18:45
Modi called it “constructive,” the White House said, but there was no agreement on Russian oil
Joe Biden has tried to dissuade India from continuing to buy oil from Russia during his previous conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the White House said, but did not appear to be committed to doing so.
At an afternoon briefing to reporters, Jen Psaki, a White House spokeswoman, described a “constructive, productive” video conference between leaders who discussed the conflict in Ukraine and India’s continued dependence on Russian oil.
India bought millions of barrels of Russian oil at a discount in February as other nations tightened sanctions against the country for its invasion of Ukraine, sparking criticism from the United States and several allies.
“What the president did … was clarify the impact of our sanctions. We expect everyone to respect them, “Psaki said.
“India imports only about 1-2% of its energy from Russia. We also made it clear, and the President made it clear that we would be happy to help them diversify.
“The president has also made it clear that he does not believe it is in India’s interest to accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy and other goods,” she added, probably referring to India’s investments in Russia’s military air defense systems. -400.
Asked if Modi was committed to reducing or eliminating Russian oil purchases, Psaki said: “I will leave Prime Minister Modi and the Indians talking about it.
“It was a constructive call, it was a productive call. This is a relationship that is vital to the United States and the president. I would not see it as a hostile call. “
Updated at 18.56 BST
9m ago19: 01
The White House has released more details about its recently announced restrictions on “ghost weapons.”
A fact sheet accompanying Joe Biden’s afternoon address from the Rose Garden said that all such weapons put up for sale must have a serial number in order to be traced in the future.
Ghosts are those assembled from kits, often purchased online and without serial numbers, making them difficult, if not impossible, to track.
According to the fact sheet:
This latter rule prohibits businesses from producing the most affordable ghost weapons, such as non-serialized “buy-launch” kits, which people can buy online or in a store without inspection and can easily be assembled into a working firearm for only 30 minutes with equipment they have at home, “the White House said in a statement.
This rule clarifies that these kits are classified as “firearms” under the Arms Control Act and that commercial manufacturers of such kits must therefore be licensed and include the serial numbers of the frame or receiver of the kits, and commercial sellers of these kits they must obtain a federal license and carry out pre-sale checks – just as they must treat other firearms produced commercially.
The last rule will also help turn some ghost weapons that are already in circulation into serialized firearms. Under this rule, the Department of Justice requires federally licensed dealers and gunsmiths to take any non-serialized firearms in inventory to serialize those weapons.
At an afternoon briefing, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki was asked if she thought Biden’s new rules would withstand the expected strong opposition from Republicans. Although they have a majority in both houses of Congress, Democrats have failed to make progress on arms control measures through legislation.
“The president is confident in every executive order and the legal authority he proposes,” she said.
“But what is important to note about the statement he is making today is that this is a rule that is upheld by law enforcement. This is a rule that will help tackle what we know is a growing component of gun crimes across the country. “
25 minutes ago 18:45
Modi called it “constructive,” the White House said, but there was no agreement on Russian oil
Joe Biden has tried to dissuade India from continuing to buy oil from Russia during his previous conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the White House said, but did not appear to be committed to doing so.
At an afternoon briefing to reporters, Jen Psaki, a White House spokeswoman, described a “constructive, productive” video conference between leaders who discussed the conflict in Ukraine and India’s continued dependence on Russian oil.
India bought millions of barrels of Russian oil at a discount in February as other nations tightened sanctions against the country for its invasion of Ukraine, sparking criticism from the United States and several allies.
“What the president did … was clarify the impact of our sanctions. We expect everyone to respect them, “Psaki said.
“India imports only about 1-2% of its energy from Russia. We also made it clear, and the President made it clear that we would be happy to help them diversify.
“The president has also made it clear that he does not believe it is in India’s interest to accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy and other goods,” she added, probably referring to India’s investments in Russia’s military air defense systems. -400.
Asked if Modi was committed to reducing or eliminating Russian oil purchases, Psaki said: “I will leave Prime Minister Modi and the Indians talking about it.
“It was a constructive call, it was a productive call. This is a relationship that is vital to the United States and the president. I would not see it as a hostile call. “
Updated at 18.56 BST
1 hour ago 17:55
Ramon Antonio Vargas
The Democrat with perhaps the best chance of ousting Chuck Grassley, the Republican senator from Iowa, in the midterm elections in November, was removed from the primary election on June 7 – for now.
As reported by the Associated Press, late Sunday a state judge ruled that Abby Finkenauer could not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary because of technical malfunctions.
Judge Scott Beatty, appointed to Iowa’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, overturned a decision by a panel of three elected state officials last week that found Finkenauer’s campaign staff largely complied with a law requiring candidates to receive 3,500 signatures. including at least 100 from a minimum of 19 counties.
Two Republicans have challenged Finkenauer’s documents, saying signatures from at least two counties are missing the date needed to accompany them. Finkenauer can appeal the decision to the Iowa Supreme Court.
Finkenauer is considered the Democratic’s favorite in the primary election, in part because of his past experience in Congress, serving in the US House of Commons from 2019 to 2021.
Other Democrats in the primary are Mike Franken, a retired admiral, and Glenn Hearst, a doctor and a member of the city council. Whoever wins will face Grassley, who is seeking an eighth term in the Senate at the age of 88 after being first elected in 1980.
For now, Democrats have a one-vote advantage in the Senate from 50 to 50, because Vice President Kamala Harris can play the role of a tiebreak. As always, both sides are trying to keep their seats while changing others to secure a majority in the hall.
Updated at 19.05 BST
2 hours ago 17:39 Adam Gabat
Watching Fox News can be like entering an alternate universe. This is a world where Vladimir Putin isn’t really that bad, but vaccines may be where some ruthless right-wing figures are celebrated as heroes, but Anthony Fauci, America’s top public health official, is an unsurpassed villain.
Given the constant flow of misinformation to avid Fox News user, viewers – mostly seniors, whites and Donald Trump supporters – are sometimes written off as lost causes by Democrats and progressives, but a new study still has hope.
In an unusual and time-consuming project, two political scientists paid a group of regular Fox News viewers to watch CNN for a month. At the end of the period, researchers found surprising results; some Fox News observers changed their minds on a number of key issues, including the US response to the coronavirus and the Democrats’ attitude toward the police.
Full article:
2 hours ago 17:17 Martin Pengeli
Interesting news from Wyoming – through Politico – about Liz Cheney, a defiantly anti-Trump conservative Republican.
Liz Cheney. Photo: J Scott Applewhite / AP
Politico reports that the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney “is ready to announce that [she] raised a staggering $ 2.94 million in the first quarter of 2022, bringing its total revenue for the cycle to more than $ 10 million. With four months left in the main campaign, Cheney has $ 6.8 million.
This means that Cheney is in a good position to fight for his seat against a Donald Trump-backed contender and other Republican candidates, one of whom the website describes as “even tougher” than the one the former president chose to support.
Wyoming is a hot-skinned Republican, and as Politico puts it, “in previous cycles, it was common for Cheney to raise several hundred thousand dollars a quarter, mostly from Wyoming residents.” With the national attention her race received, the money poured in from all over the country. “
Cheney was removed from the leadership of the Republican House because of her membership along with Adam Kinsinger of Illinois in the commission on January 6. Unlike Kinsinger, one of four Republicans against Trump who announced his resignation in November, Cheney remains in battle.
All this significantly increased her profile. Another quote from Politico: “If she defeats Trumpism in Wyoming, [Cheney] will immediately be able to use its new national fundraising network in potential 2024 [presidential] primary battle against man himself.
“In the end, she said last May: ‘I will do …
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