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☆ Trump attorney ordered to testify in documents case, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday ordered an attorney for Donald Trump to give additional testimony before a grand jury investigating the former U.S. president’s handling of classified documents, according to media reports. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered attorney Evan Corcoran to testify after he invoked attorney-client privilege during a prior grand jury appearance in January and refused to answer investigators’ questions about his communications with Trump, according to CNN, the Washington Post and other media outlets. Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2024, has accused the Justice Department of conducting a "witch hunt" against him. Special Counsel Jack Smith is investigating Trump for the unlawful retention of national defense information at his Florida estate and he is also investigating whether Trump tried to obstruct the criminal probe. In her ruling, Howell agreed with prosecutors that there were grounds for a "crime-fraud exception" to attorney-client privilege, according to the reports.

☆ Biden says Putin committed war crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has committed war crimes and the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for him was justified. Reporting by Jeff Mason; writing by Eric Beech; editing by Kanishka SinghOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Grand jury in Georgia heard recording of Trump call to state House speaker -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Eric Beech | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The existence of such a recording, or that it was played for the 23-member special grand jury during the course of its eight-month investigation, has not been previously reported. Ralston and other state legislative leaders never called a special session, and the Georgia House speaker himself testified before the special Fulton County grand jury in July 2022, according to local media accounts. The George elections grand jury also is known to have examined a previously disclosed call Trump made on Jan. 2, 2021, to then-Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger falsely claiming that the November election results were fraudulent. That report, submitted to the Fulton County district attorney in January before the panel was dissolved, included who the grand jury recommended should be indicted. The special grand jury, unlike a regular grand jury, was not empowered to issue indictments, only recommendations, and the decision on whether to press charges ultimately rests with the district attorney, Fani Willis.

Companies Rite Aid Corp FollowWASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Monday sued Rite Aid Corp (RAD.N), accusing the pharmacy chain of missing red flags as it illegally filled hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids. Rite Aid pharmacists were accused of filling prescriptions for controlled substances despite clear signs it was wrong. The Justice Department also said Rite Aid intentionally deleted some pharmacists' internal warnings about suspicious prescribers, such as "cash only pill mill??? Rite Aid is one of the country's largest pharmacy chains, with more than 2,330 stores in 17 U.S. states. The case is U.S. ex rel White et al v Rite Aid Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, No.

☆ EU's von der Leyen says she and Biden agreed to dialogue on clean tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she agreed with President Joe Biden during a meeting at the White House on Friday to have a dialogue concerning incentives to the clean technology industry. Describing her meeting with Biden as "very good," von der Leyen said they agreed to work on giving EU-sourced critical raw materials access to the U.S. market. Von der Leyen said the European Union welcomed the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act because it provides a massive investment in the green energy transition. Reporting by Jeff Mason and Eric Beech; writing by Rami AyyubOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ White House urges Congress to pass bill giving Commerce secretary power to ban TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - The White House urged Congress to quickly pass legislation introduced on Tuesday that would provide the federal government with new powers to ban Chinese-owned video app TikTok and other foreign-based technologies if they pose a national security threat, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement. "We look forward to continue working with both Democrats and Republicans on this bill, and urge Congress to act quickly to send it to the president’s desk," Sullivan said in a statement. Reporting by Caitlin Webber; Editing by Eric BeechOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ International drug bust nets $677 mln of cocaine bound for Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, March 4 (Reuters) - A joint U.S. and Australian law enforcement operation busted an international drug ring after intercepting 2.4 tonnes of cocaine aboard a vessel off the coast of South America that had been bound for Australia. Western Australian police substituted the cargo with identically packed fake cocaine and dropped it roughly 40 nautical miles west of state capital Perth on Dec. 28. Three suspected members of the "Australian arm of a drug syndicate" with 1.2 tonnes of fake cocaine were arrested on Dec. 30, after allegedly making three trips out through rough seas to collect the packages. Hailing the success of "Operation Beech" Western Australia police commissioner Col Blanch in a statement: "The operation sends a message to international drug traffickers – your deadly drugs are not welcome here." ($1 = 1.4775 Australian dollars)Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Scholz set off on the one-day trip, which unusually will not include a press delegation, late on Thursday. His visit comes days after Biden's security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that Biden only sent Abrams tanks to Ukraine because Scholz made it a pre-condition for sending German Leopards. Berlin has insisted that Biden came to see it was necessary and so the decision was consensual. "The Biden administration will use the Scholz visit to try to shift Germany’s balance in the direction of stronger pushback." Scholz and Biden would discuss ongoing support for Ukraine, the upcoming NATO summit, and cooperation on the challenges posed by China and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, U.S. officials said.

