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☆ Biden's son Hunter sues IRS, alleges unlawful release of his taxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Hunter Biden walks to the motorcade after arriving at Fort McNair, after U.S. President Joe Biden spent the weekend at Camp David, in Washington, U.S., July 4, 2023. REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 18 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden sued the U.S. Internal Revenue Service on Monday, alleging unlawful disclosure of his taxes by whistleblowers who work for the U.S. tax agency. Hunter Biden is the first child of a sitting U.S. president to have been criminally indicted. Hunter Biden and prosecutors earlier had reached a plea deal over tax and gun charges, but it collapsed. Shapley and Ziegler have testified in Congress as whistleblowers about alleged political interference in an IRS investigation into Biden's taxes.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Julia Nikhinson, Joe Biden's, Gary Shapley, Joseph Ziegler, Biden, Shapley, Ziegler, Donald Trump's, Trump, Makini Brice, Scott Malone, Will Dunham Organizations: Fort McNair, U.S, Camp, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Internal Revenue Service, District of Columbia, IRS, Republicans, Republican, Committee, White, Thomson Locations: Fort, Washington , U.S, U.S

The meeting between Blinken and Han was the latest in a series of high-level talks between U.S. and Chinese officials that could lay the groundwork for a meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. "The world expects us to responsibly manage our relationship," Blinken said in brief remarks at the beginning of his meeting with Han. Neither Blinken nor Han in their remarks explicitly mentioned whether such a meeting will materialize. "Currently, China-U.S. relations face many difficulties and challenges," Han told Blinken, noting that China hoped the U.S. would make efforts to implement the consensus reached by the two countries' leaders and promote the stable development of relations. "The world needs stable and healthy China-U.S. relations,” Han said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Han Zheng, Julia Nikhinson, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Han, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Blinken, Gina Raimondo, Janet Yellen, John Kerry, Biden, Xi, ” Han, Humeyra Pamuk, Michael Martina, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, United Nations General Assembly, White House, Foreign, U.S, U.S . Commerce, Biden, Economic Cooperation, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Malta, Blinken, United States, China, India, Asia, San Francisco

Lawmakers are especially concerned about the use of AI to creates content that falsely depicts candidates in political advertisements to influence federal elections. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters a day after the AI forum that included technology leaders including Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk, Meta Platforms (META.O) CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet (GOOGL.O) CEO Sundar Pichai that election AI legislation may need to move faster. "Some things may have to go sooner than others and elections is one of the things that we may have to try to do soonest," Schumer said on Thursday. Experts say the proliferation of AI tools could make it far easier to, for instance, conduct mass hacking campaigns or create fake profiles on social media to spread false information and propaganda. He said it will be "a real challenge" to get agreement on such legislation "on both sides."

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Mike Rounds, Todd Young, Julia Nikhinson, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Schumer, Donald Trump, Amy Klobuchar, Josh Hawley, David Shepardson, Rick Cowan Organizations: Intelligence, U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Democratic, Republican, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Washington

Hunter Biden walks to the motorcade after arriving at Fort McNair, after U.S. President Joe Biden spent the weekend at Camp David, in Washington, U.S., July 4, 2023. The move comes two days after House of Representatives Republicans opened an impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden related to Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings. SPECIAL COUNSEL STATUSWeiss was elevated to special counsel status in August after investigating Hunter Biden's business dealings for years as the U.S. attorney in the Democratic president's home state of Delaware. Hunter Biden has worked as a lobbyist, lawyer, investment banker and artist, and has publicly detailed his struggles with substance abuse. Hunter Biden described in a 2021 memoir dealing with substance abuse issues in his life including crack cocaine use and alcoholism.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Julia Nikhinson, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump, David Weiss, Biden, Weiss, Hunter, Abbe Lowell, Lowell, Trump, James Comer, Barack Obama, Ashley Biden, Beau Biden, Naomi Biden, Aaron Crawford, Sarah N, Lynch, Jarrett Renshaw, Andrew Goudsward, Tom Hals, Nate Raymond, Scott Malone, Lisa Shumaker, Alistair Bell, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Fort McNair, U.S, Camp, REUTERS, Rights, Republican, of Columbia, District of California, Prosecutors, Republicans, MAGA Republicans, Supreme, Democratic, Trump, DOJ, Justice, U.S . Navy, University of Tennessee, Thomson Locations: Fort, Washington , U.S, U.S, Delaware, Los Angeles, District, Ukraine, China, Ukrainian, Washington, Wilmington , Delaware, Boston

