US News

Washington [US] (ANI): US President Joe Biden has condemned anti-Semitism after several people were taken hostage at a synagogue in the town of Colleyville, Dallas, and pledged to do everything to prevent “the rise of extremism” in the country.“Let me be clear to anyone who intends to spread hate – we will stand against anti-Semitism and against the rise of extremism in this country. That is who we are, and tonight, the men and women of law enforcement made us all proud,” Biden said in a White House statement on Sunday. The US President also noted that law enforcement officers had acted cooperatively and fearlessly to rescue the hostages and thanked them for their “tireless work.”At least four people were taken hostages by a man at a synagogue in the town of Colleyville for more than ten hours on Saturday.A live stream of the Shabbat morning service at the synagogue on Facebook captured audio of a man talking loudly when the incident started. According to the law enforcement officials, the hostage-taker demanded the release of the Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui, who was convicted of trying to kill US military officers while in custody in Afghanistan. Siddiqui is currently being held at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in Fort Worth Texas.However, the suspect who took hostages, demanding the release of a Pakistan scientist convicted of trying to kill US military officers while in custody in […]

Washington [US] (ANI/ Sputnik): Former US President Donald Trump will hold his first “Save America” rally this year on Saturday at the Country Thunder Festival Grounds in the city of Florence, Arizona.“A Save America Rally is scheduled for January 15, 2022 at the Country Thunder Fairgrounds. The event will open at 6:00 am [13:00 GMT] and is scheduled to end at 9:00 pm [04:00 GMT on Sunday],” the official Twitter account for the Town of Florence said. The rally is expected to be attended by several Republican politicians.The next Save America rally will take place in the city of Conroe, Texas on January 29, according to Trump’s official website.The ex-president was initially scheduled to lead a rally on January 6 on the anniversary of the Capitol attack but cancelled several days before the event.Trump continues to criticize the administration of US President Joe Biden. During the rallies, he has accused Biden of failure against the COVID-19 pandemic, inability to deal with economic problems and foreign policy failures in the Russian and Chinese directions.Trump’s participation in the 2024 elections is still under question. He has said that he cannot give a definitive answer, but he will “please” his supporters.On January 6, Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington, in an effort to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. (Image source: Instagram)

Washington [US] (ANI): The number of people hospitalized in the US with Covid-19 has reached a record high — 151,261 as of Wednesday. And as the infection due to Omicron variant spreads, states and health care systems nationwide are handling shortages of available medical workers.Nineteen states have less than 15% remaining capacity in their ICUs. Four of them have less than 10%: Kentucky, Alabama, Indiana and New Hampshire, according to data Wednesday from the US Department of Health and Human Services, reported CNN News. The other states are– Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont, according to HHS.The Omicron virus is wreaking havoc in the country as the variant is spreading rapidly leading to a shortage of medical workers.The medical workers have a greater chance to get exposed to the virus and they must isolate themselves if they are tested positive.Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee announced on Thursday that he will be requiring hospitals to temporarily halt non-urgent procedures in an effort to get staff positioned to assist people who need help immediately, reported CNN News.

Washington [US] (ANI/Sputnik): The US proposes to the United Nations to impose new sanctions on North Korea for six missile launches conducted by Pyongyang since September 21, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.“On top of today’s designations by @StateDept and @USTreasury, the US is proposing @UN sanctions following North Korea’s six ballistic missile launches since September 2021, each of which were in violation of UN Security Council resolutions,” the diplomat wrote on her Twitter page on late Wednesday. Later, a US diplomat told RIA Novosti that the US wanted five persons to be included in the list of the UN sanctions.“The US nominated five individuals for UN sanctions who were designated by Treasury earlier today. We continue to coordinate with partners to prepare the additional three individuals and entities designated by State for UN nomination,” the diplomat said.Since the beginning of 2022, North Korea has already conducted two missile tests: on January 5 and January 11. (Image source: Unsplash)

