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☆ Biden report on Afghanistan blames Trump for degraded US operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Biden inherited a depleted operation in Afghanistan from Trump that crippled its response, John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, told reporters in a press conference on Thursday. Biden was left with a stark choice - withdraw all U.S. forces, or resume fighting with the Taliban. The Taliban overran Afghanistan in August 2021 as the former Western-backed government in Kabul collapsed with surprising speed and the last U.S. troops withdrew. Under Biden's Republican predecessor Trump, the U.S. made a deal with the Islamist Taliban to withdraw all American forces. Reporting by Nandita Bose and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Tim Ahmann, David Gregorio and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Former U.S. VP Pence will not appeal ruling requiring his testimony in Jan. 6 probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will not appeal a judge's ruling that requires him to testify to a grand jury about conversations he had with former President Donald Trump leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, a spokesman for Pence said on Wednesday. In a March ruling, the judge also said Pence can still decline to answer questions related to Jan. 6. Pence spokesman Devin O'Malley said in a statement on Wednesday that Pence's argument that the subpoena violated the U.S. Constitution's "Speech or Debate Clause" had been vindicated by the court. "The Court’s landmark and historic ruling affirmed for the first time in history that the Speech or Debate Clause extends to the Vice President of the United States," O'Malley said. "Having vindicated that principle of the Constitution, Vice President Pence will not appeal the Judge’s ruling and will comply with the subpoena as required by law.”(This story has been refiled to remove extraneous words in paragraph 3)Reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

UNITED NATIONS/KABUL, April 5 (Reuters) - U.N. chief Antonio Guterres condemned on Wednesday a ban by Afghanistan's Taliban authorities on Afghan women working for the United Nations, calling it "an intolerable violation of the most basic human rights" that should be immediately revoked. The United Nations has told some 3,300 Afghan staff - of which about 400 are female - not to report to their offices until further notice for security reasons. "Banning Afghan women from working with the U.N. in Afghanistan is an intolerable violation of the most basic human rights," Guterres posted on Twitter. Top U.N. officials in Kabul met with the Acting Afghan Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi on Wednesday after the Taliban authorities signaled on Tuesday that they would enforce a ban on Afghan women working for the world body. So far it is only 5% funded and the United Nations says nearly three-quarters of the country's 40 million people need help.

☆ US House speaker says Republicans could act on their own on debt ceiling
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Thursday that he and other Republican lawmakers could act on their own to address the $31.4 trillion U.S. government debt ceiling, if Democratic President Joe Biden keeps rejecting negotiations on spending. Biden, a Democrat, has insisted that he will not negotiate with Republicans who control the House of Representatives until they produce their own fiscal 2024 spending plan and raise the government borrowing limit without conditions. McCarthy said his Republican majority in the House of Representatives was close to agreement on a plan that would tackle the debt ceiling and address their priorities for lowering spending. "If the president doesn't act, we will," McCarthy told reporters at a news conference. Reporting by David Morgan; Writing by Rami Ayyub and David Morgan; Editing by Tim Ahmann and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The grand jury has been hearing evidence from the Manhattan District Attorney's office about possible crimes related to a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. The Washington Post, citing two people familiar with the matter, said the grand jury hiatus was due in part to a pre-scheduled two-week break starting April 10, following the April 9 Easter holiday. A law enforcement source told Reuters the grand jury is not expected to reconvene on the Trump case until after Easter, without providing a specific date. Grand jury proceedings are secret. The grand jury is believed to meet generally on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.

The grand jury has been hearing evidence from the Manhattan District Attorney's office about possible crimes related to a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. The payment was in exchange for her silence about a sexual encounter Daniels said she had with Trump a decade earlier. A law enforcement source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was unclear exactly when after the holiday the grand jury would hear evidence again in the Trump case. Grand jury proceedings are secret. The grand jury is believed to generally meet on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.

