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☆ Battle over Biden labor nominee Julie Su heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Julie Su applauds while being nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden to serve as the Labor secretary during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 1, 2023. Crucial senators in Montana, West Virginia and Arizona, who voted for Su to become deputy Labor Secretary in 2021, are on the fence about her confirmation for the top job. The AFL-CIO will target Montana, West Virginia, Arizona and Maine, communicating support for Su to its members to get them to contact their state senators. A spokesperson for Maine's Republican Senator Susan Collins said she does not support Su's nomination. She voted no on Su's deputy secretary nomination in 2021, as did all Republicans.

☆ China warns US House Speaker not to meet Taiwan president
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Leah Millis/File PhotoBEIJING, April 4 (Reuters) - China warned U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday not to "repeat disastrous past mistakes" and meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, saying it would not help regional peace and stability, but only unite the Chinese people behind a common enemy. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, staged war games around the island last August after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, visited the capital, Taipei. The U.S. says such stopovers are common practice and there is no need for China to overreact. In a statement on Tuesday, Taiwan's foreign ministry said China had no right to complain, as the People's Republic of China has never ruled the island. "Even if the authoritarian government continues with its expansion and intensifies coercion, Taiwan will not back down."

AUGUST 2018Cohen pleads guilty to criminal charges in Manhattan federal court, including campaign finance violations over the hush money payments. DECEMBER 2018Trump, on Twitter, calls the hush money payments a "simple private transaction." Trump himself is not charged with a crime, and the indictment contains no references to hush money payments. JANUARY 2023Bragg's office begins presenting evidence about Trump's alleged role in the 2016 hush money payments to a grand jury. APRIL 3, 2023Trump arrives in New York from his home in Florida to face charges arising from the hush money investigation.

Trump, the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges, is due to be arraigned, fingerprinted and photographed at the downtown Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday. A court official said the arraignment is planned for 2:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) on Tuesday. Trump then will return to Florida and deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday (0015 GMT on Wednesday), his office said. Other courtrooms on the courthouse's higher floors will be shut down ahead of the arraignment as part of the security precautions, a court official said. U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted an invitation on Sunday to join her at a protest near the courthouse on Tuesday, saying "They’re not coming after President Trump, they’re coming after us, he’s just in their way."

Trump's expected appearance before a judge in Manhattan on Tuesday, as the Republican mounts a bid to regain the presidency, could further inflame divisions in the United States. The specific charges are not yet known, though CNN reported that Trump faced more than 30 counts related to business fraud. Daniels has said she was paid to keep silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006. Bragg said Congress does not have authority to interfere with a New York legal proceeding and accused the lawmakers of escalating political tensions. Bragg's office prosecuted Trump's business on tax-fraud charges last year, leading to a $1.61 million criminal penalty, but Trump himself was not charged.

'LET THE PROCESS PROCEED'Shortly after the news of his indictment broke, Trump appealed to supporters to provide money for a legal defense. As news of Trump's indictment flashed across a news ticker on a Times Square skyscraper on Thursday evening, New York City resident Elizabeth Blaise welcomed the news. Trump lawyer Susan Necheles confirmed the Tuesday surrender date and said she did not expect charges to be unsealed until that day. "Do you really think that they're going to take President Trump out of the running for president because of some old horse-face story? The Manhattan District Attorney's office successfully prosecuted Trump's business on tax-fraud charges last year, leading to a $1.61 million criminal penalty.

The specific charges against Trump are not yet known as the indictment remains under seal, but CNN on Thursday reported Trump faced more than 30 counts related to business fraud. "This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history," Trump said in a statement. Shortly after, Trump appealed to supporters to provide money for a legal defense. The Manhattan charges will likely be unsealed by a judge in the coming days and Trump will have to travel there for fingerprinting and other processing at that point. Trump could use the case to stoke anger among his core supporters, though other Republican voters might tire of the drama.

[1/3] Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends his first campaign rally after announcing his candidacy for president in the 2024 election at an event in Waco, Texas, U.S., March 25, 2023. Trump has denied Daniels's claim, and his lawyer has accused Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, of extortion. To elevate that charge to a felony, prosecutors must prove that Trump falsified records to cover up a second crime. The New York Times and NBC News reported that Trump is expected to surrender next week, citing his lawyers. If Trump for some reason decided not to come in voluntarily, prosecutors could seek to have him extradited from Florida.

☆ Trump faces more than 30 counts over business fraud in indictment -CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during his first campaign rally after announcing his candidacy for president in the 2024 election at an event in Waco, Texas, U.S., March 25, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo(Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in an indictment by a Manhattan grand jury investigating hush money payments to a porn star, CNN reported on Thursday, citing sources and without providing further details.

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a Republican energy reform bill intended to bolster U.S. oil and gas production while scaling back climate initiatives, the first major legislation of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's majority. The House passed the Lower Energy Costs Act by a mostly partisan 225-204 vote. The bill would deliver on a top 2022 Republican campaign pledge to lower Americans' energy costs but faces little chance of making it through the Democratic-led Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has declared it "dead on arrival." "The Senate is not going to waste our time on a bill that sets America back decades on our transition to clean energy," Schumer said in a Senate speech shortly before the House vote. Party disagreement over the House bill partly reflected gaping divisions over how to streamline permitting for energy projects, a goal otherwise shared by both Republicans and Democrats.

☆ Biden: planning underway for Nashville visit after 'sick' school shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DURHAM, North Carolina, March 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned a "sick" epidemic of gun violence against children, one day after a school shooting left three students and three adult staff members dead in Nashville. Asked if he was planning a visit to Tennessee, Biden told reporters, "that's underway now. "I never thought when I started my public life that guns would be the number one killer of children in America," Biden told an audience in North Carolina. U.S. President Joe Biden walks to Marine One to board for travel to North Carolina from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 28, 2023. In the aftermath of the shooting, Biden has called on Congress to re-impose a ban on "assault" weapons.

☆ US lawmaker says FBI briefed him on Trump's rhetoric over New York probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Senator Mark Warner said on Sunday he was briefed by the FBI on Donald Trump's rhetoric after the former president verbally lashed out at a New York prosecutor overseeing a grand jury investigation into alleged hush-money payments. "They have seen no specific threats but the level of rhetoric on some of these right-wing sites has increased." Trump's lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said on Sunday that some of Trump's online attacks against Bragg were ill-advised. "I'm not his social media consultant. New York City Mayor Eric Adams also said on Sunday the city was prepared for any fallout from a potential Trump indictment.

☆ Trump loyalists decry 'witch hunt' at Waco election rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WACO, Texas (Reuters) -Die-hard fans of Donald Trump flocked to the ex-president’s election rally in Waco, Texas, on Saturday, brimming with defiance as their favored candidate faces legal peril from prosecutors and mixed polling ahead of next year’s Republican primary elections. People cheer ahead of the first campaign rally for the re-election campaign of former U.S. President Donald Trump at Waco Regional Airport in Waco, Texas, U.S., March 25, 2023. “You have to understand: they are not just coming after President Trump, they are coming after you, and President Trump is just the only one standing in their way,” she said. The former president is seeking to turn the hush money case in New York to his advantage by raising money off it and using it to rally supporters. Schomburg said he thought Trump was trying to send a message by holding the rally in Waco.

Britain and Norway hiked rates by 25 bps each, the Swiss National Bank jacked up rates by 50 bps. The European Central Bank hiked rates by 50 bps a week ago. ClearBridge strategist Jeffrey Schluze said, European banking regulation since the global financial crisis has been more stringent than in the United States, making the outlook for European lenders relatively strong. While banking stocks have been battered globally, the S&P 500 is up 0.5% this month (.SPX), while Europe's STOXX 600 index down 3.2% (.STOXX). CHANGE IN TONEBefore the banking turmoil, markets were driven by one-way moves as high inflation pressured U.S. and European markets.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell sought to reassure investors about the soundness of the banking system, saying that the management of Silicon Valley Bank "failed badly," but that the bank's collapse did not indicate wider weaknesses in the banking system. "These are not weaknesses that are running broadly through the banking system," he said, adding that the takeover of Credit Suisse seemed to have been a positive outcome. The Federal Open Market Committee policy statement also said the U.S. banking system is "sound and resilient." The much-anticipated rate cut by the Fed, which had delivered eight previous rate hikes in the past year, sought to balance the risk of rampant inflation with the threat of instability in the banking system. The banking sector has been in turmoil after California regulators on March 10 closed Silicon Valley Bank in the largest U.S. bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis.

The Fed's policy-setting committee raised interest rates by another quarter of a percentage point in a unanimous decision on Wednesday, lifting its benchmark overnight interest rate to the 4.75%-5.00% range. Fed officials still feel that "some additional policy firming" may be needed, and they penciled in one more quarter-of-a-percentage-point rate increase by the end of the year. The yield on the 2-year Treasury note , which is highly sensitive to Fed rate expectations, was down more than 21 basis points in the session. Financial markets went a step further, betting that the Fed won't raise rates any further from here and will be reducing them by this summer. "The Fed has been spooked by Silicon Valley Bank and other banking turmoil.

☆ Biden creates two new national monuments in Nevada and Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at Harry Reid International Airport, for a visit to a reception for the Democratic National Committee in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., March 14, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden created two new national monuments, in Nevada and Texas, on Tuesday and launched an effort to consider expanding protections for all waters around remote Pacific islands southwest of Hawaii. The other new national monument is Castner Range in El Paso, Texas. Biden directed Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to consider initiating a new marine sanctuary designation for all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands. The designation would expand on the existing Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument established by President George W. Bush in 2009 and expanded by President Barack Obama in 2014.

