🚨 #BREAKING | Russian Foreign Ministry summons US ambassador John J. Sullivan

According to Politico, the Pentagon’s top brass pushed to keep a small US presence on the ground ahead of President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw its 2,500 troops from Afghanistan from 1 May.

Military chiefs argued that a limited number of special operations forces and paramilitary advisers was needed to keep the Taliban and other terrorist groups in check, writes the outlet.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in response to questions about whether the military supported the withdrawal, said the decision-making had been “inclusive.”

Col. Dave Butler, a spokesperson for Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said “senior officers were afforded ample opportunity to give advice… closely considered as part of a rigorous national security decision-making process”

However, two anonymous former officials are cited by Politico as saying Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan are really “running the Pentagon.”

After the publication of the report in Politico, Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, sent a statement to the outlet, denouncing the storyline as “completely inaccurate and poorly-informed” coming from former officials who were not even part of the policy process the Biden administration ran on Afghanistan

Lately POTUS has announced a spate of executive orders and requests for legislative action to address what he described as “the epidemic” of gun violence in the US.

President Biden has claimed that his administration’s steps related to gun control in the US do not run counter to the Second Amendment, which stipulates that the right of the American people to keep and bear arms will not be infringed.

Are the Biden administration's proposals to an infringement on the Constitution and civil rights? We’ve discussed this with Texas GOP Chairman and NRA board member Allen West

A wave of protests flooded America again after police officer Kim Potter shot and killed a 20-year-old African American.

Demonstrations that escalated into riots forced barricades to be erected outside the Brooklyn Center Minnesota Police Department

Derek Chauvin, the former US police officer currently on trial on murder charges following the killing of George Floyd last May, has announced that he will not testify in his defence, ABC News reports.

According to the media outlet, Chauvin has decided against taking the stand after an "open on-the-record discussion in court" with his defence attorney Eric Nelson, who emphasised it is Chauvin’s "decision alone"

👨‍⚖️ There are "no plans" to bring legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives to expand the US Supreme Court, Speaker Nancy Pelosi told a press conference on Thursday.

"It's not out of the question: It has been done before. ... I don't know if that's a good idea or a bad idea," Pelosi said. "It's a big step: The growth of our country might necessitate such a thing. But I've no plans to bring it to the floor: No."

Instead, Pelosi said she favored President Joe Biden's announced intention to create a Presidential Commission to study the functioning of the Supreme Court and advise and recommend whether any expansion or other changes should be made

#BREAKING | Biden says US could have gone further on anti-Russia sanctions, chose to be proportionate

US President Joe Biden made an address on the anti-Russian sanctions. Here are the main takeaways from the speech:

▪️ Biden is ready to respond to Russia's "inappropriate 'actions' proportionally".

▪️ If Russia continues to interfere with the democracy of the US, the president will be ready to take further measures in response.

▪️ Biden said that he proposed to hold a summit in Europe between him and Putin, and that aides of the two countries are discussing plans.

▪️ Biden noted that the United States does not seek to start a cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia. He wants "a stable, predictable relationship".

▪️ The president mentioned the Nord Stream pipeline, but did not go into detail about the issue.

▪️ The sanctions against Russia were made on the basis of allegations of interference in the US elections and Crimea's reunification with Russia.

Pence Gets pacemaker implanted in 'routine' surgery, to recover in 'coming days'.

Pence previously revealed that he had been diagnosed with asymptomatic left bundle branch block prior to running for vice president. According to his office, he had problems consistent with a sluggish heart rate in the last two weeks, and he had the surgery at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus in Falls Church, Virginia.

Former Vice President Mike Pence underwent successful surgery to install a pacemaker on Wednesday after developing symptoms related to a sluggish heart rate, according to his office's statement released on Thursday

#BREAKING | US pullout from Afghanistan aims to free resources for Indo-Pacific challenges

🤖 ‘R2D2’ Patrols New York City: NYPD ‘robot dog’ spotted in Manhattan public housing building

For some Manhattan public housing residences, science fiction has become a step closer to reality when on Monday officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) put on a show with their own version of a four-legged, dog-like machine trotting along inside of a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) building.

In a Twitter video shot outside of a NYCHA building on East 28th street, NYPD officers are shown making an arrest of a suspect who was reported to have locked himself inside an apartment building. What makes this unfortunately common scene a bit more startling is when a Boston Dynamic “Digidog” brings up the rear, shocking onlookers as it descends down the stairs alongside the officers

Catch our New Rules show, where we provide an in-depth look at the geopolitical, economic, and ideological trends changing the world! In this episode we are joined by Jacques Sapir, Director of Studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris, one of the leading European experts on the Russian economy. Here's our line-up for this episode:

🔸 To begin with, we'll be discussing why the West’s sanctions against Russia failed
🔸 Next, we'll focus on Europe's economic challenges, including a potential energy crisis next winter
🔸 Finally, we'll be covering economic multipolarity and the decline of US hegemony

🔊 Watch the video on Rumble or tune in to Radio Sputnik at 6am EST|3am PST|12pm CET|10am GMT via the website or app!

📻 Also in the United States at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

Residents of Kherson speak about the shelling of a local dormitory by Ukraine

💉 Figures released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that more than 78 million individuals have been fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, the deadly virus that causes COVID-19. Nearly 126 million Americans have received at least one dose of an approved vaccine candidate.

New data released by the CDC has revealed that some 5,800 individuals who have been fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus managed to still contract the deadly virus, a figure amounting to less than 1% of individuals who have been inoculated

🇷🇺🇺🇸 Take command of your democracy: Tara Reade, an ex-assistant to Joe Biden, sends a message to Americans who “feel unsafe” in their own country

👉 Full interview

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ An active shooter incident was reported around 11 p.m. local time (3 a.m. on Friday GMT) in Indianapolis, Indiana, according to WRTV. The shooting occurred at FedEx's Indianapolis facility, which is the second-largest hub in the company's global network, employing more than 4,500 people.

At least 8 people are reported to have been shot, while the perpetrator died by suicide

#BREAKING | Eight people killed, more wounded by shooter in Indianapolis

#URGENT | US stock market indices hit all-time high after banks post profit surge reports

🤔 White House: Biden believes Russia has found itself "outside" the international community and sees the summit with Putin as a "bridge" to bring it back