Розділ: Політика
Trump Supporters Want to ‘Blow Up’ Capitol, Police Chief Warns
Donald Trump supporters, who launched a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol last month, have indicated they want to “blow up” the building and kill members of Congress, the acting chief of the Capitol Police said Thursday. Threats suggest extremists could target the building during an address by President Joe Biden, Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told lawmakers as she advocated for continued high security around the building. “Members of militia groups that were present on January 6 have stated their desires that they want to blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible with a direct nexus to the State of the Union,” Pittman told members of the House Appropriations Committee. FILE – National Guard personnel and police secure a street near the Capitol, Jan. 17, 2021.”We think that it’s prudent that Capitol Police maintain its enhanced and robust security posture until we address those vulnerabilities going forward,” she said. A date has not been announced for Biden to deliver his address to Congress, which typically happens early in the year. Unprecedented security measures were imposed in Washington following the deadly January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, including fences topped with razor wire and checkpoints manned by the National Guard. About 5,000 troops are expected to stay through mid-March. Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s electoral victory over the Republican president, who falsely claimed the November election had been marred by widespread fraud. The attack delayed the certification of Biden’s win by several hours, as lawmakers were forced to flee the mob. Five people died in the violence, including a Capitol Police officer. More than 200 people have been charged for their roles in the riot, including some with ties to far-right fringe groups such as the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
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By Polityk | 02/26/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Senators to Question Biden Trade, Health Nominees
U.S. Senate committees will hear testimony Thursday from three more of President Joe Biden’s nominees, including his picks to be the country’s trade representative, its top public health official and the assistant secretary of health.Katherine Tai, nominee for U.S. trade representative, is set to tell the Finance Committee that she would prioritize rebuilding international alliances and re-engaging with international institutions to address common challenges such as climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects.In her written testimony released ahead of the hearing, Tai says she would focus on enforcing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, saying the deal reached during former President Donald Trump’s administration marked “an important step in reforming our approach to trade.”Tai, who for several years was the head of China enforcement at the trade representative’s office, also highlights a need to keep China accountable.“I know firsthand how critically important it is that we have a strategic and coherent plan for holding China accountable to its promises and effectively competing with its model of state-directed economics,” Tai said.In the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, lawmakers will hear testimony from Dr. Vivek Murthy, Biden’s nominee for surgeon general who is seeking to return to the post he held during former President Barack Obama’s administration.In his written statement, obtained by ABC News, Murthy says his top priority will be ending the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 505,000 people in the United States.”I have seen first-hand the importance of providing clear, science-based guidance to Americans on how to protect themselves and others,” Murthy said.The same committee will consider the nomination of Dr. Rachel Levine to serve as assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services.Levine formerly served as health secretary in the state of Pennsylvania, where she was one of the few transgender people serving in elected or appointed positions in the United States.She would be the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate.The full Senate will also meet Thursday to vote on the nomination of former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to serve as energy secretary.The Senate Energy Committee gave its approval to Granholm in a 13-4 vote earlier this month.
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By Polityk | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden Orders Review to Shore Up US Supply Chain Resiliency
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday for a government review of global supply chains and potential US vulnerabilities in key industries, including computer chips, electric vehicle batteries, pharmaceuticals and critical minerals used in electronics. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
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By Polityk | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden’s Trade Pick to Focus on Enforcement, Supply Chains, Alliances
Katherine Tai, President Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. trade representative, will vow to U.S. senators that she will work to strengthen U.S. supply chains, enforce a new trade deal with Canada and Mexico, and hold China to its trade promises.In written testimony prepared for her confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, Tai underscored the Biden administration’s determination to pursue new, longer-term trade policies to focus on “workers and wage earners,” support U.S. innovation and enhance U.S. competitiveness abroad.As the trade “czar” for the world’s largest economy, biggest importer of goods and second-largest exporter after China, Tai would wield immense clout.If confirmed, as expected, Tai faces a long list of challenges, including a push by allies who want Washington to rescind tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump on steel and aluminum, aircraft and wine.Tai, the top trade lawyer for the House Ways and Means Committee and a fluent Mandarin speaker, said it was critically important that the United States have a strategic, coherent plan to deal with China and help U.S. companies compete with its model of “state-directed economics.”Rebuilding alliancesIn her testimony, Tai said she would prioritize rebuilding U.S. alliances and re-engaging with international institutions, to better address common threats like climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and a global economic downturn, while investing to make the U.S. economy more resilient.”China is simultaneously a rival, a trade partner, and an outsized player whose cooperation we’ll also need to address certain global challenges,” she said in the prepared testimony, which was seen by Reuters.”We must remember how to walk, chew gum and play chess at the same time,” she said.Tai’s testimony has been eagerly awaited for months by industry, U.S. trading partners from Beijing to Brussels, labor groups and lawmakers — all in a long queue to lobby her as soon as she is confirmed.Tai said she would make it a priority to implement and enforce the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that she helped renegotiate in 2019 to include tougher labor and environmental standards. She said that the deal marked an “important step in reforming our approach to trade” and that its success was vital.
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By Polityk | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Did Intelligence Failure Lead to US Capitol Attack?
