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🇺🇸🇸🇦The Biden administration is planning a "full reset" in US relations with Saudi Arabia and is ready to move on from the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, CNN reported citing officials.
President Joe Biden is willing to set aside moral outrage because of the dramatic need to boost oil production, the report said.
President Joe Biden is willing to set aside moral outrage because of the dramatic need to boost oil production, the report said.
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✈️ US lifts COVID-19 test requirement for international travel
The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international travelers test negative for COVID-19 within a day before boarding a flight to the United States, ending one of the last remaining government mandates designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Airline and tourism groups have been pressing the administration for months to eliminate the testing requirement, saying it discourages people from booking international trips because they could be stranded overseas if they contract the virus on their trip.
While domestic US travel has returned nearly to pre-pandemic levels, international travel — which is very lucrative for the airlines — has continued to lag. In May, US international air travel remained 24% below 2019 levels, with declines among both US and foreign citizens, according to trade group Airlines for America.
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The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international travelers test negative for COVID-19 within a day before boarding a flight to the United States, ending one of the last remaining government mandates designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Airline and tourism groups have been pressing the administration for months to eliminate the testing requirement, saying it discourages people from booking international trips because they could be stranded overseas if they contract the virus on their trip.
While domestic US travel has returned nearly to pre-pandemic levels, international travel — which is very lucrative for the airlines — has continued to lag. In May, US international air travel remained 24% below 2019 levels, with declines among both US and foreign citizens, according to trade group Airlines for America.
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🔥 New Mexico residents sue for information on massive wildfire
Dozens of residents in a small New Mexico community impacted by massive wildfires that merged in April are suing the US Forest Service over what they called a failure to provide information about the government’s role in starting the blazes.
The Forest Service has acknowledged that two prescribed burns it set to clear out brush and small trees that can serve as wildfire fuel sparked two blazes that came together as the largest in New Mexico’s history - and the biggest burning in the US right now.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the US District Court in Albuquerque on behalf of 50 Mora County residents. President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit New Mexico on Saturday for a briefing about the wildfires and recovery efforts.
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Dozens of residents in a small New Mexico community impacted by massive wildfires that merged in April are suing the US Forest Service over what they called a failure to provide information about the government’s role in starting the blazes.
The Forest Service has acknowledged that two prescribed burns it set to clear out brush and small trees that can serve as wildfire fuel sparked two blazes that came together as the largest in New Mexico’s history - and the biggest burning in the US right now.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the US District Court in Albuquerque on behalf of 50 Mora County residents. President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit New Mexico on Saturday for a briefing about the wildfires and recovery efforts.
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💉 Marathon US hearings to decide fate of COVID shots for tots
On Wednesday, both Moderna and Pfizer will have to convince what’s essentially a science court - advisers to the Food and Drug Administration - that their shots work well in babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
Kids under 5 are the only group not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in the US. Nearly 500 deaths in US children have been reported. If the agency’s advisers endorse one or both shots for them - and the FDA agrees - there’s still another hurdle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must recommend whether all tots need immunization or just those at high risk from the virus.
If the FDA authorizes one or both shots - a decision expected shortly after its advisory panel’s meeting - all eyes move to the CDC. The CDC’s own vaccine advisers are scheduled to meet next Friday and Saturday, with a final decision made by the CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
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On Wednesday, both Moderna and Pfizer will have to convince what’s essentially a science court - advisers to the Food and Drug Administration - that their shots work well in babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
Kids under 5 are the only group not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in the US. Nearly 500 deaths in US children have been reported. If the agency’s advisers endorse one or both shots for them - and the FDA agrees - there’s still another hurdle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must recommend whether all tots need immunization or just those at high risk from the virus.
If the FDA authorizes one or both shots - a decision expected shortly after its advisory panel’s meeting - all eyes move to the CDC. The CDC’s own vaccine advisers are scheduled to meet next Friday and Saturday, with a final decision made by the CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
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🔎 Tech antitrust is facing its biggest challenge yet in the Senate
After six months of slow progress, the Senate is closer than ever to instituting new tech antitrust rules — and the industry is fighting harder than ever to bring it down.
Sponsored by a bipartisan group including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICO) was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in January and is poised for a full Senate vote in the coming weeks.
If enacted, AICO would restrict dominant platforms from recommending their own services over competitors, alongside granting new funding for antitrust regulators at the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission. Critics say the new rules would result in drastic changes for Amazon Prime or Google search.
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After six months of slow progress, the Senate is closer than ever to instituting new tech antitrust rules — and the industry is fighting harder than ever to bring it down.
Sponsored by a bipartisan group including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICO) was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in January and is poised for a full Senate vote in the coming weeks.
If enacted, AICO would restrict dominant platforms from recommending their own services over competitors, alongside granting new funding for antitrust regulators at the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission. Critics say the new rules would result in drastic changes for Amazon Prime or Google search.
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‼️ Russian Ambassador to US sees no prerequisites for improvement of bilateral relations
Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov sees no prerequisites for the improvement of relations between Moscow and Washington, going on to underscore that American counterparts have shown no readiness to resume dialogue on strategic stability.
