The United Arab Emirates has suspended talks on a $23 billion deal to purchase American-made F-35 planes in a rare dispute between Washington and a key US ally in the Persian Gulf.

UAE suspends discussions on $23 billion weapons deal with US

When Bob Dole was the Senate majority leader, in the days when Republicans and Democrats at least tried to work together, he routinely walked across the second floor of the Capitol to meet the minority leader, Tom Daschle, in Daschle’s office.

The reversal of protocol struck Daschle, who was new in the job, as gracious.

“I said, ‘Bob, I’m really humbled that you insist on coming to my office; I’m the junior guy, so I should come to your office,’ ” Daschle, D-S.D., recalled Sunday after learning that Dole, 98, had died. “And he said, ‘No, when I come to your office, I can always decide when the meeting is over.’ ”

The remark was classic Bob Dole — witty and straight to the point. And the story is a reminder of Bob Dole’s Washington.

Dole, a Kansas Republican who overcame the poverty of the Great Depression and grievous injuries suffered during World War II, brought his prairie values and no-nonsense manner when he arrived in Washington in 1961. Over the next 35 years — through eight years in the House, 27 in the Senate and three failed attempts to win the presidency — he operated in a city that was conducive to his instincts as a deal maker.

It is perhaps trite to reminisce about and romanticize a “bygone era” in Washington, when politicians of opposing parties fought by day and socialized with one another at night. There was plenty of partisanship — some of it every bit as bitter as what exists today — during Dole’s time in the Capitol.

But there also is no denying that the climate was different, and the facts speak for themselves: Both as a senator and as the Republican leader, a job he held from 1985 until 1996, Dole reached across the aisle to help push through a string of bipartisan legislation, such as a bill to rescue Social Security, the Americans with Disabilities Act and a measure to overhaul the welfare system.

Among his proudest accomplishments was teaming up with George McGovern, the liberal Democrat from South Dakota, to revamp the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps. They continued to work together on nutrition issues after they both left the Senate.

“People believed in working with each other, and they kept their word,” Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., who counted Dole as a friend, said Sunday. He recalled the close ties between George J. Mitchell Jr., the Maine senator who preceded Daschle as the Democratic leader, and Dole.

“When George Mitchell was leader, he’d go down to Dole’s office two and three times a day and vice versa,” Leahy said. “And I recall they both said the same thing about the other: ‘He never surprised me.’ You don’t see that happen today.”

Not only that, Mitchell and Dole had dedicated phone lines on their desks that let them communicate directly with the touch of a button, one aide recalled.

The button came in handy in November 1994, when Republicans won back the majority. Mitchell, who had not sought reelection, asked that Dole be alerted that he was coming to his office to congratulate him. Dole sent a quick message back that he didn’t want Mitchell to make the humbling trek and that Dole would instead go to his office, a gesture that Mitchell and his team regarded as decent and thoughtful.

“He operated in a different era, when the idea of bipartisanship was very much in vogue and politicians understood that in a democracy you simply have to work, not just with your fellow party members, but with people from the opposite side or the other side of the aisle,” said Robert Dallek, the presidential historian. “He was masterful at that.”

That is not to say that Dole lacked sharp elbows or conservative ideology. Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker of the House who is widely credited with ushering in Washington’s era of partisan warfare, said he worked closely with Dole to push through tax cuts and to defeat President Bill Clinton’s plan for universal health care.

In an interview Sunday, Gingrich likened Dole to the current Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, an object of loathing for Democrats.

“I think there’s a lot of parallels between Dole and McConnell,” Gingrich said. “They’re both creatures of the Senate; they’re both very, very good tactically. They both understand how to stop things, and they understand how to get things done.”

Despite their partnership, Dole could not embrace Gingrich’s bomb-throwing style. When Gingrich and House Republicans refused to pass federal spending bills, forcing the government to shut down in 1995, Dole took to the Senate floor to declare that he had had enough.

“We ought to end this,” Dole said at the time. “I mean, it’s gotten to the point where it’s a little ridiculous as far as this senator is concerned.”

In Washington, Dole and his wife, Elizabeth Dole — who later became a senator and ran for president herself — were seen as a power couple, the embodiment of the city’s institutions. Robert Dole came to stand for World War II and the Greatest Generation, and an earlier era of dignity and honor. He was the driving force behind the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, and could often be found greeting veterans there.

“He was in a sense Mr. America,” said Dallek, the historian. “He came from the heartland, and he stood for a kind of shared values.”

In 1996, Dole left the Senate — an institution in which he had served for more than a quarter century — to run for president. Washington was changing. Gingrich was at the height of his power. Clinton would later be impeached over his affair with an intern, Monica Lewinsky, exacerbating the growing partisan tensions.

But when Dole, who at that point was the Senate’s longest-serving Republican leader, went to the chamber to deliver a speech announcing his departure, the old ways of the Capitol were still intact.

“That day he announced he was leaving the Senate, almost every Democratic senator was on the floor,” Leahy said. “Now, he was going to go out to run against Bill Clinton. And when he finished speaking, we all stood and applauded and applauded.”

When Bob Dole was the Senate majority leader, in the days when Republicans and Democrats at least tried to work together, he routinely walked across the second floor of the Capitol to meet the minority leader, Tom Daschle, in Daschle’s office.

When Bob Dole was the Senate majority leader, in the days when Republicans and Democrats at least tried to work together, he routinely walked across the second floor of the Capitol to meet the minority leader, Tom Daschle, in Daschle’s office. The reversal of protocol struck Daschle, who was new in the job, as gracious. “I said, ‘Bob, I’m really humbled that you insist on coming to my office; I’m the junior guy, so I should come to your office,’ ” Daschle, D-S.D., recalled Sunday after learning that Dole, 98, had died. “And he said, ‘No, when I come to your office, I can always decide when the meeting is over.’ ” The remark was classic Bob Dole — witty and straight to the point. And the story is a reminder of Bob Dole’s Washington. Dole, a Kansas Republican who overcame the poverty of the Great Depression and grievous injuries suffered during World War II, brought his prairie values and no-nonsense manner when he arrived in Washington in 1961. Over the next 35 years — through eight years in the House, 27 in the Senate and three failed attempts to win the presidency — he operated in a city that was conducive to his instincts as a deal maker. It is perhaps trite to reminisce about and romanticize a “bygone era” in Washington, when politicians of opposing parties fought by day and socialized with one another at night. There was plenty of partisanship — some of it every bit as bitter as what exists today — during Dole’s time in the Capitol. But there also is no denying that the climate was different, and the facts speak for themselves: Both as a senator and as the Republican leader, a job he held from 1985 until 1996, Dole reached across the aisle to help push through a string of bipartisan legislation, such as a bill to rescue Social Security, the Americans with Disabilities Act and a measure to overhaul the welfare system. Among his proudest accomplishments was teaming up with George McGovern, the liberal Democrat from South Dakota, to revamp the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps. They continued to work together on nutrition issues after they both left the Senate. “People believed in working with each other, and they kept their word,” Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., who counted Dole as a friend, said Sunday. He recalled the close ties between George J. Mitchell Jr., the Maine senator who preceded Daschle as the Democratic leader, and Dole. “When George Mitchell was leader, he’d go down to Dole’s office two and three times a day and vice versa,” Leahy said. “And I recall they both said the same thing about the other: ‘He never surprised me.’ You don’t see that happen today.” Not only that, Mitchell and Dole had dedicated phone lines on their desks that let them communicate directly with the touch of a button, one aide recalled. The button came in handy in November 1994, when Republicans won back the majority. Mitchell, who had not sought reelection, asked that Dole be alerted that he was coming to his office to congratulate him. Dole sent a quick message back that he didn’t want Mitchell to make the humbling trek and that Dole would instead go to his office, a gesture that Mitchell and his team regarded as decent and thoughtful. “He operated in a different era, when the idea of bipartisanship was very much in vogue and politicians understood that in a democracy you simply have to work, not just with your fellow party members, but with people from the opposite side or the other side of the aisle,” said Robert Dallek, the presidential historian. “He was masterful at that.” That is not to say that Dole lacked sharp elbows or conservative ideology. Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker of the House who is widely credited with ushering in Washington’s era of partisan warfare, said he worked closely with Dole to push through tax cuts and to defeat President Bill Clinton’s plan for universal health care. In an interview Sunday, Gingrich likened Dole to the current Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, an object of loathing for Democrats. “I think there’s a lot of parallels between Dole and McConnell,” Gingrich said. “They’re both creatures of the Senate; they’re both very, very good tactically. They both understand how to stop things, and they understand how to get things done.” Despite their partnership, Dole could not embrace Gingrich’s bomb-throwing style. When Gingrich and House Republicans refused to pass federal spending bills, forcing the government to shut down in 1995, Dole took to the Senate floor to declare that he had had enough. “We ought to end this,” Dole said at the time. “I mean, it’s gotten to the point where it’s a little ridiculous as far as this senator is concerned.” In Washington, Dole and his wife, Elizabeth Dole — who later became a senator and ran for president herself — were seen as a power couple, the embodiment of the city’s institutions. Robert Dole came to stand for World War II and the Greatest Generation, and an earlier era of dignity and honor. He was the driving force behind the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, and could often be found greeting veterans there. “He was in a sense Mr. America,” said Dallek, the historian. “He came from the heartland, and he stood for a kind of shared values.” In 1996, Dole left the Senate — an institution in which he had served for more than a quarter century — to run for president. Washington was changing. Gingrich was at the height of his power. Clinton would later be impeached over his affair with an intern, Monica Lewinsky, exacerbating the growing partisan tensions. But when Dole, who at that point was the Senate’s longest-serving Republican leader, went to the chamber to deliver a speech announcing his departure, the old ways of the Capitol were still intact. “That day he announced he was leaving the Senate, almost every Democratic senator was on the floor,” Leahy said. “Now, he was going to go out to run against Bill Clinton. And when he finished speaking, we all stood and applauded and applauded.”

Witty and to the point, Dole embodied ‘shared values’ in Washington

The heavy storm has hit the Pacific north-west hard, just south of the Canadian border. In a slight relief, the water has started receding in the Washington region, the authorities have however maintained the flood alert. Nearly, 50,000 people living in Washington state were left without power on Tuesday.

