Democrats faces pressure to stick together to pass their COVID relief package. US President Joe Biden has made an aggressive pitch to the Senate Democrats telling them to get behind the $1.9 trillion bill. President Joe Biden has also said that the US will have vaccines for all Americans by May.

President Joe Biden says US will have vaccines for all Americans by May

Russia on Wednesday warned the United States it would "rebuff aggression" after Washington imposed sanctions on Kremlin's officials over the poisoning of prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny.&nbsp;

"We will continue to systematically and resolutely defend our national interests and rebuff aggression," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-eu-imposes-sanctions-on-russia-over-alexei-navalny-attack-367544/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

She further threatened the United States that Kremlin's reaction would be based on "reciprocity and not necessarily symmetrically."

The comments came after the US along with the European Union on Tuesday imposed penalties after US intelligence concluded that Russia was behind the poisoning of Navalny.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sanctions-will-worsen-strained-ties-with-us-russia-on-navalny-row-367529">Sanctions will worsen strained ties with US: Russia on Navalny row</a>

Accusing Washington of "trying to cultivate the image of an external enemy," the spokesperson asked the US and its European allies to "not play with fire".&nbsp;

Biden's administration has frozen any US assets of seven Russian officials, including the director of FSB, Russia's intelligence organisation.&nbsp;

It has also criminalised any transactions with these seven officials.&nbsp;

The action has been taken after US intelligence assessed "with high confidence" that FSB officials poisoned Navalny with the nerve agent Novichok on August 20, 2020, a US official told reporters.

"The US government has exercised its authorities to send a clear signal that Russia's use of chemical weapons and abuse of human rights have severe consequences," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement said.

 
&nbsp;

Russia on Wednesday warned the United States it would "rebuff aggression" after Washington imposed sanctions on Kremlin's officials over the poisoning of prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Russia on Wednesday warned the United States it would "rebuff aggression" after Washington imposed sanctions on Kremlin's officials over the poisoning of prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny. "We will continue to systematically and resolutely defend our national interests and rebuff aggression," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. Watch | She further threatened the United States that Kremlin's reaction would be based on "reciprocity and not necessarily symmetrically." The comments came after the US along with the European Union on Tuesday imposed penalties after US intelligence concluded that Russia was behind the poisoning of Navalny. Also read | Sanctions will worsen strained ties with US: Russia on Navalny row Accusing Washington of "trying to cultivate the image of an external enemy," the spokesperson asked the US and its European allies to "not play with fire". Biden's administration has frozen any US assets of seven Russian officials, including the director of FSB, Russia's intelligence organisation. It has also criminalised any transactions with these seven officials. The action has been taken after US intelligence assessed "with high confidence" that FSB officials poisoned Navalny with the nerve agent Novichok on August 20, 2020, a US official told reporters. "The US government has exercised its authorities to send a clear signal that Russia's use of chemical weapons and abuse of human rights have severe consequences," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement said.

'Don't play with fire': Russia warns US, its allies over sanctions on Navalny poisoning

US President Joe Biden held a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Monday to discuss some of the key issues pertaining to both countries.

Joe Biden meets Mexican President amid migration issues

Four weeks into his presidency and President Biden realizes that it is not easy to set back the US's foreign policy aims to its traditional pillars. His outlook was summed up in his first foreign policy statement at the State Department on 4 February 2021 – which included an emphasis on the restoration of the habits of global cooperation and re-building the muscle of democratic alliances that have 'atrophied.' It also emphasized determining the US foreign policy course as a balance between geo-politics and respect for human rights.&nbsp;

Nowhere is this reset being harder to implement than the Middle East region, a volatile cocktail of nation-state conflicts, religious fundamentalism and terrorism and active superpower intervention. For one, some of the conflicts and issues in the Middle East today were created by the Obama era policies when Biden was the Vice President. Two nowhere else was the Trump-style break from a stated 'neutral' US foreign policy to doling out personal favors that changed the contours of interaction between the region's countries more prominent. Third, the absence of a US 'mediating' guarantee created a new/enlarged role for varied actors – Turkey, Russia, and&nbsp;China that the US will find hard to reset.

President Biden's main foreign policy challenge in the Middle East will be 'how you solve a problem like Iran.' Critics have said that given Biden's close involvement with the Iran deal under President Obama, the current administration runs the risk of adopting the 'old wine in a new bottle strategy.' Since Biden has assumed office – Iran has threatened to block a UN nuclear watchdog from conducting snap inspections of some nuclear sites.&nbsp;

Iran-backed Shiite militias have attacked the US-coalition forces in Erbil in northern Iraq, reflecting their growing power in a country embroiled in years of war. In Yemen, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have escalated violence against the government forces in the oil-rich central province of Marib. They have also intensified drone attacks against the neighboring Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).&nbsp;

Marking a break from Trump’s four years, these developments are starting to create disquiet among the traditional US allies in the region – Israel, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Under Trump’s policy of maximum pressure on Iran, without any diplomacy, Arab states and Israel had forged a ‘tentative relationship’ focused on containing Iran in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon.

For their efforts at rapprochement with Israel (via the Abraham Accord), the Arab rulers were rewarded personally – when &nbsp;President Trump used his discretionary powers to look the other way as evidence of MBS’s involvement emerged in journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Or when he signed arms deals with UAE or refused to end the US support of the Yemen war despite a US Senate resolution. However, since Biden's victory, it has been made clear that the US will try and rebalance this 'one-sided' and obvious tilt.

This rebalancing has begun with Saudi Arabia. Supported by a Senate striving to reclaim its war-making powers, the US has ceased its support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Biden has personally criticized Saudi's track record on human rights and said in no uncertain terms that it would speak directly to King Salman and not to Crown Prince MBS, the country's de-facto leader.

The arms sale of F35 fighter jets to the UAE has been put on hold. Regarding Israel, though Biden is unlikely to reverse measures like shifting the US embassy to Jerusalem, there is a general consensus that PM Netanyahu will not be given free rein in the US calculations in the region.&nbsp;

However, as Iran steps up its offensive – Biden will be faced with some critical policy choices –&nbsp;

A) How much to bend to preserve the legacy of the Iran deal and what happens if Iran walks out.

B) How to recalibrate relationships with the allies in the above background.&nbsp;

What has the potential to complicate this balancing act is the new actors/dynamics that have emerged and gained strength in the region.&nbsp;

Of course, the first emphasis is on the US's most significant geopolitical and economic rival – China. While China has developed political, trading and economic linkages with countries across the board in the Middle East, its priorities are not a threat to the US interests just yet. However, three focal areas can complicate the geo-politics for the US.&nbsp;

The first is the partnership between Iran and China that gained strength under the Trump administration. China made huge purchases of Iranian crude oil in violation of US sanctions, invested in infrastructure projects and sold essential supplies to Iran.

A pro-China hardline faction in Iran has gained prominence and is likely driving a hard bargain with the Biden administration. With the Iranian presidential elections scheduled in June 2021, a probable win for this hardline wing could mean an end to all negotiations on the Iran deal and a further shift towards China.&nbsp;

What is problematic for the Biden administration is that China has gained currency as a 'strategic balancer' to the US across all genres of actors – Shiite militias from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon have taken Chinese support.

The region's Arab monarchies and Israel have similarly made investment deals and are using Chinese companies for infrastructure building. They have also chosen to ignore Chinese human rights violations in Uighur.&nbsp;

The second cog in the wheel is Russia’s relationship with Iran and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that has complicated US attempts to detangle from Iraq and Syria.

Turkey has emerged as the ‘black swan’ with emerging stress points with the US – such as the sanctions over its possession of Russia’s S-400 air defense system and its unilateral action in the Kurdish (US allies) areas of Iraq and Syria. There is also an element of a European disengagement with the US stands in the region as Europe has learned to pursue independent stands on Iran, Russia, etc., under the Trump presidency.&nbsp;

After being confirmed, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s initial addresses created a foreign policy roadmap for the Biden administration in which priorities were Asia-Pacific, rapprochement with European allies and then the Western hemisphere. However, developments in the past few weeks have shown that Middle East remains the region where US troops, resources and infra remain high at risk.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the new Biden administration's first military operation targeted Iran-backed fighters in Syria on 25 February. But with allies diverging, Iran belligerent, global consensus on issues such as Iran deal thin at best, US will have to think of out of box solutions.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Four weeks into his presidency and President Biden realizes that it is not easy to set back the US's foreign policy aims to its traditional pillars. His outlook was summed up in his first foreign policy statement at the State Department on 4 February 2021 – which included an emphasis on the restoration of the habits of global cooperation and re-building the muscle of democratic alliances that have 'atrophied.

