World’s two most wanted drug traffickers of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel arrested by US authorities

NEW YORK, July 27: Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a longtime leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said.

A leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel for decades alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Zambada is one of the most notorious drug traffickers in the world and known for running the cartel’s smuggling operations while keeping a lower profile.

A Mexican federal official said that Zambada and Guzmán López arrived in the United States on a private plane and turned themselves in to authorities. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized discuss the matter.

The U.S. government had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the capture of Zambada, who eluded authorities for decades.

Zambada and Guzmán López oversaw the trafficking of “tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said, adding that now they will "face justice in the United States.”

“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Mexican authorities didn't immediately comment on the arrests.

U.S. officials have been seeking Zambada's capture for years, and he has been charged in a number of U.S. cases. He was charged in February in the Eastern District of New York with conspiring to manufacture and distribute the synthetic opioid. Prosecutors said he was continuing to lead the Sinaloa cartel, “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.”

Zambada, one of the longest-surviving capos in Mexico, was considered the cartel's strategist, more involved in day-to-day operations than his flashier and better-known boss, “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. in 2019 and is the father of Guzmán López.

Zambada is an old-fashioned capo in an era of younger kingpins known for their flamboyant lifestyles of club-hopping and brutal tactics of beheading, dismembering and even skinning their rivals. While Zambada has fought those who challenged him, he is known for concentrating on the business side of trafficking and avoiding gruesome cartel violence that would draw attention.

In an April 2010 interview with the Mexican magazine Proceso, he acknowledged that he lived in constant fear of going to prison and would contemplate suicide rather than be captured.

“I’m terrified of being incarcerated,” Zambada said. “I’d like to think that, yes, I would kill myself.”

The interview was surprising for a kingpin known for keeping his head down, but he gave strict instructions on where and when the encounter would take place, and the article gave no hint of his whereabouts.

Zambada reputedly won the loyalty of locals in his home state of Sinaloa and neighboring Durango through his largess, sponsoring local farmers and distributing money and beer in his birthplace of El Alamo.

Although little is known about Zambada’s early life, he is believed to have gotten his start as an enforcer in the 1970s.

By the early 1990s, he was a major player in the Juarez cartel, transporting tons of cocaine and marijuana.

Zambada started gaining the trust of Colombian traffickers, allegiances that helped him come out on top in the cartel world of ever-shifting alliances. Eventually he became so powerful that he broke off from the Juarez cartel, but still managed to keep strong ties with the gang and avoided a turf war. He also developed a partnership with “El Chapo” Guzman that would take him to the top of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Zambada’s detention follows some important arrests of other Sinaloa cartel figures, including one of his sons and another son of “El Chapo” Guzmán, Ovidio Guzmán López. Zambada's son pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in San Diego in 2021 to being a leader in the Sinaloa cartel.

In recent years, Guzman’s sons have led a faction of the cartel known as the little Chapos, or “Chapitos” that has been identified as a main exporter of fentanyl to the U.S. market.

They were seen as more violent and flamboyant than Zambada. Their security chief was arrested by Mexican authorities in November.

Ovidio Guzmán López was arrested and extradited to the U.S. last year. He pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in Chicago in September.

Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the DEA, said Zambada’s arrest is important but unlikely to have much impact on the flow of drugs to the U.S. Joaquín Guzmán López was the least influential of the four sons who made up the Chapitos, Vigil said.

“This is a great blow for the rule of law, but is it going to have an impact on the cartel? I don’t think so,” Vigil said.

“It’s not going to have a dent on the drug trade because somebody from within the cartel is going to replace him,” Vigil said.

Barack Obama, Wife Michelle Endorse Kamala Harris' Bid For US Presidency

WASHINGTON, July 26: Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle endorsed Kamala Harris' bid for president on Friday in a roughly one-minute long video that captured a private phone call between the couple and the current vice president.

"We called to say Michelle and I couldn't be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office," Obama told Harris.

"I am proud of you. This is going to be historic," the former first lady told Harris.

Talking into a cell phone and cracking a few smiles, Harris expressed her gratitude for the endorsement and their long friendship.

"Thank you both. It means so much. And we're gonna have some fun with this too," Harris said.

The campaign said the video was the actual call, not a reenactment.

Harris's surprise bid against Republican rival Donald Trump continues to gain steam from supporters, donors and politicians less than a week after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race amid slumping poll numbers.

Obama, the first US Black president, remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic party even after more than a decade has passed since he was last elected.

Obama has lent his support to Biden during big-money fundraisers, which were among some of the biggest blockbuster events of his campaign.

The endorsement could help activate and sustain energy and fundraising for Harris' campaign and it signals he is likely to get on the campaign trail for Harris once she is officially the presumptive nominee.

Obama initially withheld his endorsement even as Biden, his former vice president, anointed her as his heir apparent. Obama reportedly did not want to put his thumb on the scale as the party worked through the process of determining its nominee.

Democracy and party unity over personal ambition: Biden explains decision to quit

WASHINGTON, July 25: In his first speech after deciding to quit the presidential race, President Joe Biden said that democracy was more important than personal ambition, saving democracy required unifying his party, and the best way to do this was to “pass the torch to a new generation”.

Biden hailed his vice-president and now the presumptive Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, as “experienced, tough, and capable”; spoke of what he considered were his achievements in office and the priorities for the remaining six months of his term; and laid out the choice in the upcoming elections, placing the onus on American citizens to decide.

In a 11-minute speech from behind the Resolute Desk in Oval Office on Wednesday night eastern time, Biden spoke haltingly in parts, a reminder to the audience of why the 81-year old had to make way after a disastrous debate performance exposed his age deficits and drew a backlash from party elders and donors and voters who believed he could not defeat his rival, former president and now the Republican nominee, Donald Trump.

Emphasising the importance of democracy, which he has often said is at stake in this election, Biden said, “In recent weeks, it has become clear to me that I need to unite my party in this critical endeavour. I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future, all merited a second term. But nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition. So I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. It’s the best way to unite our nation.”

He declared that America was at inflection point, and decisions taken now would shape the nation and the world for decades to come. “America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division. We have to decide: Do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy. In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies but as, I mean, fellow Americans — can we do that? Does character in public life still matter?” Biden said, in what appeared to be a clear attempt to draw a contrast with Republican nominee, Donald Trump, without naming him.

He added that there was a time and place for long years of experience. “There is also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices. And that time and place is now.” Later in the speech, Biden said that he had made his choice and it was up to Americans to make their own now. “I’ve made my views known. I would like to thank our great vice-president, Kamala Harris. She is experienced, she is tough, she is capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country.”

Biden’s speech marked the beginning of the end of a political career that spanned five decades and has been marked by intense personal tragedy and public failures amid success. Biden was first elected Senator at the age of 29 in 1972, but even before he could take office, his wife and daughter were killed in an accident, leaving Biden to parent his two sons, Beau and Hunter, who survived. Biden took the Amtrak every day from Washington DC to Wilmington in his home state of Delaware for decades as he cared for his children, while serving as Senator for 35 years where he headed the Senate judiciary and foreign affairs committees.

Biden also had two failed presidential runs, in 1988, when he had to leave after having caught plagiarising a speech, and in 2008, before Barack Obama picked Biden to serve as his vice-president in 2008 for eight years. Biden lost his son, Beau, to cancer, even as Hunter battled addiction.

And then, in 2020, Biden re-emerged to defeat Trump and become president. “Nowhere else on Earth could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania and in Claymont, Delaware one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as the president of the United States. But here I am,” said Biden, as First Lady Jill Biden, son Hunter and other close family members and aides watched him from the side and behind the camera in the Oval Office.

Biden used the speech to lay out his accomplishments after inheriting the office at a time of peril, mentioning the pandemic and economic recession and alluding to Trump’s divisive term and refusal to give way after the 2020 election.

“Today we have the strongest economy in the world, creating nearly 16 million new jobs…We are literally rebuilding our entire nation…Manufacturing has come back to America. We are leading the world again in chips and science and innovation. We finally beat Big Pharma after all these years to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors…I signed one of the most significant laws helping millions of veterans and their families who were exposed to toxic materials. You know, most significant climate law ever, ever in the history of the world. The first major gun safety law in 30 years,” said Biden. He also spoke of nominating the first African American woman to the Supreme Court and creating a diverse administration that looked like America.

In terms of foreign policy, Biden spoke of strengthening Nato, constructing a coalition against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and strengthening allies in the Pacific. “I’m the first president of this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world…when I came to the office, the conventional wisdom was that China would inevitably pass, surpass the United States. That’s not the case anymore,” Biden said, as he promised to work towards peace in Gaza on a day when the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the US Congress on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue.

At a time when Biden is widely seen to be a lame duck president, he insisted that he will remain focused on his job and his priorities. “will keep defending our personal freedoms and civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose. I will keep calling out hate and extremism, making it clear there is no place, no place in America for political violence or any violence ever, period”, Biden said at time when the US confronts intense political polarisation.