Flooding in western Washington, nearly 50,000 homes left without power

If sources are to be believed, Donald Trump’s family hotel company seems to be selling its prized Washington, DC hotel for $375 million. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The company has reached an agreement to sell the ownership rights of the hotel, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.&nbsp;

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A Miami-based investment firm, CGI Merchant Group, will acquire the lease for the Trump International Hotel. &nbsp;

The hotel is located a short walk down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. The new owners intend to remove the Trump name. It has also reached a deal with Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. to get the property branded and managed by Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria group, said sources. &nbsp;

The hotel is owned by the federal government, but its lease runs close to 100 years. The hotel has some largest guest rooms in the capital and housed in the former Old Post Office. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/crunch-at-ports-may-mean-crisis-for-american-farms-429345" hreflang="en">Crunch at ports may mean crisis for American farms</a>

The sale is expected to close in the first quarter, added sources. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The development comes as Democratic-controlled House committees have been investigating and holding hearings on potential conflicts of interest and emoluments issues surrounding former US President Donald Trump. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;

If sources are to be believed, Donald Trump’s family hotel company seems to be selling its prized Washington, DC hotel for $375 million. The company has reached an agreement to sell the ownership rights of the hotel, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

If sources are to be believed, Donald Trump’s family hotel company seems to be selling its prized Washington, DC hotel for $375 million. The company has reached an agreement to sell the ownership rights of the hotel, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. Also Read: FBI probes fake emails sent from internal server over possible cyber-attack A Miami-based investment firm, CGI Merchant Group, will acquire the lease for the Trump International Hotel. The hotel is located a short walk down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. The new owners intend to remove the Trump name. It has also reached a deal with Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. to get the property branded and managed by Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria group, said sources. The hotel is owned by the federal government, but its lease runs close to 100 years. The hotel has some largest guest rooms in the capital and housed in the former Old Post Office. Also Read: Crunch at ports may mean crisis for American farms The sale is expected to close in the first quarter, added sources. The development comes as Democratic-controlled House committees have been investigating and holding hearings on potential conflicts of interest and emoluments issues surrounding former US President Donald Trump. (With inputs from agencies)

Donald Trump’s hotel company looks to sell Washington, DC hotel for $375 million  

Former President Donald Trump's family has reached a deal to sell the rights to its Washington DC hotel for 375 million dollars.

United States: Donald Trump reaches $375M deal to sell Washington DC hotel

Lawmakers on Tuesday grilled executives from YouTube, Snap and TikTok about mounting concerns that their platforms can harm children and teenagers.

A bipartisan group of senators expressed concerns that the companies’ software steered young people toward inappropriate posts, mishandled consumer data and did not do enough to spot dangerous content on their platforms. Lawmakers repeatedly said their staff had been able to find harmful content — including posts related to self-harm and pornography — inside the companies’ products, sometimes while logged in as a teenager.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., opened the hearing by accusing the companies of drawing young people further and further into their products.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hate-easiest-way-to-grow-on-facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-testifies-before-uk-parliament-423970">Hate easiest way to grow on Facebook: Whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies before UK parliament</a>

“Everything that you do is to add users, especially kids, and keep them on your apps for longer,” said Blumenthal, who leads the subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee holding the hearing.

The companies sent executives with political experience to answer the questions. TikTok was represented by Michael Beckerman, its head of public policy for the Americas who used to lead a top lobbying group for internet companies. Leslie Miller, YouTube’s vice president for government affairs and public policy and a former Democratic political aide, appeared on behalf of the streaming site. Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, sent Jennifer Stout, its vice president for global public policy and John Kerry’s former deputy chief of staff.

Two weeks ago, Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager who leaked thousands of pages of internal documents, told the committee how the company knew that its products made teenagers feel worse about themselves. The decision to invite executives from other companies reflects how the lawmakers’ concerns go beyond Facebook and its photo app, Instagram, to include other major platforms across the web.

The companies quickly tried to distance themselves from each other, while arguing they were already taking significant steps to protect child users.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-whistleblower-brings-campaign-to-europe-after-disclosures-424161">Facebook whistleblower brings campaign to Europe after disclosures</a>

Stout said that Snapchat was an “antidote to social media” and stressed the differences between Snapchat and Instagram. She said that her company’s app focused on connecting people who already knew each other in real life, rather than feeding them a constant stream of content from strangers. And she said it focused on privacy, making images and messages delete by default.

She also stressed that Snapchat moderates the public content it promotes more heavily than other social media companies. Human moderators review content from publishers before promoting it in Discover, the public section of Snapchat that contains news and entertainment, Stout said. Content on Spotlight, Snap’s creator program that promotes videos from its users, is reviewed by artificial intelligence before being distributed, and reviewed by human moderators before it can be watched by more than 25 users, Stout added.

Beckerman said that TikTok was different from other platforms that focus more on direct communication between users. “It’s about uplifting, entertaining content,” he said. “People love it.”

He said that policymakers should look at the systems that verify whether users were old enough to use a product, suggesting that legislation should include language on age verification “across apps.”

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/inside-the-big-facebook-leak-423804">Inside the big Facebook leak</a>

Lawmakers also hammered Beckerman about whether TikTok’s Chinese ownership could expose consumer data to Beijing. Critics have long argued that the company would be obligated to turn Americans’ data over to the Chinese government if asked.

“Access controls for our data is done by our US&nbsp;teams,” said Beckerman. “And as independent researchers, independent experts have pointed out, the data that TikTok has on the app is not of a national security importance and is of low sensitivity.”

Senators repeatedly tried to prod the companies to commit to more transparency for researchers to investigate the health and safety of their platforms as well as support for elements of potential privacy legislation.

Miller of YouTube refused to be pinned down in a series of exchanges with senators. When Blumenthal asked whether the companies would allow independent researchers access to algorithms, data sets and data privacy practices, Miller responded, “It would depend on the details, but we’re always looking to partner with experts in these important fields.”

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: How Facebook profits from hate

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-how-facebook-profits-from-hate-424259/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Blumenthal shot back that YouTube’s answer “indicates certainly a strong hesitancy if not resistance to providing access.”

Similarly, Miller seemed reluctant to commit to aspects of potential privacy legislation such as a proposed update to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Specifically, she waffled on whether YouTube would support a ban on targeted advertising for children or curbs on adding “likes” or comments on videos — even as Miller said that the company already did not permit such features on children’s content.

The companies frequently argued that they were already taking the kind of steps that could be required by laws in the future.

“We believe that regulation is necessary but given the speed at which technology develops and the rate at which regulation can be implemented, regulation alone can’t get the job done,” Stout said.

Lawmakers resisted efforts by the executives to paint their employers as the exception to concerns about children's safety online.

“I understand from your testimony that your defense is: We’re not Facebook,” Blumenthal said. “Being different from Facebook is not a defense. That bar is in the gutter.”

Lawmakers on Tuesday grilled executives from YouTube, Snap and TikTok about mounting concerns that their platforms can harm children and teenagers. A bipartisan group of senators expressed concerns that the companies’ software steered young people toward inappropriate posts, mishandled consumer data and did not do enough to spot dangerous content on their platforms.

Lawmakers on Tuesday grilled executives from YouTube, Snap and TikTok about mounting concerns that their platforms can harm children and teenagers. A bipartisan group of senators expressed concerns that the companies’ software steered young people toward inappropriate posts, mishandled consumer data and did not do enough to spot dangerous content on their platforms. Lawmakers repeatedly said their staff had been able to find harmful content — including posts related to self-harm and pornography — inside the companies’ products, sometimes while logged in as a teenager. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., opened the hearing by accusing the companies of drawing young people further and further into their products. Also read | Hate easiest way to grow on Facebook: Whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies before UK parliament “Everything that you do is to add users, especially kids, and keep them on your apps for longer,” said Blumenthal, who leads the subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee holding the hearing. The companies sent executives with political experience to answer the questions. TikTok was represented by Michael Beckerman, its head of public policy for the Americas who used to lead a top lobbying group for internet companies. Leslie Miller, YouTube’s vice president for government affairs and public policy and a former Democratic political aide, appeared on behalf of the streaming site. Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, sent Jennifer Stout, its vice president for global public policy and John Kerry’s former deputy chief of staff. Two weeks ago, Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager who leaked thousands of pages of internal documents, told the committee how the company knew that its products made teenagers feel worse about themselves. The decision to invite executives from other companies reflects how the lawmakers’ concerns go beyond Facebook and its photo app, Instagram, to include other major platforms across the web. The companies quickly tried to distance themselves from each other, while arguing they were already taking significant steps to protect child users. Also read | Facebook whistleblower brings campaign to Europe after disclosures Stout said that Snapchat was an “antidote to social media” and stressed the differences between Snapchat and Instagram. She said that her company’s app focused on connecting people who already knew each other in real life, rather than feeding them a constant stream of content from strangers. And she said it focused on privacy, making images and messages delete by default. She also stressed that Snapchat moderates the public content it promotes more heavily than other social media companies. Human moderators review content from publishers before promoting it in Discover, the public section of Snapchat that contains news and entertainment, Stout said. Content on Spotlight, Snap’s creator program that promotes videos from its users, is reviewed by artificial intelligence before being distributed, and reviewed by human moderators before it can be watched by more than 25 users, Stout added. Beckerman said that TikTok was different from other platforms that focus more on direct communication between users. “It’s about uplifting, entertaining content,” he said. “People love it.” He said that policymakers should look at the systems that verify whether users were old enough to use a product, suggesting that legislation should include language on age verification “across apps.” Also read | Inside the big Facebook leak Lawmakers also hammered Beckerman about whether TikTok’s Chinese ownership could expose consumer data to Beijing. Critics have long argued that the company would be obligated to turn Americans’ data over to the Chinese government if asked. “Access controls for our data is done by our US teams,” said Beckerman. “And as independent researchers, independent experts have pointed out, the data that TikTok has on the app is not of a national security importance and is of low sensitivity.” Senators repeatedly tried to prod the companies to commit to more transparency for researchers to investigate the health and safety of their platforms as well as support for elements of potential privacy legislation. Miller of YouTube refused to be pinned down in a series of exchanges with senators. When Blumenthal asked whether the companies would allow independent researchers access to algorithms, data sets and data privacy practices, Miller responded, “It would depend on the details, but we’re always looking to partner with experts in these important fields.” Watch | Gravitas: How Facebook profits from hate Blumenthal shot back that YouTube’s answer “indicates certainly a strong hesitancy if not resistance to providing access.” Similarly, Miller seemed reluctant to commit to aspects of potential privacy legislation such as a proposed update to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Specifically, she waffled on whether YouTube would support a ban on targeted advertising for children or curbs on adding “likes” or comments on videos — even as Miller said that the company already did not permit such features on children’s content. The companies frequently argued that they were already taking the kind of steps that could be required by laws in the future. “We believe that regulation is necessary but given the speed at which technology develops and the rate at which regulation can be implemented, regulation alone can’t get the job done,” Stout said. Lawmakers resisted efforts by the executives to paint their employers as the exception to concerns about children's safety online. “I understand from your testimony that your defense is: We’re not Facebook,” Blumenthal said. “Being different from Facebook is not a defense. That bar is in the gutter.”

