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Tag: Biden

  • Biden asserts what’s happening in Gaza ‘is not genocide’

    Biden asserts what’s happening in Gaza ‘is not genocide’

    U.S. President Joe Biden has rejected accusations against the Israeli leadership that it is committing genocide in its fight against Palestinian militant organisation, Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

    “Contrary to allegations against Israel made by the International Court of Justice, what’s happening is not genocide. We reject that,” Biden said.

    On Monday, International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Joav Galant for alleged crimes against humanity.

    The request for warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant relates to alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip beginning on October 8, a day after Hamas militants launched their unprecedented attack on Israel.

    Among the allegations are “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” and “intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population,” a statement from Khan’s office said.

    Read Also: Biden pushing for two-state solution for Israel, Palestine

    Arrest warrants were also requested for the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yehya al-Sinwar, and other representatives of the militant organisation.

    South Africa has repeatedly called on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to take action against Israel and accused the country of genocide.

    In urgent rulings, the UN judges have obliged Israel to do everything possible to prevent genocide and to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • The Biden Administration’s Chicken Kiev Complex

    The Biden Administration’s Chicken Kiev Complex

    By Stash Luczkiw

    For those who don’t remember: Chicken Kiev (as it was spelled at the time), in the context of geopolitics, refers to an Aug. 1, 1991 speech by then-US President George H.W. Bush in the capital of what was still the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

    The Berlin Wall had fallen nearly two years earlier; East and West Germany had only been reunified for eight months. Independence movements were stirring within the Soviet Union, particularly in the Baltic states and Ukraine.

    Bush had come to the USSR essentially to support Mikhail Gorbachev’s programs of glasnost and perestroika. So he made a side trip to Kyiv to warn Ukrainians about “suicidal nationalism,” suggesting that the best, most pragmatic course for Ukrainians would be to hew to Gorbachev’s center and tread lightly with their aspirations for freedom.

    In short, Bush was worried about the Soviet Union falling apart and getting drawn into a chaotic conflict. As such, he backed Gorbachev’s “policies of glasnost, perestroika, and democratization” which “point toward the goals of freedom, democracy, and economic liberty.”

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    Seventeen days after Bush’s speech, Communist hardliners mounted a coup d’état and sequestered Gorbachev, who was vacationing at his Crimean dacha.

    The coup failed almost immediately. Gorbachev was disgraced. Boris Yeltsin took the reins of power. Exactly 23 days after the Chicken Kiev speech, Ukraine declared independence. By New Year’s Day of 1992, the USSR had officially ceased to exist.

    Fast-forward 32-plus years and Ukraine is now witnessing a poignant reiteration of that Chicken Kiev episode.

    Against the background of an existential threat posed by a revanchist Moscow which has proven in no uncertain terms that it wants to eliminate any semblance of a free and sovereign Ukraine, America is again reluctant to help Kyiv for fear of Russia descending into chaos.

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken came to Kyiv for a brief visit this past week. He gave a speech with much praise for Ukrainian courage and resilience. He reiterated the rhetoric of President Joe Biden’s wanting Ukraine to “win” (of course, without defining what “winning” might mean; and since Biden and his acolytes have already said that Ukraine “has already won” it leaves us semantic watchdogs rather dissatisfied). But in the same speech, after a litany of niceties, Blinken basically scolded Ukraine about its endemic corruption. (Voices in Kyiv say he read Zelensky the riot act in private and told him that the White House wants this war over by the election in November – but, then again, Kyiv is full of voices these days.)

    Later in the evening, Blinken – that staunchest of Ukraine supporters among Biden’s ambivalent-with-regard-to-Kyiv inner circle – played guitar at a night club, jamming with a local band. He sang “Rockin’ in the Free World,” by the great Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young: “We got a kinder, gentler machine-gun hand…”

    Then came the very cringe-worthy May 15 press conference, with Blinken squirming and jotting down notes to help him avoid saying anything unpleasant. He was asked twice about Washington’s insistence that Ukraine not use any US-provided weapons to strike Russian territory. For a little background: Russia’s current Kharkiv offensive could have been summarily blunted had Ukraine been able to use US-made ATACMS with cluster munitions on Russian troop concentrations just over the border.

