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☆ US sanctions three people for abuse of Russian opposition politician
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Katharine Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on three Russians it accused of serious human rights abuses against Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was arrested last year after speaking out against the war in Ukraine. The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions target Elena Anatolievna Lenskaya, Andrei Andreevich Zadachin and Danila Yurievich Mikheev for abuses under the Global Magnitsky Act. Kara-Murza, who holds both British and Russian citizenship and was a pallbearer at the 2018 funeral of U.S. Senator John McCain, was a close aide to opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead in central Moscow in 2015. Kara-Murza has pushed for the U.S., Canada, European Union and Britain to use Magnitsky-style sanctions to target human rights abusers and corrupt actors in Russia, the Treasury Department said.

☆ EU official warns of sanctions if China crosses 'red line' and arms Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - It would be an absolute "red line" if China provided weapons to Russia, a senior European Union official said on Friday, adding that the EU would respond with sanctions. "Don't deliver any weapons to the aggressor Russia," Scholz said in a speech to the German parliament ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington later on Friday. Scholz and Biden are expected to discuss the ongoing conflict as well as China when they meet at the White House. China has denied any intention to arm Russia. Reporting by Andrea Shalala; writing by Susan Heavey; editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ White House: Unacceptable for states to target access to federally approved abortion pills
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday that it was "dangerous and unacceptable" for elected officials to target women's access to federally approved medication abortion pills. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 1, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisWalgreens announced on Thursday it would not dispense abortion pills in the 20 states where attorneys general have told the pharmacy chain it risked breaking the law should it provide them through the mail. "Elected officials targeting pharmacies and their ability to provide women with access to safe, effective and FDA-approved medication is dangerous and just unacceptable," Karine Jean-Pierre, press secretary for the White House, said when asked about the pharmacy's announcement. Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden and EU's von der Leyen to meet amid subsidies dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 2 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will discuss clean energy and supply chains with President Joe Biden in Washington on March 10, the White House said, as European nations worry that new U.S. subsidies will hurt their economies. "They will ... discuss U.S.-EU coordination to combat the climate crisis through investing in clean technology based on secure supply chains," the statement said. During a December visit by France's President Emmanuel Macron to the White House, Biden said that bills aimed at boosting U.S. renewable energy and the semiconductor industry have "glitches" that can be addressed. Washington and its allies have said in recent weeks that China was considering providing weapons to Russia, which Beijing denies. Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Writing by Costas Pitas; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden seeks $1.6 bln to tackle COVID relief fraud ahead of Republican probes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] President Joe Biden speaks before signing two bills aimed at combating fraud in the COVID-19 small business relief programs at the White House in Washington, U.S., August 5, 2022. Evan Vucci/Pool via REUTERSMarch 2 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden plans to ask Congress to provide $1.6 billion in new funding to tackle fraud tied to U.S. pandemic relief programs and help victims of identity theft, the White House said. In addition, Biden wants Congress to increase the statute of limitations on serious pandemic unemployment insurance fraud to 10 years, the White House said. In one case, an investigation by the task force recovered $286 million in stolen pandemic relief funds, and investigators have identified several equally important cases, according to the White House. Sperling, who oversees the COVID aid response for the White House, told reporters the renewed focus on pandemic fraud has nothing to do with coming Republican investigations.

☆ Biden says other companies will slash insulin prices after Eli Lilly move
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BALTIMORE, March 1 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that other pharmaceutical companies will have to lower their insulin prices in the wake of Eli Lilly's decision to slash its prices for the popular diabetes treatment. Eli Lilly (LLY.N) said on Wednesday it will cut list prices by 70% for its most commonly prescribed insulin products, Humalog and Humulin, beginning from the fourth quarter of this year. U.S. President Joe Biden discusses health care costs and access to affordable health care during an event in Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S., February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis"Guess what that means?," Biden told Democrats gathered in Baltimore for an annual retreat. Biden’s signature legislative achievement, the Inflation Reduction Act, has capped insulin prices for Medicare recipients at $35 per month but the law does not extend to patients with private insurance or without insurance from higher prices.

☆ Longtime U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein announces she will not seek re-election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Dianne Feinstein announced on Tuesday that she will not seek re-election at the end of her term in 2024, clearing the path for a hotly contested race among California Democrats for her seat. Feinstein, who was first elected in 1992, has faced years of pressure to resign given that she is the oldest member of Congress at 89. However she declined to seek election for the position, months after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a fellow Democrat, declined to say whether he had confidence in her ability to serve. Several Democrats had already announced or hinted at runs even before her announcement, including Representatives Katie Porter and Adam Schiff. Feinstein is a trailblazer in U.S. politics: the first woman to serve as mayor of San Francisco, first woman to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee and now the longest-serving female senator.

