difficult decision” to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs, despite concerns over their history of causing harm to civilians.
Biden acknowledged that it took some time for him to be convinced of the necessity, but he ultimately took action due to Ukraine’s depleting ammunition supplies.
While Ukraine’s leader expressed appreciation for the move, the decision has faced criticism from human rights organizations and certain members of the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, a Moscow envoy condemned the decision as “cynical” on the part of Washington.
Mr Biden told CNN in an interview on Friday that he had spoken to allies about the decision, which comes ahead of a Nato summit in Lithuania next week. Cluster bombs are banned by more than 120 countries, but have been used by both Russia and Ukraine during the war.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told Friday’s daily White House briefing that officials “recognise the cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm” from unexploded bombs. “This is why we’ve deferred the decision for as long as we could.”
Mr Sullivan said Ukraine was running out of artillery and needed “a bridge of supplies” while the US ramps up domestic production. “We will not leave Ukraine defenceless at any point in this conflict period,” he said.
The munitions have caused controversy over their failure – or dud – rate, meaning unexploded small bombs can linger on the ground for years and indiscriminately detonate later on.
Mr Sullivan told reporters the American cluster bombs being sent to Ukraine were far safer than those he said were already being used by Russia in the conflict.
He told reporters the US ones have a dud rate of less than 2.5%, while Russia’s have a dud rate of between 30-40%, he said.
Mr Biden’s move will bypass US law prohibiting the production, use or transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate of more than 1%. Early on in the war, when the White House was asked about allegations that Russia was using cluster and vacuum bombs, the then-press secretary said it would be a potential “war crime” if true.
Marta Hurtado, speaking for the UN human rights office, said on Friday: “The use of such munitions should stop immediately and not be used in any place.”
President Joe Biden faced a significant setback on Friday as the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his plan to cancel $430 billion in student loan debt.
The ruling, which favored six conservative-leaning states, went against Biden in a 6-3 decision.
The court’s ruling was a blow to the 26 million borrowers who sought relief after Biden’s announcement in August 2022 and marked a political setback for the Democratic president.
Chief Justice John Roberts, along with the court’s five other conservative members, authored the ruling, while the three liberal justices dissented.
Roberts criticized the Biden administration’s argument that the loan forgiveness program was simply a modification of an existing program. He emphasized that such broad actions would require explicit approval from Congress.
“The secretary’s plan has ‘modified’ the cited provisions only in the same sense that the French Revolution ‘modified’ the status of the French nobility’ – it has abolished them and supplanted them with a new regime entirely,” Roberts wrote, referring to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
“From a few narrowly delineated situations specified by Congress, the secretary has expanded forgiveness to nearly every borrower in the country,” Roberts said.
The court’s ruling invoked what is called the “major questions” doctrine, a muscular judicial approach that gives judges broad discretion to invalidate executive agency actions of “vast economic and political significance” unless Congress clearly authorized them in legislation.
Biden plans to announce new actions to protect student loan borrowers in the wake of the ruling, a White House source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“While we strongly disagree with the court, we prepared for this scenario,” the source said, noting that Biden would have more to say on the subject later on Friday.
“The president will make clear he’s not done fighting yet,” the source added.
Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina challenged Biden’s debt relief. Two individual borrowers had also opposed the plan’s eligibility requirements but the justices dismissed their challenge on Friday due to a lack of legal standing. The court acted on its final day of rulings in its term that began in October.
Twenty-six million U.S. borrowers applied for relief between when Biden announced the plan in August 2022 until last November, when lower courts blocked the plan.
A CAMPAIGN PROMISE
Biden’s plan fulfilled his 2020 campaign promise to cancel a portion of $1.6 trillion in federal student loan debt but was criticized by Republicans who called it an overreach of his authority and an unfair benefit to college-educated borrowers while other borrowers received no such relief. Biden is seeking re-election next year.
Under the plan, the U.S. government would forgive up to $10,000 in federal student debt for Americans making under $125,000 who obtained loans to pay for college and other post-secondary education and $20,000 for recipients of Pell grants to students from lower-income families.
The ruling came a day after the Supreme Court effectively prohibited affirmative action policies long used by U.S. colleges and universities to raise the number of Black, Hispanic and other underrepresented minority students.
Biden on Thursday said the court, with its conservative majority, was an institution out of touch with the country’s basic values.
During February arguments in the loans case, Biden’s administration said the plan was authorized under a 2003 federal law called the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act, or HEROES Act, which empowers the U.S. education secretary to “waive or modify” student financial assistance during war or national emergencies.
The court’s conservative justices had previously used the “major questions” doctrine to invalidate major Biden policies deemed lacking clear congressional authorization.
They did so when they blocked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from extending eviction protections for cash-strapped residential renters, stymied Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses and restricted the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to regulate carbon emissions from power plants.
The major questions doctrine arises from an approach favored by many conservatives and business groups to rein in what they view as excesses of the “administrative state.”
They object to what they consider accumulated power by the executive branch without proper checks by the courts and Congress.
Liberal Justice Elena Kagan, in a dissent that was joined by her two fellow liberals, derided the major questions doctrine as “made-up.”
“Small wonder the majority invokes the doctrine,” Kagan wrote. “The majority’s ‘normal’ statutory interpretation cannot sustain its decision. The statute, read as written, gives the Secretary broad authority to relieve a national emergency’s effect on borrowers’ ability to repay their student loans.”
Both Biden and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump relied upon the HEROES Act beginning in 2020 to repeatedly pause student loan payments and halt interest from accruing to alleviate financial strain on student loan borrowers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the arguments, a Justice Department lawyer portrayed the debt relief as a benefits program rather than an assertion of regulatory power not authorized by Congress.
