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☆ US blocks ex-Haitian PM Lamothe from entering country, citing corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PORT-AU-PRINCE, June 2 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday blocked former Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe from entering the United States over what Secretary of State Antony Blinken said was his "involvement in significant corruption." "This action renders Lamothe generally ineligible for entry into the United States," the State Department said. In its statement, the State Department accused Lamothe of misappropriating "at least $60 million from the Haitian government's PetroCaribe investment and social welfare fund for private gain." Canada sanctioned Lamothe last November alongside Martelly and another former prime minister, Jean Henry Ceant, as part of measures targeting alleged backers of armed gangs in the country. The current caretaker government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry requested last October an international strike force to help restore order.

Persons: Laurent Lamothe, Antony Blinken, Lamothe, Michel Martelly, Jean Henry Ceant, Ariel Henry, Harold Isaac, Sarah Morland, Eric Beech, Costas Pitas, Tim Ahmann, Leslie Adler Organizations: PORT, Haitian, State Department, U.S ., Miami Herald, Lamothe, Martelly, United Nations, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, Miami, Venezuelan, Canada, Ottawa, Haiti

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - CIA director William Burns visited China last month for talks with Chinese counterparts, two U.S. officials said on Friday as Washington seeks to boost communications with Beijing. Burns, a veteran U.S. diplomat before leading the CIA, has made dozens of sensitive overseas trips as head of the agency, including to hold talks with Russian counterparts, as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan. The CIA, which does not regularly announce such visits, declined to comment on the China trip. Ties between the world's two largest economies are strained over issues ranging from Taiwan and China's human rights record to military activity in the South China Sea. "That's why we're also ready to engage China without preconditions, helping ensure that competition is managed, and that competition does not veer into conflict," Sullivan said.

Persons: William Burns, Burns, Joe Biden's, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Biden, Lloyd Austin, National Defense Li Shangfu, Li, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, we're, Wang Yi, Michael Martina, Jonathan Landay, David Brunnstrom, Susan Heavey, Tim Ahmann, Alistair Bell, Matthew Lewis, Don Durfee Organizations: CIA, Washington, Reuters, Financial Times, Russian, Blinken, U.S . Defense, China's, National Defense, Pentagon, White House, People's, Arms Control, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Washington, Afghanistan, U.S, Taiwan, South China, . U.S, Singapore, Austin, People's Republic of China, Vienna

☆ Biden trips and falls during graduation ceremony, recovers quickly
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the graduation ceremony at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., June 1 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden tripped and fell after handing out the last diploma at a graduation ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy on Thursday, but got up quickly and walked back to his seat. The 80-year-old U.S. president fell forward, caught himself with his hands, then got up on one knee helped by three people. After Biden was helped up, he pointed behind him, seeming to indicate what he tripped over. Biden fell as he was dismounting his bicycle last June, after snaring a foot in a toe clip, but was uninjured.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, Biden, Ben LaBolt, Donald Trump, Doctors, Steve Holland, Doina Chiacu, Heather Timmons, Tim Ahmann, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Air Force Academy, REUTERS, U.S . Air Force Academy, White House, Twitter, Republican, Thomson Locations: Colorado Springs , Colorado, U.S, Kevin Lamarque COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo, Russia, China

☆ Tape recording shows Trump acknowledging he kept classified document on Iran, CNN reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File PhotoWASHINGTON, May 31 (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors have a 2021 audio recording of former President Donald Trump acknowledging he kept a classified Pentagon document about a possible attack on Iran after leaving the White House, CNN reported on Wednesday. CNN did not listen to the recording but cited unidentified multiple sources describing it. Trump’s remarks indicated he would like to share the information but was aware of the limitations on his ability to declassify documents after leaving office, two sources told CNN. "Leaks from radical partisans behind this political persecution are designed to inflame tensions and continue the media’s harassment of President Trump and his supporters," Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said on Wednesday. The Justice Department is investigating whether Trump broke the law by retaining U.S. government records, some marked as top secret, after leaving office in January 2021.

