Katherine Tai, President Joe Biden`s nominee for U.S. trade representative, on Thursday backed tariffs as a `legitimate tool` of trade policy and called for tough enforcement of existing trade deals, including with China.

Tai mapped out her plans at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, underscoring her commitment to a worker-centered trade policy that treated Americans as "workers and wage earners, not just consumers."

Tai, who served seven years as the Democratic trade counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, vowed to maintain a "healthy partnership" with Congress, and said she would work to rebuild strained ties with U.S. allies.

Tai, echoing the get-tough tone on China struck by other Biden nominees and officials, said Beijing needed to live up to its commitments under the Phase 1 U.S.-China trade deal signed in January 2020. China fell 42% short of meeting its commitments to buy additional U.S. goods and services in 2020, experts say.

"There are promises that China made that China needs to deliver on," Tai said, adding that Washington needed to explore all of its options to push for needed structural changes in China to make the world`s two largest economies more compatible.

Tai, who previously served as USTR`s head of China trade enforcement, told senators that the United States needs a "strategic and coherent plan" for holding China to its trade promises and competing with Beijing`s state-directed economic model.

"China is simultaneously a rival, a trade partner and an outsized player whose cooperation we`ll also need to address certain global challenges," Tai said. "We must remember how to walk, chew gum and play chess at the same time."

Achieving this, she said, would require stronger, more resilient U.S. supply chains and investments in people and infrastructure to boost American competitiveness.

"We must also impart the values and rules that guide global commerce - and we must enforce those terms vigorously," Tai said.

`IMPORTANT STEP`

She said she would prioritize enforcement of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which she helped renegotiate in 2019 as trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee to include tougher labor and environmental standards.

She said the deal marked an "important step in reforming our approach to trade" and its success was vital.

Tai`s testimony has been anxiously awaited for months by industry, U.S. trading partners from Beijing to Brussels, labor groups and lawmakers - all lining up to lobby the Yale- and Harvard-educated daughter of immigrants from Taiwan.

After former President Donald Trump`s "America First" trade stance upended decades of trade liberalization efforts and heaped tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of U.S. imports, many of these groups are pleading for a return to a more traditional view of trade as an engine of growth.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday called on Tai to back away from the "blunt instrument" of tariffs.

As the trade "czar" for the world`s largest economy, biggest importer of goods and second-largest exporter after China, Tai will wield immense clout.

If confirmed, she faces a long list of disputes left over from the Trump administration, from tariffs on steel and aluminum, aircraft and wine to threatened duties over digital services taxes and China`s lagging U.S. goods purchases.

Katherine Tai, President Joe Biden`s nominee for U.S. trade representative, on Thursday backed tariffs as a `legitimate tool` of trade policy and called for tough enforcement of existing trade deals, including with China.

Katherine Tai, President Joe Biden`s nominee for U.S. trade representative, on Thursday backed tariffs as a `legitimate tool` of trade policy and called for tough enforcement of existing trade deals, including with China. Tai mapped out her plans at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, underscoring her commitment to a worker-centered trade policy that treated Americans as "workers and wage earners, not just consumers." Tai, who served seven years as the Democratic trade counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, vowed to maintain a "healthy partnership" with Congress, and said she would work to rebuild strained ties with U.S. allies. Tai, echoing the get-tough tone on China struck by other Biden nominees and officials, said Beijing needed to live up to its commitments under the Phase 1 U.S.-China trade deal signed in January 2020. China fell 42% short of meeting its commitments to buy additional U.S. goods and services in 2020, experts say. "There are promises that China made that China needs to deliver on," Tai said, adding that Washington needed to explore all of its options to push for needed structural changes in China to make the world`s two largest economies more compatible. Tai, who previously served as USTR`s head of China trade enforcement, told senators that the United States needs a "strategic and coherent plan" for holding China to its trade promises and competing with Beijing`s state-directed economic model. "China is simultaneously a rival, a trade partner and an outsized player whose cooperation we`ll also need to address certain global challenges," Tai said. "We must remember how to walk, chew gum and play chess at the same time." Achieving this, she said, would require stronger, more resilient U.S. supply chains and investments in people and infrastructure to boost American competitiveness. "We must also impart the values and rules that guide global commerce - and we must enforce those terms vigorously," Tai said. `IMPORTANT STEP` She said she would prioritize enforcement of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which she helped renegotiate in 2019 as trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee to include tougher labor and environmental standards. She said the deal marked an "important step in reforming our approach to trade" and its success was vital. Tai`s testimony has been anxiously awaited for months by industry, U.S. trading partners from Beijing to Brussels, labor groups and lawmakers - all lining up to lobby the Yale- and Harvard-educated daughter of immigrants from Taiwan. After former President Donald Trump`s "America First" trade stance upended decades of trade liberalization efforts and heaped tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of U.S. imports, many of these groups are pleading for a return to a more traditional view of trade as an engine of growth. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday called on Tai to back away from the "blunt instrument" of tariffs. As the trade "czar" for the world`s largest economy, biggest importer of goods and second-largest exporter after China, Tai will wield immense clout. If confirmed, she faces a long list of disputes left over from the Trump administration, from tariffs on steel and aluminum, aircraft and wine to threatened duties over digital services taxes and China`s lagging U.S. goods purchases.

Biden's USTR nominee Tai backs use of tariffs, vows focus on enforcement

New York prosecutors investigating former president Donald Trump's finances have finally received his tax returns following a marathon legal battle.

According to a report in AFP, District Attorney Cyrus Vance's office obtained the returns after the Supreme Court on Monday rejected a last-ditch bid by Trump's lawyers to block the release of the records.

The prosecutor is investigating hush payments made to two women who allege they had affairs with Trump and possible fraud.

Vance, a Democrat, fought for over a year to obtain the eight years of returns.

He issued a subpoena to Trump's accountants Mazars USA in August 2019 ordering the company to furnish documents stretching back to 2011.

Vance's probe was initially focussed on payments made before the 2016 presidential election to two women who claim they had affairs with Trump.

The state-level investigation, however, continued with examining possible allegations of tax evasion, and insurance and bank fraud.

Trump, who left the White House last month, called the investigation "a continuation of the greatest political witch hunt in the history of our country."

US presidents are not required by law to release details of their personal finances but every US leader since Richard Nixon has done so. Trump repeatedly said he would release them pending an audit but ultimately broke with the tradition.

Vance's investigators have so far interviewed Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen.

If Trump were charged and convicted he could face a possible jail term. Unlike federal offences, state crimes are not subject to presidential pardons.&nbsp;

It is unclear if and when it will lead to a prosecution, which would be the first of a former US president.

(with inputs from AFP)

New York prosecutors investigating former president Donald Trump's finances have finally received his tax returns following a marathon legal battle. According to a report in AFP, District Attorney Cyrus Vance's office obtained the returns after the Supreme Court on Monday rejected a last-ditch bid by Trump's lawyers to block the release of the records.

New York prosecutors investigating former president Donald Trump's finances have finally received his tax returns following a marathon legal battle. According to a report in AFP, District Attorney Cyrus Vance's office obtained the returns after the Supreme Court on Monday rejected a last-ditch bid by Trump's lawyers to block the release of the records. The prosecutor is investigating hush payments made to two women who allege they had affairs with Trump and possible fraud. Vance, a Democrat, fought for over a year to obtain the eight years of returns. He issued a subpoena to Trump's accountants Mazars USA in August 2019 ordering the company to furnish documents stretching back to 2011. Vance's probe was initially focussed on payments made before the 2016 presidential election to two women who claim they had affairs with Trump. The state-level investigation, however, continued with examining possible allegations of tax evasion, and insurance and bank fraud. Trump, who left the White House last month, called the investigation "a continuation of the greatest political witch hunt in the history of our country." US presidents are not required by law to release details of their personal finances but every US leader since Richard Nixon has done so. Trump repeatedly said he would release them pending an audit but ultimately broke with the tradition. Vance's investigators have so far interviewed Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen. If Trump were charged and convicted he could face a possible jail term. Unlike federal offences, state crimes are not subject to presidential pardons. It is unclear if and when it will lead to a prosecution, which would be the first of a former US president. (with inputs from AFP)

New York prosecutors finally obtain Trump's tax records

US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden </a>on Wednesday revoked a proclamation issued by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump </a>that blocked several green card holders from entering the United States.&nbsp;

Biden's predecessor Trump imposed the ban last year in a bid to protect the jobs of Americans amid high unemployment due to the pandemic.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-why-migrants-from-honduras-are-rushing-to-the-us-357585/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The ban was initially placed until December last year, but Trump later extended it to March 2021.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-signals-hes-flexible-on-immigration-overhaul-364503">Biden signals he’s flexible on immigration overhaul</a>

Calling immigrants a "risk to the US labour market," Trump blocked their entry into the country by issuing Proclamation 10014 and Proclamation 10052.

Rejecting the proclamation on Wednesday, Biden said the ban had prevented families settled in the US from reuniting and hurt businesses across the country.&nbsp;

Biden said the ban "does not advance the interests of the United States" in his proclamation.

"To the contrary, it harms the United States, including by preventing certain family members of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents from joining their families here. It also harms industries in the United States that utilize talent from around the world," he said.&nbsp;

As many as 120,000 family-based preference visas were lost majorly because of the ban in the 2020 budget year, according to the American Immigrant Lawyers Association.&nbsp;

The Trump proclamation did not allow immigrants to bring over family members unless they were US citizens.&nbsp;

It also barred employment-based visas' entry unless the immigrants were involved in any service beneficial to the US, such as healthcare.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday revoked a proclamation issued by Donald Trump that blocked several green card holders from entering the United States. Biden's predecessor Trump imposed the ban last year in a bid to protect the jobs of Americans amid high unemployment due to the pandemic.

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday revoked a proclamation issued by Donald Trump that blocked several green card holders from entering the United States. Biden's predecessor Trump imposed the ban last year in a bid to protect the jobs of Americans amid high unemployment due to the pandemic. Watch | The ban was initially placed until December last year, but Trump later extended it to March 2021. Also read | Biden signals he’s flexible on immigration overhaul Calling immigrants a "risk to the US labour market," Trump blocked their entry into the country by issuing Proclamation 10014 and Proclamation 10052. Rejecting the proclamation on Wednesday, Biden said the ban had prevented families settled in the US from reuniting and hurt businesses across the country. Biden said the ban "does not advance the interests of the United States" in his proclamation. "To the contrary, it harms the United States, including by preventing certain family members of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents from joining their families here. It also harms industries in the United States that utilize talent from around the world," he said. As many as 120,000 family-based preference visas were lost majorly because of the ban in the 2020 budget year, according to the American Immigrant Lawyers Association. The Trump proclamation did not allow immigrants to bring over family members unless they were US citizens. It also barred employment-based visas' entry unless the immigrants were involved in any service beneficial to the US, such as healthcare.

Joe Biden revokes Trump-era ban on green card applicants

The United States senator Mitt Romney has predicted that Donald Trump could easily win the GOP presidential election in 2024.

US: Mitt Romney says Donald Trump will win presidential election in 2024

WASHINGTON — Days after President Joe Biden took office, the Bureau of Land Management put a scenic landscape of a winding river at the top of its website, which during the previous administration had featured a photograph of a huge wall of coal.

At the Department of Homeland Security, the phrase “illegal alien” is being replaced with “noncitizen.” The Interior Department now makes sure that mentions of its stakeholders include “Tribal” people (with a capital “T,” as preferred by Native Americans, it said). The most unpopular two words in the Trump lexicon — “climate change” — are once again appearing on government websites and in documents; officials at the Environmental Protection Agency have even begun using the hashtag #climatecrisis on Twitter.

And across the government, LGBTQ references are popping up everywhere. Visitors to the White House website are now asked whether they want to provide their pronouns when they fill out a contact form: she/her, he/him or they/them.

It is all part of a concerted effort by the Biden administration to rebrand the government after four years of former President Donald Trump, in part by stripping away the language and imagery that represented his anti-immigration, anti-science and anti-gay rights policies and replacing them with words and pictures that are more inclusive and better match the current president’s sensibilities.

“Biden is trying to reclaim the vision of America that was there during the Obama administration, a vision that was much more diverse, much more religiously tolerant, much more tolerant of different kinds of gender dispositions and gender presentations,” said Norma Mendoza-Denton, a professor of anthropology at UCLA and an author of “Language in the Trump Era: Scandals and Emergencies.”

Mendoza-Denton said Trump sought to “remake reality through language” during a tumultuous tenure. As she writes in her book, the former president “changed some of the deepest expectations about presidential language, not just when it comes to style, but also the relationship between words and reality.”

Now officials in Biden’s administration are using Trump’s own tactics to adjust reality again, this time by erasing the words his predecessor used and by explicitly returning to ones that had been banished.

“The president has been clear to all of us: Words matter, tone matters and civility matters,” said Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary. “And bringing the country together, getting back our seat at the global table means turning the page from the actions but also the divisive and far too often xenophobic language of the last administration.”

Some shift in the language used by government agencies is not uncommon when a new administration arrives in Washington. In addition to their symbolic power, the revisions can help usher in new policies. Allowing the phrase “climate change” gives a green light to government scientists, while banning the use of “illegal alien” can alter the real-life engagements between immigrants and border agents.

But rarely has the contrast been quite so stark as it is between Biden and Trump. The rhetorical overhaul is underway in all corners of the government as executive orders are drafted, news releases are modified, scores of federal forms are tweaked, and online portals are revamped.

Stephen Miller, who pursued similar changes at the beginning of the Trump administration as a top policy adviser, said the embrace of what he called politically correct language by officials in Biden’s government reflected the importance of framing important issues for the public.

In addition to the changes on websites, he noted that Biden’s executive orders had been filled with words and phrases that would never have come from Trump’s mouth, including “equity,” “environmental justice,” “pathway to citizenship,” “pro-choice” and “undocumented immigrant.”

“The struggle over the lexicon is actually the central struggle,” said Miller, who wrote many of Trump’s speeches and was the architect of his assault on the immigration system. “Equity is meant to harken to this idea that America is a nation that believes in everybody having this fundamental dignity of treatment. But the other side would say, ‘What you call equity, I call discrimination.’ ”

Trump administration officials like Miller sought to engineer similar shifts in language when they were in office. Miller fought in 2017 for the use of the phrase “radical Islamic terrorism” during that year’s presidential address to Congress, arguing that it conveyed a seriousness of purpose by Trump in fighting terrorism. Critics said that using the phrase falsely suggested that all Muslims are terrorists.

And Ben Carson, Trump’s secretary of housing and urban development, proposed removing the phrase “inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination” from the department’s mission statement. He later backed down.

For the Biden administration, the vocabulary shift was immediate.

Hours after taking office, officials responsible for updating WhiteHouse.gov removed pages highlighting Trump’s 1776 Commission, which likened progressivism to fascism and attacked liberals who charge that the founding of the United States was tainted by slavery.

At the same time, the president’s aides restored the Spanish-language version of the website, which had been taken down by Trump’s digital team, and hired sign language interpreters for the livestream of the press secretary’s daily briefing. References to presidents as “he” were changed to “they” on some parts of the site.

At the State Department, the incoming secretary, Antony Blinken, moved quickly to erase what Mike Pompeo, his predecessor, called an “ethos” statement for U.S. diplomats, which included a pledge to be a “champion of American diplomacy” and to work with “unfailing professionalism.” Many longtime members of the department saw it as an insulting warning to the so-called deep state who Pompeo and Trump believed were undermining their agenda.

In its place, Blinken issued a statement that said “the ethos of public service permeates the workforce” and declared that State Department employees “do not need a reminder of the values we share.”

And officials at the Bureau of Land Management, in addition to overhauling their website, have restored boilerplate language at the bottom of all documents, including the assertion that the agency’s mission is “to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of America’s public lands.”

Melissa Schwartz, the Interior Department’s top communications official, said such changes were part of a new policy of encouraging voices that had not been heard during the Trump administration.

“The words we choose are critical and set the tone, whether it’s press releases or social media or all-staff messages,” she said. “At Interior, that means not just acknowledging the disproportionate impact that the climate crisis is having on communities of color and Indigenous peoples but an embrace of the science and solutions that will help us tackle it.”

Biden administration officials say the effort to modify the language used by government officials recognizes the powerful messages that certain words and phrases send.

The term “alien” is written into immigration statutes and has been widely used in government for decades to describe foreigners, even showing up in memos from Obama-era officials. But it has increasingly been at the center of an ideological tug of war about whether it unfairly stigmatizes immigrants and whether those in the United States without authorization should be called “undocumented” rather than “illegal.”

Three years ago, Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered officials in his department to use the term “illegal alien” in all communications when describing someone who did not come to the United States through legal means. In a memo, Justice Department officials wrote that “the word ‘undocumented’ is not based in U.S. code and should not be used to describe someone’s illegal presence in the country.”

Now the Biden administration is explicitly reversing that position. On Feb. 12, officials at Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that handles citizenship, said employees should not use the word “alien” in “outreach efforts, internal documents and in overall communication with stakeholders, partners and the general public.” The move, the agency’s acting director said, “aligns our language practices with the administration’s guidance on the federal government’s use of immigration terminology.”

A few days later, the White House went further. In his legislative proposal for a far-reaching immigration overhaul, Biden would strip the word “alien” from the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act and substitute it with “noncitizen,” a suggestion that infuriates anti-immigration groups.

