International

Biden urges Democrats to end the internal drama and focus on beating Trump

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, on Monday urged Democrats to put an end to the internal “drama” and focus on defeating former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) in next November’s elections, instead of questioning his candidacy.

Biden made these statements in a two-page letter addressed to members of his party in Congress and in which he argued that “the question of how to move forward has been raised publicly for more than a week” and it is time for “this to end.”

The president stressed that the party has “a single task”: to defeat Trump at the polls.

“Any weakness in our resolution or lack of clarity about the task ahead of us only helps Trump and harms us. It’s time to unite, move forward as a unified party and defeat Donald Trump,” he said in the letter, distributed by his campaign.

Biden’s team proposed to hold the electoral debate on June 27 in advance, months earlier than usual in presidential campaigns, with the aim of reassuring voters concerned about the age of the president, who at 81 years old is the longest-lived in the history of the United States.

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However, the meeting, in which Biden spoke in a hoarse voice and showed difficulty concluding some sentences, had the opposite effect, with television commentators, influential columnists and the editorial board of The New York Times asking him to end his campaign to make way for another candidate to face Trump in November.

So far, a total of nine congressmen have asked Biden to leave the contest. Four of them, Democrats who occupy important positions on committees of the Lower House, did so privately on Sunday in a call with the leader of the minority in that hemicycle, Hakeem Jeffries, local media such as CNN and CBS reported.

One of those four high-level congressmen, Adam Smith, made his position public on Monday in an interview on CNN, becoming the highest-ranking Democrat to do so publicly.

“I think I should retire. I think it has become clear that he is not the best person to convey the Democratic message,” he said.

After the dissemination of the letter, Biden gave a telephone interview to the MSNBC network’s ‘Morning Joe’ program, where he insisted that the “average Democrats” want him to continue and expressed his frustration with the calls of members of his party to withdraw.

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“They are important names, but I don’t care what those big names think,” Biden said.

Currently, according to a survey by The New York Times and Siena College, after the debate against Trump, the Democrats are divided on whether Biden should continue to be the party’s candidate for the presidency, with 48% in favor and 47% supporters of another candidate.

Biden has made it clear that he does not plan to withdraw from the campaign and influential figures of the Democratic Party, such as former President Barack Obama (2009-2017), have closed ranks around him.

Meanwhile, Trump has maintained a low profile with fewer public statements than usual since the debate. This week, however, it will break its silence with two campaign rallies, one on Tuesday in Doral (Florida) and another on Saturday in Butler, in the key state of Pennsylvania.

These two great acts occur just as expectations grow that you will announce your running mate. According to The Washington Post, Trump’s campaign plans to announce the vice presidential candidate before July 15, the first day of the Republican national convention.

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According to the Post, the campaign has focused its attention on two senators: J.D. Vance, from Ohio, and Marco Rubio, from Florida.

International

U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.

The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.

The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.

“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

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International

Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.

Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.

According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.

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International

Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power

Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.

The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.

Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.

Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.

The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.

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Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.

Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.

In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.