Four weeks into his presidency and President Biden realizes that it is not easy to set back the US's foreign policy aims to its traditional pillars. His outlook was summed up in his first foreign policy statement at the State Department on 4 February 2021 – which included an emphasis on the restoration of the habits of global cooperation and re-building the muscle of democratic alliances that have 'atrophied.' It also emphasized determining the US foreign policy course as a balance between geo-politics and respect for human rights. Nowhere is this reset being harder to implement than the Middle East region, a volatile cocktail of nation-state conflicts, religious fundamentalism and terrorism and active superpower intervention. For one, some of the conflicts and issues in the Middle East today were created by the Obama era policies when Biden was the Vice President. Two nowhere else was the Trump-style break from a stated 'neutral' US foreign policy to doling out personal favors that changed the contours of interaction between the region's countries more prominent. Third, the absence of a US 'mediating' guarantee created a new/enlarged role for varied actors – Turkey, Russia, and China that the US will find hard to reset. President Biden's main foreign policy challenge in the Middle East will be 'how you solve a problem like Iran.' Critics have said that given Biden's close involvement with the Iran deal under President Obama, the current administration runs the risk of adopting the 'old wine in a new bottle strategy.' Since Biden has assumed office – Iran has threatened to block a UN nuclear watchdog from conducting snap inspections of some nuclear sites. Iran-backed Shiite militias have attacked the US-coalition forces in Erbil in northern Iraq, reflecting their growing power in a country embroiled in years of war. In Yemen, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have escalated violence against the government forces in the oil-rich central province of Marib. They have also intensified drone attacks against the neighboring Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Marking a break from Trump’s four years, these developments are starting to create disquiet among the traditional US allies in the region – Israel, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Under Trump’s policy of maximum pressure on Iran, without any diplomacy, Arab states and Israel had forged a ‘tentative relationship’ focused on containing Iran in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon. For their efforts at rapprochement with Israel (via the Abraham Accord), the Arab rulers were rewarded personally – when President Trump used his discretionary powers to look the other way as evidence of MBS’s involvement emerged in journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Or when he signed arms deals with UAE or refused to end the US support of the Yemen war despite a US Senate resolution. However, since Biden's victory, it has been made clear that the US will try and rebalance this 'one-sided' and obvious tilt. This rebalancing has begun with Saudi Arabia. Supported by a Senate striving to reclaim its war-making powers, the US has ceased its support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Biden has personally criticized Saudi's track record on human rights and said in no uncertain terms that it would speak directly to King Salman and not to Crown Prince MBS, the country's de-facto leader. The arms sale of F35 fighter jets to the UAE has been put on hold. Regarding Israel, though Biden is unlikely to reverse measures like shifting the US embassy to Jerusalem, there is a general consensus that PM Netanyahu will not be given free rein in the US calculations in the region. However, as Iran steps up its offensive – Biden will be faced with some critical policy choices – A) How much to bend to preserve the legacy of the Iran deal and what happens if Iran walks out. B) How to recalibrate relationships with the allies in the above background. What has the potential to complicate this balancing act is the new actors/dynamics that have emerged and gained strength in the region. Of course, the first emphasis is on the US's most significant geopolitical and economic rival – China. While China has developed political, trading and economic linkages with countries across the board in the Middle East, its priorities are not a threat to the US interests just yet. However, three focal areas can complicate the geo-politics for the US. The first is the partnership between Iran and China that gained strength under the Trump administration. China made huge purchases of Iranian crude oil in violation of US sanctions, invested in infrastructure projects and sold essential supplies to Iran. A pro-China hardline faction in Iran has gained prominence and is likely driving a hard bargain with the Biden administration. With the Iranian presidential elections scheduled in June 2021, a probable win for this hardline wing could mean an end to all negotiations on the Iran deal and a further shift towards China. What is problematic for the Biden administration is that China has gained currency as a 'strategic balancer' to the US across all genres of actors – Shiite militias from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon have taken Chinese support. The region's Arab monarchies and Israel have similarly made investment deals and are using Chinese companies for infrastructure building. They have also chosen to ignore Chinese human rights violations in Uighur. The second cog in the wheel is Russia’s relationship with Iran and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that has complicated US attempts to detangle from Iraq and Syria. Turkey has emerged as the ‘black swan’ with emerging stress points with the US – such as the sanctions over its possession of Russia’s S-400 air defense system and its unilateral action in the Kurdish (US allies) areas of Iraq and Syria. There is also an element of a European disengagement with the US stands in the region as Europe has learned to pursue independent stands on Iran, Russia, etc., under the Trump presidency. After being confirmed, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s initial addresses created a foreign policy roadmap for the Biden administration in which priorities were Asia-Pacific, rapprochement with European allies and then the Western hemisphere. However, developments in the past few weeks have shown that Middle East remains the region where US troops, resources and infra remain high at risk. Therefore, it is not surprising that the new Biden administration's first military operation targeted Iran-backed fighters in Syria on 25 February. But with allies diverging, Iran belligerent, global consensus on issues such as Iran deal thin at best, US will have to think of out of box solutions. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Opinion: US foreign policy and its Middle East conundrum

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on seven senior Russians as it said its intelligence concluded that Moscow was behind the poisoning of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

"The intelligence community assesses with high confidence that officers of Russia's Federal Security Service FSB used a nerve agent known as Novichok to poison Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on August 20, 2020," senior Biden administration officials said.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/your-story-kremlin-critic-alexie-navalny-transferred-to-penal-colony-366509/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The sanctions were a response to what the officials said was a Russian attempt to assassinate&nbsp;Navalny&nbsp;last year, an accusation Russia denies.&nbsp;

President Joe Biden's decision to impose sanctions for&nbsp;Navalny's poisoning reflects a harder stance than taken by his predecessor, Donald Trump, who let the incident last August pass without punitive US&nbsp;action.

“The United States is neither seeking to reset our relations with Russia, nor are we seeking to escalate," one official said.

"We believe that the United States and our partners must be clear and impose costs when Russia’s behavior crosses boundaries that are respected by responsible nations, and we believe there should be guard rails on how these adversarial aspects of our relationship play out," the official said.

Navalny&nbsp;fell ill on a flight in Siberia in August and was airlifted to Germany, where doctors concluded he had been poisoned with a nerve agent. The Kremlin has denied any role in his illness and said it had seen no proof he was poisoned.

The Kremlin in response said that the US&nbsp;sanctions&nbsp;would not achieve their goal and would merely worsen already strained relations.

In his turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow would respond in kind to any new US&nbsp;sanctions over the treatment of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei&nbsp;Navalny.

EU foreign ministers agreed on February&nbsp;22 to impose sanctions on four senior Russian officials close to President Vladimir Putin in a mainly symbolic response to&nbsp;Navalny's jailing. The EU was expected to formally approve those in early March.

After his medical treatment in Germany,&nbsp;Navalny, 44, returned to Russia in January. He was arrested and later sentenced to more than 2-1/2 years in jail for parole violations he said were trumped up.

Biden last month called the jailing of&nbsp;Navalny&nbsp;"politically motivated" and called for his release. He has pledged a new and tough approach toward Moscow, saying the United States would no longer be "rolling over" in the face of aggressive action by Russia.

Washington and Moscow disagree on a wide range of issues on top of&nbsp;Navalny, such as Russia's military ambitions in Ukraine and Georgia, as well as a cyberattack on U.S. government agencies last year that Washington blames on Russia. Moscow has denied responsibility for the hacking campaign.

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on seven senior Russians as it said its intelligence concluded that Moscow was behind the poisoning of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on seven senior Russians as it said its intelligence concluded that Moscow was behind the poisoning of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. "The intelligence community assesses with high confidence that officers of Russia's Federal Security Service FSB used a nerve agent known as Novichok to poison Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on August 20, 2020," senior Biden administration officials said. The sanctions were a response to what the officials said was a Russian attempt to assassinate Navalny last year, an accusation Russia denies. President Joe Biden's decision to impose sanctions for Navalny's poisoning reflects a harder stance than taken by his predecessor, Donald Trump, who let the incident last August pass without punitive US action. “The United States is neither seeking to reset our relations with Russia, nor are we seeking to escalate," one official said. "We believe that the United States and our partners must be clear and impose costs when Russia’s behavior crosses boundaries that are respected by responsible nations, and we believe there should be guard rails on how these adversarial aspects of our relationship play out," the official said. Navalny fell ill on a flight in Siberia in August and was airlifted to Germany, where doctors concluded he had been poisoned with a nerve agent. The Kremlin has denied any role in his illness and said it had seen no proof he was poisoned. The Kremlin in response said that the US sanctions would not achieve their goal and would merely worsen already strained relations. In his turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow would respond in kind to any new US sanctions over the treatment of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. EU foreign ministers agreed on February 22 to impose sanctions on four senior Russian officials close to President Vladimir Putin in a mainly symbolic response to Navalny's jailing. The EU was expected to formally approve those in early March. After his medical treatment in Germany, Navalny, 44, returned to Russia in January. He was arrested and later sentenced to more than 2-1/2 years in jail for parole violations he said were trumped up. Biden last month called the jailing of Navalny "politically motivated" and called for his release. He has pledged a new and tough approach toward Moscow, saying the United States would no longer be "rolling over" in the face of aggressive action by Russia. Washington and Moscow disagree on a wide range of issues on top of Navalny, such as Russia's military ambitions in Ukraine and Georgia, as well as a cyberattack on U.S. government agencies last year that Washington blames on Russia. Moscow has denied responsibility for the hacking campaign.

US imposes sanctions on Russia over poisoning of Kremlin critic Navalny

This month, workers at Amazon's warehouse in Alabama will vote to decide whether they would like to form the first union in the company's history. US President Joe Biden has backed the worker's drive to unionise.

Gravitas: A historic vote for equal worker rights at Amazon

Days after U.S. airstrikes in Syria, Iran has ruled out any 'nuke talks' with the Biden Administration. President Joe Biden seems to be struggling to get Tehran to the negotiating table. WION's Molly Gambhir gets you this report.

Gravitas: Tehran rules out talks with U.S.

President Joe Biden’s administration is in “no rush” to lift U.S. sanctions on Venezuela but would consider easing them if President Nicolas Maduro takes confidence-building steps showing he is ready to negotiate seriously with the opposition, a White House official told Reuters.

Signaling that the new U.S. president may be unlikely to loosen the screws on Venezuela anytime soon, the official emphasized that existing sanctions have enough special provisions to allow for humanitarian aid shipments to help Venezuelans cope with economic hardships and the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Maduro’s Socialist government has been “actively preventing the delivery of humanitarian assistance.”

This suggests that for now Biden is prepared to stick with the specific sanctions, including crippling oil-sector penalties, imposed by former President Donald Trump on the OPEC nation, despite the failure to force Maduro from power.