Some 53% of Americans said they support Biden’s debt relief, with 45% opposed, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll from March, with respondents dividing sharply along partisan lines with Democrats broadly supportive and Republicans generally opposed.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court was expected to make a ruling regarding the legality ofPresident Joe Biden’s proposal to cancel $430 billion in student loan debt. This initiative aimed to benefit around 43 million Americans and fulfill one of Biden’s campaign promises.
During the February arguments of the case, the conservative justices displayed skepticism towards the plan as they considered legal challenges brought forth by six conservative-leaning states (Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Carolina) and two individual borrowers.
This dispute, one of two significant rulings expected on the final day of the term that started in October, carries high stakes for the 26 million U.S. borrowers who sought relief after Biden announced the plan in August 2022.
However, lower courts halted the implementation of the plan in November.
Biden’s proposal fulfilled his promise from the 2020 campaign to cancel a portion of the $1.6 trillion federal student loan debt.
Nonetheless, Republicans criticized it, deeming it an overreach of his authority and an unfair advantage for college-educated borrowers compared to others who did not receive such relief.
Biden, who is running for re-election next year, introduced a plan where the U.S. government would forgive up to $10,000 in federal student debt for individuals earning less than $125,000 and who took out loans to finance their college or post-secondary education.
Additionally, recipients of Pell grants from lower-income families would be eligible for up to $20,000 in debt forgiveness.
During February arguments in the case, Biden’s administration said the plan was authorized under a 2003 federal law called the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act, or HEROES Act, which empowers the U.S. education secretary to “waive or modify” student financial assistance during war or national emergencies.”
Both Biden, a Democrat, and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump relied upon the HEROES Act beginning in 2020 to repeatedly pause student loan payments and halt interest from accruing to alleviate financial strain on student loan borrowers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the arguments, a Justice Department lawyer portrayed the debt relief as a benefits program rather than an assertion of regulatory power not authorized by Congress.
In response to the legal challenge brought by the states, a federal judge in Missouri in October 2022 ruled that they lacked the legal standing to sue. On appeal, the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that at least one of the states, Missouri, had proper standing.
In the case brought by individual borrowers named Myra Brown and Alexander Taylor, a federal judge in Texas ruled in November 2022 that the plan exceeded the Biden administration’s authority – a ruling that the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to put on hold pending appeal.
Some 53% of Americans said they support Biden’s debt relief, with 45% opposed, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll from March, with respondents dividing sharply along partisan lines with Democrats broadly supportive and Republicans generally opposed.
Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, will plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and struck a deal with federal prosecutors to resolve a felony gun charge, the Justice Department said Tuesday in court filings.
As part of the plea agreement, the Justice Department has agreed to recommend a sentence of probation for the two counts of failing to pay taxes in a timely manner for the years 2017 and 2018, according to sources.
Hunter Biden owed at least $100,000 in federal taxes for 2017, and at least $100,000 in 2018, but did not pay what was due to the Internal Revenue Service by the deadlines. A judge will have the final say on any sentence.
The plea deal will have immediate reverberations in the 2024 presidential race. It has already jumpstarted political criticism from Republicans of the Biden administration and the Justice Department in the wake of the 37-count federal criminal indictment filed against Donald Trump for his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Trump pleaded not guilty last week.
The charges were detailed in a criminal filing in US District Court in Delaware, where the US Attorney David Weiss, a Trump appointee, has been conducting the investigation that at one time explored allegations of money laundering, foreign lobbying and other potential charges.
The investigation is ongoing, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
But Hunter Biden’s attorney, Christopher Clark, said in a statement that the deal with federal prosecutors will “resolve” the Justice Department’s long-running criminal probe into the president’s son.
“Hunter will take responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments when due pursuant to a plea agreement,” Clark said. “A firearm charge, which will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement and will not be the subject of the plea agreement, will also be filed by the Government. I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life. He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”
In a brief statement, the White House said the Bidens “love their son.”
“The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment,” said White House spokesman Ian Sams.
Trump criticized the Hunter Biden plea deal on Truth Social.
‘Wow! The corrupt Biden DOJ just cleared up hundreds of years of criminal liability by giving Hunter Biden a mere “traffic ticket.” Our system is BROKEN!’
Negotiations to reach a plea deal intensified in recent weeks. Hunter Biden’s legal team sought a meeting with the Justice Department in April, which Weiss attended, and where Hunter Biden’s lawyers gave a presentation detailing why they believe Hunter Biden shouldn’t be charged. Part of their argument included that Hunter Biden paid back taxes owed, including penalties. A spokesman for Weiss declined to comment.
Prosecutors had been examining a 2018 incident in which a firearm owned by Hunter Biden ended up tossed by his then-girlfriend into a dumpster in Wilmington, a person briefed on the matter said. Hunter Biden described in media interviews in 2021 that he was addicted to drugs, which raised the possibility he broke federal law when he bought the firearm.
Federal law prohibits firearms purchases by anyone who uses or is addicted to illegal drugs and CNN previously reported that federal prosecutors were weighing possible charges connected to making a false statement related to the gun purchase.
As a result of the missed IRS deadlines, Hunter Biden is pleading guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willfully failing to pay federal taxes, according to the newly unsealed charging documents.
He was repeatedly warned about his tax obligations, according to the emails, but his attorney told CNN in July 2022 that those years were difficult times for Hunter Biden, given struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. Clark has said that his client has now “fully paid” his IRS tax debts.
Meanwhile, the Republican-controlled House has been scrutinizing Hunter Biden’s financial dealings and exploring the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation as well as any involvement by other Biden family members in overseas deals.
Lawyers for an IRS whistleblower who claims that interference exists in the investigation met with Democratic and Republican congressional investigators to lay the groundwork for what their client hopes to share with Congress, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The IRS whistleblower claimed to have information that “contradicts sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee,” according to a letter from the whistleblower’s attorney. That senior political appointee was Garland, people familiar with the matter told CNN.