YouTube, Snap and TikTok executives take their turn answering to Washington

In Pics | Washington becomes first city to count its felines

A striped feline leaps from a rock under the shade of a tree on a late October morning.&nbsp;

As its front paws touch the ground, the whiskered creature looks up, eyes darting left. A wildlife camera clicks and captures the scene.

It's a cat — and the location isn't a remote rainforest, but the capital of the United States.

The photo is part of the DC Cat Count, a first of its kind, three-year effort by animal welfare advocates, conservationists and scientists to enumerate every Felis catus in Washington.

The team behind the study says it provides an accurate estimate of the size of the city's indoor, outdoor and shelter population.

It found there are about 200,000 cats in the District of Columbia, with about half of them living indoors only, said Tyler Flockhart, a conservation biologist and science lead on the DC Cat Count.

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The other half is a group that includes owned cats with limited or unlimited access outdoors, stray cats, and roughly 3,000 to 4,000 feral cats who avoid interactions with humans, Flockhart said.

"I don't think that you can find another wild mammal — another wild carnivore — that occurs at that density anywhere in the world," he said, of cats and urban environments.&nbsp;

"I think that this is really sort of an interesting idea that we can have so many cats in such a small location."

Consensus for a cat census&nbsp;

The study brought together groups that are often at odds over the impact that outdoor cats have on wildlife and landscape.

While conservationists worry that outdoor cats can decimate bird populations, animal advocates seek to ensure the welfare and safety of cats seeking to survive outside.

"What was really groundbreaking with the DC Cat Count was these organizations coming together," said Stephanie Shain, the chief operating officer of the Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA), which took part in the study.

They were driven by a common purpose "to really focus not on who is right or who has been right, but really focus on getting it right — &nbsp;finding out the information, analyzing the data," she added.&nbsp;

Shain said HRA recommends that cat owners keep their feline friends indoors only in order to keep them safe and avoid damaging wildlife.

"I was pleased to see how many people actually follow that advice," she said.

To count all the cats who call the seat of American power home, researchers surveyed more than 2,600 residents, analyzed animal shelter records, walked along specific routes in search of cats and set up wildlife cameras in more than 1,500 spots.

"This is probably the most thorough analysis of cats of any city in the world," Flockhart said.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-nih-admits-to-us-funding-of-gain-of-function-research-in-wuhan-lab-423010">Coronavirus: NIH admits to US funding of gain-of-function research in Wuhan lab</a>

He and other researchers continue to analyse the data collected since 2018 and the research has already led to several peer-reviewed scientific papers.

The DC Cat Count team also made an extensive toolkit available online with protocols and guidelines for organisations wishing to carry out their own cat census. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Besides cats, the camera traps also snapped pictures of numerous animals including squirrels, raccoons, foxes, deer — and even a bobcat.

"There's a huge diversity of wildlife in our cities," Flockhart said.

"We tend to think of it as humans-only, and it could be anything but the case. There are all types of wildlife, from rodents all the way up to large predators."

A striped feline leaps from a rock under the shade of a tree on a late October morning. As its front paws touch the ground, the whiskered creature looks up, eyes darting left.

A striped feline leaps from a rock under the shade of a tree on a late October morning. As its front paws touch the ground, the whiskered creature looks up, eyes darting left. A wildlife camera clicks and captures the scene. It's a cat — and the location isn't a remote rainforest, but the capital of the United States. The photo is part of the DC Cat Count, a first of its kind, three-year effort by animal welfare advocates, conservationists and scientists to enumerate every Felis catus in Washington. The team behind the study says it provides an accurate estimate of the size of the city's indoor, outdoor and shelter population. It found there are about 200,000 cats in the District of Columbia, with about half of them living indoors only, said Tyler Flockhart, a conservation biologist and science lead on the DC Cat Count. Also Read | US warns climate poses ‘emerging threat’ to financial system The other half is a group that includes owned cats with limited or unlimited access outdoors, stray cats, and roughly 3,000 to 4,000 feral cats who avoid interactions with humans, Flockhart said. "I don't think that you can find another wild mammal — another wild carnivore — that occurs at that density anywhere in the world," he said, of cats and urban environments. "I think that this is really sort of an interesting idea that we can have so many cats in such a small location." Consensus for a cat census The study brought together groups that are often at odds over the impact that outdoor cats have on wildlife and landscape. While conservationists worry that outdoor cats can decimate bird populations, animal advocates seek to ensure the welfare and safety of cats seeking to survive outside. "What was really groundbreaking with the DC Cat Count was these organizations coming together," said Stephanie Shain, the chief operating officer of the Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA), which took part in the study. They were driven by a common purpose "to really focus not on who is right or who has been right, but really focus on getting it right — finding out the information, analyzing the data," she added. Shain said HRA recommends that cat owners keep their feline friends indoors only in order to keep them safe and avoid damaging wildlife. "I was pleased to see how many people actually follow that advice," she said. To count all the cats who call the seat of American power home, researchers surveyed more than 2,600 residents, analyzed animal shelter records, walked along specific routes in search of cats and set up wildlife cameras in more than 1,500 spots. "This is probably the most thorough analysis of cats of any city in the world," Flockhart said. Also Read | Coronavirus: NIH admits to US funding of gain-of-function research in Wuhan lab He and other researchers continue to analyse the data collected since 2018 and the research has already led to several peer-reviewed scientific papers. The DC Cat Count team also made an extensive toolkit available online with protocols and guidelines for organisations wishing to carry out their own cat census. Besides cats, the camera traps also snapped pictures of numerous animals including squirrels, raccoons, foxes, deer — and even a bobcat. "There's a huge diversity of wildlife in our cities," Flockhart said. "We tend to think of it as humans-only, and it could be anything but the case. There are all types of wildlife, from rodents all the way up to large predators."

Washington, District of Cats: US capital first city to count its felines

Washington State University fired football coach Nick Rolovich and four of his assistants Monday for failing to comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. He became one of the nation’s highest-profile employees to lose a job because of a refusal to be vaccinated.

Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert has been named the interim coach.

Rolovich, the state’s highest-paid employee, applied for a religious exemption this month from the mandate, among the strictest in the country. The status of the exemption request was unclear when the firings occurred.

Monday was the deadline Gov. Jay Inslee set for state workers to be fully vaccinated or to receive a religious or medical exemption allowing them to keep their jobs. A state agency report from earlier this month showed that about 90% of state employees who would be affected by the mandate had already been vaccinated.

Earlier in the day, a Superior Court judge rejected a request by hundreds of Washington State Patrol troopers, corrections officers, ferry workers and other public employees for a temporary injunction to block Inslee’s mandate, though the lawsuit they have filed can still go forward.

Rolovich, who was in the second year of a five-year, $15.6 million contract, had become the public face of the showdown with Inslee, who repeatedly said there would be no exceptions. Rolovich was counselled by June Jones, whom he played quarterback for and coached under at Hawaii, to get vaccinated. And Jack Thompson, a Washington State star quarterback from the late 1970s, had several heart-to-heart talks with him.

Rolovich’s resistance frustrated campus leaders, including President Kirk Schulz, who has strongly encouraged students to get vaccinated. Fans at the last two home games have been required to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test in order to be admitted, a policy the school developed in conjunction with the University of Washington and the Seattle Seahawks.

Also, Washington State students who are unvaccinated by next month will not be allowed to register for classes in the spring semester.

As Monday approached, the drama around the deadline intensified — fueled in part by the Cougars’ three-game winning streak, which gave them a 4-3 overall record with five games left and kept them in contention for the Pac-12 North Division title. Players have firmly backed Rolovich, particularly quarterback Jayden de Laura, who gave an impassioned defense of his coach. Several Cougars doused Rolovich with a vat of sports drink after a stirring comeback win Saturday night against Stanford.

“Overall, we have no problem with Rolo,” de Laura said after a win over Oregon State. “I love him. I love him to death. I’d do anything for him.”

The players were informed of the firings Monday night when they were summoned to a mandatory meeting by athletic director Pat Chun. Also losing their jobs were offensive line coach Mark Weber, defensive line coach Ricky Logo, cornerbacks coach John Richardson and quarterbacks coach Craig Stutzmann. Stutzmann’s brother, Billy Ray, was fired as an assistant coach at Navy last month for refusing to get vaccinated. Richardson is Washington State’s recruiting coordinator.

“This is a disheartening day for our football program,” Chun said in a statement. “Our priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of the young men on our team.”

With five coaches gone, it was not immediately clear if they would all be replaced.

Rolovich said in July that he would not get vaccinated, calling it a personal decision and declining repeatedly over the past three months to elaborate on his decision.

He maintained his stance even after Inslee, a Democrat serving his third term as governor, issued his decree in mid-August, giving state workers nearly two months to comply. After the Cougars beat Oregon State on Oct. 9, Rolovich confirmed a USA Today report that he had applied for a religious exemption.

Asked then if the approaching mandate deadline made him uncomfortable, Rolovich said: “You think it’s been a fun time? Of course it’s been difficult for everybody. Players are going through some of the same things. I think it’s an incredible stress, especially the young people. For them to be able to keep their focus and continue to give to each other, and to this program has been pretty special.”

Washington State University fired football coach Nick Rolovich and four of his assistants Monday for failing to comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate.

