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Having failed to revive a 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Washington hopes to restore some limits on Iran to keep it from getting a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel and trigger a regional arms race. An Iranian official said: "Call it whatever you want, whether a temporary deal, an interim deal, or a mutual understanding - both sides want to prevent further escalation." U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley has also met Iran's ambassador to the U.N. after months of Iran refusing direct contact. The Western official said the key U.S. objective was to keep the nuclear situation from worsening and to avoid a potential clash between Israel and Iran. U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, a Republican, wrote to President Joe Biden on Thursday saying "any arrangement or understanding with Iran, even informal, requires submission to Congress".

Persons: Donald Trump, Matt Miller, Washington, Brett McGurk, Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran Rob Malley, miscalculate, Michael McCaul, Joe Biden, Parisa, John Irish, Arshad Mohammed, Ramu Ayub, Simon Lewis, Daphne Psaledakis, Don Durfee, William Mallard Organizations: U.S . Congress, State Department, U.S . National Security, International Atomic Energy Agency, U.S, . House Foreign, Republican, John, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, PARIS, United States, Iran, Russia, Washington, Israel, Tehran, U.S, de, Ukraine, Oman, Ali Bagheri Kani . U.S, IRAN, ISRAEL, Parisa Hafezi, Dubai, Paris, Saint Paul , Minnesota

Asked on June 2 about Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it "would be a potential problem for many, many years." Hanging over the deliberations is the question of whether alliance members can show unity by forging agreements ahead of the July 11-12 summit in the Lithuanian capital. But all agree on the need to further boost Ukraine's security between now and the day it joins NATO. Gabrielle Tarini, co-author of a new RAND Corporation report on Ukraine reconstruction, said that until Ukraine can join NATO the alliance needs to explore such measures. NATO will bolster a program of non-lethal aid for Ukraine's security forces to help them transition from Soviet-era to NATO standards, he said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, NATO Julianne Smith, Smith, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine's, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Emmanuel Macron, Gabrielle Tarini, Jonathan Landay, Andrew Gray, Humeyra Pamuk, Andrea Shalal, John Irish, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: NATO, Russian, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Kyiv, Kremlin, Ukraine, U.S . National Security, Diplomats, RAND Corporation, Ukraine Council, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Vilnius, U.S, Germany, Russia, Europe, Lithuanian, Eastern, Poland, United States, Israel, Russian, Kyiv, Washington, Paris

☆ US will 'make every effort' to boost cooperation with China on fentanyl
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The United States has said the institute was complicit in human rights abuses toward Uyghurs and other Chinese ethnic minorities. But Robinson said blocking the flow of fentanyl and precursors to the United States and securing China's cooperation on the issue was a top priority. And it's an issue I think is very likely going to be raised directly with the Secretary's Chinese counterpart, PRC (People's Republic of China) counterpart. And depending on the response, I think everything is on the table in terms of getting some kind of global cooperation on this issue," Robinson said. Robinson said he did not find it "that unusual" that China would seek to extract concessions from Washington in exchange for help on fentanyl.

Persons: Biden, Antony Blinken, Todd Robinson, Robinson, Joe Biden, Qin Gang, Gang, Humeyra Pamuk, Michael Martina, Kristina Cooke, Don Durfee, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S, China's Ministry, Public Security's Institute of Forensic Science, Commerce, Bureau of International Narcotics, Law, Affairs, State Department, People's, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Qin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: China, United States, U.S, Beijing, People's Republic of China, Washington, San Francisco

BEJUCAL, Cuba, June 14 (Reuters) - Just outside the sleepy Cuban village of Bejucal, a winding track, rutted with potholes and losing ground to the jungle, ends at a barbed wire fence. The question of Chinese spying from Cuba was renewed last week following a Wall Street Journal report. China, Washington’s top geopolitical rival, on Monday denied it was using Cuba as a spy base. [1/5] A truck passes by a sign at the entrance of Bejucal, Cuba, June 12, 2023. Onelvis Despaigne, 36, a farm worker who lives just outside the base, told Reuters on Monday he had not heard the recent foreign media reports on Chinese spying.

