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☆ Biden administration announces new border enforcement measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Homeland Security Department announced new border enforcement measures on Thursday, saying it would establish new parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans. The steps announced Thursday were aimed at limiting irregular migration and creating orderly processes for people fleeing humanitarian crises to lawfully come to the United States, the department said in a statement. Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pentagon awards $7.8 billion F-35 contract modification to Lockheed Martin
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] The logo of Lockheed Martin is pictured at the Eurosatory international defence and security exhibition in Villepinte, near Paris, France June 13, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit TessierWASHINGTON, Dec 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department said on Friday it had awarded a $7.8 billion contract modification for F-35 aircraft to Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N). "This modification adds scope to procure 127 F-35 Lot 16 aircraft," the Pentagon said in a statement. The additional contract announced Friday takes the total deal between the company and the Pentagon for delivering 398 F-35s to $30 billion, the company said. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. House committee releases Trump tax returns he sought to keep secret
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Donald Trump departs Trump Tower two days after FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach home, in New York City, New york, U.S., August 10, 2022. The nearly 6,000 pages of records include over 2,700 pages of personal returns from Trump and his wife Melania Trump, plus more than 3,000 pages of returns from his businesses. Trump, a businessman who held public office for the first time when he entered the White House in 2017, was the first presidential candidate in decades not to release his tax returns. Neal first requested the returns in 2019, arguing that Congress needed them to determine if legislation on presidential tax returns was warranted. Representative Kevin Brady, the House panel's top Republican, warned that future committee chairmen will have "nearly unlimited" power to make public the tax returns of private citizens, including "political enemies".

☆ U.S. House committee releases Trump tax returns, capping years-long battle
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Donald Trump departs Trump Tower two days after FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach home, in New York City, New york, U.S., August 10, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado//File Photo/File PhotoDec 30 (Reuters) - A Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives committee released six years of former President Donald Trump's tax returns to the public on Friday in an extraordinary move days before Republicans are due to take control of the chamber. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal requested the returns in 2019, arguing that Congress needed them to determine if legislation on presidential tax returns was warranted. Trump, who took office in 2017, was the first presidential candidate in decades not to release his taxes. They show Trump and his wife Melania Trump claimed large deductions and losses and paid little or no income tax in several of those years.

☆ U.S. orders Mastercard to stop blocking competing payment networks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 23 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Friday said it was ordering Mastercard Inc (MA.N) to stop blocking the use of competing networks to process debit payments. Under a proposed order, Mastercard would have to start providing competing payment networks with the customer account information they need to process payments, the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces competition laws, said in a statement. “This is a victory for consumers and the merchants who rely on debit card payments to operate their businesses,” Holly Vedova, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, said in a statement. "We will continue the work to update our processes to comply with the consent order and provide even greater choice," the company said. Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Tim Ahmann, Kirsten Donovan and Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden signs Defense Authorization Act, but voices concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 23 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday signed the Defense Authorization Act, but he voiced concerns about several of its provisions, including one that he said could hamper the administration's prosecution of Guantanamo Bay detainees. "I urge the Congress to eliminate these restrictions as soon as possible," Biden said in a statement, referring to a provision barring the use of funds to transfer certain detainees into the United States. Reporting by Paul Grant; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden next week will announce U.S. support for the African Union's admission to the G20 group of the world's largest economies as a permanent member, a White House official said on Friday. Biden will make the announcement during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington next week, White House adviser Judd Devermont said, when Biden will meet presidents of African countries. Devermont said the move, first reported by the Washington Post, comes after requests from African Union Chair and Senegalese President Macky Sall and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. South Africa is the only G20 member from Africa. But Biden has struck a different tone from former President Donald Trump, who disparaged some African nations and barred travel from six of them.

☆ U.S. Justice Dept asks judge to hold Trump team in contempt in documents probe -report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell has not yet held a hearing or ruled on the request, the newspaper reported. The Justice Department declined to comment on the report. A Trump spokesman told Reuters that the former president's lawyers "continue to cooperate and be transparent," while describing the probe as "a political witch hunt." 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. The Department of Justice is also investigating his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

☆ Yellen: U.S. can avoid recession, on 'right track' to lower inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The United States can avoid a recession, given that there is no wage-price spiral and supply chain bottlenecks are starting to ease, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday. "Recession is not inevitable," Yellen told reporters after speaking at an event in Fort Worth, Texas, adding that rent prices had also peaked and were starting to come down. Yellen said the heat was starting to come off the labor market as well. "I believe we're on the right track in terms of lowering inflation and that recession is not inevitable," she said. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Writing by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Yellen says U.S. listening to Europe's concerns over new climate law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday said the Biden administration was listening to concerns raised by European allies over the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, a $430 billion green energy subsidy package. Many European Union countries fear their companies will be unfairly disadvantaged by the subsidies contained in the new law. "We will look at what is legal and what is feasible," Yellen told reporters. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; writing by Kanishka Singh; editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Yellen says no reason to believe Russia involved in decision to block ships from Mediterranean
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters on Thursday that the Biden administration had no reason to believe the Russian government was involved in a decision by Turkey to block ships from transiting to the Mediterranean Sea. Yellen also said the administration saw no reason that oil shipments from Kazakhstan should be subjected to new procedures. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved a potential sale of 116 General Dynamics (GD.N) made M1A1 Abrams tanks, other vehicles and munitions to Poland in a deal valued at up to $3.75 billion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The sale comes just months after Poland was authorized to buy 250 M1A2 tanks by the same maker. The package would include vehicles to recover disabled tanks, eight assault bridges and other vehicles. It would also provide thousands of rounds of advanced munitions including armor-piercing rounds, spares and technical support, the Pentagon said. Despite approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The special counsel overseeing two federal investigations related to Donald Trump has issued grand jury subpoenas to local election officials in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin as part of an inquiry into efforts to overturn the Republican former president's loss in the 2020 U.S. election. The subpoenas also sought communications involving a list of Trump's attorneys during the 2020 campaign including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Justin Clark, Jenna Ellis and Cleta Mitchell. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Nov. 18, three days after Trump announced his 2024 presidential run, appointed Smith to take over the two Justice Department investigations. A spokesperson for Arizona's Maricopa County confirmed receiving a subpoena and said officials will comply, but declined to give further details. The subpoenas sent to officials in Wisconsin, Arizona and Michigan resemble the ones previously sent to other witnesses including Republican Party leaders and state elected officials in key states from the 2020 election.

☆ Ukraine strikes two military bases inside Russia using unmanned drones - NYT
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Ukraine struck two military bases hundreds of miles inside Russia using unmanned drones, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing a senior Ukrainian official. The drones were launched from Ukrainian territory and at least two planes were destroyed at one of the bases and several more were damaged, the newspaper reported. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden says he has no plans to contact Putin, prepared to talk about ending Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"I have no immediate plans to contact Mr Putin," Biden said at a White House news conference after talks with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. "I'm prepared to speak with Mr. Putin, if in fact there is an interest in him deciding he's looking for a way to end the war. Biden and Macron pledged their countries solidarity with Ukraine against Russia's war and vowed to work together to deal with the economic difficulties the conflict has brought. Biden put the onus on ending the war, which began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, squarely on Putin. "There's one way for this war to end, the rational way: Putin could pull out of Ukraine, No.

Nov 23 (Reuters) - Georgia can enforce a law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy while the state appeals a lower court order striking it down, the state's highest court ruled on Wednesday. The Supreme Court of Georgia did not give a reason for its unanimous order. The state law, which originally took effect this past summer, has been challenged by Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights groups. Georgia passed a law banning abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks, in 2019. He said the state legislature could pass a new law banning abortion now that Roe is overturned.

☆ U.S. to extend student-loan payment pause during Supreme Court challenge
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Biden administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to lift a lower court's order blocking his plan to cancel billions of dollars in student debt in a challenge brought by six Republican-led states. Biden said on Twitter the pause in student debt repayments would be extended while the case is pending, potentially until June 30. "I'm confident that our student debt relief plan is legal. The administration stopped taking applications for student debt relief after Pittman's decision. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Caitlin Webber, Tim Ahmann and Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies Us Justice Department FollowNov 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday launched a probe into whether Oklahoma, Oklahoma City and the city's police department discriminate against people who have mental health disabilities in the provision of behavioral care services. The ADA requires state and local governments to provide people with disabilities equal access to programs and services. In addition, the department will look into how Oklahoma City responds to emergency calls that involve a mental health crisis and if city police follow ADA standards on the scene of such calls. "We will evaluate whether the state of Oklahoma’s failure to provide community-based services for people with behavioral health disabilities in Oklahoma County results in unnecessary institutionalization and unnecessary police contact," Clarke said. The investigation came after a discrimination complaint was filed with the agency, according to a senior Justice Department official.