Washington State University fired football coach Nick Rolovich and four of his assistants Monday for failing to comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. He became one of the nation’s highest-profile employees to lose a job because of a refusal to be vaccinated. Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert has been named the interim coach. Rolovich, the state’s highest-paid employee, applied for a religious exemption this month from the mandate, among the strictest in the country. The status of the exemption request was unclear when the firings occurred. Monday was the deadline Gov. Jay Inslee set for state workers to be fully vaccinated or to receive a religious or medical exemption allowing them to keep their jobs. A state agency report from earlier this month showed that about 90% of state employees who would be affected by the mandate had already been vaccinated. Earlier in the day, a Superior Court judge rejected a request by hundreds of Washington State Patrol troopers, corrections officers, ferry workers and other public employees for a temporary injunction to block Inslee’s mandate, though the lawsuit they have filed can still go forward. Rolovich, who was in the second year of a five-year, $15.6 million contract, had become the public face of the showdown with Inslee, who repeatedly said there would be no exceptions. Rolovich was counselled by June Jones, whom he played quarterback for and coached under at Hawaii, to get vaccinated. And Jack Thompson, a Washington State star quarterback from the late 1970s, had several heart-to-heart talks with him. Rolovich’s resistance frustrated campus leaders, including President Kirk Schulz, who has strongly encouraged students to get vaccinated. Fans at the last two home games have been required to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test in order to be admitted, a policy the school developed in conjunction with the University of Washington and the Seattle Seahawks. Also, Washington State students who are unvaccinated by next month will not be allowed to register for classes in the spring semester. As Monday approached, the drama around the deadline intensified — fueled in part by the Cougars’ three-game winning streak, which gave them a 4-3 overall record with five games left and kept them in contention for the Pac-12 North Division title. Players have firmly backed Rolovich, particularly quarterback Jayden de Laura, who gave an impassioned defense of his coach. Several Cougars doused Rolovich with a vat of sports drink after a stirring comeback win Saturday night against Stanford. “Overall, we have no problem with Rolo,” de Laura said after a win over Oregon State. “I love him. I love him to death. I’d do anything for him.” The players were informed of the firings Monday night when they were summoned to a mandatory meeting by athletic director Pat Chun. Also losing their jobs were offensive line coach Mark Weber, defensive line coach Ricky Logo, cornerbacks coach John Richardson and quarterbacks coach Craig Stutzmann. Stutzmann’s brother, Billy Ray, was fired as an assistant coach at Navy last month for refusing to get vaccinated. Richardson is Washington State’s recruiting coordinator. “This is a disheartening day for our football program,” Chun said in a statement. “Our priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of the young men on our team.” With five coaches gone, it was not immediately clear if they would all be replaced. Rolovich said in July that he would not get vaccinated, calling it a personal decision and declining repeatedly over the past three months to elaborate on his decision. He maintained his stance even after Inslee, a Democrat serving his third term as governor, issued his decree in mid-August, giving state workers nearly two months to comply. After the Cougars beat Oregon State on Oct. 9, Rolovich confirmed a USA Today report that he had applied for a religious exemption. Asked then if the approaching mandate deadline made him uncomfortable, Rolovich said: “You think it’s been a fun time? Of course it’s been difficult for everybody. Players are going through some of the same things. I think it’s an incredible stress, especially the young people. For them to be able to keep their focus and continue to give to each other, and to this program has been pretty special.”

Washington State University fires football coach over vaccine refusal

Despite party control of Congress and the presidency, Democrats are still struggling to enact their agenda. The ballyhooed bipartisan infrastructure deal is stuck in the House, and the sweeping $3.5 trillion reconciliation package has been the source of bitter disputes among party members.

The Biden administration set out with hopes for big, bold change — “transformational” was the word in the winter and into spring. But in autumn, “disarray” is ubiquitous.

We are not surprised that one-party control has not enabled Democrats to swiftly or easily move their agenda. Our research shows that Parties with unified control in Washington routinely fail to enact many of their highest priorities. They are typically forced to accept significant compromises to pass any of their agenda items.

That has been true in every recent case when a party held unified control of government. In 2017, a Republican failure to reach intraparty consensus resulted in a striking collapse — punctuated by John McCain’s thumbs-down — of the party’s efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. Later that year, Republican leaders had to scale back their visions for tax reform to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. In 2010, significant disagreements within the Democratic Party undermined and ultimately dashed their plans for a cap-and-trade program to combat climate change. To get the Affordable Care Act across the finish line, many Democrats had to accept a bill that fell short of their aspirations — the failure to establish a public insurance option still stings many liberals.

Why do unified majorities in Washington struggle and often fail to enact their agendas? In our research, we tracked the successes and failures of majority parties in Congress on their policy goals from 1985 through 2018 (265 agenda items in total). The study covers the last several periods of unified party government in Washington — those that occurred during the presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

We find that parties with unified control in Washington since the Clinton years have struggled for two reasons.

The filibuster explains some of the majority parties’ struggles. Senate rules require most legislation to obtain 60 votes to advance to passage. As a result, minority parties have a chance to either veto or reshape most legislation. Still, even though it’s a constant source of discussion and debate in today’s Washington, we find the filibuster was the cause of only one-third of failed attempts by majority parties to enact their priorities during unified government since 1993.

The second reason is less well appreciated but accounts for the other two-thirds — a large majority — of failures. Both parties have been, and remain, internally divided on many issues. Parties are often able to hide their disagreements by simply not taking up legislation on issues that evoke significant fissures. But when those issues reflect their campaign promises, majority parties will often forge ahead even in the absence of internal consensus on a plan.

Whether Democratic or Republican, the party with unified control in Washington in recent years has failed on one or more of its highest-priority agenda items because of insufficient unity within its own ranks. In 2017, Republicans failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act because of the opposition of three Senate Republicans (Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mr. McCain). In 2009-10, Democrats failed to enact a cap-and-trade policy because of spats between coastal Democrats and those representing the interior of the country. In 2005, Republicans failed to reform Social Security despite President Bush making it his top domestic legislative priority because of a lack of consensus in the party about how to proceed. In Mr. Clinton’s first term, Democrats were never able to unify behind a single plan to enact comprehensive health care reform despite relatively large majorities in both chambers.

What Democrats are trying to do with their Build Back Better effort today is even more difficult than usual. Congress has rarely tried to pass more than one budget reconciliation bill across a two-year Congress. In March, Democrats used reconciliation to pass the American Rescue Plan on straight party-line votes; there’s no precedent for successfully enacting two such ambitious partisan reconciliation bills within a single year. To pass a second sweeping package with razor-thin majorities should be seen as a long shot. The fact that the party is furiously negotiating a pared-down version suggests how much importance it has attached to its success — for both electoral and policy reasons.

Parties campaign on ambitious policy proposals. But it’s much easier to agree to a campaign plank than to rally behind specific legislation. The devil is in the details. If Democrats somehow avoid large-scale agenda failure and pass both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and a sweeping reconciliation bill, they will have done something rare — they will have outdone all the other recent episodes of single-party control of national government.

Despite party control of Congress and the presidency, Democrats are still struggling to enact their agenda. The ballyhooed bipartisan infrastructure deal is stuck in the House, and the sweeping $3.

Despite party control of Congress and the presidency, Democrats are still struggling to enact their agenda. The ballyhooed bipartisan infrastructure deal is stuck in the House, and the sweeping $3.5 trillion reconciliation package has been the source of bitter disputes among party members. The Biden administration set out with hopes for big, bold change — “transformational” was the word in the winter and into spring. But in autumn, “disarray” is ubiquitous. We are not surprised that one-party control has not enabled Democrats to swiftly or easily move their agenda. Our research shows that Parties with unified control in Washington routinely fail to enact many of their highest priorities. They are typically forced to accept significant compromises to pass any of their agenda items. That has been true in every recent case when a party held unified control of government. In 2017, a Republican failure to reach intraparty consensus resulted in a striking collapse — punctuated by John McCain’s thumbs-down — of the party’s efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. Later that year, Republican leaders had to scale back their visions for tax reform to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. In 2010, significant disagreements within the Democratic Party undermined and ultimately dashed their plans for a cap-and-trade program to combat climate change. To get the Affordable Care Act across the finish line, many Democrats had to accept a bill that fell short of their aspirations — the failure to establish a public insurance option still stings many liberals. Why do unified majorities in Washington struggle and often fail to enact their agendas? In our research, we tracked the successes and failures of majority parties in Congress on their policy goals from 1985 through 2018 (265 agenda items in total). The study covers the last several periods of unified party government in Washington — those that occurred during the presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. We find that parties with unified control in Washington since the Clinton years have struggled for two reasons. The filibuster explains some of the majority parties’ struggles. Senate rules require most legislation to obtain 60 votes to advance to passage. As a result, minority parties have a chance to either veto or reshape most legislation. Still, even though it’s a constant source of discussion and debate in today’s Washington, we find the filibuster was the cause of only one-third of failed attempts by majority parties to enact their priorities during unified government since 1993. The second reason is less well appreciated but accounts for the other two-thirds — a large majority — of failures. Both parties have been, and remain, internally divided on many issues. Parties are often able to hide their disagreements by simply not taking up legislation on issues that evoke significant fissures. But when those issues reflect their campaign promises, majority parties will often forge ahead even in the absence of internal consensus on a plan. Whether Democratic or Republican, the party with unified control in Washington in recent years has failed on one or more of its highest-priority agenda items because of insufficient unity within its own ranks. In 2017, Republicans failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act because of the opposition of three Senate Republicans (Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mr. McCain). In 2009-10, Democrats failed to enact a cap-and-trade policy because of spats between coastal Democrats and those representing the interior of the country. In 2005, Republicans failed to reform Social Security despite President Bush making it his top domestic legislative priority because of a lack of consensus in the party about how to proceed. In Mr. Clinton’s first term, Democrats were never able to unify behind a single plan to enact comprehensive health care reform despite relatively large majorities in both chambers. What Democrats are trying to do with their Build Back Better effort today is even more difficult than usual. Congress has rarely tried to pass more than one budget reconciliation bill across a two-year Congress. In March, Democrats used reconciliation to pass the American Rescue Plan on straight party-line votes; there’s no precedent for successfully enacting two such ambitious partisan reconciliation bills within a single year. To pass a second sweeping package with razor-thin majorities should be seen as a long shot. The fact that the party is furiously negotiating a pared-down version suggests how much importance it has attached to its success — for both electoral and policy reasons. Parties campaign on ambitious policy proposals. But it’s much easier to agree to a campaign plank than to rally behind specific legislation. The devil is in the details. If Democrats somehow avoid large-scale agenda failure and pass both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and a sweeping reconciliation bill, they will have done something rare — they will have outdone all the other recent episodes of single-party control of national government.

There’s a curse in Washington, and the party in Control can’t seem to shake it

Senate Democrats and Republicans neared agreement as they met into the early morning hours Thursday to temporarily pull the nation from the brink of a debt default. The deal would punt their showdown on raising the federal borrowing limit to December after Republicans bowed to pressure to stave off immediate fiscal calamity.

With the threat of a default as little as 12 days off, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, made a tactical retreat Wednesday and announced that Republicans would allow Democrats to vote on a short-term extension. He did not, however, lift his blockade of a longer-term increase in the debt cap, demanding anew that Democrats eventually use a complicated and time-consuming budget procedure known as reconciliation to lift it into next year or beyond.

Democrats declared the offer at least a temporary victory, even as they said they would never capitulate to McConnell’s longer-term demand. Senators met late into the night to try to iron out the details, though Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, adjourned the Senate for the day shortly after midnight Thursday without a firm agreement.

“We’re making good progress — we’re not there yet, but I hope we can come to agreement tomorrow morning,” Schumer said.

Democrats said they would move forward with a vote as early as Thursday, then quickly pivot to negotiating a multitrillion-dollar measure to address climate change, expand the social safety net and raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

“Around here, two months is a lifetime,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chair of the Budget Committee, who hailed McConnell’s offer as “very good news.”

“There would have been a global economic collapse if in fact the wealthiest nation on earth did not pay its debts,” Sanders said. “We’re going to pay our debts. We have two months to figure it out.”

For all the self-congratulations, the agreement, if nailed down, resolved little beyond the immediate timetable. It would set up yet another consequential deadline for December, when Congress is already facing a hard date by which it must fund the government. Democrats also hope to complete their push to enact President Joe Biden’s ambitious domestic agenda before then.

“We are willing to take this offer in order to stave off fiscal ruin,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. “But we are all beside ourselves that the only thing Republicans are willing to do is prevent disaster for three months and put us right back in this position.”

They did so after weeks of intransigence on the debt ceiling and in the face of mounting pressure from the Biden administration, Wall Street and politically powerful interest groups. For a week, Biden has been emphasizing the stakes of failing to quickly raise the debt ceiling, and he has ratcheted up those efforts in recent days, in public remarks and during a meeting with finance executives at the White House on Wednesday.

Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers issued a report Wednesday morning laying out in detail the grim consequences of a default, and declaring, “If Congress fails to act, it could take decades for the United States to fully recover.”

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also sounded the alarm with a statement warning that a debt ceiling breach would “seriously harm our service members and their families” by calling into question whether troops, Pentagon staff or defense contractors would be paid.

And in a letter to lawmakers circulated by the White House, AARP, a powerful lobbying group for seniors, cautioned that millions of older Americans could go without Social Security or Medicare benefits if the cap were not raised.

McConnell’s proposal offered a way to defuse criticism that his party was acting recklessly by blocking Democrats from even taking up a bill to raise the debt ceiling until December 2022. It also put off, for the time being, the prospect that Democrats might change the filibuster rules to allow themselves to go around Republicans and raise the debt ceiling unilaterally. It was that possibility, some GOP senators said Wednesday, that had motivated McConnell to seek a deal.

The offer also confronted Democrats with the prospect of a politically uncomfortable vote that some of them had wanted to avoid. McConnell demanded that they specify a dollar amount by which they would raise the debt cap, not simply suspend it until a certain date, potentially opening politically vulnerable Democrats to campaign ads attacking them for endorsing large amounts of spending.

“This will moot Democrats’ excuses about the time crunch they created and give the unified Democratic government more than enough time to pass stand-alone debt limit legislation through reconciliation,” McConnell said in a statement.

Even if the deal comes together, Democrats face three difficult choices for what to do in December when the new debt deadline cap would be reached. They could bow to McConnell’s demand and pass the long-term debt increase on their own through a time-consuming process that could bog them down and allow Republicans ample opportunities to tag them as big spenders.

Another option would be to move to change the Senate’s filibuster rules and allow a simple majority vote to raise the debt ceiling. Or, they could keep hoping that Republicans eventually fold under pressure, as they appeared to — at least temporarily — Wednesday.

McConnell’s offer was intended to counter Democrats’ argument that they did not have enough time to go through the multistep process of using budget rules to raise the debt limit. But his move may have been driven just as much by the threat of eliminating the filibuster.

Carving out an exception to the filibuster rules, which effectively require 60 votes to move forward with most legislation, has been done before to confirm judicial and executive branch nominees. But doing so unilaterally to raise the debt ceiling would be a step toward ending the practice for all policy matters and instituting straight majority rule.

The move has long been resisted by institutionalists and centrists in both parties — including two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona — although some leading Democrats argue the debt ceiling crisis could change minds.

“Nothing changed,” Manchin told reporters Wednesday.

Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the No. 4 Republican, warned that if Democrats changed the filibuster rule, “they’ll permanently change the Senate, permanently change the relationships that still matter in the Senate, and institute the idea that 50 of you plus a vice president of your party can always do whatever you want to do.

“I don’t think that’s healthy for the country,” he added. “It certainly wouldn’t be healthy for the Senate.”

Praying for Republicans to fold was an even riskier play for Democrats, given the stakes. If, for the first time, the U.S. government could not meet its obligations to international lenders, its role as the world economy’s safe-harbor investment would be called into question. Interest rates would most likely rise sharply, and global financial institutions would begin searching for new vehicles to store money, where it would not be subject to the whims of partisan politics.

“We’re not asking them to blink; we’re asking them to be the slightest bit reasonable,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said of Republican leaders. “The political gain of this strikes me as low. The loss to the country strikes me as extraordinarily high.”

Republican obstruction on the borrowing limit forced Democrats last week to strip a debt ceiling increase from a must-pass spending bill to avert a government shutdown. And McConnell refused to allow Democrats to unilaterally move to a vote.

“Democratic leaders haven’t wanted solutions,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “They’ve wanted to turn their failure into everybody else’s crisis, playing risky games with our economy, using manufactured drama to bully their own members, indulging petty politics instead of governing.”

Top Democrats have since dropped their insistence that Republicans join them in bipartisan support for raising the statutory cap on the government’s ability to borrow to meet its financial obligations. They, in turn, want McConnell to honor his demand that Democrats lift the ceiling alone — either by granting consent to move to a vote or by providing 10 Republican votes to break the filibuster.

“We’ve already presented Republicans numerous opportunities to do what they say they want, including by offering a simple majority vote so Democrats can suspend the debt ceiling on our own as Republicans have asked,” Schumer said Wednesday. “But each time, Republicans have chosen obstruction.”

While top Republicans have said most of their members would privately support allowing Democrats to move forward on their own, they have been unwilling to vote publicly that way, and any single senator can object and force a vote.

McConnell has asserted in recent days that even if he wanted to, he had no way of corralling every Republican to allow a debt ceiling increase to move forward. But his offer Wednesday indicated that he could prevail on all 50 Republicans to agree to allow such a vote — if it was only for a short period of time.

Yet the political risks of doing so were immediately evident. Former President Donald Trump slammed the Senate leader in a statement Wednesday, suggesting that Republicans should continue blocking any debt limit increase.

“Looks like Mitch McConnell is folding to the Democrats, again,” Trump wrote. “He’s got all the cards with the debt ceiling.”

Democrats have repeatedly noted they joined with Republicans to raise the debt cap during Trump’s presidency with little drama, and that most of the debt they are now seeking to repay was incurred by policies he signed into law.

And while they united in opposition to debt ceiling increases under President George W. Bush, Democrats allowed Republicans to do the increases on their own, without filibusters. Republicans say they are using the tactic now because Democrats are pushing forward with their efforts to unilaterally pass a multitrillion-dollar climate change and social safety net bill that would be paid for by tax increases aimed at the rich and businesses.

On Wednesday, McConnell suggested that Republicans might drop their debt limit obstruction if Democrats gave up on their top legislative priority.

“If Democrats abandon their efforts to ram through another historically reckless taxing and spending spree that will hurt families and help China,” McConnell wrote, “a more traditional bipartisan governing conversation could be possible.”

Senate Democrats and Republicans neared agreement as they met into the early morning hours Thursday to temporarily pull the nation from the brink of a debt default.