"I see no prerequisites for the improvement of relations today," the ambassador told Sputnik, stressing that bilateral relations may further deteriorate. "I believe that the both Russia and the United States profit from good bilateral relations. No matter how strong America is, it will never win the fight against terrorism alone. It will not solve the strategic stability issues and the problem of climate change without us."
"As of today, our American colleagues are not ready to resume contacts on strategic stability. Their representatives have stated this several times. So we are waiting for them to become ready," the ambassador added.
Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov sees no prerequisites for the improvement of relations between Moscow and Washington, going on to underscore that American counterparts have shown no readiness to resume dialogue on strategic stability.
"I see no prerequisites for the improvement of relations today," the ambassador told Sputnik, stressing that bilateral relations may further deteriorate. "I believe that the both Russia and the United States profit from good bilateral relations. No matter how strong America is, it will never win the fight against terrorism alone. It will not solve the strategic stability issues and the problem of climate change without us."
"As of today, our American colleagues are not ready to resume contacts on strategic stability. Their representatives have stated this several times. So we are waiting for them to become ready," the ambassador added.
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📺 January 6 prime-time hearing watched by more than 20 million
The figures released Friday by the Nielsen Company include viewers from 12 television networks that aired the rare prime-time hearing, including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX Business Network. The numbers do not include online viewers or those who watched on PBS.
The hearing, which aired for about two hours, made many elements of the ongoing investigation public for the first time, including a never-before-seen 12-minute video of extremist groups leading the deadly siege, and startling testimony from President Donald Trump’s inner circle.
Last week’s highest rated television shows, the first two games of the NBA finals on ABC, each had between 11 million and 12 million viewers.
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The figures released Friday by the Nielsen Company include viewers from 12 television networks that aired the rare prime-time hearing, including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX Business Network. The numbers do not include online viewers or those who watched on PBS.
The hearing, which aired for about two hours, made many elements of the ongoing investigation public for the first time, including a never-before-seen 12-minute video of extremist groups leading the deadly siege, and startling testimony from President Donald Trump’s inner circle.
Last week’s highest rated television shows, the first two games of the NBA finals on ABC, each had between 11 million and 12 million viewers.
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🚛 Truckers warn skyrocketing diesel prices are making US supply-chain and trucking industry unsustainable
A Facebook post from the owner of a Texas trucking company went viral last week after he warned that skyrocketing diesel prices could have longterm consequences for the US supply-chain. Austin Smith, owner of Iron River Express, said it has cost him over $20,000 a week to keep his three trucks running.
Diesel prices have surged over 76% in the past year. Last month, the diesel market faced its worst crisis since the 1970s, as prices are at a record $5.75, according to data from AAA. For truckers, that means they're spending as much as $1,700 refueling their trucks each day.
Truckers are considering leaving the industry due to fuel prices. Earlier this year, CEO of the American Trucking Association Chris Spear said the industry is facing a "chronic" shortage of about 81,000 drivers.
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A Facebook post from the owner of a Texas trucking company went viral last week after he warned that skyrocketing diesel prices could have longterm consequences for the US supply-chain. Austin Smith, owner of Iron River Express, said it has cost him over $20,000 a week to keep his three trucks running.
Diesel prices have surged over 76% in the past year. Last month, the diesel market faced its worst crisis since the 1970s, as prices are at a record $5.75, according to data from AAA. For truckers, that means they're spending as much as $1,700 refueling their trucks each day.
Truckers are considering leaving the industry due to fuel prices. Earlier this year, CEO of the American Trucking Association Chris Spear said the industry is facing a "chronic" shortage of about 81,000 drivers.
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🚫 Protest Against Exclusions at Summit of the Americas in LA
Crowds gathered in front of the Los Angeles Convention Center on Friday to protest the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the IX Summit of the Americas being held in the city.
The demonstrators shouted chants directed at US President Joe Biden for his decision to leave out the three nations. Participants were also seen carrying Cuban, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan flags and banners.
The IX Summit of the Americas was overshadowed by the controversy of exclusions, which led several presidents, such as the Mexican Andrés Manuel López Obrador, not to attend the continental meeting or complain to the US about its decision.
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Crowds gathered in front of the Los Angeles Convention Center on Friday to protest the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the IX Summit of the Americas being held in the city.
The demonstrators shouted chants directed at US President Joe Biden for his decision to leave out the three nations. Participants were also seen carrying Cuban, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan flags and banners.
The IX Summit of the Americas was overshadowed by the controversy of exclusions, which led several presidents, such as the Mexican Andrés Manuel López Obrador, not to attend the continental meeting or complain to the US about its decision.
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🗣 March for Our Lives returns with a renewed gun control push
The second March For Our Lives rally will take place Saturday in front of the Washington Monument, a successor to the 2018 march organized by student protesters after the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
Now with recent shootings from Uvalde, Texas, to Buffalo, New York, bringing gun control back into the national conversation, organizers of this weekend’s events say the time is right to renew their push for a national overhaul.
About 50,000 participants are predicted to turn out in the District of Columbia, with rain in the forecast. That’s far less than the original march, which filled downtown Washington with more than 200,000 people. This time, organizers are focusing on holding smaller marches at an estimated 300 locations.
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The second March For Our Lives rally will take place Saturday in front of the Washington Monument, a successor to the 2018 march organized by student protesters after the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
Now with recent shootings from Uvalde, Texas, to Buffalo, New York, bringing gun control back into the national conversation, organizers of this weekend’s events say the time is right to renew their push for a national overhaul.
About 50,000 participants are predicted to turn out in the District of Columbia, with rain in the forecast. That’s far less than the original march, which filled downtown Washington with more than 200,000 people. This time, organizers are focusing on holding smaller marches at an estimated 300 locations.
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🛢 Biden slams Exxon as Americans pay record gas prices
President Joe Biden blasted Exxon on Friday, taking the energy giant company to task for raking in record profits as Americans pay record-high prices at the pump. "We're gonna make sure that everybody knows Exxon's profits," Biden said in response to a question after the conclusion of a speech in California about rising inflation. "Exxon made more money than God this year and, by the way, nothing has changed."
Biden also trotted out one of his favorite statistics, that oil companies currently hold more than 9,000 unused permits to drill on federal lands. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is nearing $5 per gallon, per AAA. They're likely to remain high for the foreseeable future. "It's unlikely that gas prices will fall anytime soon," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday.
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President Joe Biden blasted Exxon on Friday, taking the energy giant company to task for raking in record profits as Americans pay record-high prices at the pump. "We're gonna make sure that everybody knows Exxon's profits," Biden said in response to a question after the conclusion of a speech in California about rising inflation. "Exxon made more money than God this year and, by the way, nothing has changed."
Biden also trotted out one of his favorite statistics, that oil companies currently hold more than 9,000 unused permits to drill on federal lands. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is nearing $5 per gallon, per AAA. They're likely to remain high for the foreseeable future. "It's unlikely that gas prices will fall anytime soon," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday.
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Russia's MoD has released footage of "Akatsiya" self-propelled 152mm howitzers performing strikes during the special operation
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⚡️ DPR forces destroyed a battery of M-777 Howitzers delivered near Avdeevka by the US
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📌 The latest updates on the Ukraine op from the Russian Defence Ministry:
▪️ Russian air forces have destroyed the deployment position of foreign mercenaries in the Kharkov region;
▪️ Russia's air defences shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29s in the Nikolaev region and one Su-25 in the Kharkov region during the day;
▪️ Russian air defences intercepted three shells from the Ukrainian multiple rocket launcher "Uragan" in Kharkov region;
▪️ Russian forces destroyed five firing positions of multiple rocket launcher units of the Ukrainian troops as well as the Buk-M1 air defence system;
▪️ Russian aviation have hit 48 areas of concentrated manpower and Ukrainian military equipment, and killed more than 170 nationalists in the Krasnopol region
▪️ More than 300 nationalists, two Ukrainian "Grads", nine warehouses of weapons and fuel were destroyed by rockets and artillery during the day
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▪️ Russian air forces have destroyed the deployment position of foreign mercenaries in the Kharkov region;
▪️ Russia's air defences shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29s in the Nikolaev region and one Su-25 in the Kharkov region during the day;
▪️ Russian air defences intercepted three shells from the Ukrainian multiple rocket launcher "Uragan" in Kharkov region;
▪️ Russian forces destroyed five firing positions of multiple rocket launcher units of the Ukrainian troops as well as the Buk-M1 air defence system;
▪️ Russian aviation have hit 48 areas of concentrated manpower and Ukrainian military equipment, and killed more than 170 nationalists in the Krasnopol region
▪️ More than 300 nationalists, two Ukrainian "Grads", nine warehouses of weapons and fuel were destroyed by rockets and artillery during the day
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📹🎞 A resident of Severodonetsk tells about certain Ukrainian soldiers who constantly fire at a place where local people collect water. They also installed jerry cans on every floor of the house as they were planning to burn down the residential buildings
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Justin Bieber's face is half-paralysed: Singer has Ramsay Hunt syndrome
After postponing several shows on his doctor's recommendations, Bieber appeared in a video on social media to explain that his present condition is caused by Ramsay Hunt syndrome: “As you can see this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face; this nostril will not move. So there’s full paralysis on this side of my face.”
Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a viral infection which is also known as Herpes Zoster oticus, and can result in permanent facial paralysis. It occurs in those who have previously contracted chickenpox (Varicella-zoster virus). Despite recovery, the virus remains in the human body and can sometimes reactivate, triggering facial muscle weakness and shingles - a painful rash with blisters
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After postponing several shows on his doctor's recommendations, Bieber appeared in a video on social media to explain that his present condition is caused by Ramsay Hunt syndrome: “As you can see this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face; this nostril will not move. So there’s full paralysis on this side of my face.”
Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a viral infection which is also known as Herpes Zoster oticus, and can result in permanent facial paralysis. It occurs in those who have previously contracted chickenpox (Varicella-zoster virus). Despite recovery, the virus remains in the human body and can sometimes reactivate, triggering facial muscle weakness and shingles - a painful rash with blisters
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❗EU Commission to finalise advice 'next week' on Ukraine hopes to join bloc: Von der Leyen
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