World Shares Mixed on Japan Rate Raise 03/19 05:02
World Shares Mixed on Japan Rate Raise 03/19 05:02 World shares are mixed after the Bank of Japan hiked its benchmark interest rate for the first time in 17 years, ending a longstanding negative rate policy. BANGKOK (AP) -- World shares are mixed after the Bank of Japan hiked its benchmark interest rate for the first time in 17 years, ending a longstanding negative rate policy. The BOJ's decision to raise the overnight call rate to a range of 0 to 0.1%, up from minus 0.1% drew only a muted reaction in markets. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.7% to 40,003.60, while the dollar rose to 150.62 Japanese yen from 149.14 yen. The Japanese central bank said wage increases and other indicators suggested that inflation had stabilized above the BOJ's 2% target, but noted "extremely high uncertainties," including weakness in industrial production, exports, housing investment and government spending. Analysts said the move was calibrated to extricate the BOJ from the extreme policies it has been using without aggressively tightening credit. "We anticipate the BOJ will maintain an effective zero-interest rate policy at least for another year," Shigeto Nagai of Oxford Economics said in a commentary. This week's highlight for markets will likely be the Federal Reserve's meeting on interest rates, which ends on Wednesday. The widespread expectation is that the central bank will keep its main interest rate steady at its highest level since 2001. But Fed officials will also give updated forecasts for where they see interest rates heading this year and in the long run. They earlier had penciled in three cuts to rates this year, which would relieve pressure on the economy and financial system. Across the Atlantic, the Bank of England will announce its latest decision on interest rates later in the week. Germany's DAX rose 0.2% to 17,961.40 and the CAC 40 in Paris also gained nearly 0.2%, to 8,162.18. London's FTSE 100 edged less than 0.1% lower, to 7,718.80. The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were both 0.2% lower. Also Tuesday, troubled property developer China Evergrande Group, announced that Beijing's market watchdog had fined it 4.2 billion yuan ($333.4 million) for allegedly falsifying its revenue, among other violations, as it conducts a deep clean of the troubled financial sector. The company said in a release to mainland Chinese stock exchanges late Monday that its chairman, Hui Ka Yan, was fined 47 million yuan ($6.5 million) and banned from China's markets for life. Hui, also known as Xu Jiayin, was detained by authorities in September for suspected "illegal crimes." Chinese markets fell, pulled lower by heavy selling of property shares. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost 1.2% to 16,529.48, while the Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.7% to 3,062.76. Evergrande lost the maximum 10% daily limit, while China Vanke Co., another major developer now facing its own troubles, lost 5.6%. Sino Ocean Group holding declined 4.9% and Country Garden Holdings shed 5.4%. In Seoul, the Kospi fell 1.1% to 2,656.17, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.4% to 7,703.20 after the central bank kept its benchmark interest rate steady at 4.35% for a third consecutive meeting. The widely expected decision reflected the fact that inflation is cooling but still above the Reserve Bank of Australia's target. The S&P 500 added 0.6% on Monday, coming off its first back-to-back weekly losses since October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.8%. Smaller stocks in the Russell 2000 index slipped 0.7%. Recent reports on inflation have consistently been coming in worse than expected, though. That could force the Fed to trim how many rate cuts it foresees delivering this year, which would disappoint investors. In other trading early Tuesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil shed 30 cents to $81.86 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 37 cents to $86.55 per barrel. The euro slipped to $1.0844 from $1.0872.
US Defense Chief Vows Aid to Ukraine 03/19 06:04
US Defense Chief Vows Aid to Ukraine 03/19 06:04 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed Tuesday that the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine's war effort against Russia, even as the U.S. Congress remains stalled over funding to send additional weapons to the front. RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) -- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed Tuesday that the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine's war effort against Russia, even as the U.S. Congress remains stalled over funding to send additional weapons to the front. "The United States will not let Ukraine fail," said Austin, addressing more than 50 defense leaders from Europe and around the world who are meeting at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany. "This coalition will not let Ukraine fail. And the free world will not let Ukraine fail." The meeting comes a week after U.S. defense officials managed to find and use $300 million in contract savings to fund a new package of military aid for Ukraine, pulling weapons from Pentagon stocks. It was the first tranche of weapons sent since December, even as battlefield conditions in Ukraine have been getting increasingly dire. The found money -- which officials called a "one-time shot" -- allowed the Defense Department to use presidential drawdown authority (PDA) to pull weapons and equipment from Pentagon stocks and send them quickly to Ukraine. The funds are then used to buy replacement items to ensure the U.S. military is ready to fight and protect the homeland. U.S. leaders had insisted for the past three months that they couldn't take more weapons off the shelves because they have run out of money to replenish the stocks. Congress has been deadlocked for months over a new $95 billion supplemental bill that includes about $60 billion in aid for Ukraine. U.S. officials maintain there is bipartisan support for the package, but a number of Republicans oppose it and House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to bring the bill to the House floor for a vote. U.S. officials have been publicly expressing the hope that lawmakers will manage to act soon, but they have also been struggling to find other ways to get assistance to Ukraine. Defense officials continue to warn that Ukraine remains heavily outgunned by Russia on the battlefield, and note persistent reports of Ukrainian troops rationing or running out of ammunition on the front lines. Just last month, Ukrainian troops withdrew from the eastern city of Avdiivka, where outnumbered defenders had held off a Russian assault for four months. Troops complained of running low on ammunition while facing a constant barrage of airstrikes from glide bombs, enormous unguided Soviet-era weapons, retrofitted with a navigational targeting system, that obliterate everything around them, as well as motion-sensing explosive drones that could enter buildings and hunt personnel. Tuesday marks the 20th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which has been the key organization coordinating for the delivery of weapons and other aid to Ukraine. In his opening remarks, Austin said Russia has paid a "staggering cost" for the war, repeating estimates that at least 315,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in the war, which has cost up to $211 billion. "Ukraine's troops face harsh conditions and hard fighting. And Ukraine's civilians endure a constant barrage of Russian missiles and Iranian drones," said Austin. "But Ukraine won't back down. And neither will the United States."
Biden to Host Japan PM, Philippine Pres03/19 06:09
Biden to Host Japan PM, Philippine Pres03/19 06:09 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a White House summit next month amid growing concerns about North Korea's nuclear program, provocative Chinese action in the South China Sea and differences over a Japanese company's plan to buy an iconic American steel company. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a statement on Monday said the first-ever U.S.-Japan-Philippines leaders' summit is an opportunity to highlight the countries' "growing economic relations, a proud and resolute commitment to shared democratic values and a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific." The three leaders have no shortage of issues to discuss. The announcement came as North Korea's state media reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live-fire drill of nuclear-capable "super-large" multiple rocket launchers designed to target South Korea's capital. The North Korean claim followed the South Korean and Japanese militaries reporting on Monday that they had detected North Korea firing multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward waters off its eastern coast, adding to a streak of weapons displays that have raised regional tensions. The U.S.-Japan relationship is facing a rare moment of friction after Biden announced last week that he opposes the planned sale of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel of Japan. Biden argued in announcing his opposition that the U.S. needs to "maintain strong American steel companies powered by American steelworkers." Nippon Steel announced in December that it planned to buy U.S. Steel for $14.1 billion in cash, raising concerns about what the transaction could mean for unionized workers, supply chains and U.S. national security. Meanwhile, long-running Philippines-Chinese tensions have come back into focus this month after Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels collided in the disputed South China Sea. The Chinese coast guard ships and accompanying vessels blocked the Philippine coast guard and supply vessels off the disputed Second Thomas Shoal and executed dangerous maneuvers that caused two minor collisions between the Chinese ships and two of the Philippine vessels, Philippine officials said. A small Philippine marine and navy contingent has kept watch onboard a rusting warship, the BRP Sierra Madre, which has been marooned since the late 1990s in the shallows of the Second Thomas Shoal. China also claims the shoal lying off the western Philippines and has surrounded the atoll with coast guard, navy and other ships to press its claims and prevent Filipino forces from delivering construction materials to fortify the Sierra Madre in a decades-long standoff. Close U.S.