“It’s kind of Orwellian — that’s what it is, really,” said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors limits on immigration. “The war against the word ‘alien’ is a continuation of this effort to destigmatize illegal immigration that started in the mid-1970s. This is in a sense the culmination of that process.”

Some changes are still pending.

The website of the Department of Homeland Security’s citizenship office, USCIS.gov, still bears the mission statement that Trump administration officials modified in 2018 to remove “America’s promise as a nation of immigrants” and replace it with “fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits.” That could soon switch course.

At the Environmental Protection Agency, Trump’s aides had taken down the part of the website devoted to climate change. As of mid-February, the site had not yet been restored. But given Biden’s embrace of the subject, officials said they expected that to happen soon.

But the Treasury Department is already moving ahead with plans to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, a decision that had been delayed during the Trump administration.

And at the Interior Department, employees have been told that they can use phrases like “science-based evidence” again. In a call with the agency’s public relations officials Jan. 21, Schwartz had a message for her colleagues.

“Climate change is real, and science is back, and you should feel free to talk about both in your press releases,” she said. “I release you!”

WASHINGTON — Days after President Joe Biden took office, the Bureau of Land Management put a scenic landscape of a winding river at the top of its website, which during the previous administration had featured a photograph of a huge wall of coal.

WASHINGTON — Days after President Joe Biden took office, the Bureau of Land Management put a scenic landscape of a winding river at the top of its website, which during the previous administration had featured a photograph of a huge wall of coal. At the Department of Homeland Security, the phrase “illegal alien” is being replaced with “noncitizen.” The Interior Department now makes sure that mentions of its stakeholders include “Tribal” people (with a capital “T,” as preferred by Native Americans, it said). The most unpopular two words in the Trump lexicon — “climate change” — are once again appearing on government websites and in documents; officials at the Environmental Protection Agency have even begun using the hashtag #climatecrisis on Twitter. And across the government, LGBTQ references are popping up everywhere. Visitors to the White House website are now asked whether they want to provide their pronouns when they fill out a contact form: she/her, he/him or they/them. It is all part of a concerted effort by the Biden administration to rebrand the government after four years of former President Donald Trump, in part by stripping away the language and imagery that represented his anti-immigration, anti-science and anti-gay rights policies and replacing them with words and pictures that are more inclusive and better match the current president’s sensibilities. “Biden is trying to reclaim the vision of America that was there during the Obama administration, a vision that was much more diverse, much more religiously tolerant, much more tolerant of different kinds of gender dispositions and gender presentations,” said Norma Mendoza-Denton, a professor of anthropology at UCLA and an author of “Language in the Trump Era: Scandals and Emergencies.” Mendoza-Denton said Trump sought to “remake reality through language” during a tumultuous tenure. As she writes in her book, the former president “changed some of the deepest expectations about presidential language, not just when it comes to style, but also the relationship between words and reality.” Now officials in Biden’s administration are using Trump’s own tactics to adjust reality again, this time by erasing the words his predecessor used and by explicitly returning to ones that had been banished. “The president has been clear to all of us: Words matter, tone matters and civility matters,” said Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary. “And bringing the country together, getting back our seat at the global table means turning the page from the actions but also the divisive and far too often xenophobic language of the last administration.” Some shift in the language used by government agencies is not uncommon when a new administration arrives in Washington. In addition to their symbolic power, the revisions can help usher in new policies. Allowing the phrase “climate change” gives a green light to government scientists, while banning the use of “illegal alien” can alter the real-life engagements between immigrants and border agents. But rarely has the contrast been quite so stark as it is between Biden and Trump. The rhetorical overhaul is underway in all corners of the government as executive orders are drafted, news releases are modified, scores of federal forms are tweaked, and online portals are revamped. Stephen Miller, who pursued similar changes at the beginning of the Trump administration as a top policy adviser, said the embrace of what he called politically correct language by officials in Biden’s government reflected the importance of framing important issues for the public. In addition to the changes on websites, he noted that Biden’s executive orders had been filled with words and phrases that would never have come from Trump’s mouth, including “equity,” “environmental justice,” “pathway to citizenship,” “pro-choice” and “undocumented immigrant.” “The struggle over the lexicon is actually the central struggle,” said Miller, who wrote many of Trump’s speeches and was the architect of his assault on the immigration system. “Equity is meant to harken to this idea that America is a nation that believes in everybody having this fundamental dignity of treatment. But the other side would say, ‘What you call equity, I call discrimination.’ ” Trump administration officials like Miller sought to engineer similar shifts in language when they were in office. Miller fought in 2017 for the use of the phrase “radical Islamic terrorism” during that year’s presidential address to Congress, arguing that it conveyed a seriousness of purpose by Trump in fighting terrorism. Critics said that using the phrase falsely suggested that all Muslims are terrorists. And Ben Carson, Trump’s secretary of housing and urban development, proposed removing the phrase “inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination” from the department’s mission statement. He later backed down. For the Biden administration, the vocabulary shift was immediate. Hours after taking office, officials responsible for updating WhiteHouse.gov removed pages highlighting Trump’s 1776 Commission, which likened progressivism to fascism and attacked liberals who charge that the founding of the United States was tainted by slavery. At the same time, the president’s aides restored the Spanish-language version of the website, which had been taken down by Trump’s digital team, and hired sign language interpreters for the livestream of the press secretary’s daily briefing. References to presidents as “he” were changed to “they” on some parts of the site. At the State Department, the incoming secretary, Antony Blinken, moved quickly to erase what Mike Pompeo, his predecessor, called an “ethos” statement for U.S. diplomats, which included a pledge to be a “champion of American diplomacy” and to work with “unfailing professionalism.” Many longtime members of the department saw it as an insulting warning to the so-called deep state who Pompeo and Trump believed were undermining their agenda. In its place, Blinken issued a statement that said “the ethos of public service permeates the workforce” and declared that State Department employees “do not need a reminder of the values we share.” And officials at the Bureau of Land Management, in addition to overhauling their website, have restored boilerplate language at the bottom of all documents, including the assertion that the agency’s mission is “to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of America’s public lands.” Melissa Schwartz, the Interior Department’s top communications official, said such changes were part of a new policy of encouraging voices that had not been heard during the Trump administration. “The words we choose are critical and set the tone, whether it’s press releases or social media or all-staff messages,” she said. “At Interior, that means not just acknowledging the disproportionate impact that the climate crisis is having on communities of color and Indigenous peoples but an embrace of the science and solutions that will help us tackle it.” Biden administration officials say the effort to modify the language used by government officials recognizes the powerful messages that certain words and phrases send. The term “alien” is written into immigration statutes and has been widely used in government for decades to describe foreigners, even showing up in memos from Obama-era officials. But it has increasingly been at the center of an ideological tug of war about whether it unfairly stigmatizes immigrants and whether those in the United States without authorization should be called “undocumented” rather than “illegal.” Three years ago, Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered officials in his department to use the term “illegal alien” in all communications when describing someone who did not come to the United States through legal means. In a memo, Justice Department officials wrote that “the word ‘undocumented’ is not based in U.S. code and should not be used to describe someone’s illegal presence in the country.” Now the Biden administration is explicitly reversing that position. On Feb. 12, officials at Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that handles citizenship, said employees should not use the word “alien” in “outreach efforts, internal documents and in overall communication with stakeholders, partners and the general public.” The move, the agency’s acting director said, “aligns our language practices with the administration’s guidance on the federal government’s use of immigration terminology.” A few days later, the White House went further. In his legislative proposal for a far-reaching immigration overhaul, Biden would strip the word “alien” from the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act and substitute it with “noncitizen,” a suggestion that infuriates anti-immigration groups. “It’s kind of Orwellian — that’s what it is, really,” said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors limits on immigration. “The war against the word ‘alien’ is a continuation of this effort to destigmatize illegal immigration that started in the mid-1970s. This is in a sense the culmination of that process.” Some changes are still pending. The website of the Department of Homeland Security’s citizenship office, USCIS.gov, still bears the mission statement that Trump administration officials modified in 2018 to remove “America’s promise as a nation of immigrants” and replace it with “fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits.” That could soon switch course. At the Environmental Protection Agency, Trump’s aides had taken down the part of the website devoted to climate change. As of mid-February, the site had not yet been restored. But given Biden’s embrace of the subject, officials said they expected that to happen soon. But the Treasury Department is already moving ahead with plans to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, a decision that had been delayed during the Trump administration. And at the Interior Department, employees have been told that they can use phrases like “science-based evidence” again. In a call with the agency’s public relations officials Jan. 21, Schwartz had a message for her colleagues. “Climate change is real, and science is back, and you should feel free to talk about both in your press releases,” she said. “I release you!”

The words that are in and out with the Biden administration

US President Joe Biden will on Wednesday sign an executive order, which stands to address a global semiconductor chip shortage that has forced American automakers and other manufacturers to cut production and alarmed the White House and members of Congress.

The pandemic-induced scarcity will be the subject when Biden meets a bipartisan group of US lawmakers on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

Administration officials said Biden's executive order, to be signed at 4:45 pm EST Wednesday, will launch an immediate 100-day review of supply chains for four critical products: semiconductor chips, large-capacity batteries for electric vehicles, rare earth minerals and pharmaceuticals.

The order will also direct six sector reviews -- modelled after the process used by the Defence Department to strengthen the defence industrial base. It will be focussed on the areas of defence, public health, communications technology, transportation, energy and food production.

The United States has been besieged by supply shortages since the onset of the pandemic, which squeezed the availability of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment, hurting frontline workers.

A group of US chip companies earlier in February urged Biden to provide "substantial funding for incentives for semiconductor manufacturing" as part of his economic recovery and infrastructure plans. Last summer they supported bipartisan legislation to provide "tens of billions of dollars" to help pay for chip manufacturing and research.

Biden has been under pressure from Republican lawmakers to do more to protect American supply chains from China by investing in domestic manufacturing of next-generation semiconductor chips.

Under Biden's order, thereby, the White House will look to diversify the United States' supply chain dependence for specific products such as rare earth minerals from China.

(with inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden will on Wednesday sign an executive order, which stands to address a global semiconductor chip shortage that has forced American automakers and other manufacturers to cut production and alarmed the White House and members of Congress.

US President Joe Biden will on Wednesday sign an executive order, which stands to address a global semiconductor chip shortage that has forced American automakers and other manufacturers to cut production and alarmed the White House and members of Congress. The pandemic-induced scarcity will be the subject when Biden meets a bipartisan group of US lawmakers on Wednesday to discuss the issue. Administration officials said Biden's executive order, to be signed at 4:45 pm EST Wednesday, will launch an immediate 100-day review of supply chains for four critical products: semiconductor chips, large-capacity batteries for electric vehicles, rare earth minerals and pharmaceuticals. The order will also direct six sector reviews -- modelled after the process used by the Defence Department to strengthen the defence industrial base. It will be focussed on the areas of defence, public health, communications technology, transportation, energy and food production. The United States has been besieged by supply shortages since the onset of the pandemic, which squeezed the availability of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment, hurting frontline workers. A group of US chip companies earlier in February urged Biden to provide "substantial funding for incentives for semiconductor manufacturing" as part of his economic recovery and infrastructure plans. Last summer they supported bipartisan legislation to provide "tens of billions of dollars" to help pay for chip manufacturing and research. Biden has been under pressure from Republican lawmakers to do more to protect American supply chains from China by investing in domestic manufacturing of next-generation semiconductor chips. Under Biden's order, thereby, the White House will look to diversify the United States' supply chain dependence for specific products such as rare earth minerals from China. (with inputs from agencies)

Biden set to address global computer chip shortage with latest executive order

Tiger Woods was involved in a tragic car accident near Los Angeles, leading to injuries in both legs. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden and Canada's&nbsp;Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had their&nbsp;first bilateral meeting and have claimed to have close ties while the US authorities claimed the rioters of the Capitol attack came prepared for war. On the other hand, Ecuador prison riots' death toll has increased to more than 65.

Click on headlines to read more

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tiger-woods-receives-serious-injuries-after-car-crash-near-los-angeles-365776" hreflang="en">Tiger Woods receives 'serious injuries' after car crash near Los Angeles</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/24/184138-pjimage.jpg?itok=nVFRfqu0" />

Woods' car flew off the road and was involved in the roll-over collision, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/more-than-60-inmates-dead-in-ecuador-prison-riots-365784">More than 60 inmates dead in Ecuador prison riots</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/24/184143-ecuador-prison-riots.jpg?itok=tNM3vbKW" />

Following one of the worst prison riots of Ecuador due to gang rivalry, nearly 65 inmates have been declared dead on Tuesday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-capitol-riot-security-officials-say-rioters-came-ready-for-war-365785">US Capitol riot: Security officials say rioters came 'ready for war'</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/01/10/177823-us-capitol-riots.jpg?itok=qLoF1JFM" />

In the first congressional hearing on Senate on the attack, security officials pointed that there were not even 'remote" and 'improbable' chances of a probable violence by the assessments made by intelligence officials.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-canada-are-best-friends-joe-biden-365782" hreflang="en">'US-Canada are best friends': Joe Biden</a>

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Tiger Woods was involved in a tragic car accident near Los Angeles, leading to injuries in both legs. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had their first bilateral meeting and have claimed to have close ties while the US authorities claimed the rioters of the Capitol attack came prepared for war.

Tiger Woods was involved in a tragic car accident near Los Angeles, leading to injuries in both legs. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had their first bilateral meeting and have claimed to have close ties while the US authorities claimed the rioters of the Capitol attack came prepared for war. On the other hand, Ecuador prison riots' death toll has increased to more than 65. Click on headlines to read more Tiger Woods receives 'serious injuries' after car crash near Los Angeles Woods' car flew off the road and was involved in the roll-over collision, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. More than 60 inmates dead in Ecuador prison riots Following one of the worst prison riots of Ecuador due to gang rivalry, nearly 65 inmates have been declared dead on Tuesday. US Capitol riot: Security officials say rioters came 'ready for war' In the first congressional hearing on Senate on the attack, security officials pointed that there were not even 'remote" and 'improbable' chances of a probable violence by the assessments made by intelligence officials. 'US-Canada are best friends': Joe Biden Pakistan President slams France Anti-radicalism bill

Morning news brief: Tiger Woods involved in car crash, Ecuador prison riots, and more

US Capitol security officials blamed Tuesday intelligence failures for the deadly assault on January 6 and said that the rioters came to Washington "ready for war".&nbsp;

In the first congressional hearing on Senate on the attack, security officials pointed that there were not even "remote" and "improbable" chances of a probable violence by the assessments made by intelligence officials.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

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"No entity, including the FBI, provided any intelligence indicating that there would be a coordinated violent attack on the United States Capitol by thousands of well-equipped armed insurrectionists," said the US Capitol Police's then-chief Steven Sund.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/defence-says-trump-bears-no-responsibility-for-us-capitol-attack-as-impeachment-trial-set-to-conclude-363294">Defence says Trump bears no responsibility for US Capitol attack as impeachment trial set to conclude</a>

Sund also said that the officials had prepared for a protest, but not "a military-style coordinated assault".

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sent a report to the US Capitol Police that the rioters arrived in Washington "ready for war".&nbsp;

In the testimony, &nbsp;police chiefs and the House and Senate sergeants told the Senate how they were outnumbered by armed and coordinated attackers.&nbsp;

Washington's acting police chief Robert Contee said his cops were literally "fighting for their lives" on the day of the assault.&nbsp;

The assault on the US Capitol that left five people dead including one police officer drew condemnation from across the world.

Sund, House sergeant-at-arms Paul Irving and Senate sergeant-at-arms Michael Stenger were the top officials who resigned after the incident.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

US Capitol security officials blamed Tuesday intelligence failures for the deadly assault on January 6 and said that the rioters came to Washington "ready for war".

US Capitol security officials blamed Tuesday intelligence failures for the deadly assault on January 6 and said that the rioters came to Washington "ready for war". In the first congressional hearing on Senate on the attack, security officials pointed that there were not even "remote" and "improbable" chances of a probable violence by the assessments made by intelligence officials. Watch | "No entity, including the FBI, provided any intelligence indicating that there would be a coordinated violent attack on the United States Capitol by thousands of well-equipped armed insurrectionists," said the US Capitol Police's then-chief Steven Sund. Also read | Defence says Trump bears no responsibility for US Capitol attack as impeachment trial set to conclude Sund also said that the officials had prepared for a protest, but not "a military-style coordinated assault". The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sent a report to the US Capitol Police that the rioters arrived in Washington "ready for war". In the testimony, police chiefs and the House and Senate sergeants told the Senate how they were outnumbered by armed and coordinated attackers. Washington's acting police chief Robert Contee said his cops were literally "fighting for their lives" on the day of the assault. The assault on the US Capitol that left five people dead including one police officer drew condemnation from across the world. Sund, House sergeant-at-arms Paul Irving and Senate sergeant-at-arms Michael Stenger were the top officials who resigned after the incident.

US Capitol riot: Security officials say rioters came 'ready for war'

The United States Supreme Court on Monday declined former President Donald Trump's request to halt his tax record turnover.

US Supreme Court allows release of Trump tax records

President Joe&nbsp;Biden on Tuesday&nbsp;announced the reversal of the stringent Trump-era policy by reverting to the 2008 version of the naturalisation test module to make the path to US citizenship more accessible to all eligible individuals.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Monday that it is reverting to the 2008 version of the naturalisation civics test beginning March 1, 2021.