One whistleblower who worked for the FBI also has complained to Republican lawmakers that the Justice Department wouldn’t allow agents to take more aggressive investigative steps in the Hunter Biden probe.
Republicans in the House threatened to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress until he agreed to let them review a document that summarized claims from an informant who alleged that Joe Biden traded policy actions in exchange for millions of dollars in payments to his family. The informant’s claims were not corroborated by investigators.
Personal struggles:
Hunter Biden’s legal issues come against the backdrop of the personal troubles he’s faced, many of which he addressed in his 2021 memoir.
Biden has been open about struggles with addiction to alcohol and drugs. His 24-year marriage ended in a 2017 divorce and his ex-wife has accused him of spending extravagantly on liquor and strip clubs.
In 2017, he also admitted a relationship with the widow of his late brother Beau. Hunter Biden remarried in 2019 and shares a child with his wife, Melissa Cohen.
As Trump tried to make Hunter Biden a focus of the 2020 campaign, Joe Biden said that he was proud of the strides his son had made to deal with addiction. He issued a similar defense in an interview with CNN last year, telling Jake Tapper that he was “proud” of his son for being straightforward about his battle with drug addiction.
“This is a kid who got – not a kid, he’s a grown man – he got hooked on, like many families have had happen, hooked on drugs. He’s overcome that. He’s established a new life,” Joe Biden said.
After he was elected, Joe Biden vowed to stay out of the Justice Department’s prosecutorial decision-making.
“I’m not going to be telling them what they have to do and don’t have to do. I’m not going to be saying, go prosecute A, B or C,” Joe Biden, then the president-elect, told Tapper in December 2020.
“That’s not the role – it’s not my Justice Department. It’s the people’s Justice Department.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland told a Senate panel in 2022 that there will “not be interference” in the DOJ’s probe into Hunter Biden, and said that the president “is committed not to interfere, not only in that investigation but any other kind of investigation.”
Other investigations into Hunter Biden:
Among the matters under scrutiny in the Justice Department’s probe was Hunter Biden’s efforts, after his father left the vice presidency in 2017, to secure a deal with CEFC China Energy to invest in US energy projects, according to documents released by Republicans from two Senate committees.
The deal ultimately fell through, according to an account Hunter Biden gave in a 2019 New Yorker profile, and the company’s executive was later detained by Chinese authorities amid allegations of corruption.
Additionally, Hunter Biden briefly was the lawyer for the head of an organization backed by CEFC who was later convicted on bribery allegations linked to CEFC.
During the Obama administration, other Hunter Biden business ventures in China raised concerns among White House officials, according to The New Yorker, which reported an equity stake Hunter Biden took in an investment fund involving US and Chinese partners.
Federal investigators also previously examined the Ukraine-linked lobbying work by Hunter Biden as well. Of specific interest was the work the lobbying firm Blue Star Strategies did with Burisma, an energy company whose board Hunter Biden served on from 2014-2019, earning as much as $50,000 a month.
Joe Biden has said that his son’s Ukraine-related dealings had no bearing on his approach to the country as vice president, when he spearheaded Ukraine anti-corruption initiatives for the United States. And State Department officials who were critical of Hunter Biden’s Ukraine activities nonetheless told lawmakers that it did not improperly influence policy-making, according to transcripts of Senate testimony.
The Justice Department announced on Tuesday that Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, had agreed to plead guilty to three criminal offences.
Due to his failure to file taxes in 2017 and 2018, Biden, 53, consented to enter a guilty plea to two misdemeanour counts. He will also enter a guilty plea to one count of drug user possessing a firearm.
According to Hunter’s lawyer Christopher Clark, “I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life.” He anticipates advancing and completing his recuperation.
The agreement marks the end of a Justice Department investigation into Biden’s business dealings and finances.
‘The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life,’ White House spokesperson Ian Sams said.
In a lengthy news conference with Russian state media, a former staff member who had accused Joe Biden of sexual assault has defected to Moscow.
When Tara Reade accused then-candidate Joe Biden of harassing and assaulting her when she worked in his Senate office in 1993, the story made news throughout the 2020 presidential campaign.
No former Biden employee has come forward to claim they ever saw or heard of any kind of sexual misbehaviour in his Senate office, and Biden has categorically denied Reade’s accusations.
In an interview with MSNBC in 2020, Biden said he is “saying unequivocally, it never, never happened. It didn’t. It never happened.”
Reade later faced credibility questions of her own including about her education and other credentials.
After being out of the headlines for years, Reade turned up in Moscow on Tuesday, where she sat alongside convicted Kremlin spy Maria Butina and answered questions from Russian state media.
Butina was sentenced to 18 months in a US prison in 2019 for conspiring to act as an unregistered foreign agent, and now serves in the Russian parliament in President Vladimir Putin’s party.
Reade said she decided to come to Russia following death threats she received this year after she reiterated her accusations regarding Biden and announced on Twitter that she was willing “to testify under oath in Congress if asked.”
“When I got off the plane in Moscow, for the first time in a very long time I felt safe, and I felt heard, and I felt respected. That has not happened in my own country,” Reade said.
CNN cannot verify Reade’s claims of receiving threats on her life.
Reade said that “this illusion of Russia as an enemy is propagated by a few Washington elites who are determined to cause problems.”
During the news conference, Butina promised to discuss the possibility of granting Russian citizenship to Reade and ask Putin “to fast track her citizenship request.”
President of the United States Joe Biden has urged that Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Law be repealed, just one day after it was signed into law by his counterpart, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
The White House, on May 29, published a statement in which Biden referred to the new law as a “tragic violation of universal human rights.”
He also descried it as wrong and called for its repeal immediately.
The US government also listed a number of economic sanctions Uganda will be subjected to adding that visa sanctions will be imposed to officials over the law and instances of corruption.
President Museveni signs anti-LGBTQ law
President Yoweri Museveni signed the much talked-about anti-homosexuality bill into law on May 29.
The new legislation limits the offence of homosexuality to gay sexual acts, carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Aggravated offences, such as sexual abuse against minors or disabled individuals, or infecting a victim with a lifelong illness, can result in the death penalty, the BBC Africa LIVE page reported.
The law also mandates reporting of any homosexual abuse against children or vulnerable individuals. International organizations expressed deep concern over the law’s impact on health education and outreach programs for AIDS and the safety and well-being of LGBTQ individuals.
Statement from President Joe Biden on the Enactment of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act
The enactment of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act is a tragic violation of universal human rights—one that is not worthy of the Ugandan people, and one that jeopardizes the prospects of critical economic growth for the entire country. I join with people around the world—including many in Uganda—in calling for its immediate repeal. No one should have to live in constant fear for their life or being subjected to violence and discrimination. It is wrong.
Since the Anti-Homosexuality Act was introduced, reports of violence and discrimination targeting Ugandans who are or are perceived to be LGBTQI+ are on the rise. Innocent Ugandans now fear going to hospitals, clinics, or other establishments to receive life-saving medical care lest they be targeted by hateful reprisals. Some have been evicted from their homes or fired from their jobs. And the prospect of graver threats—including lengthy prison sentences, violence, abuse—threatens any number of Ugandans who want nothing more than to live their lives in safety and freedom.
This shameful Act is the latest development in an alarming trend of human rights abuses and corruption in Uganda. The dangers posed by this democratic backsliding are a threat to everyone residing in Uganda, including U.S. government personnel, the staff of our implementing partners, tourists, members of the business community, and others. As such, I have directed my National Security Council to evaluate the implications of this law on all aspects of U.S. engagement with Uganda, including our ability to safely deliver services under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and other forms of assistance and investments. My Administration will also incorporate the impacts of the law into our review of Uganda’s eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). And we are considering additional steps, including the application of sanctions and restriction of entry into the United States against anyone involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption.
The United States shares a deep and committed partnership with the people of Uganda. For more than 60 years, we have worked together to help millions of Ugandans live healthier, more productive lives.
Our programs have boosted economic growth and agricultural productivity, increased investments in Ugandan businesses, and strengthened our trade cooperation. In total, the U.S. Government invests nearly $1 billion annually in Uganda’s people, business, institutions, and military to advance our common agenda. The scale of our commitments speaks to the value we place on this partnership—and our faith in the people of Uganda to build for themselves a better future. It is my sincere hope that we can continue to build on this progress, together, and strengthen protections for the human rights of people everywhere.
US President Joe Biden has stated that a bipartisan agreement to raise the $31.4 trillion US debt ceiling and prevent a default is ready to be presented to Congress, and he has asked lawmakers to pass the agreement he reached with Kevin McCarthy.
“This is a deal that’s good news for … the American people,” Biden said at the White House on Sunday night after a call with McCarthy to put the final touches to a tentative deal struck the previous day. “It takes the threat of catastrophic default off the table, protects our hard-earned and historic economic recovery,” he said.
“I strongly urge both chambers to pass that agreement,” Biden said, adding he believed the House speaker negotiated in good faith and expected him to have the necessary votes for the 99-page bill to pass. Asian shares and US stock futures rose on Monday, buoyed by news of an agreement.
Lawmakers in Washington were set to see the details of the deal, with the aim of putting a bill to a vote as early as Wednesday and avoiding a catastrophic and unprecedented default in early June.
Both the House and Senate are expected to return on Tuesday, after Memorial Day. McCarthy said the House will vote on Wednesday, then send the bill to the Senate.
Once the bill reaches the Senate, where Democrats have the majority, the pace of action will largely depend on whether any senators try to hold up the bill, possibly with amendment votes. That could tie up the legislation for a few days.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York warned on Sunday that “due to the time it may take to process the legislation in the Senate without cooperation, senators should prepare for potential Friday and weekend votes.”
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell applauded the agreement and called on the Senate to act swiftly to pass it without unnecessary delay once it has gone through the House. “Today’s agreement makes urgent progress toward preserving our nation’s full faith and credit and a much-needed step toward getting its financial house in order,” he said.
Chip Roy, a prominent member of the Republican hardline Freedom Caucus, tweeted that he would try to prevent the agreement from passing the House but McCarthy dismissed threats of opposition within his own party, saying “over 95%” of House Republicans were “overwhelmingly excited” about the deal.
“This is a good strong bill that a majority of Republicans will vote for,” the California Republican said. “You’re going to have Republicans and Democrats be able to move this to the president.”
Earlier Biden told reporters when arriving back at the White House, after attending the high school graduation of one of his granddaughters in Delaware, that there were no sticking points left between him and McCarthy. When asked if he was confident the deal would be voted through Congress and reach his desk, he replied “yes”.
But late on Sunday afternoon, lawmakers in the House and Senate were reportedly on calls with congressional leaders, expressing frustrations at a compromise deal, as efforts began in earnest to sell the package and win passage of the legislation this week.
Biden and McCarthy had held a 90-minute phone call earlier on Saturday evening to discuss the deal before the outline agreement was first announced that night, with the Democratic US president joining the call from the Camp David retreat and the Republican speaker in the nation’s capital.
Biden had said after that: “The agreement represents a compromise, which means not everyone gets what they want. That’s the responsibility of governing,” while calling the pact “an important step forward”.
House speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to the media as he leaves a meeting on the debt ceiling with President Joe Biden outside the West Wing on 22 May. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
McCarthy commands a five-seat majority in the Republican-controlled House but his far-right wing members are expected to balk at spending cuts that they deem not deep enough, while progressives may be more likely to choke down cuts and benefits restrictions that they loathe in order to pass the deal.