But Biden, by contrast, intends to move away from the mostly unilateral approach of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign and enlist more countries to help seek a diplomatic solution, the official said in an interview.

Biden’s administration has made clear it will continue to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president. Dozens of countries have backed Guaido’s claim following Maduro’s re-election in 2018 in a vote Western governments called a sham, though cracks recently have appeared in Guaido`s international support.

“We’re in no rush to lift sanctions,” the official said. “If the regime undertakes confidence-building measures that show that they`re ready and willing to engage in real conversations with the opposition ... if they`re ready to take serious steps, then we will consider the alleviation of sanctions."

The official did not specify what steps Maduro would need to make but said he could not be allowed to use negotiations as a “delaying tactic” to consolidate power and divide the opposition, as he has been accused of doing in the past.

Maduro, who calls Guaido a U.S. puppet, has shown no signs of giving ground. Having retained support of the military as well as Russia, China, Cuba and Iran, he has rejected or ignored previous demands for such concessions.

The Biden administration also appears to have little sense of urgency for major gestures toward Cuba despite hopes for a softer approach after Trump, often citing its support for Maduro, rolled back historic Obama-era détente with Havana.

Some Biden advisers had suggested earlier that he could start by loosening up the flow of remittances from Cuban Americans and ease restrictions on family travel to the Communist-ruled island.

But while acknowledging such changes could have a positive impact, the official said a Cuba policy shift was not currently among Biden’s top priorities, which include the coronavirus pandemic, economic recovery and rebuilding alliances abroad.

“Frankly, first things first,” the official said.

There has also been no sign of any immediate plans to rescind Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, though Biden officials have said Trump’s last-minute decision to return Havana to the U.S. blacklist is under review.

President Joe Biden’s administration is in “no rush” to lift U.S. sanctions on Venezuela but would consider easing them if President Nicolas Maduro takes confidence-building steps showing he is ready to negotiate seriously with the opposition, a White House official told Reuters.

President Joe Biden’s administration is in “no rush” to lift U.S. sanctions on Venezuela but would consider easing them if President Nicolas Maduro takes confidence-building steps showing he is ready to negotiate seriously with the opposition, a White House official told Reuters. Signaling that the new U.S. president may be unlikely to loosen the screws on Venezuela anytime soon, the official emphasized that existing sanctions have enough special provisions to allow for humanitarian aid shipments to help Venezuelans cope with economic hardships and the COVID-19 pandemic. But the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Maduro’s Socialist government has been “actively preventing the delivery of humanitarian assistance.” This suggests that for now Biden is prepared to stick with the specific sanctions, including crippling oil-sector penalties, imposed by former President Donald Trump on the OPEC nation, despite the failure to force Maduro from power. But Biden, by contrast, intends to move away from the mostly unilateral approach of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign and enlist more countries to help seek a diplomatic solution, the official said in an interview. Biden’s administration has made clear it will continue to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president. Dozens of countries have backed Guaido’s claim following Maduro’s re-election in 2018 in a vote Western governments called a sham, though cracks recently have appeared in Guaido`s international support. “We’re in no rush to lift sanctions,” the official said. “If the regime undertakes confidence-building measures that show that they`re ready and willing to engage in real conversations with the opposition ... if they`re ready to take serious steps, then we will consider the alleviation of sanctions." The official did not specify what steps Maduro would need to make but said he could not be allowed to use negotiations as a “delaying tactic” to consolidate power and divide the opposition, as he has been accused of doing in the past. Maduro, who calls Guaido a U.S. puppet, has shown no signs of giving ground. Having retained support of the military as well as Russia, China, Cuba and Iran, he has rejected or ignored previous demands for such concessions. The Biden administration also appears to have little sense of urgency for major gestures toward Cuba despite hopes for a softer approach after Trump, often citing its support for Maduro, rolled back historic Obama-era détente with Havana. Some Biden advisers had suggested earlier that he could start by loosening up the flow of remittances from Cuban Americans and ease restrictions on family travel to the Communist-ruled island. But while acknowledging such changes could have a positive impact, the official said a Cuba policy shift was not currently among Biden’s top priorities, which include the coronavirus pandemic, economic recovery and rebuilding alliances abroad. “Frankly, first things first,” the official said. There has also been no sign of any immediate plans to rescind Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, though Biden officials have said Trump’s last-minute decision to return Havana to the U.S. blacklist is under review.

Biden in no rush to lift Venezuela sanctions, seeks 'serious steps' by Maduro

President Joe Biden on Saturday (February 27) said his administration would make an announcement on Saudi Arabia on Monday, following a U.S. intelligence report that found Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Biden says announcement on Saudi Arabia will be released on Monday

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday that US will make "an announcement" on Saudi Arabia on Monday. US intelligence report on Saturday said that Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. However, White House played down Biden's statement on the announcement.

Asked about punishing the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, who is also known as MbS, Biden said: "There will be an announcement on Monday as to what we are going to be doing with Saudi Arabia generally."

Biden did not provide details.

But a White House official suggested no new significant steps were expected.

"The administration took a wide range of new actions on Friday. The president is referring to the fact that on Monday, the State Department will provide more details and elaborate on those announcements, not new announcements," the official said.

Biden administration faced some criticism that the president should have been tougher on the crown prince who was not sanctioned despite being blamed for approving Khashoggi's murder. Washington Post was especially forthcoming in its criticism.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-joe-bidens-challenges-in-west-asia-366693">US President Joe Biden's challenges in West Asia</a>

Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident, wrote opinion columns for the Washington Post. He was critical of the Saudi regime and Mohammed bin Salman's policies. He was killed and dismembered by a team of operatives linked to the prince in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.

The Saudi government, which has denied any involvement by the crown prince, on Friday issued a statement rejecting the U.S. report’s findings and repeating its previous statements that Khashoggi’s killing was a heinous crime by a rogue group.

Among the punitive steps the United States took on Friday was the imposition of a visa ban on some Saudis believed involved in the Khashoggi killing and sanctions on others, including a former deputy intelligence chief, which would freeze their U.S. assets and generally bar Americans from dealing with them.

(With Reuters inputs)

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday that US will make "an announcement" on Saudi Arabia on Monday. US intelligence report on Saturday said that Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday that US will make "an announcement" on Saudi Arabia on Monday. US intelligence report on Saturday said that Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. However, White House played down Biden's statement on the announcement. Asked about punishing the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, who is also known as MbS, Biden said: "There will be an announcement on Monday as to what we are going to be doing with Saudi Arabia generally." Biden did not provide details. But a White House official suggested no new significant steps were expected. "The administration took a wide range of new actions on Friday. The president is referring to the fact that on Monday, the State Department will provide more details and elaborate on those announcements, not new announcements," the official said. Biden administration faced some criticism that the president should have been tougher on the crown prince who was not sanctioned despite being blamed for approving Khashoggi's murder. Washington Post was especially forthcoming in its criticism. Also Read | US President Joe Biden's challenges in West Asia Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident, wrote opinion columns for the Washington Post. He was critical of the Saudi regime and Mohammed bin Salman's policies. He was killed and dismembered by a team of operatives linked to the prince in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. The Saudi government, which has denied any involvement by the crown prince, on Friday issued a statement rejecting the U.S. report’s findings and repeating its previous statements that Khashoggi’s killing was a heinous crime by a rogue group. Among the punitive steps the United States took on Friday was the imposition of a visa ban on some Saudis believed involved in the Khashoggi killing and sanctions on others, including a former deputy intelligence chief, which would freeze their U.S. assets and generally bar Americans from dealing with them. (With Reuters inputs)

US to make announcement on Saudi Arabia on Monday

Mexico and the US have been having troubles under the ruling of the twice-impeached (and acquitted) former president <a href="https://www.wionews.com/search?q=Donald+Trump">Donald Trump.</a> However, Mexico believes the relationship is about to get better under the changed leadership of the recently-elected president <a href="Joe Biden">Joe Biden.</a>

In a virtual meeting with Biden on Monday, the Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is hoping to talk to his American counterpart about the importance of migrant labour in the US.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/be-prepared-biden-to-iran-after-us-airstrike-in-syria-366552" hreflang="en">'Be prepared': Biden to Iran after US airstrike in Syria</a>

Speaking at an event in Zacatecas, Lopez Obrador said that migration — of Mexicans to the US — would be one of the key points of his discussion with President Biden.

He is hoping to convince Biden that the US "is going to need Mexican and Central American workers in order to grow, to produce."

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-leadership-sorely-missed-in-past-says-justin-trudeau-for-close-friend-joe-biden-365796" hreflang="en">US leadership 'sorely missed' in past, says Justin Trudeau for 'close friend' Joe Biden</a>

Despite the construction of the infamous 'Mexico wall', Lopez Obrador is assuming that the US would need at least 600,000 to 800,000 migrant workers a year.

Reminiscing about the World War II days, he recalled that the US and Mexico had reached their so-called Bracero agreement under which Mexicans travelled legally to America to fill the vacancies in the US which were left empty due to soldiers travelling abroad to fight.

Lopez Obrador feels the situation is not very different now, and added "without Mexican labor, how can the United States be sure of increased production?"

This has come after Biden, upon his arrival in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/the-white-house">White House</a>, cancelled the controversial migration program and has been allowing small groups of migrants to enter the country under the asylum requests.

Mexico and the US have been having troubles under the ruling of the twice-impeached (and acquitted) former president Donald Trump. However, Mexico believes the relationship is about to get better under the changed leadership of the recently-elected president Joe Biden.