Israeli PM Netanyahu Says Will Work With Joe Biden 'In The Months Ahead'

WASHINGTON, July 25: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he would work with Joe Biden for his remaining time in office, after the US president's stunning decision to drop his reelection bid.

"I want to thank you for the 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel, and I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the months ahead," Netanyahu said as he met Biden for the first time at the White House to discuss a Gaza ceasefire deal.

Kamala Harris Wins Support Within Democractic Party To Face Trump

WASHINGTON, July 23: US Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday said she has earned the support needed to become the Democrat presidential nominee, two days after Joe Biden, who was seeking re-election, announced to bow down.

"When I announced my campaign for President, I said I intended to go out and earn this nomination. Tonight, I am proud to have secured the broad support needed to become our party's nominee, and as a daughter of California, I am proud that my home state's delegation helped put our campaign over the top. I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon," she said in a statement.

Joe Biden, who was seeking a rematch against Republican candidate Donald Trump in the November 5 US elections, announced to step aside on Sunday.

The 81-year-old ended the re-election bid amid mounting pressure over his health concerns and pledged to remain in office until his term ends in January 2025. He has now thrown his support behind 59-year-old Harris.

"I am grateful to President Biden and everyone in the Democratic Party who has already put their faith in me, and I look forward to taking our case directly to the American people," Kamala Harris, the first Black American and first Indian-American to be elected vice president, said.

"This election will present a clear choice between two different visions. Donald Trump wants to take our country back to a time before many of us had full freedoms and equal rights. I believe in a future that strengthens our democracy, protects reproductive freedom, and ensures every person has the opportunity to not just get by, but to get ahead," Harris said.

"I fully intend to unite our party, unite our nation, and defeat Donald Trump in November," she added.

An unofficial survey of delegates by the news agency Associated Press showed Kamala Harris with more than 2,500 delegates, well over the 1,976 needed to win a vote in the coming weeks.

Democratic party is scheduled to announce the presidential nominee by August 7.

Replacing Biden atop the ticket has also revved up speculation about who might join Harris as a vice presidential candidate.

According to reports, the people being discussed are Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Kamala Harris Leads Trump 44% To 42% In US Presidential Race: Survey

WASHINGTON, July 23: Vice President Kamala Harris opened up a marginal two-percentage-point lead over Republican Donald Trump after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and passed the torch to her, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

The poll, conducted on Monday and Tuesday, followed both the Republican National Convention where Trump on Thursday formally accepted his party's nomination and the Biden announcement on Sunday he was leaving the race and endorsing Harris.

Harris, whose campaign says she has secured the Democratic nomination, led Trump 44% to 42% in the national poll, a difference within the 3-percentage-point margin of error.

Harris and Trump were tied at 44% in a July 15-16 poll, and Trump led by one percentage point in a July 1-2 poll, both within the same margin of error.

While nationwide surveys give important signals of American support for political candidates, just a handful of competitive states typically tilt the balance in the U.S. Electoral College, which ultimately decides who wins a presidential election.

The most recent poll showed 56% of registered voters agreed with a statement that Harris, 59, was "mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges," compared to 49% who said the same of Trump, 78.

Only 22% of voters assessed Biden that way.

Biden, 81, ended his reelection effort after a debate with Trump in which he often stammered and failed to aggressively challenge attacks by Trump that included falsehoods.

When voters in the survey were shown a hypothetical ballot that included independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Harris led Trump 42% to 38%, an advantage outside the margin of error. Kennedy, favored by 8% of voters in the poll, has yet to qualify for the ballot in many states ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

The poll, which was conducted online, surveyed 1,241 U.S. adults nationwide, including 1,018 registered voters.

US Secret Service Director Quits Days After Shooting At Trump's Rally

WASHINGTON, July 23: US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday, a day after acknowledging that the agency failed in its mission to prevent an assassination attempt against Donald Trump.

Cheatle was facing bipartisan calls to step down after a 20-year-old gunman wounded the former Republican president and current White House candidate at a July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

"It is overdue, she should have done this at least a week ago," Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, told reporters. "I'm happy to see that she has heeded the call of both Republicans and Democrats."

Cheatle appeared before a congressional committee on Monday and said the attack on Trump, who was slightly wounded in his right ear, represented a failure by the Secret Service.

She called it "the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades."

Both Republicans and Democrats called on Cheatle to resign. She drew the ire of lawmakers from both parties by refusing to provide specific details about the attack, citing the existence of multiple active investigations.

The gunman opened fire on Trump with an AR-style assault rifle just minutes after he began speaking at the campaign event.

Perched on the roof of a nearby building, he was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper less than 30 seconds after firing the first of eight shots.