Earlier on Sunday morning, McCarthy boasted on Fox News Sunday that “there’s not one thing in the bill for Democrats” even though Biden achieved his fundamental goal of persuading the Republican to agree to a debt ceiling increase. McCarthy predicted House GOP members will support the deal.
McCarthy added at the press conference later: “We are going to put the bill on the [House] floor in 72 hours and pass it.”
To reduce spending, as Republicans had insisted, the package includes a two-year budget deal that would hold spending flat for 2024 and impose limits for 2025. That’s in exchange for raising the debt limit for two years, until after the next election.
It also expands some work requirements for certain food-stamp recipients and tweaks an environmental law to try to streamline reviews to build new energy projects.
The Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, said the US could default on its debt obligations by 5 June if lawmakers do not act in time to raise the federal debt ceiling. A default would shake financial markets and send the US into a deep recession.
The House minority leader and Democratic New York representative Hakeem Jeffries said in a letter: “I am thankful to President Biden for his leadership in averting a devastating default.”
The Washington state Democratic representative, Pramila Jayapal, chair of the congressional progressive caucus, told CNN’s State of the Union show on Sunday morning that she did not yet know if she would vote for the deal as she needed to see “the exact legislative text”.
She said the notion of tightening conditions for hungry families to claim food stamps was “absolutely terrible policy”.
But she warned: “The American people have to understand that we are on the brink of default” after House Republicans forced a negotiation, while further warning that Republicans want to cut “basic spending on things like healthcare, education, child care, all of the things you care about”.
The South Dakota Republican congressman, Dusty Johnson, who was involved in the behind-the-scenes negotiations prior to the leaders agreeing, cheered “a fantastic deal” on Sunday morning, also talking to CNN.
Johnson noted he is the leader of the mainstream Republican caucus in the House and said he believes there are Freedom Caucus members who will vote for it, though maybe not the most “colorful” ones.
Republicans control the House by 222-213, while Democrats control the Senate by 51-49. These margins mean that moderates from both sides will have to support the bill, as any compromise will almost definitely lose the support of the far-left and far-right wings of each party.
To win the Speaker’s gavel, McCarthy agreed to enable any single member to call for a vote to unseat him, which could lead to his ousting if he seeks to work with Democrats. On Sunday, he said he was “not at all” worried that could happen.
Some hardline Republicans balked at McCarthy cooperating with the White House.
“If Speaker’s negotiators bring back in substance a clean debt limit increase … one so large that it even protects Biden from the issue in the presidential [election] … it’s war,” representative Dan Bishop, a member of the Freedom Caucus, tweeted.
The deal does just that, sources briefed on it said.
The deal would boost spending on the military and veterans’ care, and cap it for many discretionary domestic programs, according to sources familiar with talks. But Republicans and Democrats will need to debate, as the deal doesn’t specify them.
President Joe Biden and his Republican opponents have made an announcement on an agreement in principle to lift the US debt ceiling and avoid a default.
President Joe Biden described the agreement as a “compromise”, while House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said it “was worthy of the American people”.
The deal, after weeks of bitter negotiations, still needs to be approved by a divided Congress.
The Treasury has warned the US will run out of money on 5 June without a deal.
The US must borrow money to fund the government because it spends more than it raises in taxes.
Republicans have been seeking spending cuts in areas such as education and other social programmes in exchange for raising the $31.4tn (£25tn) debt limit.
Details of the tentative deal have not officially been released – but CBS, the BBC’s partner in the US, reported that non-defence government spending would be kept flat for two years and then rise by 1% in 2025.
It was unclear how exactly a government programme that provides food-purchasing assistance for people on low or no incomes would change.
In a statement, President Biden described the agreement as a compromise which was good for the country “because it prevents what could have been a catastrophic default and would have led to an economic recession, retirement accounts devastated, and millions of jobs lost”.
Mr McCarthy, for his part, referred to “historic reductions in spending, consequential reforms that will lift people out of poverty into the workforce”.
“There are no new taxes, no new government programs,” he said.
Mr McCarthy added that he planned to finish writing the bill on Sunday, before having a vote in Congress on Wednesday.
A US default would upend the US economy and disrupt global markets.
In the US, the immediate effect would be that the government would quickly run out of funds to pay for welfare benefits and other support programmes, for instance.
Over a long period, the crisis would top the US economy into recession – and this would result in unemployment rising.
A US recession would have big knock-on effects for many countries around the world, for which the US is a key trading partner – they would not be able to sell to an economy that does not buy as much.
And because the US dollar is the reserve currency of the world, a default would send panic across the world, eventually leading to prices of many commodities rising.
President Joe Biden and his Republican opponents have announced they have agreed in principle to raise the US debt ceiling and avert a default.
President Joe Biden described the agreement as a “compromise”, while House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said it “was worthy of the American people”.
The deal, after weeks of bitter negotiations, still needs to be approved by a divided Congress.
The Treasury has warned the US will run out of money on 5 June without a deal.
The US must borrow money to fund the government because it spends more than it raises in taxes.
Republicans have been seeking spending cuts in areas such as education and other social programmes in exchange for raising the $31.4tn (£25tn) debt limit.
Details of the tentative deal have not officially been released – but CBS, the BBC’s partner in the US, reported that non-defence government spending would be kept flat for two years and then rise by 1% in 2025.
It was unclear how exactly a government programme that provides food-purchasing assistance for people on low or no incomes would change.
In a statement, President Biden described the agreement as a compromise which was good for the country “because it prevents what could have been a catastrophic default and would have led to an economic recession, retirement accounts devastated, and millions of jobs lost”.
Mr McCarthy, for his part, referred to “historic reductions in spending, consequential reforms that will lift people out of poverty into the workforce”.
“There are no new taxes, no new government programs,” he said.
Mr McCarthy added that he planned to finish writing the bill on Sunday, before having a vote in Congress on Wednesday.