-Philippines relations were not a given when Marcos, the son and namesake of the former Philippines strongman, took office in 2022. But both Biden and Marcos have thrown much effort into strengthening the historically- complicated relationship between the two countries, with the two leaders sharing concerns about aggressive Chinese action around the region. A U.S. appeals court in 1996 upheld damages of about $2 billion against the elder Marcos' estate for the torture and killings of thousands of Filipinos. The court upheld a 1994 verdict of a jury in Hawaii, where he fled after being forced from power in 1986. He died there in 1989. The elder Marcos placed the Philippines under martial law in 1972, a year before his term was to expire. He padlocked the country's congressional and newspaper offices, ordered the arrest of many political opponents and activists and ruled by decree. The younger Marcos made an official visit to Washington last year, the first by a Philippine president in more than 10 years. The U.S. made the announcement of Marcos' coming trip to Washington as Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Manilla. Jean-Pierre said that in addition to the leaders' summit Biden will hold one-on-one talks with Marcos. She said the leaders would discuss efforts to expand cooperation on economic security, clean energy, people-to-people ties, human rights and democracy. Biden is set to honor Kishida a day before the leaders summit with a state visit. The White House announced the state visit in January.
Negotiators Race to Finish Gov Funding 03/19 06:12
Negotiators Race to Finish Gov Funding 03/19 06:12 Negotiators from Congress and the White House scrambled Monday to complete work on the remaining government funding bills for the fiscal year and avoid a partial shutdown for key departments that would begin this weekend without legislative action. WASHINGTON (AP) -- Negotiators from Congress and the White House scrambled Monday to complete work on the remaining government funding bills for the fiscal year and avoid a partial shutdown for key departments that would begin this weekend without legislative action. Six months into the fiscal year, Congress is about halfway home in passing spending measures expected to total about $1.65 trillion. Lawmakers passed the first portion of spending bills in early March, funding about 30% of the government. Now lawmakers are focused on the larger package, and in what has become routine, are brushing up against the deadline when federal funding expires. Agreement had been reached on five of the six spending bills that make up the second package, but negotiators clashed over the measure that provides funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for securing and managing U.S. borders, among other things. A person familiar with the negotiations but not authorized to discuss them publicly said late Monday that a deal had been reached on the Homeland Security spending. The breakthrough sets the stage for Congress to dodge a partial shutdown. The stakes for both sides are immense as border security emerges as a central issue in the 2024 campaigns and the flow of migrants crossing the southern border far outpaces the capacity of the U.S. immigration system to deal with it. Negotiators had been moving toward a simple solution: passing a continuing resolution that would mostly extend funding for the Department of Homeland Security, though with some increase from 2023 spending levels. But a senior Republican aide said House Republicans pushed for more resources for the border than the continuing resolution would have provided. The White House also eventually rejected the continuing resolution approach but didn't make that clear in communications with congressional allies until the "11th hour," the aide said, increasing the risk of a short-term shutdown. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday declined to speak to timelines during the negotiations but emphasized that funding the government is lawmakers' responsibility. "It is their job to keep the government open," she said. Drilling down more specifically on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, she said the Biden administration has "maximized their operations" and removed more people in the past 10 months than during any year since fiscal year 2013. She said it was important to continue "that operational pace." "Obviously, we believe DHS needs additional funding. We've always said that," Jean-Pierre said. Even with the possible release of legislative text early this week, it's unclear whether Congress can avoid a brief partial shutdown. House rules call for giving lawmakers 72 hours to review a bill before voting. House Speaker Mike Johnson will then likely have to bring the bill up through a streamlined process requiring two-thirds support to pass. Most of the "no" votes are expected to come from Republicans, who have been critical of the overall spending levels as well as the lack of policy mandates sought by some conservatives, such as restricting abortion access, eliminating diversity and inclusion programs within federal agencies, and banning gender-affirming care. Then, the Senate would act on the bill, but it would require all senators to agree on speeding up the process to get to a final vote before the midnight Friday deadline. Such agreements generally require Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to allow for votes on various amendments to the bill in return for an expedited final vote. The package being finalized this week is expected to provide about $886 billion for the Pentagon. The bill will also fund the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and others. Overall, the two spending packages provide about a 3% boost for defense, while keeping nondefense spending roughly flat with the year before. That's in keeping with an agreement that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy worked out with the White House, which restricted spending for two years and suspended the debt ceiling into January 2025 so the federal government could continue paying its bills. House Republicans have been determined to end the practice of packaging all 12 annual spending bills into one massive bill called an omnibus. They managed this time to break the spending bills into two parts.