☆ U.S. to add Chinese entities tied to balloon program to export blacklist -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The United States is expected on Friday to add Chinese firms connected to Beijing's suspected surveillance balloon program to an export blacklist, three sources familiar with the plans said. Earlier this week the U.S. had said it would explore taking action against entities connected to China's military that supported the flight of a Chinese spy balloon into U.S. airspace last week. The United States has used restrictions on tech exports to China to keep that country from advancing militarily. The Biden administration, and before it the Trump White House, had added numerous Chinese companies to the Commerce Department's Entity List. Chinese memory chipmaker YMTC and 21 "major" Chinese players in the artificial intelligence chip sector were added to the trade blacklist in December, broadening the crackdown on China's chip industry.

[1/2] Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, U.S., October 19, 2022. Pence was issued a subpoena by special counsel Jack Smith, though the nature of the request was not immediately known, ABC News reported, citing sources. The first probe involves Trump's handling of highly sensitive classified documents he retained at his Florida resort after leaving the White House in January 2021. Last month, Garland named a separate special counsel, Robert Hur, to probe the improper storage of classified documents at President Biden's home and former office. In late January, Pence said he was not aware though he takes "full responsibility" after classified documents were found at his Indiana home.

☆ U.S. composer Burt Bacharach dies at age 94
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Bill Trott | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Bacharach and David had 30 Top-40 hits in the '60s alone. I'd hear his melodies and I'd hear lyrics. I'd hear rhymes, I'd hear thoughts and I'd hear it almost immediately." Bacharach and David scored the Neil Simon Broadway musical "Promises, Promises," which won them two Tonys and a Grammy. While star performers made his songs hits, Bacharach said he also enjoyed performing himself and making a personal connection with smaller audiences.

SPRING HILL, Tenn./ WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Wednesday that she still hoped to be able to visit China but offered no details on plans or timing. The United States shot down the balloon on Saturday. "I still hope to be able to visit China to meet with economic counterparts. China's foreign ministry has said it was a weather balloon that had blown off course and accused the United States of overreacting. When Yellen met Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in January in Zurich, they both agreed to enhance communication about macroeconomic and financial issues.

☆ White House says blog post on Nord Stream explosion 'utterly false'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday dismissed a blog post by a U.S. investigative journalist alleging the United States was behind explosions of the Nord Stream gas pipelines as "utterly false and complete fiction." "This is utterly false and complete fiction," said Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council. The pipelines are multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects designed to carry Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. The United States and NATO have called the incident "an act of sabotage." On Wednesday, Russia's foreign ministry said the United States had questions to answer over its role in explosions on the pipelines.

☆ 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.

☆ Arkansas Gov. Huckabee Sanders to give Republican response to Biden's State of the Union
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 2 (Reuters) - Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White House press secretary under Donald Trump, will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address next week, party leaders announced on Thursday. Huckabee Sanders, who describes herself as a conservative reformer, will speak from the state capital Little Rock after Biden's remarks on Tuesday before a joint session of Congress. It will be Biden's first State of the Union since Republicans won control of the House of Representatives in November's election. "Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the youngest governor in the nation and a powerful advocate for the popular, commonsense conservative principles that will put our country back on a better course," McConnell said in the statement. Huckabee Sanders, 40, served as then-President Trump's second press secretary from mid-2017 to mid-2019.

☆ U.S. Rep. Santos to recuse himself from committee assignments
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) passes by members of the news media after telling a Republican party conference that he will recuse himself from House committee assignments as he returns to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Representative George Santos, who has admitted to fabricating much of his resume, told fellow Republican lawmakers on Tuesday he would not serve on committees for now, lawmakers said. House of Representatives' Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the freshman lawmaker asked if he could recuse himself from his committee assignments while he works to clear up an ethics cloud. "The voters have elected him," McCarthy told reporters. Santos, who announced his decision in a closed-door meeting with fellow Republican lawmakers, has rebuffed calls for his resignation, saying he would vacate his seat only if he loses the next election.