2 Senate Republican said on Wednesday. That will be particularly challenging as some hard-line House Republicans are vowing to withhold votes for a stopgap, known as a "continuing resolution," without which the government could shutdown beginning in October. The Senate is only now beginning to move forward on its first spending legislation, which the House managed to pass only one bill before Republican infighting consumed the process. Thune said the Senate is giving the 222-212 Republican House majority room to maneuver on spending for now, but warned that failure to make progress soon could force Congress to resort to an omnibus bill that Republicans have vowed to avoid. Democratic Senate incumbents are vulnerable in as many as eight states next year, while Republicans are not at risk.

Persons: John Thune, Julia Nikhinson, It's, We've, Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden, Thune, They've, David Morgan, Richard Cowan, Scott Malone, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Congress, Republican, Republicans, U.S . Capitol, Democratic, Republican House, South Dakota Republican, Senate Republicans, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) addresses a press conference during a break in a bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insight Forum for all U.S. senators at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., September 13, 2023. REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday that an artificial intelligence forum he organized with U.S. lawmakers and tech CEOs focused on urgent actions that are needed before the 2024 elections. U.S. lawmakers want safeguards against potentially dangerous deep fakes such as bogus videos, election interference and attacks on critical infrastructure. KEY QUOTESchumer said there were discussions on some immediate actions needed before the next U.S. elections in 2024. Reporting by Moira Warburton; writing by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Leslie Adler and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Julia Nikhinson, Schumer, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Moira Warburton, Kanishka Singh, Leslie Adler, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Intelligence, U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S

☆ Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and other tech leaders in closed Senate session about AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., hosted the panel of tech executives, labor and civil rights leaders as part of the Senate's inaugural "AI Insight Forum." Google CEO Sundar Pichai, arrives for a US Senate bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insight Forum at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 13, 2023. Working toward legislationSchumer said in his prepared remarks that the event marked the beginning of "an enormous and complex and vital undertaking: building a foundation for bipartisan AI policy that Congress can pass." Successful legislation will need to be bipartisan, Schumer added, saying he'd spoken with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was "encouraging." Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who leads the Commerce Committee, predicted lawmakers could get AI legislation "done in the next year."

Persons: Elon Musk, Alex Karp, Chuck Schumer, Leah Millis, CNBC's Eamon Javers, Sens, Mike Rounds, Martin Heinrich, Todd Young, Schumer, Sam Altman, Eric Schmidt, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Jensen Huang, Satya Nadella, Arvind Krishna, Bill Gates, Charles Rivkin, Liz Shuler, Meredith Steihm, Randi Weingarten, Maya Wiley, CIO's Shuler, Musk, Shuler, Sen, Pichai, Mandel Ngan, Meta's Zuckerberg, Meta, Julia Nikhinson, Reuters Schumer, Kevin McCarthy, he'd, Young, Maria Cantwell, Altman, We're, Elon Organizations: Intelligence, Senate, U.S, Capitol, Reuters Tech, Microsoft Nvidia, IBM, Microsoft, Former, Tesla, Meta, Nvidia, Federation of Teachers, Civil, Human Rights, AFL, Artificial Intelligence, AFP, Getty, EU, Reuters, Chinese Communist Party, Commerce, Science, CNBC, YouTube Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Washington ,, Washington, deepfakes