Trump Using Jan 6 Attack for WH Bid 03/19 06:16
Trump Using Jan 6 Attack for WH Bid 03/19 06:16 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican Donald Trump has launched his general election campaign not merely rewriting the history of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, but positioning the violent siege and its failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election as a cornerstone of his bid to return to the White House. At a weekend rally in Ohio, his first as the presumed Republican Party presidential nominee, Trump stood onstage, his hand raised in salute to the brim of his red MAGA hat, as a recorded chorus of prisoners in jail for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack sang the national anthem. An announcer asked the crowd to please rise "for the horribly and unfairly treated January 6th hostages." And people did, and sang along. "They were unbelievable patriots," Trump said as the recording ended. Having previously vowed to pardon the rioters, he promised to help them "the first day we get into office." Initially relegated to a fringe theory on the edges of the Republican Party, the revisionist history of Jan. 6, which Trump amplified during the early days of the GOP primary campaign to rouse his most devoted voters, remains a rally centerpiece even as he must appeal more broadly to a general election audience. In heaping praise on the rioters, Trump is shifting blame for his own role in the run-up to the bloody mob siege and asking voters to absolve hundreds of them -- and himself -- over the deadliest attack on a seat of American power in 200 years. At the same time, Trump's allies are installing 2020 election-deniers to the Republican National Committee, further institutionalizing the lies that spurred the violence. That raises red flags about next year, when Congress will again be called upon to certify the vote. And they're not alone. Republicans in Congress are embarking on a re-investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack that seeks to shield Trump of wrongdoing while lawmakers are showcasing side theories about why thousands of his supporters descended on Capitol Hill in what became a brutal scene of hand-to-hand combat with police. Five people died in the riot and its aftermath. Taken together, it's what those who study authoritarian regimes warn is a classic case of what's called consolidation -- where the state apparatus is being transformed around a singular figure, in this case Trump. Jason Stanley, a philosophy professor at Yale, said in history the question comes up over and over again: How could people not have taken an authoritarian leader at his word about what was going to happen? "Listen to Trump," he said. "When a coup against the democratic regime happens and it's not punished, that is a very strong indicator of the end of the rule of law and the victory of that authoritarian movement," he said. "Americans have a hard time understanding that what happens in most of the world can happen here, too." Trump is facing a four-count federal indictment over Jan. 6 -- charges he conspired to defraud Americans over his 2020 election defeat and obstructed the official proceeding in Congress to certify the vote for Joe Biden. As the Supreme Court considers Trump's claim that he should be immune from prosecution, it's unclear when the case will go to trial, raising the possibility it might not be resolved until after the election. The initial House Select Committee on Jan. 6 found that Trump criminally engaged in a "multi-part conspiracy" to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol and beating police. More than 1,200 people have been charged in the riot, including far-right Oath Keepers and Proud Boys extremists, with hundreds convicted. Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and attorney John Eastman face legal challenges over their work on the 2020 election. Trump's campaign, in response to an inquiry from The Associated Press, pointed to the work from the House investigators who are trying to show inconsistencies in the Select Committee's probe and its star witness Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide who had a front-row seat to inner workings at the White House. Trump's national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Justice Department has spent more time prosecuting the former president and "targeting Americans for peacefully protesting on January 6th" than other criminals. "President Trump will restore justice for all Americas who have been unfairly treated," she said. Even as Republicans worry privately that Trump risks turning off women and independent voters he would need in the general election rematch against Biden, top aides have said there is only so much they can do as Trump is going to be Trump. Over the weekend, Trump focused his attention on Liz Cheney, the former Republican congresswoman, who was vice chair of the Select Committee and personally secured Hutchinson's blockbuster 2022 testimony. "She should go to Jail along with the rest of the Unselect Committee!" Trump posted on social media. Cheney posted in response -- "Hi Donald: you know these are lies" -- as she makes dispelling falsehoods about Jan. 6 her singular focus in 2024. "If your