☆ Biden says US is prepared to act "forcefully" to protect Americans
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a joint news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, March 24, 2023. REUTERS/Blair GableOTTAWA, March 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday said the United States is prepared to "act forcefully" to protect Americans, commenting after the U.S. military carried out air strikes against Iran-backed forces in retaliation for an attack that killed an American contractor and wounded five U.S. troops. "Make no mistake: the United States does not ... seek conflict with Iran, but be prepared for us to act forcefully to protect our people," Biden told reporters during an official visit to Canada. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; writing by Jasper Ward; editing by Tim AhmannOur 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.

☆ 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.

The global lender said the agreement was expected to help unleash large-scale financing for Ukraine from international donors and partners, but gave no details. IMF staff currently expected the change in Ukraine's real gross domestic product for 2023 to range from -3% to +1%, Gray added. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal hailed the agreement and thanked the IMF for its support. If approved, as expected, the Ukraine program would be the IMF's biggest loan to a country involved in an active conflict. The fund last week changed a rule to allow new loan programs for countries facing "exceptionally high uncertainty", without naming Ukraine.

A case would be a historic first as no current or former U.S. president has ever been criminally charged. Officials are meeting at New York Police Department headquarters to plan for the indictment, according to an unnamed person involved in the planning, Politico reported. "We’ll be discussing how we bring Trump in," the person involved in the planning was quoted as saying. Trump has denied the affair happened and called the investigation by Bragg, a Democrat, a witch hunt. The New York probe is one of several legal inquiries Trump faces.

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to be indicted by a grand jury late Monday or on Wednesday in a hush payments case involving a porn star, Politico reported on Monday, citing three unidentified people involved in the deliberations. Law enforcement officials are meeting at New York Police Department headquarters to plan for the indictment, according to an unnamed person involved in the planning, the news outlet reported. "We’ll be discussing how we bring Trump in," the person involved in the planning was quoted as saying. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has been investigating a $130,000 hush payment made by Michael Cohen, Trump's estranged former fixer, to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. He said "illegal leaks" indicated an arrest on Tuesday, but provided no evidence, and his spokesman said Trump had not been notified of any impending arrest.

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday signed a bill that requires declassification of information related to the origins of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the White House said. Biden said he shared Congress' goal of releasing as much information as possible about the origin of COVID-19. The bill sailed through the Senate and House of Representatives without opposition before being sent to the White House. The FBI has also assessed that the pandemic likely originated from a lab leak. China said claims that a laboratory leak likely caused the pandemic have no credibility.

☆ Democratic lawmakers urge US to probe Goldman's role in SVB collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"(We) wish to raise our concerns over the role of Goldman Sachs Group in advising SVB and in the purchase of its bond portfolio," the letter said. Californian regulators shuttered Silicon Valley Bank last Friday and appointed FDIC as receiver. U.S. prosecutors are investigating the SVB collapse, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters this week. Goldman Sachs did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter by lawmakers. Financial stocks have lost over billions of dollars in value since Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank (SBNY.O) collapsed last week.

☆ U.S. Senate banking panel to hold hearings on sector's woes, chair says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - The Democratic head of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday said the panel would hold hearings on the bank industry's problems but that any new legislation was unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives. The panel's chairman, Sherrod Brown, speaking to reporters, did not give a date for any hearings but said they would provide "oversight." Reporting by Richard Cowan; writing by Susan Heavey; editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies Rite Aid Corp FollowWASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Monday sued Rite Aid Corp (RAD.N), accusing the pharmacy chain of missing red flags as it illegally filled hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids. Rite Aid pharmacists were accused of filling prescriptions for controlled substances despite clear signs it was wrong. The Justice Department also said Rite Aid intentionally deleted some pharmacists' internal warnings about suspicious prescribers, such as "cash only pill mill??? Rite Aid is one of the country's largest pharmacy chains, with more than 2,330 stores in 17 U.S. states. The case is U.S. ex rel White et al v Rite Aid Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, No.

