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☆ 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.

☆ Biden to meet Brazil's Lula for talks on climate, democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Days later a violent movement of election-denying Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brazil’s presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court. Biden and Lula are not expected to agree on the war in Ukraine given Brazil's neutrality. On CNN, Lula defended his decision not to provided German-made artillery ammunition sought for the West's support of Ukrainian defense. Brazil's foreign ministry said support for democracy, human rights and the environment will be at the center of Lula's agenda in Washington. Lula traveled to Washington with Environment Minister Marina Silva, who is expected to meet with Biden's climate envoy John Kerry.

☆ Biden and Lula project unity on democratic values and climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Brazil "self-marginalized itself for four years" under the former president, Lula said at the White House, without mentioning Bolsonaro by name. His world, Lula said, had "started and ended with fake news in the morning, afternoon, at night," prompting Biden to laugh and interject, "sounds familiar." Lula said the two leaders could also work together to combat inequality and climate change. Lula's visit to the White House followed a meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders and other lawmakers from Biden's Democratic Party. At the White House, Lula said the Amazon rainforest had been "invaded" under the previous administration, adding that he was committed to reaching zero deforestation by 2030.

☆ Biden says Chinese spy balloon not a major security breach
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FBI/Handout via ReutersWASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden, under fire from some lawmakers, said on Thursday he did not view a Chinese spy balloon that transited the United States before it was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean to have been a major security breach. "It's not a major breach," Biden said. Biden on Feb. 2 ordered the balloon shot down once it crossed into the northwestern United States, but acquiesced to the U.S. military's request to not act until it was over water. The 200-foot-tall (61-meter) balloon, along with its undercarriage of electronic gadgetry, was shot down by a U.S. fighter jet off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4. Some Republicans and Democrats have complained that Biden should have had the balloon downed sooner.

In addition to locating one page with classified markings, the FBI also recovered "six additional pages without such markings that were not discovered in the initial review by the vice president's counsel," he added. The search of Pence's home comes as former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden face investigations by two special counsels over the retention of classified records. The FBI conducted a court-approved search of Trump's Florida estate on Aug. 8, where they collected about 13,000 records, about 100 of which contained classified markings. Biden had an office there after he served as vice president under Barack Obama and before his presidential election. Since then, additional records were also found at Biden's residence in Wilmington.

WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - A U.S. fighter jet on Friday shot down over Alaska a high-altitude object that was the size of a small car, on the order of President Joe Biden, the White House said on Friday. White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters many details were unknown about the object but the United States expected to recover the object after it landed in U.S. territorial waters. The United States on Feb. 4 shot down off the coast of South Carolina a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon that transited the United States. He said that, unlike the Chinese balloon, this object did not appear to be maneuverable and was at the mercy of the wind. The official said the territorial waters where the object went down are frozen.

"We don't know who owns this object," said White House spokesperson John Kirby, adding that it was unclear where it began its flight. President Joe Biden ordered the shootdown, which was announced from the White House. Some lawmakers criticized the president for not shooting down the Chinese balloon sooner. The object was shot down off the coast of northeastern Alaska over frozen U.S. territorial waters near the Canadian border. UNMANNED VESSEL[1/4] White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby takes questions during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. February 10, 2023.

In Wisconsin, the Democratic president told workers at a union training facility "it looks like we negotiated a deal last night" on Social Security. Deal or no, Biden reasserted that Republicans want to cut the popular old-age and healthcare programs in Wisconsin, pointing to statements by some Republican lawmakers. Democrats hope Biden can turn the economy - a perceived weakness among some independent voters despite record-setting job creation - into a selling point during his expected re-election campaign. Wisconsin is a closely contested state that flipped from supporting Republican former President Donald Trump in 2016 to favoring Biden in 2020. Biden is expected to address Social Security and Medicare in Florida, a state where more than 20% of the population is 65 years and older.