response to Trump's assault on our democracy is to lie & cover up what he did, attack the brave men & women who came forward with the truth, and defend the criminals who violently assaulted the Capitol," she said in one post, "you need to rethink whose side you're on. Hint: It's not America's." Many Republicans are willfully ignoring the issue, especially in Congress, despite lawmakers having run for their lives and taken shelter as the rioters stormed the Senate chamber and ransacked Capitol offices. Senators who sharply criticized Trump after the Jan. 6 attack, like Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and South Dakota's John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, have now reluctantly endorsed him. Others are still declining to endorse Trump, including Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment on the charge of inciting the insurrection for the Jan. 6 attack. But the holdouts are in the minority. Appearing on NBC's "Meet The Press," Cassidy would only say, "I plan to vote for a Republican for the presidency of the United States." One Republican willing to speak out is Mike Pence, the former vice president, whom rioters shouted they wanted to "hang" that day as a makeshift gallows stood on the Capitol's West Front. "I was there on January 6th. I have no doubt in my mind ... that some people were caught up in the moment," Pence said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "But the assaults on police officers, ultimately an environment that claimed lives, is something that I think was tragic that day," Pence said. "And I'll never diminish it."
Netanyahu to Send Officials to DC 03/19 06:19
Netanyahu to Send Officials to DC 03/19 06:19 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday agreed to send a team of Israeli officials to Washington to discuss with Biden administration officials a prospective Rafah operation as each side is looking to make "clear to the other its perspective," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. The agreement to hold talks about Rafah came as Biden and Netanyahu spoke Monday, their first interaction in more than a month, as the divide has grown between allies over the food crisis in Gaza and Israel's conduct during the war, according to the White House. Sullivan said the talks will happen in the coming days and are expected to involve military, intelligence and humanitarian experts. The White House has been skeptical of Netanyahu's plan to carry out an operation in the southern city of Rafah, where about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, as Israel looks to eliminate Hamas following the militant group's deadly Oct. 7 attack. Sullivan said Biden in the call once again urged Netanyahu not to carry out a Rafah operation. At the coming talks, he said U.S. officials will lay out "an alternative approach that would target key Hamas elements in Rafah and secure the Egypt-Gaza border without a major ground invasion." "The president has rejected, and did again today, the straw man that raising questions about Rafah is the same as raising questions about defeating Hamas," Sullivan said. "That's just nonsense. Our position is that Hamas should not be allowed a safe haven in Rafah or anywhere else, but a major ground operation there would be a mistake. It would lead to more innocent civilian deaths, worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis, deepen the anarchy in Gaza and further isolate Israel internationally." The call comes after Republicans in Washington and Israeli officials were quick to express outrage after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sharply criticized Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza and called for Israel to hold new elections. They accused the Democratic leader of breaking the unwritten rule against interfering in a close ally's electoral politics. Biden hasn't endorsed Schumer's call for election but said he thought he gave a "good speech" that reflected the concerns of many Americans. Netanyahu raised concerns about the calls by Schumer for new elections, Sullivan said. Biden administration officials have warned that they would not support an operation in Rafah without the Israelis presenting a credible plan to ensure the safety of innocent Palestinian civilians. Israel has yet to present such a plan, according to White House officials. Netanyahu in a statement after the call made no direct mention of the tension. "We discussed the latest developments in the war, including Israel's commitment to achieving all of the war's goals: Eliminating Hamas, freeing all of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza never (again) constitutes a threat to Israel -- while providing the necessary humanitarian aid that will assist in achieving these goals," Netanyahu said. The Biden-Netanyahu call also came as a new report warned that "famine is imminent" in northern Gaza, where 70% of the remaining population is experiencing catastrophic hunger, and that a further escalation of the war could push around half of Gaza's population to the brink of starvation. The report came from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a partnership of more than a dozen governments, U.N. aid and other agencies that determines the severity of