Persons: Donald Trump, Brian Snyder, Trump, President Trump, Steven Cheung, Peter Carr, Jack Smith's, Justice Department's, Trump's, Doina Chiacu, Kanishka Singh, Tim Ahmann, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: U.S, Republican, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Federal, White House, CNN, Wednesday, Reuters, Trump, Justice Department, Justice, White, U.S . Capitol, Thomson Locations: Manchester , New Hampshire, U.S, Iran

☆ Former US VP Mike Pence plans 2024 campaign launch next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pence will launch his campaign with a video and a speech in the early nominating state of Iowa, the sources said. On June 1, Pence's polling average in the Republican field was less than 4%, compared to Trump's 53%, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls. Pence has continued to embrace many of Trump's policies, while portraying himself as an even-keeled and consensus-oriented alternative. The success of his campaign will hinge on whether he can attract enough backers of Trump's policies who are turned off by the former president's rhetoric and behavior to build a viable coalition. Reporting by Steve Holland; writing by Kanishka Singh and Tim Reid; editing by Tim Ahmann and Ross ColvinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mike Pence, Donald Trump's, Pence, Trump, Steve Holland, Kanishka Singh, Tim Reid, Tim Ahmann, Ross Colvin Organizations: Republican, Trump, U.S, Capitol, Christian, U.S . House, Thomson Locations: Iowa, Indiana, U.S

☆ Trump captured on tape acknowledging he kept a classified document on Iran -CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 31 (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors have a 2021 audio recording of former President Donald Trump acknowledging he kept a classified Pentagon document about a possible attack on Iran after leaving the White House, CNN reported on Wednesday. CNN did not listen to the recording but cited unidentified multiple sources describing it. The recording shows Trump, who is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, understood he retained classified material after he left the White House in 2021, according to the cable television network. Trump’s remarks indicated he would like to share the information but was aware of the limitations on his ability to declassify documents after leaving office, two sources told CNN. Smith is investigating Trump's handling of classified documents, as well as efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Peter Carr, Jack Smith's, Smith, Democrat Joe Biden, Doina Chiacu, Kanishka Singh, Tim Ahmann Organizations: Federal, White House, CNN, Wednesday, Reuters, Trump, Justice Department, Democrat, Thomson Locations: Iran

☆ Treasury's Yellen says June 5 is last date for debt ceiling to be raised
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday set a deadline for raising the federal debt limit, saying the government would default if Congress does not increase the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling by June 5. Yellen had previously said a default could potentially happen as early as June 1, but is now characterizing June 5 as the precise deadline. "We now estimate that Treasury will have insufficient resources to satisfy the government’s obligations if Congress has not raised or suspended the debt limit by June 5," she wrote. Democratic and Republican negotiators appeared within reach of a deal on Friday but still struggled to resolve thorny differences. In a letter to Congress, Yellen said her department will make more than $130 billion of scheduled payments in the first two days in June, including to veterans and Social Security and Medicare recipients.

☆ House Speaker McCarthy says U.S. debt ceiling deal by Sunday is “doable”
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Wednesday that a deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling limit was "do-able" by Sunday, the day President Joe Biden said he intended on holding a news conference on the issue. Reporting by David Morgan; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US FTC sues to block Amgen's $27.8 bln deal for Horizon Therapeutics
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday it would sue to stop Amgen Inc's (AMGN.O) $27.8 billion deal to buy Horizon Therapeutics Plc (HZNP.O). The agency said it was opposing the deal because it would give Amgen "monopoly positions" for medicines used to treat thyroid eye disease and chronic refractory gout. The deal, which was announced in December 2022, would give Amgen two fast-growing drugs, the thyroid eye disease treatment Tepezza and gout treatment Krystexxa. Other key drugs in Amgen's product portfolio, such as psoriasis therapy Otezla, face the loss of patent protections over the next few years. It is unusual for the agency to sue to stop a pharmaceutical deal.

☆ FTC sues to block Amgen's $27.8 bln deal for Horizon Therapeutics -statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday that it would sue to stop Amgen Inc's (AMGN.O) $27.8 billion deal to buy Horizon Therapeutics Plc (HZNP.O). The deal, which was announced in December 2022, would give Amgen two fast-growing drugs, the thyroid eye disease treatment Tepezza and gout treatment Krystexxa. Amgen hopes they can act as a bulwark against competition for its blockbuster arthritis drug Enbrel. Furthermore, other key drugs in its portfolio, such as psoriasis therapy Otezla, face loss of patents over the next few years. Reporting by Diane Bartz; editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden vetoes legislation to block solar panel tariffs waivers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 16 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he has vetoed legislation passed by the U.S. Congress that would repeal exemptions on American tariffs on imported solar panels from four Southeast Asian nations. Biden said the waivers will create a "bridge" while U.S. manufacturing ramps up enough to supply the domestic projects needed to achieve goals in fighting climate change. Top clean energy trade groups, whose members rely on cheap imports to keep their costs low, support the exemption and praised Biden's veto. Domestic solar manufacturers have said the tariffs are needed now to compete with cheap panels made overseas. Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said the legislation would have eliminated 30,000 jobs in the solar sector by stalling development.