☆ White House: Biden put Republican lawmakers on defensive over entitlement programs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling with Biden to Wisconsin that there was no doubt that House Republicans had called for cuts to both programs, despite their shouted denials on Tuesday. "Many House Republicans have called for deeply slashing Medicare, Social Security benefits," he said. "He called them out in front of million and millions of Americans who were watching ... He put them on the defensive again last night, and he's going to call them out." Reporting by Steve Holland, writing by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Beijing condemned the shooting down of the balloon as an "obvious overreaction" and urged Washington to show restraint. Some U.S. Republicans have questioned why the balloon was not shot down before it was allowed to travel across the United States. Senior U.S. officials have offered to brief former Trump administration officials on the details of what the White House said were three China balloon overflights when Donald Trump was president. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China learned its balloon had drifted over the United States after being notified by Washington. On Sunday, Colombia's military said it sighted an airborne object similar to a balloon after the Pentagon said on Friday another Chinese balloon was flying over Latin America.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationWASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - China's flight of a suspected surveillance balloon over the United States appears to mark a more aggressive - albeit puzzling - espionage tactic than relying on satellites and the theft of industrial and defense secrets, security experts said. Both the United States and China have for decades used surveillance satellites to keep an eye on each other from the air. The uproar over the balloon comes as China has been building up its military capabilities and challenging America's military presence in the Pacific. The United States also believes Beijing routinely seeks to capture proprietary information and knowledge from U.S. companies. It has previously rebuffed accusations of espionage and said the United States holds a Cold War mentality and hypes up the 'China threat.'

☆ Biden hails January jobs report, waves off inflation question
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden arrives to speak about the economy and the January jobs report, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building's South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 3, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueWASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden on Friday hailed a jobs report for January that showed 517,000 jobs were created, saying it was a sign that the U.S. economy is strong. In remarks at the White House, Biden said inflation continues to come down and real wages are going up. He dismissed a question as to whether he was responsible for the high rate of inflation, saying it was high when he took office two years ago. Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Steve HollandOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON/BEIJING, Feb 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a visit to China that had been expected to start on Friday after a Chinese spy balloon was tracked flying across the United States, a U.S. official said. China earlier expressed regret that what it called a "civilian" airship had strayed into U.S. territory after being blown off course, an incident that sparked a political furor in the United States. Republican Senator Tom Cotton had called for Blinken to cancel his trip, while Republican former President Donald Trump, a declared presidential candidate for 2024, posted "SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!" It said it would continue to communicate with the United States to "properly handle" the unexpected situation. Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the spy balloon was alarming but not surprising.

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.

☆ White House: U.S. has no hostile intent toward North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday rejected North Korean accusations that joint military exercises in the region are a provocation and said the United States has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang. "We have made clear we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK (North Korea) and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to address the full range of issues of concern to both countries and the region," said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council. The White House statement reiterated a U.S. willingness "to meet with DPRK representatives at a time and place convenient for them." "We reject the notion that our joint exercises with partners in the region serve as any sort of provocation. "The United States is continuing to work closely with allies and partners to ensure peace and stability in the region.

The Baltic nations and Poland earlier Thursday called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics and other events while the war in Ukraine continues. "Efforts to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sports competitions under the veil of neutrality legitimize political decisions and widespread propaganda of these countries," it added. They called on "all international sports organizations and federations" to remove Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions until the war ends. Latvia joined Kyiv on Wednesday in threatening to boycott the 2024 Olympics and qualifiers if Russian and Belarusian athletes are included while the war continues in Ukraine. The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26-Aug. 11 next year and the Paralympics from Aug. 28-Sept. 8.

REUTERS/Florence Lo/IllustrationWASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - An American official on Tuesday made the most direct comments by a U.S. authority to date acknowledging the existence of a deal with Japan and the Netherlands for those countries to impose new restrictions on exports of chipmaking tools to China. "But you can certainly talk to our friends in Japan and the Netherlands." The United States in October imposed sweeping export restrictions on shipments of chipmaking tools to China, seeking to hobble Beijing's ability to supercharge its chip industry and enhance its military capabilities. For the restrictions to be effective, though, Washington needed to bring on board the Netherlands and Japan, home to chipmaking powerhouses ASML (ASML.AS) and Tokyo Electron (8035.T), among others. The Commerce Department said in an email it will continue to coordinate on export controls with allies.

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday expressed outrage on Tuesday at Exxon Mobil Corp's record net profit in 2022 of $56 billion, a historical high not just for the company but for the entire Western oil industry. Oil majors are expected to break their own annual records due to high prices and soaring demand, pushing their combined take to near $200 billion. The scale has brought renewed criticism of the oil industry and sparked calls for more countries to levy windfall profit taxes on the companies. A White House statement said Exxon's (XOM.N) profit margin was particularly galling as Americans paid record high prices at the pump. Exxon's CFO Kathryn Mikells responded to growing criticism over the industry's windfall profits and suggested the answer is not increased taxes.

