4/22/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 22 , 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Pompeo Touts ‘Toughest' GOP Sanctions Bill on Iran Amid Signs of Tentative Progress at Vienna Talks

Amid ongoing Vienna talks to reactivate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Biden administration has been sending indications to Tehran that it may consider reducing punitive sanctions currently targeting Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Apr. 20 - ...Coming against the backdrop of ongoing Vienna talks between senior diplomats from the US, Iran, Germany, France, Russia, China and the European Union in a bid to chart a manner in which the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) can be fully restored, the bill seeks to forestall a US reentry into the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Amid signs of tentative progress in indirect talks between the US and Iran in Vienna, the proposed legislation would incorporate measures that would require any new deal with Tehran to be ratified by the Senate, while codifying into law sanctions introduced on Iran during the Trump-era.

​Furthermore, the bill would expand sanctions, extending them to the Iran's ballistic missile programme, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iranian-backed militias elsewhere in the Middle East and a range of Iranian industries...     quoted from
President Joe Biden is reportedly planning to refer to mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as an act of genocide.
​What Joe Biden Has Said About Armenian Genocide

Apr. 22 - President Joe Biden is on the cusp of formally recognizing the Armenian massacre by the Ottoman Empire more than 100 years ago as an act of genocide, fulfilling a promise he made on the campaign trail.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that the White House was moving to break with tradition and refer to the massacre as genocide on April 24, the date of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.


However, the news wire reported that the president could back out of the plan if he believes it will damage U.S. relations with Turkey. Ankara is expected to be angered by the move, should it go ahead.

Asked if Biden would call the Armenian massacre an act of genocide in time for the Saturday memorial, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: "I expect we will have more to say about Remembrance Day on Saturday. But I don't have anything to get ahead of that at this point in time."

The reported move to recognize the mass killings as an act of genocide has come after Rep. 
Adam Schiff (D-CA) penned an open letter to the president calling on him to honor his campaign promise.

​"On behalf of hundreds of thousands of Armenian Americans, the children and grandchildren and great grandchildren of genocide survivors, I ask you: Keep that promise," the open letter read. "Recognize the Armenian Genocide." More than 100 lawmakers representing both parties signed the open letter.     more
美拉伙伴“围攻”俄罗斯?普京称对敌对行为将强硬回应 20210421 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Apr 22, 2021

The U.S. Embassy in MoscowUS Embassy in Russia Confirms That Sullivan Has Left the Diplomatic Mission and is On His Way to DC

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on 16 April that the Russian side had recommended that Ambassador Sullivan return to Washington for consultations about the bilateral relationship.


Apr. 22 - US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan has left the diplomatic mission and is on his way to Washington, the US embassy confirmed to RIA Novosti on Thursday.

"We can confirm that Ambassador Sullivan is on his way to Washington, DC," the embassy said.

Sullivan will briefly travel to the United States for a family visit and consultations with the US presidential administration. He is set to return to Moscow in the coming weeks.

Earlier this month, the United States imposed new sanctions on 32 Russian entities and individuals as part of a new round of sanctions for Moscow's alleged cyber attacks and other hostile acts against US interests. The United States also expelled ten Russian diplomats from the country and prohibited US entities from purchasing ruble-based bonds.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned the fresh round of sanctions as running contrary to the interests of the two nations. In response, Russia banned eight US citizens from entering the country, including US Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and FBI Director Christopher Wray.     source from

4/21/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 21 , 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a meeting. 
Chinese President Xi to attend online Biden climate summit

Apr. 21 - Chinese President Xi Jinping will take part in President Joe Biden’s climate summit this week, Beijing said on Wednesday, as the world's top polluting nations seek rare common ground despite wider political tensions.

​China and the United States are the biggest emitters of climate-changing carbon pollution.

Biden has invited 40 world leaders including Xi and Russia's Vladimir Putin to the meet starting on Earth Day, meant to mark Washington's return to the front lines of the fight against climate change after former president Donald Trump disengaged from the process.

Xi said in December that China’s emissions would fall by 65% from 2005 levels by 2030.

The virtual summit will be the first meeting between the two leaders since Biden became president.
Xi will give an "important speech" at the meeting, said the Chinese foreign ministry, days after a trip to Shanghai by US climate envoy John Kerry -- the first official from Biden's administration to visit China.

Kerry and Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua had said they were "committed to cooperating" on tackling the climate crisis, even as sky-high tensions remain on multiple other fronts.

Washington and Beijing's pledge to cooperate comes amid acrimony over accusations about China's policies in Hong Kong and its treatment of Uyghurs in its northwestern Xinjiang region -- criticisms Beijing rejects as interference in its domestic affairs.