Investigators have concluded the young man, who lived in a town about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Butler, acted alone, and have not been able to identify any strong ideological or political leanings.

Two rally attendees were seriously wounded and a 50-year-old Pennsylvania firefighter, Corey Comperatore, was shot dead.

Trump's former physician said over the weekend that the Republican candidate sustained a two-centimeter (almost one inch) gunshot wound on his right ear.

"The bullet passed, coming less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear," said ex-White House physician Ronny Jackson.

Cheatle served as a Secret Service agent for 27 years before leaving in 2021 to become the head of security in North America for PepsiCo.

She was named to head the agency by President Joe Biden in 2022.

As Kamala Harris Joins Presidential Race, Who Could Be Her Running Mate?

WASHINGTON, July 22: Hours after President Joe Biden announced his decision to step down from the 2024 race to the White House Vice President Kamala Harris, in a statement on X, said was "honored to have the President's endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination."

With Harris' entry in the US Presidential elections, the speculation about who could be her Vice President pick has begun. Among the names doing the rounds is Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. Within minutes of Harris' post, Senator Kelly put out a message on the microblogging site X sharing his support for her. "Kamala Harris is the right person to defeat Donald Trump and lead the country into the future." he said.

Senator Kelly was elected in December 2020 as a senator from Arizonan to fill out the remainder of John McCain's term. A navy veteran, who served as a combat pilot in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and Kuwait, the lawmaker is also a former NASA astronaut. His first space mission was in 2001 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour and a decade later, he commanded the Space Shuttle's final mission.

Senator Kelly has taken on the Republicans over issues like abortion and said Trump and his running mate JD Vance need to be kept out of office to restore abortion rights. In October last year, he travelled to Tel Aviv with a group of Senators and was reported to have pledged support for Israel in its war against Hamas.

Another possible running mate for Ms Harris, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has also backed her nomination. "She has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country thoughtfully and with integrity," he said.

With a background in law, he took over as Attorney General in 2000. He was elected Governor in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Governor Cooper has worked to combat the opioid crisis in North Carolina and is credited with launching the state's first Opioid Action Plan in 2017. He also helped formulate Carolina's first children's health insurance initiative.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also endorsed Harris even as his name cropped up as a possible Vice Presidential candidate. Governor Shapiro said he will do everything he can to help elect Kamala Harris as the 47th President of the United States. As the Governor of the state where Donald Trump was shot at a week ago, Governor Shapiro condemned the attack saying, "Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable."

Governor Shapiro assumed the office of the Governor of Pennsylvania last year in January. In 2016, he was elected as Pennsylvania's Attorney General. In 2020, when the Republicans alleged the election was rigged, he defended Pennsylvania's election result, winning in court dozens of times before and after Election Day. During his tenure as Attorney General, he exposed the Catholic Church's decades-long cover up of child sexual abuse, identifying 301 predator priests and thousands of victims - and spurring investigations across the United States.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is another leader speculated to be Ms Harris' running mate. At 46, he is one of the youngest Governors in US. Before being elected Governor, he served as the Attorney General. As Governor he has acted against legislation banning abortion.

Biden Drops Out Of Re-election Battle With Trump

REHOBOTH BEACH, July 21: Joe Biden on Sunday dropped out of the US presidential election and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party's new nominee, in a political earthquake that upends an already extraordinary 2024 race for the White House.

Biden, 81, said he was acting in the "best interest of my party and the country" by bowing to weeks of pressure after a disastrous June debate against Donald Trump stoked worries about his age and mental fitness.

The stunning move throws Democrats into fresh turmoil ahead of the November 5 election. But it could also reenergize the demoralized party, with Harris swiftly confirming her goal to become America's first woman president and to "defeat Donald Trump."

Trump reacted with a stream of posts on his Truth Social network, saying that because Biden is not "fit to run" for president, he is also not "fit to serve."

However, the dramatic shift will wrong-foot Republicans, whose campaign was solely focused on Biden and will now instead feature 78-year-old Trump -- the oldest presidential nominee in US history -- up against a far younger opponent.

The move also transforms what had been a highly unpopular and dragging Trump-Biden rematch into one of the most compelling presidential campaigns in modern American politics.

Biden's withdrawal had been widely expected at some point. The announcement finally came with no warning as he recovered from Covid at his Delaware beach house.

In a letter posted on X, Biden said it had been the "greatest honor of my life" to be president. He said he would address the nation later this week. The White House later said he had no public events scheduled for Monday.

"While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," he wrote.

Shortly after, he offered his "full support and endorsement" for Harris, with his campaign filing official notice to change its name to "Harris for President."