food crises. Netanyahu lashed out against the American criticism on Sunday, describing calls for a new election as "wholly inappropriate." Netanyahu told Fox News Channel that Israel never would have called for a new U.S. election after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and he denounced Schumer's comments as inappropriate. "We're not a banana republic," he said. "The people of Israel will choose when they will have elections, and who they'll elect, and it's not something that will be foisted on us." Even as they express frustration about aspects of the Israeli operations, the White House acknowledges that Israel has made significant progress in degrading Hamas. And Sullivan revealed on Monday that an Israeli operation last week killed Hamas' third in command, Marwan Issa. "The president told the prime minister again today that we share the goal of defeating Hamas, but we just believe you need a coherent and sustainable strategy to make that happen," Sullivan said. Biden after his State of the Union address earlier this month was caught on a hot mic telling a Democratic ally that he has told Netanyahu they would have a "come to Jesus" meeting over the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. His frustration with Netanyahu's prosecution of the war was also on display in a recent MSNBC interview, in which he asserted Netanyahu was "hurting Israel." "He has a right to defend Israel, a right to continue to pursue Hamas," Biden said of Netanyahu in the MSNBC interview. "But he must, he must, he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken. He's hurting ... in my view, he's hurting Israel more than helping Israel." The president announced during his State of the Union address that the U.S. military would help establish a temporary pier aimed at boosting the amount of aid getting into the territory. The U.S. military has also been air-dropping aid into Gaza. The Biden administration resorted to the unusual workarounds after months of appealing to Israel, a top recipient of military aid, to step up access and protection for trucks bearing humanitarian goods for Gaza. The five-month war was triggered after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in a surprise attack, rampaging through communities, killing some 1,200 people -- mostly civilians -- and taking around 250 hostages. Israel responded with one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history. The war has killed over 31,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Around 80% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, and a quarter of the population faces starvation. -- This story has been corrected to properly attribute a new report that said "famine is imminent" in Gaza to the Integrated Food Service Phase Classification. It was previously attributed to the World Food Program.
Blinken Underscores Philippines Support03/19 06:25
Blinken Underscores Philippines Support03/19 06:25 MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored Washington's "ironclad commitment" Tuesday to help defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack against its forces after clashes between Chinese and Filipino coast guards in the disputed South China Sea recently turned more hostile. Blinken, the latest high-level official to visit the United States treaty ally, met his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo on Tuesday before separately meeting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila. President Joe Biden will host Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a White House summit in April. The three are likely to discuss growing concerns over increasingly aggressive Chinese actions in the South China Sea and North Korea's nuclear program. "We stand with the Philippines and stand by our ironclad defense commitments, including under the Mutual Defense Treaty," Blinken said in a news conference with Manalo. "We have a shared concern about the PRC's actions that threaten our common vision for a free, open Indo-Pacific, including in the South China Sea and in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone," Blinken said, using the abbreviation for the People's Republic of China. He cited "repeated violations of international law and the rights of the Philippines: water cannons, blocking maneuvers, close shadowing other dangerous operations." The Chinese coast guard blocked and used water cannons against Philippine vessels in a confrontation two weeks ago that slightly injured a Filipino admiral and four of his sailors near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal. The March 5 faceoff in the high seas also caused two minor collisions between Chinese and Philippine vessels and prompted Manila's Department of Foreign Affairs to summon China's deputy ambassador to convey a protest against the Chinese coast guard's actions, which the Philippines said were unacceptable. The Chinese coast guard said then that "it took control measures in accordance with the law against Philippine ships that illegally intruded into the waters adjacent to Ren'ai Reef," the name Beijing uses for Second Thomas Shoal. The Second Thomas Shoal, which is occupied by a small Philippine navy contingent but surrounded by Chinese coast guard ships and other allied vessels, was the site of several tense skirmishes between Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships in the past year. But Filipino officials said the confrontation earlier this month was particularly serious because of the injuries sustained by its navy personnel and damage to their vessel. Blinken renewed a warning Tuesday that the U.S. is obligated under a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty to defend the Philippines if Filipino forces, ships or aircraft come under an armed attack anywhere in the South China Sea. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian rejected Blinken's comments on Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. "The U.S. is not a party to the South China Sea issue and has no right to intervene in maritime issues between China and the Philippines," Lin said. "China will continue to take necessary measures to firmly defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea." Both Blinken and Manalo described their countries' treaty alliance as being on "hyper-drive," but acknowledged that more could be done. They said efforts to shore up defense ties were not aimed against any country. Beijing has repeatedly said that Marcos' decision to allow the expansion of American military presence in the Philippines under a 2014 defense pact could undermine the security of China and the region. U.S. and Philippine forces plan to hold their largest annual combat exercises in April in the Philippines. The area would include a northern region just a sea away from Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. "We reaffirmed our shared view that a strong and capable Philippines would make a formidable ally for the United States," Manalo said. Blinken said that "the alliance has never been stronger, but we not only have to sustain that, we have to continue to accelerate the momentum." Outside the presidential palace in Manila, dozens of left-wing activists tore a mock U.S. flag in a noisy rally Tuesday to oppose Blinken's visit and Washington's involvement in the long-simmering territorial disputes. Aside from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims in the resource-rich and busy waterway, a key global trade route. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea. In the past decade, China has turned barren reefs into seven islands that now serve as missile-protected island bases -- including three with runways -- that have bolstered its capability to fortify its territorial claims and patrols. In response, Washington has been strengthening an arc of military alliances and security ties in the Indo-Pacific, including with the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries at odds with China in the disputed sea. After China effectively seized another disputed atoll -- the Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines -- in 2012, Manila brought its disputes with Beijing to international arbitration and largely won. China, however, rejected the 2016 ruling of the United Nations-backed tribunal that invalidated its expansive claims on historical grounds, and continues to defy the decision.
Biden Heads West to Campaign in NV, AZ 03/19 06:28
Biden Heads West to Campaign in NV, AZ 03/19 06:28 President Joe Biden is embarking on a three-day campaign swing aimed at shoring up his standing in the Sun Belt as part of an aggressive play to reenergize vital parts of his 2020 electoral coalition. WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Joe Biden is embarking on a three-day campaign swing aimed at shoring up his standing in the Sun Belt as part of an aggressive play to reenergize vital parts of his 2020 electoral coalition. Much of Biden's time on this trip this week, which includes stops in Nevada, Arizona and Texas, will be geared toward courting the Latino voters who helped power his coalition in 2020 and to emphasizing his pro-union, pro-abortion rights message. The Democratic president's first stop Tuesday is in Reno, Nevada, where he will meet with local officials and campaign volunteers in Washoe County before heading to Las Vegas to promote his administration's housing policies. Next he'll travel to Phoenix for another campaign stop in a critical swing county paired with an event talking up what he has done to bolster the computer chip manufacturing sector. Biden's push with Latino voters this week, which includes the formal launch of the Latinos con Biden-Harris (Spanish for Latinos with Biden-Harris) initiative on Tuesday, is also part of the campaign's broader efforts to put in place the infrastructure to re-engage various constituencies that will be critical to the president's reelection. That effort is all the more crucial as key parts of Biden's base, such as Black and Hispanic adults, have become increasingly disenchanted with the president's performance in office. In an AP-NORC poll conducted in February, 38% of U.S. adults approved of how Biden was handling his job. Nearly 6 in 10 Black adults (58%) approved, compared to 36% of Hispanic adults. Black adults are more likely than white and Hispanic adults to approve of Biden, but that approval has dropped in the three years since Biden took office. Biden's reelection campaign, along with allied Democratic groups, has opened offices in Washoe