Mexico and the US have been having troubles under the ruling of the twice-impeached (and acquitted) former president Donald Trump. However, Mexico believes the relationship is about to get better under the changed leadership of the recently-elected president Joe Biden. In a virtual meeting with Biden on Monday, the Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is hoping to talk to his American counterpart about the importance of migrant labour in the US. Also read| 'Be prepared': Biden to Iran after US airstrike in Syria Speaking at an event in Zacatecas, Lopez Obrador said that migration — of Mexicans to the US — would be one of the key points of his discussion with President Biden. He is hoping to convince Biden that the US "is going to need Mexican and Central American workers in order to grow, to produce." Also read| US leadership 'sorely missed' in past, says Justin Trudeau for 'close friend' Joe Biden Despite the construction of the infamous 'Mexico wall', Lopez Obrador is assuming that the US would need at least 600,000 to 800,000 migrant workers a year. Reminiscing about the World War II days, he recalled that the US and Mexico had reached their so-called Bracero agreement under which Mexicans travelled legally to America to fill the vacancies in the US which were left empty due to soldiers travelling abroad to fight. Lopez Obrador feels the situation is not very different now, and added "without Mexican labor, how can the United States be sure of increased production?" This has come after Biden, upon his arrival in the White House, cancelled the controversial migration program and has been allowing small groups of migrants to enter the country under the asylum requests.

US and Mexico presidents to discuss migration policies for 'increased production'

Donald Trump returns to the political spotlight Sunday, determined to regain control of a Republican Party that is out of power and pondering whether the flawed former president can win again in 2024.

The 74-year-old will address the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando in a highly-anticipated speech during which he is expected to tease attendees about his political future -- including the possibility of another presidential run.

He is sure to be greeted like a returning hero by a loyalist crowd as he calls for party unity -- and perhaps rips some of his critics -- on the final day of the nation's largest conservative gathering.&nbsp;

"We are not starting new parties, and we will not be dividing our power and our strength," Trump will say, according to Fox News.

"Instead, we will be united and strong like never before."

US political parties usually face a reckoning after a string of losses such as those the Republican Party saw under Trump in 2020: losing the White House, ceding the Senate and failing to take back the House of Representatives.

The party is also marked with Trump's repeated lies about his election loss to Joe Biden, his impeachment for inciting an insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, and the extraordinary faultline his actions have caused between establishment Republicans and pro-Trump populists.

But, instead of jettisoning its failed leader and charting a new path to claw back relevance, much of the Republican party still sees Trump as retaining a vice-like grip on its future.&nbsp;

It is a perception he has encouraged, setting himself up as a vindictive Republican kingmaker. On Friday he endorsed an ex-aide against an Ohio congressman who voted to impeach him.

A source familiar with Trump's plans said the former president will be "talking about the future of the Republican Party" and will criticize some new Biden policies.

But a Trump 2024 announcement may not come at CPAC, which started Friday with panels on "protecting elections" as speakers aired their grievances, describing an America "under siege" by the liberal left.

Donald Trump returns to the political spotlight Sunday, determined to regain control of a Republican Party that is out of power and pondering whether the flawed former president can win again in 2024.

Donald Trump returns to the political spotlight Sunday, determined to regain control of a Republican Party that is out of power and pondering whether the flawed former president can win again in 2024. The 74-year-old will address the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando in a highly-anticipated speech during which he is expected to tease attendees about his political future -- including the possibility of another presidential run. He is sure to be greeted like a returning hero by a loyalist crowd as he calls for party unity -- and perhaps rips some of his critics -- on the final day of the nation's largest conservative gathering. "We are not starting new parties, and we will not be dividing our power and our strength," Trump will say, according to Fox News. "Instead, we will be united and strong like never before." US political parties usually face a reckoning after a string of losses such as those the Republican Party saw under Trump in 2020: losing the White House, ceding the Senate and failing to take back the House of Representatives. The party is also marked with Trump's repeated lies about his election loss to Joe Biden, his impeachment for inciting an insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, and the extraordinary faultline his actions have caused between establishment Republicans and pro-Trump populists. But, instead of jettisoning its failed leader and charting a new path to claw back relevance, much of the Republican party still sees Trump as retaining a vice-like grip on its future. It is a perception he has encouraged, setting himself up as a vindictive Republican kingmaker. On Friday he endorsed an ex-aide against an Ohio congressman who voted to impeach him. A source familiar with Trump's plans said the former president will be "talking about the future of the Republican Party" and will criticize some new Biden policies. But a Trump 2024 announcement may not come at CPAC, which started Friday with panels on "protecting elections" as speakers aired their grievances, describing an America "under siege" by the liberal left.

Trump to make first post-presidency speech at conservative conference

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday made his international debut in an unusual setup befitting extraordinary times — with virtual "trips" made a short walk from his office via video.

From the relative safety of the State Department, Blinken "traveled" to Mexico and then Canada, looking to revive ties with neighbors after President Donald Trump's turbulent tenure.

With President Joe Biden discouraging travel to prevent the spread of Covid-19, his top diplomat went abroad for the first time virtually via a video of entering Mexico over the busy bridge between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez.

"Let's go," Blinken said with a smile as officials on both sides gave him a tour in a sometimes crackly pre-recorded video.

Blinken, accompanied by the handful of aides who would normally travel with him, then strolled into the State Department's ornate Benjamin Franklin Room and -- under chandeliers and with Mexican and US flags behind him -- began talks with his counterparts on three facing screens.

"I wanted to 'visit' -- in quotation marks -- Mexico first to demonstrate the importance that we attach, President Biden attaches, to the relationship," Blinken told his Mexican counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, who hailed the "new technologies" that made the meeting possible.

"I guess the benefits of doing the virtual visit are no jetlag. On the other hand, no frequent flyer miles either, so it's a little bit of a tradeoff," joked Blinken, who is expected to pay similar virtual visits soon to capitals that have more than the one-hour time-zone difference between Washington and Mexico City.

Blinken voiced hope that he could soon see counterparts in person.&nbsp;

Biden on Friday was taking his third official trip outside the Washington area, but has not gone overseas amid his administration's concerted effort to fight the pandemic that has claimed more than 500,000 lives in the United States.

- No substitute -

Blinken's predecessor Mike Pompeo mostly went ahead with travel during the pandemic but under Biden even most senior State Department officials have been grounded -- a rare exception being Tim Lenderking, the new envoy seeking to end the war in Yemen.

Brett Bruen, a former diplomat who served as director of global engagement under former president Barack Obama, understood the Biden administration's intentions but said there was no substitute for eventual in-person contact.

In virtual encounters, "diplomats are not able to have conversations in hushed tones where they feel more at ease, no matter how close the allies might be," said Bruen, who heads the Global Situation Room consulting firm.

He noted that the State Department was still sending rank-and-file diplomats overseas who can meet counterparts.

"I think we just have to have a balance because cutting ourselves off from face-to-face contact is not a viable alternative," he said, also pointing to security risks of virtual communication.

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton -- who similarly took office with vows of restoring US prestige after an unpopular Republican president -- had at this point in her tenure already been on a lengthy trip to Asia and was about to head on a tour that included the Middle East and a meeting with her Russian counterpart.

- Mending ties -

Trump had a tense relationship with many allies including Canada, needling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over trade policy.&nbsp;

Biden on Tuesday held his first summit -- also virtually -- with Trudeau, a center-left ally he hailed as a partner.

Trump, however, had a surprisingly productive relationship with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a populist from the left, who under threat of sanctions agreed to assist the former US president in cracking down on Central American migration.

Blinken said that Biden was committed to immigration reform and addressing the "heartbreaking reasons why people are risking their lives" to flee to the United States.

But Blinken also warned would-be migrants: "To anyone thinking about undertaking that journey, our message is -- don't do it."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday made his international debut in an unusual setup befitting extraordinary times — with virtual "trips" made a short walk from his office via video.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday made his international debut in an unusual setup befitting extraordinary times — with virtual "trips" made a short walk from his office via video. From the relative safety of the State Department, Blinken "traveled" to Mexico and then Canada, looking to revive ties with neighbors after President Donald Trump's turbulent tenure. With President Joe Biden discouraging travel to prevent the spread of Covid-19, his top diplomat went abroad for the first time virtually via a video of entering Mexico over the busy bridge between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez. "Let's go," Blinken said with a smile as officials on both sides gave him a tour in a sometimes crackly pre-recorded video. Blinken, accompanied by the handful of aides who would normally travel with him, then strolled into the State Department's ornate Benjamin Franklin Room and -- under chandeliers and with Mexican and US flags behind him -- began talks with his counterparts on three facing screens. "I wanted to 'visit' -- in quotation marks -- Mexico first to demonstrate the importance that we attach, President Biden attaches, to the relationship," Blinken told his Mexican counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, who hailed the "new technologies" that made the meeting possible. "I guess the benefits of doing the virtual visit are no jetlag. On the other hand, no frequent flyer miles either, so it's a little bit of a tradeoff," joked Blinken, who is expected to pay similar virtual visits soon to capitals that have more than the one-hour time-zone difference between Washington and Mexico City. Blinken voiced hope that he could soon see counterparts in person. Biden on Friday was taking his third official trip outside the Washington area, but has not gone overseas amid his administration's concerted effort to fight the pandemic that has claimed more than 500,000 lives in the United States. - No substitute - Blinken's predecessor Mike Pompeo mostly went ahead with travel during the pandemic but under Biden even most senior State Department officials have been grounded -- a rare exception being Tim Lenderking, the new envoy seeking to end the war in Yemen. Brett Bruen, a former diplomat who served as director of global engagement under former president Barack Obama, understood the Biden administration's intentions but said there was no substitute for eventual in-person contact. In virtual encounters, "diplomats are not able to have conversations in hushed tones where they feel more at ease, no matter how close the allies might be," said Bruen, who heads the Global Situation Room consulting firm. He noted that the State Department was still sending rank-and-file diplomats overseas who can meet counterparts. "I think we just have to have a balance because cutting ourselves off from face-to-face contact is not a viable alternative," he said, also pointing to security risks of virtual communication. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton -- who similarly took office with vows of restoring US prestige after an unpopular Republican president -- had at this point in her tenure already been on a lengthy trip to Asia and was about to head on a tour that included the Middle East and a meeting with her Russian counterpart. - Mending ties - Trump had a tense relationship with many allies including Canada, needling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over trade policy. Biden on Tuesday held his first summit -- also virtually -- with Trudeau, a center-left ally he hailed as a partner. Trump, however, had a surprisingly productive relationship with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a populist from the left, who under threat of sanctions agreed to assist the former US president in cracking down on Central American migration. Blinken said that Biden was committed to immigration reform and addressing the "heartbreaking reasons why people are risking their lives" to flee to the United States. But Blinken also warned would-be migrants: "To anyone thinking about undertaking that journey, our message is -- don't do it."

