Biden touts law enforcement plan while attacking 'MAGA' lawmakers

President Joe Biden had a message for lawmakers who defended the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol as he touted his Safer America Plan Tuesday. "Let me say this to my 'MAGA Republican' friends in Congress," the president said, referring to former President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan. "Don't tell me to support law enforcement if you won't condemn what happened on the sixth." "For God's sake, whose side are you on?" Biden said. Biden admonished the lawmakers as he called for more funding for police before a crowd at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Investments in community policing and crime prevention are key policy components of his Safer America Plan, and the president urged communities to use federal funds to supplement local police as early as May. Biden also chided Trump's supporters in the GOP for claiming the mantle as the "law and order" party while defending the insurrectionists who attacked police officers in Washington, D.C., last year. "You can't be pro-law enforcement and pro-insurrection," he said. "You can't be a party of law and order and call the people who attacked the police on Jan. 6, patriots. You can't do it." Biden recently slammed the "MAGA philosophy" as "like semi-fascism," which angered the Republican National Committee. RNC spokesperson Nathan Brand called the president's remarks "despicable."

Biden also renewed his commitment to banning assault weapons, saying America's lax gun laws contributed to mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas; Newtown, Connecticut; and Buffalo, New York, among other locations. "It's time to hold every elected official's feet to the fire and ask them, 'Are you for banning assault weapons? Yes or no?' The answer's no, vote against them," he said. Biden ended his speech by asking the crowd to vote for Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. and Democratic senatorial candidate, John Fetterman. Fetterman is running against Trump-endorsed candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz in a highly publicized Senate race.

The president is scheduled to return to Pennsylvania Thursday for a prime-time speech on the "continued battle for the soul of the nation" at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.

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Chile lawmakers to undergo drug test as new initiative begins

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All legislators will need to be tested twice every four-year term and any positive results will be made public, in an effort to raise transparency standards in parliamentary work.

Legislators who refuse to take tests could be referred to the House Ethics Committee. (AP Archive)

Chilean legislators will begin random drug testing in the next few days after a proposal making it compulsory was approved last month, despite criticism from some lawmakers.

The first 78 Chilean deputies to be tested were randomly drawn this week, and will now have their first series of drug tests, in an effort to raise the standards of transparency in parliamentary work.

The new proposal states that all legislators will need to be tested twice every four-year term, and any positive results will be made public.

"There is nothing more important than giving people transparency, that their parliamentarians are not consumers," right-wing Deputy Juan Antonio Coloma told the country's public TV channel on Thursday.

'Unacceptable show'

It comes as the Finish prime minister said she would do a voluntary drug test after being filmed on a night out.

The Chilean proposal, however, has divided lawmakers along party lines in a country that is in the process of voting on a new constitution, looking to overhaul national politics.

"I do not agree with the procedure," independent legislator Marcela Riquelme told TV Nacional de Chile, with others calling the measure an "unacceptable show".

Legislators who refuse to take tests could be referred to the House Ethics Committee.

Source: Reuters

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Canada lawmakers announce Taiwan trip after strong China reaction to Pelosi

Canadian lawmakers have historically visited Taiwan two times a year, only to hit a pause during the pandemic, says parliamentary trade committee.

"The intent is not to disrupt and cause problems for Taiwan, or problems for China. It's about trade," says Canadian lawmaker Judy Sgro. (Getty Images)

A delegation of Canadian lawmakers has announced plans to visit Taiwan in October to seek economic opportunities in the Asia Pacific region, a move that could further stoke tensions between China and the West.

Members of a parliamentary committee on trade have been planning to visit the island state for some time, Canadian Liberal Member of Parliament Judy Sgro said on Wednesday.

"The intent is not to disrupt and cause problems for Taiwan, or problems for China. It's about trade, it's about friendship, it's about opportunities for Canada, in that whole Asia Pacific region," Sgro, who heads the trade panel, told the Reuters news agency.

The relationship between China and the West has worsened since US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier this month against Beijing's wishes. 

China says Taiwan is its inseparable province and is against foreign politicians visiting the island. Taiwan, which maintains diplomatic ties with some 14 countries, says it is an independent country. 

READ MORE: Is the US provoking China?

China's sanctions over Taiwan

In response to Pelosi's visit, China restricted trade and launched massive military drills around Taiwan, as well as slapped sanctions on Pelosi.