Senate Democrats and Republicans neared agreement as they met into the early morning hours Thursday to temporarily pull the nation from the brink of a debt default. The deal would punt their showdown on raising the federal borrowing limit to December after Republicans bowed to pressure to stave off immediate fiscal calamity. With the threat of a default as little as 12 days off, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, made a tactical retreat Wednesday and announced that Republicans would allow Democrats to vote on a short-term extension. He did not, however, lift his blockade of a longer-term increase in the debt cap, demanding anew that Democrats eventually use a complicated and time-consuming budget procedure known as reconciliation to lift it into next year or beyond. Democrats declared the offer at least a temporary victory, even as they said they would never capitulate to McConnell’s longer-term demand. Senators met late into the night to try to iron out the details, though Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, adjourned the Senate for the day shortly after midnight Thursday without a firm agreement. “We’re making good progress — we’re not there yet, but I hope we can come to agreement tomorrow morning,” Schumer said. Democrats said they would move forward with a vote as early as Thursday, then quickly pivot to negotiating a multitrillion-dollar measure to address climate change, expand the social safety net and raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations. “Around here, two months is a lifetime,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chair of the Budget Committee, who hailed McConnell’s offer as “very good news.” “There would have been a global economic collapse if in fact the wealthiest nation on earth did not pay its debts,” Sanders said. “We’re going to pay our debts. We have two months to figure it out.” For all the self-congratulations, the agreement, if nailed down, resolved little beyond the immediate timetable. It would set up yet another consequential deadline for December, when Congress is already facing a hard date by which it must fund the government. Democrats also hope to complete their push to enact President Joe Biden’s ambitious domestic agenda before then. “We are willing to take this offer in order to stave off fiscal ruin,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. “But we are all beside ourselves that the only thing Republicans are willing to do is prevent disaster for three months and put us right back in this position.” They did so after weeks of intransigence on the debt ceiling and in the face of mounting pressure from the Biden administration, Wall Street and politically powerful interest groups. For a week, Biden has been emphasizing the stakes of failing to quickly raise the debt ceiling, and he has ratcheted up those efforts in recent days, in public remarks and during a meeting with finance executives at the White House on Wednesday. Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers issued a report Wednesday morning laying out in detail the grim consequences of a default, and declaring, “If Congress fails to act, it could take decades for the United States to fully recover.” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also sounded the alarm with a statement warning that a debt ceiling breach would “seriously harm our service members and their families” by calling into question whether troops, Pentagon staff or defense contractors would be paid. And in a letter to lawmakers circulated by the White House, AARP, a powerful lobbying group for seniors, cautioned that millions of older Americans could go without Social Security or Medicare benefits if the cap were not raised. McConnell’s proposal offered a way to defuse criticism that his party was acting recklessly by blocking Democrats from even taking up a bill to raise the debt ceiling until December 2022. It also put off, for the time being, the prospect that Democrats might change the filibuster rules to allow themselves to go around Republicans and raise the debt ceiling unilaterally. It was that possibility, some GOP senators said Wednesday, that had motivated McConnell to seek a deal. The offer also confronted Democrats with the prospect of a politically uncomfortable vote that some of them had wanted to avoid. McConnell demanded that they specify a dollar amount by which they would raise the debt cap, not simply suspend it until a certain date, potentially opening politically vulnerable Democrats to campaign ads attacking them for endorsing large amounts of spending. “This will moot Democrats’ excuses about the time crunch they created and give the unified Democratic government more than enough time to pass stand-alone debt limit legislation through reconciliation,” McConnell said in a statement. Even if the deal comes together, Democrats face three difficult choices for what to do in December when the new debt deadline cap would be reached. They could bow to McConnell’s demand and pass the long-term debt increase on their own through a time-consuming process that could bog them down and allow Republicans ample opportunities to tag them as big spenders. Another option would be to move to change the Senate’s filibuster rules and allow a simple majority vote to raise the debt ceiling. Or, they could keep hoping that Republicans eventually fold under pressure, as they appeared to — at least temporarily — Wednesday. McConnell’s offer was intended to counter Democrats’ argument that they did not have enough time to go through the multistep process of using budget rules to raise the debt limit. But his move may have been driven just as much by the threat of eliminating the filibuster. Carving out an exception to the filibuster rules, which effectively require 60 votes to move forward with most legislation, has been done before to confirm judicial and executive branch nominees. But doing so unilaterally to raise the debt ceiling would be a step toward ending the practice for all policy matters and instituting straight majority rule. The move has long been resisted by institutionalists and centrists in both parties — including two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona — although some leading Democrats argue the debt ceiling crisis could change minds. “Nothing changed,” Manchin told reporters Wednesday. Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the No. 4 Republican, warned that if Democrats changed the filibuster rule, “they’ll permanently change the Senate, permanently change the relationships that still matter in the Senate, and institute the idea that 50 of you plus a vice president of your party can always do whatever you want to do. “I don’t think that’s healthy for the country,” he added. “It certainly wouldn’t be healthy for the Senate.” Praying for Republicans to fold was an even riskier play for Democrats, given the stakes. If, for the first time, the U.S. government could not meet its obligations to international lenders, its role as the world economy’s safe-harbor investment would be called into question. Interest rates would most likely rise sharply, and global financial institutions would begin searching for new vehicles to store money, where it would not be subject to the whims of partisan politics. “We’re not asking them to blink; we’re asking them to be the slightest bit reasonable,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said of Republican leaders. “The political gain of this strikes me as low. The loss to the country strikes me as extraordinarily high.” Republican obstruction on the borrowing limit forced Democrats last week to strip a debt ceiling increase from a must-pass spending bill to avert a government shutdown. And McConnell refused to allow Democrats to unilaterally move to a vote. “Democratic leaders haven’t wanted solutions,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “They’ve wanted to turn their failure into everybody else’s crisis, playing risky games with our economy, using manufactured drama to bully their own members, indulging petty politics instead of governing.” Top Democrats have since dropped their insistence that Republicans join them in bipartisan support for raising the statutory cap on the government’s ability to borrow to meet its financial obligations. They, in turn, want McConnell to honor his demand that Democrats lift the ceiling alone — either by granting consent to move to a vote or by providing 10 Republican votes to break the filibuster. “We’ve already presented Republicans numerous opportunities to do what they say they want, including by offering a simple majority vote so Democrats can suspend the debt ceiling on our own as Republicans have asked,” Schumer said Wednesday. “But each time, Republicans have chosen obstruction.” While top Republicans have said most of their members would privately support allowing Democrats to move forward on their own, they have been unwilling to vote publicly that way, and any single senator can object and force a vote. McConnell has asserted in recent days that even if he wanted to, he had no way of corralling every Republican to allow a debt ceiling increase to move forward. But his offer Wednesday indicated that he could prevail on all 50 Republicans to agree to allow such a vote — if it was only for a short period of time. Yet the political risks of doing so were immediately evident. Former President Donald Trump slammed the Senate leader in a statement Wednesday, suggesting that Republicans should continue blocking any debt limit increase. “Looks like Mitch McConnell is folding to the Democrats, again,” Trump wrote. “He’s got all the cards with the debt ceiling.” Democrats have repeatedly noted they joined with Republicans to raise the debt cap during Trump’s presidency with little drama, and that most of the debt they are now seeking to repay was incurred by policies he signed into law. And while they united in opposition to debt ceiling increases under President George W. Bush, Democrats allowed Republicans to do the increases on their own, without filibusters. Republicans say they are using the tactic now because Democrats are pushing forward with their efforts to unilaterally pass a multitrillion-dollar climate change and social safety net bill that would be paid for by tax increases aimed at the rich and businesses. On Wednesday, McConnell suggested that Republicans might drop their debt limit obstruction if Democrats gave up on their top legislative priority. “If Democrats abandon their efforts to ram through another historically reckless taxing and spending spree that will hurt families and help China,” McConnell wrote, “a more traditional bipartisan governing conversation could be possible.”

Senate nears agreement to stave off debt crisis until December

In pics | Washington's century-old secret subway that is used by politicians, judges and movie stars

The Capitol, frequented by presidents, Supreme Court justices and movie stars, it is the transport of choice for some of the world's most powerful movers and shakers, yet only a few in the US, or world, know it exists.

The Capitol: Have you heard of Washington's Secret Subway? | WION Edge

In pics | Washington's century-old secret subway that is used by politicians, Supreme Court judges and movie stars

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden during his visit to the United States. He will also participate in the first in-person QUAD leaders' summit in Washington on Sept 24th. On September 25, he will address the UN general debate of the UN General Assembly at its 76th session.

WION-USA Direct: Indian PM Modi to hold bilateral meeting with President Biden in Washington

Six&nbsp;lions&nbsp;and three&nbsp;tigers&nbsp;at the National&nbsp;Zoo&nbsp;in&nbsp;Washington&nbsp;have tested positive for&nbsp;COVID-19 and are undergoing treatment after falling unwell, the&nbsp;zoo&nbsp;said Friday.

"Last weekend, animal keepers observed decreased appetites, coughing, sneezing and lethargy" in&nbsp;six African&nbsp;lions, a Sumatran&nbsp;tiger&nbsp;and two&nbsp;tigers&nbsp;from Siberia, who all tested positive for&nbsp;Covid&nbsp;in preliminary tests, the&nbsp;zoo&nbsp;said in a statement.

Results of tests to confirm the diagnosis are expected in a few days.

The sick cats are being treated with anti-inflammatories and anti-nausea medication, as well as antibiotics to ward off pneumonia.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/stairway-to-heaven-hawaiis-famous-haiku-stairs-will-likely-be-removed-413799">Also read |&nbsp;'Stairway to heaven': Hawaii's famous Haiku Stairs will likely be removed</a>

People who visit the&nbsp;zoo&nbsp;are not at risk because of the distance between them and the felines, and no other animals have shown signs of infection, the&nbsp;zoo&nbsp;said.

The bout of sickness comes as several US zoos including the one in&nbsp;Washington&nbsp;announced Tuesday the launch of a vaccination campaign for animals susceptible to&nbsp;Covid-19.

Primates in several zoos have become infected. Several gorillas at the&nbsp;zoo&nbsp;in Atlanta tested positive last week.

To protect them from&nbsp;COVID-19, animals at the&nbsp;Washington&nbsp;zoo&nbsp;will be injected with a product developed by Zoetis, a drug company that makes vaccines and medicine for pets and livestock.

Six lions and three tigers at the National Zoo in Washington have tested positive for COVID-19 and are undergoing treatment after falling unwell, the zoo said Friday.

Six lions and three tigers at the National Zoo in Washington have tested positive for COVID-19 and are undergoing treatment after falling unwell, the zoo said Friday. "Last weekend, animal keepers observed decreased appetites, coughing, sneezing and lethargy" in six African lions, a Sumatran tiger and two tigers from Siberia, who all tested positive for Covid in preliminary tests, the zoo said in a statement. Results of tests to confirm the diagnosis are expected in a few days. The sick cats are being treated with anti-inflammatories and anti-nausea medication, as well as antibiotics to ward off pneumonia. Also read | 'Stairway to heaven': Hawaii's famous Haiku Stairs will likely be removed People who visit the zoo are not at risk because of the distance between them and the felines, and no other animals have shown signs of infection, the zoo said. The bout of sickness comes as several US zoos including the one in Washington announced Tuesday the launch of a vaccination campaign for animals susceptible to Covid-19. Primates in several zoos have become infected. Several gorillas at the zoo in Atlanta tested positive last week. To protect them from COVID-19, animals at the Washington zoo will be injected with a product developed by Zoetis, a drug company that makes vaccines and medicine for pets and livestock.

Coughs and lethargy: Lions, tigers at Washington zoo catch COVID-19

Capitol Police is on high alert ahead of Saturday rally. Authorities say they're taking no chances as they prepare for a Saturday rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington in support of rioters imprisoned after the Jan. 6 insurrection. Watch this report for more details.

Pro- Trump supporters demand justice for riot convicts

U.S. Secretary of State, Blinken has said that Washington will 'reassess' its relationship with Pakistan, in light of its involvement in Afghanistan. Palki Sharma gets you the key highlights from his testimony.

Gravitas: The Blinken Testimony: Key highlights

US President Joe Biden met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington. The much-anticipated gathering could have high-stakes implications for Zelensky, who has vied for American support since he took over in 2019.

Biden vows stronger US ties to Ukraine in first meeting with Zelensky

Washington state eradicated its first Asian giant hornet nest of the year by vacuuming out 113 worker hornets and removing bark and decayed wood near the nest, Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) officials said on Thursday (August 26).

Washington state eradicates first 'murder hornet' nest of the year

Washington state has confirmed its second “murder hornet” sighting of 2021.&nbsp;

As per a statement released by the Washington state department of agriculture, this is the first report of a live Asian giant hornet in the state this year.

"The report included a photograph of an Asian giant hornet attacking a paper wasp nest in a rural area east of Blaine, about 2 miles from where WSDA eradicated the first Asian giant hornet nest in the United States last October", read the statement.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-issues-new-terrorism-threat-warning-ahead-of-911-anniversary-405276">Also read |&nbsp;US issues new terrorism threat warning ahead of 9/11 anniversary</a>

This comes after two months scientists found a dead hornet north of Seattle, marking the first murder hornet found in the US this year.

Sven Spichiger, WSDA’s managing entomologist said, "This hornet is exhibiting the same behaviour we saw last year – attacking paper wasp nests".

He added, "If you have paper wasp nests on your property and live in the area, keep an eye on them and report any Asian giant hornets you see. Note the direction they fly off to as well".

Washington state has confirmed its second “murder hornet” sighting of 2021. As per a statement released by the Washington state department of agriculture, this is the first report of a live Asian giant hornet in the state this year.