Blinken starts 'international' travel by walking down hall

They say that a United States president comes of age in West Asia, and Joe Biden is already facing his first test in the region from Iran to Saudi Arabia.

The challenges are plenty for the 46th&nbsp;president -- an US intelligence report blames Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while the United States is seeking to recalibrate its ties with the Kingdom.

The big question for Biden, however, is -- can he let this explosive report slide?

President Biden had two choices in front of him -- act decisively or&nbsp;incur the wrath of the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia is the centre of power in West Asia, an alliance that is crucial for the United States in the region, but there is no precedent for such action against the de facto ruler of a US ally.

So, Biden took the diplomatic route -- sanction others and not mention the Crown Prince at all.

"I spoke yesterday with the King, not the Prince. I made it clear to him that the rules are changing, and we're going to be announcing significant changes today. On Monday, we are going to hold them accountable for human rights abuses. And we're going to make sure in fact, and if they want to deal with us, they have to deal with it in a way where human rights abuses are dealt. We're trying to do that across the world, but particularly here," he said.

While US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced visa restrictions -- ones that will affect 76 Saudis involved in harassing activists and journalists, he did not announce measures that touch the Prince.

Blinken said, "But we also want to make sure, and this is what the president has said from the onset, that the relationship better reflects our interests and our values. So what we've done by the actions that we've taken is really not to rupture the relationship but to recalibrate it to be more in line with our interests and our values."

Many believe that sanctioning Mohammed bin Salman was never really an option. The maverick Crown Prince wields most of the power in the kingdom, and targetting him would gravely affect US interests in the region -- especially with countering Iran in West Asia.

At least 36 days after taking charge, Biden has already bombed West Asia -- an airstrike targeting Iran-backed militias in Syria while the US maintains this was in retaliation of the February 15 airtsrike.

Pentagon has no answers about the casualties sustained.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, in exchange with journalists, said, "We're confident in the target that we went after. We know what we hit. And we're confident that that target was being used by the same shi'ite militia that conducted the strikes."

Biden's attack on Iran was an attempt to strike back -- to say that United States was not gonna sit back.

Till now, US has responded with decisive calm while dealing with Iran. It wants to rejoin the nuclear deal but also wants Iran to comply with commitments.

While it will be a risky gambit for Washington, the US maintains that its patience is not unlimited.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said, "Our patience is not unlimited, but we do believe, and the president has been clear on this ever since he was running for high office. He felt that the most effective way to ensure iran could never acquire a nuclear weapon was through diplomacy. that is what we are engaged in now."

As for Israel, the country hasn't been shy about its admiration for Biden's predecessor. The US-brokered Abraham Accords was seen as a major shift in West Asian policy, bolstering Israel's position in the region.

While Biden is unlikely to reverse any of Trump’s major Israel policy moves, he has voiced support for restoring support for Palestine.

This means a shift to traditional US foreign policy while dealing with the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

While it is still unclear what Biden plans on doing in the region, it looks like the 46th president has hit a bump in West Asia.

How he deals with it could be what defines his presidency in the region.

They say that a United States president comes of age in West Asia, and Joe Biden is already facing his first test in the region from Iran to Saudi Arabia. The challenges are plenty for the 46th president -- an US intelligence report blames Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while the United States is seeking to recalibrate its ties with the Kingdom.

They say that a United States president comes of age in West Asia, and Joe Biden is already facing his first test in the region from Iran to Saudi Arabia. The challenges are plenty for the 46th president -- an US intelligence report blames Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while the United States is seeking to recalibrate its ties with the Kingdom. The big question for Biden, however, is -- can he let this explosive report slide? President Biden had two choices in front of him -- act decisively or incur the wrath of the kingdom. Saudi Arabia is the centre of power in West Asia, an alliance that is crucial for the United States in the region, but there is no precedent for such action against the de facto ruler of a US ally. So, Biden took the diplomatic route -- sanction others and not mention the Crown Prince at all. "I spoke yesterday with the King, not the Prince. I made it clear to him that the rules are changing, and we're going to be announcing significant changes today. On Monday, we are going to hold them accountable for human rights abuses. And we're going to make sure in fact, and if they want to deal with us, they have to deal with it in a way where human rights abuses are dealt. We're trying to do that across the world, but particularly here," he said. While US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced visa restrictions -- ones that will affect 76 Saudis involved in harassing activists and journalists, he did not announce measures that touch the Prince. Blinken said, "But we also want to make sure, and this is what the president has said from the onset, that the relationship better reflects our interests and our values. So what we've done by the actions that we've taken is really not to rupture the relationship but to recalibrate it to be more in line with our interests and our values." Many believe that sanctioning Mohammed bin Salman was never really an option. The maverick Crown Prince wields most of the power in the kingdom, and targetting him would gravely affect US interests in the region -- especially with countering Iran in West Asia. At least 36 days after taking charge, Biden has already bombed West Asia -- an airstrike targeting Iran-backed militias in Syria while the US maintains this was in retaliation of the February 15 airtsrike. Pentagon has no answers about the casualties sustained. US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, in exchange with journalists, said, "We're confident in the target that we went after. We know what we hit. And we're confident that that target was being used by the same shi'ite militia that conducted the strikes." Biden's attack on Iran was an attempt to strike back -- to say that United States was not gonna sit back. Till now, US has responded with decisive calm while dealing with Iran. It wants to rejoin the nuclear deal but also wants Iran to comply with commitments. While it will be a risky gambit for Washington, the US maintains that its patience is not unlimited. State Department spokesman Ned Price said, "Our patience is not unlimited, but we do believe, and the president has been clear on this ever since he was running for high office. He felt that the most effective way to ensure iran could never acquire a nuclear weapon was through diplomacy. that is what we are engaged in now." As for Israel, the country hasn't been shy about its admiration for Biden's predecessor. The US-brokered Abraham Accords was seen as a major shift in West Asian policy, bolstering Israel's position in the region. While Biden is unlikely to reverse any of Trump’s major Israel policy moves, he has voiced support for restoring support for Palestine. This means a shift to traditional US foreign policy while dealing with the Israel-Palestinian conflict. While it is still unclear what Biden plans on doing in the region, it looks like the 46th president has hit a bump in West Asia. How he deals with it could be what defines his presidency in the region.

US President Joe Biden's challenges in West Asia

Will US President Joe Biden share the nuclear codes? Some Democrats want Biden to share authority for nuclear launches.

Will US President Joe Biden share the nuclear codes?

Joe Biden said the US aistrikes in Syria should be seen as a warning to Iran, adding: "You can't act with impunity". Meanwhile, the United States on Friday declassified the intelligence report which blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for approving the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.&nbsp;

Click on headlines to read more

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/be-prepared-biden-to-iran-after-us-airstrike-in-syria-366552">'Be prepared': Biden to Iran after US airstrike in Syria</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/27/184588-joe-biden-iran-syria-airstrike.jpg?itok=QCJag8l5" />

After a 'deadly' US airstrike in Syria, Iran has "strongly condemned" the actions, while US President Joe Biden has said that this was a warning for Iran.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-report-says-saudi-prince-approved-murder-of-journalist-khashoggi-366550">US report says Saudi Prince approved murder of journalist Khashoggi</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2019/02/17/84260-untitled-design-6.jpg?itok=huwpITJw" />

The United States on Friday unveiled the intelligence report which blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for approving the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/more-than-400-inmates-flee-haiti-prison-nearly-25-people-dead-366557">More than 400 inmates flee Haiti prison; nearly 25 people dead</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/27/184589-haiti-prison-break.jpg?itok=Ew2fo-Jg" />

In one of the most violent prison breakouts in the history of Haiti, more than 400 prisoners have escaped from jail, with nearly 25 people pronounced dead.