Biden and Scholz met in private in the Oval Office for over an hour, a senior administration official said. Sitting next to Scholz in the Oval Office, Biden thanked the German leader for his "strong and steady leadership" and support for Ukraine. Speaking before the meeting, U.S. officials said discussion points included the state of the war and how to respond if China provided military aid to Russia. "Every step China takes toward Russia makes it harder for China with Europe and other countries around the world." Biden hailed Scholz's decision to sharply increase Germany's military spending and diversify energy sources away from Russia, and said the two leaders had worked in lockstep with other allies to support Ukraine.

☆ U.S. House Ethics Committee opens probe of Republican congressman Santos
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee said on Thursday it had opened an investigation into embattled Republican congressman George Santos, who has admitted to lying about his resume. When asked for comment, Santos's office directed Reuters to a tweet from his congressional Twitter account, which said he is "fully cooperating" with the investigation. The first-term lawmaker from New York state has admitted he fabricated much of his resume. Santos had said he had degrees from New York University and Baruch College, despite neither institution having any record of him attending. Reporting by Eric Beech and Moira Warburton, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will focus their discussions on Friday mainly on the war in Ukraine, but could also touch on concerns that China may provide lethal aid to Russia, a senior administration official said. The two leaders are slated to meet for an hour, including a significant one-on-one component, the official said on Thursday. "The overarching purpose of this meeting was a chance for the two leaders to be able to coordinate specifically on Ukraine," the official said. "But I think it certainly is possible within the context of a conversation on Ukraine that the China aspect would come up." The U.S. had not seen evidence that China had provided lethal aid to Russia thus far, but was tracking the situation closely, the official said.

☆ US State Department approves potential sale of F-16 munitions to Taiwan- Pentagon
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of F-16 munitions and related equipment to Taiwan in a deal valued at $619 million, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The Pentagon said Raytheon Technologies (RTX.N) and Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) were the principal contractors. Reporting by Eric Beech and Costas PitasOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ FBI director says China lab leak likely caused COVID pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Tuesday the agency has assessed that a leak from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, likely caused the COVID-19 pandemic. "The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan," Wray told Fox News. His comments follow a Wall Street Journal report on Sunday that the U.S. Energy Department has assessed with low confidence the pandemic resulted from an unintended lab leak in China. Four other agencies, along with a national intelligence panel, still judge that the pandemic was likely the result of a natural transmission, and two are undecided, the Journal reported. China's foreign ministry, asked to comment on the Wall Street Journal report, which was confirmed by other U.S. media, referred to a WHO-China report that pointed toward a natural origin for the pandemic, rather than a lab leak.

☆ China scoffs at FBI claim that Wuhan lab leak likely caused COVID pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - The FBI has assessed that a leak from a laboratory in the central Chinese city of Wuhan likely caused the COVID pandemic, director Christopher Wray said on Tuesday, a claim China said had "no credibility whatsoever". "The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan," Wray told Fox News. His comments follow a Wall Street Journal report on Sunday that the U.S. Energy Department had assessed with low confidence the pandemic resulted from an unintended lab leak in China. Four other agencies, along with a national intelligence panel, still judge that the pandemic was likely the result of a natural transmission, and two are undecided, the Journal reported. The virus was first identified in Wuhan in December 2019 before spreading round the world and killing nearly 7 million people.

☆ Biden says other companies will slash insulin prices after Eli Lilly move
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BALTIMORE, March 1 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that other pharmaceutical companies will have to lower their insulin prices in the wake of Eli Lilly's decision to slash its prices for the popular diabetes treatment. Eli Lilly (LLY.N) said on Wednesday it will cut list prices by 70% for its most commonly prescribed insulin products, Humalog and Humulin, beginning from the fourth quarter of this year. U.S. President Joe Biden discusses health care costs and access to affordable health care during an event in Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S., February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis"Guess what that means?," Biden told Democrats gathered in Baltimore for an annual retreat. Biden’s signature legislative achievement, the Inflation Reduction Act, has capped insulin prices for Medicare recipients at $35 per month but the law does not extend to patients with private insurance or without insurance from higher prices.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia, Feb 28 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that his March 9 budget proposal to the U.S. Congress will include some higher taxes, including on billionaires, but will not violate his pledge not to raise rates on Americans making less than $400,000 a year. "On March the 9th, I'm going to lay down in detail every single thing, every tax that's out there that I'm proposing, and no one ... making less than $400,000 is going to pay a penny more in taxes," Biden told an audience in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I'm gonna raise some taxes," the Democratic president added, before suggesting that "billionaires" would be called upon to pay more. Biden, under pressure from Republicans who are threatening not to raise the U.S. debt limit unless he agrees to sharp spending cuts, has vowed to cut the deficit by $2 trillion over 10 years in the upcoming budget proposal. During the 2020 campaign, Biden pledged not to increase taxes on taxes on people making less than $400,000 a year.