Washington state has confirmed its second “murder hornet” sighting of 2021. As per a statement released by the Washington state department of agriculture, this is the first report of a live Asian giant hornet in the state this year. "The report included a photograph of an Asian giant hornet attacking a paper wasp nest in a rural area east of Blaine, about 2 miles from where WSDA eradicated the first Asian giant hornet nest in the United States last October", read the statement. Also read | US issues new terrorism threat warning ahead of 9/11 anniversary This comes after two months scientists found a dead hornet north of Seattle, marking the first murder hornet found in the US this year. Sven Spichiger, WSDA’s managing entomologist said, "This hornet is exhibiting the same behaviour we saw last year – attacking paper wasp nests". He added, "If you have paper wasp nests on your property and live in the area, keep an eye on them and report any Asian giant hornets you see. Note the direction they fly off to as well".

Washington state confirms first live ‘murder hornet’ sighting of 2021

China's yet-to-be-announced new ambassador to the United States Qin Gang headed to Washington on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter, amid worsening relations between the world's two largest economies. 
 
Qin left a day after rare high-level talks in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin between US&nbsp;Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and senior Chinese diplomats ended with both sides reiterating existing positions and no specific outcomes reached. 
 
Relations between Beijing and Washington deteriorated sharply under former US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, and the Biden&nbsp;administration has maintained pressure on China in a stance that enjoys bipartisan support but threatens to deepen mistrust. 
 
Qin, 55, is replacing Cui Tiankai, who at 68 has passed the retirement age for senior Chinese ambassadors, the sources familiar with the matter said. When Cui ended his eight years at Washington last month, he was China's longest serving ambassador to the United States and is considered a seasoned and well-respected figure in Beijing and Washington. 
 
Qin, who is one of China's vice foreign minister and whose recent past portfolios have included European affairs and protocol, has no prior US-related experience, according to his biography on the foreign ministry website.

China's yet-to-be-announced new ambassador to the United States Qin Gang headed to Washington on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter, amid worsening relations between the world's two largest economies.

China's yet-to-be-announced new ambassador to the United States Qin Gang headed to Washington on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter, amid worsening relations between the world's two largest economies. Qin left a day after rare high-level talks in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin between US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and senior Chinese diplomats ended with both sides reiterating existing positions and no specific outcomes reached. Relations between Beijing and Washington deteriorated sharply under former US President Donald Trump, and the Biden administration has maintained pressure on China in a stance that enjoys bipartisan support but threatens to deepen mistrust. Qin, 55, is replacing Cui Tiankai, who at 68 has passed the retirement age for senior Chinese ambassadors, the sources familiar with the matter said. When Cui ended his eight years at Washington last month, he was China's longest serving ambassador to the United States and is considered a seasoned and well-respected figure in Beijing and Washington. Qin, who is one of China's vice foreign minister and whose recent past portfolios have included European affairs and protocol, has no prior US-related experience, according to his biography on the foreign ministry website.

New Chinese ambassador Qin Gang heads to Washington: Sources

US President Joe Biden on Friday authorised the use of up to $100 million to address migration emergencies related to the situation in Afghanistan, the White House said.

The statement said the money would come from the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund "for the purpose of meeting unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs, victims of conflict, and&nbsp;other persons at risk as a result of the situation in Afghanistan."

The funds will also support those applying to the State Department program of Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), under which some 20,000 Afghans who worked as interpreters for the United States during its war in the country and now fear retribution from Taliban insurgents have applied for evacuation.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/we-dont-have-such-a-picture-in-our-history-afghan-vp-amrullah-saleh-slams-pakistani-trolls-with-an-image-of-1971-pak-army-surrender-399582">Also read |&nbsp;'We don’t have such a picture in our history': Afghan VP Amrullah Saleh slams Pakistani trolls with an image of 1971 Pak Army surrender</a>

The funds could be distributed on both a bilateral and multilateral basis through contributions or funding to international organisations, non-governmental groups, governments and US bodies, the statement added.

The Taliban has pressed a sweeping offensive across Afghanistan in recent months, capitalising on the last stages of the US troop withdrawal, due to be completed by the end of August, and raising fears of a potential humanitarian crisis.

The United Nations recently estimated half of Afghanistan's 39 million people are in need of aid, and called on the international community to maintain financial support for the country.

US President Joe Biden on Friday authorised the use of up to $100 million to address migration emergencies related to the situation in Afghanistan, the White House said.

US President Joe Biden on Friday authorised the use of up to $100 million to address migration emergencies related to the situation in Afghanistan, the White House said. The statement said the money would come from the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund "for the purpose of meeting unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs, victims of conflict, and other persons at risk as a result of the situation in Afghanistan." The funds will also support those applying to the State Department program of Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), under which some 20,000 Afghans who worked as interpreters for the United States during its war in the country and now fear retribution from Taliban insurgents have applied for evacuation. Also read | 'We don’t have such a picture in our history': Afghan VP Amrullah Saleh slams Pakistani trolls with an image of 1971 Pak Army surrender The funds could be distributed on both a bilateral and multilateral basis through contributions or funding to international organisations, non-governmental groups, governments and US bodies, the statement added. The Taliban has pressed a sweeping offensive across Afghanistan in recent months, capitalising on the last stages of the US troop withdrawal, due to be completed by the end of August, and raising fears of a potential humanitarian crisis. The United Nations recently estimated half of Afghanistan's 39 million people are in need of aid, and called on the international community to maintain financial support for the country.

Washington authorises $100 million for Afghan migration aid

Senior officials from Baghdad were in Washington Thursday for preliminary talks on the US military presence in Iraq, ahead of an upcoming meeting between leaders of the two countries, the Pentagon said in a statement.

US President Joe Biden is set to host Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi at the White House on Monday, and Kadhemi is expected to push for a concrete timetable of foreign troop withdrawal.

On Thursday Mara Karlin, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs, hosted Iraqi National Security Advisor Qassem al-Araji and a military delegation, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

Both sides "reaffirmed the importance of the US-Iraq bilateral security relationship" as well as "the long-term US-Iraq security cooperation partnership and areas for cooperation beyond counterterrorism."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-carries-out-air-strikes-against-iran-backed-militia-in-iraq-syria-394352">Also read |&nbsp;US carries out air strikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq, Syria&nbsp;</a>

Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin joined the group to reaffirm his support for "the US-Iraq strategic partnership."

Talks are set to resume on Friday.

Some 3,500 foreign troops are in Iraqi territory, including 2,500 Americans, who have been posted to help fight the Islamic State group since 2014.

The implementation of their withdrawal could take years.

Iraq, long an arena for bitter rivalry between the United States and Iran despite their shared enmity towards the IS, has seen growing numbers of rocket and drone attacks on US targets in recent months.

Last week Iraq's leader met with visiting US envoy Brett McGurk in Baghdad to discuss foreign troop withdrawal, his office in statement.

Senior officials from Baghdad were in Washington Thursday for preliminary talks on the US military presence in Iraq, ahead of an upcoming meeting between leaders of the two countries, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Senior officials from Baghdad were in Washington Thursday for preliminary talks on the US military presence in Iraq, ahead of an upcoming meeting between leaders of the two countries, the Pentagon said in a statement. US President Joe Biden is set to host Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi at the White House on Monday, and Kadhemi is expected to push for a concrete timetable of foreign troop withdrawal. On Thursday Mara Karlin, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs, hosted Iraqi National Security Advisor Qassem al-Araji and a military delegation, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. Both sides "reaffirmed the importance of the US-Iraq bilateral security relationship" as well as "the long-term US-Iraq security cooperation partnership and areas for cooperation beyond counterterrorism." Also read | US carries out air strikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq, Syria Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin joined the group to reaffirm his support for "the US-Iraq strategic partnership." Talks are set to resume on Friday. Some 3,500 foreign troops are in Iraqi territory, including 2,500 Americans, who have been posted to help fight the Islamic State group since 2014. The implementation of their withdrawal could take years. Iraq, long an arena for bitter rivalry between the United States and Iran despite their shared enmity towards the IS, has seen growing numbers of rocket and drone attacks on US targets in recent months. Last week Iraq's leader met with visiting US envoy Brett McGurk in Baghdad to discuss foreign troop withdrawal, his office in statement.

Iraqi officials discuss US military presence on Washington visit

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya appealed on Monday for more help from the United States as she began a visit to Washington for meetings with top Biden administration officials this week. 
 
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has kept a tight grip on Belarus since 1994 and has cracked down on street protests that began over a presidential election last August that his opponents say was rigged so that he could retain power. 
 
Tsikhanouskaya, 38, was a candidate in the election instead of her husband, Sergei Tsikhanouskiy, a video blogger who has been jailed since May 2020 on charges such as violating public order, which he denies. Tsikhanouskaya fled to neighboring Lithuania after Lukashenko`s crackdown. 
 
She met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and State Department Counselor Derek Chollet, the State Department said in a statement. 
 
It said they discussed the need for the Lukashenko government's "crackdown to end, along with the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Belarus, and an inclusive political dialogue and new presidential elections under international observation." 
 
Tsikhanouskaya also had meetings planned this week with senior White House officials, a senior administration official said. 
 
She told CNN that more help was needed from the United States and the European Union. 
 
"The USA has a moral obligation to be with us. I ask the USA to help civil society survive," she said. "Stand with Belarus." 
 
The senior administration official said the United States "stands with" Tsikhanouskaya and the people of Belarus and "will continue to support their democratic aspirations."

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya appealed on Monday for more help from the United States as she began a visit to Washington for meetings with top Biden administration officials this week.

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya appealed on Monday for more help from the United States as she began a visit to Washington for meetings with top Biden administration officials this week. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has kept a tight grip on Belarus since 1994 and has cracked down on street protests that began over a presidential election last August that his opponents say was rigged so that he could retain power. Tsikhanouskaya, 38, was a candidate in the election instead of her husband, Sergei Tsikhanouskiy, a video blogger who has been jailed since May 2020 on charges such as violating public order, which he denies. Tsikhanouskaya fled to neighboring Lithuania after Lukashenko`s crackdown. She met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and State Department Counselor Derek Chollet, the State Department said in a statement. It said they discussed the need for the Lukashenko government's "crackdown to end, along with the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Belarus, and an inclusive political dialogue and new presidential elections under international observation." Tsikhanouskaya also had meetings planned this week with senior White House officials, a senior administration official said. She told CNN that more help was needed from the United States and the European Union. "The USA has a moral obligation to be with us. I ask the USA to help civil society survive," she said. "Stand with Belarus." The senior administration official said the United States "stands with" Tsikhanouskaya and the people of Belarus and "will continue to support their democratic aspirations."