Washington [USA] (ANI): US President Joe Biden gave a statement on changing the Senate’s so-called filibuster rules to push the voting rights legislation and rebuked the former president Donald Trump and his allies for disenfranchising anyone who votes against them. Taking to Twitter he said, “The next few days when these voting rights bills come to a vote, will mark a turning point in this nation. Will we choose democracy over autocracy? Every Senator will have to declare where they stand.”“I ask every elected official in America – how do you want to be remembered?”, he added. Last year, President Joe Biden ripped apart the claims of Donald Trump’s ‘big lie’ about the 2020 presidential election and said that the US is facing the “most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War” due to alleged attempts by the Republican party to suppress and subvert the right to vote in fair and free elections. Furthermore, he said, “When it comes to protecting majority rule in America, a majority should rule in the United States Senate. To protect our democracy, I support changing the Senate rules to prevent a minority of Senators from blocking action on voting rights.” Earlier, Biden blasted efforts from Trump and others to sow doubt about the 2020 election months after it concluded, which have spurred action from Grand Old Party (Republican Party)-led state legislatures to push new elections laws […]

Washington [US] (ANI/Sputnik): House Republicans are set to introduce legislation that would boost US defense aid to Ukraine and reimpose sanctions on Russia if passed, Politico reported, citing a draft copy of the bill.The bill’s Senate counterpart of the proposed legislation, entitled the “Guaranteeing Ukrainian Autonomy by Reinforcing its Defense (GUARD) Act,” was introduced in mid-December. The move comes amid increased tensions between Russia, the US and its allies over the buildup of Russian forces near the Ukrainian border. “President Biden is failing to adequately arm Ukraine & deter Russia’s military buildup. Today, I joined my House colleagues in reaffirming our commitment to Ukraine. The U.S. can no longer afford to be weak on the international stage,” Representative Mike Turner said on Monday in a tweet with a link to the report.A draft copy of the legislation calls for $200 million in aid to Ukraine for air-defense capabilities and naval vessels, the reimposition of sanctions related to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and the consideration of state sponsor of terrorism designation for Russia.Russian delegations are meeting with US, NATO and OSCE officials this week to discuss a range of bilateral and European security issues. (Image source: Unsplash)

Washington [US] (ANI): US hopes to thwart the China-Iran alliance by mixing carrots and sticks to draw Tehran into a long-term dialogue on issues of concern to the US and its allies.More dexterous diplomacy towards Tehran should mix carrots and sticks to draw Iran into a long-term dialogue on issues of concern to the United States and its allies, according to National Interest. The policy implication of this view–if one accepts “strategic competition” as the guiding principle on China–is that the Biden administration should “test the opposite premise” of isolating Tehran, “by restoring nuclear diplomacy, lowering regional tensions, and forging new arrangements.” Crucially, to accomplish this vision, a “fast timeline” of re-joining the 2015 Iran deal is necessary–but far from sufficient, writes Lyes Mauni Jalali for the National Interest.Earlier, Iran had completely pivoted towards its “Look to the East Policy” after the withdrawal of the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in May 2018 and imposition of new sanctions on Iran by Trump’s Administration and after these developments Tehran lost hope to normalize relations with the West and marched eastward.Jalali said that Iran’s “Look to the East policy” strategy aims to strengthen Iran’s strategic cooperation with Russia and China.On the other hand, incentives imply a rebuke of the policy of isolation. As it relates to Iran, economic integration (primary sanction relief) and political integration, in exchange for verifiable political ends should be […]

Washington [US]: US President Joe Biden has nominated Lieutenant general Michael E. Kurilla to head Central Command overseeing possible operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.General Kurilla, if confirmed, would replace General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., whose tenure is set to end this spring and as the leader of Central Command, General Kurilla would be responsible for the administration’s efforts to prevent terrorist groups from once again using Afghanistan as a launching pad for attacks on the West, according to New York Times. Lieutenant General Kurilla is a combat-tested commander, having been wounded in a 2005 gun battle during the Iraq war in the city of Mosul in Iraq when he was a battalion commander.Further, Lieutenant General rose through the ranks, with stints as chief of staff to the head of the military’s Central Command at the time, General Joseph L. Votel, and assistant commanding general and director of operations at the Joint Special Operations Command.At present, General Kurilla was also the Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, one of the US Army’s most battle-tested units. And he is currently the commander of the Army’s 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.Also, along with his nomination, Lieutenant General Michael E Kurilla is promoted to General.Lieutenant General Michael E Kurilla holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the US Military Academy at West Point, a Master of Business Administration. from Regis University in Denver, […]