☆ Republicans reject White House tax loophole proposal in debt talks -WaPo
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - The White House last week gave Republican lawmakers a list of proposals to reduce the deficit by closing tax loopholes as part of debt ceiling talks, and each item was rejected by Republican negotiators, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing three sources. Senior White House officials floated the tax plans on a phone call with Republicans, the Post reported. They included a measure aimed at cryptocurrency transactions and another for large real estate investors, it reported. Reporting by Rami Ayyub and Jasper Ward; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dianne Feinstein returning to U.S. Senate after health-related absence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, will return to Washington on Tuesday after a months-long absence due to illness, her spokesman said, restoring Democrats' 51-49 majority to full strength. The trailblazing lawmaker had been sidelined since February as she recovered from a bout of shingles, which had led to calls from some fellow Democrats to step aside and allow someone else to take her place. “I’m glad that my friend Dianne is back in the Senate and ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a written statement. Democrats' worries were further heightened as lawmakers have been spending 2023 arguing over raising the nation's borrowing authority. Feinstein could provide crucial support for whatever debt limit bill comes before the Senate that would avert a first-ever default on U.S. debt.

☆ Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson says he will relaunch his show on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 9 (Reuters) - Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who was taken off the air by the network last month, said on Tuesday he would relaunch his show on Twitter "soon." Carlson said in a video message posted to Twitter that he would "bring some other things too which we will tell you about" later. Fox News Media and its top-rated host agreed to part ways last month, shortly after parent company Fox Corp (FOXA.O) settled for $787.5 million a defamation lawsuit in which Carlson played a starring role. The outspoken Carlson embraced conservative issues and delivered his views with a style that made his prime-time show, "Tucker Carlson Tonight," the highest-rated cable news program in the key 25-to-54 age demographic on the most-watched U.S. cable news network. Reporting by Eric Beech and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency marks a tremendous transition for our country, for public health, and in my tenure as CDC Director," Walensky wrote to President Joe Biden in her resignation letter. "We have all benefited from her service and dedication to public health, and I wish her the best in her next chapter," Biden said in a statement. "For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations," she told CDC staff last summer. Public health experts said Walensky wrestled with political and technical challenges during her tenure. "Dr. Walensky was put into place at the CDC at a time when the agency was basically captive to politicians which clearly hampered her ability to lead," he said.

☆ Car crashes in Illinois dust storm cause deaths, injuries
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 1 (Reuters) - Multiple people were reported killed and dozens of other people wounded on Monday in car crashes along Interstate 55 in southern Illinois during a dust storm, state police said. Roughly 40 to 60 passenger cars and several big-rig trucks were involved in the crashes shortly after 11 a.m. CT (1200 ET), an Illinois State Police spokesman said during an afternoon press conference. Some 30 people were transported to local hospitals with injuries, the spokesman said. Please be safe as this situation continues to unfold," U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski of Illinois said on Twitter. Reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Steve Gorman; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence appeared before a grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump's role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. Pence was inside U.S. District Court in Washington for more than seven hours, ABC News and NBC News reported earlier. The former vice president's appearance before the grand jury comes as he is exploring a possible challenge to Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence addresses the National Review Institute's 2023 Ideas Summit in Washington, U.S., March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueOn Wednesday, Trump lost an appeal to block Pence from testifying in the special counsel probe, according to CNN.