☆ U.S. secures deal with Netherlands, Japan on China chip export limit - Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The United States has secured a deal with the Netherlands and Japan to restrict exports of some advanced chip-making machinery to China in talks that concluded on Friday, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The agreement would extend some export controls the United States adopted in October to companies based in the two allied nations, including ASML Holding NV (ASML.AS), Nikon Corp (7731.T) and Tokyo Electron Ltd (8035.T), the report added. Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. designates Russian firm Wagner Group as criminal organization
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday formally designated Russian private military company the Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organization, freezing its U.S. assets for helping Russia's military in the Ukraine war. Last month the White House said the Wagner Group had taken delivery of an arms shipment from North Korea to help bolster Russian forces in Ukraine, in a sign of the group's expanding role in that conflict. *A Russian graveyard reveals Wagner’s prisoner armyReporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. Treasury activates another maneuver to avoid breaching debt limit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen activated another extraordinary cash management measure on Tuesday to avoid breaching the federal debt limit, suspending daily reinvestments in a large government retirement fund that holds Treasury debt, the department said. Republicans who now control the House have threatened to oppose a debt ceiling increase without spending reductions from the Biden administration. The G-Fund maneuver is one of the largest tools that Treasury can employ to reclaim borrowing capacity under the debt ceiling. Normally the money market-like retirement fund reinvests its entire balance daily into special-issue Treasury securities that count against the debt limit. But the Treasury is required by law to replenish the fund, along with any lost earnings, once a debt limit impasse ends.

☆ India commits to help Sri Lanka on debt in prospective IMF program
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Laborers carry sacks of flour in the main market as Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced 2023 budget amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 14, 2022. REUTERS/ Dinuka Liyanawatte/File PhotoJan 23 (Reuters) - India has committed to help ease the debt burden of its crisis-stricken neighbor Sri Lanka as part of a possible International Monetary Fund-supported program, the IMF said on Monday. "Sri Lanka is engaged with other official bilateral creditors to obtain similar assurances," an IMF spokesperson said in a statement on Monday. "As soon as adequate assurances are obtained and remaining requirements are met, including by the Sri Lankan authorities, a Fund-supported program for Sri Lanka can be presented to the IMF's Executive Board for approval that would unlock much needed financing." Sri Lanka requires the backing of China and India - its biggest bilateral lenders - to reach a final agreement with the IMF that is essential to help the country emerge from its worst financial crisis in seven decades.

☆ U.S.-Japan warn against use of force or coercion anywhere in world
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 13 (Reuters) - The United States and Japan on Friday reiterated the importance of peace and stability in Taiwan Strait and warned against any use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in Ukraine. The two nations, following a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, also cited "provocations" by North Korea in a joint statement issued by the White House. "We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion, anywhere in the world," the statement said. Reporting By Paul Grant; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday that the United States will likely hit the $31.4 trillion statutory debt limit on Jan. 19, forcing the Treasury to launch extraordinary cash management measures that can likely prevent default until early June. As of Wednesday, Treasury data showed that U.S. federal debt stood $78 billion below the limit, with a Treasury operating cash balance of $346.4 billion. The department on Thursday reported an $85 billion December deficit as revenues eased and outlays grew, particularly for debt interest costs. "The use of extraordinary measures enables the government to meet its obligations for only a limited amount of time," Yellen wrote to McCarthy and other congressional leaders. "It is therefore critical that Congress act in a timely manner to increase or suspend the debt limit.

☆ Influential rock guitarist Jeff Beck dies at 78, family says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 11 (Reuters) - Jeff Beck, the influential, genre-bending English guitarist who rose to fame with The Yardbirds before later embarking on a solo career, has died at the age of 78, his family announced on social media on Wednesday. Beck is a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee - in 1992 for his work with The Yardbirds and as a solo performer in 2009. In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Beck as the fifth greatest guitarist of all time, one spot ahead of blues icon B.B. "Jeff was such a nice person and an outstanding iconic, genius guitar player - there will never be another Jeff Beck," Iommi wrote. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, also a former Yardbirds member, paid tribute to Beck, saying his technique was unique and imagination limitless.

☆ Biden aides find second batch of classified documents at new location, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Aides to U.S. President Joe Biden have discovered at least one more batch of classified documents in a location separate from a think tank office he used after serving as vice president, news outlets reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. The NBC News report said the classification level, number and precise location of the additional documents was not immediately clear. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. A spokesperson for Senator Marco Rubio, the committee's Republican vice chair, said Rubio and Warner had written to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, asking for access to the classified documents. The Justice Department is separately probing Trump's handling of highly sensitive classified documents that he retained at his Florida resort after leaving the White House in January 2021.

☆ Biden tells Trudeau he plans to travel to Canada in March -White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 10 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that he plans to travel to Canada in March, the White House said. Biden made the comments in a bilateral meeting with Trudeau on the sidelines of a three-way summit with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico City. Reporting by Paul Grant; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

In an order, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney dissolved the grand jury now that its work is complete and set a Jan. 24 hearing to determine whether the report will be made public. The special grand jury, which was convened at the request of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, had subpoena power but not the ability to issue indictments. Willis will ultimately decide whether to bring charges against Trump or anyone else, though the jury's report could include recommendations. The grand jury heard testimony from numerous state officials, including Georgia Governor Brad Raffensperger, and key Trump advisers such as U.S. The investigation is one of several civil and criminal probes threatening Trump and his inner circle.

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