Endorsements began streaming in for Harris almost immediately from Democratic big shots as well as those seen as potential rivals for the nomination, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom.

The Democratic fundraising group ActBlue meanwhile reported that Harris received $27.5 million in small-donor contributions over the course of just five hours.

Democrats must now scramble to confirm a new candidate at their party convention in Chicago on August 19.

Harris, the first Black and South Asian woman vice president in US history, praised Biden for his "selfless and patriotic act" and vowed to "earn and win" the nomination.

Still highly influential former Democratic president Barack Obama cautioned that "uncharted waters" lie ahead.

Biden's decision came after a period of enforced isolation, with only a few family members and aides around him to consult at his Rehoboth Beach home, as he nursed a Covid infection.

First Lady Jill Biden reacted by simply reposting his statement, along with two hearts.

In a clear sign of how Republicans will try to frame Harris's image, Trump's new running mate J.D. Vance underlined that she had been "every step of the way" with Biden, "the worst president in my lifetime."

Biden's decision to exit caps a tense and chaotic period in the US election, with Trump having survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally on July 13, and Democrats tearing themselves apart for weeks over whether Biden should quit.

Biden is the first president in US history to drop out so late in an election race.

Biden spent more than three weeks resisting calls to step down following the shock of the June 27 debate, during which he often lost his train of thought and stood with mouth agape.

Harris meanwhile struggled to make an impact in her first years in the White House, but performed strongly on the campaign trail on key issues such as abortion.

In recent weeks, the Biden campaign has reportedly been quietly carrying out a head-to-head survey of voters measuring how the former California prosecutor matched up against convicted felon Trump.

Biden took office in January 2021 pledging to heal the "soul of America" after four turbulent years under Trump and the shock of the January 6, 2021 Capitol assault by his supporters.

Overcoming a reputation for verbal flubs, Obama's former vice president gave strong backing to Ukraine's battle against Russia's 2022 invasion, pushed through a massive Covid recovery plan and historic green industry subsidies.

But he faced criticism over the catastrophic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, high inflation, and his support for Israel's war in Gaza -- while concerns over his age only mounted.

'Lies, Cheats, Rapes': Indian-Origin Billionaire vs Elon Musk Over Trump

NEW YORK, July 21: Prominent Indian-American businessman Vinod Khosla and billionaire Elon Musk engaged in a war of words this morning after Joe Biden dropped out of the US presidential race against Republican rival Donald Trump.

Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party's new nominee

The stunning move throws Democrats into fresh turmoil ahead of the November 5 election. But it could also reenergize the demoralized party, with Kamala Harris swiftly confirming her goal to become America's first woman president and to "defeat Donald Trump."

Soon after the announcement, Vinod Khosla called for an "open convention" for the Democrats to decide on "a more moderate" candidate.

Time to have an open convention and get a more moderate candidate who can easily beat @realDonaldTrump. @GovWhitmer and @GovernorShapiro would be a great thing for America not held hostage between MAGA extremists and DEI extremism. Unique opportunity for a better moderate path. Every socially liberal, climate and fiscal voter should want it to balance our approach," he posted on X - earlier known as Twitter.

Responding to the post, Elon Musk - the CEO of X, Tesla and SpaceX - pitched for former US president Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance.

"Come on, Vinod. Trump/Vance LFG!!," Musk posted on X.

Hitting back, Khosla asked Musk if he would want his children to be like the Republican presidential contender and said that he can't support someone (Donald Trump) who "lies, cheats and demeans women".

"Hard for me to support someone with no values, lies, cheats, rapes, demeans women, hates immigrants like me. He may cut my taxes or reduce some regulation but that is no reason to accept depravity in his personal values. Do you want President who will set back climate by a decade in his first year? Do you want his example for your kids as values?," Khosla said.

A venture capitalist, Vinod Khosla is the co-founder of Sun Microsystems. Khosla is known to be a prominent Democratic political donor, and has contributed over $1.4 million in the current campaign.

Obama Wants Biden To Pull Out Of US Presidential Race: Report

WASHINGTON, July 18: Former US president Barack Obama has told allies that Joe Biden needs to reconsider his reelection bid, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

Obama believes that Biden's path to victory has diminished and that the 81-year-old should "seriously consider the viability of his candidacy," the newspaper said, citing people briefed on his thinking.

It said there was no immediate comment from Obama, who was in office while Biden was vice president from 2009 to 2017 and who remains hugely influential in the Democratic party.

Obama would be the most heavyweight Democrat so far to join a growing chorus in the party calling for Biden to drop out, following a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.

