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      Modi White House visit: Joe Biden says both US and India ‘cherish freedom’ and human rights – as it happened

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      From 3h agoBiden also mentioned press freedom in his opening statement, saying that both countries “cherish freedom and celebrate the democratic values of universal human rights which face challenges around the world and in each of our countries.” “Press freedom, religious freedom, tolerance, diversity…India now is the most populous country in the world… The backbone of our people…and talents and traditions make us strong as nations,” said Biden.“The friendship between our nations is only going to grow as we face a future together,” he added.It is 4pm in Washington DC. Here is a wrap-up of the day’s key events:
      India’s prime minister Narendra Modi was at the White House for his bilateral meeting today with Joe Biden. Modi was met with a series of performances and ceremonies on the White House lawn and the two leaders proceeded to discuss press freedom, trade, technological advancements, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war.
      Former US president Barack Obama has addressed Modi’s visit to the United States in a new interview with CNN, saying, “The protection of Muslim minorities in a majority Hindu India, that’s something worth mentioning.” “I do think it is appropriate for the president of the United States…to challenge, whether behind closed doors or in public, trends that are troubling…” he said.
      New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced in a statement late Wednesday that she will “boycott” a joint address to Congress from Modi. “I will be boycotting Prime Minister Modi’s address to Congress tomorrow, and encourage my colleagues who stand for pluralism, tolerance, and freedom of the press to join me in doing the same,” said Ocasio-Cortez’s statement, shared to Twitter.
      Bernie Sanders has also joined several Democratic lawmakers in their condemnation of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi over his human rights abuse allegations. “Prime Minister Modi’s government has cracked down on the press and civil society, jailed political opponents, and pushed an aggressive Hindu nationalism that leaves little space for India’s religious minorities,” Sanders wrote in a tweet.
      During a press conference with Modi, a reporter asked Biden about comments he made calling China president Xi Jinping a “dictator” and if such remarks complicate progress that the Biden administration has made on maintaining a relationship with China. “The answer to your first question is no,” said Biden.
      Human rights group Amnesty International has publicly criticized Modi’s visit to the White House, calling on the Biden administration to address “grave human rights issues” in the US and India. Amnesty International called out increasing violence against religion minorities in India during Modi’s tenure, as well as “criminalization of dissent”.
      The two individuals who guaranteed bail for New York’s Republican congressman George Santos has ben identified as his father and aunt. The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly reports: “The revelation that Gercino dos Santos Jr and Elma Preven were the people behind Santos’ bail solves a running mystery that had fascinated Washington-watchers and also a wider American public obsessed with the travails of a politician famous for playing fast and loose with the truth.”
      Georgia’s far-right representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has explained why she called Colorado’s equally far-right representative Lauren Boebert “a little b****” yesterday in Congress. “It’s purely for fundraising… It’s throwing out red meat so that people will donate to her campaign because she’s coming up on the end of the month, and she’s trying to produce good fundraising numbers,” Greene told Semafor.
      That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as we wrap up the blog for today. Thank you for following along.You can read our latest full report here:For a quick refresher on all the 16 candidates currently vying for the presidential office, here is our latest guide to all contenders, ranging from Ron DeSantis to Cornel West:Currently, 12 candidates are running for the GOP nomination while 2 Democrats – Robert F Kennedy Jr and Marianne Williamson, are looking to unseat Joe Biden.Meanwhile, progressive activist Cornel West has announced that he is running for office as a member of the People’s party, a third party.Georgia’s far-right representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has explained why she called Colorado’s equally far-right representative Lauren Boebert “a little b****” yesterday in Congress.Speaking to Semafor, Greene explained the verbal altercation between the two lawmakers yesterday which erupted over both their efforts to impeach the president.“I was sitting down, and so I stood up and I said, ‘I’m happy to clarify my public statements to your face… I told her exactly what I think about her,” Greene said, referring to public comments she made yesterday about Boebert whom she said “basically copied my articles” in her own separate privileged resolution (which would bypass House Republican leadership and instead head straight to the floor for voting).
      “It’s purely for fundraising… It’s throwing out red meat so that people will donate to her campaign because she’s coming up on the end of the month, and she’s trying to produce good fundraising numbers,” Greene added.
      Donald Trump’s efforts at obtaining a new trial in the civil case involving writer E. Jean Carroll is “magical thinking,” Carroll’s lawyers said on Thursday.Reuters reports:Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presential nomination, on June 8 asked for a new trial after the jury awarded Carroll $5 million, saying the damages were excessive because the jury did not find she was raped and because the alleged conduct did not cause her a diagnosed mental injury.In court papers filed Thursday in opposition to Trump’s request, Carroll’s lawyers maintained that the attack has harmed her ability to have romantic and sexual relationships, and she has suffered intrusive memories.They pointed to a psychologist’s testimony at trial that Carroll had some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.“Trump’s motion is nothing more than his latest effort to obfuscate the import of the jury’s verdict by engaging in his own particular Trump-branded form of magical thinking,” her lawyers wrote.Trump’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.For the full story, click here:Several progressive lawmakers have released a joint statement to announce they will boycott Modi’s joint address to Congress.Missouri representative Cori Bush; Michigan representative Rashida Tlaib; Minnesota represetatiev Ilhan Omar; and New York representative Jamaal Bowman shared the statement on Thursday.They will be joining other legislators, including New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who are not attending Modi’s address in light of human right abuses in India.Read the joint statement below:
      When it comes to standing up for human rights, actions speak louder than words. By bestowing Prime Minister Modi with the rare honor of a joint address, Congress undermines its ability to be a credible advocate for the rights of religious minorities and journalists around the world.
      Modi has a notorious and extensive record of human rights abuses. He was complicit in the 2002 Gujarat riots that killed over 1,000 people, leading to the revocation of his U.S. visa. His government has openly targeted Muslims and other religious minorities, enabled Hindu nationalist violence, undermined democracy, targeted journalists and dissidents, and suppressed criticism using authoritarian tactics like Internet shutdowns and censorship.
      It is shameful to honor these abuses by allowing Modi to address a joint session of Congress. We refuse to participate in it and will be boycotting the joint address. We stand in solidarity with the communities that have been harmed by Modi and his policies. We must never sacrifice human rights at the altar of political expediency and we urge all Members of Congress who profess to stand for freedom and democracy to join us in boycotting this embarrassing spectacle.
      The two individuals who guaranteed bail for New York’s Republican congressman George Santos has ben identified as his father and aunt.The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly reports:The revelation that Gercino dos Santos Jr and Elma Preven were the people behind Santos’ bail solves a running mystery that had fascinated Washington-watchers and also a wider American public obsessed with the travails of a politician famous for playing fast and loose with the truth.Santos had tried to stop the legal process of them being named, arguing disclosure could threaten the guarantors’ safety amid a “media frenzy” and “hateful attacks”.Santos’s lawyer had also said that his client would rather go to jail himself than have his guarantors unmasked. But Santos seemed to have backed off that wish by not asking to change the conditions of his bail after a federal judge in New York dismissed his appeal to keep the names sealed.Media organisations and the House ethics committee had asked that the names be revealed.Santos, 34, won election in New York last year, in a district covering parts of Long Island and Queens. He has been dogged by controversy and calls to resign. His résumé has been shown to be largely made-up and past behavior – sometimes allegedly criminal, other times bizarrely picaresque – widely reported.Santos has admitted to embellishing his résumé but denies wrongdoing. In court in May, he pleaded not guilty to all charges.For the full story, click here:Biden and Modi have wrapped up their joint press conference, where they discussed a range of issues including climate change and democracy.Here is an update from Mary Yang for the Guardian with updates on what the two world leaders discussed.Another reporter asked Biden about criticisms that the US is not implementing solutions to climate change or transferring technologies to developing nations that would address warming.Both countries have agreed to work on tackling climate change as apart of the G20 forum.Here is an explainer on progress made during the last summit in November 2022.A reporter asked Biden about comments he made calling China president Xi Jinping a “dictator” and if such remarks complicate progress that the Biden administration has made on maintaining a relationship with China.“The answer to your first question is no,” said Biden, adding that he expects to be meeting with Jinping soon and that State Secretary Antony Blinken had a productive trip to the country recently.Biden was also asked about criticisms he faces about overlooking human rights violations in India, including the targeting of religious minorities and dissent.Biden added: “The prime minister and I had a good discussion about democratic values. That’s the nature of our relationship, we’re straight forward with each other and we respect each other.”Biden noted that both India and US are democracies, compared to China.Biden also mentioned press freedom in his opening statement, saying that both countries “cherish freedom and celebrate the democratic values of universal human rights which face challenges around the world and in each of our countries.” “Press freedom, religious freedom, tolerance, diversity…India now is the most populous country in the world… The backbone of our people…and talents and traditions make us strong as nations,” said Biden.“The friendship between our nations is only going to grow as we face a future together,” he added.In Joe Biden’s opening statement, the president talked about a series of topics discussed with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, including technological advancements such as semi-conductor supply chains, telecommunication networks, and growing major defense partnerships with further joint exercises.Biden also talked about the expansion of educational opportunities for Indian students and to build “on the record of 125,000 student visas for Indians to study in the United States.”The Ukraine-Russia was was also discussed, with Biden saying, “We talked about our shared efforts to mitigate humanitarian tragedies unleashed by Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine and to defend core principles of the UN charter.”Joe Biden and Narendra Modi have started their press conference.Former US president Barack Obama has addressed Modi’s visit to the United States in a new interview with CNN, saying, “The protection of Muslim minorities in a majority Hindu India, that’s something worth mentioning.”Speaking to CNN host Christiane Amanpour, Obama said:“I do think it is appropriate for the president of the United States…to challenge, whether behind closed doors or in public, trends that are troubling…If the president meets with prime minister Modi, then the protection of Muslim minorities in a majority Hindu India, that’s something worth mentioning… If I had a conversation with prime minister Modi…part of my argument would be if you don’t protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, there’s a strong possibility India starts pulling apart.”As we wait for the press conference with Biden and Modi, here is the Committee to Protect Journalists’ statement urging India to stop its media crackdowns and to release detained journalists.
      “Press freedom is under attack in India,” said CPJ, adding, “India is the world’s largest democracy, yet it is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for the media…
      Leaders around the world who value democracy must urger those in power in India to stop the threats against journalists there. Democracy depends on a free press.”
      CPJ’s president Jodie Ginsberg also issued a statement, saying, “Since Modi assumed power in 2014, there has been an increasing crackdown on India’s media…
      India is the world’s largest democracy and it needs to live up to that by ensuring a free and independent media – and we expect the United States to make this a core element of discussions.”
      US president Joe Biden and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi are scheduled to host a press conference soon.We will be bringing you the latest updates. More

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      Modi’s US visit prompts condemnation and protest from Muslim leaders

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      Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US has prompted condemnation and protest from Muslim leaders, lawmakers and other allies.US house representatives Rashida Tlaib, Representative Ilhan Omar, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush and Kweisi Mfume are among those who have said they will boycott the Indian prime minister’s address to Congress on Thursday in light of the violence and repression of the media and religious minorities like Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Dalits carried out under his rightwing nationalist government.“Modi has a notorious and extensive record of human rights abuses,” Tlaib, Bush, Omar and Jamaal Bowman said in a statement. “He was complicit in the 2002 Gujarat riots that killed over 1,000 people, leading to the revocation of his US visa. His government has openly targeted Muslims and other religious minorities, enabled Hindu nationalist violence, undermined democracy, targeted journalists and dissidents, and suppressed criticism using authoritarian tactics like internet shutdowns and censorship.“It is shameful to honor these abuses by allowing Modi to address a joint session of Congress. We refuse to participate in it and will be boycotting the joint address. We stand in solidarity with the communities that have been harmed by Modi and his policies. We must never sacrifice human rights at the altar of political expediency and we urge all members of Congress who profess to stand for freedom and democracy to join us in boycotting this embarrassing spectacle.”In a statement, the Center on Islamic Relations (Cair), the US’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, also said it “welcomes pledges by members of Congress to boycott Thursday’s joint meeting of Congress honoring India’s far-right, anti-Muslim Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.Cair’s research and advocacy director, Corey Saylor, said: “Leaders do the right thing in the face of pressure to comply with bad ethics. Boycotting any event honoring Prime Minister Modi centers our value of religious freedom over cynical politics. We applaud these elected officials and urge others to join their leadership.”Saylor added: “The honor of a state dinner and joint meeting of Congress signals to Modi that no one will interfere in his repression of Indian religious minorities and journalists.”Modi was once denied a visa to visit the US by the state department in 2005 because of his violent persecution of minority faiths in Gujarat, where he served as chief minister.More recently, anti-Muslim policy and violence in India and in Indian communities abroad have ramped up under Modi.In 2019, citing militancy in the region, Modi stripped Kashmir – India’s only Muslim-majority state – of its constitutional autonomy in what was seen as an effort to make India a Hindu-first nation, eroding the pluralistic and secular reputation for which the country was once known.That same year, the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed, amending the country’s citizenship law so that naturalization could be expedited for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, but not Muslims. As a result, violent clashes broke out in 2020 in the capital city of New Delhi. About 50 people were killed, most of whom were Muslim.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionModi’s government has also been accused by rights groups of turning a blind eye to the violence committed against Muslim cow farmers by rightwing Hindutva vigilantes with the aim of protecting cows, a holy animal in Hinduism.Tlaib, who is one of only three Muslim members serving in the House, said: “It’s shameful that Modi has been given a platform at our nation’s capital – his long history of human rights abuses, anti-democratic actions, targeting Muslims & religious minorities, and censoring journalists is unacceptable. I will be boycotting Modi’s joint address to Congress.”A letter was also signed by 75 Democrats, detailing the human rights violations under Modi and urging Biden to “discuss the full range of issues important to a successful, strong, and long-term relationship between our two great countries”.Modi’s visit to the US is seen as an attempt by both countries to forge closer ties so the south Asian country can stop relying on Russia for military arms as it continues to wage war against Ukraine.It is also speculated that Modi is using this US visit to repair his image after receiving several global “flawed democracy” ratings. More

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      The right believes the FBI is obsessed with jailing Trump. The opposite is true | Andrew Gawthorpe

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      Donald Trump’s indictment earlier this month on 37 counts related to mishandling classified information set off a firestorm on the political right. Conservatives accused Joe Biden of using the justice system to prosecute his main political rival and attempting to “steal” the 2024 election. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, promised to “hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable”. In short, the right wants us to believe that Biden and his administration will stop at nothing to put Trump in jail as quickly as possible.In fact, the exact opposite is true. Worried about just this type of accusation, the justice department under Merrick Garland and the FBI have approached their investigations of Trump much too cautiously. Far from being persecuted because of who he is, Trump’s status as a former president and as the unofficial leader of the Republican party have led to him being handled with vastly more deference than anyone else would be. The result has been a series of delays and missteps which may allow Trump to escape accountability once again.It is now nearly 18 months since the government first recovered classified material from Mar-a-Lago in early 2022. Although the justice department concluded shortly afterwards that Trump likely possessed further sensitive material, it took seven months for Mar-a-Lago to be searched, in part because the FBI feared that the move would open the agency to accusations of partisanship. Trump was then only indicted nearly a year later. After his initial arraignment he remains a free man, released without having to post bail – despite credible concerns he may still have additional classified material in his possession.Compare that timeline to the events surrounding the arrest of intelligence contractor Reality Winner, who in 2017 received a five-year prison sentence for leaking one document to the news website the Intercept. The document Winner leaked was written on 5 May 2017 and she was arrested on 3 June, days before the Intercept even had a chance to publish its article about her leak. She was indicted on 8 June and jailed pending her trial. Winner later pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act – precisely the law that it seemed clear Trump had flouted for over a year before he was indicted.Trump has likewise been slow to face consequences in the federal investigation into his actions leading up to the insurrection at the US Capitol. According to a new report by the Washington Post, the justice department and FBI delayed launching a probe into Trump’s push to overturn the 2020 election for 15 months, again because of fears that they would be criticized for partisanship. The agencies instead pursued cases against rank-and-file insurrectionists, ignoring the existence of evidence implicating Trump and his inner circle until media and political pressure forced them to begin taking it seriously.These delays matter because they make it possible – even likely – that Trump will never truly face accountability for his actions. Trump’s trial in the documents case is unlikely to be held before the 2024 presidential election and the same is true for any possible charges in the January 6 case. If Trump wins the election and becomes president again – as current polls suggest he will – then he will have multiple tools at his disposal to derail the trials or even pardon himself. Justice delayed will be justice denied.Efforts by the justice department and other agencies to appear non-partisan have been well-intended but outdated. The modern conservative movement will give the Biden administration and the law enforcement agencies little credit for proceeding so slowly and deliberately. Instead, the justice system’s extreme deference to conservative complaints will only encourage the Maga movement to double down. If federal law enforcement can be so easily scared away from enforcing the law without fear or favor, we can expect more hysteria and finger-pointing – even threats of violence – to follow in the future.These events also set a catastrophic precedent. The sitting president’s immunity from prosecution and the political barriers to impeachment leave criminal proceedings after a president leaves office as the last available means of imposing accountability. If law enforcement agencies are too scared to investigate prominent politicians promptly and effectively, even that opportunity will vanish and presidents will be left with virtually no checks on their behavior.But worst of all is the fact that if Trump gets off the hook and re-enters office, the independence and integrity of the justice department and FBI are likely to be destroyed anyway. He has made it clear that he would seek to weaponize law enforcement agencies against his political opponents, including by forcing the justice department to follow his personal and political vendettas.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionTrump himself represents a unique threat to the rule of law and the independence of American law enforcement, one which must be confronted with appropriate but aggressive tools. Sadly, thanks to years of misplaced appeasement, it might already be too late.
      Andrew Gawthorpe is a historian of the United States at Leiden University. He hosts a podcast called America Explained and writes a newsletter of the same name More

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      Americans are hungry to be part of unions. So why is US labor so timid? | Hamilton Nolan

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      At a splashy event in Philadelphia last weekend, the AFL-CIO, America’s largest union coalition, announced its endorsement of Joe Biden for president in 2024. You may notice that the election is still 17 months away. This was the earliest endorsement in the AFL-CIO’s history, amounting to an all-in bet by organized labor that the interests of the Democratic president are identical to its own. The problem with this is not so much that labor might have decided to endorse a Republican – whoever that party’s candidate is, they are sure to despise the concept of working-class empowerment – but rather the fact that the endorsement is an implicit acceptance of the status quo.These union leaders believe that the Biden White House as currently constituted is the best they can hope to get. Indeed, they are overjoyed by what they have gotten already. It is this lack of ambition that is the labor movement’s biggest flaw. They have been beaten down for so long that they have lost their ability to believe that the world they deserve will ever be real. This is a sort of trauma, induced by a decades-long decline in union power. By settling for what they have, unfortunately, they have forsaken their leverage to ask for more.At his speech accepting the endorsement, Biden declared himself “the most pro-union president in American history”. That may be a bit much – a few generations ago, even Republican presidents supported unions, so the standards were much higher – but it is certainly true that Biden is the most pro-union president of the past half century.He signed a $36bn bill to save union pensions; his Covid relief and infrastructure bills were boons to union workers; his nominee for NLRB general counsel has been tirelessly pushing invaluable labor law reforms; and he has, to a degree not seen before in my lifetime, used his bully pulpit to speak out in favor of union drives, in ways that Clinton or Obama never would have. The AFL-CIO feels that its voice is being listened to in the White House more than they can ever recall.On the other hand, the single biggest labor issue of Biden’s first term was the potential national rail strike, which he dealt with by crushing the workers’ right to strike and imposing a contract on them that they didn’t want. But hey, what’s the occasional knife in the back between friends?Seventy-one percent of Americans say they approve of labor unions. Only 40% of Americans say they approve of Joe Biden. Unions are more popular than the president, by a long mile. In fact, the popularity of organized labor is at a 60-year high. This is due not to the AFL-CIO, nor to the White House, but to a realization that swept working people across the nation as the Covid pandemic paralyzed society: your job does not care if you live or die. Your boss will not save you from disaster. There is no safety net, except for unions. That’s it.The wave of interest in labor organizing that has swept through coffee shops, warehouses and college campuses is fueled by a widening, bone-deep understanding that solidarity is the only shield against capitalism’s scorching rays. I can attest, from years spent traveling America as a labor reporter, that this grassroots enthusiasm is real. It is the job of the labor movement’s institutions to turn that enthusiasm into the maximum possible gain. That’s where the malfunction is. We have an army ready to fight the class war led by generals who have been trained to assume that it is unwinnable.Unions do not have to endorse the Biden agenda. Unions can set the agenda. Now is not the time to settle. Now is the time to demand. The labor market is strong, the appetite for unions is high and the discontent with inequality is everywhere. This is a time to push the president, not bow and scrape and thank him for what he has done. Working people are begging to become a part of a strong labor movement.If the AFL-CIO and its unions could find within themselves the ambition to take advantage of current conditions to organize 10 or 20 million new union members, they could quite literally reverse the post-Reagan inequality crisis. Labor’s early endorsement of Biden is meant to enable unions to start mobilizing their political operation now – but that mobilization is also their leverage. They could demand that Biden commit to federal funding for union organizing and to abolishing the filibuster so that the labor law reforms of the PRO Act might actually have a chance to pass, rather than just serving as a campaign slogan. In short, they could make the building of the labor movement itself their central political demand.Biden will be out of power in a few years, but a labor movement with 10 million new union members would transform the entire American political landscape for decades to come.Instead of taking this tack, the AFL-CIO has committed to organize only a paltry 100,000 new union members a year (which would ensure the continuing decline of union density) and handed its support to Biden in exchange for the gifts he has already given. It is not a strategy that will ever be mistaken for a master class in boldly seizing the initiative.History’s greatest labor leaders have not been conservative pragmatists in search of marginal gain. They have been people whose outrage over the injustices of the present fueled them to accomplish things that others dismissed as unrealistic. Too much time spent inside of existing institutions seems to extinguish this spirit. The next generation of working-class heroes is out in the world right now – working. It will be up to them to force the labor movement to thrive in spite of itself, long after the “most pro-union president in history” is gone.
      Hamilton Nolan is a labor journalist based in New York More

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      ‘Political provocation’: China hits back as Biden calls Xi ‘dictator’

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      China’s foreign ministry has accused the US president of “political provocation” after Joe Biden called Xi Jinping a “dictator”.The comments “seriously violated China’s political dignity”, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday.Biden made the remarks a day after the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, met Xi on a trip to China that was aimed at easing tensions between the two countries. He also said Xi was embarrassed when a Chinese balloon was blown off course over the US earlier this year. “The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it was he didn’t know it was there,” Biden said at a fundraiser in California on Tuesday.“That’s a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn’t know what happened. That wasn’t supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course,” Biden added.A suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over US airspace in February. That incident and exchanges of visits by US and Taiwanese officials have recently magnified US-China tensions.In March, Xi secured a precedent-breaking third term as president, making him China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.Biden also said that China “has real economic difficulties”.China’s economy stumbled in May with industrial output and retail sales growth missing forecasts, adding to expectations that Beijing will need to do more to shore up a shaky post-pandemic recovery.The World Bank earlier this month forecast US growth for 2023 at 1.1%, more than double the 0.5% forecast in January, while China’s growth is expected to climb to 5.6%, compared with a 4.3% forecast in January.Blinken and Xi agreed in their Monday meeting to stabilise the intense rivalry between Washington and Beijing so it did not veer into conflict, but failed to produce any breakthrough during a rare visit to China by the secretary of state.They did agree to continue diplomatic engagement with further visits by US officials in the coming weeks and months. Biden said later on Tuesday that the US climate envoy, John Kerry, may go to China soon.Biden said on Monday he thought relations between the two countries were on the right path, and he indicated that progress was made during Blinken’s trip.Biden said on Tuesday that Xi had been concerned by the so-called Quad strategic security group, which includes Japan, Australia, India and the US. The US president said he previously told Xi the US was not trying to encircle China with the Quad.“He called me and told me not to do that because it was putting him in a bind,” Biden said.Later this week, Biden will meet the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, and China is expected to be a topic of discussion between the two leaders.Reuters contributed to this report More

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      What to know about the Hunter Biden investigation and what it means

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      Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, will plead guilty to two counts of misdemeanor tax crimes and accept a deal with prosecutors related to a separate illegal firearm possession charge. The charges and plea deal, which authorities announced in a court filing on Tuesday, will end a five-year criminal investigation into Biden.The case has already resulted in a political uproar as Republicans, fresh off Donald Trump’s second criminal indictment, express outrage over the plea deal and appear eager to redirect public attention to Hunter Biden. The agreement between 53-year-old Biden and authorities will likely mean he avoids any jail time, as well as set up a frequent talking point for the 2024 presidential election.Here is a breakdown of the charges against Hunter Biden:What is the Hunter Biden investigation?The justice department has been looking into Hunter Biden’s personal and business dealings for years, launching an investigation into him as far back as 2018. Hunter Biden issued a statement in 2020 acknowledging that the US attorney’s office in Delaware informed his legal counsel that investigators were looking into his tax affairs, while stating he was confident he handled his affairs “legally and appropriately”.The investigation, which was led by Trump-appointed US attorney for Delaware David Weiss, looked into a range of Biden’s activities that included his role in foreign businesses – such as his seat on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma, a frequent source of rightwing criticism. Investigators interviewed witnesses and looked through financial documents, with the probe looming in the background for years.Ultimately the investigation narrowed down to two main issues: Biden’s failure to pay income taxes on time and a charge related to lying on a firearm application form. Prosecutors charged Biden on 20 June, while simultaneously announcing that he would enter a plea deal that will likely not result in jail time.What are the tax charges against Hunter Biden?Biden pleaded guilty to two counts of wilful failure to pay federal income tax. The two misdemeanor charges relate to Biden failing to pay taxes for the years 2017 and 2018, according to a statement from Weiss’s office, despite owing more than $100,000 each year. (He paid these back taxes in 2021, following the opening of the investigation.)What is the gun charge against Hunter Biden?Investigators also charged Biden with one count of illegally possessing a firearm, stating that he violated a law that prohibits people who use or are addicted to controlled substances from owning a gun. Biden has publicly detailed his struggles with substance abuse, including alcohol and crack cocaine, while explicit photos of him on drugs have circulated for years. He stated on a handgun application in 2018 that he was not using drugs, according to the New York Times, which prosecutors allege was a lie.Biden will not plead guilty to the firearm charge, but instead will enter into a Pretrial Diversion Agreement that typically means an individual avoids prosecution if they meet certain conditions.What are the political implications of the Hunter Biden charges?The charges against Hunter Biden, and the plea deal will mean he likely avoids any jail time, have immediately riled up Republicans who have long made unsubstantiated accusations that the president’s son is part of an international criminal conspiracy. Almost immediately after the charges were announced, numerous Republican lawmakers and rightwing commentators criticized the justice department for not seeking harsher punishment for Biden.Former president Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social network that the plea deal was the work of the “corrupt Biden DOJ” and was a “traffic ticket”. The House Oversight Committee chairman, James Comer, who is leading Republican lawmakers’ separate inquiry into Hunter Biden, alleged: “Biden is getting away with a slap on the wrist” and vowed to continue his committee’s investigation. Ohio Republican congressman Jim Jordan simply tweeted: “DOUBLE STANDARD OF JUSTICE.”Republicans have long attempted to use Hunter Biden as a counterpoint to the various criminal investigations facing Trump, claiming that the Biden administration is somehow covering up the president’s son’s crimes or engaging in corruption. The charges against Hunter Biden also notably come one week after Trump was arraigned in a Florida courthouse after facing a 37-count indictment related to his handling of classified documents. Unlike Biden, who has never held public office and faced misdemeanor charges, the more serious felony counts against Trump could carry significant jail time and complicate his 2024 presidential election campaign.How has the president responded to his son’s plea deal?Meanwhile, the White House on Tuesday issued a brief statement through a spokesperson on the charges against Biden. “The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment,” the statement said. The Biden administration has been preparing for possible charges against the president’s son for months, as Republicans appear intent to once again make Hunter Biden a focal point during the election. More

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      Joe Biden rallies with union workers in Philadelphia: ‘You built America’

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      At his first political rally since announcing his re-election campaign for president in April, Joe Biden told a crowd of labor union supporters: “Wall Street didn’t build America – you did.”“If the investment bankers of this country went on strike tomorrow, no one would notice,” Biden said on Saturday during a speech which alluded to his blue-collar childhood roots in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Renewing his longstanding vocal support for labor unions, he continued: “If this room didn’t show up to work tomorrow, the whole country would come to a grinding halt, so tell me – who matters more in America?”Saturday’s rally was hosted by the AFL-CIO, a federation of 60 labor unions representing 12.5 million workers in the US, which has endorsed Biden and the vice-president, Kamala Harris, for re-election in 2024.Other unions that have endorsed Biden ahead of his rally included the American Federation of Teachers as well as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.“President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris are the most pro-labor, pro-public education leaders our country has seen in modern history,” the teachers federation president, Randi Weingarten, said.She added: “Joe and Kamala understand in their souls the challenges families face, and how important it is to their dignity to earn a decent living and have a shot at owning a home, or securing a retirement, or affording college. They know union membership can be transformative.”Lee Saunders, the state, county and municipal employees federation president, echoed similar sentiments, saying: “Joe Biden is the most pro-worker president of our lifetime. He respects and protects working people – especially front-line public service workers – and the essential work they do.”Saunders added, “Joe doesn’t just thank us for keeping our communities running; he prioritizes our issues and defends our freedoms – the freedom to organize, to earn a living wage, to build thriving communities and to have a seat at the table. And he will help us solve the staffing crisis that is pushing millions of public service workers to their breaking point.”Biden began the rally by mentioning that his wife, Jill Biden, belongs to the National Education Association union and that she is from the Philadelphia-area community of Hammonton, New Jersey.“There are a lot of politicians in this country who can’t say the word ‘union’,” Biden said. But on Saturday he declared himself the most pro-union president in history.Biden cited the jobs recovery under his administration and affirmed an end to trickle-down economics during his presidency.“All it had done was hollow out the middle class, blow up the deficit, ship jobs overseas, strip the dignity and pride and hope out of community one after another all across America has factories shut down,” Biden asserted.He continued by outlining his efforts to oppose Republican legislative policies such as social security cuts and what he called unfair tax codes and loopholes utilized by the largest corporation and the wealthy, including tax rates for billionaires that are low when compared to those levied on other workers.“Just pay your fair share man,” Biden quipped. “It’s about time the super wealthy start paying their fair share.”He concluded his appearance at the rally by enlisting the support of union members in his re-election campaign to fight against Republican efforts to reinstate tax cuts for the wealthy.“They’re coming for your jobs – they’re coming for your future,” he warned. “It’s time for everyone, no matter how rich or powerful they are, to start paying their fair share, you’ve carried this country on your back long enough, it’s time for millionaires and billionaires and big corporations to pay their fair share. I can get that done, but I need you badly.”Biden’s address Saturday echoed September 2021 remarks in which he said: “I intend to be the most pro-union president leading the most pro-union administration in American history.”During his victorious 2020 presidential run, he had also said: “I’m a union man. Period.”In February, the Biden administration announced a new plan to encourage further union membership across the country. The plan includes 70 recommendations that would make it easier for federal employees to join unions and remove barriers for union organizers to talk with workers on federal property.Biden’s itinerary on Saturday included taking an aerial tour of the interstate 95 bridge collapse during the previous weekend in Philadelphia, according to reports. An elevated section of the bridge collapsed on 11 June after a vehicle caught on fire, prompting transportation officials to warn of extensive delays and street closures. More

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      Biden’s inner circle: who’s who in the president’s 2024 bid for re-election?

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      Joe Biden, who early into his presidency said he intended to seek a second term, formally announced he was running for re-election in April, exactly four years after he entered the 2020 presidential race.The president has swiftly assembled a mix of trusted advisers on a campaign team that paints a picture of his 2024 strategy, which includes engaging Latino communities and touting his first-term achievements.Here’s a look at the key players in Biden’s inner circle.Top campaign namesJulie Chávez Rodríguez, campaign managerBiden picked Chávez Rodríguez, a senior adviser and assistant to the president, to steer his re-election campaign. Chávez Rodríguez was a deputy campaign manager on the Biden-Harris ticket and oversaw the campaign’s outreach to Latino voters. She is the granddaughter of the late labor leader Cesar Chavez, who founded the powerful United Farm Workers of America union, and attended labor rallies at a young age.She also served as state director for the then California senator Kamala Harris and held senior roles on Harris’s 2020 presidential campaign. She became the highest-ranking Latina in the Biden-Harris administration as director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. She served in a number of roles under former president Barack Obama, including as a director of domestic policy.Quentin Fulks, deputy campaign managerFulks, who served as campaign chief for the Georgia senator Raphael Warnock’s re-election bid in 2022, joined Biden’s 2024 team as principal deputy campaign manager. He also helped run JB Pritzker’s 2018 campaign for governor of Illinois and then served as a senior adviser.Fulks, who is Black, said in an interview with the Associated Press that growing up in a majority white town in rural Georgia helped him understand what Democrats needed to win votes in conservative-majority states, speaking of Warnock’s successful re-election bid.Kevin Muñoz, pressMuñoz, a former White House spokesperson who oversaw its messaging on the Covid-19 pandemic, is helping manage the press office on Biden’s re-election campaign as it makes key hires months after formally taking shape. He previously served as a campaign spokesperson for Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, leading efforts in Nevada and Florida, according to LinkedIn.Chávez Rodríguez told CNN in March that Muñoz, who frequently made appearances speaking Spanish, is someone who can “figure out how to best identify the issues and communicate those in English and in Spanish”.Jill BidenThe first lady, Jill Biden, encouraged her husband to seek a second term. According to the president’s senior advisers, he will often consider her opinion before making final decisions on official matters. She is also expected to play a large role on the campaign trail as Biden faces backlash for his family. A career educator, she offers a perspective over GOP fights about book bans and other policies in schools, and has served as a connection to suburban voters, particularly women.“She is really effective in talking about how the Biden agenda is good for moms, for women, for working women,” Kate Bedingfield, a former White House communications director and 2020 deputy campaign manager, told Politico.Kamala HarrisVice-President Kamala Harris will play a significant role in Biden’s re-election campaign as his running mate. At 58, Harris is decades younger than Biden, 80, whose age has been a concern among some voters, and could face more scrutiny on the campaign trail as the person second in line for the presidency.Harris, who defended abortion following the supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, is also expected to help shore up support over reproductive rights, a top issue among voters. Harris is the highest-ranking woman in the current administration and the first person of Black and Asian descent to hold the vice-presidency. She was previously attorney general of California and was later elected senator.Trusted White House officials who steered Biden’s 2020 campaignJen O’Malley DillonO’Malley Dillon was the campaign manager for Biden’s 2020 presidential bid. She joined the campaign in March 2020 from her post as campaign chief for Beto O’Rourke after he withdrew from the race and led a historic effort to win voters amid the pandemic shutdown.She joined the Biden-Harris administration as deputy chief of staff, along with a slate of top 2020 campaign advisers, including Chávez Rodríguez, who is leading Biden’s re-election bid.Jeff Zientsskip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionZients, who has been Biden’s chief of staff since January, served as co-chair of the transition in 2020. Zients, whom Biden picked to oversee the White House Covid-19 response, served a number of roles during the Obama administration, including as director of the national economic council.Earlier this year, Axios reported that Zients called members of Biden’s cabinet to tell them if they wanted to resign, they should do it now, because the cabinet would play a key role in touting the president’s first-term achievements on the 2024 trail.Anita DunnThe veteran campaign strategist Anita Dunn, one of Biden’s closest advisers, had begun planning for his campaign before he officially filed for re-election. Dunn is leading Biden’s 2024 messaging from the White House, where she serves as a senior adviser, but is working closely with the president’s re-election team, according to CNN.Dunn previously served as White House communications director under Barack Obama and is credited with crafting media strategies across several campaigns. She was a senior adviser on Biden’s 2020 campaign and worked at the White House temporarily to help craft the president’s agenda before returning to her political consulting firm, SKDK. She rejoined the Biden administration last April ahead of the 2022 midterms.Mike DonilonAs chief strategist of Biden’s 2020 campaign, Donilon helped shape the message that guided Biden to victory over Donald Trump. Donilon, now a senior adviser to the president, has worked with Biden since the 1980s and served in the Clinton and Obama administrations.Donilon has worked on six presidential campaigns and helped secure dozens of Democratic gubernatorial and congressional victories.Steve RicchettiRicchetti, counselor to the president, is one of Biden’s most loyal advisers, having joined his vice-presidential staff in 2012. He was Biden’s campaign chair in 2020 and previously encouraged him to run in 2016. Ricchetti, a former congressional lobbyist, has held numerous roles in the Obama and Clinton administrations.Ricchetti was one of the White House officials picked to lead the negotiations over the debt ceiling with the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, and shepherded the trillion-dollar bipartisan infrastructure deal past last-minute disagreements. He also helped Biden negotiate a lucrative book deal and tour, according to the New York Times.Bruce ReedReed, who advised Biden on technology policy during his 2020 campaign, is a White House deputy chief of staff and is expected to remain in his administration role while advising the president on his re-election bid.He also served as chief of staff to Biden when he was vice-president, from 2011 to 2013, succeeding Ron Klain. He served as a deputy campaign manager for Bill Clinton and later worked in his administration as director of the domestic policy council.Other key namesValerie Biden OwensBiden’s younger sister, Valerie Biden Owens, has played a key role throughout the president’s political career, serving as a senior adviser to his 2020 campaign. She managed Biden’s seven consecutive runs for the US Senate, as well as his first presidential campaign in 1988.Ron KlainKlain, who stepped down from his role as White House chief of staff earlier this year, is one of Biden’s most trusted advisers and worked as a top aide on his 2020 campaign. He previously served as chief of staff to Biden when he was vice-president, a job he also held during the Clinton administration, to Al Gore. Before Biden officially announced he was running for re-election, Klain said Biden had the best shot among Democrats at beating Donald Trump. More