The previous Trump administration had introduced some changes to the naturalisation civics test, called the 2020 civics test, which increased the number of questions from 100 to 128 and the correct answers in the multiple-choice questions had political and ideological overtones.

Announcing the reversal, the USCIS said the agency has determined that the revised civics test, applicable for individuals who had applied on or after December 1, 2020, "may inadvertently create potential barriers" to the naturalisation process.

USCIS said in a statement, "This action is consistent with the framework of the Executive Order on Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems, which directs a comprehensive review of the naturalisation process to eliminate barriers and make the process more accessible to all eligible individuals."

"The 2008 civics test was thoroughly developed over a multi-year period with the input of more than 150 organisations, which included English as a second language experts, educators, and historians, and was piloted before its implementation. USCIS aspires to make the process as accessible as possible as directed by President Biden's request to review the process thoroughly,''&nbsp;it said.

The civics test is administered to applicants who apply for US citizenship through naturalisation and is one of the statutory requirements for naturalising. Applicants must demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history, principles, and form of government of the United States.

"The decision to naturalise demonstrates an investment in and commitment to this country. USCIS is committed to administering a test that is an instrument of civic learning and fosters civic integration as part of the test preparation process,''&nbsp;the statement said.

Applicants who filed their application for naturalisation on or after December 1, 2020, and before March 1, 2021, likely have been studying for the 2020 test; therefore, USCIS will give these applicants the option to take either the 2020 civics test or the 2008 civics test, it said.

There will be a transition period where both tests are being offered. The 2020 test will be phased out on April 19, 2021, for initial test takers. Applicants filing on or after March 1, 2021, will take the 2008 civics test, the agency said.&nbsp;

President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced the reversal of the stringent Trump-era policy by reverting to the 2008 version of the naturalisation test module to make the path to US citizenship more accessible to all eligible individuals.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced the reversal of the stringent Trump-era policy by reverting to the 2008 version of the naturalisation test module to make the path to US citizenship more accessible to all eligible individuals. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Monday that it is reverting to the 2008 version of the naturalisation civics test beginning March 1, 2021. The previous Trump administration had introduced some changes to the naturalisation civics test, called the 2020 civics test, which increased the number of questions from 100 to 128 and the correct answers in the multiple-choice questions had political and ideological overtones. Announcing the reversal, the USCIS said the agency has determined that the revised civics test, applicable for individuals who had applied on or after December 1, 2020, "may inadvertently create potential barriers" to the naturalisation process. USCIS said in a statement, "This action is consistent with the framework of the Executive Order on Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems, which directs a comprehensive review of the naturalisation process to eliminate barriers and make the process more accessible to all eligible individuals." "The 2008 civics test was thoroughly developed over a multi-year period with the input of more than 150 organisations, which included English as a second language experts, educators, and historians, and was piloted before its implementation. USCIS aspires to make the process as accessible as possible as directed by President Biden's request to review the process thoroughly,'' it said. The civics test is administered to applicants who apply for US citizenship through naturalisation and is one of the statutory requirements for naturalising. Applicants must demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history, principles, and form of government of the United States. "The decision to naturalise demonstrates an investment in and commitment to this country. USCIS is committed to administering a test that is an instrument of civic learning and fosters civic integration as part of the test preparation process,'' the statement said. Applicants who filed their application for naturalisation on or after December 1, 2020, and before March 1, 2021, likely have been studying for the 2020 test; therefore, USCIS will give these applicants the option to take either the 2020 civics test or the 2008 civics test, it said. There will be a transition period where both tests are being offered. The 2020 test will be phased out on April 19, 2021, for initial test takers. Applicants filing on or after March 1, 2021, will take the 2008 civics test, the agency said.

US President Joe Biden rolls back Trump-era citizenship test

The United States crossed the grim milestone of 500,000 coronavirus deaths on Monday as President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-official-says-who-needs-to-dig-deeper-on-virus-origins-365454">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris observed a moment of silence at the White House to commemorate the lives lost during the pandemic.&nbsp;Meanwhile, Trump supporters are running to alternate social media platforms after getting banned on Facebook and Twitter.

Click on headlines to read more

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/remember-each-person-biden-mourns-as-united-states-records-over-500000-coronavirus-deaths-365539" hreflang="en">'Remember each person': Biden mourns as US records 500,000 COVID-19 deaths</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/23/183991-bb.jpg?itok=GiBqwDJr" />

US President Biden ordered flags over all federal buildings to be lowered until sunset of 26 February even as Washington national cathedral marked the day by tolling the cathedral bell 500 times.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/we-will-hold-iran-responsible-says-us-after-rockets-target-us-embassy-in-iraqs-green-zone-365542" hreflang="en">We will hold Iran responsible, says US after rockets target US embassy in Iraq's Green Zone</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/23/183992-use1.jpg?itok=3SJ65m6R" />

At least one rocket hit the headquarters of Iraq's national security service near the US diplomatic mission damaging several cars. One other rocket crashed into the nearby residential district of Harithiya.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-supporters-find-solace-in-alternate-apps-after-twitter-and-facebook-ban-365540" hreflang="en">Trump supporters find solace in alternate apps after Twitter and Facebook ban</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/08/13/154421-facebook-twitter.jpg?itok=Ubx4SQUS" />

Facebook shut down nearly 900 accounts and Twitter blocked 70,000 accounts related t conspiracy group QAnon and such.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-what-do-iraqs-christians-think-about-the-visit-of-pope-francis-365526" hreflang="en">Gravitas: What do Iraq's Christians think about the visit of Pope Francis?</a>

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&nbsp;

The United States crossed the grim milestone of 500,000 coronavirus deaths on Monday as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris observed a moment of silence at the White House to commemorate the lives lost during the pandemic.

The United States crossed the grim milestone of 500,000 coronavirus deaths on Monday as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris observed a moment of silence at the White House to commemorate the lives lost during the pandemic. Meanwhile, Trump supporters are running to alternate social media platforms after getting banned on Facebook and Twitter. Click on headlines to read more 'Remember each person': Biden mourns as US records 500,000 COVID-19 deaths US President Biden ordered flags over all federal buildings to be lowered until sunset of 26 February even as Washington national cathedral marked the day by tolling the cathedral bell 500 times. We will hold Iran responsible, says US after rockets target US embassy in Iraq's Green Zone At least one rocket hit the headquarters of Iraq's national security service near the US diplomatic mission damaging several cars. One other rocket crashed into the nearby residential district of Harithiya. Trump supporters find solace in alternate apps after Twitter and Facebook ban Facebook shut down nearly 900 accounts and Twitter blocked 70,000 accounts related t conspiracy group QAnon and such. Gravitas: What do Iraq's Christians think about the visit of Pope Francis? × Gravitas: Facebook's news ban in Australia: A costly mistake for Zuckerberg? ×

Morning news brief: Biden mourns COVID deaths, US embassy in Iraq hit, and more

The US Supreme Court has allowed prosecutors to view Former President Donald Trump's tax returns, though the documents will not be made public.

US Supreme Court allows access to Trump's tax records

During a December visit to New York City, writer E&nbsp;Jean Carroll says she went shopping with a fashion consultant to find the "best outfit" for one of the most important days of her life - when she'll sit face-to-face with the man she accuses of raping her decades ago, former President Donald Trump.

The author and journalist hope that day will come this year. Her lawyers are seeking to depose Trump in a defamation lawsuit that Carroll filed against the former president in November 2019 after he denied her accusation that he raped her at a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s. Trump said he never knew Carroll and accused her of lying to sell her new book, adding: "She's not my type."

She plans to be there if Trump is deposed.

"I am living for the moment to walk into that room to sit across the table from him," Carroll told Reuters in an interview. "I think of it every day."

Carroll, 77, a former Elle magazine columnist, seeks unspecified damages in her lawsuit and a retraction of Trump's statements. It is one of two defamation cases involving sexual misconduct allegations against Trump that could move forward faster now that he has left the presidency. While in office, Trump's lawyers delayed the case in part by arguing that the pressing duties of his office made responding to civil lawsuits impossible.

"The only barrier to proceeding with the civil suits was that he's the president," said Jennifer Rodgers, a former federal prosecutor and now an adjunct professor of clinical law at the New York University School of Law.

"I think there will be a sense among the judges that it's time to get a move on in these cases," said Roberta Kaplan, Carroll's attorney.

An attorney for Trump and another representative of the former president did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump faces a similar defamation lawsuit from Summer Zervos, a former contestant on his reality television show "The Apprentice." In 2016, Zervos accused Trump of sexual misconduct, saying that he kissed her against her will at a 2007 meeting in New York and later groped her at a California hotel as the two met to discuss job opportunities.

Trump denied the allegations and called Zervos a liar, prompting her to sue him for defamation in 2017, seeking damages and a retraction. Trump tried unsuccessfully to have the case dismissed, arguing that, as president, he was immune from suits filed in state courts. His lawyers appealed to the New York Court of Appeals, which is still considering the case. Zervos filed a motion in early February asking the court to resume the case now that Trump's no longer president.

Zervos and Carroll are among more than two dozen women who have publicly accused Trump of sexual misconduct that they say occurred in the years before he became president. Other accusers include a former model who claims Trump sexually assaulted her at the 1997 U.S. Open tennis tournament; a former Miss Universe pageant contestant who said Trump groped her in 2006; and a reporter who alleges Trump forcibly kissed her without her consent in 2005 at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

Trump has denied the allegations and called them politically motivated.

In September, after several unsuccessful attempts by Trump's lawyers to get Carroll's case dismissed or delayed, U.S. Justice Department officials under his administration took the unusual step of asking that the government be substituted for Trump as the defendant in the case. Justice Department lawyers argued that Trump, like any typical government employee, is entitled under federal law to immunity from civil lawsuits when performing his job. They argued that he was acting in his capacity as president when he said Carroll was lying.

Legal experts said it was unprecedented for the Justice Department to defend a president for conduct before he took office. When Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Federal District Court in Manhattan rejected that argument, the Justice Department appealed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has yet to rule on it.

It's yet to be seen whether Justice Department officials under President Joe Biden, who took office last month, will continue to defend the case on Trump's behalf. The White House and the Justice Department declined to comment.

If the appeals court upholds Judge Kaplan's decision, it would likely clear the way for Trump to be deposed by Carroll's lawyers.

Unidentified Male DNA

Carroll's lawyers are also seeking a DNA sample from Trump. Carroll says she still has the dress she was wearing when Trump allegedly attacked her.

"I hung it in my closet," she said.

Carroll said she randomly crossed paths with Trump in the Bergdorf Goodman's store in the mid-1990s. Carroll, who hosted a TV talk show at the time, said Trump recognized her. The two chatted, she said. Trump asked her to pick out a gift for an unidentified woman, and they eventually ended up in the lingerie department. After asking her to try on a bodysuit, Trump closed the door in a dressing room, pinned her against a wall, unzipped his pants and sexually assaulted her, according to the complaint.

Carroll said she told two friends about the alleged attack shortly after it happened, but did not report Trump to police, fearing retribution from the wealthy and well-connected businessman. Decades later, Carroll went public with her story in a June 2019 New York magazine article, adapted from a new book, "What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal."

She said she was inspired to recount the incident by the #MeToo movement, which emboldened women to share their experiences of sexual assault and harassment. In photos shot for that story, Kaplan, at the request of the magazine's photography director, wore the same black Donna Karan dress that she said she had worn on the day that Trump allegedly assaulted her.

When Carroll filed her lawsuit later in 2019, her lawyer, Kaplan, had a guard escort her to retrieve the dress from her closet for forensic testing. An analysis concluded no semen was found on the dress, but the DNA of an unidentified male was detected on the shoulder and sleeves, according to the Jan. 8, 2020 lab report, which was reviewed by Reuters.

If the dress does contain traces of Trump's DNA, it would not prove his guilt. But a match could be used as evidence that he had contact with the dress and to help disprove his claims that he never met Carroll, according to two forensic experts not involved in the case.

"How his DNA got on that dress would be the argument," said Monte Miller, a biochemist who runs a DNA analysis consultancy and previously worked at the Texas Department of Public Safety's State Crime Laboratory. "It's for the attorneys and the courts and everybody else to argue about why it's there and how it got there."

Carroll said she's confident the DNA on the dress belongs to Trump and wants her day in court. She said she now sleeps with a gun next to her bed because she has received death threats since publicly accusing Trump.

"This defamation suit is not about me," said Carroll, who meets regularly with other women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. It's about every woman "who can't speak up."

During a December visit to New York City, writer E Jean Carroll says she went shopping with a fashion consultant to find the "best outfit" for one of the most important days of her life - when she'll sit face-to-face with the man she accuses of raping her decades ago, former President Donald Trump.

During a December visit to New York City, writer E Jean Carroll says she went shopping with a fashion consultant to find the "best outfit" for one of the most important days of her life - when she'll sit face-to-face with the man she accuses of raping her decades ago, former President Donald Trump. The author and journalist hope that day will come this year. Her lawyers are seeking to depose Trump in a defamation lawsuit that Carroll filed against the former president in November 2019 after he denied her accusation that he raped her at a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s. Trump said he never knew Carroll and accused her of lying to sell her new book, adding: "She's not my type." She plans to be there if Trump is deposed. "I am living for the moment to walk into that room to sit across the table from him," Carroll told Reuters in an interview. "I think of it every day." Carroll, 77, a former Elle magazine columnist, seeks unspecified damages in her lawsuit and a retraction of Trump's statements. It is one of two defamation cases involving sexual misconduct allegations against Trump that could move forward faster now that he has left the presidency. While in office, Trump's lawyers delayed the case in part by arguing that the pressing duties of his office made responding to civil lawsuits impossible. "The only barrier to proceeding with the civil suits was that he's the president," said Jennifer Rodgers, a former federal prosecutor and now an adjunct professor of clinical law at the New York University School of Law. "I think there will be a sense among the judges that it's time to get a move on in these cases," said Roberta Kaplan, Carroll's attorney. An attorney for Trump and another representative of the former president did not respond to requests for comment. Trump faces a similar defamation lawsuit from Summer Zervos, a former contestant on his reality television show "The Apprentice." In 2016, Zervos accused Trump of sexual misconduct, saying that he kissed her against her will at a 2007 meeting in New York and later groped her at a California hotel as the two met to discuss job opportunities. Trump denied the allegations and called Zervos a liar, prompting her to sue him for defamation in 2017, seeking damages and a retraction. Trump tried unsuccessfully to have the case dismissed, arguing that, as president, he was immune from suits filed in state courts. His lawyers appealed to the New York Court of Appeals, which is still considering the case. Zervos filed a motion in early February asking the court to resume the case now that Trump's no longer president. Zervos and Carroll are among more than two dozen women who have publicly accused Trump of sexual misconduct that they say occurred in the years before he became president. Other accusers include a former model who claims Trump sexually assaulted her at the 1997 U.S. Open tennis tournament; a former Miss Universe pageant contestant who said Trump groped her in 2006; and a reporter who alleges Trump forcibly kissed her without her consent in 2005 at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump has denied the allegations and called them politically motivated. In September, after several unsuccessful attempts by Trump's lawyers to get Carroll's case dismissed or delayed, U.S. Justice Department officials under his administration took the unusual step of asking that the government be substituted for Trump as the defendant in the case. Justice Department lawyers argued that Trump, like any typical government employee, is entitled under federal law to immunity from civil lawsuits when performing his job. They argued that he was acting in his capacity as president when he said Carroll was lying. Legal experts said it was unprecedented for the Justice Department to defend a president for conduct before he took office. When Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Federal District Court in Manhattan rejected that argument, the Justice Department appealed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has yet to rule on it. It's yet to be seen whether Justice Department officials under President Joe Biden, who took office last month, will continue to defend the case on Trump's behalf. The White House and the Justice Department declined to comment. If the appeals court upholds Judge Kaplan's decision, it would likely clear the way for Trump to be deposed by Carroll's lawyers. Unidentified Male DNA Carroll's lawyers are also seeking a DNA sample from Trump. Carroll says she still has the dress she was wearing when Trump allegedly attacked her. "I hung it in my closet," she said. Carroll said she randomly crossed paths with Trump in the Bergdorf Goodman's store in the mid-1990s. Carroll, who hosted a TV talk show at the time, said Trump recognized her. The two chatted, she said. Trump asked her to pick out a gift for an unidentified woman, and they eventually ended up in the lingerie department. After asking her to try on a bodysuit, Trump closed the door in a dressing room, pinned her against a wall, unzipped his pants and sexually assaulted her, according to the complaint. Carroll said she told two friends about the alleged attack shortly after it happened, but did not report Trump to police, fearing retribution from the wealthy and well-connected businessman. Decades later, Carroll went public with her story in a June 2019 New York magazine article, adapted from a new book, "What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal." She said she was inspired to recount the incident by the #MeToo movement, which emboldened women to share their experiences of sexual assault and harassment. In photos shot for that story, Kaplan, at the request of the magazine's photography director, wore the same black Donna Karan dress that she said she had worn on the day that Trump allegedly assaulted her. When Carroll filed her lawsuit later in 2019, her lawyer, Kaplan, had a guard escort her to retrieve the dress from her closet for forensic testing. An analysis concluded no semen was found on the dress, but the DNA of an unidentified male was detected on the shoulder and sleeves, according to the Jan. 8, 2020 lab report, which was reviewed by Reuters. If the dress does contain traces of Trump's DNA, it would not prove his guilt. But a match could be used as evidence that he had contact with the dress and to help disprove his claims that he never met Carroll, according to two forensic experts not involved in the case. "How his DNA got on that dress would be the argument," said Monte Miller, a biochemist who runs a DNA analysis consultancy and previously worked at the Texas Department of Public Safety's State Crime Laboratory. "It's for the attorneys and the courts and everybody else to argue about why it's there and how it got there." Carroll said she's confident the DNA on the dress belongs to Trump and wants her day in court. She said she now sleeps with a gun next to her bed because she has received death threats since publicly accusing Trump. "This defamation suit is not about me," said Carroll, who meets regularly with other women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. It's about every woman "who can't speak up."