No global solution on climate change is likely without both the US and China on board, since the world's top two economies together account for nearly half of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions.     source from



A F-CK-1 Ching-kuo Indigenous Defence Fighter (IDF) is seen at an Air Force base in Tainan, Taiwan. Reuters

Two Chinese J-20 'Chengdu' stealth fighter jets perform during a flying display on the first day of a military airshow in Zhuhai, Guangzhou province, China.
Taiwanese defence ministry claims airspace violation by Chinese air force


Apr. 21 - China’s air force allegedly sent 25 fighters and bombers into the Taiwan Strait, according to the Taiwanese ministry of defence. There was no way to independently verify the claim.

According to a statement from Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence, Beijing deployed 14 J-16 and four J-10 fighters, four H-6K bombers, two Y-8 anti-sub warfare planes and one KJ-500 early warning aircraft into the southwest section of Taiwan’s air defence identification zone Monday.

The ministry said Taiwan’s air force responded by sending patrol aircraft to the area and tracking the Chinese planes with missile defence systems.

The Chinese Defence Ministry said last week that the Liaoning aircraft carrier had carried out exercises near Taiwan recently and the navy is planning more more drills. The People’s Liberation Army also said last week that it monitored the USS John S McCain destroyer as it sailed through the Taiwan Strait.


Washington and Beijing have been issuing warnings to each other regarding Taiwan since President Joe Biden took office in January, adding to tensions that increased steadily during the Trump administration. On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China should avoid encroaching on Taiwan, saying Beijing was fomenting tensions in the strait with “aggressive actions.”

The US State Department said in January that Washington had a “rock solid” commitment to Taipei after China flew more than a dozen military aircraft, including the H-6K bombers, into the strait. The bombers are believed to be capable of carrying land-attack cruise missiles.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi used an annual press briefing last month to warn the Biden administration to be careful in its dealings with Taipei.

Mr Wang said the US should stop “crossing lines and playing with fire,” and said there was “no room for compromise or concessions” in Beijing’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan.

​The Communist Party ruling China sees Taiwan as its territory, which must be seized by force if necessary. Taipei rejects the claim, saying Taiwan is already a de facto sovereign nation.     source from
解放军南海演习 美军“秀肌肉”反暴露重大缺陷?20210419 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Apr 20, 2021

H-6K bombers in formation during a military parade in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, July 30, 2017. 
China conducted an aerial bombing drill after the US and Japan put out a statement on Taiwan

Apr. 21 - China conducted a large-scale aerial bombardment exercise over the weekend as tensions escalated over Taiwan, prompted by a joint statement about the island from the United States and Japan.

The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees the Taiwan Strait, deployed dozens of H-6K strategic bombers in a nine-hour live-fire drill, according to state television.

The bombers took off in groups from a military airport in eastern China in combat formations amid low-visibility conditions and headed towards an "unknown shooting range," the CCTV report said.

​During their flights the H-6Ks, which have a maximum load capacity of 15 tonnes, also practised electronic countermeasures with air-defence missile units. Once they reached their target airspace, they dropped free-fall aerial bombs from different altitudes, the report said.     more

4/20/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 20 , 2021

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US and EU Warning - Russia Massed over 150,000 Troops on Ukraine's Border

Apr. 20 - ​Russia has concentrated more than 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s border and in annexed Crimea, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday after EU foreign ministers were briefed by Ukraine’s foreign minister.

“It is more than 150,000 Russian troops massing on the Ukrainian borders and in Crimea. The risk of further escalation is evident,” Borrell said, declining to give a source for the figure.


He said no new economic sanctions or expulsions of Russian diplomats were planned for the time being, despite saying that the military build-up on Ukraine’s borders was the largest ever.

In Washington, the Pentagon said the Russian military build-up was larger than that in 2014 and it was not clear that it was for training purposes.

The White House Press Secretary emphasized that the US had watched the increasing aggression of Russian forces on Ukraine’s border “over the course of the weekend.

​The United States also expressed its “deep concern” over Russia’s plans to block foreign naval ships and other vessels in parts of the Black Sea, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.     source from



China buys about a third of the 1.2 million tonnes of hay Australia exports each year.
Australia's $160m hay exports to China under threat as permits lapse


Apr. 20 - ​Australian hay growers could be the next major industry frozen out by China, with Canberra-Beijing relations yet to thaw since a year-long diplomatic spat over the origins of the coronavirus.

Australia's hay exports to China, valued at $160 million annually, have practically ground to a halt this year, as dozens of crucial export permits which lapsed two months ago are still to be renewed by Beijing.