Biden, who is isolating with Covid at his beach house, has rejected concerns about his age and fitness and insisted that he is staying in the race for the White House.

Pressure is mounting, though, with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also both reportedly meeting with Biden in recent days to warn that his candidacy threatens his party's prospects in November's election.

‘She Could Be President’: Joe Biden Hints Kamala Harris Best Positioned To Replace Him

LAS VEGAS, July 17: US President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that Vice President Kamala Harris “could be president of the United States” while addressing the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) convention.

“Folks, I know what a Black job is — it’s the vice president of the United States,” said Biden, referring to his running mate Kamala Harris, the first Black and female VP.

“She’s not only a great vice president, she could be president of the United States,” Biden, 81, said of Harris, 59, who is best placed to replace him if the US President decides to retire.

The octogenarian chief executive returned to the campaign trail with a speech to crucial Black voters at the NAACP advocacy group in Las Vegas.

He opened his speech by saying he was “grateful” that Trump was safe after the shooting, and said he wanted to renew efforts to ban the kind of semi-automatic rifle that shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks used.

For the NAACP crowd, Biden seized on Trump recently referencing “Black jobs,” drawing big applause by joking, “I love the phrase.”

He also referenced Barack Obama as the nation’s first Black president, and his own appointment to the Supreme Court of its first Black and female justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Joe Biden wants to demonstrate his administration’s support for Black voters, a cornerstone of the Democratic coalition and his personal political base. He is also reaching out to the Democrat Hispanic Americans as he plans to address UnidosUS, a key Hispanic advocacy group, on Wednesday.

The 81-year-old Biden has dismissed numerous calls from within his party to step down, assuring the US public that he is the best Democrat to defeat Trump.

At the NAACP meeting in Las Vegas, there was widespread support for Biden staying on.

“I found President Biden very full of energy,” said Donna Jackson-Houston, an NAACP member from California.

She admitted that “I and many others had doubts” about Biden’s age and gaffes after the debate, but “he did a great job today convincing me.”

Tony Fields from New Jersey said Biden’s speech was “very insightful,” adding that the bad debate was “just a moment that the President had that evening.”

Trump Nominated Republican Nominee, Picks Old Critic As Running Mate

MILWAUKEE, July 16: Donald Trump won formal nomination Monday as the Republican presidential candidate and picked a right-wing loyalist for running mate, kicking off a triumphalist party convention in the wake of last weekend's failed assassination attempt.

Trump announced 39-year-old Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his vice presidential pick, rewarding a one-time harsh critic who became one of his most reliable -- and uncompromising -- supporters in Congress.

Trump, 78, is guaranteed a hero's welcome at the convention in Milwaukee, where delegates delivered their formal nomination two days after the scandal-plagued former president survived an assassination attempt at a rally.

"As Vice President, J.D. will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our Troops, and will do everything he can to help me MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," Trump posted on Truth Social.

While Trump is increasingly confident of a shock return to the White House -- despite multiple legal problems and two impeachments during his first term -- President Joe Biden is reeling from weak polls and Democratic concerns over his health.

In the delegates count in Milwaukee, Eric Trump put his father over the threshold on behalf of the Florida delegation, calling him "the greatest president that ever lived."

Vance had been widely expected as Trump's pick. He will bolster the ticket on the right wing, but with less chance of expanding appeal to more moderate voters and women.

The standard-bearer for a new kind of populism that has come to the fore under Trump, Vance is also one of the least experienced VP picks in modern history.

But he embraces the ex-president's isolationist, anti-immigration America First movement. Vance is further to the right than his new boss on many issues including abortion, where he embraces calls for federal legislation.

He initially made his name with the 2016 memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," a best-selling account of his Appalachian family and modest Rust Belt upbringing, which gave a voice to rural, working-class resentment in left-behind America.

Turning his back on previous opposition to Trump, whom he once said might be "America's Hitler," Vance reinvented himself and ultimately won the ex-president's key endorsement in the 2022 Ohio Senate race, launching his meteoric rise.

Trump Shooting Suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks Was Lonely And Bullied, Rejected From School Rifle Team: Reports

PITTSBURG, July 15: Thomas Matthew Crooks was quiet, bullied and lonely in school, but an investigation so far into the young man who was identified as the shooter in the assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump has revealed frustratingly little about his motive.

Former high school classmates described the 20-year-old as a terrible shot, ironically. Crooks, who fired multiple shots at Trump during the Butler rally in Pennsylvania, was reportedly rejected from his school’s rifle team. He was all set to cast his vote for the first time in the November 5 presidential elections. But, it was not to be.