Donald Trump may soon have to answer rape allegations under oath

Popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter recently disabled and banned several accounts of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> supporters as they were accused of inciting violence and spreading misinformation.

However, while Trump decided to knock the doors of the friendly and local news channels to broadcast his thoughts, his supporters have also found slternate social media platforms to yell out their thoughts to the world.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-offered-north-koreas-kim-jong-un-ride-back-home-on-air-force-one-report-365311" hreflang="en">Trump offered North Korea's Kim Jong Un ride back home on Air Force One: Report</a>

Platforms such as Gab, MeWe, Telegram, Discord and a few more have now replaced popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Messenger and such.

"The most extreme Trump supporters were already on alternative platforms," Nick Backovic, a researcher at Logically.AI, a company specialising in digital disinformation. "The fact that Facebook and Twitter took so long to (ban them) allowed influencers to rebuild conversation and groups almost seamlessly."

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-to-appear-for-first-post-white-house-speech-in-cpac-365129" hreflang="en">Donald Trump to appear for first post-White House speech in CPAC</a>

After the US Capitol riots, carried out by Trump's supporters on January 06, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter took down pages and accounts of several armed groups an movements such as Oath Keepers.

Facebook shut down nearly 900 accounts and Twitter blocked 70,000 accounts related t conspiraycy group QAnon and such.

"Deplatforming works," said Jim Steyer, president of the organization Common Sense Media. "Now that you look at Trump not being on Twitter, he lost his big speaker, his amplification microphone to the world."

Popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter recently disabled and banned several accounts of Donald Trump supporters as they were accused of inciting violence and spreading misinformation.

Popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter recently disabled and banned several accounts of Donald Trump supporters as they were accused of inciting violence and spreading misinformation. However, while Trump decided to knock the doors of the friendly and local news channels to broadcast his thoughts, his supporters have also found slternate social media platforms to yell out their thoughts to the world. Also read| Trump offered North Korea's Kim Jong Un ride back home on Air Force One: Report Platforms such as Gab, MeWe, Telegram, Discord and a few more have now replaced popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Messenger and such. "The most extreme Trump supporters were already on alternative platforms," Nick Backovic, a researcher at Logically.AI, a company specialising in digital disinformation. "The fact that Facebook and Twitter took so long to (ban them) allowed influencers to rebuild conversation and groups almost seamlessly." Also read| Donald Trump to appear for first post-White House speech in CPAC After the US Capitol riots, carried out by Trump's supporters on January 06, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter took down pages and accounts of several armed groups an movements such as Oath Keepers. Facebook shut down nearly 900 accounts and Twitter blocked 70,000 accounts related t conspiraycy group QAnon and such. "Deplatforming works," said Jim Steyer, president of the organization Common Sense Media. "Now that you look at Trump not being on Twitter, he lost his big speaker, his amplification microphone to the world."

Trump supporters find solace in alternate apps after Twitter and Facebook ban

The infamous former US President, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, is all set to appear before the cameras for his first post-White House speech at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) which is scheduled for February 28.

Beeming with confidence, despite a historic defeat in the US election 2020, Trump is ready to announce himself as Republicans' "presumptive 2024 nominee" for president, reports claim.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-preferred-candidate-for-2024-presidential-election-poll-364177" hreflang="en">Donald Trump preferred candidate for 2024 presidential election: Poll</a>

Trump will be addressing the CPAC on Sunday and will reportedly make the announcement there, the news site Axios reported citing multiple anonymous sources.

If the reports come true, it won't be the first time Trump hints at running for President in CPAc as in the past, too, he has used the platform to express his intentions of gaining power.&nbsp;

CPAC is one of the largest annual gatherings of political conservatives — one that trump regularly participates in and enjoys.

An anonymous "longtime adviser" was quoted by the US media who claim that Trump will use the stage to show his strength and power that he, apparently, still possesses in a message relaying around 'I may not have Twitter or the Oval Office, but I’m still in charge.'

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-to-appear-for-first-post-white-house-speech-in-cpac-365129" hreflang="en">Donald Trump to appear for first post-White House speech in CPAC</a>

"Trump effectively is the Republican party. The only chasm is between Beltway insiders and grass-roots Republicans around the country. When you attack President Trump, you’re attacking the Republican grass roots," Trump's close adviser, Jason Miller, said.

This is echoing in the tone and words of a few republican officials too, such as Steve Scalise, n important member of House leadership who refuses to acknowledge trump's defeat and has time and again stressed how 'calmly' has trump handled his departure from the White House.

"I noticed he was a lot more relaxed than in his four years in the White House," he said after visiting the former US President at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. "He still cares a lot about this country and the direction of our country. But, you know, it was a conversation more about how he’s doing now and what he’s … planning on doing and how his family is doing."

This is also lining up with the findings of a recent poll, conducted by Politico-Morning Consult, that revealed that Trump's popularity within the Republican Party has not decreased even after the impeachment trial as &nbsp;59 per cent of Republicans said they would happily support the former US President to play a prominent role in their Republican Party. Further, 54 per cent of Republicans said they would like to support Trump in a hypothetical 2024 presidential primary election.

The infamous former US President, Donald Trump, is all set to appear before the cameras for his first post-White House speech at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) which is scheduled for February 28.

The infamous former US President, Donald Trump, is all set to appear before the cameras for his first post-White House speech at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) which is scheduled for February 28. Beeming with confidence, despite a historic defeat in the US election 2020, Trump is ready to announce himself as Republicans' "presumptive 2024 nominee" for president, reports claim. Also read| Donald Trump preferred candidate for 2024 presidential election: Poll Trump will be addressing the CPAC on Sunday and will reportedly make the announcement there, the news site Axios reported citing multiple anonymous sources. If the reports come true, it won't be the first time Trump hints at running for President in CPAc as in the past, too, he has used the platform to express his intentions of gaining power. CPAC is one of the largest annual gatherings of political conservatives — one that trump regularly participates in and enjoys. An anonymous "longtime adviser" was quoted by the US media who claim that Trump will use the stage to show his strength and power that he, apparently, still possesses in a message relaying around 'I may not have Twitter or the Oval Office, but I’m still in charge.' Also read| Donald Trump to appear for first post-White House speech in CPAC "Trump effectively is the Republican party. The only chasm is between Beltway insiders and grass-roots Republicans around the country. When you attack President Trump, you’re attacking the Republican grass roots," Trump's close adviser, Jason Miller, said. This is echoing in the tone and words of a few republican officials too, such as Steve Scalise, n important member of House leadership who refuses to acknowledge trump's defeat and has time and again stressed how 'calmly' has trump handled his departure from the White House. "I noticed he was a lot more relaxed than in his four years in the White House," he said after visiting the former US President at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. "He still cares a lot about this country and the direction of our country. But, you know, it was a conversation more about how he’s doing now and what he’s … planning on doing and how his family is doing." This is also lining up with the findings of a recent poll, conducted by Politico-Morning Consult, that revealed that Trump's popularity within the Republican Party has not decreased even after the impeachment trial as 59 per cent of Republicans said they would happily support the former US President to play a prominent role in their Republican Party. Further, 54 per cent of Republicans said they would like to support Trump in a hypothetical 2024 presidential primary election.

Trump to announce himself 'presumptive 2024 nominee' for President soon: Report

After days of talks, the IAEA&nbsp;has struck a deal with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-reiterates-stance-says-us-must-first-lift-sanctions-before-talks-to-revive-2015-deal-365245">Iran</a>. Meanwhile, the UK is hoping to ease lockdown restrictions imposed due to coronavirus as the country aims to vaccinate all adults by the end of July.

Click on headlines to read more

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-strikes-temporary-solution-with-iaea-over-nuclear-inspection-365285" hreflang="en">Iran strikes 'temporary solution' with IAEA over nuclear inspection</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/12/16/174290-rouhani.jpg?itok=yNGkPPGx" />

Under the protocol with Iran, the IAEA will collect and analyze hundreds of thousands of images captured daily by its sophisticated surveillance cameras.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-set-to-ease-lockdown-amid-accelerating-vaccine-rollout-365288">UK set to ease lockdown amid accelerating vaccine rollout</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/22/183829-cc1.jpg?itok=utTteVMu" />

After spending much of the winter in a tight lockdown,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-19-britain-aims-to-vaccinate-all-adults-by-july-end-365154">British</a>&nbsp;PM&nbsp;Boris Johnson&nbsp;is all set to announce a roadmap to ease lockdown measures in Parliament.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-aviation-body-orders-special-inspections-of-some-boeing-777s-after-united-airlines-incident-365290">US aviation body orders special inspections of some Boeing 777s</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/21/183729-united-airlines.jpg?itok=YBh0mALM" />

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said this order of special investigation might lead to the removal of some of the Boeing 777s from service.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/libyas-interior-minister-survives-assassination-attempt-365292" hreflang="en">Libya's interior minister survives assassination attempt</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/22/183832-fathi-bashagha.jpg?itok=4007M-qQ" />

As of now, only a security guard has been reported as injured. The militants have been arrested and are being questioned, as per sources.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/inside-joe-bidens-major-policy-decisions-in-a-month-365289" hreflang="en">Inside Joe Biden's major policy decisions in a month</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/inside-joe-bidens-major-policy-decisions-in-a-month-365289/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

After days of talks, the IAEA has struck a deal with Iran. Meanwhile, the UK is hoping to ease lockdown restrictions imposed due to coronavirus as the country aims to vaccinate all adults by the end of July.

After days of talks, the IAEA has struck a deal with Iran. Meanwhile, the UK is hoping to ease lockdown restrictions imposed due to coronavirus as the country aims to vaccinate all adults by the end of July. Click on headlines to read more Iran strikes 'temporary solution' with IAEA over nuclear inspection Under the protocol with Iran, the IAEA will collect and analyze hundreds of thousands of images captured daily by its sophisticated surveillance cameras. UK set to ease lockdown amid accelerating vaccine rollout After spending much of the winter in a tight lockdown, British PM Boris Johnson is all set to announce a roadmap to ease lockdown measures in Parliament. US aviation body orders special inspections of some Boeing 777s FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said this order of special investigation might lead to the removal of some of the Boeing 777s from service. Libya's interior minister survives assassination attempt As of now, only a security guard has been reported as injured. The militants have been arrested and are being questioned, as per sources. Inside Joe Biden's major policy decisions in a month

Morning news brief: Iran-IAEA find solution, UK's COVID lockdown, and more

The US Supreme Court put a new New York grand jury on the brink of getting eight years of Donald Trump’s tax returns and other financial records, ending months of delay by rejecting his bid to keep the information private.

The decision, the second time the Apex court has weighed in on the matter, was announced in an order with no noted dissents. The news further imperils the ex-president, who is facing investigations in New York and elsewhere.

The development is a brutal defeat for the former president. Trump has dismissed the Manhattan prosecutors' investigation as a political "witch hunt" and has fought all the way to the high court to keep his tax returns under wraps.

Because of the secrecy of grand jury proceedings, the decision does not mean Trump's financial records will become public.

Trump has been waging a protracted legal battle to prevent his tax records from being handed over to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance.

(With inputs from agencies)

The US Supreme Court put a new New York grand jury on the brink of getting eight years of Donald Trump’s tax returns and other financial records, ending months of delay by rejecting his bid to keep the information private.

The US Supreme Court put a new New York grand jury on the brink of getting eight years of Donald Trump’s tax returns and other financial records, ending months of delay by rejecting his bid to keep the information private. The decision, the second time the Apex court has weighed in on the matter, was announced in an order with no noted dissents. The news further imperils the ex-president, who is facing investigations in New York and elsewhere. The development is a brutal defeat for the former president. Trump has dismissed the Manhattan prosecutors' investigation as a political "witch hunt" and has fought all the way to the high court to keep his tax returns under wraps. Because of the secrecy of grand jury proceedings, the decision does not mean Trump's financial records will become public. Trump has been waging a protracted legal battle to prevent his tax records from being handed over to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. (With inputs from agencies)

US Supreme Court denies Donald Trump’s bid to conceal financial records

According to a new BBC documentary, Donald Trump offered North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a ride home on Air Force One after a summit in Hanoi two years ago.

Donald Trump offers Air Force One ride home to Kim Jong Un

Wistful skaters descended on Central Park on Sunday for what they thought would be their last outing on the ice for the season, after the Trump Organization abruptly announced that the two ice rinks there would close as the city moved to end its contracts following the Capitol riot.

But after complaints mounted throughout the day over the loss of a precious venue for outdoor entertainment and exercise during the pandemic — and as some New Yorkers, despite former President Donald Trump’s unpopularity in his home city, faulted City Hall for ending the contracts early — Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said Sunday evening that the rinks would stay open for the season.

“New York City kids deserve all the time on the ice they can get this year,” the mayor’s press secretary, Bill Neidhardt, said in a statement. “The Wollman and Lasker rinks will stay open under current management for the few weeks left in this season. But make no mistake, we will not be doing business with the Trump Organization going forward. Inciting an insurrection will never be forgotten or forgiven.”

Wollman Rink and Lasker Rink — memory-makers for generations of New Yorkers — will be open as usual Monday, city officials said.

Trump’s company had blamed the city when it had said the rinks were to close at the end of business Sunday. The Trump Organization, which has run the rinks since the 1980s, said city officials had ordered the company to clear out by Feb. 26, ahead of the current contract’s expiration in April, and said it needed to shut a few days earlier.

It was unclear why the city had set that deadline; bids are not due until March 19 in the competitive process to select a new operator for Wollman, and Lasker had been expected to shut for renovations, but not until the spring.

As skaters thronged to the rinks Sunday in sunny, wintry weather, many dished out criticism of both Trump and de Blasio.

There was even a moment of politically tinged mayhem on ice. At Wollman, near the park's southern end, an employee tackled a man who was skating with a 20-foot “Trump 2024” flag, wearing what appeared to be a “Make America Great Again” cap. Several witnesses said the man had cursed at employees and refused to leave the ice.

But mostly, the atmosphere at both rinks was calm, if melancholy, with skaters expressing regret at news of the shutdown. “I wish the politics didn’t get involved in it,” Reuben Katz, 11, said. He was wearing a New York Islanders sweatshirt and waiting with his family at Lasker, near the northern end of the park.

De Blasio said last month that the city would terminate the rinks’ contracts in response to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol and would seek other vendors to operate the sites.

The Trump Organization has vowed to fight the move in court; de Blasio has said the city had the right to cancel the contracts because the violence in Washington qualified as criminal activity.

Eric Trump, the former president’s son and the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, said closing the rinks would leave 250 people out of work.

“Why — to try and get back at a person who sits on a different side of the political aisle who now lives in Florida,” he said in a statement Sunday. “Let’s cancel kids’ hockey programs, skating schools and shut them down six weeks early … that will show Trump.”

Complaints about the disruption had appeared to transcend politics.

“As lifelong Democrats, we are disappointed that de Blasio would play politics and shut down a COVID-friendly activity for city kids,” said Gideon Katz, 46, Reuben’s father.

Both rinks were busy Sunday. Families with young children carried bags of skating equipment while toddlers peered down at the ice. Valedictory music played at Wollman, from *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” to the closing number, Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”

Several hand-drawn signs had been posted near Wollman’s entrance, including “We ️(Love) Wollman Rink!” and “SAVE OUR RINKS.”

The Trump supporter with the 20-foot flagpole did two laps, ignoring and then cursing employees who politely asked him to leave, said David Cheung, 66, from Queens. Then, in a scene captured on video, he knocked down an employee who tried to move him off the ice as a bystander cried, “No violence!”

“He purposely instigated this thing. If he carried a Biden flag here, they would’ve kicked him out exactly the same,” said Cheung.

The rinks serve casual skaters, children’s hockey teams — including a free one for low-income children — and tourists. The city is also canceling the Trump Organization’s contract to run a third classic New York site, the Central Park Carousel, known for its antique carved wooden horses; it has been closed by city order during the pandemic.

The company operates a golf course in the Bronx, Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point. The city said that contract is more complex and could take more time to terminate.

Trump was once seen as the savior of Wollman Rink, which first opened in 1950 and closed in 1980 for renovations, only to languish for six years.

In 1986, a far different time for Trump and his hometown, he was lauded for bringing the rink back to life.

Trump had offered to do the work without seeking a profit. In the end, his company oversaw the renovations, and city officials said the work came in under budget.

The reopening came three years after Trump Tower opened on Fifth Avenue, enhancing Trump’s celebrity status, especially after Trump won the rinks’ operating contract and added his name to the rink before “Wollman.”

Trump and his associates grumbled at the time about the city’s insistence that they would have to operate Lasker, which was not then profitable, as well as Wollman, which was.

Trump often emphasized that he had finished the Wollman renovations ahead of his own schedule and spun the success as proof that business could move faster than government.

