Vice President Harris' trip aims to deepen US ties in Africa
Vice President Kamala Harris will try to deepen and reframe U.S. relationships in Africa during a weeklong trip that's the latest and higher profile outreach by the Biden administration as it acts to counter China’s growing influence.
House Republicans demand Biden answer on Chinese ties to collapsed Silicon Valley Bank
A group of 20 Republicans in the House of Representatives have signed a letter to President Biden demanding clarification on the relationship between Silicon Valley Bank and the Chinese Communist Party.
foxnews.com19 killed in US strikes on Iran-linked groups in Syria: new toll
The death toll from retaliatory US strikes on Iran-linked groups in Syria following a deadly drone attack has risen to 19, a war monitor said Saturday, as Washington insisted it is not seeking conflict with Tehran.Further rocket attacks by Iran-backed militias took place late Friday, prompting more strikes by coalition warplanes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.Washington carried out the initial strikes after the Pentagon said a US contractor died -- and another contractor and five military personnel were wounded -- by a drone "of Iranian origin" that struck a US-led coalition base near Hasakeh in northeastern Syria on Thursday.US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that, at President Joe Biden's direction, he had ordered the "precision air strikes... in eastern Syria against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps".On Saturday, the Britain-based Observatory, which has a wide network of sources on the ground, said 19 people were killed in the first wave of US strikes: three Syrian regime soldiers and 16 members of Iran-backed forces, including 11 Syrian nationals.Following the strikes, Biden sought to lower the temperature saying the United States "does not seek conflict with Iran, but is prepared to act forcefully to protect our people".- More rocket attacks -Hours after the strikes, 10 rockets were fired at American and coalition forces at the Green Village base in northeast Syria, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.There were no injuries or damage to facilities at the base, but one rocket struck a home around five kilometres (three miles) away, causing minor wounds to two women and two children, CENTCOM added.Iran-backed militias later Friday targeted a base in the Conoco gas field, prompting retaliatory strikes from coalition warplanes on targets in Deir Ezzor city, the Observatory said.The war monitor said rocket fire then targeted coalition facilities at the Al-Omar oil field base and in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, "causing material damage".A "cautious calm" returned to the Deir Ezzor area in the early hours of Saturday morning, the Observatory said.Militias affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards have a heavy presence across Syria, especially around the border with Iraq, and south of the Euphrates in Deir Ezzor province, where the latest US strikes took place.The United States has about 900 troops in posts across northeastern Syria to keep pressure on the remnants of the Islamic State group and support the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which control most of the northeast.The Pentagon said two F-15 fighters launched the retaliatory attack -- which spokesman Pat Ryder said was to protect US personnel.The strikes "were intended to send a very clear message that we will take the protection of our personnel seriously and that we will respond quickly and decisively if they are threatened," he said.They were "proportionate and deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation to minimise casualties," he said.- 'Always respond' -US personnel in Syria have frequently been targeted in attacks by militia groups the United States says are backed by Tehran.Two of the US service members wounded on Thursday were treated on site, while the three other troops and one US contractor were evacuated to Iraq, the Pentagon said."We will always take all necessary measures to defend our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing," said CENTCOM chief General Michael Kurilla.In January, the US military said three one-way attack drones were launched against the Al-Tanf garrison in Syria, with one breaching its air defences and wounding two allied Syrian fighters.Last August, Biden ordered similar retaliatory strikes in Deir Ezzor province after several drones targeted a coalition outpost, without causing any casualties."We know that these groups are sponsored by Iran," Ryder said."So Iran certainly plays a role in terms of ensuring that this type of activity doesn't happen," he said.bur/pmh/wd/st/lg/pjm/dv
news.yahoo.comUS, Canada end loophole that let asylum-seekers cross border
The immigration deal announced by U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau aims to shut down a process that has enabled tens of thousands of immigrants from across the world to move between the countries and pursue asylum cases without going through an official border crossing.
Biden, Trudeau celebrate ‘inseparable’ US-Canada relations
President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are celebrating the close, “inseparable” U.S.-Canada relationship and vowing that the two nations remain committed to defending Ukraine as it tries to repel a Russian invasion that has no end in sight.