☆ Pelosi to pass leadership torch as top U.S. House Democrat -news website Puck
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wields her gavel as the U.S. House of Representatives votes on President Joe Biden's $1.75 trillion "Build Back Better Act" after hours-long overnight delay in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., November 19, 2021. REUTERS/Al Drago/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to pass the leadership torch for House Democrats and throw her support behind congressman Hakeem Jeffries, news website Puck reported on Thursday. Pelosi plans to announce her intentions in remarks before the House at noon (1700 GMT), where she will say she plans to stay in Congress as a backbench lawmaker, Puck reporter Tara Palmeri wrote. Reporting by Tim Ahmann; reporting by Susan HeaveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. says Iran likely responsible for drone attack on tanker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday said an attack on the commercial tanker MV Pacific Zircon off the coast of Oman was most likely conducted by Iran with a drone. "Upon review of the available information, we are confident that Iran likely conducted this attack using a UAV," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement, referring to an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone. Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rick Scott will challenge McConnell for leadership of U.S. Senate Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Senator Rick Scott will challenge current U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell for leadership of Senate Republicans in an election on Wednesday, he said on Tuesday. McConnell, who has not faced opposition for the job since he became the Republican leader in 2007, is seeking to become the longest-serving party leader in the chamber. Scott also sent colleagues a letter outlining his reasons for the challenge, saying he'd heard complaints about the process and priorities of the Senate and about lack of coordination between House and Senate Republicans. "I believe it's time for the Senate Republican Conference to be far more bold and resolute than we have been in the past. McConnell told reporters that Republicans could delay the internal vote, but he still expected to be re-elected as the Senate Republican leader when it took place.

☆ U.S. official says Russian missiles hit Poland, killing two -Associated Press
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. intelligence official said Russian missiles crossed into Poland, killing two people, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation, the AP reported. Firefighters in Poland said on Tuesday two people died in an explosion in Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine. read morePolish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has called an urgent meeting of a government committee for national security and defense affairs, the government spokesman said on Twitter. Reporting By Paul Grant and Costas Pitas; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The oil price jump helped push U.S. inflation to the highest level in 40 years. But the sale also bled the SPR, meant to be a protection against shocks in energy markets, to the lowest level since May 1984. And it helped to sour U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia which sided with Russia in early October in a deep oil production cut. Biden said on Oct. 19 the United States is ready to tap the SPR again early next year to rein in prices. Reporting by Katharine Jackson, Timothy Gardner and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Tim Ahmann, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. imposes sanctions on oil smuggling network backing Iran's Quds Force, Hezbollah
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday issued sanctions against an international oil smuggling network it said supports Hezbollah and Iran's Quds Force, targeting dozens of people, companies and tankers as Washington sought to mount pressure on Tehran. The latest U.S. move against Iranian oil smuggling comes as efforts to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear deal have stalled and ties between the Islamic Republic and the West are increasingly strained as Iranians keep up anti-government protests. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The move targeted a Gulf-based network that the Treasury said as of mid-2022 were blending and exporting Iranian oil. The 2015 agreement limited Iran's uranium enrichment activity to make it harder for Tehran to develop nuclear arms in return for lifting international sanctions.

☆ U.S. Capitol police chief: attack on Pelosi's husband bolsters case for more security
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The attack on U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband highlights the need for more money to protect lawmakers in a bitterly divided political climate, the head of the Capitol Police said on Tuesday. "We believe today’s political climate calls for more resources to provide additional layers of physical security for members of Congress," Manger said. Pelosi and other top leaders of Congress get full-time guards and other enhanced security measures. The Capitol Police has opened regional field offices in California and Florida, with plans to open more soon to help investigate threats to lawmakers, Manger said. Lawmakers can also use their regular office expense accounts to buy bulletproof vests and other security equipment and Capitol Police have been increasing coordination with local law enforcement agencies.

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