On Washington visit, Belarus opposition leader asks US for more help

After the sound of gunfire filled the stadium, fans and players scrambled for cover at a professional baseball game in Washington on Saturday night. Several people had been shot outside, said the police.

It was not clear to fans initially if the shooting was inside the complex.&nbsp;

The District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department had earlier said on Twitter that two people were shot outside of the ballpark.

In a follow-up tweet, it said that "two additional victims associated with the incident walked into area hospitals for treatment of gunshot wounds." Media reports later said the number of people shot was revised down to three.

The baseball game that had been in progress between the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres was suspended as a result of the shooting.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/unprecedented-spate-in-us-shootings-leave-several-dead-multiple-injured-398771">Also read |&nbsp;Unprecedented spate in US shootings leave several dead, multiple injured&nbsp;</a>

The shooting occurred in the sixth inning.

Meanwhile, in several shootings across the US, multiple people were killed and dozens injured. Gun violence was reported in Portland (Oregon), Houston (Philadelphia), Sacramento (California) and Washington, DC.

In Washington, DC, a six-year-old girl died in an attack late on Friday. In the incident, three men and two women were also injured, cops said.

Portland (Oregon) seems to have witnessed an unprecedented surge in gun violence and associated homicides in the past six months. On Saturday, the city saw around four shootings where two people were killed and seven injured, some critically.&nbsp;

Calling the rash of shootings, a 'pandemic', Mayor Ted Wheeler said he would push hard for more officers and resources for the Portland Police Bureau. The department lost 125 sworn officers last year and also faces news rounds of retiring officers in the coming months.&nbsp;

After the sound of gunfire filled the stadium, fans and players scrambled for cover at a professional baseball game in Washington on Saturday night. Several people had been shot outside, said the police.

After the sound of gunfire filled the stadium, fans and players scrambled for cover at a professional baseball game in Washington on Saturday night. Several people had been shot outside, said the police. It was not clear to fans initially if the shooting was inside the complex. The District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department had earlier said on Twitter that two people were shot outside of the ballpark. In a follow-up tweet, it said that "two additional victims associated with the incident walked into area hospitals for treatment of gunshot wounds." Media reports later said the number of people shot was revised down to three. The baseball game that had been in progress between the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres was suspended as a result of the shooting. Also read | Unprecedented spate in US shootings leave several dead, multiple injured The shooting occurred in the sixth inning. Meanwhile, in several shootings across the US, multiple people were killed and dozens injured. Gun violence was reported in Portland (Oregon), Houston (Philadelphia), Sacramento (California) and Washington, DC. In Washington, DC, a six-year-old girl died in an attack late on Friday. In the incident, three men and two women were also injured, cops said. Portland (Oregon) seems to have witnessed an unprecedented surge in gun violence and associated homicides in the past six months. On Saturday, the city saw around four shootings where two people were killed and seven injured, some critically. Calling the rash of shootings, a 'pandemic', Mayor Ted Wheeler said he would push hard for more officers and resources for the Portland Police Bureau. The department lost 125 sworn officers last year and also faces news rounds of retiring officers in the coming months.

Shooting outside Washington nationals stadium leaves fans scrambling

The baseball game that had been in progress between the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres was suspended as a result of the shooting.

Four people shot outside Washington's national baseball stadium

Some 135 years after the arrival of&nbsp;its&nbsp;big sister in New York, a relatively diminutive replica&nbsp;Statue&nbsp;of&nbsp;Liberty&nbsp;was unveiled Wednesday in the US capital as a token of American-French friendship.

The replica, standing at around 10 feet (three meters) tall -- compared to the famed 300-foot-tall New York version -- was inaugurated by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his US counterpart, Antony Blinken.&nbsp;

The bronze&nbsp;statue&nbsp;was erected in the garden of the residence of France's ambassador in&nbsp;Washington.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-states-report-surge-in-virus-cases-as-vaccinations-lag-398106">Also read |&nbsp;US states report surge in virus cases as vaccinations lag</a>

On&nbsp;its&nbsp;journey from Paris, it travelled via&nbsp;Liberty&nbsp;Island, south of Manhattan, home of the iconic "Liberty&nbsp;Enlightening the World"&nbsp;statue&nbsp;presented by France to the United States in the late 19th century.

"The little sister has arrived," said Philippe Etienne, France's envoy in&nbsp;Washington.

"She spent a week in New York for the American national holiday -- Independence Day -- she was on Ellis Island, she looked at her big sister. And now she is in place for July 14," he added, referring to the French Bastille Day holiday.

On loan from France's National Conservatory of Arts and Trades (Cnam) and cast from the same mold used by sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the&nbsp;statue&nbsp;travelled in a specially designed Plexiglas case in a container transported by French shipping company CMA-CGM.

Some 135 years after the arrival of its big sister in New York, a relatively diminutive replica Statue of Liberty was unveiled Wednesday in the US capital as a token of American-French friendship.

Some 135 years after the arrival of its big sister in New York, a relatively diminutive replica Statue of Liberty was unveiled Wednesday in the US capital as a token of American-French friendship. The replica, standing at around 10 feet (three meters) tall -- compared to the famed 300-foot-tall New York version -- was inaugurated by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his US counterpart, Antony Blinken. The bronze statue was erected in the garden of the residence of France's ambassador in Washington. Also read | US states report surge in virus cases as vaccinations lag On its journey from Paris, it travelled via Liberty Island, south of Manhattan, home of the iconic "Liberty Enlightening the World" statue presented by France to the United States in the late 19th century. "The little sister has arrived," said Philippe Etienne, France's envoy in Washington. "She spent a week in New York for the American national holiday -- Independence Day -- she was on Ellis Island, she looked at her big sister. And now she is in place for July 14," he added, referring to the French Bastille Day holiday. On loan from France's National Conservatory of Arts and Trades (Cnam) and cast from the same mold used by sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the statue travelled in a specially designed Plexiglas case in a container transported by French shipping company CMA-CGM.

US capital gets its own, petite Statue of Liberty

Russia's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, was in an optimistic mood ahead of his return to Washington on Sunday, expecting meetings scheduled with US&nbsp;colleagues next week to be constructive, the RIA news agency reported. 
 
President Vladimir Putin and his US&nbsp;counterpart Joe Biden agreed to return their respective ambassadors to Washington and Moscow during talks in Geneva on Wednesday, a first summit between the two that they both described as pragmatic rather than friendly. 
 
Moscow recalled Antonov for consultations after Biden said in March that he believed Putin was 'a killer'. The US&nbsp;ambassador later returned to Washington for consultations too. 
 
"There is a lot of work to be done. We are counting on progress," RIA cited Antonov as saying before he boarded a flight to the United States. 
 
Antonov said he was returning with an optimistic mindset and that meetings would begin on Monday and continue throughout the week. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Russia's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, was in an optimistic mood ahead of his return to Washington on Sunday, expecting meetings scheduled with US colleagues next week to be constructive, the RIA news agency reported.

Russia's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, was in an optimistic mood ahead of his return to Washington on Sunday, expecting meetings scheduled with US colleagues next week to be constructive, the RIA news agency reported. President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden agreed to return their respective ambassadors to Washington and Moscow during talks in Geneva on Wednesday, a first summit between the two that they both described as pragmatic rather than friendly. Moscow recalled Antonov for consultations after Biden said in March that he believed Putin was 'a killer'. The US ambassador later returned to Washington for consultations too. "There is a lot of work to be done. We are counting on progress," RIA cited Antonov as saying before he boarded a flight to the United States. Antonov said he was returning with an optimistic mindset and that meetings would begin on Monday and continue throughout the week. (With inputs from agencies)

Russian envoy to US returns to Washington with optimistic mindset: RIA

Why are we being bribed to get vaccinated? From free beers and guns to rolled joints and Tesla cars, governments and employers globally are offering incentives for getting jabbed. Is it ethical? WION’s Palki Sharma gets you a report.

Gravitas: Washington is offering 'rolled joints' for jabs

US Vice President Kamala Harris's plane was forced to land soon after take-off on Sunday due to a technical problem on her way to Guatemala for her first international trip.

"I'm good. I'm good," Harris told reporters, giving a thumbs-up after exiting the plane when it returned to Joint Base Andrews on the outskirts of Washington. "We all said a little prayer, but we're good." 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/covid-19-surge-in-india-heartbreaking-us-determined-to-help-the-country-vp-kamala-harris-383627">Also read — COVID-19 surge in India heartbreaking; US determined to help the country: VP Kamala Harris</a> 
 
The vice president switched planes, and a pool report said she arrived safely in Guatemala Sunday evening. Her spokeswoman Symone Sanders said that no major delays in her itinerary were expected.

The crew "noticed the landing gear was not storing as it should which could lead to further mechanical issues. While there was no immediate safety issue, out of an abundance of caution, they returned to Joint Base Andrews," Sanders said.

A journalist on board reported "an unusual noise" from the landing gear when the plane -- known as Air Force Two -- took off but said that the landing was "completely normal."

Harris will visit Guatemala and Mexico this week, intending to bring a message of hope to a region hammered by Covid-19 and which is the source of most of the undocumented migrants seeking entry to the United States.

Harris is taking her first trip abroad as President Joe Biden's deputy to tackle the root causes of migration from the region -- one of the thorniest issues facing the White House.

US Vice President Kamala Harris's plane was forced to land soon after take-off on Sunday due to a technical problem on her way to Guatemala for her first international trip.

US Vice President Kamala Harris's plane was forced to land soon after take-off on Sunday due to a technical problem on her way to Guatemala for her first international trip. "I'm good. I'm good," Harris told reporters, giving a thumbs-up after exiting the plane when it returned to Joint Base Andrews on the outskirts of Washington. "We all said a little prayer, but we're good." Also read — COVID-19 surge in India heartbreaking; US determined to help the country: VP Kamala Harris The vice president switched planes, and a pool report said she arrived safely in Guatemala Sunday evening. Her spokeswoman Symone Sanders said that no major delays in her itinerary were expected. The crew "noticed the landing gear was not storing as it should which could lead to further mechanical issues. While there was no immediate safety issue, out of an abundance of caution, they returned to Joint Base Andrews," Sanders said. A journalist on board reported "an unusual noise" from the landing gear when the plane -- known as Air Force Two -- took off but said that the landing was "completely normal." Harris will visit Guatemala and Mexico this week, intending to bring a message of hope to a region hammered by Covid-19 and which is the source of most of the undocumented migrants seeking entry to the United States. Harris is taking her first trip abroad as President Joe Biden's deputy to tackle the root causes of migration from the region -- one of the thorniest issues facing the White House.

Plane with Kamala Harris on board forced to turn around after 'technical issue'

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