    Unfortunately, Blinken’s maladroit circumlocution testified to the Biden administration’s own Chicken Kiev complex.

    First, Blinken repeated that America was “committed to helping ensure Ukraine winning this war” – which means nothing since the Biden administration has already defined the current situation as a win. When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last visited Washington, Biden stood next to him and said: “For you to be here today, again, today, nearly two years later [after Feb. 24, 2024] and for Ukraine to be staying strong and free, is an enormous victory already.”

    Then Blinken spouted the formulaic: “We have not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately Ukraine has to make decisions for itself.”

    When pressed again about the possibility of letting Ukrainians hit Russian territory with US-made arms, in sync with Britain’s policy, Blinken deflected the question: “Again, we are determined that Ukraine win this war and succeed for its people and for its future. We’ve been clear about our own policy, but again, these are decisions that Ukraine has to make, Ukraine will make for itself. And we’re committed to making sure that Ukraine has the equipment it needs to succeed on the battlefield.”

    Translated from diplomat-speak, “win” and “succeed” mean the situation on the ground today, with Ukraine de facto renouncing its lost territory. And “battlefield” – a crucial word in this context – means not Russia proper. In other words, the handcuffs are still on.

    If there was any doubt about what Blinken meant – since many news outlets jumped the gun and interpreted Blinken’s comments as a green light – then that was clarified the following day at the Pentagon.

    The question, verbatim, to Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh was: “So, we’ve heard a number of times from the US officials that [the] US does not want Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia with American weapons. In the wake of [the] Russian offensive and attacks on Kharkiv, does [the] US consider changing that approach? Because that’s what Ukrainians are asking for. It’s very difficult for them to respond to these attacks that come literally from across the border when Russians know that they can basically be safe there.”

    The somewhat oxymoronic response was: “Yeah, we haven’t changed our position. We believe that the equipment, the capabilities that we are giving Ukraine, that other countries are giving to Ukraine should be used to take back Ukrainian sovereign territory.”

    When asked to clarify whether the handcuffs were a “request” or a “binding condition,” the Pentagon press secretary said: “Again, I would reiterate that, in every single Ukraine defense contact group that the [US] Secretary [of Defense] convenes, the weapons that are provided, again, it’s for use on the battlefield. And the Secretary, in his conversations with [Ukrainian Defense] Minister Umerov, talks through how best those capabilities can be used, and we believe that is within Ukrainian territory.”

    Translation: Don’t hit Russian territory with US weapons. “Battlefield” here means “Ukrainian sovereign territory.”

    This approach to limiting Ukraine’s ability to inflict damage on the army trying to annihilate it is entirely consistent with what the “Russia experts” in the Biden administration are lobbying for: cut a deal with Moscow; keep Russia from falling apart; pressure Kyiv to cut its losses.

    The approach is also entirely consistent with Bush Sr.’s Chicken Kiev speech.

    It only took 17 days for the personality of Boris Yeltsin to put the kibosh on Bush’s principled liberal-democratic pabulum.

    America’s idealist pragmatists

    In all fairness to George H.W. Bush, if one reads the Chicken Kiev speech in its entirety, one has to admit that it is a remarkable work of rhetoric exalting the pragmatic American tradition of enabling liberal democratic ideals to flourish.

    For example, the quote about “suicidal nationalism” is skillfully qualified in the full text: “Americans will not support those who seek independence in order to replace a far-off tyranny with a local despotism. They will not aid those who promote a suicidal nationalism based upon ethnic hatred.”

    What liberal democrat in his or her right mind would support any nationalism “based upon ethnic hatred”?

    The rest of the speech is an eloquent testimony to that levelheaded, rational approach to geopolitics that characterized Bush Sr. and a host of American political figures from George Washington to the Roosevelts to Biden. And Biden has surrounded himself with eminently competent professional diplomats and political technicians like CIA Director William Burns and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who either know Russia well or rely on the wits of Russia specialists like Samuel Charap and others in the ivory tower shelters of Thinktankdom.

    But Bush Sr. was laughably wrong in his assessment. In his speech he said: “We will determine our support [for the stable Soviet center as opposed to the reckless independent republics] not on the basis of personalities but on the basis of principles.” It only took 17 days for the personality of Boris Yeltsin to put the kibosh on Bush’s principled liberal-democratic pabulum.