On July 13, the US Secret Service shot and killed him as he made an attempt on Trump’s life. While the Republican presidential candidate survived, the shooting led to the death of a spectator and critically injured two others.

Even though his family members, classmates, teachers and work colleagues did not firmly talk about his leanings, it looks like there were some potential signs in him of an interest in politics. It seems the registered Republican had donated, as a 17-year-old, a small amount to the Democratic Party and put his name down as a voter only a week after he turned 18.

Since Crooks was identified as the shooter by the FBI, there has been much debate over his political affiliations and motive, further inflaming an already bitter political divide in the US. But, the information about him so far – gathered from home, neighbourhood, school and workplace – pieces a picture of a man whose ideology was not instantly clear.

A social media platform, Discord, said an account Crooks had with them was “rarely utilised” and there is no evidence that it was used to plan this incident, promote violence, or discuss his political views. His father told CNN that he was trying to establish “what the hell is going on” before speaking about his son.

On Sunday (July 14), the FBI said his social media profile does not contain threatening language, nor have they found any history of mental health issues. But, the law enforcement agency pointed out what is unique about him – when compared to other recent shooters who opened fire at schools, churches, malls and parades, is that he came within inches of killing a presidential candidate.

Early details, however, show a young Crooks working as a nursing home aide near his hometown in Pennsylvania, where he graduated from high school in 2022 with a reputation as a bright but quiet classmate. His high school counsellor described him as “respectful” and said he never knew him to be political.

Public records of the resident of Bethel Park – at least an hour away from where the shooting took place – show his father is a registered Republican and his mother a registered Democrat. The predominantly white suburb, which is wealthier than the surrounding Pittsburgh metro area, is situated in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania and is politically mixed as per county election records. President Joe Biden won the precinct that includes the Crooks’ house with just 52 per cent of the vote.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement as Thomas Matthew Crooks performed his job without concern and his background check was clean,” said Marcie Grimm, administrator of the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where Crooks worked. One of his work colleagues said in fact, he was rather “caring” and did not appear as “radical” or “politically motivated”.

Crooks graduated from school two years ago, where he showed no particular interest in politics as per one classmate who asked not to be identified. His interests centred on building computers and playing games, the classmate said in an interview to news agency Reuters.

“He was super smart. That’s what really kind of threw me off was, this was, like, a really, really smart kid, like he excelled,” the classmate was quoted as saying. “Nothing crazy ever came up in any conversation.”

Jim Knapp, who retired from his job as the school counsellor at Bethel Park High School in 2022, told Reuters that Crooks had always been “quiet as a churchmouse”, “respectful” and kept to himself, although he did have some friends.

Knapp said he never knew Crooks to be political in any way, even as other kids would sometimes wear Trump or Biden attire. He added that he could not recall him ever being disciplined in school.

“Anybody could snap, anybody could have issues,” he said. “Something triggered that young man and drove him to drive up to Butler yesterday and do what he did.”

Residents near Crooks’ home described feeling shocked and unsettled that an assassination bid has been linked to a person from the sedate city of 33,000 people. “Bethel Park is a pretty blue-collar type of area, and to think that somebody was that close is a little insane,” said Wes Morgan, a 42-year-old who works at an investment management company and bikes with his children on the same street as the Crooks’ residence.

According to a report published by The New York Post, Crooks was a “comically bad shot”. His former classmates claimed that he tried out for the rifle team at Bethel Park High School, but was rejected.

They said the school’s range was 50 feet long and 21 feet wide. The Post said he once shot from the seventh lane, which was closest to the right wall and missed so he hit the left wall. “He tried out… and was such a comically bad shot he was unable to make the team and left after the first day,” a classmate was quoted as saying. “Our old coach was a stickler, he trained Navy marksmen, so he knew people. He knew when someone’s not the greatest person.”

Like during his school life, where he often came across to be lonely, in his defining moment before his death, Crooks was working alone as per the FBI.

Classmates described him as a quiet student. “He was quiet but he was just bullied. He was bullied so much,” said Jason Kohler, who attended the same high school as Crooks, adding that he seemed “socially reserved”. But, another classmate did not recall hearing him discuss politics or Trump.

Kohler further said Crooks had been made fun of for the way he dressed, noting that he would sometimes wear hunting outfits.

He told CNN that Crooks had “no facial expression” when he walked through the school hallways. “He wasn’t, like, with the clique, so he always had, I guess, a target on his back,” he said.

Trump shot at rally in assassination attempt; spectator killed; shooter dead

PITTSBURGH, July 14: Former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear after a gunman perched on the roof of a nearby building opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday -- a harrowing incident that the FBI called an assassination attempt.

