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☆ Asa Hutchinson to run for president, urges Trump to drop out
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Doina Chiacu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I have made a decision, and my decision is I'm going to run for president of the United States," Hutchinson said. Trump remains popular among many Republicans despite becoming the first former U.S. president to be indicted on criminal charges. "I think it's a sad day for America that we have a former president that's indicted," Hutchinson said. Asked whether Trump should step aside, Hutchinson said, "Well, he should, but at the same time, we know he's not." Hutchinson was a former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and a Homeland Security official under President George W. Bush.

☆ Republican Hutchinson to run for US president in 2024, urges Trump to go
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Doina Chiacu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) - Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announced his 2024 U.S. presidential candidacy on Sunday with a proclamation that set him apart from other current or potential Republican candidates: former President Donald Trump should step aside from the race. "I have made a decision, and my decision is I'm going to run for president of the United States," Hutchinson said. "I think it's a sad day for America that we have a former president that's indicted," Hutchinson said. Asked whether Trump should step aside, Hutchinson said, "Well, he should, but at the same time, we know he's not." Former Vice President Mike Pence and current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are considered as possible candidates.

Trump's expected appearance before a judge in Manhattan on Tuesday, as the Republican mounts a bid to regain the presidency, could further inflame divisions in the United States. The specific charges are not yet known, though CNN reported that Trump faced more than 30 counts related to business fraud. Daniels has said she was paid to keep silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006. Bragg said Congress does not have authority to interfere with a New York legal proceeding and accused the lawmakers of escalating political tensions. Bragg's office prosecuted Trump's business on tax-fraud charges last year, leading to a $1.61 million criminal penalty, but Trump himself was not charged.

'LET THE PROCESS PROCEED'Shortly after the news of his indictment broke, Trump appealed to supporters to provide money for a legal defense. As news of Trump's indictment flashed across a news ticker on a Times Square skyscraper on Thursday evening, New York City resident Elizabeth Blaise welcomed the news. Trump lawyer Susan Necheles confirmed the Tuesday surrender date and said she did not expect charges to be unsealed until that day. "Do you really think that they're going to take President Trump out of the running for president because of some old horse-face story? The Manhattan District Attorney's office successfully prosecuted Trump's business on tax-fraud charges last year, leading to a $1.61 million criminal penalty.

☆ Russia seeking munitions from North Korea, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - The United States has new information that Russia is actively seeking to acquire additional weapons from North Korea in exchange for food aid, the White House said on Thursday. "We remain concerned that North Korea will provide further support to Russia's military operations against Ukraine," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said. "And we have new information that Russia is actively seeking to acquire additional munitions from North Korea." "We also understand that Russia is seeking to send a delegation in North Korea and that Russia is offering North Korea food in exchange for munitions," Kirby said. Any arms deal between North Korea and Russia would violate a series of UN Security Council resolutions, he said.

☆ Russia bid to 'weaponize energy' on Blinken agenda at NATO meet
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will push back on Russia's attempts to "weaponize energy" and rally support for a Ukrainian counteroffensive when he meets NATO foreign ministers in Brussels next week, an official said on Thursday. A meeting of the U.S.-EU Energy Council will focus on joint efforts to "blunt Russia's attempts to weaponize energy ... (and) bolstering energy supplies for the coming winters," Dereck Hogan, the State Department's principal deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, told reporters. NATO has sent large amounts of weapons and other aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded, which has also spurred moves to expand the alliance. The top U.S. diplomat will meet with European Union High Representative and Vice President Josep Borrell, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba in Belgium on Tuesday and Wednesday, the State Department said. Reporting by Simon Lewis, Doina Chiacu and Daphne Psaledakis; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. sanctions Syrian leader Assad's cousins, others over drug trade -Treasury
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It said the trade in captagon was estimated to be a billion-dollar enterprise and the sanctions highlight the role of Lebanese drug traffickers and the Assad family dominance of captagon trafficking, which helped fund the Syrian government. Assad's government denies involvement in drug-making and smuggling and says it is stepping up its campaign to curb the lucrative trade. Also sanctioned were Khalid Qaddour, who the Treasury said was a Syrian businessman and close associate of Bashar al-Assad's brother, the head of the army's Fourth Division. Hassan Daqqou was sentenced in 2021 to seven years in prison in Lebanon on charges of captagon trafficking, according to the same source. Reporting by Doina Chiacu, Daphne Psaledakis and Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ CFTC: U.S. regulators needed to step in aggressively on Binance
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - Activity at Binance was a pretty clear case of evasion and U.S. authorities needed to step in aggressively and as quickly as possible, the chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on Tuesday. The U.S. agency sued Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, on Monday. Behnam said Binance was a common enterprise comprised of dozens and dozens of entities scattered across the globe. "Not having a headquarters, not having a location is not going to prevent the CFTC from coming after you," he said. "So we're going to vigorously continue and fight this case in court," he told the CFTC.

LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Binance founder Changpeng Zhao could never be accused of thinking small. The 46-year-old CEO didn't waver in his belief as he built up his crypto exchange. Binance and Zhao did not respond to requests for comment for this article. Binance became the world's biggest crypto exchange within six months, and now accounts for about 60% of global crypto trading volumes, according to research firm CryptoCompare. While Binance has hired widely from the traditional financial and regulatory worlds in recent years, Zhao's tight control over his company has continued.

☆ Zelenskiy to IAEA: Russia holds nuclear plant hostage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The president met Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Monday at the Dnipro hydroelectric power station - northeast of the Zaporizhzhia plant. Russian officials say they want to connect the Zaporizhzhia plant to the Russian grid. Russia said last month the construction of protective structures for key facilities at the Zaporizhzhia plant were nearing completion. "Holding a nuclear power station hostage for more than a year - this is surely the worst thing that has ever happened in the history of European or worldwide nuclear power," Zelenskiy said. Last week, the Ukrainian military warned that Avdiivka, a smaller town 90 km (55 miles) farther south, could become a "second Bakhmut" as Russia turns its attention there.

☆ NATO slams Putin rhetoric on nuclear weapons in Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

KYIV, March 27 (Reuters) - NATO castigated Vladimir Putin over his nuclear rhetoric a day after the Russian president said he planned to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, escalating a standoff with the West. "Russia's nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on Sunday. We have not seen any changes in Russia's nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust our own." Tactical nuclear weapons refer to those used for specific gains on a battlefield rather than those with the capacity to wipe out cities. Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said the risk of escalation to nuclear war "remains extremely low."

☆ White House says U.S. banking system is safe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday that the U.S. banking system is safe despite stress on some institutions after two American banks collapsed, ratcheting up fears of a contagion that prompted U.S. officials to respond. "Because of the decisive actions that we have seen ... from our administration, the banking regulators and also the Treasury Department, the banking system is safe," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. Reporting by Jeff Mason; writing by Jasper Ward; Editing by Doina ChiacuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US 'strongly urges' Israel leaders to find compromise
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 26 (Reuters) - The United States is deeply concerned by events in Israel and "strongly urges" leaders there to find compromise as soon as possible, a White House spokesperson said on Sunday after the firing of Israel's defense minister triggered mass protests. "We continue to strongly urge Israeli leaders to find a compromise as soon as possible. We believe that is the best path forward for Israel and all of its citizens," White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement. Some three months since taking office, Netanyahu's nationalist-religious coalition has been plunged into crisis over the bitter divisions exposed by its flagship judicial overhaul plans. "As the president recently discussed with Prime Minister Netanyahu, democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship," Watson said.

☆ U.S. 'strongly urges' Israel leaders to find compromise
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ Biden invokes Defense Production Act for printed circuit board production
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday invoked the Defense Production Act to spend $50 million on domestic and Canadian production of printed circuit boards, citing the technology's importance to national defense. Printed circuit boards are incorporated into missiles and radars, as well as electronics used for energy and healthcare. "I find that action to expand the domestic production capability for printed circuit boards and advanced packaging is necessary to avert an industrial resource or critical technology item shortfall that would severely impair national defense capability," Biden said. Industry groups had called for such a move by Washington last year, saying there was not enough domestic production needed to support the U.S. electronics manufacturing industry. The Defense Production Act ruling also calls for more "advanced packaging" that allows multiple devices to be packaged and mounted on a single electronic device shrinking them and making power use more efficient.

☆ Ex-Trump lawyer appears before grand jury as U.S. probes swirl
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Corcoran and his attorney Michael Levy entered the federal courthouse in Washington and went to the third floor, where the grand jury typically meets. Attorneys for Trump did not respond to a request for comment on the court order compelling Meadows and other former aides to testify. At that June meeting, the lawyers handed over a single envelope containing 38 documents with classified markings. Corcoran is one of multiple Trump attorneys who have been summoned to appear before the grand jury. Tim Parlatore, another attorney, voluntarily testified before the same grand jury in December to explain the steps Trump's legal team took to comply with the May 2022 subpoena.

"Unfortunately the president doesn't think it's important," McCarthy said when asked about how talks on the debt ceiling were going. The government faces a historic default on its debts without legislation to raise the $31.4 trillion debt limit. Biden and leading Democrats in Congress have urged McCarthy to unveil Republicans' plans for cutting spending, saying that additional meetings before that happens would be fruitless. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Thursday that Democrats welcome budget talks anytime. Meantime, Republicans want Democrats to signal support for significant spending cuts before providing the votes needed in Congress to increase the Treasury Department's borrowing authority.

