Category: Executive Branch

Biden Declares State of Emergency in Vermont as Floods Sweep Northeast

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Vermont on Tuesday after heavy rain drenched parts of the Northeast, triggering evacuations and causing tens of millions of dollars in damage. Mr. Biden, currently at the annual NATO summit in Lithuania, has ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help coordinate disaster relief efforts…


Zelenskyy Calls NATO’s Decision Not to Provide Timeline for Membership ‘Unprecedented and Absurd’

VILNIUS, Lithuania—NATO members on Tuesday issued a statement expressing their support for Ukraine’s membership but failing to provide a timeline for when this may occur. “Ukraine’s future is in NATO,” the Vilnius Summit Communique (pdf) read. The high-stakes summit in Vilnius, set for July 11–12, brings together leaders from the alliance’s 31 member countries to…


NATO Says Ukraine May Join Alliance When ‘Conditions Are Met’

VILNIUS, Lithuania—NATO members on Tuesday issued a statement expressing their support for Ukraine’s membership but failing to provide a timeline for when this may occur. “Ukraine’s future is in NATO,” the Vilnius Summit Communique (pdf) read. The high-stakes summit in Vilnius, set for July 11–12, brings together leaders from the alliance’s 31 member countries to…


Biden to Move Forward With Sale of F-16 Jets to Turkey After Erdogan Greenlights Sweden’s NATO Bid

The United States will move forward with its plan to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, the White House said on July 11, shortly after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan withdrew his objection to Sweden joining NATO. “President [Joe] Biden has been clear and unequivocal for months that he supported the transfer of F-16s to Turkey,” U.S….


Biden Hopes for ‘United’ Alliance as Crucial NATO Summit Begins in Lithuania

VILNIUS, Lithuania—U.S. President Joe Biden begins his meetings with world leaders on Tuesday at a “consequential” North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. “This is a historic moment,” Biden told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a meeting. “We’re looking for a continued united NATO,” Mr. Biden said, adding that Russian President Vladimir…


FBI Charges Think Tank Director, Who Claimed to Be Tipster in Hunter Biden Case, as Chinese Agent, Arms Trafficker

Gal Luft, 57, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen and co-director of the think tank Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, has been charged with arms trafficking, making false statements to federal agents, willfully failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), and Iranian sanctions violations. Mr. Luft is alleged to have conspired with others…


Think Tank Director, Who Claimed to Be Tipster in Hunter Biden Case, Charged With Acting as Chinese Agent, Arms Trafficking

Gal Luft, 57, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen and co-director of the think tank Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, has been charged with arms trafficking, making false statements to federal agents, willfully failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), and Iranian sanctions violations. Mr. Luft is alleged to have conspired with others…


Biden Administration is Helping China By Restricting Domestic Mining: Minnesota State Senator

The Biden administration’s restrictive stance towards domestic mining projects is making the United States dependent on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to former Minnesota State Sen. Tom Bakk. “We need to change the narrative on mining in this country,” Mr. Bakk told the House Ways and Means Committee on July 10. “It’s contrary to…


Federal Prosecutor Denies Requesting Special Counsel Status in Hunter Biden Case in Letter to Sen. Lindsey Graham

Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss has issued a new letter denying claims that he was denied special counsel status in his investigation of President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. In a letter (pdf) to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Monday, Mr. Weiss said he never requested special counsel status to bring charges against Mr. Biden…


Biden Criticizes Israeli Prime Minister’s Cabinet Over ‘Extremist’ Views

President Joe Biden criticized Israel in a recent interview, describing the Cabinet of the Jewish state’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as “extremist.” In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria that aired on Sunday, Mr. Biden acknowledged that Mr. Netanyahu is dealing with the factions in his coalition, but the president also alluded to some members…