Companies Alphabet Inc FollowALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 10 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge said on Friday that a Justice Department lawsuit against Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google regarding its dominance of advertising technology would remain in Virginia, rejecting Google's bid to move it to New York. "I am going to rule against you," Judge Leonie Brinkema told an attorney for Google. Google has denied any wrongdoing in running its ad tech business. Eric Mahr, an attorney for Google, argued that there was a risk of an inconsistent judgment if the case were not moved to New York. Wood also said there were "meaningful differences" between the Justice Department's case and many of the New York cases.

The former president was told he could appear before a Manhattan grand jury next week if he wished to testify, the newspaper said. A lawyer for Trump confirmed to Reuters that Trump had been invited to testify. While being given the opportunity to testify indicates that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg could charge the president, the prosecutor could still decline to indict Trump. "If he (Trump) does appear, he will have to waive immunity and answer the prosecutor's questions," he said. "I did absolutely nothing wrong, I never had an affair with Stormy Daniels, nor would I have wanted to have an affair with Stormy Daniels.

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - Manhattan prosecutors have signaled to Donald Trump that he could face criminal charges relating to the former president's alleged role in hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing four unnamed sources. The former president was told he could appear before a Manhattan grand jury next week if he wished to testify, the newspaper said. A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney declined to comment. Lawyers who have represented Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden budget would cut deficit by nearly $3 trillion, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's budget proposal will aim to cut U.S. budget deficits by nearly $3 trillion over 10 years, the White House said on Wednesday, far more than the $2 trillion Biden had said he would aim for earlier. "That’s nearly a $6 trillion difference between the president’s budget and Congressional Republicans' agenda,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, saying the opposition’s plans would add $3 trillion to the debt. Biden, who intends to unveil his budget plan on Thursday, had floated the $2 trillion deficit reduction figure during his State of the Union address in February. "We see this as a value statement" about the future of the country, Karine Jean-Pierre said. Ultimately, it will be up to Congress, where Republicans control the House of Representatives, to write related budget legislation.

Schultz will testify on March 29 before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the company and panel chairman Senator Bernie Sanders said on Tuesday. Schultz, who is stepping down from his post this month, had earlier declined an invitation from 11 senators to testify before the panel on March 9. The company previously rebuffed requests by Sanders for him to appear, instead offering for other executives to testify. "I look forward to hearing from him as to when he intends to end his illegal anti-union activities and begin signing fair first contracts with the unions," Sanders wrote on Twitter. Employees at more than 280 out of its roughly 9,000 company-operated U.S. locations have voted to join a labor union since 2021.

☆ Starbucks CEO agrees to testify before US Senate panel
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) interim Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz has agreed to testify this month before a U.S. Senate committee, the company and panel chairman Senator Bernie Sanders said on Tuesday. Schultz will testify on March 29 before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee after he had earlier declined an invitation from 11 senators to testify before the panel on March 9. Employees at more than 280 out of its roughly 9,000 company-operated U.S. locations have voted to join a labor union since 2021. Sanders had called on Schultz to testify at a hearing on the company's compliance with labor law. Starbucks had previously noted Schultz was stepping down as CEO this month and said he was not the right witness.

☆ US announces $400 mln arms aid to Ukraine including tactical bridges, ammunition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - The United States announced a new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday worth $400 million primarily comprised of ammunition, but for the first time will include tactical bridges to move tanks and armored vehicles. The additional ammunition is being sent to help boost stocks in anticipation of a spring offensive. "Importantly, assault bridges are only critical for offensive operations showing that the US is preparing Ukraine to continue retaking its territory," Watling added. In January, Berlin agreed to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine and said it would work with allies to send more. Reporting by Mike Stone and Jasper Ward; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US attorney general makes unannounced trip to Ukraine, US official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “Oversight of the Department of Justice,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 1, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah SilbigerWASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland made an unannounced visit to Lviv, Ukraine, on Friday at the invitation of the Ukrainian prosecutor general, a Justice Department official said. "The attorney general held several meetings and reaffirmed our determination to hold Russia accountable for crimes committed in its unjust and unprovoked invasion against its sovereign neighbor," the official said. Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; writing by Rami Ayyub; editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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