    And now the current Biden administration is laughably wrong in its scarcely veiled drive to contain Vladimir Putin without letting Russia fall apart.

    Geopolitics has one hard and fast law: All empires come to an end.

    The dissolution of the USSR was the death rattle of the Russian Empire. The US thought it had won the Cold War definitively, that the “end of history” had arrived, or at least was nigh. Whereas Putin thought otherwise; he saw it as a “catastrophe” that necessitated a tactical retreat. Now he’s on the offensive again. And the US must face the implacable reality of the Russian Empire’s death throes courageously, without the mealy-mouthed hedging found in Chicken Kiev’s rhetoric.

    Negotiations with Putin on Putin’s terms – i.e., “what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable” – may seem pragmatic. But it’s only as pragmatic as trying to placate a rabid game-bred pit bull with a doggie biscuit.

    And for those who think Donald Trump might somehow cut a better deal than the Biden administration, that his personality will supersede the principles he is bereft of, let’s remember that Trump is the most principled of human beings, and his highest principle is himself. He will sacrifice Ukraine and America in a heartbeat if it serves his greater glory.

    Like the Soviet Union, the Russian Empire will disintegrate, and the United States will need to fully commit to its rhetoric rather than play safe behind the guise of some speechwriter’s pretty rhetoric or a representative’s cringe-worthy dissembling.

    The alternative is nothing less than the end of the liberal-democratic order.

    ·               This article was first published in www.kyivpost.com

  • Biden, Trump agree to debate

    Biden, Trump agree to debate

    President Jeo Biden and former president Donald Trump on Wednesday agreed to a June 27 debate on CNN, hours after Biden announced he would bypass the decades-old tradition of three fall meetings organized by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.

    After Biden publicly embraced a CNN proposal in a social media post, a Trump adviser, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the presumptive Republican nominee would accept that event. CNN also announced plans for the event.

    “I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September,” Trump wrote earlier Wednesday on Truth Social. “I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds.”

    “Just tell me when, I’ll be there,” he continued, before referencing a tag line from professional boxing. “’Let’s get ready to Rumble!!!”

    The public agreement follows private back-channel discussions about possible meetings. The officials with the Biden and Trump campaigns have had informal conversations on debates in recent weeks, focused on meetings that would not involve the commission, according to two people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private events.

    The Biden proposal, outlined in a video message and letter to the commission, called for direct negotiations between the Trump and Biden campaigns over the rules, moderators and network hosts for the one-on-one encounters. He proposed a separate vice-presidential debate in July, after the Republican nominating convention and before the Democratic nominating convention.

    Read Also: Judge threatens Trump with jail for violation of gag order

    “Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020, and since then he hasn’t shown up for a debate. Now he is acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice,” Biden said in the video released Wednesday that referenced the weekly break in Trump’s New York criminal trial. “So let’s pick the dates, Donald. I hear you’re free on Wednesdays.”

    The first debate on CNN will fall on a Thursday, after the expected conclusion of Trump’s New York trial.

    Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon cited the commission’s proposed schedule and past struggles to keep candidates from violating the debate rules in the letter explaining the decision.

    “The Commission’s model of building huge spectacles with large audiences at great expense simply isn’t necessary or conducive to good debates,” she wrote. “The debates should be conducted for the benefit of the American voters, watching on television and at home — not as entertainment for an in-person audience with raucous or disruptive partisans and donors, who consume valuable debate time with noisy spectacles of approval or jeering.”

    Trump and the Republican National Committee have also expressed interest in bypassing the commission, which has convened presidential debates since the 1988 election. The commission has already scheduled one vice-presidential and three presidential debates, starting on Sept. 16 with a presidential candidate meeting in Texas that would have been simultaneously broadcast by major broadcast and cable news networks.

    Newsnow

  • U.S. will begin sending weapons to Ukraine, says Biden

    U.S. will begin sending weapons to Ukraine, says Biden

    • ’Putin not running out of money to fund war’

    United States (U.S.) President Joe Biden has indicated that his country will start delivering weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week.

    The president said this after the U.S. Senate approved billions of dollars in new aid for the country under attack from Russia.

    “I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week,” Biden said.