Beijing also imposed sanctions on a Lithuanian minister who visited Taiwan days after Pelosi's trip.

China said another trip by US lawmakers to the capital Taipei on Sunday was an infringement on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa did not respond to a request for comment.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada also did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Sgro said Canadian lawmakers have usually visited Taiwan twice a year in the past but stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"This is part of an ongoing effort for us to ensure that the doors are open for Canadian companies wherever there's trade opportunity," Sgro said.

Conservative MP and vice chair on the trade committee, Randy Hoback, said he would seek guidance from the Canadian Foreign Ministry before deciding on visiting Taiwan.

"I think we need to get back to normalcy in a lot of things and one of that is in visits and having interaction from country to country," Hoback told Reuters.

READ MORE: US defends Pelosi's Taiwan visit as angry China warns of 'consequences'

READ MORE: China sanctions Taiwanese 'independence diehard' officials

Source: Reuters

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U.S. lawmakers arrive in Taiwan with China tensions simmering

In this photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from left, U.S. Democratic House member Alan Lowenthal from California, Democratic House members John Garamendi, Donald Yu-Tien Hsu, Director-General, dept. of North American Affairs, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Democratic House member Don Beyer from Virginia and Republican Rep. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, a delegate from American Samoa pose for a photo after arriving on a U.S. government plane at Songshan airport in Taipei, Taiwan on Sunday, Aug 14, 2022.

Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs | via AP

A delegation of U.S. lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Sunday for a two-day trip during which they will meet President Tsai Ing-wen, the second high-level group to visit while there are military tensions between the self-ruled island and China.

Beijing, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has conducted military drills around the island to express its anger over U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei in early August.

The de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei said the delegation is being led by Senator Ed Markey, who is being accompanied by four House lawmakers on what it described as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region.

Taiwan's presidential office said the group would meet Tsai on Monday morning.

"Especially at a time when China is raising tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the region with military exercises, Markey leading a delegation to visit Taiwan once again demonstrates the United States Congress' firm support for Taiwan," it said in a statement.

Markey chairs the Senate Foreign Relations East Asia, Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Subcommittee. The co-leaders of the visit are Representative John Garamendi of the congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group and Representative Don Beyer, a spokesperson for Markey said.

Markey's office said the lawmakers "will reaffirm the United States' support for Taiwan as guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, U.S. - China Joint Communiques, and Six Assurances, and will encourage stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait."

The group will meet "with elected leaders and members of the private sector to discuss shared interests including reducing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and expanding economic cooperation, including investments in semiconductors," Markey's office said.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry published pictures of four of the group being met at Taipei's downtown Songshan airport having arrived on a U.S. air force transport jet, while Markey arrived at the Taoyuan international airport.

"The delegation will meet with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss U.S.-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, global supply chains, climate change, and other significant issues of mutual interest," the de facto U.S embassy said.

While China's drills around Taiwan have abated, it is still carrying out military activities.

Eleven Chinese military aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line or entered Taiwan's air defense zone on Sunday, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said. Thirteen planes crossed the strait on Saturday, the ministry said.

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US lawmakers pass massive climate, health bill in big win for Biden

Democratic-led House of Representatives approves $430 billion bill that is seen as biggest climate package in US history, delivering a major legislative victory for President Biden ahead of November 8 midterm elections.

The House voted 220-207 along party lines to pass the measure titled "Inflation Reduction Act" and send it on to Biden to sign into law. (Reuters)

US lawmakers have adopted President Joe Biden's sprawling climate, tax and health care plan –– a major win for the veteran Democrat that includes the biggest ever American investment in the battle against global warming.

The House of Representatives on Friday approved the measure by a 220-207 vote along party lines following its adoption in the Senate on Sunday by a razor-thin margin, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.

The legislation to fight the climate crisis and lower prescription drug prices aim to cut domestic greenhouse gas emissions. 

It will also allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for the elderly and ensure that corporations and the wealthy pay the taxes they owe. 

Democrats say it will help combat inflation by reducing the federal deficit.

Democrats hope the legislation will help them at the polls in November, when voters decide the balance of power in Congress ahead of the 2024 presidential election. 

Republicans are favoured to win a majority in the House and could also take control of the Senate.

