White House hits out at WSJ over bombshell piece that questions Biden’s health

The Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) relationship with the White House is under serious strain following the newspaper’s publication of an article on President Biden’s physical and mental capacity, according to Politico.

The piece is based on interviews with more than 45 Democrats and Republicans, who paint the 81-year-old POTUS as a person who “shows signs of slipping”, arguing that Biden’s reputation of “a sharp and vigorous leader” has already diminished.

White House staff – who have highly appreciated the WSJ’s news operation for much of Biden’s time in office – described the piece as a sign that the newspaper “was reverting to partisan form” ahead of the November 2024 US presidential election, unnamed sources told Politico.

“There was some speculation that the paper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, was showing his preference for a Donald Trump victory,” the sources added.

They were echoed by White House communications director Ben LaBolt, who tweeted about “Complete and utter editorial fail by the WSJ,” adding, “Makes you wonder who they’re taking orders from.”

The White House has repeatedly rejected Republicans’ and even some Democrats’ claims of Biden being unfit for office due to his poor health, despite polls showing that Americans are concerned about the 46th US president’s physical and mental acuity.

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"BRICS helps maintain the global balance," Dmitry Kiselev, Director General of Sputnik's parent media group Rossiya Segodnya, told the audience at the forum "BRICS Goals in the Context of a New World Order" held on the sidelines of SPIEF 2024.

"Our goal today is to outline ideas for the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan, which will be held in October, today's forum is a kind of preparation," he added.

#SPIEF2024

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France has never directly trained Ukrainian soldiers in Ukraine, but sending instructors there is not taboo, the French prime minister said.

Earlier, the media reported that the French military are already in Ukraine, engaged in the maintenance of military equipment and training of Ukrainian soldiers.

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NATO is practicing an invasion of the countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting of the Committee of Secretaries of the Security Councils of the organization.

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Why does BRICS surpass G7? Jose Pio Borges, President of the Board of Trustees of the Brazilian Center for International Relations, explains.

#SPIEF2024

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📹Mi-35M helicopter crew successfully hit Ukrainian strongholds and manpower in of the Russian Sever group of forces zone of operation.

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🇷🇺🇰🇵The first train with Russian tourists has left for North Korea after a four-year break, the Russian Federal Customs Service announced.

Railway communications with the DPRK were interrupted due to the pandemic.

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❗️LIVE: “The cultural basis of BRICS. Can BRICS become a common cultural market?” Plenary Session at SPIEF

👉 Watch the livestream here or on Sputnik's website

#SPIEF2024

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Why does India need BRICS?

🇮🇳Binod Singh Ajatshatru, Director of the BRICS Institute in New Delhi, explains why the BRICS New Development Bank is so important for India.

#SPIEF2024

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🤝How could BRICS countries share news about each other more effectively?

Dmitry Kiselev, director general of Sputnik's parent media group Rossiya Segodnya, suggested that BRICS establish a line of communication and invited international colleagues to contact Sputnik to learn more about Russia and the Russian perspective on the current global landscape.

"Let's establish a direct line of communication so that information about us can reach each other's countries," Kiselev added.

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🇷🇺 Watch full video of Vladimir Putin's 2024 Q&A session at SPIEF

💬"Russia can respond asymmetrically and deliver weapons to countries confronting NATO member states involved in the Ukraine conflict."

The Russian President addressed the Ukraine conflict, NATO's arms deliveries and Ukraine's permission to attack targets on Russian territory, as well as Russia's economic development and the general geopolitical situation in the world.

💬"The US is killing the dollar with its own hands by cutting Russia off from the Western financial system and prohibiting it from using the greenback."

👆Watch full video of Russian President Vladimir Putin answering questions from the international press at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2024.

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⚡️Scott Ritter will speak at SPIEF 2024 on June 7

“The disappointment I felt when my government deprived me of the opportunity to come to St. Petersburg in person was great. However, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, my voice will not be drowned out by those who disagree with the messages it conveys,” Ritter said.

On June 3, the ex-US Marine Corps intelligence officer was removed from a plane to Russia by CBP officers who seized his passport, claiming they were acting “by orders” from the US State Department.

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❗️The total losses of Ukrainian troops per day amounted to 1,490 soldiers, as follows from the report of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

🇷🇺🪖 More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry’s daily briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️Units of the Yug Battlegroup have improved the situation along the front line over the last 24 hours. Ukrainian losses amounted to 640 soldiers;

▪️Units of the Zapad Battlegroup occupied more advantageous positions within the last 24 hours, repelled two attacks by Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian losses amounted to 155 soldiers;

▪️Units of the Sever Battlegroup have improved the situation along the front line. Ukrainian losses amounted to 140 soldiers;

▪️Units of the Tsentr Battlegroup repelled six attacks by Ukrainian troops;

▪️ Units of the Dnepr Battlegroup hit the forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Pyatikhatki in Zaporozhye, Mylovoye, Novotyaginka and Ingulets in the Kherson region;

▪️Russian air defenses shot down 48 Ukrainian drones, a Neptune missile, seven HIMARS and Alder missiles in one day.

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