Rwanda frees Paul Rusesabagina of 'Hotel Rwanda' fame
Rwanda’s government has commuted the 25-year sentence of Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda” for saving hundreds of countrymen from genocide but was convicted of terrorism offenses years later in a widely criticized trial.
Informant didn't spy on Proud Boys defense, prosecutors say
As revelations that a defense witness was also an FBI informant roil the already contentious Capitol riot trial of members of the far-right Proud Boys group, prosecutors say the informant was never told to gather information about the defendants or their lawyers.
Biden celebrates 13 years of the Affordable Care Act
President Joe Biden celebrated the 13 anniversary of the Affordable Care Act Thursday, calling it "the most consequential piece of health care legislation" in over half a century and calling out Republicans who he says want to weaken the law. (March 23)
news.yahoo.comAP-NORC Poll: Biden's approval dips to near low
Approval of President Joe Biden has dipped slightly since a month ago to 38%. That's nearly the lowest point of his presidency, and comes as his administration tries to project a sense of stability while confronting a pair of bank failures and stubbornly high inflation. (March 23)
news.yahoo.comBiden approval dips near lowest point: AP-NORC poll
Approval of President Joe Biden has dipped slightly since a month ago, nearing the lowest point of his presidency as his administration tries to project a sense of stability while confronting a pair of bank failures and inflation that remains stubbornly high. The president notched an approval rating of 38% in the new poll, after 45% said they approved in February and 41% in January. In recent months, approval of Biden had been hovering above 40%.
news.yahoo.comProsecutors reveal planned Proud Boys witness was informant
A lawyer for one of the former Proud Boys leaders charged with seditious conspiracy says federal prosecutors have revealed that a defense witness was secretly acting as a government informant for nearly two years after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Jill Biden: It's time for men to step up for women's rights
First lady Jill Biden on Wednesday used a Women's History Month event at the White House to call on men to step up and fight to protect women's rights. The first lady, speaking ahead of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, didn't mince words as she lamented that women find themselves relitigating “battles that we thought we had won a long time ago.” “We need more men to hold each other accountable when women are being hurt or being left behind,” she said.
news.yahoo.comWhite House refuses to say whether Biden supports reparations for slavery, says it's for 'Congress to decide'
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre avoided saying whether Biden supports reparations for slavery, as San Francisco seek to grant each eligible Black resident $5 million.
foxnews.comPence seeks 'common sense' Social Security, Medicare reform
As he mulls a 2024 presidential bid, former Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday called for “common sense and compassionate solutions" to reform entitlement programs and the nation's debt burden, suggesting changes to Social Security and Medicare programs hurtling toward insolvency, particularly for younger generations, without naming specific recommendations. “What we need now is leadership because, if we act in this moment with the support of this generation, we can introduce common sense reforms that will never touch anyone who is in retirement, or anyone who will retire in the next 25 years,” Pence told an audience of college students at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. What to do with Social Security and Medicare, as the programs close in on projected insolvency dates, has emerged as a dividing line for Republicans seeking to lead their party in the 2024 presidential contest.
news.yahoo.comSaudi Arabia frees American imprisoned over critical tweets
Saudi Arabia on Monday freed an American citizen, a 72-year-old Florida retiree, it had imprisoned for more than a year over his old tweets critical of the kingdom’s crown prince, his son said. Neither Saudi nor U.S. officials immediately confirmed the release of Saad al Madi, a longtime Florida, resident. Madi on Monday night was at home with family members who live in Riyadh, said his son, Ibrahim al Madi, in the United States.
news.yahoo.comProsecutors rest in sedition case against Proud Boys leaders
Federal prosecutors have rested their seditious conspiracy case against former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four lieutenants charged with plotting to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 election.
Biden calls Israel's Netanyahu with judicial plan 'concern'
President Joe Biden spoke Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express "concern” over his government’s planned overhaul of the country’s judicial system that have sparked widespread protests across Israel and to encourage compromise.