A US default would upend the US economy and disrupt global markets.
In the US, the immediate effect would be that the government would quickly run out of funds to pay for welfare benefits and other support programmes, for instance.
Over a long period, the crisis would top the US economy into recession – and this would result in unemployment rising.
A US recession would have big knock-on effects for many countries around the world, for which the US is a key trading partner – they would not be able to sell to an economy that does not buy as much.
And because the US dollar is the reserve currency of the world, a default would send panic across the world, eventually leading to prices of many commodities rising.
The US Treasury Secretary has stated that if lawmakers do not extend the debt ceiling by June 5, the US will run out of money to pay its debts.
The new deadline allows Republicans and the White House a little more time even as President Joe Biden expressed hope for reaching a deal quickly.
An emerging agreement would limit most spending for two years, exempting military and veterans programmes.
Issues such as tougher eligibility for government aid are a sticking point.
Mr Biden told reporters on Friday: “I’m hopeful we’ll know by tonight whether we are going to be able to have a deal.” Midnight passed without any word of an agreement.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said without a deal the projected resources of the US would be inadequate to meet the country’s spending commitments during the week of 5 June, 10 days away.
Such a default would upend the economy and have global impact.
Republicans have been seeking spending cuts in exchange for raising the $31.4tn (£25tn) debt limit, a law which caps how much debt the US government can accrue.
The US Treasury had previously warned the US could run out of money to pay all of its bills as soon as 1 June, unless Congress lifted the limit to allow the government to borrow more.
‘Crunch time’
Kevin McCarthy, who leads Republicans in the House as Speaker, said on Friday that he thought the two sides had “made progress” after working into the night on Thursday.
“We know it’s crunch time,” he said. “I thought we made progress yesterday. I want to make progress again today and I want to be able to solve this problem.”
A day earlier, President Joe Biden also said the negotiations were moving forward, though the White House on Friday afternoon said talks could spill into the weekend.
US media have reported that the emerging deal would raise the debt limit for two years – removing it as a political issue until after the 2024 presidential election.
It could also strip $10bn from the Internal Revenue Service, scaling back the $80bn boost approved last year – despite Republican objections – for the tax collection agency to hire more auditors.
Republican efforts to impose tougher work requirements for recipients of certain government benefits remained a sticking point, however.
Congressional lawmakers have largely returned to their constituencies ahead of the Memorial Day weekend in the US – but have been told to be ready to return in the event of a deal.
The brinksmanship has rattled many observers, who say it erodes confidence in US governance and injects uncertainty into the global financial system.
Earlier this week one of the big credit ratings firms, Fitch Ratings, warned it was considering stripping the US of its top-notch rating, pointing to the fight – a version of which has recurred numerous times over the last decade.
In an assessment of the US economy on Friday, the International Monetary Fund said the US needed to do more to reduce its public debt load, which has increased rapidly in recent decades.
But it urged the country to change its laws to avoid debt-ceiling stand-offs, which it said create an “entirely avoidable systemic risk to both the US and the global economy”.
It said the debt cap should be automatically increased when Congress approves spending.
“To avoid exacerbating downside risks, the debt ceiling should be immediately raised or suspended by Congress, allowing negotiations over the FY2024 budget to begin in earnest,” it added.
The US must borrow money to fund the government because it spends more than it raises in taxes.
Republicans have said they will not raise the debt ceiling unless the government reduces its spending in the years ahead. They are seeking cuts in areas such as education and other social programmes.
Democrats have countered with proposals to raise certain taxes.
The three major US stock indexes jumped on Friday on hopes a deal would be presented soon.
But worries about the impact of a possible default helped drive up US mortgage rates this week and investors are also demanding higher payments in return for some kinds of government bonds.
Any agreement formed between the two sides will need to be turned into a legislative text to be approved by Congress.
Mr McCarthy has promised to give lawmakers 72 hours to review the bill, and at least 24 hours’ notice if they have to return to Washington early. If a deal is reached, a vote could happen early next week.
Some Republicans have already said the potential spending limits appear too modest, while some Democrats have raised opposing concerns.
With Congress already broken up for Memorial Day, there is little wiggle room for objections.
The Senate would also have to vote on the bill, which would then go to the White House for signing.
Lawmakers could also temporarily lift the debt cap to give the talks more time.
Congress recesses for the holiday weekend while US President Joe Biden claims progress has been made in negotiations with leading Republican Kevin McCarthy over the US debt ceiling.
The pair aim to reach a deal on raising the government borrowing limit for two years so it can keep paying its bills.
Investors’ fears of the US defaulting on its debts have grown – despite assurances that talks are progressing.
Mr Biden spoke of “several productive conversations” with Mr McCarthy.
During a White House event on Thursday, the president said his staff remained in conversation with the team of Mr McCarthy, the House speaker – and that the two sides were “making progress”.
He added: “I made clear time and again defaulting on our nation debt is not an option.” He said Americans deserved certainty over issues such as social security payments.
The debt ceiling is a spending limit set by Congress which determines how much money the government can borrow – an issue on which Democrats and Republicans disagree.
With no deal yet struck, the Treasury has warned that the US will not have enough money to pay all of its bills as soon as 1 June.
Analysts say there could be severe economic consequences if the US fails to honour its obligations.
‘Two-year deal’ Details of a potential pact – outlined by Reuters and the New York Times – could allow Republicans to say they cut spending, while Democrats could say they defended domestic programmes.
A US official told Reuters that the White House was considering scaling back an increase of the Internal Revenue Service to hire more auditors, which was intended to target wealthy Americans.
The Times reported negotiators were closing in on a deal that would raise the debt limit for two years while imposing strict caps on spending besides military or veterans for the same period.
Republicans are seeking spending cuts to government programmes, in exchange for raising the $31.4tn (£25tn) cap on government borrowing.
