Page 20 - Joe Biden

Joe Biden praises Slovenia PM for aiding major US-Russia prisoner swap

President Joe Biden heaped praise on Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob on Tuesday for his role in the recent seven-nation prisoner swap that freed Americans Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan from Russian prison. The deal, completed in August, was the largest US-Russian prisoner swap in post-Soviet history, involving 24 people, many months of negotiations and concessions from other European countries including Slovenia that released Russians in their custody as part of the exchange. "I want to thank you for your diplomacy and for your support and your leadership," Biden said at the start of his Oval Office meeting with the Central European leader. "You made it possible. That's not hyperbole. You made it possible. Slovenia agreed to the release of Artem Viktorovich Dultsev and Anna Valerevna Dultseva, two Russian spies who were living for years in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana while posing as Argentines operating a startup IT company and an online art ...

Biden, US first lady toast unveiling of long-awaited reimagined WH tour

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Sunday toasted the unveiling of a long-awaited reimagined public White House tour. The couple held a dinner in celebration of the first lady's update of the White House public tour. The updates will be unveiled on Monday. We inspire future generations to write the next chapter of the White House's history, President Biden said in a speech to guests, calling himself and the first lady temporary renters" of the People's House. The president's term ends in just a few months after he decided to end his run for a second term in July. Jill Biden, who led the revamp of the White House tour, said while tonight is the end of one part of our work, it's only the beginning of this new chapter of White House public tours. It's been the honour of my life to serve as your first lady. The updates come amid Washington, DC's so-called shoulder season the period of time between the region's peak tourism season and off season as well as an upcoming

Indian Americans hesitant to vote for Harris: Democratic community leader

Senior Indian American leader Swadesh Chatterjee has said the community is hesitant to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 election as she has not developed a base among them in her previous roles as Senator or the Attorney General of California. A Padma Bhushan awardee of 2001, the Democratic community has created the "Indian Americans for Harris" group and has been campaigning for her not only in the state of North Carolina, where he is based, but is also organising support for the vice president in other battleground states. While accepting that the community is hesitant to vote for her overwhelmingly because they do not know her well, Chatterjee said that Harris, as the Attorney General of California, did not build up an Indian American base and was not a part of any community meetings or any of their events as a Senator. "She did not have that kind of base though she is of Indian origin," he told PTI in an interview. Chatterjee said his observation on the .

West's failure in Ukraine: Selling out Kyiv would be a shameful betrayal

Fewer American weapons are available for shipment to Kyiv, and the eyes of Western governments are focused overwhelmingly on Israel and Iran

Prez Biden slowly losing Africa; Harris or Trump unlikely to fare better

Whenever the US gets kicked out of a country, moreover, it not only leaves an opening for Russia but also becomes less effective at fighting terrorists in the region

US posts $1.8 trn annual deficit, highest outside of Covid: Treasury data

Treasury officials highlighted that the widening was largely due to accounting for the Biden administration's broad student debt relief plan

Important to sustain resolve in supporting Ukraine: Biden to Western allies

US President Joe Biden said it's important for Ukraine's Western allies to sustain our resolve in supporting the country as he held meetings Friday with European partners, with the upcoming US presidential election casting a long shadow over his visit to Germany. Biden met Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Ukraine's second-biggest military supplier after the US, and was to be joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for discussions that also were to address the conflict in the Middle East. With the election just weeks away and the race extremely tight, there are worries that a victory by Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, could upset the relationships that Biden is hoping to pass on to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. Trump has an appetite for imposing trade tariffs on key US security partners. He has expressed indifference to the security of Ukraine, refusing to say during a presidential debate if he wants the US al

Biden meets with European allies as Trump's new term possibility hangs over

Expected on the agenda of discussions are conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia according to a Biden administration official

Biden to discuss Ukraine with European allies on swansong Berlin trip

Biden, who sought to improve ties with Europe after presidency of Donald Trump, will be greeted with military honors before receiving Germany's highest order of merit from President Frank Steinmeier

India-Canada row: MEA on Bishnoi gang charge; US stings New Delhi. Updates

On Monday, Canadian officials led by Trudeau alleged that Indian diplomats in Canada were engaged in 'serious criminal activity' on their soil

Sinwar's death 'good day' for world, opportunity for hostage deal: Biden

President Joe Biden said Thursday that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli troops is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world, and called it an opportunity" to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas and end the yearlong war in Gaza. Biden, in a statement, compared it to the feeling in the US after the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who was responsible for the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, saying the killing of the mastermind of the Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel proves once again that no terrorists anywhere in the world can escape justice, no matter how long it takes. Biden said he would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to congratulate them and to discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families, and for ending this war once and for all. Biden said with Sinwar's death there is now the opportunity for a day after' in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement .

US Prez Biden cancels another $4.5 bn student debt for over 60k borrowers

Republicans have described student loan forgiveness approach as an overreach of authority and an unfair benefit to college-educated borrowers while others receive no such relief

US launches strikes on underground weapons storage facilities in Yemen

The Pentagon condemned Houthis for their relentless attacks on US and international vessels

US elections: Harris vows to be different than Biden in fiery Fox interview

Vice president said she and Biden had offered legislation to address the immigration system within hours of taking office

Harris will cut her own path as President with fresh perspective: Biden

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said Kamala Harris would cut her own path once she wins the 2024 election, allowing for more daylight between him and his vice president as she works to win over skeptical voters three weeks before Election Day. Kamala will take the country in her own direction, and that's one of the most important differences in this election, he said. Kamala's perspective on our problems will be fresh and new. Donald Trump's perspective old and failed and quite frankly, thoroughly totally dishonest. Biden's comments may give Harris more license to stake out her own political and policy stances in the critical closing phase of the presidential race, and appear to go further to distance the two than Harris has herself. The vice president's aides have privately expressed some frustration that the 81-year-old president has been too focused on his own legacy and not the race to succeed him. But Harris has of late faced increasing pressure to articulate how she'd govern .

Inside Joe Biden's 'war' room: Heads of state and heads of hair

In War, Biden's presidency is defined - at times threatened and, in Woodward's frankly stated opinion, ultimately vindicated - by how he handles Ukraine and West Asia

Florida's resilience grows post-hurricanes, embracing future storms

No sooner had residents of the Bahia Vista Gulf condominium complex dug out and from Hurricane Helene than they were faced with the same daunting cleanup from new damage inflicted by Hurricane Milton. The beachfront units had been gutted, treated and dried out after Hurricane Helene and mounds of sand that had blown in from the beach had been removed. Then, less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton barreled in and undid all the progress. They've got to start the whole process over, cleaning, sanitizing, bringing in drying equipment, getting them all dried and prepped for renovations, lamented Bill O'Connell, a board member at the complex in Venice, about an hour's drive south of Tampa. The second hurricane brought all the sand back on our property. Some longtime Floridians have grown accustomed to the annual cycle of storms that can shatter and upend lives in a state known mostly for its balmy weather, sunshine and beaches. It's the price you pay to live in paradise, O'Connell sa

Hurricane Milton death toll rises to 14 in Florida; power outage hits life

The death toll from Hurricane Milton has risen to at least 14 after another fatality was reported in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa

Joe Biden tells Trump to 'get a life, man,' stop storm misinformation

President Joe Biden on Thursday publicly admonished Donald Trump, telling his predecessor to get a life, man and try to help people impacted by a pair of devastating hurricanes rather than spreading misinformation about the federal response. Speaking at the White House on the government's work to address Hurricanes Milton and Helene, Biden condemned the reckless, irresponsible and relentless disinformation and outright lies that continue to flow." The White House, and Biden personally, have spent days decrying Trump for making false claims about the disaster response, including that federal funding is being diverted for use on people in the country illegally and that such assistance is capped at USD 750. The USD 750 is an immediate need disbursement, Biden explained, to cover urgent requirements like food, diapers and baby formula That USD 750 that they're talking about, Mr. Trump and all those other people know it's a lie to suggest that's all they're going to get, Biden said. "It'

Harris faces urgency to explain how her presidency will differ from Biden's

With less than four weeks until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris is facing new urgency to define how her potential presidency would be different from that of President Joe Biden. Her struggle to present herself both as a candidate of change while demonstrating a loyalty to the politician she serves under was made clear on Tuesday, when she was asked on ABC's The View how she would lead differently than Biden. Harris said, We're obviously two different people and I will bring those sensibilities to how I lead. But when pressed to identify a decision made by Biden that she would have taken another way, she demurred. There is not a thing that comes to mind, she said. She followed up later in the show by saying she would put a Republican in her Cabinet. Two and a half months into her unexpected candidacy, Harris has so far largely relied on her age and biography to signal a break from the 82-year-old Biden and her 78-year-old Republican opponent, former President Donald ...