☆ U.S. sees urgent need for de-escalation in Israel, West Bank -White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, answers questions during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The United States is deeply concerned about recent violence in Israel and the West Bank and believes there is an urgent need for all parties to de-escalate in the region, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Friday. "I also deeply regret the loss of innocent life and the injuries that that were incurred by civilians," Kirby said. "We're certainly deeply concerned by this escalating cycle of violence in the West Bank. Kirby said he will discuss a range of issues, including the need for calm in the West Bank.

☆ Republicans reelect Trump-backed McDaniel as party chairperson
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Tim Reid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna McDaniel reacts after being reelected at the winter meeting of the Republican National Committee in Dana Point, California, U.S., January 27, 2023. REUTERS/Mike BlakeDANA POINT, Calif., Jan 27 (Reuters) - The Republican National Committee reelected Ronna McDaniel to a fourth term as chairwoman, giving a mandate that would keep the Donald Trump-backed candidate in the top party post through the 2024 U.S. presidential elections. McDaniel beat challenger Harmeet Dhillon by 111 votes to 51 for another two-year term at an RNC members meeting in Dana Point, California, according to a party official. During her first three terms as Republican party chair, McDaniel has overseen Trump's 2020 presidential election defeat as well as a weaker-than-expected performance in the mid-term elections last November. Trump endorsed McDaniel for RNC chair in 2017 after she helped deliver her home state of Michigan in the 2016 presidential election in which he defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.

☆ U.S. secures deal with Netherlands, Japan on China chip export limit- Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan addresses the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoWASHINGTON, 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. Officials from the Netherlands and Japan were in Washington discussing a wide range of issues in talks led by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, earlier said the officials were talking about issues that are "important to all three of us." When asked about the Bloomberg report, the White House declined to comment beyond Kirby's earlier remarks.

☆ Biden to attack House Republican's economic plans in Virginia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will use a speech at a steamfitters union hall in Virginia on Thursday to launch an attack against Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives, saying some of their proposals are dangerous for the U.S. economy. Biden, who is laying the groundwork for a bid for re-election in 2024, will visit the union hall in Springfield, Virginia, a Washington suburb. A White House official said Biden will seek to tie House Republicans to former President Donald Trump, the Republican who Biden ousted in the 2020 election. "The president will outline the biggest threat to our economic progress: House Republicans’ MAGA economic plan," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Biden will say his policies "are laying the foundation for strong and stable growth," the White House official said.

☆ Trump seeks to shift his idling White House campaign back into gear
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Gram Slattery | Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Florence Regional Airport in Florence, South Carolina, U.S., March 12, 2022. Key South Carolina allies U.S. They include two with possible White House ambitions of their own, former Governor Nikki Haley and U.S. But I think it’ll be dominated by DeSantis and Trump for a while,” said Rob Jesmer, a campaign strategist and former executive director of the Republicans’ Senate campaign arm. Among other prominent elected South Carolina Republicans, a spokesperson for U.S. Representative Ralph Norman said he would not attend due to a pre-existing conflict, while representatives of three other House Republicans from South Carolina did not respond.

☆ Biden to attack House Republicans in economic speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will use a speech at a steamfitters union hall on Thursday to launch an attack against Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives, saying that some of their proposals are dangerous for the U.S. economy. Biden, believed to be laying the groundwork for a bid for re-election in 2024, will visit the union hall in Springfield, Virginia, a Washington suburb. A White House official said Biden will seek to tie House Republicans to former President Donald Trump, the Republican who Biden ousted in the 2020 election. "The president will outline the biggest threat to our economic progress: House Republicans’ MAGA economic plan," the official said. Biden will say his policies "are laying the foundation for strong and stable growth," the White House official said.

The U.S. Pentagon presented its best arguments, publicly and privately, against sending Abrams - its most advanced battle tanks - to Ukraine. The reversal ended a rare public division in the alliance that Washington officials feared Moscow could exploit. TANK DELIVERIES LIKELY MONTHS AWAYIn Washington, senior U.S. officials had privately expressed consternation at Germany's attempts to tie the Abrams tanks to delivery of the Leopards. He also discussed the issue in multiple phone conversations with Biden this month, senior Biden administration officials said. But at one point during Austin's trip, Washington asked Berlin to stop publicly tying Germany's approval of the Leopard tanks to the Biden administration sending Abrams tanks.

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