☆ White House: Monitoring situation at First Republic, could step in if needed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - The White House is continuing to monitor the situation at First Republic Bank, which has continued to lose deposits this week, spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday, vowing that the Biden administration stood ready to take action if needed. Deposits at regional banks have stabilized and the Biden administration can use the same tools it used in recent weeks to address financial stress if needed, she said. "We have used important tools to quickly stabilize the banking system. Certainly we are monitoring this situation," she told reporters when asked about growing market worries about First Republic. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Writing by Moira Warburton; Editing by Tim ahmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis issued the sanction after Dominion's lawyers revealed instances in which Fox's attorneys did not turn over evidence in a timely manner, the Times reported. Fox said in a statement that it "produced the supplemental information" to Dominion "when we first learned it." Dominion sued Fox News and parent company Fox Corp (FOXA.O) in 2021. Grossberg said in her latest filing that she has tapes of former Trump lawyers, including Giuliani, conceding they lacked evidence for their claims. As a Fox News officer, Murdoch would likely have been subject to more probing discovery by Dominion.

The hearing, they said, would focus on "the need to restore confidence in the Supreme Court's ethical standards." "And if the court does not resolve this issue on its own, the committee will consider legislation to resolve it," they told Roberts. ProPublica reported on Thursday that Thomas accepted expensive trips from Republican donor and real estate magnate Harlan Crow over decades without disclosing them. Thomas defended the trips on Friday, saying he had been advised he was not required to report that type of "personal hospitality." Crow told ProPublica he had "never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue."

☆ Virginia mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher charged
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Jasper Ward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 10 (Reuters) - A Virginia grand jury on Monday indicted the mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot an elementary school teacher in Newport News in January on felony child neglect and a firearms charge. On Jan. 6, 25-year-old teacher Abigail Zwerner was wounded by a first-grade student in her classroom at Richneck Elementary School after school officials received warnings that the boy had a gun at school. The student's mother, Deja Taylor, was charged with felony child neglect and misdemeanor recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child, Newport News, Virginia, prosecutor Howard Gwynn said in a statement. The indictments are the latest example of prosecutors charging parents of children who commit gun crimes or mass shootings. In the Newport News school shooting case, Gwynn said that the grand jury would continue to investigate, and would consider whether additional charges were warranted.

WASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday determined that Russia has "wrongfully detained" American Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, effectively saying that espionage charges are bogus and that the case is political. The Wall Street Journal has denied Gershkovich was spying. The Wall Street Journal's publisher and editor in chief said the "wrongfully detained" designation "will unlock additional resources and attention at the highest levels of the U.S. government in securing his release." Legislation passed by Congress in 2020 lists 11 criteria to help determine if a U.S. citizen is "wrongfully detained." The Biden administration has secured the release of at least 25 "wrongfully detained" Americans.

☆ Trump appeals order requiring Pence to testify in Jan. 6 probe -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Marco BelloWASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump has appealed an order requiring his former vice president, Mike Pence, to testify in the special counsel probe of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to media reports on Monday. Trump's lawyers filed the appeal after a ruling related to the Justice Department investigation of efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election that Trump, a Republican, lost to Democrat Joe Biden. In a March ruling, the judge also said Pence can still decline to answer questions related to Jan. 6. Special Counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November to handle the two Trump investigations, is presenting evidence to multiple grand juries. Reporting by Kat Jackson and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ King Charles invited Biden for state visit, Biden accepted - White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles has invited U.S. President Joe Biden to the United Kingdom for a state visit and Biden accepted, the White House said on Wednesday. The invitation came during a conversation between Biden and Charles on Tuesday in which Biden informed the king that U.S. first lady Jill Biden would attend his coronation in May. A print of the picture of Britain's King Charles, used on the bottles of a coronation ale called Return Of The King, is seen at the bar area of the Windsor and Eton Brewery, in Windsor Britain, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo"The president was appreciative of the offer by the King and looks forward to that state visit," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. Reporting by Steve Holland and Moira Warburton in Washington; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - The United States and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) reached a settlement on Thursday over the tech firm's apparent violations of sanctions and export controls, which it disclosed voluntarily, the government and the company said. The Treasury Department added that Microsoft's conduct was "non-egregious and voluntarily self-disclosed." In an emailed statement to Reuters, Microsoft acknowledged failures in its sanctions compliance and said it had cooperated with the probe and was pleased with the settlement. The causes of sanctions violations included a lack of complete or accurate information on the identities of the end customers for Microsoft products, the Treasury Department said, adding that there were shortcomings in Microsoft's restricted-party screening. Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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