&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-questions-un-high-commissioners-silence-on-terror-red-fort-violence-366553">India questions UN High Commissioner's silence on terror, Red Fort violence</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/07/12/149434-united-nations-afp.jpg?itok=pXVjEEsF" />

Indian govt has questioned the silence of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Red Fort violence &amp; the issue of terrorism even as the latter continues to rake Kashmir irking Delhi.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-puts-chinese-sinopharm-on-hold-to-use-india-manufactured-vaccine-366513">Sri Lanka puts Chinese Sinopharm on hold, to use India-manufactured vaccine</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/11/182335-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine.jpg?itok=7vhNR1Pw" />

Sri Lanka has put Chinese Sinopharm's Covid-19 vaccine on hold and will use India-manufactured Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine to inoculate 14 million people, a government spokesperson has said.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/islamic-state-bride-shamima-begum-loses-legal-bid-to-return-to-uk-to-fight-for-citizenship-366421">Islamic State bride Shamima Begum loses legal bid to return to UK to fight for citizenship</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2021/02/26/184510-shamima-begum.JPG?itok=EWP8OBMW" />

A woman who as a teenager ran away to join the Islamic State group has lost her bid to return to the UK to fight for the restoration of her citizenship, which was revoked on national security grounds.&nbsp;

Joe Biden said the US aistrikes in Syria should be seen as a warning to Iran, adding: "You can't act with impunity". Meanwhile, the United States on Friday declassified the intelligence report which blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for approving the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Joe Biden said the US aistrikes in Syria should be seen as a warning to Iran, adding: "You can't act with impunity". Meanwhile, the United States on Friday declassified the intelligence report which blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for approving the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Click on headlines to read more 'Be prepared': Biden to Iran after US airstrike in Syria After a 'deadly' US airstrike in Syria, Iran has "strongly condemned" the actions, while US President Joe Biden has said that this was a warning for Iran. US report says Saudi Prince approved murder of journalist Khashoggi The United States on Friday unveiled the intelligence report which blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for approving the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. More than 400 inmates flee Haiti prison; nearly 25 people dead In one of the most violent prison breakouts in the history of Haiti, more than 400 prisoners have escaped from jail, with nearly 25 people pronounced dead. India questions UN High Commissioner's silence on terror, Red Fort violence Indian govt has questioned the silence of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Red Fort violence & the issue of terrorism even as the latter continues to rake Kashmir irking Delhi. Sri Lanka puts Chinese Sinopharm on hold, to use India-manufactured vaccine Sri Lanka has put Chinese Sinopharm's Covid-19 vaccine on hold and will use India-manufactured Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine to inoculate 14 million people, a government spokesperson has said. Islamic State bride Shamima Begum loses legal bid to return to UK to fight for citizenship A woman who as a teenager ran away to join the Islamic State group has lost her bid to return to the UK to fight for the restoration of her citizenship, which was revoked on national security grounds.

Morning news brief: Biden warns Iran, Khashoggi murder report, and more

US President Joe Biden has warned Iran and said that it needs to be careful and can't act with impunity. These comments came after the airstrikes that took place in Syria that were carried out by the Americans.

Iran can't act with impunity, says US President Joe Biden

US President Joe Biden scored a legislative win on early Saturday as the&nbsp;House passed his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package -- four days after the Covid-19 death toll surpassed 500,000 in the United States.

The sprawling measure backed by Biden and described by Democrats as a moral imperative now heads to the Senate for consideration next week.

The bill, which cleared the House on a party-line vote of 219 to 212, includes a provision to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, but due to a Senate ruling the language will be stripped out of the final version.

The American Rescue Plan would pay for vaccines and medical supplies and send a new round of emergency financial aid to households, small businesses and state and local governments.

Democrats said the package was needed to fight a pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work.

The House vote amounted to a successful first test for Democrats, who hold a narrow 221-211 majority in the chamber. Progressives and moderates in the party who are often at odds will face tougher battles ahead on immigration and climate change initiatives that Biden wants to push.

The president has focussed his first weeks in office on tackling the greatest US public health crisis in a century, which has upended most aspects of American life.

Democrats aim to get the bill to him to sign into law before mid-March, when enhanced unemployment benefits and some other types of aid are due to expire.

The bill's big-ticket items include $1,400 direct payments to individuals, a $400-per-week federal unemployment benefit through August 29, and help for those in difficulty paying rents and home mortgages during the pandemic.

The action now moves to the Senate, where Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris may have to cast a tie-breaking vote in a chamber where Republicans control 50 seats and Democrats and their allies control the other 50.

(with inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden scored a legislative win on early Saturday as the House passed his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package -- four days after the Covid-19 death toll surpassed 500,000 in the United States.

US President Joe Biden scored a legislative win on early Saturday as the House passed his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package -- four days after the Covid-19 death toll surpassed 500,000 in the United States. The sprawling measure backed by Biden and described by Democrats as a moral imperative now heads to the Senate for consideration next week. The bill, which cleared the House on a party-line vote of 219 to 212, includes a provision to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, but due to a Senate ruling the language will be stripped out of the final version. The American Rescue Plan would pay for vaccines and medical supplies and send a new round of emergency financial aid to households, small businesses and state and local governments. Democrats said the package was needed to fight a pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work. The House vote amounted to a successful first test for Democrats, who hold a narrow 221-211 majority in the chamber. Progressives and moderates in the party who are often at odds will face tougher battles ahead on immigration and climate change initiatives that Biden wants to push. The president has focussed his first weeks in office on tackling the greatest US public health crisis in a century, which has upended most aspects of American life. Democrats aim to get the bill to him to sign into law before mid-March, when enhanced unemployment benefits and some other types of aid are due to expire. The bill's big-ticket items include $1,400 direct payments to individuals, a $400-per-week federal unemployment benefit through August 29, and help for those in difficulty paying rents and home mortgages during the pandemic. The action now moves to the Senate, where Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris may have to cast a tie-breaking vote in a chamber where Republicans control 50 seats and Democrats and their allies control the other 50. (with inputs from agencies)

Biden scores legislative win, Covid relief plan to move to Senate next

After a 'deadly' US airstrike in Syria, Iran has "strongly condemned" the actions, while US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> has said that this was a warning for Iran.

On Friday, a US airstrike was carried out against an Iranian-backed militia in eastern Syria. This was Biden's first such action since he took the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/the-white-house">Oval Office</a> on January 26.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/president-biden-calls-saudi-king-salman-iran-tops-agenda-366311" hreflang="en">President Biden calls Saudi King Salman; Iran tops agenda</a>

Talking about the strike, he said it should be seen by Iran as a warning. "You can't act with impunity," he said.

He also asked Iran and other countries to "be careful" and sent out a message that his administration will always protect Americans first.

"He's going to act to protect Americans and when threats are posed, he has the right to take an action at the time and in the manner of his choosing," the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/the-white-house">White House</a> Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Biden's behalf.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israeli-researchers-reveal-china-copied-spyware-code-from-americas-nsa-365453" hreflang="en">Israeli researchers reveal China copied spyware code from America's NSA</a>

While Syria condemned the strike as "cowardly American aggression", the Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the administration wanted to make it "very, very clear — notably to Iran&nbsp;— that they cannot act with impunity against our people, our partners, our interests", adding that he hopes the message has been received clearly.

Syria believes this is a weak sign on behalf of the Biden administration. "It is a bad sign regarding the policies of the new US administration which should adhere to international (norms)," the foreign ministry said.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/iran-cant-act-with-impunity-says-us-president-joe-biden-366556">WATCH|</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/iran-cant-act-with-impunity-says-us-president-joe-biden-366556/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Iran, too, has condemned the airstrike and has warned that this attack risks "intensifying military conflicts and further destabilise the region" in the war-stuck region.&nbsp;

Calling it illegal attacks, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said his country "strongly condemned the illegal attacks by US forces on areas in eastern Syria that are a clear violation of human rights and international law".

The Kremlin, too, used this moment to target the US and said it was&nbsp;closely monitoring the situation and was constantly in contact with the Syrian authorities. The&nbsp;spokesman Dmitry Peskov also added that he could not say whether the Biden administration had informed Russia of its plans to carry out the airstrike. He also added that additional&nbsp;operational contacts were made through the military.

After a 'deadly' US airstrike in Syria, Iran has "strongly condemned" the actions, while US President Joe Biden has said that this was a warning for Iran. On Friday, a US airstrike was carried out against an Iranian-backed militia in eastern Syria.

After a 'deadly' US airstrike in Syria, Iran has "strongly condemned" the actions, while US President Joe Biden has said that this was a warning for Iran. On Friday, a US airstrike was carried out against an Iranian-backed militia in eastern Syria. This was Biden's first such action since he took the Oval Office on January 26. Also read| President Biden calls Saudi King Salman; Iran tops agenda Talking about the strike, he said it should be seen by Iran as a warning. "You can't act with impunity," he said. He also asked Iran and other countries to "be careful" and sent out a message that his administration will always protect Americans first. "He's going to act to protect Americans and when threats are posed, he has the right to take an action at the time and in the manner of his choosing," the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Biden's behalf. Also read| Israeli researchers reveal China copied spyware code from America's NSA While Syria condemned the strike as "cowardly American aggression", the Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the administration wanted to make it "very, very clear — notably to Iran — that they cannot act with impunity against our people, our partners, our interests", adding that he hopes the message has been received clearly. Syria believes this is a weak sign on behalf of the Biden administration. "It is a bad sign regarding the policies of the new US administration which should adhere to international (norms)," the foreign ministry said. WATCH| Iran, too, has condemned the airstrike and has warned that this attack risks "intensifying military conflicts and further destabilise the region" in the war-stuck region. Calling it illegal attacks, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said his country "strongly condemned the illegal attacks by US forces on areas in eastern Syria that are a clear violation of human rights and international law". The Kremlin, too, used this moment to target the US and said it was closely monitoring the situation and was constantly in contact with the Syrian authorities. The spokesman Dmitry Peskov also added that he could not say whether the Biden administration had informed Russia of its plans to carry out the airstrike. He also added that additional operational contacts were made through the military.

'Be prepared': Biden to Iran after US airstrike in Syria

The US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> made good of his word and visited the snow storm-stuck state of Texas on Friday. Marking his first official trip to the state, Biden offered comfort and federal relief to the storm-hit state.

