Author: Laura Kelly

Blinken to push Turkey, Hungary to ratify Sweden joining NATO

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will push Turkey and Hungary to ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO during an informal meeting of foreign ministers in Norway next week, the State Department said, ahead of the alliance’s main summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July.  Blinken will travel to Oslo on May 31 in the wake of Turkey’s…

White House: Chinese allegations against Micron ‘baseless’

The White House on Wednesday condemned China for blacklisting imports of memory chips from the U.S-based company Micron, but it cautioned that Beijing’s sanctions would not derail Washington’s efforts to improve communication between the two nuclear-armed powers.  White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Beijing’s allegations that imports of Micron’s chips pose a national…

48 House Democrats sign open letter supporting large-scale Israeli protests

House Democrats issued an open letter Wednesday voicing support for Israeli protesters demonstrating against a push by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to overhaul the country’s judiciary. The letter, signed by 48 Democrats, backs protesters’ efforts to stop Netanyahu from pursuing judicial reforms that were put on hold in response to months-long, large-scale protests across…

Taiwan Foreign Minister: ‘We think that the war can be avoided’

TAIPEI – Taiwan needs to earn U.S. military assistance and diplomatic support as it faces down a potential Chinese invasion or blockade.  That was the message from Taiwanese Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu during a briefing with international reporters at the Taiwan Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. “If we do not have the determination to fight…

McCarthy warns Israel off of Chinese investments in Jerusalem speech

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday called for Israel to scrutinize Chinese investments in the country, issuing a stark warning to Jerusalem that Beijing acts as “thieves.”  McCarthy, in a historic address to Israel’s parliament, raised the sensitive issue of Israel’s relations with China, which the U.S. has long warned raises security concerns in the…

US, partners scurry to contain fighting in Sudan

The U.S. and international partners are scrambling to contain an outbreak of fierce fighting in Sudan, where a conflict between heavily armed military factions risks exploding into a civil war that threatens devastating consequences. Intense diplomacy by the U.S., the U.K., the African Union, United Nations, Gulf countries and others succeeded in extending a cease-fire early Friday…

South Korea’s Yoon targets North Korea in address to Congress

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday appealed to a joint meeting of Congress to stand united with Seoul in the face of North Korea’s aggression, underscoring the peninsula’s priority threat in an increasingly dangerous world for global democracies.  His remarks followed President Biden signing on Wednesday a significant commitment to deploy U.S.-nuclear-armed submarines to South Korea as a deterrent against North Korea’s…

Second American dies in Sudan amid unrelenting battles despite ceasefire

The Biden administration on Wednesday confirmed a second American citizen was killed in Sudan amid an outbreak of heavy combat between competing military generals in the capital Khartoum. A three-day, U.S.-brokered ceasefire has decreased fighting, National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby told reporters while confirming the death of the American. Kirby said President Biden has “asked for…