The first in a series of congressional hearings on the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack has sparked a debate over whether intelligence breakdowns left the building vulnerable to what some officials and lawmakers have termed a “planned and coordinated” insurrection by supporters of former President Donald Trump.Former officials responsible for Capitol security appeared before two Senate panels on Tuesday to defend their actions in the lead-up to and during the bloody riot that left five dead and hundreds injured, saying they did everything they could to prepare for the attack and that the intelligence community failed to see it coming.But some experts say blaming the riot solely on faulty intelligence is misplaced.”It was very much of a collective failure, much like one could argue that September 11, 2001, was a collective failure in response or anticipation,” said Bruce Hoffman, a veteran terrorism expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.FILE – Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund testifies before the Senate’s Homeland Security and Rules committees on Capitol Hill, Washington, Feb. 23, 2021.Intelligence failure?The claim that the FBI and other agencies failed to predict the attack came from Robert J. Contee III, current chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, and Steven Sund, former chief of the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), the 2,000-plus-strong force tasked with protecting the Capitol and surrounding government buildings.Sund told lawmakers that while Capitol Police had prepared for a large, potentially violent protest, it received no intelligence from the FBI or other agencies indicating that a planned takeover of the Capitol was in the works — one designed to prevent House and Senate lawmakers from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the November 3 presidential election.“Without the intelligence to properly prepare, the USCP was significantly outnumbered and left to defend the Capitol against an extremely violent mob,” Sund said.Based on its own intelligence assessments, the Capitol Police believed the January 6 event would be “similar” to two previous pro-Trump rallies in Washington in November and December, and police officials took what they considered to be appropriate actions.But Hoffman said there was plenty of open and clandestine social media chatter prior to January 6 to suggest it “would likely be very different from all previous protests as a last and final opportunity to contest and disrupt the 2020 presidential election.”A lack of good intelligence before January 6 was not an issue, Hoffman said. As The Washington Post reported, Hoffman noted, the Capitol Police’s own intelligence unit warned in a 12-page January 3 memo that “Congress itself” could be targeted by pro-Trump protesters as “the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election.””I don’t know how much more explicit one can get,” Hoffman said in an interview.What did agencies know, and when?What the FBI and other intelligence agencies knew in advance of the January 6 attack and whether they took the right steps to warn other law enforcement agencies remain hotly debated.The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security collect intelligence on domestic threats and routinely share their assessments with other law enforcement agencies around the country.FILE – Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., talks to reporters as he walks to attend the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Jan. 28, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington.Democratic Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of a panel in charge of Capitol security, recalled calling FBI Director Christopher Wray on January 4 to express concern about potential violence, and having a number of conversations with other top FBI officials on January 5 and 6.“I felt like the FBI felt that they were in better shape in terms of intel and preparation than what came to be the case,” Warner said.But while FBI officials apparently knew of no looming attack on the Capitol by radical groups and ardent Trump supporters, the bureau, in the late hours of January 5, warned law enforcement agencies around the country about online calls for violence that would begin the next day in Washington.Prepared by the FBI’s Norfolk, Virginia, office, the “raw intelligence” report cited an online thread of extremists that stated, “Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in. … Get violent. Stop calling this a march, or rally or a protest. Go there ready for war.”In a statement issued late Tuesday, the FBI said, “The language was aspirational in nature with no specific and credible details.”Such “aspirational” threats are often vague in nature and cannot be traced to a specific individual or group, according to security experts.With the rise in recent years of far-right extremism, determining what threat is aspirational and what is more serious has become all the more challenging for law enforcement agencies, said Colin Clarke of the Soufan Group, a nonpartisan global security research consultancy.”We’re dealing with a much, much bigger — in aggregate — mass of people than we would have been even a year or two ago,” Clarke said.Top officials overlookedThe January 5 FBI memo was shared widely with law enforcement but failed to reach the top officials at the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department, raising questions about a breakdown in intelligence-sharing.Sund said the report was sent through a joint terrorism task force to a Capitol Police sergeant but was not pushed up the chain of command.FILE – Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks at the start of a joint hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Rules committees on Capitol Hill, Washington, Feb. 23, 2021.Lawmakers questioned why such vital information was not flagged to top officials. Senator Amy Klobuchar, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, said the fact that the report did not reach top leaders “is very disturbing on both ends.””You can’t just push ‘send’ on an email” without following up on it and raising concerns at the highest levels, she said.In a statement, the FBI defended its handling of the intelligence. It said it shared the memo with its law enforcement partners within 40 minutes of receiving it. In addition, the report “was also posted on the Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal (LEEP), which is available to law enforcement officers nationwide,” the bureau said.
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By Polityk | 02/25/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
US Will Seek Seat on UN Human Rights Council
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States will seek to rejoin the U.N. Human Rights Council when elections are held later this year.
Blinken said in a video address to the council Wednesday, “We humbly ask for the support of all U.N. member states in our bid to return to a seat in this body.”
Seats on the 47-member council are held for a three-year term, and Blinken said the United States would seek to occupy one for 2022-24.
The United States withdrew from the body under the administration of former President Donald Trump with arguments that the council unfairly targeted Israel and included among its membership a number of countries with poor human rights records.
“As the United States re-engages, we urge the Human Rights Council to look at how it conducts its business. That includes its disproportionate focus on Israel,” Blinken said.
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By Polityk | 02/24/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Senate Confirms Biden’s Pick for US Ambassador to UN
The Senate has confirmed career diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield as the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Thomas-Greenfield is likely to be tested by countries like China at the world body, VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports.
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By Polityk | 02/24/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
US Lawmakers Seek Answers on Capitol Security Breach
For the first time Tuesday, U.S. lawmakers heard details from top security officials about the failures on January 6 when pro-Trump rioters breached the Capitol. As VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, security officials told lawmakers there were numerous law enforcement missteps that day.Camera: Mike Burke Produced by: Katherine Gypson
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By Polityk | 02/24/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Indian Country Gripped by Haaland Hearing for Top US Post
For Native Americans, Deb Haaland is more than an elected official on track to become the first Indigenous secretary of the Interior Department. She is a sister, an auntie and a fierce pueblo woman whose political stances have been molded by her upbringing. News of her historic nomination electrified Indian Country. Tribal leaders and organizations for weeks have urged people to write and call U.S. senators who will decide if she will lead the agency that has broad oversight over Native American affairs and energy development. Haaland’s confirmation hearing this week is being closely watched in tribal communities, with some virtual parties drawing hundreds of people. The hearing started Tuesday and will continue Wednesday.FILE – A billboard displays support for New Mexico U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, who has been nominated to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior, in Billings, Montana, Feb. 21, 2021.To mark the event, supporters projected a picture of the New Mexico congresswoman on the side of the Interior building with text that read “Our Ancestors’ Dreams Come True.” A mobile billboard with Haaland’s image also made its way around Washington, D.C. Many Native Americans see Haaland as a reflection of themselves, someone who will elevate their voices and protect the environment and tribes’ rights. Here are stories of her impact. Aleta “Tweety” Suazo, 66, Laguna and Acoma Pueblos in New Mexico Suazo first met Haaland when they were campaigning for Barack Obama, walking door to door in New Mexico’s pueblos. When Haaland was chosen to represent New Mexico as one of the first two Native American women ever elected to Congress, she turned to Suazo and the state’s Native American Democratic Caucus to make treats for a reception. They prepared hundreds of pueblo pies, or pastelitos, and cookies, froze them and took them to Washington. Wearing traditional black dresses, they handed out the goodies with a thank-you note from Haaland. Suazo said she admires Haaland because she is eloquent and smart, “no beating around the bush,” and she is a Laguna Pueblo member who has returned there to dance as a form of prayer. Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., is sworn in during a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing on her nomination to be Interior Secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 23, 2021.When she heard Haaland was nominated as Interior secretary shortly after winning a second term in Congress, Suazo was not overjoyed. “Oh my gosh, she is going to go there, and who is going to represent us?” said Suazo, who lives in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. “There goes our one and only Indian representative.” She wanted to be assured that Haaland would be replaced by someone just as dynamic, who would work hard to protect the environment, address an epidemic of missing and slain Indigenous women and expand broadband, she said. “I was happy, but I was afraid. I didn’t want to lose her,” Suazo said. But she sees the importance, she said, in having a Native American oversee an agency that touches nearly every aspect of Native American life. Suazo sent a message to Haaland ahead of the hearing to say “be a strong woman,” or “gumeh.” She went back and forth watching it on television and in a virtual party. “It kind of reminds me of people having prayer groups, that kind of collective sending (of) good thoughts and prayers and support, and to have that many people doing it at one time was just so great,” Suazo said. Brandi Liberty, 42, Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska When Liberty saw a picture of Haaland in a traditional ribbon skirt and moccasins for President Joe Biden’s inauguration, she cried. She thought about her grandmother Ethil Simmonds Liberty, who did not become a U.S. citizen until she was 9, despite being born on her tribe’s reservation that straddles Kansas and Nebraska. Her grandmother was a powerful advocate for her people, petitioning to turn a pigpen into a playground, writing letters to U.S. presidents and leading efforts to get a road paved to the reservation, she said. Liberty thought about her own daughter, who she hopes will carry on her legacy in working with tribes and embracing their heritage. She thought about her time earning a master’s degree and seeing single mothers bringing their children to class, each understanding it was not a burden but a necessity. She later became a single mother like Haaland, who often speaks about her experience working through college and amassing debt. Liberty also thought about how Haaland could move other tribes in the right direction and connect them to Washington — essentially, Liberty’s grandmother on a larger scale. “This is no different than when Obama became the first Black president and what that signified,” said Liberty, who lives in New Orleans. “This is a historical mark for Indian Country as a whole.” Liberty caught most of Tuesday’s hearing while updating her parents and others through texts and social posts. She found herself in tears again as Haaland made her opening statement and touched on personal struggles. “I could relate to so much of it,” Liberty said. Zachariah Rides At The Door, 21, Blackfeet Tribe of Montana Rides At The Door is studying environmental sciences and sustainability, and fire science as a third-year student at the University of Montana in Missoula. He brings a perspective to his studies that Haaland has touted as unique from Indian Country — that everything is alive and should be treated with respect and that people should be stewards of the land, rather than have dominion over it. In high school, he learned about the mining industry and how it has impacted sites that are part of the Blackfeet creation story. He learned about the American Indian Movement’s role in fighting for equality and recognition of tribal sovereignty. He also recently learned the United States had a Native American vice president from 1929 to 1933, Charles Curtis. Rides At The Door is not sure what he wants to do when he graduates. But he knows he wants to learn the Blackfeet language and maybe become a firefighter or work on projects that route buffalo to his reservation. He was working Tuesday but planned to catch up on the hearing through social media. Already, he was seeing memes and other posts that praised Haaland. Seeing her political rise is inspiring, he said. “It’s a great way for younger Natives to say, ‘All right, our foot is in the door. There’s a chance we could get higher positions,'” he said. Debbie Nez-Manuel, 49, Navajo Nation in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah During her recent campaign for an Arizona legislative seat, Nez-Manuel sought an endorsement from Haaland. She was looking for someone whose values aligned with hers: grounded in beliefs, connected to the land, a consistent and strong leader unchanged by politics. After layers of vetting, she got the endorsement and planned to announce it at a get-out-the-vote rally featuring Haaland at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona. It also was a chance for the two women to take a picture together. Then, the event was canceled because of the pandemic. Nez-Manuel was devastated. Days before she was supposed to meet Haaland, Nez-Manuel was sitting at home when her phone rang. She did not recognize the number. “Hey Debbie, this is Deb,” the voice on the phone said. “Who?” Nez-Manuel asked. The caller replied: “Deb Haaland. Good morning. I’m calling from New Mexico. I’m sitting in my kitchen.” Nez-Manuel’s heart raced, and she struggled to voice all the thoughts she had so carefully scripted for that meeting. Haaland, she said, was patient and shared stories about life on and off a reservation — something that resonated with Nez-Manuel. “It’s like talking to an auntie,” she said. “She’s very matter of fact.” Nez-Manuel joked about flying to Washington for Haaland’s confirmation hearing to get that elusive picture. Instead, she and her husband, Royce, connected to a virtual watch party from their home on the Salt River-Pima Maricopa Community northeast of Phoenix. Nez-Manuel said Haaland showed she was willing to learn from others, aptly answering questions and pledging to make decisions based on science. “She is about protecting what’s there, what’s good for humanity, not for pocketbooks,” Nez-Manuel said. “That’s something that stood out very clearly.”
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By Polityk | 02/24/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Former US Security Officials Cite Intelligence Failure on Capitol Riot
Former officials responsible for securing the U.S. Capitol testified Tuesday before Congress for the first time since the January 6 attack on the complex, blaming inadequate intelligence for the failure to prevent what they characterized as an unexpected, military-style “insurrection” by supporters of former President Donald Trump. The officials – former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund; former House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving; and former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger – testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. The hearing is the first in a series on security and intelligence failures that led to the January 6 attack. All three former officials resigned immediately after the attack, which left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer, and at least 140 police officers injured. Former Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper Michael Stenger testifies via teleconference before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs & Senate Rules and Administration joint hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 23, 2021.The embattled officials testified that while they had prepared for a large protest at the Capitol and the possibility of violence, they had received no intelligence indicating that the pro-Trump crowd would attempt a breach and violent takeover of the seat of Congress. “The breach of the United States Capitol was not the result of poor planning or failure to contain a demonstration gone wrong,” Sund said. “Without the intelligence to properly prepare, the USCP was significantly outnumbered and left to defend the Capitol against an extremely violent mob.” Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund testifies before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs & Senate Rules and Administration joint hearing on Capitol Hill, Washington, Feb. 23, 2021.An intelligence assessment by Capitol Police three days before the attack, Sund said, suggested that the January 6 protest would be “similar” to two previous rallies in November and December that drew tens of thousands of Trump supporters to Washington to protest Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden. In response, Sund said, he put in place an “all hands on deck” security plan, deploying about 1,200 officers to work on January 6 and expanding the security perimeter around the Capitol. “Contrary to some of the reporting, the USCP had an effective plan in place to handle the First Amendment demonstrations and possible pockets of violence that were anticipated for January 6, based upon the available intelligence,” he said Tuesday. At the same time, Sund also blamed the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms for failing to act swiftly to approve his request for National Guard help before and during the riots. The police chief can ask for National Guard help after a Capitol Police Board made up of the sergeants-at-arms declares an emergency. But Sund said when he asked for help two days before the attack, Irving, the House Sergeant-at-Arms, expressed concern about the “optics” of having National Guard troops around the Capitol “and didn’t feel that the intelligence supported it,” Sund said. During his testimony, Irving denied that he was concerned about the visuals. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., left, listens to former Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving testify via teleconference during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs & Senate Rules and Administration joint hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 23, 2021.“We did discuss whether the intelligence warranted having troops at the Capitol, and our collective judgment at that time was no — the intelligence did not warrant that,” Irving said. “The intelligence did warrant the plan that had been prepared by Chief Sund.” The three former officials said they did not receive an FBI report distributed on January 5, warning law enforcement agencies about social media calls for violence the next day. The report, prepared by the FBI’s Norfolk field officer, cited an online threat that in part said, “Go there ready for war.” The head of the FBI‘s office in Washington has said that as soon as he received the January 5 warning, the information was quickly shared with other law enforcement agencies through the joint terrorism task force. The hearing is the first of several planned on what went wrong January 6 and how to prevent similar catastrophes in the future, said Senator Amy Klobuchar, the chair of the Rules and Administration panel. Next week, officials from the FBI and the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security will testify. The hearing comes as members of Congress quarrel over a recent proposal by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to form an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the attack. The commission will be modeled on a similar panel that investigated the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Lawmakers at Tuesday’s hearing grilled law enforcement officials over the delay in the National Guard’s deployment. Sund, the former Capitol Police chief, blamed it in part on the four-member Capitol Security Board’s failure to immediately declare a state of emergency. Irving denied that he did not act swiftly.