Washington [US]: President Joe Biden has accepted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s invitation to deliver the annual State of the Union address to Congress on March 1, the White House announced on Friday.Pelosi, on Friday, sent a letter to Biden and invited him to give a speech and asked him “to share your vision of the State of the Union”. “The President has accepted the invitation of the Speaker of the House to deliver the State of the Union address on Tuesday, March 1, 2022,” principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters travelling with the President to Colorado Friday, reported CNN News.The State of the Union speech is an annual ritual in which Presidents showcase their objectives and agenda at the start of a new year.All-State of the Union addresses have taken place in January or February since 1934 and so if Biden delivers the speech on March 1, it will be a month later than the usual time for the yearly address.Biden may deliver the State of the Union in March, giving him more time to try to achieve some of his legislative goals before speaking to Congress and the country reported CNN News.Notably, sharing concerns over certain provisions, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he’s a no on the Build Back Better Act.According to the White House, Build Back Better Framework is to set climate goals, create millions of good-paying […]

Washington [US]): A Chinese national pleaded guilty in a US court to stealing trade secrets from Monsanto agribusiness corporation to benefit Beijing, the Justice Department said in a statement on Thursday (local time). “Xiang Haitao, 44, a Chinese national formerly residing in Chesterfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit economic espionage,” the Justice Department said.“According to court documents, Xiang conspired to steal a trade secret from Monsanto, an international company based in St. Louis, for the purpose of benefitting a foreign government, namely the People’s Republic of China,” it added. Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division said: “Despite Xiang’s agreements to protect Monsanto’s intellectual property and repeated training on his obligations to do so, Xiang has now admitted that he stole a trade secret from Monsanto, transferred it to a memory card and attempted to take it to the People’s Republic of China for the benefit of Chinese government.” While US Attorney Sayler Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri said: “Mr Xiang used his insider status at a major international company to steal valuable trade secrets for use in his native China.” Xiang, who was then living in the US state of Missouri, was employed by Monsanto and its subsidiary, The Climate Corporation, from 2008 to 2017 as an imaging scientist before quitting his job and buying a one-way ticket to China. Federal officials […]

Philadelphia [US]: Philadelphia officials on Wednesday (local time) updated the death toll in the Philadelphia fire saying that 12 were killed, including 8 children.“Fire officials now confirm that 12 people — eight children and four adults — died in the fire on N. 23rd Street. That total is one less than the number reported in an earlier press conference when recovery operations were still ongoing,” an updated news release from the city said, reported CNN. Philadelphia Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy initially said 13 people were killed; two others were taken to hospitals, and eight people were able to escape by themselves, reported CNN.Firefighters faced heavy smoke, heat and limited visibility on all floors when they entered the building, according to the release, and were able to rescue one child, who did not survive.The fire took place at a home that records show is owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority, a municipal agency that leases homes to people with low income. The three-story row home was converted into two apartments, reported CNN.Firefighters responded to flames around 6:40 am Wednesday at the row house at 869 N. 23rd Street in the city’s Fairmount neighbourhood.Twenty-six people lived in the three-story building — eight on the first floor, and 18 on the second and third floors, fire officials said.The housing authority was not aware 26 people were living in the building, said Dinesh Indala, the agency’s senior […]

Washington [US]: Former US President Donald Trump has cancelled the planned news conference on the one-year anniversary of the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. In a statement, Trump blamed the House select committee charged with investigating the January 6 riot for the cancellation. He said he would instead touch on many of the themes he had planned to discuss at the news conference during a rally in Arizona set for January 15, reported The Hill.“In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am cancelling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, January 15th, in Arizona – It will be a big crowd!” he said. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the US Capitol Thursday to mark the anniversary of last year’s riot, according to Fox News. The president and vice president will deliver remarks during their appearance at the Capitol for the anniversary of January 6th. Trump was expected to use the Thursday news conference to reiterate his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him through widespread voter fraud and to criticize the House select committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, when a mob of Trump’s supporters stormed the […]