Biden visited the Harris County Emergency Operations Center and met volunteers of the Houston Food Bank.&nbsp;

The President was accompanied by the First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS), Jill Biden, who toured the Houston Food Bank and helped package food and water for the ailing community.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/texas-snowstorm-why-are-people-burning-snow-366595">WATCH|</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/texas-snowstorm-why-are-people-burning-snow-366595/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Jill and I wanted to visit Texas today for a couple reasons," Joe Biden said at a federal vaccination site at NRG stadium.&nbsp;

"First and foremost, to let the people of Texas know our prayers are with you in the aftermath of this winter storm. And secondly, to let you know ... that we will be true partners to help you recover and rebuild from the storm and this pandemic and the economic crisis. We're in it for the long haul," he added.

Biden also met and thanked a group of armed military personnel, applauding them for their unaltered service during such a difficult time for the state of Texas. He also appreciated their efforts of making sure the distribution of coronavirus vaccine does not get affected despite the heavy snowstorm in the state.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fake-snow-conspiracy-theories-claim-texas-frozen-due-to-manipulated-weather-366042">Fake snow? Conspiracy theories claim Texas frozen due to 'manipulated' weather</a>

"You know, I learned a long time — I've been in public life a long time, a senator, a vice president — I learned a long time ago, you want to get something done, you get someone in uniform. So thank you, thank you, thank you," he said.

His trip to the state came almost a week after he approved a major disaster status for the state, which allowed Governor Greg Abbott to gain easy and quick access to federal relief funds for the state.

"It's a hell of an operations center, probably the best one in the country. Thank you for what you're doing," he told locals and Abbott.&nbsp;

Republican Governor Abbott also praised Biden, a Democrat, for quickly providing federal help to the state. "He did, he said yes before I even asked the question," he said.

The US President Joe Biden made good of his word and visited the snow storm-stuck state of Texas on Friday. Marking his first official trip to the state, Biden offered comfort and federal relief to the storm-hit state.

The US President Joe Biden made good of his word and visited the snow storm-stuck state of Texas on Friday. Marking his first official trip to the state, Biden offered comfort and federal relief to the storm-hit state. Biden visited the Harris County Emergency Operations Center and met volunteers of the Houston Food Bank. The President was accompanied by the First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS), Jill Biden, who toured the Houston Food Bank and helped package food and water for the ailing community. WATCH| "Jill and I wanted to visit Texas today for a couple reasons," Joe Biden said at a federal vaccination site at NRG stadium. "First and foremost, to let the people of Texas know our prayers are with you in the aftermath of this winter storm. And secondly, to let you know ... that we will be true partners to help you recover and rebuild from the storm and this pandemic and the economic crisis. We're in it for the long haul," he added. Biden also met and thanked a group of armed military personnel, applauding them for their unaltered service during such a difficult time for the state of Texas. He also appreciated their efforts of making sure the distribution of coronavirus vaccine does not get affected despite the heavy snowstorm in the state. Also read| Fake snow? Conspiracy theories claim Texas frozen due to 'manipulated' weather "You know, I learned a long time — I've been in public life a long time, a senator, a vice president — I learned a long time ago, you want to get something done, you get someone in uniform. So thank you, thank you, thank you," he said. His trip to the state came almost a week after he approved a major disaster status for the state, which allowed Governor Greg Abbott to gain easy and quick access to federal relief funds for the state. "It's a hell of an operations center, probably the best one in the country. Thank you for what you're doing," he told locals and Abbott. Republican Governor Abbott also praised Biden, a Democrat, for quickly providing federal help to the state. "He did, he said yes before I even asked the question," he said.

'In it for long haul': Joe Biden visits storm-stuck Texas; promises quick relief

US House of Representatives on Saturday passed a huge USD 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The relief measure has cleared the first hurdle four days after COVID-19 death toll in the US crossed 500,000 mark. The bill includes a provision to raise minimum wage to USD 15 an hour. Passage of the bill in the House of Representatives is being considered first major legislative victory for US President Joe Biden. Democratic Party has already hailed the bill as a critical step in funnelling new funding toward vaccinations, overburdened local governments, and millions of families devastated by the pandemic.

The bill was cleared in the House on a party-line vote of 219 to 212. It moves to Senate next where Democrats and Republican hold 50 votes each. Democratic Party holds a slight edge as Vice President Kamala Harris has a casting vote in case of a tie in the Senate

"The American people need to know that their government is there for them," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in debate on the House floor.

Republicans, who have broadly backed previous COVID-19 spending, said much of the current package was not necessary, highlighting elements like a subway near Pelosi's San Francisco district. Only 9% of the total would go directly toward fighting the virus, they said.

"It just throws out money without accountability," House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-report-says-saudi-prince-approved-murder-of-journalist-khashoggi-366550">US report says Saudi Prince approved murder of journalist Khashoggi</a>

The president has focused his first weeks in office on tackling the greatest U.S. public health crisis in a century, which has upended most aspects of American life.

Democrats aim to get the bill to him to sign into law before mid-March when enhanced unemployment benefits and some other types of aid are due to expire.

The bill's big-ticket items include $1,400 direct payments to individuals, a $400-per-week federal unemployment benefit through Aug. 29, and help for those in difficulty paying rents and home mortgages during the pandemic.

(With Reuters input)

US House of Representatives on Saturday passed a huge USD 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The relief measure has cleared the first hurdle four days after COVID-19 death toll in the US crossed 500,000 mark.

US House of Representatives on Saturday passed a huge USD 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The relief measure has cleared the first hurdle four days after COVID-19 death toll in the US crossed 500,000 mark. The bill includes a provision to raise minimum wage to USD 15 an hour. Passage of the bill in the House of Representatives is being considered first major legislative victory for US President Joe Biden. Democratic Party has already hailed the bill as a critical step in funnelling new funding toward vaccinations, overburdened local governments, and millions of families devastated by the pandemic. The bill was cleared in the House on a party-line vote of 219 to 212. It moves to Senate next where Democrats and Republican hold 50 votes each. Democratic Party holds a slight edge as Vice President Kamala Harris has a casting vote in case of a tie in the Senate "The American people need to know that their government is there for them," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in debate on the House floor. Republicans, who have broadly backed previous COVID-19 spending, said much of the current package was not necessary, highlighting elements like a subway near Pelosi's San Francisco district. Only 9% of the total would go directly toward fighting the virus, they said. "It just throws out money without accountability," House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said. Also Read | US report says Saudi Prince approved murder of journalist Khashoggi The president has focused his first weeks in office on tackling the greatest U.S. public health crisis in a century, which has upended most aspects of American life. Democrats aim to get the bill to him to sign into law before mid-March when enhanced unemployment benefits and some other types of aid are due to expire. The bill's big-ticket items include $1,400 direct payments to individuals, a $400-per-week federal unemployment benefit through Aug. 29, and help for those in difficulty paying rents and home mortgages during the pandemic. (With Reuters input)

US House passes $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, minimum wage raised

A couple of House Democrats have signed a letter asking US President Joe Biden to renounce his sole authority to launch nuclear weapons.

Democrats want Joe Biden to share nuclear command

After snubbing Saudi Arabia, Joe Biden ordered an airstrike against Iranian interests in Syria - his first military action as US President. What is Biden's gameplan for West Asia? WION's Palki Sharma brings you a report.

Gravitas: Joe Biden takes his first military action as President

Who controls America's nuclear button? Will U.S. President Joe Biden share the nuclear codes? Some Democrats want Biden to share authority for nuclear launches. WION's Palki Sharma has the details.

Gravitas: Will Biden share America's nuclear control?

The US president of the United States has always had the sole authority to order nuclear warfare or respond in kind to an enemy attack. But lawmakers of President Joe Biden’s own party are now asking him to surrender that unilateral power.

The Democrats have sent Biden a letter according to which, “past presidents have threatened to attack other countries with nuclear weapons or exhibited behaviour that causes other officials to express concerns about the president's judgment.”

The letter, signed by 31 Democratic lawmakers and led by Representatives Jimmy Panetta and Ted Lieu, both from California, calls for officials, such as the vice president and speaker of the House, to concur with a launch order before it can be issued.

The letter, which was sent to the White House on Monday, “proposes several alternatives to investing the president with the sole, unchecked and final authority to order the use of nuclear weapons,” Jeffrey Lewis, a professor and a director at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California, told VOA. “Any of the alternatives would be better than the current arrangement.”

Does former US president Donald Trump have a role to play in this?

Well, the letter to Biden from the Democratic lawmakers, including two members of the House Armed Services Committee, mentions Trump by name only in the footnotes, as well as referring to concerns about the mental stability of President Richard Nixon shortly before he resigned in August 1974.

Also, Trump, during a period of feuding with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, boasted that his nuclear button was “much bigger” and “more powerful” than the one possessed by Kim.

But apparently, there is no nuclear button.

The US president has a briefcase -- that's known as nuclear football. In theory, it never leaves the president's side.

The football has communication tools, and books with prepared war plans, and is expected to help the president make a quick decision.

The US president also has something called a biscuit. It's a card with certain codes.

The president is supposed to carry it all the times. When he wants to order a nuclear strike, he uses the codes to identify himself to the military.

Bill Clinton reportedly lost the codes while in office.

And we do not know if any US president has ever shared the codes.

But here's some trivia. When Trump refused to attend Biden's inauguration, the US was faced with an unprecedented nuclear challenge.

An outgoing president is supposed to discretely hand over the codes to his successor. But Trump left for Florida three hours before Biden's swearing in.

Since he was technically still the president, he took the nuclear football and the biscuit with him.

So for the first time, there was a second active football -- one that was handed over to Biden after his oath.

Biden, currently, still is the only person in the US with the command and control of America's nuclear arsenal.

In India, the launch codes of the nuclear weapons are with the prime minister. They are handed over to the new prime minister after his swearing in.

He is also given a presentation on the location of the nuclear warheads and their strength.

In the UK too, only the prime minister can order a nuclear strike.