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By Polityk | 02/24/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
US Senate Examines Security Failures During Attack on Capitol
Two U.S. Senate committees are holding a hearing Tuesday examining the January 6 attack on the U.S. capitol with a focus on security and the response of law enforcement. Scheduled to testify before the Homeland Security Committee and Governmental Affairs Committee are the former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger and former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving, as well as former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and Metropolitan Police Department acting Chief Robert Contee. For Stenger and Irving, their testimony will be their first public comments since they resigned just after the attack by a pro-Trump mob.In this image from video, Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger reads the proclamation during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 29, 2020.Senator Amy Klobuchar told the Associated Press that lawmakers would be focused on how security agencies shared information ahead of the attack, the timing of the deployment of National Guard troops to assist overwhelmed Capitol Police officers and whether the command structure of the entities responsible for Capitol security contributed to security failures. Klobuchar also said the panels would hold at least one more hearing as part of their investigation that would examine the responses of the Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Capitol attack came as lawmakers inside were meeting to certify President Joe Biden’s electoral win over former President Donald Trump in the November election. Rioters smashed windows and doors and clashed with officers, leaving dozens of police injured. Members of Congress fled their chambers and had to return hours later to finish the vote certification. The violence left five people dead, including one Capital Police officer. In the weeks after the attack, the House of Representatives impeached Trump on charges he incited insurrection. The Senate later acquitted Trump.
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By Polityk | 02/23/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
US Senate to Examine January 6 Capitol Security Failures
Two U.S. Senate committees are holding a hearing Tuesday examining the January 6 attack on the U.S. capitol with a focus on security and the response of law enforcement. Scheduled to testify before the Homeland Security Committee and Governmental Affairs Committee are the former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger and former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving, as well as former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and Metropolitan Police Department acting Chief Robert Contee. For Stenger and Irving, their testimony will be their first public comments since they resigned just after the attack by a pro-Trump mob.In this image from video, Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger reads the proclamation during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 29, 2020.Senator Amy Klobuchar told the Associated Press that lawmakers would be focused on how security agencies shared information ahead of the attack, the timing of the deployment of National Guard troops to assist overwhelmed Capitol Police officers and whether the command structure of the entities responsible for Capitol security contributed to security failures. Klobuchar also said the panels would hold at least one more hearing as part of their investigation that would examine the responses of the Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Capitol attack came as lawmakers inside were meeting to certify President Joe Biden’s electoral win over former President Donald Trump in the November election. Rioters smashed windows and doors and clashed with officers, leaving dozens of police injured. Members of Congress fled their chambers and had to return hours later to finish the vote certification. The violence left five people dead, including one Capital Police officer. In the weeks after the attack, the House of Representatives impeached Trump on charges he incited insurrection. The Senate later acquitted Trump.
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By Polityk | 02/23/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Five Takeaways from Merrick Garland’s Confirmation Hearing
Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s nominee for attorney general, sat Monday for his first of two days of questioning by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. If confirmed, the 68-year-old federal appellate judge and former nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, will serve as the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Here are five takeaways from Monday’s confirmation hearing. Capitol riot Garland vowed to make an ongoing federal investigation into the January 6 U.S. Capitol siege his “first priority,” calling the riot “the most heinous attack on the democratic processes.” The attack by supporters of former President Donald Trump, which left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer, has led to one of the largest and most complex investigations in the Justice Department’s history. Judge Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s pick to be attorney general, answers questions before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill, Feb. 22, 2021.Garland told lawmakers that one of the first things he will do as attorney general is get a briefing on the FBI investigation and ensure prosecutors have the resources they need to do their job. At the same time, he added, “I intend to make sure that we look more broadly, to look at where this is coming from, what other groups there might be that could raise the same problem in the future, and that we protect the American people.” The FBI has charged more than 250 people in connection with the attack and is investigating several hundred more. So far, roughly 30 are known to have ties to extremist groups. A judge on the federal appeals court for the District of Columbia for the past 24 years, Garland has extensive domestic terrorism investigation experience. In the mid-1990s, he led the federal investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people. Civil rights Garland said another top priority will be enforcing civil rights laws. Noting that the Justice Department was founded in the aftermath of the Civil War to protect the civil rights guaranteed under three constitutional amendments, Garland said “we do not yet have equal justice.” “Communities of color and other minorities still face discrimination in housing, education, employment and the criminal justice system,” he said in his opening statement. Among other things, he said the Justice Department will hold police departments accountable by investigating misconduct and civil rights violations. Under Trump, the Justice Department all but stopped carrying out such investigations. Garland also said he “strongly supports” new legislation strengthening voting rights. Death penalty Asked whether he supports reinstating a 2003 moratorium on capital punishment, Garland said he was “very concerned” about the large number of people who were sentenced to death and later exonerated, and the disproportionate impact of the death penalty on people of color. In a report released Thursday, the Death Penalty Information Center said 185 death row inmates were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated since the 1970s. Biden is the first U.S. president to oppose the death penalty. Garland said that given Biden’s opposition, it is “not at all unlikely that we will return to the previous” moratorium. The Trump administration resumed capital punishment last year, executing an unprecedented 13 people during Trump’s final six months in office. People’s lawyer FILE – Then-Attorney General William Barr, Dec. 21, 2020.If confirmed, Garland will take the helm of the Justice Department at a time when morale has ebbed following the controversial tenure of Trump’s second attorney general, William Barr. Democrats accused Barr of politicizing the department and serving as Trump’s personal lawyer, an accusation Barr’s defenders reject. In his testimony, Garland stressed the importance of preserving the independence of the attorney general, saying he will “be the lawyer not for any individual but for the people of the United States.” Several Republicans sought Garland’s reassurance that he would not allow politically motivated investigations of the administration’s political enemies. “Absolutely,” Garland said in response to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s question. Hunter Biden, Mueller probe FILE – Hunter Biden, Jan. 30, 2010.Garland will inherit a pair of politically sensitive investigations: a tax fraud investigation of Biden’s son Hunter, and a separate special counsel probe of the origins of the Robert Mueller investigation of Russian intervention in the 2016 presidential election on behalf of Trump. The Biden administration recently said that two Trump-appointed prosecutors leading those two investigations will stay on to complete their probes. Garland said he had “no reason to think that was not the correct decision,” but he declined to commit to not firing them without cause.
