Hunter Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, has accused congressional Republicans of attempting to undermine the plea deal recently reached between President Biden's son and prosecutors by pushing forward what he described as "false allegations" from IRS whistleblowers. Lowell has called for an investigation into the timing of the agents' leaks and Biden's subsequent decision to release their statements, and the Biden administration has yet to comment on the accusations. It remains to be seen how the allegations will affect the plea agreement.
Posts tagged as “American Born Chinese”
Miami Mayor and 2024 presidential candidate Francis Suarez has come under fire for his response to a question about human rights abuses against Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim minority ethnic group in China’s western region. Suarez's response of "What's a Uyghur?" has been met with criticism from human rights activists, prompting him to apologize and promise to make human rights a priority in his campaign. It remains to be seen how this incident will affect his chances in the upcoming election.
U.S. intelligence officials released a report on Friday rejecting some points raised by those who argue COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese lab. The report has angered some Republicans, who argue the Biden administration is withholding information, while intelligence officials argue China's obstruction has made it impossible to determine the origin. U.S. Rep. Mike Turner has noted that U.S. intelligence had "extraordinary detail" about the risk posed by the Wagner group, and that top congressional leaders had been briefed multiple times by the administration.
Andrei Rudenko, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, visited Beijing on Sunday to discuss "international and regional issues of common concern" with the Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. This follows Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary Wagner Group, ordering his troops to march on Moscow before reaching a deal with the Kremlin to go into exile. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been monitoring the events and engaging with the Russians. It is unclear what was discussed during Rudenko's visit, but it is likely that the two countries discussed the situation in Russia and the implications of the aborted rebellion.
Beijing is experiencing a rare heatwave, with temperatures soaring to 106 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday, breaking the June record. The Nanjiao observatory in southern Beijing recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for a third consecutive day, and Tanghekou in Beijing’s northeast even reached 107 F. Authorities are urging people to limit their time outdoors as the heatwave is likely to continue in the coming days.
The U.S. intelligence community has released a 10-page declassified report on the origins of Covid-19, finding no direct evidence of a "biosafety incident" at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and that natural exposure to an infected animal is the most likely scenario for the first human infection. The report also noted that the intelligence community has not seen evidence that the virus was released from the Wuhan Institute of Virology intentionally or accidentally, and that the Chinese government has not been fully transparent in its response to the pandemic.
China has strongly opposed US President Joe Biden's comments calling Chinese leader Xi Jinping a dictator, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning expressing "strong dissatisfaction and opposition" to the remarks. The response comes days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Beijing in an effort to re-establish communication between the two countries. The latest clash of words is likely to further strain the already tense relationship between the US and China.
At a private fundraising event in California, President Biden referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a dictator, and implied that Xi was caught off guard by the U.S. military shooting down a Chinese surveillance balloon in February. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had just visited China for a rare diplomatic trip, in an attempt to ease tensions between the two countries. The meeting between Blinken and Xi was the first high-level diplomatic meeting between the two countries since President Biden took office, and the White House has said that the U.S. will continue to push for a more equitable relationship with China.