    Read Also: U.S presidential polls: Issues for and against Biden, Trump

    By passing the legislative package, which also includes billions of dollars in aid for Israel and Taiwan, the U.S. Congress has demonstrated the power of American leadership in the world, Biden added.

    “We stand resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression.”

    There is an urgent need for support for Ukraine, which is being subjected to relentless bombardment from Russia, Biden said.

  • U.S presidential polls: Issues for and against Biden, Trump

    U.S presidential polls: Issues for and against Biden, Trump

    When the President of the United States of America (U.S.A.), Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, won their respective party nominations, it wasn’t a surprise to many. But, ahead of the November presidential election, IBRAHIM ADAM thinks through warning signs for both candidates and if Biden could benefit from the State of the Union address.

    The results of the Georgia, Mississippi and Washington primaries have cemented what analysts and observers of U.S elections have described as Biden and Trump’s rematch for the office of the President of the United States, as they have secured the Democratic and Republican Party nominations, respectively.

    Biden, who had no major rivals in his party, cleared the required 1,968 delegate threshold to be nominated, while Trump also exceeded the 1,215 delegate threshold.

    The two candidates will be officially nominated at their respective conventions in July and August.

    In his third State of the Union speech which lasted for 90 minutes, President Joe Biden emphasised the economic achievements of his administration and set himself apart from his predecessor. The State of the Union is “getting stronger and stronger and America is coming back,” he said.

    The coast became clearer for Donald Trump after his opponent, and former South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley, withdrew from the Presidential race following Trump’s victory in 15 states and one territory, excluding Vermont at the Super Tuesday.

    President Joe Biden, after the Super Tuesday, warned of an “existential” national threat and “darkness” if his Republican rival wins the race for the White House. Four years ago, I ran because of the existential threat Donald Trump posed to the America we all believe in.

    “Tonight’s results leave the American people with a clear choice: Are we going to keep moving forward or will we allow Donald Trump to drag us backwards into the chaos, division and darkness that defined his term in office?” Biden wrote in a statement. 

    Immigration

    Trump used harsh and divisive tactics, such as dividing families at the border and using heated rhetoric to warn of the dangers of migrants. Biden advocated for a more compassionate strategy that would be in line with the aspirational values of America throughout the 2020 election campaign.

    Calling the unprecedented influx of asylum seekers a “border crisis,” Biden has, in recent weeks, advocated legislation that could temporarily seal the border and speed up deportations. He no longer makes mention of the early goal of giving “Dreamers,” or those brought into the country illegally as children, a route to citizenship.

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    The Trump administration’s deportation policies changed after Biden came into office, and as a result, there was a significant reduction in the number of individuals being deported from the country.

    This has been a significant distinction between the two governments. With Biden allegedly considering executive actions to speed up deportations for new arrivals, especially for those who do not qualify for asylum, the disparity may be closing slightly.

    In contrast, if Trump wins the election to the presidency, he has promised to conduct the “largest deportation operation” in US history to remove illegal immigrants. He then promised to employ the National Guard to carry out his intentions.

    Democrats, especially Biden, swore not to build “another foot of wall” when he assumed office and strongly criticised Donald Trump’s flagship border wall-building strategy.

    Republicans and Democrats criticised Biden last year after his administration unveiled plans to build a new border wall in Texas, which will be around 20 miles (32 km) of barriers constructed in a region of the Rio Grande Valley that is not heavily populated.

    Biden said he “had no choice” because funding for the construction was signed while Trump was president.

    “I tried to get them to redirect that money. They didn’t, they wouldn’t. I can’t stop that.” Biden said.  At his campaign rallies around the United States, Trump has persisted in promoting the building of border barriers.

    For the first time, according to a Monmouth University survey conducted on February 27, most Americans are in favour of building a border wall, with 53 per cent of respondents supporting the idea.

    During the State of the Union speech, Biden criticised lawmakers for failing to pass a bipartisan border bill that was met with strong resistance from House Republicans and put the blame for the bill’s failure on Trump.

    He said that the bill would have resulted in the hiring of 1,500 border security officers and an additional 100 immigration judges to assist in clearing the backlog of cases in the immigration system.    “The bill would save lives, and bring order to the border.