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By Polityk | 02/23/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
US Lawmakers Weigh Biden Attorney General Nominee
U.S. Attorney General nominee Judge Merrick Garland told lawmakers Monday an investigation into the January 6th riot at the US Capitol will be his first priority if confirmed. VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more on President Joe Biden’s pick to be the nation’s top law enforcement officer.Camera: Mike Burke Produced by: Katherine Gypson
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By Polityk | 02/23/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Supreme Court Will Not Halt Trump Tax Record Turnover
In a significant defeat for former President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to step in to halt the turnover of his tax records to a New York prosecutor.The court’s action is the apparent culmination of a lengthy legal battle that had already reached the high court once before. Trump’s tax records are not supposed to become public as part of prosecutor’s criminal investigation, but the high court’s action is a blow to Trump because he has for so long fought on so many fronts to keep his tax records shielded from view. The ongoing investigation the records are part of could also become an issue for Trump in his life after the presidency. Trump has called it “a fishing expedition” and “a continuation of the witch hunt — the greatest witch hunt in history.”The Supreme Court waited months to act in the case. The last of the written briefs in the case was filed Oct. 19. But a court that includes three Trump appointees waited through the election, Trump’s challenge to his defeat and a month after Trump left office before issuing its order.The court offered no explanation for the delay, and the legal issue before the justices did not involve whether Trump was due any special deference because he was president.The court’s order is a win for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who has been seeking Trump’s tax records since 2019 as part of an investigation. Vance, a Democrat, had subpoenaed the records from the Mazars accounting firm that has long done work for Trump and his businesses. Mazars has said it would comply with the subpoena, but Trump, a Republican, sued to block the records’ release.Vance’s office had said it would be free to enforce the subpoena and obtain the records in the event the Supreme Court declined to step in and halt the records’ turnover, but it was unclear when that might happen.The case the high court ruled in involves a grand jury subpoena for more than eight years of Trump’s personal and corporate tax records. Vance has disclosed little about what prompted him to request the records. In one court filing last year, however, prosecutors said they were justified in demanding the records because of public reports of “possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization.”Part of the probe involves payments to two women — porn actress Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal — to keep them quiet during the 2016 presidential campaign about alleged extramarital affairs with Trump. Trump has denied the affairs.In July, the justices in a 7-2 ruling rejected Trump’s argument that the president is immune from investigation while he holds office or that a prosecutor must show a greater need than normal to obtain the tax records. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, whom Trump nominated to the high court, joined that decision. It was issued before Trump’s third nominee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, replaced the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the court.As part of its July decision, the high court returned the Vance case and a similar case involving records sought by Congress to lower courts. And the court prevented the records from being turned over while the cases proceeded.Since the high court’s ruling, in the Vance case, Trump’s attorneys made additional arguments that his tax records should not be turned over, but they lost again in federal court in New York and on appeal. It was those rulings that Trump had sought to put on hold.
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By Polityk | 02/22/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden’s Pick for Attorney General No Stranger to Washington Politics
U.S. President Joe Biden’s pick for attorney general, Merrick Garland, is no stranger to Washington politics. He rose to national prominence in late 2016 when Republicans in Congress blocked his nomination by then-President Barack Obama to a seat on the Supreme Court. Garland, a federal appellate judge, is once again in the limelight and on the verge of taking on a high-profile position, this time as attorney general – essentially the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Garland said he agreed to take the job of attorney general after being assured by both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris that the Justice Department would retain its independence from political interference. Biden said of his nominee in January, “Your loyalty is not to me,” and apparent dig at former President Donald Trump who demanded loyalty of his Cabinet members. “It’s to the law, to the Constitution, to the people of this nation,” Biden said. Judicial background Garland, 68, is the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, sometimes called the “second highest court in the land” in part because of the frequency with which its judges ascend to the Supreme Court just a few blocks away. After graduating from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Garland clerked for two appointees of Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower: the liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan Jr. and Judge Henry J. Friendly, for whom Chief Justice John Roberts also clerked. Before becoming a judge himself, he was a prosecutor and supervised Justice Department investigations into the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.Attorney General nominee Judge Merrick Garland speaks during an event with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del, Jan. 7, 2021.His background made him popular even with Republicans when he was nominated to the D.C. Circuit by President Bill Clinton. Garland was confirmed to the post in 1997 by a vote of 76-23 with 32 Republicans voting in favor of his nomination. However, in 2016, when then-President Barack Obama nominated Garland to a vacant seat on the Supreme Court, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to even hold hearings on the nomination. McConnell argued that the winner of the 2016 election, which turned out to be Donald Trump, should be able to nominate the next Supreme Court member, a move that infuriated Democratic senators. Garland’s nomination lasted 293 days, the longest to date, and the seat for which he was nominated was eventually filled by Neil Gorsuch, appointed by Trump. Challenges ahead Garland’s selection forces Senate Republicans to deal with the nomination of someone they once snubbed. After his two-day confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, members will vote on his nomination March 1. If confirmed, Garland will face huge challenges leading the Justice Department, including overseeing the prosecution of Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6 over Trump’s baseless claims that he won the November 3 presidential election. He will also make decisions on controversial Trump-era policies on immigration and civil rights and will likely face calls to investigate Trump himself. Other politically sensitive cases facing Garland include an ongoing investigating into the taxes of Biden’s son, Hunter, and the origins of the federal probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Garland also will be tasked with restoring confidence in the Justice Department’s independence and improving the agency’s morale. Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, intervened directly in criminal cases that benefited the former president’s political allies, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn, to the dismay of many career prosecutors. Garland has earned a reputation as a moderate jurist whose nomination has been well received by some Republicans. His path to confirmation in the full Senate is very narrow, though, given that Democrats – and the independents who typically vote along with them – control 50 of its 100 seats.