In Russia, the power of ordering a nuclear strike lies with its president. It's the same with France.

Little or nothing is known about China though.

And also, North Korea... We assume the control is with Kim Jong-un.

The US president of the United States has always had the sole authority to order nuclear warfare or respond in kind to an enemy attack. But lawmakers of President Joe Biden’s own party are now asking him to surrender that unilateral power.

The US president of the United States has always had the sole authority to order nuclear warfare or respond in kind to an enemy attack. But lawmakers of President Joe Biden’s own party are now asking him to surrender that unilateral power. The Democrats have sent Biden a letter according to which, “past presidents have threatened to attack other countries with nuclear weapons or exhibited behaviour that causes other officials to express concerns about the president's judgment.” The letter, signed by 31 Democratic lawmakers and led by Representatives Jimmy Panetta and Ted Lieu, both from California, calls for officials, such as the vice president and speaker of the House, to concur with a launch order before it can be issued. The letter, which was sent to the White House on Monday, “proposes several alternatives to investing the president with the sole, unchecked and final authority to order the use of nuclear weapons,” Jeffrey Lewis, a professor and a director at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California, told VOA. “Any of the alternatives would be better than the current arrangement.” Does former US president Donald Trump have a role to play in this? Well, the letter to Biden from the Democratic lawmakers, including two members of the House Armed Services Committee, mentions Trump by name only in the footnotes, as well as referring to concerns about the mental stability of President Richard Nixon shortly before he resigned in August 1974. Also, Trump, during a period of feuding with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, boasted that his nuclear button was “much bigger” and “more powerful” than the one possessed by Kim. But apparently, there is no nuclear button. The US president has a briefcase -- that's known as nuclear football. In theory, it never leaves the president's side. The football has communication tools, and books with prepared war plans, and is expected to help the president make a quick decision. The US president also has something called a biscuit. It's a card with certain codes. The president is supposed to carry it all the times. When he wants to order a nuclear strike, he uses the codes to identify himself to the military. Bill Clinton reportedly lost the codes while in office. And we do not know if any US president has ever shared the codes. But here's some trivia. When Trump refused to attend Biden's inauguration, the US was faced with an unprecedented nuclear challenge. An outgoing president is supposed to discretely hand over the codes to his successor. But Trump left for Florida three hours before Biden's swearing in. Since he was technically still the president, he took the nuclear football and the biscuit with him. So for the first time, there was a second active football -- one that was handed over to Biden after his oath. Biden, currently, still is the only person in the US with the command and control of America's nuclear arsenal. In India, the launch codes of the nuclear weapons are with the prime minister. They are handed over to the new prime minister after his swearing in. He is also given a presentation on the location of the nuclear warheads and their strength. In the UK too, only the prime minister can order a nuclear strike. In Russia, the power of ordering a nuclear strike lies with its president. It's the same with France. Little or nothing is known about China though. And also, North Korea... We assume the control is with Kim Jong-un.

Democrats want Biden to give up sole authority for nuclear launches

US President Joe Biden has said the United States would "never" accept Russia's annexation of part of Ukraine -- which happened seven years ago.

Biden's statement came on Friday -- on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Crimea.

"The United States does not and will never recognise Russia's purported annexation of the peninsula, and we will stand with Ukraine against Russia's aggressive acts," he said.

"The United States continues to stand with Ukraine and its allies and partners today, as it has from the beginning of this conflict. On this somber anniversary, we reaffirm a simple truth: Crimea is Ukraine," he added.

Russian troops seized the Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea coast of Ukraine in 2014 and President Vladimir Putin then incorporated the region under Moscow's rule.

At the same time, the Kremlin backed an armed uprising in eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists declared independence, sparking a war that continues to simmer, with swaths of territory remaining out of the Ukrainian government's control.

The latest casualties -- in the latest fighting -- came as Kiev accused Moscow and the&nbsp;separatists of ramping up attacks in violation of a ceasefire agreed in July, 2020.

US President Joe Biden has said the United States would "never" accept Russia's annexation of part of Ukraine -- which happened seven years ago. Biden's statement came on Friday -- on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Crimea.

US President Joe Biden has said the United States would "never" accept Russia's annexation of part of Ukraine -- which happened seven years ago. Biden's statement came on Friday -- on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Crimea. "The United States does not and will never recognise Russia's purported annexation of the peninsula, and we will stand with Ukraine against Russia's aggressive acts," he said. "The United States continues to stand with Ukraine and its allies and partners today, as it has from the beginning of this conflict. On this somber anniversary, we reaffirm a simple truth: Crimea is Ukraine," he added. Russian troops seized the Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea coast of Ukraine in 2014 and President Vladimir Putin then incorporated the region under Moscow's rule. At the same time, the Kremlin backed an armed uprising in eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists declared independence, sparking a war that continues to simmer, with swaths of territory remaining out of the Ukrainian government's control. The latest casualties -- in the latest fighting -- came as Kiev accused Moscow and the separatists of ramping up attacks in violation of a ceasefire agreed in July, 2020.

Biden says US won't accept Russia's Crimea annexation

Reaching the milestone of administering 50 million doses of the COVID vaccine since taking office, US President Joe Biden celebrated the pace of his efforts to end the pandemic in the country.

Joe Biden marks 50 million COVID vaccine shots in US

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. action was a “proportionate military response” taken together with diplomatic measures, including consultation with coalition partners.

'Joe Biden will protest coalition personnel': John Kirby

President Biden said Friday that he was “confident” the United States would surpass his goal of putting 100 million coronavirus vaccine shots.

US eyes 100 million shots in first 100 days

Intelligence collected ahead of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol suggested that the gathering would have the participation of armed "militia members, white supremacists, and other extremist groups.

Capitol Riots: 'Prepared for protests, not riots', says Capitol police chief

Chrissy Teigen as we all know is a darling of the internet. Model-TV star-published cookbook author recently trended as she asked for US President Joe Biden to unfollow her after he followed her on his inauguration day following her request to do the same.&nbsp;

It all started when she was blocked by the POTUS account as she had a verbal duel with then-president Donald Trump. When Joe Biden was sworn in as the new President of the US, she requested him to follow her as she had been blocked for nine years during the presidency of Trump. Joe Biden accepted her request and followed her among. She was among the 12 people that current president follows (well, not anymore).

This week, almost a month after the follow, Chrissy Teigen tweeted to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> and requested to be unfollowed. She tweeted: “I have tweeted a handful of times since my treasured&nbsp;@POTUS following. In order for me to flourish as me, I must ask you to please lord unfollow me. I love you!!! It’s not you it’s me!!!!”

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I have tweeted a handful of times since my treasured <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> following. In order for me to flourish as me, I must ask you to please lord unfollow me. I love you!!! It’s not you it’s me!!!!
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/1364247602594676736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Joe Biden obliged and unfollowed her.

Chrissy then shared a screenshot of Joe Biden unfollowing her and wrote: “a breakup story 😭 need some Ben and Jerry’s.”

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLpO3hchO_4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding:16px;">
<div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

<div style="padding: 19% 0;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLpO3hchO_4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></a></div>

<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLpO3hchO_4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div>
</div>

<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLpO3hchO_4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen)</a>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Soon after the unfollow from POTUS account, Chrissy tweeted this: “bitch fuck shit suck the d I am FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!” and then this: “Has anyone tried the Popeyes fried Cajun fish sandwich???? I need.”

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
bitch fuck shit suck the d I am FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/1364275302713597952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Has anyone tried the Popeyes fried Cajun fish sandwich???? I need
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/1364339098354286592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Looks like Chrissy Teigen is back to being herself. We love you Chrissy!

Chrissy Teigen as we all know is a darling of the internet. Model-TV star-published cookbook author recently trended as she asked for US President Joe Biden to unfollow her after he followed her on his inauguration day following her request to do the same.

Chrissy Teigen as we all know is a darling of the internet. Model-TV star-published cookbook author recently trended as she asked for US President Joe Biden to unfollow her after he followed her on his inauguration day following her request to do the same. It all started when she was blocked by the POTUS account as she had a verbal duel with then-president Donald Trump. When Joe Biden was sworn in as the new President of the US, she requested him to follow her as she had been blocked for nine years during the presidency of Trump. Joe Biden accepted her request and followed her among. She was among the 12 people that current president follows (well, not anymore). This week, almost a month after the follow, Chrissy Teigen tweeted to Joe Biden and requested to be unfollowed. She tweeted: “I have tweeted a handful of times since my treasured @POTUS following. In order for me to flourish as me, I must ask you to please lord unfollow me. I love you!!! It’s not you it’s me!!!!” I have tweeted a handful of times since my treasured @POTUS following. In order for me to flourish as me, I must ask you to please lord unfollow me. I love you!!! It’s not you it’s me!!!! — chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 23, 2021 × Joe Biden obliged and unfollowed her. Chrissy then shared a screenshot of Joe Biden unfollowing her and wrote: “a breakup story 😭 need some Ben and Jerry’s.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) × Soon after the unfollow from POTUS account, Chrissy tweeted this: “bitch fuck shit suck the d I am FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!” and then this: “Has anyone tried the Popeyes fried Cajun fish sandwich???? I need.” bitch fuck shit suck the d I am FREE!!!!!!!!!!!! — chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 23, 2021 × Has anyone tried the Popeyes fried Cajun fish sandwich???? I need — chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 23, 2021 × Looks like Chrissy Teigen is back to being herself. We love you Chrissy!

As Joe Biden follows then unfollows Chrissy Teigen; check out the Twitter exchange that led to this

joe-biden

Joe Biden, News on Joe Biden, stories on Joe Biden, articles on Joe Biden, Joe Biden stories at Wion, Joe Biden news, Joe Biden latest news

joe biden