Then as now, there was much debate over his interpretation, but the tale helped build the can-do reputation he parlayed into his character on “The Apprentice,” and later the presidency.

Wistful skaters descended on Central Park on Sunday for what they thought would be their last outing on the ice for the season, after the Trump Organization abruptly announced that the two ice rinks there would close as the city moved to end its contracts following the Capitol riot.

Wistful skaters descended on Central Park on Sunday for what they thought would be their last outing on the ice for the season, after the Trump Organization abruptly announced that the two ice rinks there would close as the city moved to end its contracts following the Capitol riot. But after complaints mounted throughout the day over the loss of a precious venue for outdoor entertainment and exercise during the pandemic — and as some New Yorkers, despite former President Donald Trump’s unpopularity in his home city, faulted City Hall for ending the contracts early — Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said Sunday evening that the rinks would stay open for the season. “New York City kids deserve all the time on the ice they can get this year,” the mayor’s press secretary, Bill Neidhardt, said in a statement. “The Wollman and Lasker rinks will stay open under current management for the few weeks left in this season. But make no mistake, we will not be doing business with the Trump Organization going forward. Inciting an insurrection will never be forgotten or forgiven.” Wollman Rink and Lasker Rink — memory-makers for generations of New Yorkers — will be open as usual Monday, city officials said. Trump’s company had blamed the city when it had said the rinks were to close at the end of business Sunday. The Trump Organization, which has run the rinks since the 1980s, said city officials had ordered the company to clear out by Feb. 26, ahead of the current contract’s expiration in April, and said it needed to shut a few days earlier. It was unclear why the city had set that deadline; bids are not due until March 19 in the competitive process to select a new operator for Wollman, and Lasker had been expected to shut for renovations, but not until the spring. As skaters thronged to the rinks Sunday in sunny, wintry weather, many dished out criticism of both Trump and de Blasio. There was even a moment of politically tinged mayhem on ice. At Wollman, near the park's southern end, an employee tackled a man who was skating with a 20-foot “Trump 2024” flag, wearing what appeared to be a “Make America Great Again” cap. Several witnesses said the man had cursed at employees and refused to leave the ice. But mostly, the atmosphere at both rinks was calm, if melancholy, with skaters expressing regret at news of the shutdown. “I wish the politics didn’t get involved in it,” Reuben Katz, 11, said. He was wearing a New York Islanders sweatshirt and waiting with his family at Lasker, near the northern end of the park. De Blasio said last month that the city would terminate the rinks’ contracts in response to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol and would seek other vendors to operate the sites. The Trump Organization has vowed to fight the move in court; de Blasio has said the city had the right to cancel the contracts because the violence in Washington qualified as criminal activity. Eric Trump, the former president’s son and the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, said closing the rinks would leave 250 people out of work. “Why — to try and get back at a person who sits on a different side of the political aisle who now lives in Florida,” he said in a statement Sunday. “Let’s cancel kids’ hockey programs, skating schools and shut them down six weeks early … that will show Trump.” Complaints about the disruption had appeared to transcend politics. “As lifelong Democrats, we are disappointed that de Blasio would play politics and shut down a COVID-friendly activity for city kids,” said Gideon Katz, 46, Reuben’s father. Both rinks were busy Sunday. Families with young children carried bags of skating equipment while toddlers peered down at the ice. Valedictory music played at Wollman, from *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” to the closing number, Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” Several hand-drawn signs had been posted near Wollman’s entrance, including “We ️(Love) Wollman Rink!” and “SAVE OUR RINKS.” The Trump supporter with the 20-foot flagpole did two laps, ignoring and then cursing employees who politely asked him to leave, said David Cheung, 66, from Queens. Then, in a scene captured on video, he knocked down an employee who tried to move him off the ice as a bystander cried, “No violence!” “He purposely instigated this thing. If he carried a Biden flag here, they would’ve kicked him out exactly the same,” said Cheung. The rinks serve casual skaters, children’s hockey teams — including a free one for low-income children — and tourists. The city is also canceling the Trump Organization’s contract to run a third classic New York site, the Central Park Carousel, known for its antique carved wooden horses; it has been closed by city order during the pandemic. The company operates a golf course in the Bronx, Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point. The city said that contract is more complex and could take more time to terminate. Trump was once seen as the savior of Wollman Rink, which first opened in 1950 and closed in 1980 for renovations, only to languish for six years. In 1986, a far different time for Trump and his hometown, he was lauded for bringing the rink back to life. Trump had offered to do the work without seeking a profit. In the end, his company oversaw the renovations, and city officials said the work came in under budget. The reopening came three years after Trump Tower opened on Fifth Avenue, enhancing Trump’s celebrity status, especially after Trump won the rinks’ operating contract and added his name to the rink before “Wollman.” Trump and his associates grumbled at the time about the city’s insistence that they would have to operate Lasker, which was not then profitable, as well as Wollman, which was. Trump often emphasized that he had finished the Wollman renovations ahead of his own schedule and spun the success as proof that business could move faster than government. Then as now, there was much debate over his interpretation, but the tale helped build the can-do reputation he parlayed into his character on “The Apprentice,” and later the presidency.

Central Park ice rinks remain open despite rift with Trump, Mayor says

Former U.S. President Donald Trump will seek to return to the political spotlight in an address to a major meeting of conservatives, a source familiar with his plans said on Saturday, as the Republican plots his post-White House moves

Trump seeks return to spotlight with address to conservative meeting

The reality TV star and infamous former US President, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, has decided to finally face the cameras since he lost his voice on social media platforms.&nbsp;

Trump will be giving his first post-White House speech later this month, a source familiar with the plan was quoted by news agency AFP.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-ally-erik-prince-violated-libya-arms-embargo-un-364989" hreflang="en">Trump's ally, Erik Prince, violated Libya arms embargo: UN</a>

He will be delivering a speech at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) which is scheduled for February 28. CPAC is one of the largest annual gatherings of political conservatives — one that trump regularly participates in and enjoys.

After his historic defeat and a follow-up of unverified allegations and riots, Trump will take the stage at this year's CPAC to talk about "the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement," the source revealed.

Known for his hatred towards the immigrants — most famously seen in the example of the Mexico wall — Trump is also expected to challenge the "disastrous amnesty and border policies" of his opponent and the current US President Joe Biden.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/casino-formerly-owned-by-donald-trump-demolished-364418" hreflang="en">Casino formerly owned by Donald Trump demolished</a>

After being shyly forced out of the White House on January 20, Trump has been residing in his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

He has also been stripped off his accounts on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. With no source to yell out his thoughts, Trump has now started talking on a channel Newsmax about his future plans.&nbsp;

"I won't say yet but we have tremendous support. And I'm looking at poll numbers that are through the roof," he said confidently. "Let's say somebody gets impeached, typically your numbers would go down, they would go down like a dead balloon. But the numbers are very good, they're very high."

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-preferred-candidate-for-2024-presidential-election-poll-364177" hreflang="en">Donald Trump preferred candidate for 2024 presidential election: Poll</a>

The tensions will also be high in CPAC as this will be the first gathering where Republicans will come together after many of them voted in favour of their Presidential candidate being impeached for inciting violence on January 06, leading to US Capitol riots.&nbsp;

Trump has also openly taken a dig at the Republican Senator Mitch McConnell who had taken the mainstage in criticising Trump for his actions.

"Mitch is a dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack, and if Republican Senators are going to stay with him, they will not win again," Trump said in a statement.

The reality TV star and infamous former US President, Donald Trump, has decided to finally face the cameras since he lost his voice on social media platforms. Trump will be giving his first post-White House speech later this month, a source familiar with the plan was quoted by news agency AFP.

The reality TV star and infamous former US President, Donald Trump, has decided to finally face the cameras since he lost his voice on social media platforms. Trump will be giving his first post-White House speech later this month, a source familiar with the plan was quoted by news agency AFP. Also read| Trump's ally, Erik Prince, violated Libya arms embargo: UN He will be delivering a speech at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) which is scheduled for February 28. CPAC is one of the largest annual gatherings of political conservatives — one that trump regularly participates in and enjoys. After his historic defeat and a follow-up of unverified allegations and riots, Trump will take the stage at this year's CPAC to talk about "the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement," the source revealed. Known for his hatred towards the immigrants — most famously seen in the example of the Mexico wall — Trump is also expected to challenge the "disastrous amnesty and border policies" of his opponent and the current US President Joe Biden. Also read| Casino formerly owned by Donald Trump demolished After being shyly forced out of the White House on January 20, Trump has been residing in his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. He has also been stripped off his accounts on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. With no source to yell out his thoughts, Trump has now started talking on a channel Newsmax about his future plans. "I won't say yet but we have tremendous support. And I'm looking at poll numbers that are through the roof," he said confidently. "Let's say somebody gets impeached, typically your numbers would go down, they would go down like a dead balloon. But the numbers are very good, they're very high." Also read| Donald Trump preferred candidate for 2024 presidential election: Poll The tensions will also be high in CPAC as this will be the first gathering where Republicans will come together after many of them voted in favour of their Presidential candidate being impeached for inciting violence on January 06, leading to US Capitol riots. Trump has also openly taken a dig at the Republican Senator Mitch McConnell who had taken the mainstage in criticising Trump for his actions. "Mitch is a dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack, and if Republican Senators are going to stay with him, they will not win again," Trump said in a statement.

Donald Trump to appear for first post-White House speech in CPAC

One month into the job, President Joe Biden is on the cusp of securing a bigger economic rescue package than during the 2009 financial crisis. He has wiped out his predecessor Donald Trump`s policies from climate change to travel bans, while the U.S. daily COVID-19 vaccine distribution rate grew 55%.

That may have been the easy part.

The White House`s broad strategy - avoid unwinnable political fights, focus on policies with mass voter appeal, and mostly ignore Republican attacks - will be increasingly difficult in the months ahead, Democrats and Republicans say, even as millions more are vaccinated and the economy rebounds.

"They`ve got some problems right around the corner," said Jim Manley, once a top aide to former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Biden has made many of the changes he has clear authority to do by executive action. Landmines going forward include pushing laws on which the Democratic Party is divided, such as college debt relief, tax hikes and curbs on the energy industry.

Then there are the intractable policy fights that have defined American politics for a generation, including who can become a citizen, how easy it should be to vote, whether the government should pay for healthcare, and who should carry a gun.

Meanwhile, many tricky issues, from trade tariffs to China policy to tech oversight, are still under review at the White House.

DEMOCRATS UNITED?

Democrats are working to pass their economic stimulus package with or without Republican support before a critical mid-March deadline when expanded unemployment insurance expires.

The bill only needs a majority vote, because it will be passed as part of a process called reconciliation, but that requires every Democrat to side with the White House. Doubts are growing that the bill will include a provision raising the federal minimum wage to $15, which would sorely disappoint liberal Democrats.

"I`ve been shocked at how disciplined the Left has been; I`m not sure how much that`s going to last," Manley said. "I can see there`s some fissures developing."

Those cracks were on display when some Democrats, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, criticized Biden after he said told a Feb. 16 CNN town hall he disagrees with members of his party who want to forgive $50,000 in student debt.

A comprehensive White House-backed immigration bill unveiled on Feb. 18 is not expected to pass the Senate; the second-ranked Democrat, Dick Durbin, is among those suggesting a less-ambitious effort that focuses on immigrants brought to the United States as children.

Republicans are reshuffling after the Trump years, said Paul Shumaker, a Republican strategist behind Senator Thom Tillis` hard-fought re-election in North Carolina.

Biden could unite them by overreaching on taxes and spending, he noted, while doing too little on these issues will disappoint some of his Democratic base.

"He`s enjoying a honeymoon period, but everyone knows that honeymoon`s going to come to an end," Shumaker said.

ELUSIVE REPUBLICAN SUPPORT

White House aides say the policy agenda they plan to push in the coming months has bipartisan voter appeal, and they believe Republicans in Congress could ultimately be forced to support it by their constituents.

"Is he going to be focused on winning every last Republican over? No, of course not," said White House communications director Kate Bedingfield, a longtime Biden confidant.

"But is he going to reach out and speak to people on both sides of the aisle – is he going to work to put forward plans that meets the needs of people of both parties – yes, he absolutely is."

Biden`s early polling numbers suggest that will be a challenge. Some 56% of Americans approve of his performance as president, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in mid-February, but just 20% of Republicans.

The White House`s bipartisan hopes lie in an infrastructure plan, still in the embryonic stages of development, that is expected to exceed the scale, scope and price tag of the roughly $1.9 trillion stimulus bill.

The measure is almost certainly going to both expand the deficit and require some tax increases, measures expected to spur opposition. It is likely to be peppered with measures on climate change, and could also include Biden`s proposed subsidies for college, according to several people briefed on early conversations.

Putting the pieces together will be tough without a full senior staff, including Biden`s pick for budget director, Neera Tanden, whose confirmation has run into Democratic opposition from Senator Joe Manchin, who also opposed including the minimum wage in the stimulus bill.

Nonetheless, the Left`s expectations for Biden remain high.

"The administration came out bold and strong," said Luis Hernandez, a youth gun violence prevention activist who met with senior administration officials last week. "There`s much more to be done."

One month into the job, President Joe Biden is on the cusp of securing a bigger economic rescue package than during the 2009 financial crisis. He has wiped out his predecessor Donald Trump`s policies from climate change to travel bans, while the U.

One month into the job, President Joe Biden is on the cusp of securing a bigger economic rescue package than during the 2009 financial crisis. He has wiped out his predecessor Donald Trump`s policies from climate change to travel bans, while the U.S. daily COVID-19 vaccine distribution rate grew 55%. That may have been the easy part. The White House`s broad strategy - avoid unwinnable political fights, focus on policies with mass voter appeal, and mostly ignore Republican attacks - will be increasingly difficult in the months ahead, Democrats and Republicans say, even as millions more are vaccinated and the economy rebounds. "They`ve got some problems right around the corner," said Jim Manley, once a top aide to former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Biden has made many of the changes he has clear authority to do by executive action. Landmines going forward include pushing laws on which the Democratic Party is divided, such as college debt relief, tax hikes and curbs on the energy industry. Then there are the intractable policy fights that have defined American politics for a generation, including who can become a citizen, how easy it should be to vote, whether the government should pay for healthcare, and who should carry a gun. Meanwhile, many tricky issues, from trade tariffs to China policy to tech oversight, are still under review at the White House. DEMOCRATS UNITED? Democrats are working to pass their economic stimulus package with or without Republican support before a critical mid-March deadline when expanded unemployment insurance expires. The bill only needs a majority vote, because it will be passed as part of a process called reconciliation, but that requires every Democrat to side with the White House. Doubts are growing that the bill will include a provision raising the federal minimum wage to $15, which would sorely disappoint liberal Democrats. "I`ve been shocked at how disciplined the Left has been; I`m not sure how much that`s going to last," Manley said. "I can see there`s some fissures developing." Those cracks were on display when some Democrats, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, criticized Biden after he said told a Feb. 16 CNN town hall he disagrees with members of his party who want to forgive $50,000 in student debt. A comprehensive White House-backed immigration bill unveiled on Feb. 18 is not expected to pass the Senate; the second-ranked Democrat, Dick Durbin, is among those suggesting a less-ambitious effort that focuses on immigrants brought to the United States as children. Republicans are reshuffling after the Trump years, said Paul Shumaker, a Republican strategist behind Senator Thom Tillis` hard-fought re-election in North Carolina. Biden could unite them by overreaching on taxes and spending, he noted, while doing too little on these issues will disappoint some of his Democratic base. "He`s enjoying a honeymoon period, but everyone knows that honeymoon`s going to come to an end," Shumaker said. ELUSIVE REPUBLICAN SUPPORT White House aides say the policy agenda they plan to push in the coming months has bipartisan voter appeal, and they believe Republicans in Congress could ultimately be forced to support it by their constituents. "Is he going to be focused on winning every last Republican over? No, of course not," said White House communications director Kate Bedingfield, a longtime Biden confidant. "But is he going to reach out and speak to people on both sides of the aisle – is he going to work to put forward plans that meets the needs of people of both parties – yes, he absolutely is." Biden`s early polling numbers suggest that will be a challenge. Some 56% of Americans approve of his performance as president, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in mid-February, but just 20% of Republicans. The White House`s bipartisan hopes lie in an infrastructure plan, still in the embryonic stages of development, that is expected to exceed the scale, scope and price tag of the roughly $1.9 trillion stimulus bill. The measure is almost certainly going to both expand the deficit and require some tax increases, measures expected to spur opposition. It is likely to be peppered with measures on climate change, and could also include Biden`s proposed subsidies for college, according to several people briefed on early conversations. Putting the pieces together will be tough without a full senior staff, including Biden`s pick for budget director, Neera Tanden, whose confirmation has run into Democratic opposition from Senator Joe Manchin, who also opposed including the minimum wage in the stimulus bill. Nonetheless, the Left`s expectations for Biden remain high. "The administration came out bold and strong," said Luis Hernandez, a youth gun violence prevention activist who met with senior administration officials last week. "There`s much more to be done."

Biden's first month was a 'honeymoon,' but bigger challenges loom ahead

Ten big US corporations slashed donations to candidates seeking federal office by more than 90 per cent in January. This followed after they pledged to not donate to Republican Party lawmakers who supported former US President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn his election defeat. After his defeat in US Presidential elections 2020, Donald Trump had falsely claimed that the election was rigged and continued making allegations without presenting any evidence. These culminated in a violent attack by his supporters on US Capitol building on January 6.