    “I’m told my predecessor called members of Congress in the Senate and demanded they block the bill. He feels it would be a political win for me and a political loss for him. It’s not about him. It’s not about me.

    “My Republican friends you owe it to the American people to get this bill done. We need to act. And if my predecessor is watching instead of playing politics and pressuring members of Congress to block this bill, join me in telling Congress to pass it!

    “We can do it together. But here’s what I will not do. I will not demonise immigrants saying they poison the blood of our country as he said in his own words. I will not separate families.

    “I will not ban people from America because of their faith. Unlike my predecessor, on my first day in office, I introduced a comprehensive plan to fix our immigration system, secure the border, and provide a pathway to citizenship for dreamers and so much more, because, unlike my predecessor, I know who we are as Americans.

    “We are the only nation in the world with a heart and soul that draws from old and new; home to Native Americans whose ancestors have been here for thousands of years, home to people from every place on Earth.

    Israel, Gaza and Ukraine

     In 2020, Biden used his rich background in foreign policy to describe Trump as a danger to American interests and allies globally.

    Biden is now facing his toughest challenge with a protest vote against his support of Israel in the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Palestine.

    More than 100,000 voters or 13 per cent of the total marked their ballots in the Michigan primary as “uncommitted,” expressing their disapproval of the President’s position on the Gaza War, sending a warning shot to Biden one week before Super Tuesday.

    Biden announced during his State of the Union speech that his administration would construct a “temporary pier” off the coast of Palestine to make humanitarian supplies easier.

    This, he said, will make it easy to receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelter available for the Palestinians.

    Biden admitted that the war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians with over “30, 000 killed” and said the only solution is a two-state solution.

    The U.S. President warned the Israeli leadership against using aid to Gaza as a bargaining chip as he described the ongoing war as “gut-wrenching.”

    “This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed. Thousands and thousands are innocent women and children. Girls and boys were also orphaned. Nearly two million more Palestinians are under bombardment or displaced. Homes destroyed neighbourhoods in rubble, cities in ruin. Families are without food, water, and medicine. It’s heartbreaking,” he said.

    Biden also pledged to work to bring every hostage home, pointing to American families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas.

    On Ukraine, Biden stressed that he has been a “lifelong supporter” of the U.S. ally.

    Economy

    At the State of the Union speech, President Biden revealed that he inherited an economy “on the brink” during the COVID-19 pandemic, but his policies helped revive it.

    Biden also paid a nod to U.S. labour unions and the American middle class, while stressing that he plans to ensure that corporations pay their fair share.

    “I came to office determined to get us through one of the toughest periods in our nation’s history. And we have. It doesn’t make the news but in thousands of cities and towns, the American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told.

    “So let’s tell that story here and now. America’s comeback is building a future of American possibilities, building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down, investing in all of America, in all Americans to make sure everyone has a fair shot and we leave no one behind!

    “The pandemic no longer controls our lives. The vaccines that saved us from COVID-19 are now being used to help beat cancer. We have turned setbacks into comebacks. That’s America! I inherited an economy that was on the brink. Now our economy is the envy of the world. 15 million new jobs in just three years, that’s a record. Unemployment is at 50-year lows.

    “A record 16 million Americans are starting small businesses and each one is an act of hope; with historic job growth and small business growth for Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans, 800,000 new manufacturing jobs in America and counting,”

    Biden explained that inflation in the country has dropped from nine per cent to three per cent.

    Trump’s threat

    Trump’s language hasn’t changed. He lost his primary platform when he was banned from Twitter in 2021. This may be a political benefit for him since fewer people experience his attacks. While some ignore his remarks that once could have raised eyebrows.

    He was not disqualified from the nomination even after being charged with 91 felonies. Rather, it has energised his core supporters.

    However, 33 per cent of North Carolina Republican primary voters and 40 per cent of Virginia Republican primary voters agreed that Trump would not be fit to serve as president if he were found guilty of a crime.

    Gun control

    Biden made a strong statement on reducing gun violence. The President made scathing remarks on Trump’s administration’s inaction on gun violence alongside explaining the steps his administration had taken to stop mass shootings.

    “I did do something by establishing the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention in the White House that Vice-President Harris is leading. I’m proud we beat the National Rifle Association (NRA) when I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years,”

    In a blistering critique of Trump, the President said: “My predecessor told the NRA he’s proud he did nothing on guns when he was President.”

