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REUTERS/Carlos OsorioOTTAWA, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Canada is sending four more Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and is imposing new Russia-related sanctions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, marking the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Friday. The delivery would bring to eight the total number of Leopard 2 tanks Canada has pledged to Ukraine. Canada will also provide an armored recovery vehicle and over 5,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition to help Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Since the start of the war a year ago, Canada has provided more than C$5 billion ($3.67 billion) in support to Ukraine, Trudeau said. Russia's ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov said the sanctions by Canada and the West were "meaningless," TASS news agency reported.

☆ U.S. State Department sanctions target Russian cabinet ministers, nuclear arms firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Friday marked the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine by sanctioning more than 60 top Russian officials, including cabinent ministers and regional leaders, and three enterprises that run the country's nuclear weapons program. The department said it also was imposing sanctions on scores of other Russian officials and entities and Russians involved in the theft of grain from Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Ukranian civilians and troops have died in the war ignited by Russia's invasion, millions have been driven from their homes and villages, towns and cities destroyed. All of those sanctioned were being targeted under an executive order authorizing "sanctions with respect to specified harmful foreign activities" of the Russian government, the department said. Under the sanctions, any U.S. property owned by those designated or controlled on their behalves by a U.S. citizen are blocked.

☆ Democratic U.S. Rep. Cicilline to resign, head Rhode Island foundation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a surprise announcement, Cicilline, a former Providence mayor, said he will become president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, a major funder of nonprofit organizations in the state. "The chance to lead the Rhode Island Foundation was unexpected, but it is an extraordinary opportunity to have an even more direct and meaningful impact on the lives of residents of our state," Cicilline said in a statement. There are 212 Democrats, including Cicilline, and one vacancy that is expected to add another Democrat following voting in a special election on Tuesday. Officials in the Rhode Island governor's office were not immediately available for comment on when that special election might be set. Rhode Island's two U.S. Senate seats and two House seats are currently held by Democrats in this "blue" state.

☆ France's Macron signals electric car subsidy concern on agenda with Harris
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with French President Emmanuel Macron at the bilateral meeting at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany February 17, 2023. Michael Probst/Pool via REUTERSMUNICH, Feb 17 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron signaled on Friday that he would discuss concerns about U.S. electrical vehicle subsidies with Vice President Kamala Harris as they met during the Munich Security Conference. "We are working hard," on the issue, Macron said before their meeting. But a solution from Washington that would be acceptable to France has not been forthcoming in the months since. Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with French President Emmanuel Macron at the bilateral meeting at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany February 17, 2023. Michael Probst/Pool via REUTERSFeb 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris discussed challenges posed by China with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and agreed to remain closely aligned during meetings with the leaders in Munich, the White House said on Friday. Harris "discussed challenges posed by the People's Republic of China, including the importance of upholding the rules-based order, and agreed to remain closely aligned," the White House said in a statement. Harris defended the United States' handling of the balloon incident and the shooting down of three other unidentified objects. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly demanded that foreign officials not visit the democratically governed island.

☆ U.S. Senator Fetterman in hospital for clinical depression -statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator John Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed medical center on Wednesday to receive treatment for severe clinical depression, his office said. The 53-year-old Pennsylvania Democrat, who suffered a stroke last year, was evaluated by the attending physician for Congress on Monday, who recommended inpatient care, his chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, said in a statement on Thursday. "While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks," Jentleson said. Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Kanishka Singh; editing by Rami Ayyub and Eric BeechOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. House Judiciary subpoenas Big Tech CEOs over free speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan on Wednesday subpoenaed the chief executives of Alphabet (GOOGL.O), Amazon (AMZN.O), Apple (AAPL.O), Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms (META.O), and Microsoft (MSFT.O) for documents and communications relating to free-speech issues. "These subpoenas are the first step in holding Big Tech accountable," Jordan's office said in a statement. Reporting by Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. says all countries should warn China against Taiwan conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - The United States hopes China will not use any visits by U.S. lawmakers to Taiwan as an excuse for military action, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Wednesday, adding that all countries should warn Beijing against conflict over the island. "And we hope that the PRC (People's Republic of China) does not use a visit by a member of Congress to Taiwan as a pretext for military action," Sherman said. China stepped up military drills around Taiwan as a result of Pelosi's visit. "The same would be true of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait," Sherman said. "That's going to create a lot of problems for those who are supporting this unholy invasion going forward," she said.

Feb 14 (Reuters) - U.S. federal agents arrested and charged four suspects in Florida for alleged roles in the plot that led to the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, authorities said on Tuesday. A person holds a photo of late Haitian President Jovenel Moise, who was shot dead earlier this month, during his funeral at his family home in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, July 23, 2021. Veintemilla, a U.S. citizen, lent over $170,000 to CTU Security to finance their operations in Haiti, officials added. The arrests and charges were reported earlier on Tuesday by the Miami Herald and the New York Times. The resulting violence has left much of the country off-limits to the government and led to routine gun battles with police.

☆ Zelenskiy urges speedy help from allies as Russia pounds Ukraine's east
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Much of Russia's artillery fire was focused on Bakhmut, a bombed-out city in Donetsk province and a principal target for President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskiy said Russia was in a hurry to achieve as much as it could with its latest push before Ukraine and its allies could gather strength. Speed saves people's lives, speed brings back security, and I thank all our partners who realize that speed is important." Russian forces had made incremental progress in their assault on Bahkmut, White House spokesperson John Kirby said. Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said Russian forces would not be able to capture the town anytime soon.

☆ Mystery aerial objects may have benign purpose-White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FBI/Handout via ReutersWASHINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. intelligence community is considering the possibility that three mysterious unidentified objects shot down by U.S. fighter jets were tied to a commercial or otherwise benign purpose, the White House said on Tuesday. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, told reporters that the United States still had no firm grasp on the origin of the three objects. He said there was no indication that the trio of objects were tied to China's spy balloon program. A U.S. fighter jet on Feb. 4 shot down a high-altitude Chinese balloon off the coast of South Carolina after it transited the United States. Kirby confirmed that the fighter jet that shot down the object over Lake Huron missed with an initial missile and it landed in the lake.

☆ Haley announces 2024 Republican presidential bid, marks Trump's first challenger
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is challenging her one-time boss for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, according to a video she released on Tuesday. "I'm Nikki Haley and I'm running for president," Trump's former United Nations ambassador said in the video, first reported by Axios. Reporting by Steve Holland and Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina ChiacuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"There is no, again, no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. "We have not yet been able to definitively assess what these most recent objects are," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said at a news briefing. At Friday's White House briefing, Kirby said: "There is no U.S. surveillance aircraft in Chinese airspace. I'm not aware of any other craft that we're flying over into Chinese airspace." "This is the latest example of China scrambling to do damage control," Adrienne Watson, another White House national security spokesperson, said in a statement.

China widened its dispute with the United States on Monday, claiming that U.S. high-altitude balloons had flown over its airspace without permission more than 10 times since the beginning of 2022. Washington called that a surveillance balloon, while China has insisted it was a weather-monitoring craft blown badly off course. A White House spokeswoman denied it, and accused China of violating the sovereignty of the United States and more than 40 other countries across five continents with surveillance balloons linked to its military. "It has repeatedly and wrongly claimed the surveillance balloon it sent over the United States was a weather balloon and to this day has failed to offer any credible explanations for its intrusion into our airspace and the airspace of others." Reuters GraphicsThe three objects were flying at altitudes that could have posed a risk to air traffic, officials have said.

☆ U.S. exempts Britain, New Zealand from foreign investment reviews -Treasury
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday extended the status of Britain and New Zealand as countries exempt from the U.S. foreign investment screening program, the Treasury Department said, having determined that those countries' own screening programs are robust enough. U.S. Treasury's powerful Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) said it made the decision based on the countries' use of their own "robust foreign investment screening program." "The United States thoroughly reviews foreign investment for national security risks, and it is critical that our allies also identify and address risks from malign foreign investment," Assistant Secretary for Investment Security Paul Rosen said. "Today’s actions reflect that our Five Eye allies have all stood up and implemented their own robust foreign investment screening programs. We look forward to continuing to coordinate with all of them on matters relating to investment security."

☆ U.S. House Ethics panel has not yet launched probe of Rep. Santos -McCarthy aide
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] U.S. Representative George Santos (R-NY) departs his office to attend a House vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 12, 2023. "There’s no investigation, as the Ethics Committee hasn’t organized yet. Earlier in the day, McCarthy, asked by CNN if the freshman lawmaker is under investigation by the panel, McCarthy said, "Yes." "Ethics is moving through, and if Ethics finds something, we’ll take action," McCarthy told the cable news outlet. Later, McCarthy said he meant to say that Santos was the subject of Ethics Committee complaints.

☆ U.S. Rep. Santos facing House ethics probe - McCarthy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Representative George Santos, who has faced calls from fellow New York state Republicans to step down after fabricating much of his resume, is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed to CNN on Tuesday. "Ethics is moving through, and if Ethics finds something, we’ll take action," McCarthy told the cable news outlet when asked about Santos' constituents calling on him to resign. Santos told fellow Republican lawmakers last week he would not serve on committees for now, lawmakers said. Santos has rebuffed calls for his resignation, saying he would vacate his seat only if he loses the next election. Santos is the first openly gay Republican to win a House seat in Congress as a non-incumbent, but has positioned himself as a staunch conservative on many social issues.