None of the political action committees of 10 major companies reviewed by Reuters, including Microsoft Corp, Walmart Inc, AT&amp;T Inc and Comcast Corp, donated to any of the 147 congressional Republicans who voted to support Trump's claims just hours after his supporters launched a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol.

Disclosures to the Federal Election Commission ahead of a Saturday filing deadline showed the group of corporate PACs affiliated with those 10 companies made $13,000 in new donations to candidates in January. The reports were the first by the PACs to detail contributions made since the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

The money donated during the month was less than one-tenth the roughly $190,000 the 10 company PACs gave candidates in January 2017, and tiny relative to the roughly $10 million donated to candidates during the 2019-2020 election season. The 147 lawmakers who voted to overturn President Joe Biden's victory had received more than $2 million from those 10 PACs during the last two-year political cycle.

Only committees tied to two of the companies - General Electric Co and American Express Co - reported any new giving to federal candidates in January.

American Express' PAC gave $5,000 to Republican Senator John Thune of South Dakota, while GE's gave $5,000 to Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a prominent Republican Trump critic, and $1,000 to Representative Rick Larsen of Washington, a Democrat.

It is true that political donations slows down in months after US presidential elections and money from corporate political action committees is a small slice of the funds raised by political campaigns.

However, the sudden and marked slump in political donations after incidents in January points to slower start to political donations as strategising for 2022 midterm election begins.

While more than a thousand PACs are associated with corporate America, the 10 reviewed by Reuters include major companies which made clear public statements that they would throttle back donations following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

(With Reuters inputs)

Ten big US corporations slashed donations to candidates seeking federal office by more than 90 per cent in January. This followed after they pledged to not donate to Republican Party lawmakers who supported former US President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn his election defeat.

Ten big US corporations slashed donations to candidates seeking federal office by more than 90 per cent in January. This followed after they pledged to not donate to Republican Party lawmakers who supported former US President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn his election defeat. After his defeat in US Presidential elections 2020, Donald Trump had falsely claimed that the election was rigged and continued making allegations without presenting any evidence. These culminated in a violent attack by his supporters on US Capitol building on January 6. None of the political action committees of 10 major companies reviewed by Reuters, including Microsoft Corp, Walmart Inc, AT&T Inc and Comcast Corp, donated to any of the 147 congressional Republicans who voted to support Trump's claims just hours after his supporters launched a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol. Disclosures to the Federal Election Commission ahead of a Saturday filing deadline showed the group of corporate PACs affiliated with those 10 companies made $13,000 in new donations to candidates in January. The reports were the first by the PACs to detail contributions made since the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. The money donated during the month was less than one-tenth the roughly $190,000 the 10 company PACs gave candidates in January 2017, and tiny relative to the roughly $10 million donated to candidates during the 2019-2020 election season. The 147 lawmakers who voted to overturn President Joe Biden's victory had received more than $2 million from those 10 PACs during the last two-year political cycle. Only committees tied to two of the companies - General Electric Co and American Express Co - reported any new giving to federal candidates in January. American Express' PAC gave $5,000 to Republican Senator John Thune of South Dakota, while GE's gave $5,000 to Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a prominent Republican Trump critic, and $1,000 to Representative Rick Larsen of Washington, a Democrat. It is true that political donations slows down in months after US presidential elections and money from corporate political action committees is a small slice of the funds raised by political campaigns. However, the sudden and marked slump in political donations after incidents in January points to slower start to political donations as strategising for 2022 midterm election begins. While more than a thousand PACs are associated with corporate America, the 10 reviewed by Reuters include major companies which made clear public statements that they would throttle back donations following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. (With Reuters inputs)

Big US corporates slashed political donations after Trump's claims of election fraud

A major ally of the reality TV star and former US President, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, did violate a United Nations arms embargo on Libya, a United Nations' report has concluded.

Erik Prince is the former head of the security contractor Blackwater Worldwide and a prominent Trump supporter.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/casino-formerly-owned-by-donald-trump-demolished-364418" hreflang="en">Casino formerly owned by Donald Trump demolished</a>

The New York Times received a confidential UN report which, as per the media house, reveals that Prince deployed a force of foreign mercenaries to eastern Libya in 2019 along with attack aircraft, gunboats and cyberwarfare capabilities.

This supply took place at a time when eastern Libya was at the height of a major battle in 2019.

The UN report also revealed that the mercenaries had also planned to form a hit squad that would have been capable of and responsible for tracking down and assassinating selected Libyan commanders opposed to Hafter — including some who were also European Union citizens.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-preferred-candidate-for-2024-presidential-election-poll-364177" hreflang="en">Donald Trump preferred candidate for 2024 presidential election: Poll</a>

This mission, as per the reports, had cost nearly $80 million.

It describes how a friend and former business partner of Prince travelled to Jordan to buy surplus, American-made Cobra helicopters from the Jordanian military. This would have normally required permission from the US government, according to military experts quoted by the Times. The friend, Christiaan Durrant, manipulated the system by assuring officials in Jordan that he had “clearances from everywhere” and that his team’s work had been approved “at the highest level”.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/unsmiling-political-hack-trump-lashes-out-at-mitch-mcconnell-after-impeachment-trial-364141" hreflang="en">'Unsmiling political hack': Trump lashes out at Mitch McConnell after impeachment trial</a>

The report also claims that Durrant had made several phone calls to the White House switchboard in late July 2019, after the mercenary operation ran into trouble. However, it is not clear if he got through and who was he aiming to contact.

If proven guilty, these charges can lead to Prince facing UN sanctions such as a travel ban and freezing of all of his assets. However, such punishments are seeming to be uncertain at this point.

As of now, Prince has not been cooperating with the investigators and his lawyer has, since last year, denied any involvement and responsibility of these allegations.

(With inputs from The New York Times)

A major ally of the reality TV star and former US President, Donald Trump, did violate a United Nations arms embargo on Libya, a United Nations' report has concluded.

A major ally of the reality TV star and former US President, Donald Trump, did violate a United Nations arms embargo on Libya, a United Nations' report has concluded. Erik Prince is the former head of the security contractor Blackwater Worldwide and a prominent Trump supporter. Also read| Casino formerly owned by Donald Trump demolished The New York Times received a confidential UN report which, as per the media house, reveals that Prince deployed a force of foreign mercenaries to eastern Libya in 2019 along with attack aircraft, gunboats and cyberwarfare capabilities. This supply took place at a time when eastern Libya was at the height of a major battle in 2019. The UN report also revealed that the mercenaries had also planned to form a hit squad that would have been capable of and responsible for tracking down and assassinating selected Libyan commanders opposed to Hafter — including some who were also European Union citizens. Also read| Donald Trump preferred candidate for 2024 presidential election: Poll This mission, as per the reports, had cost nearly $80 million. It describes how a friend and former business partner of Prince travelled to Jordan to buy surplus, American-made Cobra helicopters from the Jordanian military. This would have normally required permission from the US government, according to military experts quoted by the Times. The friend, Christiaan Durrant, manipulated the system by assuring officials in Jordan that he had “clearances from everywhere” and that his team’s work had been approved “at the highest level”. Also read| 'Unsmiling political hack': Trump lashes out at Mitch McConnell after impeachment trial The report also claims that Durrant had made several phone calls to the White House switchboard in late July 2019, after the mercenary operation ran into trouble. However, it is not clear if he got through and who was he aiming to contact. If proven guilty, these charges can lead to Prince facing UN sanctions such as a travel ban and freezing of all of his assets. However, such punishments are seeming to be uncertain at this point. As of now, Prince has not been cooperating with the investigators and his lawyer has, since last year, denied any involvement and responsibility of these allegations. (With inputs from The New York Times)

Trump's ally, Erik Prince, violated Libya arms embargo: UN

Democrats emerged from the 2020 election with full control of the federal government and a pile of lingering questions. In private, party leaders and strategists have been wrestling with a quandary: Why was President Joe Biden’s convincing victory over Donald Trump not accompanied by broad Democratic gains down ballot?

With that puzzle in mind, a cluster of Democratic advocacy groups has quietly launched a review of the party’s performance in the 2020 election with an eye toward shaping Democrats’ approach to next year’s midterm campaign, seven people familiar with the effort said.

There is particular concern among the Democratic sponsors of the initiative about the party’s losses in House districts with large minority populations, including in Florida, Texas and California, people briefed on the initiative said. The review is probing tactical and strategic choices across the map, including Democratic messaging on the economy and the coronavirus pandemic, as well as organizational decisions like eschewing in-person canvassing.

Democrats had anticipated they would be able to expand their majority in the House, pushing into historically red areas of the Sun Belt where Trump’s unpopularity had destabilized the GOP coalition. Instead, Republicans took 14 Democratic-held House seats, including a dozen that Democrats had captured in an anti-Trump wave election just two years earlier.

The results stunned strategists in both parties, raising questions about the reliability of campaign polling and seemingly underscoring Democratic vulnerabilities in rural areas and right-of-center suburbs. Democrats also lost several contested Senate races by unexpectedly wide margins, even as they narrowly took control of the chamber.

Strategists involved in the Democratic self-review have begun interviewing elected officials and campaign consultants and reaching out to lawmakers and former candidates in major House and Senate races where the party either won or lost narrowly.

Four major groups are backing the effort, spanning a range of Democratic-leaning interests: Third Way, a centrist think tank; End Citizens United, a clean-government group; the Latino Victory Fund; and Collective PAC, an organization that supports Black Democratic candidates.

They are said to be working with at least three influential bodies within the House Democratic caucus: the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition, a group of centrist lawmakers. The groups have retained a Democratic consulting firm, 270 Strategies, to conduct interviews and analyze electoral data.

Democrats are feeling considerable pressure to refine their political playbook before the 2022 congressional elections, when the party will be defending minuscule House and Senate majorities without a presidential race to drive turnout on either side.

Dan Sena, a former executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said there was a recognition in the party that, despite Biden’s victory, the 2020 cycle had not been an unalloyed Democratic success story.

“I think people know that there was good and bad coming out of ’20, and there is a desire to look under the hood,” Sena said.

Among the party’s goals, Sena said, should be studying their gains in Georgia and looking for other areas where population growth and demographic change might furnish the party with strong electoral targets in 2022.

“There were a series of factors that really made Georgia work this cycle,” he said. “How do you begin to find places like Georgia?”

Matt Bennett, senior vice president of Third Way, confirmed in a statement that the four-way project was aimed at positioning Democrats for the midterm elections.

“With narrow Democratic majorities in Congress and the Republican Party in the thrall of Trump-supporting seditionists, the stakes have never been higher,” he said. “Our organizations will provide Democrats with a detailed picture of what happened in 2020 — with a wide range of input from voices across the party — so they are fully prepared to take on the GOP in 2022.”

In addition to the outside review, some of the traditional party committees are said to be taking narrower steps to scrutinize the 2020 results. Concerned about a drop in support with Latino men, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee conducted focus groups in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas earlier this year, one person familiar with the study said. It is not clear precisely what conclusions emerged from the exercise.

So far there is no equivalent process underway on the Republican side, party officials said, citing the general lack of appetite among GOP leaders for grappling openly with Trump’s impact on the party and the wreckage he inflicted in key regions of the country.

As a candidate for reelection, Trump slumped in the Democratic-leaning Upper Midwest — giving up his most important breakthroughs of 2016 — and lost to Biden in Georgia and Arizona, two traditionally red states where the GOP has suffered an abrupt decline in recent years. The party lost all four Senate seats from those states during Trump’s presidency, three of them in the 2020 cycle.

But Trump and his political retainers have so far responded with fury to critics of his stewardship of the party, and there is no apparent desire to tempt his wrath with a comprehensive analysis that would be likely to yield unflattering results. One unofficial review, conducted by Trump’s pollster, Tony Fabrizio, concluded that Trump had shed significant support because of his handling of the pandemic, with particularly damaging losses among white voters.

In the past, Democratic attempts at self-scrutiny have tended to yield somewhat mushy conclusions aimed at avoiding controversy across the party’s multifarious coalition.

The Democratic Party briefly appeared headed for a public reckoning in November as the party absorbed its setbacks in the House and its failure to unseat several Republican senators whom Democrats had seen as ripe for defeat.

A group of centrist House members blamed left-wing rhetoric about democratic socialism and defunding the police for their losses in a number of conservative-leaning suburbs and rural districts. Days after the election, Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia said the party should renounce the word “socialism,” drawing pushback from progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

That airing of differences did not last long: Democrats quickly closed ranks in response to Trump’s attacks on the 2020 election, and party unity hardened after the Jan. 5 runoff elections in Georgia and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. But there are still significant internal disagreements about campaign strategy.

It has been eight years since either political party conducted a wide-ranging self-assessment that recommended thorough changes in structure and strategy. After the 2012 election, when Republicans lost the presidential race and gave up seats in both chambers of Congress, the Republican National Committee empaneled a task force that called for major changes to the party organization.

The so-called 2012 autopsy also recommended that the GOP embrace the cause of immigration reform, warning that the party faced a bleak demographic future if it did not improve its position with communities of color. That recommendation was effectively discarded after House Republicans blocked a bipartisan immigration deal passed by the Senate, and then fully obliterated by Trump’s presidential candidacy.

Henry Barbour, a member of the RNC who co-authored the committee’s post-2012 analysis, said it would be wise for both parties to consider their political positioning after the 2020 election. He said that Democrats had succeeded in the election by running against Trump but that the party’s leftward shift had alienated otherwise winnable voters, including some Black, Hispanic and Asian American communities that shifted incrementally toward Trump.

“They’re running off a lot of middle-class Americans who work hard for a living out in the heartland or in big cities or suburbs,” Barbour said. “Part of that is because Democrats have run too far to the left.”

Barbour said Republicans, too, should take a clear-eyed look at their 2020 performance. Trump, he said, had not done enough to expand his appeal beyond a large and loyal minority of voters.

“The Republican Party has got to do better than that,” he said. “We’re not just a party of one president.”

In addition to the four-way review on the Democratic side, there are several narrower projects underway focused on addressing deficiencies in polling.

Democratic and Republican officials alike found serious shortcomings in their survey research, especially polling in House races that failed to anticipate how close Republicans would come to retaking the majority. Both parties emerged from the campaign feeling that they had significantly misjudged the landscape of competitive House races, with Democrats losing seats unexpectedly and Republicans perhaps having missed a chance to capture the chamber as a result.

The chief Republican and Democratic super political action committees focused on House races — the Congressional Leadership Fund and House Majority PAC — are both in the process of studying their 2020 polling and debating changes for the 2022 campaign, people familiar with their efforts said.

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican group, is said to be undertaking a somewhat more extensive review of its spending and messaging, although it is not expected to issue any kind of larger diagnosis for the party.

“We would be foolish not to take a serious look at what worked, what didn’t work and how you can evolve and advance,” said Dan Conston, the group’s president.

Several of the largest Democratic polling companies are also conferring regularly with each other in an effort to address gaps in the 2020 research. Two people involved in the conversations said there was general agreement that the industry had to update its practices before 2022 to assure Democratic leaders that they would not be caught by surprise again.

Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster involved in reviewing research from the last cycle, said that the party was only now digging more deeply into the results of the 2020 election because the past few months had been dominated by other crises.

Several Democratic and Republican strategists cautioned that both parties faced a challenge in formulating a plan for 2022; it had been more than a decade, she said, since a midterm campaign had not been dominated by a larger-than-life presidential personality. Based on the experience of the 2020 campaign, it is not clear that Biden is destined to become such a polarizing figure.

“It’s hard to know what an election’s like without an Obama or a Trump,” Greenberg said, “just normal, regular, ordinary people running.”

Democrats emerged from the 2020 election with full control of the federal government and a pile of lingering questions. In private, party leaders and strategists have been wrestling with a quandary: Why was President Joe Biden’s convincing victory over Donald Trump not accompanied by broad Democratic gains down ballot?