​With China buying about one-third of the 1.2 million tonnes of hay that Australia exports across the world each year, the pause in trade is hurting.     more

APRIL 19, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held her daily press briefing, taking questions from reporters on a range of issues. Ms. Psaki was asked repeatedly about the seeming reversal of the Biden administration’s policy regarding refugee caps announced the previous Friday, and whether pushback from progressive leaders led to the change. “We never said we’re not raising the refugee cap,” she said, disputing there was any change in policy. The press secretary said there was an “important caveat” in the earlier announcement that if 15,000 admissions were reached, there would be a subsequent presidential determination to issue more admissions. “Let’s be clear, we are changing the policies of the last administration,” she said. Ms. Psaki also answered questions on the FDA’s pause in administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, President Biden’s infrastructure proposal, and whether the president believed the situation on the southern border was a “crisis.” 

'Fox is not news': New CNN morning anchor debuts with blistering takedown of right-wing network - Raw Story - Celebrating 17 Years of Independent Journalism

On her debut on CNN's morning segment, anchor Brianna Keilar tore into Fox News for its use of partisan chyrons to push far-right narratives against President Joe Biden.

Apr. 20 - "The chyrons, those headlines you see at the bottom of your screen? They are getting noticeably more creative," said Keilar. "Fox uses them to push their conspiracy theories that Biden is essentially senile ... other Fox banners imply that Biden basically belongs in a home, and one of their main experts literally called in from his retirement home in Florida. Another is this guy, the infamous Fox doc they have on to give a quote 'virtual medical examination' then reaching the evidence-free conclusion Biden is off his rocker, pushes the theory he is the puppet of a deep state."


​"Fox reliably provides the public disservice of pandemic disinformation, and sometimes it uses pictures," continued Keilar, showing a number of other Fox chyrons and graphics. "Top health officials shown in straight jackets ... one year into the pandemic, despite undeniable evidence that masks work, Fox's chief science officer, Mr. Karlsson suggests they're a national security risk with the new headline. When the new president marked one year of grief and loss, fox got impatient, saying how dare the president not wrap up before the power hour cockamamie commentary."     more


4/19/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 19 , 2021

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Joe Biden is on track for the most impressive first 100 days of a U.S. presidency. The contrast should make Liberals blush

Apr. 16 - This will be the most impressive first 100 days of an American presidency since FDR invented the benchmark. Consider: $2 trillion pandemic package — done; Paris Accord reconnect and climate summit — done; first gun control package in three decades — done; fastest Cabinet approval in four presidencies — done. And on and on. Coming: Iran deal, climate deal and $3 trillion on infrastructure. Oh, and a new global tax system.

The contrast with even the vague promises, let alone the predictable underperformance, of their budget tomorrow should make every Liberal blush. Biden is not alone in setting new benchmarks and jumping on traditional political third rails. Angela Merkel broke decades of German obstinacy on EU-level grants and lending. President Macron erased the educational seat of power of the French elite, their national government academy. Mario Draghi is promising the most dramatic reform agenda for Italy ever. A club of transformational leaders appears to be emerging.

The leader of the club could not have been more improbable: good old, go along, get along, Joe Biden. Today’s Joe is not whom even Democrats thought they were electing. American pundits have expressed skepticism, then surprise, then hallelujahs. David Brooks, perhaps America’s most thoughtful conservative analyst, is iconic of this phenomenon with adulatory paeans of praise.

Why was this new Joe born? It has mystified many. Sage pundits point to four factors. There’s the pandemic, of course. The bitter reality that preaching bipartisanship may be good politics but is dead on arrival, so rush for the legislative finish line fast. Young mid-level officials care more about equality and inclusion, and are not afraid to break taboos like taxing the rich. Finally, there is the reality that Democrats have perhaps 18 months to get this done and visible, if they hope to survive the 2022 mid-terms.

This appears to be one of those moments like 1946, 1989 and 2009 when a crisis-driven unity lifts expectations of government performance across the developed world. It’s far from certain that the Trudeau government will be part of this consensus. However, it appears increasingly clear that Jagmeet Singh will have his moment, as the voice of those demanding deep change in equality, climate and inclusion. If he does not stumble, this should be the election that seals his leadership legacy.     more

WATCH LIVE ON APRIL 19 | 10AM ET | C-SPAN2
Derek Chauvin Trial for the Death of George Floyd, Day 15
Closing arguments begin in trial for Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, accused in the death of George Floyd.


Barry Brodd, a use-of-force expert, testifies in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis on April 13.
Pig's head thrown at former home of Chauvin defense witness

Barry Brodd, once a police officer in California, compared George Floyd's killing to an "accidental death."

Apr. 19 - Vandals threw a pig's head at the onetime home of a former California police officer who was a defense witness for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer accused of killing George Floyd, police said.