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By Polityk | 02/22/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
AG Nominee Garland’s Senate Confirmation Hearing Set for Monday
U.S. Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland plans to tell senators at his confirmation hearing Monday that he is committed to fighting discrimination and extremist attacks against the government. The 68-year-old Garland, currently a federal appellate court judge in Washington and a 2016 Supreme Court nominee whom Senate Republicans refused to consider in a presidential election year, is one of President Joe Biden’s most important Cabinet selections. If confirmed by the Senate, he would head the Department of Justice amid its ongoing investigation of hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump, many of them with anti-government views, who stormed into the U.S. Capitol last month to confront lawmakers as they were certifying that Biden defeated Trump in last November’s election.In addition, Garland could oversee contentious racial disputes involving law enforcement abuses of minorities in criminal cases that led to massive street demonstrations in recent months. Senate Schedules Confirmation Hearing for Merrick Garland The two-day hearing will include Garland’s testimony and a second day for outside witnesses to testifyIn written remarks released ahead of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Garland says that the United States “does not yet have equal justice.”“Communities of color and other minorities still face discrimination in housing, education, employment, and the criminal justice system; and bear the brunt of the harm caused by pandemic, pollution, and climate change,” Garland says.Garland says that if he becomes attorney general, it would be “the culmination of a career I have dedicated to ensuring that the laws of our country are fairly and faithfully enforced, and that the rights of all Americans are protected.”Former Democratic President Barack Obama nominated Garland to the Supreme Court five years ago, but Republicans, who then controlled the Senate, refused to consider the nomination in the months ahead of the 2016 election won by Trump. The Republican-controlled chamber, reversing course, quickly approved one of Trump’s appointments to the high court, Amy Coney Barrett, just days ahead of the 2020 election. The Biden administration has upheld Garland, who is viewed as a judicial moderate, as a welcome change to the frequent turmoil that erupted in Trump’s Justice Department. Garland’s nomination has been praised by civil rights groups as well as by police organizations, more than 150 former Justice Department officials of both the Democratic and Republicans parties, and 61 former federal judges.Two Republican senators have expressed their support for Garland. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and a member of the Judiciary Committee tweeted support on January 6.“He is a man of great character, integrity, and tremendous competency in the law,” Graham wrote.He will be asked many questions regarding existing investigations that, in my view, need to continue. I look forward to the confirmation process and will closely follow his answers.— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 6, 2021And John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas issued a statement January 25 saying he expected to support Garland’s nomination.“Judge Garland’s extensive legal experience makes him well-suited to lead the Department of Justice, and I appreciated his commitment to keep politics out of the Justice Department,” Cornyn’s statement added.Garland has been a federal appeals court judge in Washington for the past two decades. Early in his career, Garland was best known for overseeing the investigation and prosecution of Timothy McVeigh, the man who detonated a bomb outside a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people. McVeigh was convicted, sentenced to death and executed in 2001.Now, Garland says that experience will put him in good stead in the investigation of the attack on the Capitol.“If confirmed, I will supervise the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol on January 6 — a heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government,” he says in his prepared remarks.
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By Polityk | 02/22/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
US Attorney General Nominee Merrick Garland Faces Confirmation Hearing
U.S. Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland, nominated by President Joe Biden as the country’s top law enforcement official, plans to tell senators at his confirmation hearing Monday that he is committed to fighting discrimination and extremist attacks against the government.The 68-year-old Garland, currently a federal appellate court judge in Washington and in 2016 a Supreme Court nominee whom Senate Republicans refused to consider in a presidential election year, is one of Biden’s most important Cabinet nominees.If confirmed by the Senate, he would head the Department of Justice amid its ongoing investigation of hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump, many of them with anti-government views, who stormed into the U.S. Capitol last month to confront lawmakers as they were certifying that Biden defeated Trump in last November’s election.In addition, Garland could oversee contentious racial disputes involving law enforcement abuses of minorities in criminal cases that led to massive street demonstrations in recent months. Senate Schedules Confirmation Hearing for Merrick Garland The two-day hearing will include Garland’s testimony and a second day for outside witnesses to testifyIn written remarks released ahead of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Garland says that the United States “does not yet have equal justice.”“Communities of color and other minorities still face discrimination in housing, education, employment, and the criminal justice system; and bear the brunt of the harm caused by pandemic, pollution, and climate change,” Garland says.Garland says that if he becomes attorney general, it would be “the culmination of a career I have dedicated to ensuring that the laws of our country are fairly and faithfully enforced, and that the rights of all Americans are protected.”Former Democratic President Barack Obama nominated Garland to the Supreme Court five years ago, but Republicans, who then controlled the Senate, refused to consider the nomination in the months ahead of the 2016 election won by Trump. The Republican-controlled chamber, reversing course, quickly approved one of Trump’s appointments to the high court, Amy Coney Barrett, just days ahead of the 2020 election.The Biden administration has touted Garland, who is viewed as a judicial moderate, as a welcome change to the frequent turmoil that erupted in Trump’s Justice Department.Garland’s nomination has been praised by civil rights groups as well as by police organizations, more than 150 former Justice Department officials of both the Democratic and Republicans parties, and 61 former federal judges.Two Republican senators have expressed their support for Garland. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and a member of the Judiciary Committee tweeted support on January 6.“He is a man of great character, integrity, and tremendous competency in the law,” Graham wrote.He will be asked many questions regarding existing investigations that, in my view, need to continue. I look forward to the confirmation process and will closely follow his answers.— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 6, 2021And John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas issued a statement January 25 saying he expected to support Garland’s nomination.“Judge Garland’s extensive legal experience makes him well-suited to lead the Department of Justice, and I appreciated his commitment to keep politics out of the Justice Department,” Cornyn’s statement added.Garland has been a federal appeals court judge in Washington for the past two decades. Early in his career, Garland was best known for overseeing the investigation and prosecution of Timothy McVeigh, the man who detonated a bomb outside a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people. McVeigh was convicted, sentenced to death and executed in 2001.Now, Garland says that experience will put him in good stead in the investigation of the attack on the Capitol.“If confirmed, I will supervise the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol on January 6 — a heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government,” he says in his prepared remarks.