Biden quickly hailed the adoption of his plan, which includes a $370 billion investment aimed at bringing about a 40 percent drop in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

"Today, the American people won. Special interests lost," the president tweeted in the minutes after the vote.

Republicans say 'it will kill jobs'

The bill's main revenue source is a 15 percent corporate minimum tax aimed at stopping large, profitable companies from gaming the Internal Revenue Service code to slash their tax bills to zero, which has led to mixed reactions from business groups to the legislation.

Republicans oppose the legislation, warning it will kill jobs by raising corporate tax bills, further fuel inflation with government spending and inhibit the development of new drugs.

"Democrats more than any other majority in history are addicted to spending other people's money, regardless of what we as a country can afford," House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said in a floor speech.

But the bill does not leave the US fossil fuels industry out in the cold. 

Some provisions allow the federal government to authorise new wind and solar energy developments on federal land only when it is also auctioning rights to drill for oil and natural gas.

The fossil fuel protections disappointed progressives but posed no barrier to Democratic support.

About half of Americans support the climate and drug pricing legislation, including 69 percent of Democrats and 34 percent of Republicans, according to a Reuters news agency/Ipsos poll conducted on August 3 and 4.

Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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Lawmakers sponsor bill to give Afghan evacuees path to US citizenship

Democrats and Republicans introduce identical versions of bill in Congress, days before first anniversary of final US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Many of the 76,000 Afghans flown out in last year's evacuation operation entered the United States on humanitarian parole. (AP Archive)

Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in both houses of US Congress to establish a path to American citizenship for thousands of Afghan evacuees admitted to the US on temporary immigration status.

"We must keep our commitment to provide safe, legal refuge to those who willingly put their lives on the line to support the US mission in Afghanistan," Democratic Representative Earl Blumenauer, co-sponsor of the House bill with Republican Peter Meijer, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The bill also would expand eligibility for Special Immigration Visas (SIVs) beyond Afghans who worked for the US government to those who fought alongside US forces as commandoes and air force personnel, and to women who served in special counterterrorism teams.

Identical versions of the bill were introduced days before the first anniversary of the final US troop withdrawal and the chaotic evacuation operation that ended America's longest war and saw the Taliban taking over Kabul.

Resistance to bill

Three minority Republicans, including Senator Lindsey Graham, joined three majority Democrats in introducing an identical version of the Afghanistan Adjustment Act in the thinly divided Senate, enhancing its chances of passage.

Even so, a congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the measure likely will face "resistance" from anti-immigration Republicans.

Many of the 76,000 Afghans flown out in last year's evacuation operation entered the United States on humanitarian parole, a temporary immigration status that typically only lasts up to two years.

The legislation would allow those evacuees to apply for permanent legal status if they submit to additional background checks.

Generally, those Afghans only can gain permanent legal status in the United States by applying for asylum or through SIVs, programmes beset by major backlogs.

Source: Reuters

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Droupadi Murmu elected India’s first tribal president

Lawmakers chose India’s first president from the country’s tribal communities on Thursday, which could boost the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party among marginalised groups ahead of the 2024 general election.

Droupadi Murmu, a 64-year-old teacher turned politician, will be the second woman to hold the largely ceremonial role as head of the republic when she takes office on July 25 at the start of a five-year term.

More than 4,500 state and federal lawmakers voted in the presidential election on Monday and ballots were counted on Thursday. Murmu’s victory was assured as she was backed by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which dominates federal and state politics.

Born into a family of the Santhal tribe from the state of Odisha, Murmu started her career as a school teacher and actively participated in community issues.

She later joined mainstream politics and served as a BJP state lawmaker in Odisha before becoming governor of the eastern state of Jharkhand.

Her election is seen as the BJP’s outreach to India’s tribal communities, which comprise more than 8 per cent of its 1.4 billion people.

“The BJP will want to offset any anti-incumbency of the last 10 years in 2024, and one of the ways to do that is to go for a new vote-base,” political columnist Neerja Choudhary told Reuters.

Murmu beat the opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, a former BJP finance minister and now a fierce critic of Modi, winning nearly twice as many votes.

The Indian president acts as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces but the prime minister holds executive powers. Murmu will take over from Ram Nath Kovind.

The president, nevertheless, has a key role during political crises, such as when a general election is inconclusive, by deciding which party is in the best position to form a government.

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