Israeli-Palestinian cauldron tests US as Blinken visits
An alarming spike in Israeli-Palestinian violence and sharp responses by both sides are testing the Biden administration as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plunges into a cauldron of deepening mistrust and anger on visits to Israel and the West Bank this week.
Blinken headed to Mideast as US alarm over violence grows
WASHINGTON — (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank this weekend, the State Department announced Thursday, as the U.S. expressed alarm about escalating violence after Israel's single deadliest operation in the West Bank in two decades. The Israeli military also fatally shot a 22-year-old Palestinian later in the day. Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have soared since Israel launched the nightly raids in the West Bank last spring, following a spate of Palestinian attacks. Like Sullivan, Blinken does not plan to meet with the most controversial of those Cabinet members, according to U.S. officials. In Egypt, Blinken will raise human rights issues along with the unstable security situations in Libya and Sudan, the State Department said.
wftv.comBlinken headed to Mideast as US alarm over violence grows
WASHINGTON — (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank this weekend, the State Department announced Thursday, as the U.S. expressed alarm about escalating violence after Israel's single deadliest operation in the West Bank in two decades. The trip was announced just hours after the Israeli raid on suspected terrorists at the refugee camp in the West Bank city of Jenin. Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have soared since Israel launched the nightly raids in the West Bank last spring, following a spate of Palestinian attacks. Like Sullivan, Blinken does not plan to meet with the most controversial of those Cabinet members, according to U.S. officials. In Egypt, Blinken will raise human rights issues along with the unstable security situations in Libya and Sudan, the State Department said.
wftv.comBiden adviser meets Netanyahu amid unease over his govt
“I've known President Biden for 40 years as a great friend of Israel,” Netanyahu told Sullivan, according to footage released from the meeting. Netanyahu told Sullivan the measures were a necessary response to the Palestinians pushing the U.N.'s highest judicial body to give its opinion on the Israeli occupation. Ben-Gvir, a lawmaker known for anti-Arab vitriol and provocative stunts, is the minister of national security, a powerful position that puts him in charge of Israel’s police force. The Israeli government is also an unwelcome complication for a Biden national security team seeking to shift attention away from the Middle East and toward rivals like China and Russia. Sullivan also met with senior Israeli security officials, including the head of the Mossad.
wftv.comUS says Iran may be 'contributing' to war crimes in Ukraine
MEXICO CITY — (AP) — The Biden administration said Monday that Iran's sale of lethal drones to Russia for use in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine means the country may be "contributing to widespread war crimes." National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan leveled the charge against Iran on Monday as he spoke to reporters accompanying President Joe Biden on a trip to Mexico. While it did not signal a policy shift, the charge marked some of the sharpest U.S. rhetoric against Iran since it began providing weapons to Russia to support its nearly year-long war in Ukraine. But he acknowledged that “the way that they are actually carrying them out physically makes physical interdiction a challenge.”___Miller reported from Washington. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
wftv.comBiden huddles with Asian allies on NKorea threat, China
Biden will hold separate meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Earlier this month, the South Korean military said two B-1B bombers trained with four U.S. F-16 fighter jets and four South Korean F-35 jets during the last day of "Vigilant Storm" joint air force drills. North Korea responded with its own display of force, flying large numbers of warplanes inside its territory. China "has an interest in playing a constructive role in restraining North Korea’s worst tendencies,” Sullivan said Saturday. Monday's meeting will be the first in-person sit-down between the leaders since Biden was elected to the White House.
wftv.comBiden working on ties with Southeast Asia in shadow of China
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — (AP) — President Joe Biden is formally kicking off his participation at a conference of southeast Asian nations on Saturday, looking to emphasize the United States' commitment in the region where a looming China is also working to expand its influence. Traveling to Phnom Penh earlier Saturday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden will raise issues such as freedom of navigation and illegal and unregulated fishing by China with the ASEAN leaders — aimed at demonstrating U.S. assertiveness against Beijing. Biden will begin his day in Phnom Penh by meeting with Hun Sen, the prime minister of Cambodia, the host for the regional summit. He’ll then speak at the annual U.S.-ASEAN summit and participate in the traditional family photo with southeast Asian leaders, and attend a gala dinner hosted by a parallel summit in Cambodia focusing on east Asia. Biden will participate in East Asia summit meetings on Sunday, including a gathering with the leaders of South Korea and Japan, before leaving for the G-20 summit in Bali.