County and in specific areas of Las Vegas that aides said will help the campaign to target Black, Latino and Asian American voters. Bilingual campaign organizers are already in place in Arizona, and the campaign has opened an office in Maryvale, a major Latino community in Phoenix. The campaign has hired more than 40 staffers in Nevada and Arizona. Campaign officials believe that tuned-out voters are starting to pay attention to the reality of a rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump now that the two candidates have clinched their respective nominations. They're trying to boost coalition-building efforts in battleground states now that the matchup is set, using the energy coming out of Biden's State of the Union earlier this month to jolt their campaign momentum. That includes, for example, ensuring that chapters are in place across college campuses so that students have a place to organize and that campaign offices are open and stocked with yard signs, campaign literature and other materials. Democrats are hoping that Trump and the GOP will struggle to catch up in key states. The campaign has already established Women for Biden-Harris, an effort led by first lady Jill Biden to mobilize female voters who were a vital part of Biden's winning coalition in 2020, as well as Students for Biden-Harris, which will focus on getting young voters organized and active. Latinos con Biden-Harris will formally launch at Biden's Phoenix stop on Tuesday and include other campaign events, such as volunteer trainings and house parties, in other battleground states including Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin later this week. "This isn't stuff that you can just stand up. This is stuff that requires work," Quentin Fulks, principal deputy campaign manager for the Biden campaign, said in an interview. "It does require training. It does require making sure that your volunteers and supporters have what they need on the ground." Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee dismissed dozens of staffers after new leaders closely aligned with Trump took over last week. Those let go include people who worked at the party's community centers that helped build relationships with minority groups in some Democratic-leaning areas. The committee's new leadership has since insisted that those centers will remain open. The RNC, already strapped for cash, is also trying to bat away assumptions that it'll pay for Trump's ever-escalating legal bills as he faces multiple criminal cases. Still, the Biden campaign and the broader Democratic Party are confronting their own struggles, despite their cash and organizational advantages. On top of Biden's weaker job performance numbers, Democrats are seeing less support from key voting blocs come election time: While Biden won 63% of Hispanic voters in 2020, that percentage shrunk to 57% for Democratic candidates in the 2022 midterms, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the national electorate. Despite the waning approval numbers, campaign officials say they are confident that once the contrast between the president's agenda and Trump's plans for a second term are presented to disillusioned members of Biden's coalition, they will ultimately back the president. "I can say this as a Latina, we always come late to the party. We like to make a grand entrance," said Democratic strategist Maria Cardona. "I think that's what you will see again because when it comes down to people making a real decision that is consequential to their future, the future of their children, the future of their communities, it's not some random phone call from an anonymous pollster -- I think that the Democratic coalition will come home." Alongside the campaign stops, the administration is pairing official White House events on matters that have particular significance in the two states. In Arizona, Biden will continue talking up a law he signed encouraging domestic manufacturing of computer chips, which has already spurred significant private investment in the state, especially in Phoenix. And in Nevada, Biden will continue promoting a new housing proposal that would offer a mortgage relief credit for first-time homebuyers and a seller's tax credit to encourage homeowners to offload their starter homes. The issue of housing is sure to resonate in Nevada, where home prices have nearly doubled since early 2016, according to Zillow, the online real estate marketplace. "As the president has said, the bottom line is, we have to build, build, build," said Lael Brainard, the director of the White House National Economic Council. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., stressed that Democrats cannot take the state -- which has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 2004 -- for granted, even as she dismissed some polling that shows Trump with an edge in Nevada. "You got to be there talking to voters, particularly in Nevada," Cortez Masto said. "It's still small enough, it's 3 million people, they expect you to show up, right? It's a swing state. It's very diverse. And people just expect that type of engagement, so they can decide for themselves." Biden's three-day trip will wrap up in Texas, where he will host a trio of fundraisers in Dallas and Houston.