☆ Top U.S. House Republican McCarthy wants compromise on debt ceiling, cuts from Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) delivers remarks on the debt ceiling, outside of his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 6, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called on Democratic President Joe Biden to agree to compromises and spending cuts, as the two remain deadlocked over raising the nation's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling. The White House has said Biden will discuss federal spending cuts with Republicans, but only after the debt ceiling is lifted, while McCarthy has said Republicans will only lift the ceiling if Biden agrees to spending cuts. House Republicans want to use the debt ceiling, which covers the spending programs and tax cuts Congress previously approved, as leverage to push spending cuts, after two years of Democratic control of the House and the Senate. (This story has been corrected to change the headline to specify that McCarthy is seeking a compromise on the debt ceiling, and not debt ceiling cuts)Reporting by David Morgan; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu and Rami Ayyub; Editing by Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis and Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. Rep. Santos expected to face House ethics probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] U.S. Representative George Santos (R-NY) departs his office to attend a House vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 12, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth FrantzWASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Representative George Santos is expected to face a House Ethics Committee probe after admitting he fabricated much of his resume, but Speaker Kevin McCarthy gave conflicting responses on Tuesday about whether an investigation into his fellow Republican had begun. Asked by CNN if the freshman lawmaker is under investigation by the panel, McCarthy said, "Yes." "Ethics is moving through, and if Ethics finds something, we’ll take action," McCarthy told the cable news outlet. Later, McCarthy said he meant to say that Santos was the subject of Ethics Committee complaints.

Companies Exelon Corp FollowWASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The FBI arrested two people, including a neo-Nazi leader, before they could attack Baltimore's power grid, officials said on Monday. The suspects, Brandon Russell and Sarah Clendaniel, were taken into custody last week, officials said in a briefing on Monday. The FBI said the plot was racially motivated but did not provide details. Russel provided instruction and location information for the planned attack while Clendaniel felt the plot "will lay this city to waste," Sobocinski told reporters. Baltimore Gas and Electric, a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (EXC.O), which owns the targeted substations, said there was no damage to any of its equipment or outages.

☆ Blinken postpones trip to China after spy balloon detected in U.S. -reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will postpone his visit to China after a spy balloon was detected flying over the continental United States, according to media reports on Friday. Blinken did not want the balloon to dominate his meetings with Chinese officials, ABC News reported, citing an unnamed U.S. official. Bloomberg News also reported the trip will be postponed. Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] The Activision booth is shown at the E3 2017 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 13, 2017. REUTERS/ Mike Blake/File PhotoWASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Activision Blizzard Inc (ATVI.O) has agreed to pay $35 million to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges that it failed to have systems in place to properly handle employee complaints and violated whistleblower protection rules, the regulator said on Friday. The SEC said the company knew employee retention issues were "a particularly important risk in its business" but did not have adequate measures in place to manage workplace misconduct complaints between 2018 and 2021. Representatives for Activision Blizzard, which did not admit or deny the SEC's charges, said in a statement they were "pleased to have amicably resolved this matter" and had "enhanced" their workplace reporting and contract language. Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), which makes Xbox, had made a $69 billion bid to acquire Activision Blizzard, but the Federal Trade Commission asked a judge in December to block the transaction.

☆ Activision Blizzard to pay $35mln to settle workplace charges, U.S. SEC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Activision Blizzard has agreed to pay $35 million to settle allegations over its handling of workplace complaints and violations of whistleblower protection rules, U.S. financial regulators said on Friday. "Activision Blizzard failed to implement necessary controls to collect and review employee complaints about workplace misconduct, which left it without the means to determine whether larger issues existed that needed to be disclosed to investors,” said Jason Burt, who heads the Securities and Exchange Commission's Denver office, said in a statement. Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina ChiacuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday credited Brian Deese, his outgoing top White House economic adviser, for helping achieve the administration's economic vision for the country. "Brian has ... helped steer my economic vision into reality, and managed the transition of our historic economic recovery to steady and stable growth," Biden said. Deese, who is expected to step down in mid-February, told MSNBC that Biden had not made any decision on his replacement. Other candidates for the NEC job include Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Reuters reported last week. Only the CEA job requires Senate confirmation.

☆ Biden cooperating with federal search for classified documents at Delaware beach house -statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is conducting a planned search of Joe Biden's Delaware beach house with the president's cooperation, his lawyer said on Wednesday. "We agreed to cooperate," Biden's personal lawyer, Bob Bauer, said in a statement, saying more information would be released after the search was concluded. Classified documents have also been found in the homes of former Republican President Donald Trump and his former vice president, Mike Pence. Biden has vowed to cooperate with the searches and Pence had said he takes responsibility for the found documents. It is unlawful to knowingly or willfully remove or retain classified material, although no current or former president or vice president has been charged with wrongdoing.

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