Happy Monday, OnPolitics readers!
And if you’re President Joe Biden, happy Tuesday!
Biden has spent the past few days in South Korea and Japan to focus on relations with nations in the Indo-Pacific region following months of attention directed toward Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In South Korea, Biden emphasized the joint themes of expanded economic and security cooperation. On Sunday, he touted Hyundai’s recently announced decision to build a $5.5 billion electric vehicle plant in Georgia, a move he said shows how the US and South Korea together can shape the direction of the world for the better while also creating more than 8,000 American jobs.
The president also told reporters he is not concerned about the US intelligence assessment that North Korea could conduct a missile or nuclear test during his trip.
“We are prepared for anything North Korea does,” Biden said.
After South Korea, Biden is in Japan, where on Tuesday he plans to meet with the leaders of three other nations: Japan, India and Australia. The group is dubbed the “Quad,” short for the “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.”
It’s Amy with today’s top stories out of Washington.
POTUS says US would send military to Taiwan if China invades
President Biden said Monday that the United States would come to Taiwan’s defense militarily if China invades and tries to take over the self-ruled island by force.
“That’s the commitment we made,” Biden said in a news conference in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
US relations with the island are governed by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which outlines the US commitment to help Taiwan maintain its military defense. It does not require the US to intervene militarily – which Biden has ruled out in Ukraine.
On Monday, Biden and Kishida said they still support the “One China” policy that recognizes there is only one Chinese government – the one in Beijing.
“But that does not mean that China has the jurisdiction to go in and use force to take over Taiwan,” Biden said. “It will dislocate the entire region.”
That’s one of the reasons why, he said, Russia must pay a “dear price” for its invasion of Ukraine. If Russia is not held accountable, Biden said, “then what signal does that send to China about the cost of attempting to take Taiwan by force?”
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Real quick: stories you’ll want to read
- House investigates Cawthorn: Rep. Madison Cawthorn will face a House Ethics Committee investigation on his promotion of a cryptocurrency and relationship with a person employed on his congressional staff.
- Trump vs. Pence in 2024? Former Vice President Mike Pence served notice Monday that he may seek the White House himself in 2024 – regardless of whether Donald Trump himself runs again.
- The biggest primaries to watch Tuesday: Tuesday sees primaries in Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas and runoffs in Texas. Ga. Gov. Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams are on the ballot.
- One year since COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act enacted: Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday pursuing criminal charges against hate crimes, raising awareness and bolstering reporting were among the steps the Justice Department have taken in the year since Congress approved legislation to combat attacks on Asian Americans on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden, Harris, but not Trump: Russia bans 963 Americans from the country
Russia permanently banned more than 900 American politicianscelebrities and executives from entering the country, including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and actor Morgan Freeman.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the bans on Saturday as part of a response to sanctions imposed on the country as a result of the invasion of Ukraine, as well as others who have publicly denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin. In total, 963 people are now banned.
In addition to Biden and Harris, other notable names “who incite Russophobia” on the list include Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Hillary Clinton.
Who didn’t make the list? Omitted from the list is Donald Trump. former president, who in the past has praised Putin, recently asked the Russian president to release any dirt he has on Biden and his son, Hunter, regarding a Russian oligarch who gave money to a company co-founded by Hunter over a decade ago. Other living former presidents like Barack Obama and George W. Bush are not on the list.
Children adopted from foster care often get new IDs, making it nearly impossible to detect adoptions that fall apart — or understand what might help. Read this USA TODAY investigation into US adoptions here. — Amy
www.usatoday.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism