Jimmy Williams The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, made it clear on Sunday that the U.S. won’t back Israel’s military action in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, unless there’s a solid plan to protect civilians. In an interview on “Face the Nation,” Blinken stated, “From day one, President …
Read More »China Says Washington and Beijing Must Reverse ‘Downward Spiral’ as Blinken Visits
Jake Johnson, Common Dreams U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with leading Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping, in Beijing on Monday in what was portrayed by both sides as an effort to ease increasingly dangerous tensions between the two nuclear-armed powers. Blinken met with Xi for roughly 35 …
Read More »Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Accuses Russia Of ‘Genocide’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russian forces of committing “genocide” near the capital, Kyiv. Russia denied the allegations. What are believed to be the bodies of civilians were found when reporters from Reuters and other journalists entered the town of Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, after Russian forces withdrew. “This …
Read More »United States Returns To UN Human Rights Council
The United States on Thursday rejoined the UN Human Rights Council, following its withdrawal in June 2018. In a vote at the UN General Assembly, the United States was elected along with 17 other countries for a three-year term beginning on Jan. 1, 2022. Former President Donald Trump withdrew from …
Read More »Blinken defends Afghanistan withdrawal in congressional hearing
Senators on Tuesday grilled Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan which Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J. called “fatally flawed.” Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, pledged to hold the Biden administration accountable for the U.S. exit from Afghanistan as Blinken testified before Congress for the …
Read More »America’s 20 Year War In Afghanistan Comes To An End
The US military has completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan to end a 20-year war, America’s longest. It started in 2001 with the Taliban in power and ending in 2021 the same way, despite billions of dollars spent trying to prop up and rebuild the country’s military and government. The withdrawal …
Read More »U.S., NATO, and E.U. Say China Is Responsible For Cyber Attack
The United States government is blaming China for a cyber attack against Microsoft. The U.S., the National Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the European Union (E.U.) are accusing China’s Ministry of State Security of using “criminal contract hackers” to disrupt activities around the world and to make money. “This irresponsible …
Read More »Pres. Biden To Meet With Russian President Putin In Geneva Next Month
President Joe Biden will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland, in about three weeks, the White House confirmed Tuesday. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the meeting would occur on June 16. The two leaders will discuss “the full range of pressing issues, as we seek …
Read More »President Biden Raises U.S. Refugee Cap to 62.5K for 2021
In a policy reversal Monday, President Joe Biden announced his administration will raise the refugee admissions cap to its previously announced goals of 62,500 for the fiscal year 2021 and 125,000 in 2022. Biden announced the decision after receiving widespread criticism over a move last month to leave the 2021 refugee …
Read More »The United States Officially Rejoins the Paris Agreement
The United States officially rejoined the landmark international accord to limit global warming known as the Paris Agreement on Friday. On January 20, on his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order beginning the 30-day process to bring the United States back into the Agreement. The …
Read More »Cabinet Profiles: Antony Blinken: Secretary of State
The first hearings for President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominations begin today. We will hear testimony from his picks to lead all of his cabinet positions over the next several weeks. We will profile the nominees in advance of their hearings so our readers will have some background information as the …
Read More »