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By Polityk | 02/22/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Garland Says Laws Must be ‘Fairly and Faithfully Enforced’
President Joe Biden’s nominee for attorney general says the Justice Department must ensure laws are “fairly and faithfully enforced” and the rights of all Americans are protected, while reaffirming an adherence to policies to protect the department’s political independence.Judge Merrick Garland, who is set to appear Monday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, plans to tell senators that the attorney general must act as a lawyer for the people of the United States, not for the president. The Justice Department released a copy of Garland’s opening statement late Saturday.If confirmed, Garland would inherit a Justice Department that endured a tumultuous time under President Donald Trump — rife with political drama and controversial decisions — and abundant criticism from Democrats over what they saw as the politicizing of the nation’s top law enforcement agencies.“It is a fitting time to reaffirm that the role of the attorney general is to serve the Rule of Law and to ensure equal justice under the law,” Garland says in his prepared statement.The previous attorney general, William Barr, had also sought to paint himself as an independent leader who would not bow to political pressure. But Democrats repeatedly accused Barr of acting more like Trump’s personal attorney than the attorney general. They pointed to several controversial decisions, including overruling career prosecutors to recommend a lower sentence for Trump ally Roger Stone and moving to dismiss the criminal case against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn after he had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.Barr resigned in late December, weeks after he told The Associated Press that the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, countering Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud.In his prepared remarks Garland, a federal appeals court judge who was snubbed by Republicans in 2016 for a seat on the Supreme Court, lays out his plan to prioritize the department’s civil rights work after the nationwide protests last year over the deaths of Black Americans by police. He highlights a key mission for the division: to protect the rights of all Americans and particularly the most vulnerable.“That mission remains urgent because we do not yet have equal justice. Communities of color and other minorities still face discrimination in housing, education, employment and the criminal justice system; and bear the brunt of the harm caused by pandemic, pollution and climate change,” Garland says.Garland also addresses domestic terrorism and rising extremist threats, pointing to his prior work in the Justice Department supervising the prosecution following the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City.And as federal prosecutors continue to bring cases following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, Garland calls the insurrection a “heinous attack that sought to distrust a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government.”So far, the Justice Department has charged more than 200 people with federal crimes in connection with the riot, including members of extremist groups accused of conspiracy and other offenses.
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By Polityk | 02/21/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
UN Report Finds Trump Ally Violated Libya Arms Embargo, US Media Says
Private security contractor and ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump Erik Prince violated a United Nations arms embargo on Libya, U.N. investigators have found in a report detailed by U.S. media on Friday.The confidential report to the Security Council, obtained by The New York Times and The Washington Post, said that Prince deployed a force of foreign mercenaries and weapons to strongman Khalifa Haftar, who has fought to overthrow the U.N.-backed Libyan government, in 2019.The $80 million operation included plans to form a hit squad to track and kill Libyan commanders opposed to Haftar — including some who were also European Union citizens, The New York Times said.Prince, a former Navy SEAL and the brother of Trump’s education secretary, Betsy DeVos, drew infamy as the head of the Blackwater private security firm, whose contractors were accused of killing unarmed Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007.Four who were convicted were pardoned by Trump last year.The accusation exposes Prince to possible U.N. sanctions, including a travel ban, the Times said.Prince did not cooperate with the U.N. inquiry and his lawyer declined to comment to The New York Times, it added.An AFP request for comment to the Hong Kong-based Frontier Services Group, for which Prince is a board member and deputy chairman, went unanswered.Oil-rich Libya has been torn by civil war since a NATO-backed uprising led to the toppling and killing of dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.The country has in recent years been split between a Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, and an eastern-based administration, backed by Haftar, who has faced charges of war crimes.Then-President Trump in 2019 praised the strongman for his role in “fighting terrorism” in Libya.A new interim executive for the country was chosen Feb. 5 by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in Switzerland, comprising 75 participants selected by the U.N. to represent a broad cross-section of society.Haftar has pledged his support for the initiative.
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By Polityk | 02/20/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden’s Bid to Revive Iran Nuclear Deal Faces Long Road, Should Involve US Pressure, Analysts Say
As U.S. President Joe Biden begins a diplomatic push to revive a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, supporters of the deal say he will need a long-term effort to succeed, while opponents say he should focus instead on pressuring Tehran into a new and tougher deal.The 2015 agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, was reached between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany, known as the P5+1. It requires Iran to undertake eight- to 15-year-long curbs in nuclear activities with potential for weaponization in exchange for international sanctions relief. Former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 saying it was not tough enough on Iran, which has retaliated by exceeding the deal’s nuclear limits since 2019.“We’re prepared to reengage in negotiations with the P5+1 on Iran’s nuclear program,” Biden said Friday at the White House, in a speech to a virtual version of the Munich Security Conference, an annual forum on international security policy.Biden, who has pledged to return to the JCPOA if Iran first resumes full compliance, responded positively to an EU proposal made Thursday for the six world powers and Iran to attend an informal meeting to discuss how to revive the agreement. A State Department spokesman said the U.S. would accept such an invitation, which has yet to be publicly offered.The Biden administration also made two gestures toward Iran, withdrawing a Trump administration request for the U.N. Security Council to trigger a “snapback” of Iran sanctions, a request that other council members rejected, and easing some travel restrictions on Iranian diplomats working at the U.N. in New York.Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded on Twitter by reiterating a demand for the U.S. to “unconditionally & effectively lift all [U.S.] sanctions imposed, re-imposed or re-labeled by Trump” since 2018 as part of what Trump called a “maximum pressure” campaign for Iran to end objectionable behaviors including alleged nuclear weapons development that Tehran denies. Zarif said Tehran “will immediately reverse” all of its JCPOA violations if the U.S. complies.US acknowledged Pompeo’s claims re Res. 2231 had no legal validity.We agree.In compliance w/ 2231:US unconditionally & effectively lift all sanctions imposed, re-imposed or re-labeled by Trump.We will then immediately reverse all remedial measures.Simple: #CommitActMeet— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) February 19, 2021In one of several VOA Persian TV interviews on Friday, JCPOA supporter Ali Vaez, an Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group, said it will not be possible for Biden to lift U.S. sanctions in the short term because of resistance to such a move from minority Republicans in Congress. He also said the U.S. gestures are unlikely to persuade Iran to abandon a threat to stop unannounced inspections by the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency at Iranian nuclear sites starting Tuesday, a move that would further escalate Iran’s recent series of JCPOA violations.