Persons: Biden, Bejucal, Arnaldo Perez, Dave Sherwood, Perez, motioning, Marco Rubio, Havana “, Fulton Armstrong, ”, Armstrong, Vladimir Putin, Onelvis Despaigne, Matt Spetalnick, Adam Jourdan, Don Durfee, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Reuters, Federal Communications Commission, Communist Party, FCC, Security, Commission, ARCOS, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department ., Guantanamo, Base, White House National Security Council, REUTERS, Cuban Missile, Soviet Union, U.S, Cuban, CIA, Thomson Locations: BEJUCAL, Cuba, Cuban, Bejucal, China, Beijing, States, Key West , Florida, U.S, United States, Justice Department . China, Havana, Soviet, Moscow, Marco Rubio of Florida, Caribbean, Taiwan Strait, South China, Russia, Ukraine, Lourdes, Washington

☆ US lawmakers warn North Korean refugees face forcible repatriation from China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers warned on Tuesday that China could be preparing to forcibly repatriate refugees who fled North Korea and urged the United Nations to use its influence with Beijing to prevent this. He referred to reports that approximately 2,000 and "perhaps many more" North Korean refugees faced repatriation "which would subject them to severe human rights violations upon their return." The CECC co-chair, Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, said a 2014 report by the U.N. commission on inquiry on human rights in North Korea had stated clearly that forcible repatriation of North Koreans "subjects them to crimes against humanity." "Just being a North Korean in China means an individual would be in grave peril if sent back to North Korea," he said. China's Washington embassy, UNHCR, and North Korea's U.N. mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Chris Smith, Smith, Antonio Guterres, General Guterres, Filippo Grandi, Elizabeth Salmon, Jeff Merkley, Merkley, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Guterres, David Brunnstrom, Michelle Nichols, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: United, Congressional, Commission, U.N, United Nations, South Korea's Korea Times, Washington Post, Democratic, UNHCR, Thomson Locations: China, North Korea, United Nations, Beijing, Korean, South, North Koreans, Washington

Concluding his visit on Thursday, Secretary of State Blinken told reporters he raised human rights issues with Saudi officials and "made clear that progress on human rights strengthens our relationship." "Human rights are always on the agenda of the United States - that’s who we are," he said during a news conference. But some rights advocates argue the golf deal shows the administration has chosen geopolitics over human rights. New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) says scores of human rights activists and dissidents are in prison or on trial in Saudi Arabia and that the repression "spiked" following Biden's visit last year. The list included prominent cleric Salman al-Odah, children of former spy chief Saad al-Jabri, human rights defender Mohammed al-Qahtani and aid worker Abdulrahman al-Sadhan.

Persons: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Joe Biden, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jamal Khashoggi, LIV, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Biden, Seth Binder, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Sarah Yager, Salman al, Saad al, Mohammed al, Abdulrahman, Saad Ibrahim Almadi, Tess McEnery, Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis, Arshad Mohammed, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Saudi Crown, Al, Saudi Royal Court, REUTERS, Saudi, Public Investment Fund, North, MbS, PGA, East Democracy, Biden, Rights Watch, Saudi Foreign, U.S, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Bandar, REUTERS RIYADH, WASHINGTON, U.S, Riyadh, Washington, United States, Yemen, New York, China, Israel, OPEC, Russia, Florida

Late last month a Chinese fighter jet flew in front of a U.S. warplane over the South China Sea, drawing a rebuke from the United States. China regards the United States as an outsider interfering in a region in which it sees itself as a force for peace and stability. The United States says such patrols defend the right of all countries to sail in international waters. Some analysts say Chinese military commanders have been encouraged to act more assertively against foreign military ships and planes. And that's when the United States would eventually take the necessary measures to reduce the risk."