Hunter Biden walks to the motorcade after arriving at Fort McNair, after U.S. President Joe Biden spent the weekend at Camp David, in Washington, U.S., July 4, 2023. Ziegler and other unnamed defendants are accused of obtaining "tens of thousands of emails, thousands of photos, and dozens of videos and recordings" belonging to the Hunter Biden and spreading them online. The suit accuses the former Trump aide of "accessing, tampering with, manipulating, altering, copying and damaging computer data that they do not own." Republicans have accused the Democratic president of profiting while he served as vice president from 2009 to 2017 from his son's foreign business ventures, an accusation the White House denies. "They have turned up no evidence, none, that he did anything wrong ... that’s because the president didn’t do anything wrong," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Julia Nikhinson, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump, Garrett Ziegler, Trump, Peter Navarro, Ziegler, Kevin McCarthy, White, didn’t, Karine Jean, Pierre, Kanishka Singh, Heather Timmons, William Maclean Organizations: Fort McNair, U.S, Camp, REUTERS, Rights, ABC News, Republican U.S . House, Democratic, House Press, Thomson Locations: Fort, Washington , U.S, White, California, Washington

REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday said that while regulations on artificial intelligence were certainly needed, they should not be made "too fast." U.S. lawmakers want safeguards against potentially dangerous deepfakes such as bogus videos, election interference and attacks on critical infrastructure. KEY QUOTE"If you go too fast, you can ruin things," Schumer told reporters after organizing a closed-door AI forum bringing together U.S. lawmakers and tech CEOs. * Schumer told reporters there was consensus in the Wednesday meeting on the need for AI regulation. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Julia Nikhinson, Schumer, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Kanishka Singh, Jonathan Oatis, Josie Kao Organizations: Intelligence, U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, Renault, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, ChatGPT ., Meta, Washington

☆ Shutdown risk looms as US Congress faces spending, impeachment brawl
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives returns this week for an expected political brawl over spending cuts and impeachment that could paralyze the Republican-controlled chamber, as Congress struggles to avoid a government shutdown. The White House and Senate leaders -- including top Republican Mitch McConnell -- have rejected that demand. The House, which Republicans control by a thin 222-212 majority, has passed only one appropriations bill so far. Other Republicans reject the idea of tying an impeachment inquiry to the spending debate. Democrats have dismissed impeachment talk as little more than an effort to distract from Trump's extensive legal woes."

Persons: Julia Nikhinson, Joe Biden's, Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Republican Mitch McConnell, Kelly Armstrong, Donald Trump's, Andrew Bates, Ralph Norman, McCarthy's, Scott Perry, McCarthy, Don Bacon, Bacon, Marjorie Taylor Greene, John Fetterman, David Morgan, Makini Brice, Jeff Mason, Richard Cowan, Moira Warburton, Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S . Capitol Police, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . House, Republican, Democratic, Republicans, Caucus, Reuters, AAA, Ukraine, Senate, Freedom Caucus, White House, White, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Ukraine, Hawaii, Florida

☆ Factbox: US government shutdown: what does it mean?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The 2018-2019 shutdown furloughed roughly 800,000 of the federal government's 2.2 million employees. It is not clear whether the United States' 63 national parks would remain open. In the 2018-19 shutdown the Trump administration kept them open with public restrooms and information desks closed and waste disposal halted. Some states, such as New York and Utah, paid for their sites to stay open and staffed during the 2018-2019 shutdown. Unlike a government shutdown, a U.S. debt default would likely have severe consequences, roiling global financial markets and plunging the country into recession.

Persons: Julia Nikhinson, Goldman Sachs, Obama, Trump, Moira Warburton, Andy Sullivan, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S . Capitol Police, REUTERS, Congressional Research Service, Lawmakers, Services, Congressional, White House, Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, Justice, Transportation, Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Pentagon, Congress, U.S . Treasury, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, United States, New York, Utah, U.S, Washington

[1/3] Peter Navarro, a White House economic adviser under former U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks to reporters outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, U.S., September 5, 2023. "The defendant choose allegiance to former President Trump over compliance with the subpoena," federal prosecutor Elizabeth Aloi told the jurors during closing arguments on Thursday. Navarro is a hawk on China policy who advised Trump on trade issues during his presidency and also served on the COVID-19 task force. Navarro became the second close associate of Trump to be convicted for spurning the committee after Steve Bannon was found guilty last year of contempt of Congress for similarly defying a subpoena and was sentenced to four months in prison. Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on the day that Congress met to certify Biden's victory, attacking police and sending lawmakers and others fleeing for safety.