“At the same time, [for Biden] to express a willingness to have a dialogue with Iran is an important step forward for both sides to find a common ground for reviving the JCPOA and to show that the ‘maximum pressure’ era is over,” Vaez said.Behrooz Bayat, a Vienna-based Iranian former IAEA consultant and JCPOA supporter, said the U.S., other world powers and Iran have no alternative but to save the JCPOA in the long run.“Pursuit of other policies such as the U.S. maintaining crippling ’maximum pressure’ Iran sanctions, or Iran advancing its nuclear program will not solve anything and could end in war,” Bayat said.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 10 MB480p | 14 MB540p | 17 MB720p | 34 MB1080p | 66 MBOriginal | 221 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioRelated video by VOA’s Patsy Widakuswara: Challenges Are Steep as Biden Reengages With IranBiden has said his proposed conditional return to the JCPOA upon Iran’s resumption of full compliance would be a first step toward strengthening and broadening the deal to address what the U.S. sees as Iran’s destabilizing activities in the Middle East, including its support for Islamist militias that have fought the U.S. and its regional allies.Brookings Institution research director Michael O’Hanlon, a JCPOA critic, said Biden should use the financial leverage that Trump built with tightened U.S. sanctions to try to get a new deal that indefinitely restricts Iran’s uranium enrichment and other nuclear activities that it could weaponize.“Iran is not going to like that idea. But there is a chance that at least some Republicans in the United States would [like that], creating a stronger foundation for this to be a durable deal and more importantly, shoring up the nuclear nonproliferation system in the Middle East,” O’Hanlon said.Another JCPOA opponent, Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Biden should pressure Iran to make the first move toward reviving diplomacy by changing its behavior at home as well as that of its proxy militias that have staged attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and on U.S. allies Israel and Saudi Arabia in recent years.“Washington should be working with its regional partners as diverse as Israel to Saudi Arabia to see what they favor as an acceptable end-state [to their conflicts with Iran and its proxies], so that the inputs of those U.S. allies are included in a bigger, broader and better deal with Iran,” Taleblu said.This article originated in VOA’s Persian Service.
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By Polityk | 02/20/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Challenges Are Steep as Biden Reengages With Iran
President Joe Biden has announced steps to reengage with Tehran and return to the Iran nuclear deal that the Trump administration withdrew from in 2018. The move has been criticized by Israel, which says it will pave Iran’s path to a nuclear arsenal. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report on the challenges ahead for Biden’s policy on Iran.
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By Polityk | 02/20/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Democratic Senator’s Opposition Imperils Confirmation of Biden Budget Pick
Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin announced Friday that he would oppose President Joe Biden’s nomination of Neera Tanden to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which could end her chances of confirmation despite continued support from the president.Biden told reporters he did not intend to pull the nomination. “I think we’re gonna find the votes to get her confirmed,” he said.Tanden has been criticized by Republicans — and some Democrats — over past harsh comments on social media, such as calling Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell “Moscow Mitch” and saying “vampires have more heart than [Senator] Ted Cruz.”Many Democrats scoffed at such concerns, noting near-unanimous Republican support for former President Donald Trump, who was accused of inciting a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol partly via inflammatory comments on Twitter and was known for blasting opponents — particularly women — as “nasty” or criminals who should be locked up.FILE – Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. is interviewed by The Associated Press in his office in Washington, Feb. 1, 2017.Manchin cited Tanden’s “public statements and tweets” in his statement.”I believe her overtly partisan statements will have a toxic and detrimental impact on the important working relationship between members of Congress and the next director of the Office of Management and Budget,” he said.His statement drew immediate condemnation, with some critics noting that the moderate Democrat, who represents the strongly Republican state of West Virginia, had backed some of Trump’s controversial nominees, including Richard Grenell to be ambassador to Germany.Democrats had questioned Grenell’s appointment because of his past statements insulting to female politicians on the internet and during cable television appearances.One Republican vote neededIf every Senate Democrat supports Tanden, she could be confirmed without Republican votes, since Democrats control 50 seats in the chamber and Vice President Kamala Harris can break a tie.However, Manchin’s opposition means Tanden must be supported by a least one Republican.Tanden, who is Indian American, would be the first woman of color to serve as director of the OMB.Questioned at her confirmation hearings about her tweets, Tanden apologized and said she regretted their tone.White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki praised Tanden as “an accomplished policy expert who would be an excellent budget director.” She said the administration would keep working toward her confirmation by engaging with both parties.If Tanden is not confirmed, it would be a setback in a presidential transition that was already delayed by Trump’s refusal, backed by many of his fellow Republicans, to recognize Biden’s victory in the November election, even after repeated court decisions showed there had been no widespread fraud.
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By Polityk | 02/20/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Iran: What You Need to Know
What has happened?The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden indicated Thursday it is ready to begin talks about the U.S. rejoining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.What is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action?The JCPOA is an agreement that was designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The pact was negotiated in 2015 between Iran and the world’s major powers – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.Why did the U.S. leave the JCPOA?In 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump removed the U.S. from the JCPOA, which had been a major diplomatic achievement of his predecessor, Barack Obama. Trump called the agreement “a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made.”What has Iran been doing?In 2019, after the U.S. began reimposing sanctions on Iran, Tehran began breaking its adherence to the accord, insisting its accelerated nuclear program was only for peaceful energy purposes.How has Iran responded to the news that the U.S. is open to reentry talks?Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in a Twitter post, urged the U.S. to stop “putting onus on Iran,” and instead bring “an end to Trump’s legacy of #EconomicTerrorism against Iran.” Iran wants the U.S. to remove Trump’s sanctions next week. If not, the Middle Eastern country has threatened to ban short-notice inspections by the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
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By Polityk | 02/19/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
US Ready to Engage with Iran for JCPOA
The United States says it is ready to talk to Iran about the possibility of reviving a 2015 agreement intended to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Former U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the deal nearly three years ago. VOA’s Penny Dixon has more.
Producer: Rod James
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By Polityk | 02/19/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
Radio Host Rush Limbaugh Transformed US Media, Politics
The American radio host and commentator Rush Limbaugh died this week at age 70 after a career that transformed American media and politics. Mike O’Sullivan looks back at the conservative icon.
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By Polityk | 02/19/2021 | Повідомлення, Політика