Democrats emerged from the 2020 election with full control of the federal government and a pile of lingering questions. In private, party leaders and strategists have been wrestling with a quandary: Why was President Joe Biden’s convincing victory over Donald Trump not accompanied by broad Democratic gains down ballot? With that puzzle in mind, a cluster of Democratic advocacy groups has quietly launched a review of the party’s performance in the 2020 election with an eye toward shaping Democrats’ approach to next year’s midterm campaign, seven people familiar with the effort said. There is particular concern among the Democratic sponsors of the initiative about the party’s losses in House districts with large minority populations, including in Florida, Texas and California, people briefed on the initiative said. The review is probing tactical and strategic choices across the map, including Democratic messaging on the economy and the coronavirus pandemic, as well as organizational decisions like eschewing in-person canvassing. Democrats had anticipated they would be able to expand their majority in the House, pushing into historically red areas of the Sun Belt where Trump’s unpopularity had destabilized the GOP coalition. Instead, Republicans took 14 Democratic-held House seats, including a dozen that Democrats had captured in an anti-Trump wave election just two years earlier. The results stunned strategists in both parties, raising questions about the reliability of campaign polling and seemingly underscoring Democratic vulnerabilities in rural areas and right-of-center suburbs. Democrats also lost several contested Senate races by unexpectedly wide margins, even as they narrowly took control of the chamber. Strategists involved in the Democratic self-review have begun interviewing elected officials and campaign consultants and reaching out to lawmakers and former candidates in major House and Senate races where the party either won or lost narrowly. Four major groups are backing the effort, spanning a range of Democratic-leaning interests: Third Way, a centrist think tank; End Citizens United, a clean-government group; the Latino Victory Fund; and Collective PAC, an organization that supports Black Democratic candidates. They are said to be working with at least three influential bodies within the House Democratic caucus: the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition, a group of centrist lawmakers. The groups have retained a Democratic consulting firm, 270 Strategies, to conduct interviews and analyze electoral data. Democrats are feeling considerable pressure to refine their political playbook before the 2022 congressional elections, when the party will be defending minuscule House and Senate majorities without a presidential race to drive turnout on either side. Dan Sena, a former executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said there was a recognition in the party that, despite Biden’s victory, the 2020 cycle had not been an unalloyed Democratic success story. “I think people know that there was good and bad coming out of ’20, and there is a desire to look under the hood,” Sena said. Among the party’s goals, Sena said, should be studying their gains in Georgia and looking for other areas where population growth and demographic change might furnish the party with strong electoral targets in 2022. “There were a series of factors that really made Georgia work this cycle,” he said. “How do you begin to find places like Georgia?” Matt Bennett, senior vice president of Third Way, confirmed in a statement that the four-way project was aimed at positioning Democrats for the midterm elections. “With narrow Democratic majorities in Congress and the Republican Party in the thrall of Trump-supporting seditionists, the stakes have never been higher,” he said. “Our organizations will provide Democrats with a detailed picture of what happened in 2020 — with a wide range of input from voices across the party — so they are fully prepared to take on the GOP in 2022.” In addition to the outside review, some of the traditional party committees are said to be taking narrower steps to scrutinize the 2020 results. Concerned about a drop in support with Latino men, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee conducted focus groups in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas earlier this year, one person familiar with the study said. It is not clear precisely what conclusions emerged from the exercise. So far there is no equivalent process underway on the Republican side, party officials said, citing the general lack of appetite among GOP leaders for grappling openly with Trump’s impact on the party and the wreckage he inflicted in key regions of the country. As a candidate for reelection, Trump slumped in the Democratic-leaning Upper Midwest — giving up his most important breakthroughs of 2016 — and lost to Biden in Georgia and Arizona, two traditionally red states where the GOP has suffered an abrupt decline in recent years. The party lost all four Senate seats from those states during Trump’s presidency, three of them in the 2020 cycle. But Trump and his political retainers have so far responded with fury to critics of his stewardship of the party, and there is no apparent desire to tempt his wrath with a comprehensive analysis that would be likely to yield unflattering results. One unofficial review, conducted by Trump’s pollster, Tony Fabrizio, concluded that Trump had shed significant support because of his handling of the pandemic, with particularly damaging losses among white voters. In the past, Democratic attempts at self-scrutiny have tended to yield somewhat mushy conclusions aimed at avoiding controversy across the party’s multifarious coalition. The Democratic Party briefly appeared headed for a public reckoning in November as the party absorbed its setbacks in the House and its failure to unseat several Republican senators whom Democrats had seen as ripe for defeat. A group of centrist House members blamed left-wing rhetoric about democratic socialism and defunding the police for their losses in a number of conservative-leaning suburbs and rural districts. Days after the election, Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia said the party should renounce the word “socialism,” drawing pushback from progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. That airing of differences did not last long: Democrats quickly closed ranks in response to Trump’s attacks on the 2020 election, and party unity hardened after the Jan. 5 runoff elections in Georgia and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. But there are still significant internal disagreements about campaign strategy. It has been eight years since either political party conducted a wide-ranging self-assessment that recommended thorough changes in structure and strategy. After the 2012 election, when Republicans lost the presidential race and gave up seats in both chambers of Congress, the Republican National Committee empaneled a task force that called for major changes to the party organization. The so-called 2012 autopsy also recommended that the GOP embrace the cause of immigration reform, warning that the party faced a bleak demographic future if it did not improve its position with communities of color. That recommendation was effectively discarded after House Republicans blocked a bipartisan immigration deal passed by the Senate, and then fully obliterated by Trump’s presidential candidacy. Henry Barbour, a member of the RNC who co-authored the committee’s post-2012 analysis, said it would be wise for both parties to consider their political positioning after the 2020 election. He said that Democrats had succeeded in the election by running against Trump but that the party’s leftward shift had alienated otherwise winnable voters, including some Black, Hispanic and Asian American communities that shifted incrementally toward Trump. “They’re running off a lot of middle-class Americans who work hard for a living out in the heartland or in big cities or suburbs,” Barbour said. “Part of that is because Democrats have run too far to the left.” Barbour said Republicans, too, should take a clear-eyed look at their 2020 performance. Trump, he said, had not done enough to expand his appeal beyond a large and loyal minority of voters. “The Republican Party has got to do better than that,” he said. “We’re not just a party of one president.” In addition to the four-way review on the Democratic side, there are several narrower projects underway focused on addressing deficiencies in polling. Democratic and Republican officials alike found serious shortcomings in their survey research, especially polling in House races that failed to anticipate how close Republicans would come to retaking the majority. Both parties emerged from the campaign feeling that they had significantly misjudged the landscape of competitive House races, with Democrats losing seats unexpectedly and Republicans perhaps having missed a chance to capture the chamber as a result. The chief Republican and Democratic super political action committees focused on House races — the Congressional Leadership Fund and House Majority PAC — are both in the process of studying their 2020 polling and debating changes for the 2022 campaign, people familiar with their efforts said. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican group, is said to be undertaking a somewhat more extensive review of its spending and messaging, although it is not expected to issue any kind of larger diagnosis for the party. “We would be foolish not to take a serious look at what worked, what didn’t work and how you can evolve and advance,” said Dan Conston, the group’s president. Several of the largest Democratic polling companies are also conferring regularly with each other in an effort to address gaps in the 2020 research. Two people involved in the conversations said there was general agreement that the industry had to update its practices before 2022 to assure Democratic leaders that they would not be caught by surprise again. Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster involved in reviewing research from the last cycle, said that the party was only now digging more deeply into the results of the 2020 election because the past few months had been dominated by other crises. Several Democratic and Republican strategists cautioned that both parties faced a challenge in formulating a plan for 2022; it had been more than a decade, she said, since a midterm campaign had not been dominated by a larger-than-life presidential personality. Based on the experience of the 2020 campaign, it is not clear that Biden is destined to become such a polarizing figure. “It’s hard to know what an election’s like without an Obama or a Trump,” Greenberg said, “just normal, regular, ordinary people running.”

Democrats beat Trump in 2020. Now they’re asking: what went wrong?

US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden </a>on Friday urged American allies to work towards addressing Iran's "destabilising" activities across the Middle East.

Biden's remarks came in at the Munich Security Conference a day after he urged European allies to return nuclear talks with Iran.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-says-ready-for-talks-with-iran-to-revive-nuclear-deal-364659/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"The threat of nuclear proliferation also continues to require careful diplomacy and cooperation among us," the US president said in the teleconference.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-his-first-major-global-appearance-biden-draws-sharp-contrast-with-trumps-policies-364920">At his first major global appearance, Biden draws sharp contrast with Trump's policies</a>

"That's why we have said we're prepared to reengage in negotiations with the P5+1 on Iran's nuclear program."&nbsp;

"We must also address Iran's destabilising activities across the Middle East, and we're going to work in close cooperation with our European and other partners as we proceed."

After Biden's predecessor <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump </a>pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran resumed the enrichment of uranium, raising threats of the Islamic republic developing nuclear weaponry.&nbsp;

On Thursday, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price hinted at a diplomatic solution to the issue as he said that the US has accepted an invitation by the European Union political director Enrique Mora for an informal meet to discuss Iran.&nbsp;

The spokesperson said the meeting would "discuss a diplomatic way forward."

To ease tensions with Iran, the US has also dropped Trump's approach of a push at the UN to impose more sanctions on Iran and removed curbs on the Iranian diplomats accredited to the United Nations in New York.

However, Tehran has continued its demand to lift all the sanctions imposed by Trump.&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden on Friday urged American allies to work towards addressing Iran's "destabilising" activities across the Middle East. Biden's remarks came in at the Munich Security Conference a day after he urged European allies to return nuclear talks with Iran.

US President Joe Biden on Friday urged American allies to work towards addressing Iran's "destabilising" activities across the Middle East. Biden's remarks came in at the Munich Security Conference a day after he urged European allies to return nuclear talks with Iran. Watch | "The threat of nuclear proliferation also continues to require careful diplomacy and cooperation among us," the US president said in the teleconference. Also read | At his first major global appearance, Biden draws sharp contrast with Trump's policies "That's why we have said we're prepared to reengage in negotiations with the P5+1 on Iran's nuclear program." "We must also address Iran's destabilising activities across the Middle East, and we're going to work in close cooperation with our European and other partners as we proceed." After Biden's predecessor Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran resumed the enrichment of uranium, raising threats of the Islamic republic developing nuclear weaponry. On Thursday, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price hinted at a diplomatic solution to the issue as he said that the US has accepted an invitation by the European Union political director Enrique Mora for an informal meet to discuss Iran. The spokesperson said the meeting would "discuss a diplomatic way forward." To ease tensions with Iran, the US has also dropped Trump's approach of a push at the UN to impose more sanctions on Iran and removed curbs on the Iranian diplomats accredited to the United Nations in New York. However, Tehran has continued its demand to lift all the sanctions imposed by Trump.

Biden urges allies to work towards addressing Iran's 'destabilising' activities

Australia and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/facebook">Facebook</a> conducted talks on Friday after the social media giant blacked out news for Australian netizens. Meanwhile, more than 200,000 homes in Texas are without power with at least 30 people dead due to the harsh&nbsp;winter storm. In Spain, people are standing up against a nine-month prison sentence served to&nbsp;Pablo Hasel, the anti-establishment rapper.

Click on headlines to read more

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-australia-hold-talks-following-news-ban-364938" hreflang="en">Facebook, Australia hold talks following news ban</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/20/183624-untitled-design.jpg?itok=n16sCjgW" />

Facebook has blanked out pages of news organisations from Thursday for Australian users and blocked them from publishing any news content over the new legislation that has been approved by the lower house.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/spain-violent-protests-over-rappers-jailing-continue-for-fourth-night-364934">Spain: Violent protests over rapper's jailing continue for fourth night&nbsp;</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/20/183622-spain-protests.jpg?itok=MeA0URLe" />

Violent protests over rapper's jailing continued in Spanish cities continued for fourth night as clashes continued to break out between protesters and the police.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-group-of-asylum-seekers-cross-us-border-from-mexico-364932">First group of asylum seekers cross US border from Mexico</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/20/183621-us-asylum-seekers.jpg?itok=uroStwAG" />

The group of 25 migrants crossed the border by bus from the Mexican city of Tijuana and were accompanied by volunteers of UNHCR.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-japanese-website-developer-maps-areas-with-annoying-kids-364930" hreflang="en">Gravitas: Japanese website developer maps areas with 'annoying' kids</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-japanese-website-developer-maps-areas-with-annoying-kids-364930/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">&nbsp;</div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-a-brutal-blast-of-winter-weather-leads-to-blackouts-in-texas-364929" hreflang="en">Gravitas: A brutal blast of winter weather leads to blackouts in Texas</a></div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">&nbsp;</div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-a-brutal-blast-of-winter-weather-leads-to-blackouts-in-texas-364929/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Australia and Facebook conducted talks on Friday after the social media giant blacked out news for Australian netizens. Meanwhile, more than 200,000 homes in Texas are without power with at least 30 people dead due to the harsh winter storm.

Australia and Facebook conducted talks on Friday after the social media giant blacked out news for Australian netizens. Meanwhile, more than 200,000 homes in Texas are without power with at least 30 people dead due to the harsh winter storm. In Spain, people are standing up against a nine-month prison sentence served to Pablo Hasel, the anti-establishment rapper. Click on headlines to read more Facebook, Australia hold talks following news ban Facebook has blanked out pages of news organisations from Thursday for Australian users and blocked them from publishing any news content over the new legislation that has been approved by the lower house. Spain: Violent protests over rapper's jailing continue for fourth night Violent protests over rapper's jailing continued in Spanish cities continued for fourth night as clashes continued to break out between protesters and the police. First group of asylum seekers cross US border from Mexico The group of 25 migrants crossed the border by bus from the Mexican city of Tijuana and were accompanied by volunteers of UNHCR. Gravitas: Japanese website developer maps areas with 'annoying' kids Gravitas: A brutal blast of winter weather leads to blackouts in Texas

Morning news brief: Facebook-Australia talk news ban, Texas winter storm, and more

After more than a month of the Capitol riots, the US Justice Department is still trying to rightly punish the people involved in the damage of federal property and threatening the lives of Senators.

Added to the previous cases, the US Justice Department has charged six more 'Oath Keepers' for actively taking part in the Capitol riots that took place on January 06.

Oath Keepers is an extremist, far-right, anti-government militia organisation formed by members of current and former military and police forces. With the motto of 'Not on our watch', the group showed active involvement in the Capitol riots.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/six-cops-suspended-for-misconduct-during-capitol-hill-riots-364897" hreflang="en">Six cops suspended for misconduct during Capitol Hill riots</a>

The members charged are supporters of the disgraced former US President Donald Trump and involve Graydon Young, 54 and married couple Kelly Meggs, 52, and Connie Meggs, 59. Young's sister Laura Steele, 52, from North Carolina, was also charged for the same along with Ohioans Sandra Ruth Parker, 62, and Bennie Alvin Parker, 70.

As per the indictment, Kelly Meggs, the head of the Florida chapter of Oath Keepers, wrote in a Facebook message post, "Trump said It's gonna be wild!!!!!!! It's gonna be wild!!!!!!! He wants us to make it WILD that's what he's saying. He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! Sir Yes Sir!!! Gentlemen we are heading to DC pack you s***!!"

The US Justice Department is making all considerations to find and charge the Trump supporters involved in these riots, which injured several and left six dead.

In addition to this, so far 229 people have been charged over the January 06 riots and six officers from the Capitol Police, too, have been suspended while 29 have been put under investigation due to their behaviour during the riots.

After more than a month of the Capitol riots, the US Justice Department is still trying to rightly punish the people involved in the damage of federal property and threatening the lives of Senators.

After more than a month of the Capitol riots, the US Justice Department is still trying to rightly punish the people involved in the damage of federal property and threatening the lives of Senators. Added to the previous cases, the US Justice Department has charged six more 'Oath Keepers' for actively taking part in the Capitol riots that took place on January 06. Oath Keepers is an extremist, far-right, anti-government militia organisation formed by members of current and former military and police forces. With the motto of 'Not on our watch', the group showed active involvement in the Capitol riots. Also read| Six cops suspended for misconduct during Capitol Hill riots The members charged are supporters of the disgraced former US President Donald Trump and involve Graydon Young, 54 and married couple Kelly Meggs, 52, and Connie Meggs, 59. Young's sister Laura Steele, 52, from North Carolina, was also charged for the same along with Ohioans Sandra Ruth Parker, 62, and Bennie Alvin Parker, 70. As per the indictment, Kelly Meggs, the head of the Florida chapter of Oath Keepers, wrote in a Facebook message post, "Trump said It's gonna be wild!!!!!!! It's gonna be wild!!!!!!! He wants us to make it WILD that's what he's saying. He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! Sir Yes Sir!!! Gentlemen we are heading to DC pack you s***!!" The US Justice Department is making all considerations to find and charge the Trump supporters involved in these riots, which injured several and left six dead. In addition to this, so far 229 people have been charged over the January 06 riots and six officers from the Capitol Police, too, have been suspended while 29 have been put under investigation due to their behaviour during the riots.

US charges more 'Oath Keepers' over 'wild' Capitol riots

Canadian government lawyers said in court documents obtained Friday that Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's allegations that former US president Donald Trump "poisoned" her extradition trial are "moot" now that he has left office.

And they have asked a Canadian judge not to even hear those arguments about Trump when the proceedings resume next month.

Meng's lawyers were expected to challenge the fairness of the proceedings, saying they've been tainted by Trump's comments soon after her December 2018 arrest on a US warrant -- when he said he might intervene in her prosecution on fraud and conspiracy charges in exchange for Chinese trade concessions.

These were "statements by a president no longer in office, about a possible intervention in this case that never occurred, purportedly to achieve a trade deal that has long since been successfully negotiated (and so) have no past, present or prospective impact on these proceedings," lawyers for Canada's attorney general said in the documents.

"The very thin basis on which this application was launched has vanished," they said. "The court should decline to hear it."

Meng's defense team last year said in court filings that "these proceedings have been poisoned" and could "no longer be reasonably regarded as fair, regardless of the undoubted good faith of the court."

They pointed to Trump's remarks, saying "the president not only thinks he can intervene in prosecutions, but that he will do so when it suits his political agenda."

Meng faces charges in the United States of bank fraud and conspiracy related to the activities of a former Huawei subsidiary alleged to have violated US sanctions against Iran -- which both Meng and Huawei deny.

She remains under house arrest in her Vancouver mansion ahead of the next leg of her extradition case, scheduled to start on March 1 and end in May.

Canadian government lawyers said in court documents obtained Friday that Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's allegations that former US president Donald Trump "poisoned" her extradition trial are "moot" now that he has left office.