The incident occurred early Saturday in Santa Rosa, California, at a house where the witness, Barry Brodd,used to live, Santa Rosa police said in a statement.

Police said Brodd appeared to have been targeted over his testimony.
"Mr. Brodd has not lived at the residence for a number of years and is no longer a resident of California," police said. "Because Mr. Brodd no longer lives in the city of Santa Rosa, it appears the victim was falsely targeted."

A person at the home found the head on the front porch, which was splattered with blood. People who were dressed in black fled as the person called 911, police said.

The same people are believed to have drenched a statue at a mall in animal blood about 45 minutes later and left a sign that read, "Oink Oink," police said. They are accused of felony vandalism and have not been identified.     source from

Monday
April 19, 2021


4/17/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 17 , 2021

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APRIL 16, 2021
President Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Hold News Conference
President Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga held a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden. Both leaders reaffirmed the commitment of partnership and shared values and answered questions on the Tokyo Olympic Games, climate change, relations with China and Iran, and the president’s gun control policy. 


Biden, Suga Hold 'Serious Talks' on China After Beijing Warns Japan to Stand Asid

Apr. 17 - President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had "serious talks" about China hours after the country warned Japan not to escalate hostilities over a disputed territory.


Biden and Suga met at the White House on Friday, Biden's first in-person meeting with a foreign leader since becoming president. While many issues were discussed, the meeting was said to include a discussion on "the impact of China's actions on peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the world," with the leaders sharing their "concerns over Chinese activities that are inconsistent with the international rules-based order, including the use of economic and other forms of coercion."

​"We committed to working together to take on the challenges from China and on issues like the East China Sea, the South China Sea, as well as North Korea, to ensure a future of a free and open Indo-Pacific," Biden said at a press conference following the meeting. "We're committed to defending and advancing our shared values, including human rights and the rule of law."     more

APRIL 16, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held a briefing on the president’s agenda. She spoke about the recent shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, that left eight people dead. She went on to call for the Senate to pass House legislation on background checks. She also previewed President Biden’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, saying they would discuss a range of topics including climate change, North Korea, and the upcoming Olympics.


Press Secretary Jen Psaki brilliantly smacks down Newsmax reporter trying to get Black UN Ambassador fired

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded to a reporter from the right wing website Newsmax who asked if President Joe Biden will fire the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.


Apr. 17 - Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield joined the U.S. Foreign Service four decades ago, in 1982. Her extensive resume includes serving as United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Director General of the United States Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources, United States Ambassador to Liberia, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, among others.

She was confirmed for her current post by a highly partisan U.S. Senate in a strongly bipartisan 78–20 vote.

Newsmax White House Correspondent Emerald Robinson suggested President Joe Biden should bow down to any criticism or attacks from China, telling Psaki that Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield "essentially said that white supremacy is woven into our founding documents and principles."

"This statement," Robinson claimed, "is getting widely criticized as essentially parroting Chinese Communist Party talking points. So is the President going to remove her from her position as the representative before that body to promote United States values?"

Psaki, calmly, told her no.

"Is the President going to remove an African American woman with decades of experience in the Foreign Service who is widely respected around the world from her position as Ambassador to the UN? He is not," Psaki replied. "He is proud to have her in that position. She is not only qualified, he believes she is exactly the right person in that role at this moment in time. I have not seen her comments, I will say that there's no question that there has been a history of institutional racism in this country, and that doesn't require the UN ambassador to confirm that."    source from

APRIL 16, 2021
President Biden Meeting with Japanese Prime Minister
President Biden held a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. The leaders spoke briefly about the countries' common interests and the importance of the Indo-Pacific region.

President Joe Biden signs a series of executive orders on climate change, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Jan. 27, 2021
Biden's Earth Day Summit Aims for Reset on Climate Change


Apr. 17 - A "coming-out party for the United States on climate change."
That's how University of Maryland Center for Global Sustainability Director Nathan Hultman describes the virtual summit President Joe Biden is hosting with dozens of world leaders April 22-23.

After four years of disregard for the issue under former President Donald Trump, the summit will be "an opportunity for the U.S. to come back onto the scene to show it is taking climate change seriously," said David Waskow, International Climate Initiative director at the World Resources Institute, a Washington-based environmental research and advocacy group.

The White House said it will announce an "ambitious" 2030 target for greenhouse gas emissions before the summit. 
Advocates are calling for a 50% cut from 2005 levels, a "highly ambitious but still achievable" goal, Hultman said.  

​And it would show other major polluters that the largest cumulative contributor to global warming is ready to take action.  
"Certainly China is looking to see what the United States is going to do," Waskow said. "We know that some of these other countries — Japan, South Korea, Canada, India — are watching to see how the United States will move."      more