☆ Australia PM defends AUKUS submarine deal against critics
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the Australia - United Kingdom - U.S. (AUKUS) partnership, after a trilateral meeting, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California U.S. March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisSYDNEY, March 16 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday defended the country's A$368 billion ($244.06 billion) plan to acquire nuclear submarines, after two former leaders criticised the deal over its cost, complexity and potential sovereignty issues. Unveiled on Tuesday in San Diego, the multi-decade AUKUS project will see Australia purchase U.S. Virginia-class submarines before joint British and Australian production and operation of a new submarine class, SSN-AUKUS. Opting for nuclear submarines in the U.S.-Britain alliance over conventional alternatives would leave Australia with fewer submarines while constraining the country's ability to operate independently of the United States, he said. Some analysts have argued nuclear submarines are preferable because their superior range and stealth will help protect Australia's trade routes from Chinese aggression.

The agreement will also see U.S. and British submarines deployed in Western Australia to help train Australian crews and bolster deterrence. This first phase of the plan is already underway with the U.S. Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine Asheville visiting Perth in Western Australia, officials said. Briefing a small group of reporters on Friday, Sullivan dismissed China's concerns and pointed to Beijing's own military buildup, including nuclear-powered submarines. 'DOUBLE DIGIT BILLION' INVESTMENTAustralia had agreed to contribute funds to boost U.S. and British submarine production and maintenance capacity, the official said. Australia's nuclear-powered submarine program with the United States and Britain will cost Australia up to A$368 billion ($245 billion) by 2055, a defense official said.

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence offered his most forceful rebuke to date of his one-time boss Donald Trump on Saturday, saying that history will hold him accountable for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. As the vice president has the constitutional role of Senate president, Pence was presiding over what had always been the ceremonial task of approving the votes of the Electoral College to select the president and vice president. Throughout the siege, Trump sent several tweets, one calling on Republicans to "fight" and others making false claims of voter fraud. He also criticized Pence for certifying the results. "President Trump was wrong," Pence told assembled journalists and their guests at the Gridiron dinner, an annual white-tie event in Washington, D.C."I had no right to overturn the election, and his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable."

REUTERS/Leah Millis/File PhotoWASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence offered his most forceful rebuke to date of his one-time boss Donald Trump on Saturday, saying that history will hold him accountable for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Pence was in the Capitol when thousands of Trump supporters breached the building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden. As the vice president has the constitutional role of Senate president, Pence was presiding over what had always been the ceremonial task of approving the votes of the Electoral College to select the president and vice president. Pence, who is considering a run for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, was whisked to safety by law enforcement during the attack. For as long as I live, I will never, ever diminish the injuries sustained, the lives lost, or the heroism of law enforcement on that tragic day."

☆ Reaction to Biden's 2024 budget proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Katharine Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday delivered a budget proposal that includes a robust spending agenda, higher taxes on the wealthy and plans to reduce the deficit, a document that forms the blueprint for his expected 2024 re-election bid. Here is reaction to Biden's budget proposal to Congress for the 2024 fiscal year:HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE CHAIR JODEY ARRINGTON, A REPUBLICAN FROM TEXAS:"His policies have led to 40-year record inflation, soaring interest rates, and the prospect of a sustained economic recession. Unfortunately, Biden’s latest budget is more of the same bloated bureaucracy at the expense of working families, while sticking our grandchildren with the bill." HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES, ON TWITTER:"The Biden budget plan protects Social Security, strengthens Medicare and invests in our children. SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY:"Even with near-record revenues, President Biden wants to raise taxes on every segment of America.

☆ US Senator Schumer condemns Speaker McCarthy for supplying Jan.6 videos to Fox
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Monday, Fox's right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson used some of the security videos, showing protesters walking through the Capitol, to argue that they were merely "sightseers". In a Senate speech, Schumer condemned the broadcast and urged the cable network to cancel any follow-up segment. He added that McCarthy was "every bit as culpable as Mr. Carlson" for providing the footage. "To say January 6 was not violent, is a lie, a lie, pure and simple," Schumer said. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell declined to comment on McCarthy's decision to supply the videos.

☆ U.S. Senator Schumer condemns Speaker McCarthy for supplying Jan.6 videos to Fox
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to the news media after attending a closed Senate Democratic Caucus lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday accused House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy of helping Fox News stoke conspiracy theories by providing videos that were used by the cable network to portray the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters as peaceful. On Monday, Fox's right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson used some of the security videos, showing protesters walking through the Capitol, to argue that they were merely "sightseers." In a Senate speech, Schumer condemned the broadcast and urged the cable network to cancel any follow-up segment. No such fraud has been documented and Trump, who is running for president in 2024, continues to falsely repeat the charge.

☆ House Speaker Kevin McCarthy plans to meet Taiwan's president in the U.S., sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy wields the speaker's gavel as members of Congress gather to attend U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Feb. 7, 2023. Leah Millis | ReutersU.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy plans to meet Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen in the U.S. in coming weeks, two sources told Reuters on Monday, a move that could replace the Republican Speaker's anticipated but sensitive trip to the democratically governed island claimed by China. One of the sources said should the U.S. meeting go forward — likely in April — it did not necessarily rule out McCarthy visiting Taiwan in the future. During a CNBC interview earlier on Monday, McCarthy declined to answer whether he would visit Taiwan, saying he would announce any travel plans when he had them. Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington said it had "no information to share" when asked about the meeting.

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