Just a day after the deadly attack on U.S. personnel in Syria, which Washington blamed on a drone of Iranian origin, sources said a U.S. base in Syria's northeast was targeted with a new missile attack. The U.S. strikes were in response to an attack earlier on Thursday by an attack drone against U.S. personnel at a coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria. Three service members and a contractor required medical evacuation to Iraq, where the U.S.-led coalition battling the remnants of Islamic State has medical facilities, the Pentagon said. NEW ATTACK INEFFECTIVEA U.S. base at the Al-Omar oil field in Syria was targeted with a missile attack on Friday morning, according to Lebanese pro-Iranian TV channel Al Mayadeen and a security source. U.S. forces first deployed into Syria during the Obama administration's campaign against Islamic State, partnering with a Kurdish-led group called the Syrian Democratic Forces.

☆ Attorney for former President Trump appears before grand jury
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on education as he holds a campaign rally with supporters, in Davenport, Iowa, U.S. March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's attorney Evan Corcoran appeared on Friday before a federal grand jury investigating the former U.S. president's retention of classified documents after he left the White House in January 2021. Corcoran and his attorney Michael Levy entered the federal courthouse in Washington and went to the third floor where the grand jury typically meets. In May 2022, Trump received a grand jury subpoena ordering him to turn over any records with classified markings, and officials from the Justice Department and FBI met with Trump's attorneys in June to enforce the subpoena. That claim later proved to be false, after the FBI discovered about 100 additional classified records among some 13,000 government documents in its Aug. 8 search.

☆ U.S. House speaker accuses Biden of not caring about debt ceiling
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy accused President Joe Biden on Friday of not caring about the budget and debt ceiling enough to hold talks with House Republicans about their differences. "Unfortunately the President doesn't think it's important," McCarthy told reporters when asked about how talks on the debt ceiling were going. Biden and leading Democrats in Congress have urged McCarthy to unveil Republicans' plans for cutting spending, saying that further meetings before that happens would be fruitless. The government faces a historic default on its debts without legislation being enacted to raise the $31.4 trillion debt limit. Reporting by Doina Chiacu; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

NEW YORK, March 23 (Reuters) - New York City prosecutors on Thursday said Donald Trump created a false expectation of his arrest and led fellow Republicans in Congress to interfere with a probe of his hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. On Saturday, the former president forecast he would be arrested on Tuesday in the probe by the Manhattan District Attorney's office. The letter said the chairmen's accusations "only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene." It confirmed that Bragg's office was "investigating allegations that Donald Trump engaged in violations of New York State penal law." A former fixer for Trump said he made the payment to Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election at Trump's direction.

WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - The Manhattan district attorney's office on Thursday accused House of Representatives Republicans of interfering in its probe of former President Donald Trump, according to a letter obtained by Reuters. Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - China is "very carefully" watching how Washington and the world respond to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but has not yet crossed the line of providing lethal aid to Moscow, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. "The stakes in Ukraine go well beyond Ukraine. However, he said he did not believe that China has been providing lethal aid to Moscow. "As we speak today, we have not seen them cross that line," Blinken told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, the first of four times he will testify to congressional committees this week. "The post-Cold War world is over, and there is an intense competition under way to determine what comes next," Blinken said.

☆ World Bank president expresses deep concern on Zambia debt restructuring
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - World Bank President David Malpass said on Tuesday he remained deeply concerned about the debt restructuring stalemate in Zambia and that the bank is working with India and the International Monetary Fund on the G20 debt restructuring process. Zambia meanwhile has been stuck in default since it became the first COVID-era African nation to do so in November 2020. Its finance minister has said it is pushing to finish the long-delayed Common Framework restructuring by end of March or shortly after. Ghana defaulted on its external debts in December and has since sealed a domestic debt swap and requested a restructuring of its bilateral debts via the G20's Common Framework vehicle. Malpass also said Sri Lanka was now eligible to get $1.75 billion over four years.

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday rejected a Republican proposal to prevent pension fund managers from basing investment decisions on factors like climate change, in the first veto of his presidency. "I just signed this veto because the legislation passed by the Congress would put at risk the retirement savings of individuals across the country," Biden said in a video posted on Twitter. Two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana, voted with Republicans. Manchin countered that it was the Biden administration that was pushing its "radical policy agenda" on this issue. "Despite a clear and bipartisan rejection of the rule from Congress, President Biden is choosing to put his administration’s progressive agenda above the well-being of the American people," Manchin said in a statement.

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