Persons: Xi Jinping, ”, Jennifer Parker, Derek Grossman, China's, Tong Zhao, Nancy Pelosi's, Michael Martina, Martin Pollard, Yew Lun Tian, Laurie Chen, Don Durfee, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S, People's Liberation Army Navy, PLAN, PLA, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, RAND Corporation, Communist Party, Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, Pentagon, ., Reuters, Washington, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, BEIJING, Chinese, U.S, Taiwan Strait, South China, United States, China, CHINA, Beijing, Asia, Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hainan

☆ US senator presses for declassified report on Al Jazeera reporter's killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Chris Van Hollen called on Monday for declassifying a government report on the death of Al Jazeera's Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist who was shot and killed while covering an Israeli army raid last year. The U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority (USSC) conducted an investigation, but the report remains classified. In a statement, Van Hollen, a Democrat on the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, said the report contains important insights into her death. In December, Al Jazeera made a submission to the International Criminal Court over Abu Akleh's killing. Israel insists that its soldiers do not deliberately target journalists and has refused to identify the soldier who may have shot Abu Akleh.

Persons: Chris Van Hollen, Al Jazeera's Shireen Abu Akleh, Abu Akleh, Abu Akleh's, Van Hollen, Al Jazeera, Biden, Rami Ayyub, Don Durfee, David Gregorio Our Organizations: declassifying, West Bank, U.S . Security, Israel, Palestinian Authority, Democrat, Senate's Foreign Relations, Israel Defense Forces, U.S . State Department, International Criminal, Thomson Locations: Palestinian, American, Jenin, Israel

Relations between the superpowers are increasingly acrimonious, with friction over issues from Taiwan and China's military activity in the South China Sea to U.S. efforts to hold back China's semiconductor industry. China's leaders, by contrast, have been slow to establish military contacts and quick to shut them down during periods of diplomatic tension. This has frustrated the United States. Then there is China's view of how military talks fit into the broader U.S.-China relationship. From that perspective, military talks are something to bargain with.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, China's, ", Ely Ratner, National Defense Li Shangfu, Li, Zhu Feng, Zhu, Jacob Stokes, Yun Sun, ”, Daniel Russel, William Burns, it’s, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Yew Lun Tian, Martina Pollard, Laurie Chen, Don Durfee, Alistair Bell Organizations: Pentagon . U.S . Defense, U.S . Army, U.S, National Defense, School of International Studies, Nanjing University, Center, New, New American Security, Stimson, East Asia, Obama, Asia Society Policy Institute, CIA, Washington, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, BEIJING, Singapore, Beijing, United States, China, Taiwan, South, U.S, Austin, New American, East Asia, Washington, Ukraine, States, East, Hainan

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

[1/5] Hong Kong Newspapers from June 5, 1989, reporting the Tiananmen Square China uprising, is pictured during a press preview of the Tiananmen June 4th Memorial permanent exhibition, which opens June 2 in Manhattan, in New York City, U.S., June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mike SegarNEW YORK, June 1 (Reuters) - The hope for a "free China" lives on in a new Manhattan museum dedicated to China's 1989 suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations around Tiananmen Square, exhibit organizers said on Thursday ahead of the 34th anniversary of the crackdown. The June 4th Memorial Museum in New York will be the only such permanent exhibition in the world, following the 2021 closure of a similar museum in Hong Kong under pressure from authorities. Public memorials of the crackdown were once allowed in Hong Kong, but Hong Kong police have barred a vigil there since 2020, citing COVID-19 concerns. Wang Dan, another former Tiananmen student leader who helped establish the museum, said he felt it was his obligation to show his respect for the protesters who died.

Persons: Mike Segar, Zhou Fengsuo, Zhou, Wang Dan, Wang, Aleksandra Michalska, Michael Martina, James Pomfret, Jessie Pang, Don Durfee, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Hong Kong Newspapers, REUTERS, Museum, China's, Hong, Overseas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: China, Manhattan, New York City, U.S, Tiananmen, New York, Hong Kong, Beijing, Washington, British, Taipei, London, Berlin

☆ Exclusive: Qatar prime minister, Taliban chief hold secret Afghan talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Taliban say they respect women’s rights in line with their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan customs. The Taliban in March 2022 barred girls from high schools and extended the ban to universities in December. ADDRESSING HUMANITARIAN CRISISSheikh Mohammed and Haibatullah also discussed efforts to remedy Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis, the source said. The U.S. and its allies say the Taliban harbor members of al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban. Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as Qatar's foreign minister, met publicly in Kandahar with Mullah Hassan Akhund, the Taliban prime minister, on the same day he met the supreme leader.