    At the podium, Biden declared: “Now we must beat the NRA again! I’m demanding a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines! Pass universal background checks! None of this violates the Second Amendment or vilifies responsible gun owners,”

    Age limit

     That’s a bigger problem for Biden. His age wasn’t a major factor when he was elected President in 2020, but at 78, he already held the record for the oldest President in American history.

    Republicans point to every misstep made by the 81-year-old Biden as proof that he is not mentally and physically capable of being president.

    Democrats also criticised Trump for his mistakes, pointing out that at 77, he confused Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi, and mistakenly identified Barack Obama as Joe Biden.

    Trump’s ‘bloodbath’ comment 

     Donald Trump has been criticised after he warned that there will be a ‘bloodbath’ should he lose the November election in a fiery speech where he also branded migrants ‘animals.’

    Trump painted an apocalyptic vision of the country if Biden wins a second term while speaking at an airfield rally outside of Dayton, Ohio, to campaign for Republican Senate candidate, Bernie Moreno.

    “If I don´t get elected, it´s going to be a bloodbath for the whole that´s going to be the least of it; it´s going to be a bloodbath for the country. If this election isn’t won, I’m not sure that you’ll ever have another election in this country,” Trump said.

    The outcry over his comments quickly poured onto X platform (formerly known as Twitter), as users branded Trump ‘hateful’ ‘grotesque’ and ‘a dangerous lunatic’ over both his ‘bloodbath’ comment and reference to migrants as ‘animals.’

    Reacting to this, former Speaker and a frequent political foe of the former President, Nancy Pelosi the remarks highlight how important it is for Democrats to re-elect Biden.

    “We just have to win this election because he’s even predicting a bloodbath. What does that mean? Is he going to exact a bloodbath? There’s something wrong here.

    “Praising Hitler, praising the Russians, honestly, I mean, condemning our soldiers for losing or dying in war or being captured in war.”

    Pelosi pleaded with the American public to take these issues into account when they head to the polls in November.

  • Biden, Gavin, and Kamala

    Biden, Gavin, and Kamala

    The world worries about America’s upcoming Presidential election between two aging contenders, Biden and Trump. The Republican Wall Street Journal editorialized last week that the 81-year-old Biden “running for re-election in his condition is an act of profound selfishness”. Polls show that voters worry about his ability to complete a second term and that Kamala Harris is not ready to be President. Trump, four years younger, is a worry because of his track record, anger, narcissism, 91 felony charges, and pledge to dismantle democracy as well as to upend the world order. Republicans are divided by Trumpism, but Democrats may have an elegant solution: Biden could enhance his chances by swapping California Governor Gavin Newsom for Kamala Harris as his Vice Presidential running mate. She is smart, but has little voter appeal. Newsom, by contrast, polls highest among Democratic Presidential ”possibles”. The gambit may seem far-fetched, but Biden recently went out of his way to lavishly praise Newsom at a rally. “I want to talk about Governor Newsom,” he said. “He’s been one hell of a governor, man. Matter of fact, he could be anything he wants. He could have the job I’m looking for.”

    In a contest between two old guys, the running mate is key because he or she will be, as the saying goes, “one heartbeat away from the Presidency” — or, in Trump’s case, one conviction away. Newsom is an attractive candidate. He polls well, is a seasoned leader, and is slightly left-of-center as is Biden and most Democrats. He also has experience running a gigantic government, as Governor of California since 2018, which is the largest jurisdiction in the United States apart from Washington. The Sunshine State’s GDP is bigger than the economies of India, Britain, or Canada and has grown at an annualized rate of 2.4 percent in the five years up to 2022, a growth rate that ranks it fourth out of all 50 states.

    Newsom is also a team player and pledged he would never run against Biden. Even so, he has worked hard to raise his profile outside California by waging media campaigns in Republican states concerning issues such as abortion, gay rights, and the lack of gun controls. He also upstaged other governors by organizing a “surprise” summit in China with its leader Xi Jinping — weeks before Biden met with Xi in San Francisco. Interestingly, U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns accompanied Newsom to his summit with Xi and described the event as a “very positive, consequential day for the United States”. This certainly raised the stature of both Newsom and California, and was aimed at displaying that Newsom also has international “chops”.