☆ 'Not rational' for China to negotiate outcome of Ukraine war -Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden told ABC News in an interview on Friday that the idea China would be negotiating the outcome of the Ukraine war was not rational, following the release of Beijing's peace plan for the conflict. Biden told ABC News on the one-year anniversary of the war. "The idea that China is going to be negotiating the outcome of a war that's a totally unjust war for Ukraine is just not rational." Biden also repeated comments that he would not be sending F-16s to Ukraine for now, saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did not need the fighter jets for the moment. Reporting by Eric Beech and Costas Pitas; Editing by Sandra Maler and Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/4] U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the media before departing the White House for the weekend, in Washington, U.S., February 24, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday he has no plans to visit the site of the train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals in an Ohio town earlier in February. The Biden administration has said Norfolk Southern must pay for the damage and clean-up efforts. Some Republicans have criticized the Biden administration over the incident while some Democrats have pointed to regulations rescinded under former President Donald Trump. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured the wreckage on Thursday after the Biden administration was criticized for not sending a cabinet official to the site sooner.

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee said on Thursday it had opened an investigation into Republican congressman George Santos, who has admitted to lying about his resume but defied calls to step down. The first-term lawmaker from New York state has admitted he fabricated much of his resume. Santos had said he had degrees from New York University and Baruch College, despite neither institution having any record of him attending. Santos has refused to step down despite mounting pressure from within his own party, insisting that he is the elected representative for New York's third district. Republicans control an extremely narrow margin in the House, in part thanks to surprise victories in New York state like Santos, who flipped his district in November's midterm elections.

☆ U.S. announces $2 bln security aid to Ukraine - White House official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The United States will provide Ukraine an additional $2 billion in security assistance, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday. "We're going to continue to look at what is necessary, and make sure that we provide what is necessary that Ukraine has what it needs to succeed on the battlefield," Sullivan said at a CNN town hall event, where he announced the additional aid. Asked about Ukraine's request for U.S. F-16 fighter jets, Sullivan said from Washington's perspective "F-16s are not a question for the short-term fight. F-16s are a question for the long-term defense of Ukraine." Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 'Rust' shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Actor Alec Baldwin entered a not guilty plea on Thursday to a charge of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a fatal shooting on the New Mexico set of the film "Rust," court documents show. Baldwin made the plea while exercising his right to waive a first court appearance that was set for Friday, according to a court filing. New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies in January charged Baldwin and the movie's set armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. First assistant director Dave Halls also plead not guilty in a Thursday court filing in which he waived a Feb. 24 first court appearance. Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed now faces a maximum of 18 months in prison if convicted.

☆ Florida TV journalist fatally shot while reporting on a murder scene -police
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - A gunman opened fire on two television journalists reporting on a murder scene near Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, killing one and injuring the other, authorities said. The two journalists shot in Pine Hills, a suburb of Orlando, were a reporter and a photographer for central Florida cable TV outlet Spectrum News 13, which is owned by Charter Communications (CHTR.O), Mina said. The suspect, who has a lengthy arrest record, already has been charged with killing the woman in her 20s, who was shot in a vehicle hours earlier, Mina said. Mina said no motive had been determined for any of the shootings, but he said Moses was believed to be an acquaintance of the first victim. Reporting by Steve Gorman and Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Eric Beech and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump subpoenaed in Capitol attack probe, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump have been subpoenaed by Special Counsel Jack Smith to testify before a federal grand jury regarding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith in November last year to take over two investigations involving Trump, who is running for president in 2024. The first probe involves Trump's handling of highly sensitive classified documents he retained at his Florida resort after leaving the White House in January 2021. Grand juries in Washington have been hearing testimony in recent months for both investigations from former top Trump administration officials. Ivanka Trump could not immediately be reached for comment.

☆ U.S. Senator Fetterman in hospital for clinical depression -statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator John Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed medical center on Wednesday to receive treatment for severe clinical depression, his office said. The 53-year-old Pennsylvania Democrat, who suffered a stroke last year, was evaluated by the attending physician for Congress on Monday, who recommended inpatient care, his chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, said in a statement on Thursday. "While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks," Jentleson said. Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Kanishka Singh; editing by Rami Ayyub and Eric BeechOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Downed Chinese balloon aimed for Hawaii but was blown off course, U.S. official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Randall HillWASHINGTON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - U.S. officials believe a Chinese balloon that was shot down after crossing the continental United States originally had a trajectory that would have taken it over Guam and Hawaii but was blown off course by prevailing winds, a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday. U.S. military and intelligence agencies tracked the balloon from when it lifted off from Hainan Island near China's south coast, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The U.S. military said on Monday it had recovered critical electronics from the balloon as well as large sections of the vessel itself. Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Writing by Eric Beech, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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