Is there enough time for a US debt ceiling deal? Could a US debt default unleash global chaos? The 14th amendment explained Mr Biden said the two sides had different visions for how to get America’s “fiscal house in order”, but added that all leaders involved agreed that default was not an option.
Mr McCarthy – who leads Republicans in the House and has been the most high-profile public face of the talks for his party – earlier said Democrats and Republicans had worked past midnight on Wednesday and would continue to negotiate.
“There’s a couple of issues still hanging out there that we’ve got to get done,” he said. “We’re gonna work 24/7 to try to make that happen.”
Another key Republican said he believed a deal to raise the nation’s debt-ceiling deal was “likely” by Friday afternoon.
“We are inching closer to a deal. I think it’s some of the finer points they are working on right now,” Rep Kevin Hern told Reuters news agency. “You are likely to see a deal by tomorrow afternoon.”
“Neither side is going to get exactly what they want,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
A very simple guide to the debt ceiling? Four sticking points holding up debt ceiling deal Could a US debt default unleash global chaos? The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were trading higher at midday on Thursday, lifted by positive updates on earnings from some companies, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down about 0.6%.
That followed several days of declines.
Fitch Ratings, one of the big three credit ratings agencies, on Wednesday said it had put the US on “negative watch” – the first step toward lowering the country’s credit rating.
It cited “increased political partisanship” and weak governance compared to other countries that hold its top rating.
“The brinkmanship over the debt ceiling, failure of the US authorities to meaningfully tackle medium-term fiscal challenges that will lead to rising budget deficits, and a growing debt burden signal downside risks to US creditworthiness,” the company said.
Graphic shows rising US debt Any agreement formed between the two sides will need to be turned into a legislative text to be approved by Congress.
Mr McCarthy has promised to give lawmakers 72 hours to review the bill, and at least 24 hours’ notice if they have to return to Washington early. If a deal is reached this week, a vote could happen early next week.
There is little wiggle room for objections to be raised, as the Senate would also have to vote on the bill, which would then go to the White House for signing.
Lawmakers could also temporarily lift the debt cap to give the talks more time.
A senior administration official tells CNN that President Joe Biden reminded the G7 leaders on Friday that the US will back an initiative to educate Ukrainian pilots on fourth generation aircraft, including F-16s, in collaboration with allies and partners.
The official stated that the training is most likely to take place exclusively in Europe and is not anticipated to take place in the US. However, the official stated that representatives from the US will train alongside European friends and partners. The completion time is anticipated to be many months, and the official expressed hope that it will start “in the coming weeks.”
The decision marks a stark turnaround for Biden, who said earlier this year that he did not believe that Ukraine needed the F-16s. The decision to support the training initiative came together very quickly, officials said, and was made by Biden following meetings with G7 leaders in Hiroshima, Japan, where the topic of F-16s to Ukraine was a key point of discussion. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been pushing particularly hard in recent days for countries that have the jets in their stockpile to send them to Ukraine so that the country can better defend itself against Russia’s daily aerial attacks.
“As the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them,” the official said.
The official added that “to date, the United States and our allies and partners have focused on providing Ukraine with the vast majority of the systems, weapons, and training it requires to conduct offensive operations this spring and summer. Discussions about improving the Ukrainian Air Force reflect our long-term commitment to Ukraine’s self-defense.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is on his way to the G7 meeting, tweeted to say he welcomed “the historic decision of the United States and @POTUS to support an international fighter jet coalition.”
“This will greatly enhance our army in the sky. I count on discussing the practical implementation of this decision at the #G7 summit in Hiroshima,” Zelensky added.
In March, the US hosted two Ukrainian pilots at a military base in Tucson, Arizona, to evaluate their skills using flight simulators and to assess how much time they would need to learn to fly various US military aircraft, including F-16s. Congress set aside money in the 2023 budget for such training.
CNN reported on Thursday that the Biden administration has signaled to European allies in recent weeks that the US would allow them to export F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, sources familiar with the discussions said, as the White House comes under increasing pressure from members of Congress and allies to help Ukraine procure the planes amid intensifying Russian aerial attacks.
A handful of European countries have a supply of US-made F-16s, including the Netherlands, which has signaled a willingness to export some of them to Ukraine. But the US would have to approve that third-party transfer because of the jets’ sensitive US technology.
A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said earlier this week that the UK and the Netherlands were looking to form an “international coalition” not only to procure the jets for Ukraine but also to train Ukrainian pilots on the 4th genertion fighters, which are more advanced than the Ukrainian fighter fleet.
Russian state media TASS reported on Saturday that the deputy foreign minister of Russia has warned Western nations of “enormous risks” if Ukraine receives F-16 fighter jets.
The remarks follow US President Joe Biden’s reversal of position and support for the training of Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.
The aircraft currently in the Ukrainian fleet would be replaced with F-16s, which have a range of 500 miles (860 km) and are regarded as high performance weapon systems.
Responding to the move, Alexander Grushko said: “We see that the Western countries are still adhering to the escalation scenario.
“It involves enormous risks for themselves. In any case, this will be taken into account in all our plans, and we have all the necessary means to achieve the set goals.”
Earlier this week, the UK and the Netherlands were reportedly building an “international coalition” to help Ukraine procure F-16 fighter jets.
A handful of European countries have a supply of US-made F-16s, including the Netherlands, which has signaled a willingness to export some of them to Ukraine. But the US would have to approve that third-party transfer because of the jets’ sensitive US technology.
Since Russia’s invasion started, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has struggled to get F-16s to aid his fight, over fears they could be used on Russian soil, potentially triggering an escalation between NATO and Russia.
After saying Kyiv did not need the fighter jets earlier this year, US President Joe Biden reversed his objections by signaling to European allies that they would allow F-16 exports to Ukraine.