    Such high profile initiatives have led rival Democrats to take shots at him about running a stealth campaign to unseat Biden. But the reality is that he’s not running for President. I believe he’s running for Vice President with help from the Biden administration. After all, his meeting with Xi could never have taken place without assistance from Biden and his State Department. More significantly, polls show he would be the leading contender, should Biden leave, whereas Kamala’s support sags and is among the lowest in recent years for an incumbent Vice President. In essence, she may be a liability along with Biden’s age and Republicans are trying to capitalize on this by saying that a vote for Biden in 2024 is likely a vote for Harris as President.

    Read Also: Biden welcomes temporary ceasefire agreement

    Replacing Harris with Newsom would be awkward and unprecedented, but the two are friends and have supported one another for years, she as a Senator and he as Governor. She is also a loyal and selfless VP, taking on troublesome tasks without hesitation and never upstaging or disappointing Biden. But for whatever reason, she hasn’t gained traction with the electorate, and would likely move onto her next job without a fuss. It’s also interesting that Newsom just appointed Laphonza Butler, adviser to Kamala Harris’ 2020 Presidential campaign, to fill the U.S. Senate seat in California made vacant by the death of Senator Dianne Feinstein.

    On November 30, voters will see Newsom in action in a debate on Fox TV with Republican Governor Ron De Santis set up months ago by anchor Sean Hannity. Both men represent the next generation leadership in their respective parties and the contrast will be interesting. In one corner, will be Newsom, a handsome, confident, pro-business leader, and in the other corner will be the morose De Santis who is a popular governor but has picked fights with corporations, librarians, school boards, and Trump himself. As a result, De Santis struggles in the primaries and likely won’t get past Trump as a Presidential nominee in 2024. He also won’t be Trump’s running mate because the two have become sworn enemies. He steadily loses ground to Nikki Haley, another former Governor who also won’t run on a ticket with Trump.

    If Newsom was to run with Biden, he would have to resign as Governor and hand the reins over to lieutenant governor Eleni Kounalakis, another close friend of Kamala Harris. He would have the support of California’s Democratic “matriarch” Nancy Pelosi, who is distantly related by marriage. And funnily, Newsom is also linked by marriage to a Republican insider, but won’t get her support: He is one of the ex-husbands (2001-2005) of Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox TV broadcaster who is now engaged to Donald Trump Jr.

    If Harris resigned, she would become Attorney General, UN Ambassador, a cabinet minister, or a Supreme Court Justice should the tainted Justice Clarence Thomas have the decency to resign after his ethical lapses. Even so, a “swap” solution is a long shot, given Biden’s loyalty, but perhaps the two Californians agree with the idea. Clearly, the three admire one another and pushback from Biden’s supporters would be minimal, apart from the fact that he’s a white guy and wealthy. But he has earned the respect of black and Hispanic and liberal elements within the party as well as the admiration from the “Boss”. He’s been re-elected twice in California and is pro-choice and a proponent of strict environmental and gun controls. On paper, he ticks off a lot of boxes and if a swap could help insure that democracy won’t be dismantled by another Trump presidency, it just may happen.

    • This article was first published in www.kyivpost.com
  • Biden welcomes temporary ceasefire agreement

    Biden welcomes temporary ceasefire agreement

    U.S. President Joe Biden has welcomed the temporary ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel that will see the release of some hostages currently held in the Gaza Strip.

    “I am extraordinarily gratified that some of these brave souls have endured weeks of captivity and an unspeakable ordeal.

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    “It will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented,’’ Biden said in a statement.

    Biden thanked Qatar and Egypt for their “critical leadership and partnership’’ in negotiating the deal.

  • U.S. President Biden welcomes Gaza temporary ceasefire agreement

    U.S. President Biden welcomes Gaza temporary ceasefire agreement

    U.S. President Joe Biden has welcomed the temporary ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel that will see the release of some hostages currently held in the Gaza Strip.

    “I am extraordinarily gratified that some of these brave souls, who have endured weeks of captivity and
    an unspeakable ordeal.

    “It will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented,’’ Biden said in a statement.