Persons: Peter Navarro, Donald Trump, Barrett, Julia Nikhinson, Donald Trump's, Navarro, Trump, Elizabeth Aloi, Steve Bannon, Bannon, Judge Amit Mehta, Stanley Woodward, Jack Smith, Joe Biden's, Andrew Goudsward, Scott Malone, Will Dunham Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Former U.S, Democratic, Trump, Republican, Justice Department, Congress, Capitol, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Former, China, Washington

Last month, Biden asked Congress to approve $40 billion in additional spending, including $24 billion for Ukraine and other international needs and $16 billion in disaster relief, testing the country's willingness to keep supporting Ukraine during its counteroffensive against Russian invaders. The Republican-majority House is divided, with many Republicans backing the aid but some of the party's farthest-right members calling for an end to the Ukraine assistance. Citing Republican sources, CNN and other news outlets reported that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is considering legislation including the disaster aid but leaving out the Ukraine funding. The White House issued a statement urging McCarthy to back the supplemental spending request and contrasting him with Senate Republicans. "Like Senate Republicans, Speaker McCarthy should keep his word about government funding," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.

Persons: Julia Nikhinson, Joe Biden's, Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Putin, Chuck Schumer, Vladimir, Mitch McConnell, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, McCarthy, Andrew Bates, Patricia Zengerle, Jeff Mason, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Don Durfee, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S . Capitol Police, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Congress, Ukraine, Republican, Republicans, CNN, Democratic, ., National, White, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Ukraine, U.S, Kyiv

☆ Top US Senate Republican McConnell to serve out term despite health concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday he plans to serve the rest of his two-year term as party leader and his full six-year term in office, allowing for the possibility that he would step down from leadership before leaving office. KEY QUOTE"I am going plan to finish my term as leader and I'm going to finish my Senate term," McConnell told reporters. REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson Acquire Licensing RightsAlready the longest-serving party leader in U.S. Senate history, McConnell's current term as leader expires in January 2025, while his term as a senator runs through January 2027. McConnell did not address the two-year gap between the end of his current job as leader and end of his Senate term. * McConnell has served as Senate majority leader from 2015 to 2021 and as Senate minority leader since then.

Persons: Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Mitch McConnell, Julia Nikhinson, Nancy Pelosi, Katharine Jackson, Makini Brice, David Morgan, Scott Malone, Bill Berkrot Organizations: U.S, Senate Republican, REUTERS, Senate, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Washington, Kentucky

☆ Sixty years after King's 'dream' speech, thousands gather in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Rachel Nostrant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chi and Chiamaka Okonkwo take a selfie in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, U.S., January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson Acquire Licensing RightsAug 26 (Reuters) - Thousands of Americans will converge on Washington on Saturday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, a pivotal event in the 1960s U.S. civil rights movement at which Martin Luther King Jr gave his galvanizing "I have a dream" speech. Many credit the show of strength with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other civil rights groups, this year's march takes place at the Lincoln Memorial, the backdrop to King's impassioned call for equality. Speakers at Saturday's march will include civil rights leaders such as the Reverend Al Sharpton, King's son Martin Luther King III, his granddaughter Yolanda Renee King and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Persons: Chi, Martin Luther King, Jr, Julia Nikhinson, Martin Luther King Jr, Kimberle Crenshaw, Crenshaw, Al Sharpton, King's, Martin Luther King III, Yolanda Renee King, Hakeem Jeffries, Jonathan Greenblatt, we've, Greenblatt, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, John F, Kennedy, Chanelle Johnson, Johnson, Rachel Nostrant, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Civil, National Association for, Advancement of Colored People, Lincoln Memorial, African American Policy, African American Studies, Defamation League, White, National Council of Negro, Youth, Collegiate Affairs, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Washington, Florida, Arkansas, King's

☆ Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Southern U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Cocaine Found at the White House, Secret Service SaysThe Secret Service said Wednesday that lab tests showed a substance found in a work area of the West Wing over the weekend was cocaine. An investigation into how it entered the White House is under way, the agency said. Photo: Julia Nikhinson/Reuters