Persons: Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Akhunzada, Joe Biden's, Sheikh Mohammed, Haibatullah, al, Mullah Hassan Akhund, Jonathan Landay, Don Durfee, Deepa Babington Organizations: Qatari, Qatar, United, The State Department, Human Rights, United Nations, Islamic, Haibatullah, Thomson Locations: Afghan, Kandahar, Thani, Kabul, United States, Washington, Qatar, U.S, Geneva, Islamic State, Afghanistan, The U.S, al Qaeda, Doha

☆ Can Ukraine use Patriot defense systems to knock out Russian hypersonic missiles?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here is what you need to know about the Patriot:WHAT IS THE PATRIOT MISSILE SYSTEM? CAN PATRIOTS KNOCK OUT HYPERSONIC MISSILES? Ukraine has said it needs more air defense systems to protect against the barrage of missile and drones strikes from Russian forces. The United States has also provided a pair of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) to Ukraine. Raytheon has built more 240 Patriot systems and they are currently used by 18 countries, including the United States.

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - The speaker of Taiwan's parliament praised Japan, South Korea and the Philippines on Tuesday for helping to create a "crescent of defense" with Taiwan and the U.S. against China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. You praised Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for calling Taiwan a global issue and opposing a change to the status quo by force. "The crescent of defense formed by Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines will, with American support, be a key stabilizer of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region," he added. China has been stepping up its military activities around Taiwan to try and force the democratically governed island to accept Beijing's sovereignty. It has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

"The numbers we have experienced in the past two days are markedly down over what they were prior to the end of Title 42," Mayorkas said on CNN's "State of the Union" program. He said there were 6,300 border encounters on Friday and 4,200 on Saturday, but cautioned it was still early in the new regime. Mayorkas credited the criminal penalties for migrants who illegally enter the country, which resumed under existing law after Title 42's expiration, for the decrease in crossings. Officials from communities along the border agreed they had not seen the large numbers of migrants that many had feared would further strain U.S. border facilities and towns. Just before Title 42 expired on Thursday, House Republicans approved legislation that would require asylum seekers to apply for U.S. protection outside the country, resume construction of a border wall and expand federal law enforcement efforts.

WASHINGTON, May 10 (Reuters) - China is facing a growing backlash from the United States and other Western governments over its controversial efforts to pressure dissidents and their advocates abroad, but Beijing has appeared undeterred. Authorities in the U.S., Canada, Britain and elsewhere recently have taken a hard line, including with expulsions, indictments, arrests and probes, against Chinese operations they say are aimed at intimidating critics and pursuing officials accused of corruption living abroad. Among Beijing's alleged tactics are threats of harm, online harassment and clandestine operations on foreign soil to hunt pro-democracy activists. Beijing responded within hours by ordering a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai to leave over what it called Ottawa's "unreasonable actions". Despite the latest diplomatic spat between China and Canada, “I don't think that you can say that these particular actions are harming the business relationship," said Sarah Kutulakos, the executive director of the Canada China Business Council.

☆ Alberta issues emergency alert for four armed, dangerous suspects
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - The Canadian province of Alberta issued an emergency alert on Monday for the area of Sunchild and O'Chiese First Nations due to four "armed and dangerous" individuals in that area. The alert was issued at 1:17 PM (7:17 GMT)and is expected to end on Tuesday. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta said it was investigating multiple firearms complaints in the Sunchild and O'Chiese First Nations and asked residents to shelter in place. "RCMP are actively looking for 4 suspects, 2 of which are identified as 28-year-old Colin Beaverbones and 25-year-old Boyd Beaverbones. These suspects are considered armed and dangerous.

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr dismissed criticism during an interview on Thursday that his presidential campaign played down the corruption and extravagance the Marcos family was known for during his father's rule. Marcos told Reuters at the end of a four-day visit to Washington that his country's citizens could not continue to fight decades-old social battles. During his campaign, critics said Marcos' presidential bid tried to whitewash the corruption and authoritarianism associated with his father's 20-year rule. The Marcos family denies wrongdoing. Marcos' Washington visit has been the first by a Philippine president in more than 10 years and included a summit on Monday with U.S. President Joe Biden.