    Israel’s government on Wednesday agreed to a four-day ceasefire deal in the Gaza war that includes the
    exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

    Biden thanked Qatar and Egypt for their “critical leadership and partnership’’ in negotiating the deal.

    “And I appreciate the commitment that (Israel) Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government have made
    in supporting an extended pause to ensure this deal can be fully carried out.

    “To ensure the provision of additional humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families in Gaza.’’

    Read Also: JUST IN: President Biden to visit Israel as Hamas-Israel war intensifies

    He said the deal “should’’ see the release of some American hostages.

    “I will not stop until they are all released,’’ he added.

    In its unprecedented terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Hamas kidnapped about 240 people to the Gaza Strip and
    killed 1,200 in the border region.

    An air and ground offensive by Israel has killed some 13,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • JUST IN: President Biden to visit Israel as Hamas-Israel war intensifies

    JUST IN: President Biden to visit Israel as Hamas-Israel war intensifies

    President Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday to convey a message of solidarity to a vital US ally that has declared war on the Palestinian organization Hamas for their murderous terror campaign in southern Israel.

    Biden is “coming here at a critical moment for Israel, for the region, and for the world,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday during his second visit to the Jewish state in a week.   

    Blinken also stated that the US and Israel had “agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multinational organizations to reach civilians in Gaza,” referring to the small, densely crowded Palestinian region ruled by Hamas for over two decades.  

    Read Also: Biden to visit Israel as Gaza war deepens humanitarian crisis

    Thirteen U.S. nationals remain unaccounted for after the Hamas raids in Israel and 30 U.S. citizens have been confirmed killed. As many as 600 U.S. nationals are thought to be among the hundreds of thousands of people trapped in Gaza.    

  • Biden appoints two Nigerian-Americans as advisers

    Biden appoints two Nigerian-Americans as advisers

    U.S. President Joe Biden has appointed two Nigerian-Americans as advisers.

    The appointees – Osagie Imasogie and Chiney Ogwumike – are part of the 12 members of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States.

    Congratulating the duo on the appointment, the Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said their recognition and appointment into the 12-member advisory council is a motivation for other Nigerians and Africans in general.

     “The nomination of the two great Nigerians into the advisory council is a welcome development,” she said on Wednesday in a statement by the commission’s spokesman, Abdur-Rahman Balogun.

     Chinenye Ogwumike is a two-time WNBA All-Star for the Los Angeles Sparks and a full-time, multi-platform ESPN commentator and NBA analyst.

     She is one of the only full-time professional athletes to also currently hold a full-time regular national sports media broadcast position.

    Ogwumike was the 2014 WNBA Rookie of the Year and is a two-time WNBA All-Star (2014, 2018). She is proudly Nigerian-American and graduated from Stanford University with an International Relations degree under the mentorship of Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

    In August 2020, she became the first Black woman to host a national daily sports-talk radio show.

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     The 2021 Forbes 30 under 30 honoree also holds the title of Executive Producer, producing an ESPN Films documentary “144” on the 2020 WNBA season.

     Osagie Imasogie, on the other hand, is the Chairman of the Investment Bank and SEC/FINRA registered Broker-Dealer, Quoin Capital and Quoin Advisors.

     In addition, Imasogie is a co-founder of PIPV Capital, a private equity firm that is focused on the life sciences vertical and has invested over $1 billion into that industry.

    Prior to co-founding PIPV Capital, he established GlaxoSmithKline Ventures and was its founding Vice President.

     Imasogie has held senior commercial and R&D positions within pharmaceutical companies such as GSK, SmithKline Beecham, and DuPont Merck. He has also been a Price Waterhouse Corporate Finance Partner as well as a practising attorney with leading U.S. law firm, Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis.

     Imasogie is a serial entrepreneur and investor who serves on the board of a number of financial institutions such as FS-KKR Capital Corp and Haverford Trust, institutions that cumulatively manage over $28 billion. He is an adviser to Brown Advisory, a firm that manages in excess of $140 billion.

    Imasogie is the Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center.

    In addition, Imasogie is a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, a member of the Executive Committee of the University, and is also the Chairman of the Board of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where he is an Adjunct Professor of Intellectual Property.

    Imasogie holds LLM degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, and is a member of the New York State Bar in addition to being admitted to practice in other jurisdictions.