Canadian government lawyers said in court documents obtained Friday that Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's allegations that former US president Donald Trump "poisoned" her extradition trial are "moot" now that he has left office. And they have asked a Canadian judge not to even hear those arguments about Trump when the proceedings resume next month. Meng's lawyers were expected to challenge the fairness of the proceedings, saying they've been tainted by Trump's comments soon after her December 2018 arrest on a US warrant -- when he said he might intervene in her prosecution on fraud and conspiracy charges in exchange for Chinese trade concessions. These were "statements by a president no longer in office, about a possible intervention in this case that never occurred, purportedly to achieve a trade deal that has long since been successfully negotiated (and so) have no past, present or prospective impact on these proceedings," lawyers for Canada's attorney general said in the documents. "The very thin basis on which this application was launched has vanished," they said. "The court should decline to hear it." Meng's defense team last year said in court filings that "these proceedings have been poisoned" and could "no longer be reasonably regarded as fair, regardless of the undoubted good faith of the court." They pointed to Trump's remarks, saying "the president not only thinks he can intervene in prosecutions, but that he will do so when it suits his political agenda." Meng faces charges in the United States of bank fraud and conspiracy related to the activities of a former Huawei subsidiary alleged to have violated US sanctions against Iran -- which both Meng and Huawei deny. She remains under house arrest in her Vancouver mansion ahead of the next leg of her extradition case, scheduled to start on March 1 and end in May.

Canada rejects argument Trump 'poisoned' Chinese exec's extradition case

US President Joe Biden on Friday drew a sharp contrast with the foreign policy of his predecessor, Donald Trump, pledging to end transactional diplomacy and vowing climate change.

In a bid to promote democracy over years of divisive “America First” policies pursued by Trump, the Democratic president used his first big appearance on the global stage to try to re-establish the United States as a multilateral team player.

The Friday address to the annual Munich Security Conference -- held by video link because of the Covid-19 pandemic -- dovetailed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's welcoming of a return to "multilateralism" after the confrontational years of Biden's predecessor.

The US president declared the alliance between the United States and Europe was back in place after Trump strained relations.

"I'm sending a clear message to the world. America is back. The transatlantic alliance is back," Biden said.

Here, he drew a stark difference with the more transactional foreign policy practised by Trump, who angered allies by breaking off global accords and threatening to end defense assistance unless they toed his line.

“Our partnerships have endured and grown through the years because they are rooted in the richness of our shared democratic values. They’re not transactional. They’re not extractive. They’re built on a vision of the future where every voice matters,” he said.

“I know, I know the past few years of strain (have) tested our transatlantic relationship, but the United States is determined - determined to re-engage with Europe,” he said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-trump-biden-and-g7-refocus-on-covid-recovery-364923">Also read |&nbsp;After Trump, Biden and G7 refocus on Covid recovery</a>

Biden also urged European allies to join together to confront strong political and economic challenges from China.

"We must prepare together for long-term strategic competition from China," Biden told the Munich security conference.

"We have to ensure that the benefits of growth are shared broadly and equitably, not just by a few. We can push back against the Chinese government's economic abuses and coercion and undercut the foundations of the international economic system," he said.

Biden also called on European allies to double down on commitments to fight climate change, warning of a "global existential crisis."

"We can no longer delay or do the bare minimum to address climate change," Biden said, just hours after the United States formally rejoined the Paris accord on global warming.

"This is a global existential crisis. We will all suffer consequences," he told the Munich Security Conference.

The United States on Friday officially returned to the Paris climate accord, with Biden vowing to make the fight against global warming a top priority.

Biden said he was not seeking a return to "the rigid blocs of the Cold War," insisting that the international community must work together on issues like the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, even where deep disagreements exist on other issues.

The return of the United States -- effective Friday -- to the Paris climate agreement was proof of Washington's intentions, he said.

"We can no longer delay or do the bare minimum to address climate change," Biden said, calling this a "global existential crisis."

But Biden delivered harsh warnings about the threats he said are posed by Russia and China.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-officially-back-in-paris-climate-accord-vows-action-364885">Also read |&nbsp;US officially back in Paris climate accord, vows action</a>

A month after Biden took office, the world's largest economy and second largest carbon emitter was formally back in the 2015 global agreement aimed at confronting the planet's dangerously rising temperatures.

The re-entry of the United States means that the Paris accord again includes virtually every country after Trump made the US the sole outlier.

Also, Biden delivered harsh warnings about the threats he said are posed by Russia and China.

"The Kremlin attacks our democracies and weaponizes corruption to try and undermine our system of governance," he said. President Vladimir Putin "seeks to weaken the European project and our NATO alliance."

Again urging Western unity, Biden said, "it's so much easier for the Kremlin to bully and threaten individual states than to negotiate with a strong, closely united transatlantic community."

Similarly, US partners should stand together against "the Chinese government's economic abuses and coercion that undercut the foundations of the international economic system," he said.

"Chinese companies should be held to the same standard" as US and European companies facing onerous restrictions on their presence in China, he said.

On Iran, Biden reiterated his pledge to return to international negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program, but said "we must address Iran's destabilising activities across the Middle East."

Biden's pivot is getting good reviews in Europe.

G7 leaders, in a similar vein, vowed a new chapter for global cooperation at their first summit since Biden succeeded the isolationist Trump.

"Drawing on our strengths and values as democratic, open economies and societies, we will work together and with others to make 2021 a turning point for multilateralism and to shape a recovery that promotes the health and prosperity of our people and planet," they said in a joint statement after the virtual summit.

They also agreed to "intensify cooperation" in response to the coronavirus pandemic and increase funding commitments for the rollout of vaccines in the world's poorest countries to $7.5 billion.

"Today, with increased financial commitments of over $4 billion USD to ACT-A and COVAX, collective G7 support totals $7.5 billion," the statement added.

Biden plans to join the elite club -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan apart from the US -- for an in-person G7 summit hosted by the UK this summer.

(with inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden on Friday drew a sharp contrast with the foreign policy of his predecessor, Donald Trump, pledging to end transactional diplomacy and vowing climate change.

US President Joe Biden on Friday drew a sharp contrast with the foreign policy of his predecessor, Donald Trump, pledging to end transactional diplomacy and vowing climate change. In a bid to promote democracy over years of divisive “America First” policies pursued by Trump, the Democratic president used his first big appearance on the global stage to try to re-establish the United States as a multilateral team player. The Friday address to the annual Munich Security Conference -- held by video link because of the Covid-19 pandemic -- dovetailed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's welcoming of a return to "multilateralism" after the confrontational years of Biden's predecessor. The US president declared the alliance between the United States and Europe was back in place after Trump strained relations. "I'm sending a clear message to the world. America is back. The transatlantic alliance is back," Biden said. Here, he drew a stark difference with the more transactional foreign policy practised by Trump, who angered allies by breaking off global accords and threatening to end defense assistance unless they toed his line. “Our partnerships have endured and grown through the years because they are rooted in the richness of our shared democratic values. They’re not transactional. They’re not extractive. They’re built on a vision of the future where every voice matters,” he said. “I know, I know the past few years of strain (have) tested our transatlantic relationship, but the United States is determined - determined to re-engage with Europe,” he said. Also read | After Trump, Biden and G7 refocus on Covid recovery Biden also urged European allies to join together to confront strong political and economic challenges from China. "We must prepare together for long-term strategic competition from China," Biden told the Munich security conference. "We have to ensure that the benefits of growth are shared broadly and equitably, not just by a few. We can push back against the Chinese government's economic abuses and coercion and undercut the foundations of the international economic system," he said. Biden also called on European allies to double down on commitments to fight climate change, warning of a "global existential crisis." "We can no longer delay or do the bare minimum to address climate change," Biden said, just hours after the United States formally rejoined the Paris accord on global warming. "This is a global existential crisis. We will all suffer consequences," he told the Munich Security Conference. The United States on Friday officially returned to the Paris climate accord, with Biden vowing to make the fight against global warming a top priority. Biden said he was not seeking a return to "the rigid blocs of the Cold War," insisting that the international community must work together on issues like the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, even where deep disagreements exist on other issues. The return of the United States -- effective Friday -- to the Paris climate agreement was proof of Washington's intentions, he said. "We can no longer delay or do the bare minimum to address climate change," Biden said, calling this a "global existential crisis." But Biden delivered harsh warnings about the threats he said are posed by Russia and China. Also read | US officially back in Paris climate accord, vows action A month after Biden took office, the world's largest economy and second largest carbon emitter was formally back in the 2015 global agreement aimed at confronting the planet's dangerously rising temperatures. The re-entry of the United States means that the Paris accord again includes virtually every country after Trump made the US the sole outlier. Also, Biden delivered harsh warnings about the threats he said are posed by Russia and China. "The Kremlin attacks our democracies and weaponizes corruption to try and undermine our system of governance," he said. President Vladimir Putin "seeks to weaken the European project and our NATO alliance." Again urging Western unity, Biden said, "it's so much easier for the Kremlin to bully and threaten individual states than to negotiate with a strong, closely united transatlantic community." Similarly, US partners should stand together against "the Chinese government's economic abuses and coercion that undercut the foundations of the international economic system," he said. "Chinese companies should be held to the same standard" as US and European companies facing onerous restrictions on their presence in China, he said. On Iran, Biden reiterated his pledge to return to international negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program, but said "we must address Iran's destabilising activities across the Middle East." Biden's pivot is getting good reviews in Europe. G7 leaders, in a similar vein, vowed a new chapter for global cooperation at their first summit since Biden succeeded the isolationist Trump. "Drawing on our strengths and values as democratic, open economies and societies, we will work together and with others to make 2021 a turning point for multilateralism and to shape a recovery that promotes the health and prosperity of our people and planet," they said in a joint statement after the virtual summit. They also agreed to "intensify cooperation" in response to the coronavirus pandemic and increase funding commitments for the rollout of vaccines in the world's poorest countries to $7.5 billion. "Today, with increased financial commitments of over $4 billion USD to ACT-A and COVAX, collective G7 support totals $7.5 billion," the statement added. Biden plans to join the elite club -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan apart from the US -- for an in-person G7 summit hosted by the UK this summer. (with inputs from agencies)

At his first major global appearance, Biden draws sharp contrast with Trump's policies

Wealthy G7 powers on Friday ramped up health funding for poorer nations after accusations they are hoarding coronavirus vaccines, as US President Joe Biden and the rest of the leaders declared a "turning point" from the psychodramas of the Trump era.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, this year's chair of the G7, vowed to free up any surplus UK vaccines for poorer countries at a future date, and underlined the need for collective action to recover from the pandemic.

"We've got to make sure the whole world is vaccinated because this is a global pandemic and it's no use one country being far ahead of another, we've got to move together," he said in opening remarks at the online summit, the G7's first since last April when the group was rent apart by then president Donald Trump.

At the G7, Biden brought a pledge of $4 billion (4.6 billion euros) in US aid to the UN's Covax fund to buy vaccines for global distribution.&nbsp;

Germany said it was giving an extra 1.5 billion euros for the global rollout, and the European Union doubled its own Covax funding to one billion euros.

The total in G7 commitments stands at 7.5 billion euros, the group said in a joint statement following the talks.

"Drawing on our strengths and values as democratic, open economies and societies, we will work together and with others to make 2021 a turning point for multilateralism and to shape a recovery that promotes the health and prosperity of our people and planet," the leaders added.

- 'Inflection point' -

But ahead of the gathering, French President Emmanuel Macron had demanded richer nations go further by transferring 3-5 percent of their existing stock to Africa.

"It's an unprecedented acceleration of global inequality and it's politically unsustainable too because it's paving the way for a war of influence over vaccines," he told the Financial Times, as Russia and China step up free or low-cost distribution of their own jabs.

The ONE Campaign, a global organisation co-founded by U2 singer Bono, said the G7 members plus Australia had collectively bought nearly 1.25 billion more doses than they needed to inoculate every member of their populations against Covid-19.

Later Friday, Biden, Johnson and EU leaders in the G7 joined another gathering online, the annual Munich Security Conference, to discuss "renewing transatlantic cooperation".&nbsp;

Biden became the first US president to address the Munich meeting, underlining a decisive shift after cooperation was all but broken under his go-it-alone predecessor.

The struggle worldwide between democracy and autocracy is at an "inflection point", Biden told the Munich conference.

"And I believe with every ounce of my being that democracy must prevail."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed President Biden's arrival on the stage.

"Multilateralism is boosted through the change in the US government -- the Biden administration has already demonstrated this with its first decisions" on returning to the Paris climate accord and rejoining the World Health Organization (WHO), she said.

- Absent China looms large -

Though Friday marked America's formal re-entry to the Paris climate accord, in a departure from Trump-era politics, Biden has maintained his predecessor's mistrust of China.

Beijing is not part of the G7 -- which comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US -- and Washington is repositioning rich democracies as a counterweight amid mistrust of China's initial handling of Covid-19.

Biden urged a collective pushback against China's "economic abuses", and also accused Russia of attacking democracies.

At Britain's urging, the G7 agreed to look into a possible pandemic treaty to enhance early warning and data transparency in case of future outbreaks.&nbsp;

London denies it has China in its sights, but the Asian power has been widely accused of covering up the emergence of the virus in late 2019 and depriving the WHO of vital early information.

Now that inoculation campaigns are picking up speed -- in the West at least -- G7 leaders also hope to look past the pandemic to financial recovery after lockdowns ravaged many economies.

Biden also said the world can "no longer do the bare minimum on climate", as Britain prepares to host the UN's next climate summit, COP26, in the Scottish city of Glasgow in November.&nbsp;

COP26 will cap a busy diplomatic year that will flesh out Johnson's vision of a "Global Britain", following its Brexit withdrawal from the EU.&nbsp;

He&nbsp;hopes to host the G7's leaders in person in June, at a resort in southwest England.

Wealthy G7 powers on Friday ramped up health funding for poorer nations after accusations they are hoarding coronavirus vaccines, as US President Joe Biden and the rest of the leaders declared a "turning point" from the psychodramas of the Trump era.

Wealthy G7 powers on Friday ramped up health funding for poorer nations after accusations they are hoarding coronavirus vaccines, as US President Joe Biden and the rest of the leaders declared a "turning point" from the psychodramas of the Trump era. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, this year's chair of the G7, vowed to free up any surplus UK vaccines for poorer countries at a future date, and underlined the need for collective action to recover from the pandemic. "We've got to make sure the whole world is vaccinated because this is a global pandemic and it's no use one country being far ahead of another, we've got to move together," he said in opening remarks at the online summit, the G7's first since last April when the group was rent apart by then president Donald Trump. At the G7, Biden brought a pledge of $4 billion (4.6 billion euros) in US aid to the UN's Covax fund to buy vaccines for global distribution. Germany said it was giving an extra 1.5 billion euros for the global rollout, and the European Union doubled its own Covax funding to one billion euros. The total in G7 commitments stands at 7.5 billion euros, the group said in a joint statement following the talks. "Drawing on our strengths and values as democratic, open economies and societies, we will work together and with others to make 2021 a turning point for multilateralism and to shape a recovery that promotes the health and prosperity of our people and planet," the leaders added. - 'Inflection point' - But ahead of the gathering, French President Emmanuel Macron had demanded richer nations go further by transferring 3-5 percent of their existing stock to Africa. "It's an unprecedented acceleration of global inequality and it's politically unsustainable too because it's paving the way for a war of influence over vaccines," he told the Financial Times, as Russia and China step up free or low-cost distribution of their own jabs. The ONE Campaign, a global organisation co-founded by U2 singer Bono, said the G7 members plus Australia had collectively bought nearly 1.25 billion more doses than they needed to inoculate every member of their populations against Covid-19. Later Friday, Biden, Johnson and EU leaders in the G7 joined another gathering online, the annual Munich Security Conference, to discuss "renewing transatlantic cooperation". Biden became the first US president to address the Munich meeting, underlining a decisive shift after cooperation was all but broken under his go-it-alone predecessor. The struggle worldwide between democracy and autocracy is at an "inflection point", Biden told the Munich conference. "And I believe with every ounce of my being that democracy must prevail." German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed President Biden's arrival on the stage. "Multilateralism is boosted through the change in the US government -- the Biden administration has already demonstrated this with its first decisions" on returning to the Paris climate accord and rejoining the World Health Organization (WHO), she said. - Absent China looms large - Though Friday marked America's formal re-entry to the Paris climate accord, in a departure from Trump-era politics, Biden has maintained his predecessor's mistrust of China. Beijing is not part of the G7 -- which comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US -- and Washington is repositioning rich democracies as a counterweight amid mistrust of China's initial handling of Covid-19. Biden urged a collective pushback against China's "economic abuses", and also accused Russia of attacking democracies. At Britain's urging, the G7 agreed to look into a possible pandemic treaty to enhance early warning and data transparency in case of future outbreaks. London denies it has China in its sights, but the Asian power has been widely accused of covering up the emergence of the virus in late 2019 and depriving the WHO of vital early information. Now that inoculation campaigns are picking up speed -- in the West at least -- G7 leaders also hope to look past the pandemic to financial recovery after lockdowns ravaged many economies. Biden also said the world can "no longer do the bare minimum on climate", as Britain prepares to host the UN's next climate summit, COP26, in the Scottish city of Glasgow in November. COP26 will cap a busy diplomatic year that will flesh out Johnson's vision of a "Global Britain", following its Brexit withdrawal from the EU. He hopes to host the G7's leaders in person in June, at a resort in southwest England.

After Trump, Biden and G7 refocus on Covid recovery

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