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Thursday that granting U.S. access to Philippine military bases was a defensive step that would be "useful" if China attacked Taiwan. Marcos told Reuters the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) reached with the United States in 2014 was originally conceived to improve disaster responses. Marcos said Washington "has not proposed any kind of action for the Philippines in terms of taking part in the defense of Taiwan." Biden said on Monday that the U.S. commitment to the defense of its ally was "ironclad," including in the South China Sea, and that the guidelines issued on Wednesday laid out treaty commitments if either side were attacked in the South China Sea. He said the patrols would help preserve freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where China has a growing military presence.

Those concerns intensified in February after U.N. inspectors revealed their discovery of uranium particles of 83.7% purity at an Iran nuclear facility built deep underground to protect it from air strikes. Western officials fear a nuclear-armed Iran could threaten Israel, Gulf Arab oil producers, and spark a regional arms race. A senior Iranian nuclear official said Tehran would not take the revival of U.N. sanctions lying down. But Western officials and analysts say that Iran's production of 90% uranium would demand a significant response. 'FACE A CRISIS AT SOME POINT'While Western officials want to leave the door open for diplomacy, tensions with Russia and China make that harder.

☆ Biden to reassure Philippines' Marcos as China tensions flare
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden listens during the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2023. Marcos, who became president last year, has sought warm relations with both the United States and China, who are vying for influence in the Asia-Pacific region. "Some of the steps that China have taken have concerned (Marcos), probably even surprised him," said one senior Biden administration official. Experts say the United States considers the Philippines a potential location for rockets, missiles and artillery systems to counter a Chinese amphibious assault. "We're standing shoulder to shoulder in the South China Sea, where our alignment has never been stronger," said one U.S. official.

☆ China 'police station' case shows U.S. ramping up use of foreign agent laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Justice Department last year charged at least 25 people with violating or conspiring to violate the law. That was the highest number since at least 2003, according to a Reuters review of Justice Department statements and court records. He added that his office uses the foreign agent statute and other tools to combat the trend. A RARELY TESTED STATUTEWhile once mainly used against traditional espionage, Section 951 cases brought in recent years have targeted "influence operations" and harassment of U.S.-based dissidents. After the acquittal, Justice Department official Jay Bratt told a conference the department would "continue to bring hard cases."

☆ Explainer: South Korea's nuclear dilemma: Would U.S. trade Seattle for Seoul?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WHY IS SOUTH KOREA WORRIED? U.S. "extended deterrence" protection for South Korea rests on a simple, if grim, assumption: if North Korea were to attack South Korea with nuclear weapons, it would face devastating U.S. retaliatory strikes. Yoon vowed in his election campaign to seek redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea and possibly "nuclear sharing," meaning joint command over U.S. weapons. But his comments have driven a growing debate that one former senior U.S. defense official said threatens to normalize a once unthinkable concept of a South Korean nuclear arsenal. WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPLICATIONS OF A NUCLEAR SOUTH KOREA?

☆ US war game on Taiwan shows need for 'decisive action' to boost arms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We are well within the window of maximum danger for a Chinese Communist Party invasion of Taiwan, and yesterday's war game stressed the need to take action to deter CCP aggression and arm Taiwan to the teeth before any crisis begins," Gallagher said in a statement. The U.S. must clear a $19 billion weapons backlog to Taiwan, conduct enhanced joint military training and reinforce the U.S. military in the region, he said. Anxiety about a possible conflict over Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China claims as its own, has become a rare bipartisan issue in Washington. The U.S. is Taiwan's most important arms supplier but the island has complained of delayed weapons deliveries. Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the war game.

☆ Biden set for summit with top fundraisers ahead of expected re-election campaign -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to meet top potential donors for his planned re-election campaign next week, according to two people with direct knowledge of the plans. Last week, Biden said he would launch his campaign "relatively soon." Biden entered the 2020 race nearly four years ago, on April 25, 2019. While the campaign would employ paid staff who focus on fundraising, they rely on volunteers to significant work. Biden drew laughter and applause when he referred to Trump's "last term - only term."

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