wftv.comBiden working on ties with Southeast Asia in shadow of China
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — (AP) — President Joe Biden is formally kicking off his participation at a conference of southeast Asian nations on Saturday, looking to emphasize the United States' commitment in the region where a looming China is also working to expand its influence. Traveling to Phnom Penh earlier Saturday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden will raise issues such as freedom of navigation and illegal and unregulated fishing by China with the ASEAN leaders — aimed at demonstrating U.S. assertiveness against Beijing. Biden will begin his day in Phnom Penh by meeting with Hun Sen, the prime minister of Cambodia, the host for the regional summit. He’ll then speak at the annual U.S.-ASEAN summit and participate in the traditional family photo with southeast Asian leaders, and attend a gala dinner hosted by a parallel summit in Cambodia focusing on east Asia. Biden will participate in East Asia summit meetings on Sunday, including a gathering with the leaders of South Korea and Japan, before leaving for the Group of 20 summit in Bali.
wftv.comClinton wants Trump to pay her legal fees after tossed conspiracy lawsuit
Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is asking a federal court to order former President Trump to pay her legal fees over a suit he filed alleging she and others engaged in a conspiracy to undermine his 2016 campaign with accusations of Russian collusion. In a motion filed on Monday, Clinton’s attorneys cast Trump’s suit…
news.yahoo.comWhite House invites dozens of nations for ransomware summit
WASHINGTON — (AP) — The White House is bringing together three dozen nations, the European Union and a slew of private-sector companies for a two-day summit starting Monday that looks at how best to combat ransomware attacks. The second International Counter Ransomware Summit will focus on priorities such as ensuring systems are more resilient to better withstand attacks and disrupt bad actors planning such assaults. A senior Biden administration official cited recent attacks such as one that targeted the Los Angeles school district last month to underscore the urgency of the issue and the summit. The official previewed the event on the condition of anonymity. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
wftv.comDrone attack hits Ukraine; US vows 'consequences' over nukes
The airstrike was the latest in a series of drone attacks on the key southern city in recent days. “And we will do what is necessary to deter Russia from taking this step.”Elsewhere, a Russian rocket attack targeted a village in southeastern Ukraine. The attack struck an unnamed village and the regional center of Zaporizhzhia, regional military official Oleksandr Starukh said online. Meanwhile, the first batches of Russian troops mobilized by Moscow have begun to arrive at military bases, the British military said Monday. But in the Ukraine war, even the third battalion is deploying, weakening that training, the British said.
wftv.comDrone attack hits Ukraine; US vows 'consequences' over nukes
An overnight drone strike near the Ukrainian port of Odesa has sparked a massive fire and explosion, hours after the United States vowed to take decisive action and promised “catastrophic consequences” if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine
washingtonpost.comDrone attack hits Ukraine; US vows 'consequences' over nukes
An overnight drone strike near the Ukrainian port of Odesa sparked a massive fire and explosion, the military said Monday, hours after the United States vowed to take decisive action and promised “catastrophic consequences" if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine. This one hit a military installation and detonated ammunition when it struck. Concerns are growing that Russia may seek to escalate the conflict once it completes what Ukraine and the West see as illegal referendums in parts of Ukraine under its control.
news.yahoo.comThis week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," September 25, 2022: Zelenskyy, Sullivan, Aguilar, Bostic
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Rep. Pete Aguilar and more will appear on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" this Sunday.
cbsnews.comMusk to seek exemption from Iran sanctions for Web access
The Tesla CEO tweeted Monday that his satellite internet firm Starlink would seek permission to operate in Iran. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said it's up to Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control to decide on Starlink's next steps. The firm has attempted to provide internet access to the Ukrainian people during Russia's invasion and has acquired contracts with the U.S. military since as early as 2021. If Starlink internet access is provided to the Iranian general population, it could come at the objection of the government, which has tightly controlled internet access. Despite the allowance, firms have been reluctant to do business in Iran, due to fears of violating existing sanctions and other laws that impose penalties.
wftv.comMusk to seek exemption from Iran sanctions for Web access
Elon Musk’s hopes to operate his satellite internet firm in Iran require permission from the Treasury Department, which said Tuesday it welcomes applications to support internet freedom in the country, which is largely isolated from western economies.
Biden administration responds to Iran's offer on nuke deal
The Biden administration says it has responded to Iran’s latest offer to resume its compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, but neither side is offering a definitive path to revive the agreement, which has been on life-support since former President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018.
US, Iran inch closer to nuke deal but high hurdles remain
The Biden administration is expected to weigh in this week on Iran’s latest offer to resume its compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, but neither side is offering a definitive path to revive the agreement, which has been on life-support since former President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018.