Biden’s top national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters Saturday in Japan Biden believes in equipping the country for a long-term fight against Russia.
In March, the US hosted two Ukrainian pilots at a military base in Tucson, Arizona, to evaluate their skills using flight simulators and assess how long it would take them to learn to fly various US military aircraft, including F-16s.
After meeting Volodymyr Zelensky at the G7 conference in Hiroshima, Rishi Sunak promised that Britain would “never waver” in its support for Ukraine.
When the president of Ukraine arrived in Japan on Saturday for talks with the heads of the most potent democracies in the world, he was greeted like a hero.
He arrived at the conference just hours after Joe Biden authorised the delivery of US-made F-16 fighter fighters to Kyiv, providing a crucial assist to the nation’s efforts to fend off Russia’s incursion.
In a statement, Mr Sunak said he is ‘delighted that the G7 has agreed on the importance of giving President Zelensky the advanced military equipment needed to win this war and prosper as a free and democratic nation’.
He said: ‘The G7 was once the G8 – Russia was expelled in 2014 for its illegal annexation of Crimea and flagrant abuse of human rights and the rule of law.
‘Nine years on, it sends an incredibly powerful message to have my friend and Ukraine’s President Zelensky with us in Hiroshima today.
‘It tells the world that the G7 stands united with the people of Ukraine, in the face of a terrible onslaught. And it demonstrates that brute force and oppression will not triumph over freedom and sovereignty.
‘From providing Challenger tanks to long-range missiles and pilot training, the UK’s support for Ukraine’s defence will never waver.’
The pair shared a warm informal meeting on Saturday after Mr Zelensky landed in Japan.
‘Good to see you,’ the Prime Minister said, slapping him on the back after they greeted each other with an embrace. ‘You made it.’
Asked by reporters if it was a good day for Ukraine, Mr Zelensky smiled, nodded and said ‘thank you so much’.
Mr Zelensky later tweeted: ‘Peace will become closer today.’
G7 leaders vowed to support Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’ and to increase the costs to Russia and those who support its war.
They also used their joint statement to be critical of China, saying they remain ‘seriously concerned’ about the aggression shown towards Taiwan.
Giving an account of Mr Sunak’s meeting with the Ukrainian leader, No 10 said: ‘The Prime Minister updated President Zelensky on the very positive progress at the G7 so far, including new sanctions against Russia and the provision of fighter jets.
‘The leaders looked forward to progressing talks with G7 countries and other partners on support for Ukraine and action against Russia’s destabilising and illegal behaviour.’
Moscow warned that the ‘escalation’ carries ‘enormous risks’ for the countries involved.
Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko told the Tass news agency: ‘We can see that Western countries continue to stick to an escalation scenario, which carries enormous risks for them.
‘In any case, we will take it into account when making plans.
‘We have all the necessary means to achieve our goals.’
Mr Biden informed his allies at the conference in Hiroshima that he will give legal authorisation to allow the American-made planes to be donated to Kyiv.
The US president, who is attending the G7 with other members France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada, as well as the EU, also announced training for Ukrainian pilots.
The Prime Minister welcomed the decision, having pressed allies to provide the Ukrainian president with the jets he has been calling for.
Mr Sunak tweeted: ‘Ukraine, we’re not going anywhere.’
Joe Biden has come under fire from Donald Trump for skipping the King’s coronation, saying that his absence has ‘greatly humiliated’ the British people.
Joe Biden ought to have attended King Charles III’s coronation. That seems like a lot to ask, doesn’t it? In a post on his Truth Social network, the former president spoke himself.
The British public is deeply offended. It makes sense why our popularity is dwindling everywhere. RENEW THE GREATNESS OF AMERICA! He continued.
Despite the ‘special relationship’ between the two countries, no US president has ever attended a royal coronation, and last month Biden announced he would not be making an exception.
Instead, the president sent his wife Jill Biden in his place instead, along with her 22-year-old granddaughter, Finnegan.
In an earlier post on Saturday to Truth Social, Trump also wished the king and queen best wishes, writing, ‘Good Luck and Best Wishes to the wonderful new King and Queen of The United Kingdom.
‘You are two very Special People. May your Reign be a Long and Glorious One. GOD BLESS YOU BOTH!!!’
Nevertheless, President Biden congratulated King Charles III and Queen Camilla in a Twitter post on Saturday morning.
‘The enduring friendship between the US and the UK is a source of strength for both our peoples,’ Mr Biden wrote.
The First Lady added that it was an ‘honor to represent the United States on this historic day at Westminster Abbey’ in a statement posted to Twitter.
Mr Trump, who is currently facing a civil rape and defamation trial in the US, also failed to attend the ceremony.
Coronation of King Charles III latest
The president’s decision not to attend drew some domestic criticism from commentators and analysts.
Nile Gardiner, foreign policy analyst and former aide to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, tweeted, ‘Leaders from across the world are attending today’s Coronation of King Charles III. Even the French President is there.
‘Notably absent is Joe Biden, who could not be bothered.
‘What message does this send to America’s closest ally? Biden is a petty, arrogant, sneering disgrace.’
However, Laura Beers, a professor of history at American University, told the BBC ‘I certainly don’t view it as a snub on President Biden’s part.’
‘It is a non-story in terms of the idea that Biden is anti-British,’ she said. “He’s not going because no American president has ever gone to a coronation, so why start in the 21st century.’
Prior to the reign of Queen Victoria, the relationship between Britain and the US was largely adversarial following the American Revolution and the War of 1812.
Although relations later thawed and the coronation of Queen Victoria was the source of much interest in the States, then-president Martin Van Buren did not attend the coronation.
At the time it was simply not practical for an American president to attend such ceremonies, and the practice became tradition after that.
“I think it belongs to us.” It is for this reason that I am seeking reelection as president of the United States. Please come along. Let’s get this done.
