#BREAKING | US Senator Menendez: Biden administration waives sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, its CEO

⚠️Warning: graphic content

🇺🇸 Footage showing Louisiana state troopers beating, dragging and tasing Ronald Greene was obtained by the AP more than two years after the incident which led to the African American’s death.

“I’m sorry!... I’m scared!” Greene cried after leading police on a high-speed chase. Officers tased him while he was incapacitated.

While the exact cause of death remains unclear, the initial police report to Greene’s family claimed he died on impact when his car crashed into a tree.

❗️ "I am opposed to the decision by the Biden Administration to waive sanctions on NS2 and Matthias Warnig. I urge the administration to rip off the Band-Aid, lift these waivers and move forward with the congressionally mandated sanctions", Menendez said, citing a mandatory report from the State Department in his statement

👮‍♀️ 😔 Police in Portland, Oregon, are frustrated that they don't have department-issued body cameras amid escalating violence at social justice rallies.

"I’d love to have a body camera. Every person I work with wants to have a body camera, because we want them to see the good work that we do," said an active-duty Portland police officer who claimed over 15 years on the job.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler says he supports police body cameras but emphasizes there are "significant financial challenges created by the virus-caused recession"

#BREAKING | US Secretary of State Blinken: Washington has waived sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, CEO

🇷🇺🇺🇸🇮🇸US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Reykjavik, Iceland, the highest-level in-person engagement between officials from both countries ahead of a possible presidential summit in June.

The top diplomats expressed their desire to see the United States and Russia cooperate where possible for the sake of a safer and more secure world.

#BREAKING | US House passes legislation on forming independent commission to probe Capitol riot

🇷🇺🇺🇸Lavrov to Blinken during their first in-person meeting:

💥Prepared to discuss all issues on the table provided that discussions are “honest, factual and with mutual respect.” “Our task is to make the best of the diplomatic opportunities we have. And we are glad to see that you are demonstrating such an approach.”

💥Russian and US leaders agree that both countries must cooperate in areas of mutual interests, most importantly, on strategic stability issues.

💥Russia, US greatly diverge in their assessments of the international situation and approaches towards handling it. “Laws of diplomacy call for reciprocity, especially when it comes to responding to any kind of unfriendly action.”

💥Russia ready to seek solutions to problems “inherited from previous US administrations” that affect the work of American diplomats in Russia and Russian diplomats in the United States.

🇺🇸🇷🇺Blinken to Lavrov:

💥US seeks a predictable, stable relationship with Russia, thinks it’s good for both nations, for the whole world. “It’s our view that if the leaders of Russia and the United States can work together cooperatively, our people, the world can be a safer and more secure place.”

💥US sees many areas where its interests “intersect and overlap” with the Russian ones, seeks cooperation on battling the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, dealing with the nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, addressing the crisis in Afghanistan.

💥”If Russia acts aggressively against us, our partners, our allies, we will respond... not for purposes of escalation, not to seek conflict, but to defend our interests.”

The top diplomats addressed to each other as ‘Sergei’ and ‘Tony’. Blinken used Russian word ‘Spasibo’ to thank Lavrov.

🤬 Jill Biden purportedly spewed rude remarks toward US Vice President Kamala Harris at a time when the latter debated then-candidate Joe Biden in the Democratic primary, according to a newly-published book, 'Battle for the Soul', by journalist Edward Isaac Dovere.

"With what he cares about, what he fights for, what he’s committed to, you get up there and call him a racist without basis?" Jill Biden allegedly said of Harris, speaking to campaign supporters after the debate. "Go f**k yourself."

The book claims Jill Biden said those words about Harris after the June 2019 debate, when the then-California-senator criticised candidate Joe Biden for his friendship with two Democratic senators who formerly supported segregation. At the time, Harris noted that she did not believe her fellow Democrat was a racist, but condemned him nevertheless

‼️🇷🇺🇺🇸The meeting between Lavrov and Blinken in Reykjavik has come to an end, it lasted for about 2 hours. Lavrov says:

1️⃣The meeting was constructive, he noticed Blinken's wish to solve problems in the bilateral relations;

2️⃣hopes that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, will find ways to further improve the Russian-US relations;

3️⃣the parties discussed how to make the joint efforts on the Iran nuclear deal, Afghanistan and other issues more effective;

4️⃣the top diplomats discussed the work of the Russian diplomatic missions in the US, and US ones in Russia. No one is interested in the current situation.

🇺🇸 US State Department spokesperson Ned Price in a statement after the meeting said...

🔻 Blinken voiced Washington's concerns over Russian deployments near Ukraine and actions against US media

🔻The top diplomats discussed finding a long-term political solution to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

🔻The diplomats also discussed areas in which both countries could benefit from "sustained and enhanced cooperation" including on security crises in the Middle East and Asia and strategic stability

😨 An Asian man was attacked in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City on Tuesday by an assailant who bit the man’s fingers and told him to "go back to your country".

The NYPD is investigating the attack as a possible hate crime

Check out our brief summary of some of the latest news:

▪️ The House has voted to approve legislation to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the 6 January attack on the U.S. Capitol.

▪️ Andrew Giuliani has announced that he will run for governor of New York as a Republican in 2022.

▪️ Greg Abbott has signed into a law a bill outlawing abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

▪️ Ashley Hinson has introduced a bill that would bar taxpayer money from being used for the travel expenses of Vice President Kamala Harris until she visits the southern border and issues a report on how to solve the crisis there.

🚙 During a test-drive of Ford’s new electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck, Biden joked that he would run over a reporter after she attempted to ask him a question about Israel

💉 Pelosi says unvaccinated people on Capitol Hill are "selfishly" endangering others who work there.

🗣 "What is this, the honour system? The honour system as to whether somebody has been vaccinated? Do you want them breathing in your face on the strength of their honour?"

Be careful not to breathe in Pelosi's face if you're not vaccinated!

Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America

See, 35 wayward Republicans—they just can’t help themselves. We have much better policy and are much better for the Country, but the Democrats stick together, the Republicans don’t. They don’t have the Romney’s, Little Ben Sasse’s, and Cheney’s of the world. Unfortunately, we do. Sometimes there are consequences to being ineffective and weak. The voters understand!

US Senator Bernie Sanders introduces a resolution to Congress seeking to halt the sale of supply $735 million worth of precision-guided munitions and bombs to Israel.
News broke earlier this week that the Biden administration approved the sale on May 5, which prompted a slew of progressive Democratic lawmakers to call for the deal to be scrapped.

“At a moment when U.S.-made bombs are devastating Gaza, and killing women and children, we cannot simply let another huge arms sale go through without even a Congressional debate.”

#BREAKING | Israeli media reports ceasefire between Tel Aviv, Hamas set to begin on 21 May, at 2 A.M.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki denounced a new Texas abortion law as an "assault" on women’s rights.

"This is the most restrictive measure yet in the nation," the press secretary said in a briefing Thursday. She called the law an "assault on women's fundamental rights under Roe v. Wade."

"Critical rights continue to come under withering and extreme attack around the country," Psaki added

🙈 Texas Senator Ted Cruz on Thursday retweeted a video comparing promotional advertising by the Russian and the American military, writing that "perhaps a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea", referring to the US military ad