The shooting, which set the country on edge on the eve of the Republican National Convention, left one spectator dead, two others critically injured, and sparked chaos at the event.

As the former president spoke, shots crackled and Trump, hand to his ear, dropped to the ground where he was surrounded by agents before behind hustled off the stage into a waiting car amid the screams and confusion of the crowd.

The shooting, which is being investigated by the FBI overseen by the Justice Department's National Security Division, as well as the U.S. attorney's office in Pittsburgh, comes amid a heightened threat environment.

The Secret Service, in a statement, said that a shooter "fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue" after which agents "neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased."

The shooter fired as many as eight rounds from an AR-style rifle while perched on a rooftop adjacent to the venue and was 200-300 yards away at the time of the shooting, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

It was "surprising" that the suspected gunman was able to get off as many shots as he allegedly did, law enforcement said, adding that the gunman was a "very determined attacker."

One spectator was killed and two others critically injured, the Secret Service said in a statement. All were adult men, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said during a press conference. The shots fired were "scattered" and the injured and dead had been spread through the crowd, he said.

The FBI early on Sunday identified the suspected gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The gun he allegedly used was legally purchased by his father, according to multiple law enforcement sources. A source said the early indication was that the shooter was a lone wolf, but the situation was fluid.

FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek earlier had said the agency was trying to assess the motive for the shooting and to confirm the gunman's identity. "It's a matter of doing biometric confirmations, so there was no identification on the individual for example so we're looking at photographs right now and we're trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation."

There appeared to be blood on Trump's right ear as he was being taken off stage, and he could be seen mouthing "fight" and pumping his fist.

Bivens described a "chaotic scene" where law enforcement acted "heroically." Bivens said officials were following up on reports about suspicious occurrences that they received prior to the shooting.

A spokesperson for Trump said in a statement, "President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility."

Later in the evening, he was released and left the Butler area under Secret Service protection, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote on X.

In a statement on Truth Social posted hours after the shooting, Trump said he "was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear."

"I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening," he wrote in the post, which expressed condolences to the family of the rallygoer who was killed.

"It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country," he added. Trump's campaign says he still plans to attend the RNC.

‘Ukraine’s future is in Nato, path to membership irreversible’

WASHINGTON, July 11: The US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) has declared that Ukraine’s path to membership of the Trans-Atlantic military alliance is “irreversible”, and termed Russia as the “the most significant and direct threat” to the security of the bloc’s member-states.

In the Washington Declaration Summit, issued during Nato’s milestone 75th anniversary meeting in the US capital on Wednesday, Nato members also patted themselves on the back for undertaking the “biggest reinforcement of our collective defence in a generation”, strengthening the alliance’s “deterrence and defence posture” with a mix of “nuclear, conventional, and missile defence capabilities, complemented by space and cyber capabilities”, and spending more on defence.

The declaration also saw a commitment to strengthen the defence industry across Europe and North America, and a warning that rising hybrid threats could escalate to a point that invited collective defence arrangements.

But held in the shadow of Donald Trump’s political rise in US, and Russia’s gains in Ukraine, Nato’s key goal appeared to be aimed at insuring the alliance and its commitment to Ukrainian security against internal political and external strategic shocks.

While saying that a “strong, independent, and democratic Ukraine” was vital for the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area, the alliance categorically said that it fully supported Ukraine’s “right to choose its own security arrangements and decide its own future, free from outside interference”.

Nato then went on to address the contentious issue of Kyiv’s participation in the bloc. While Ukraine has wanted quick membership, Russia has made it clear this remains a redline and has offered Ukraine’s possible entry into Nato as a stated reason for its aggression in the first place.

The US has been cautious; while supporting Ukraine, it has aimed to avoid any escalation with Russia in a manner that involves Nato. The issue has got more challenging as Trump has opposed Ukraine’s entry in Nato and promised a peace deal with Russia before he takes office, a move that has prompted European allies to “Trump-proof” US support for both Ukraine and the alliance.

The declaration saw these competing impulses at play, with the Joe Biden administration and other Nato members doubling down on their commitment to Ukraine, but leaving enough ambiguity by not offering a timeline for Ukraine’s entry.

The declaration said, “Ukraine’s future is in Nato. Ukraine has become increasingly interoperable and politically integrated with the Alliance. We welcome the concrete progress Ukraine has made since the Vilnius Summit on its required democratic, economic, and security reforms. As Ukraine continues this vital work, we will continue to support it on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including Nato membership.”

It added that once conditions were met, allies would be in a position to “extend an invitation” to Ukraine to join. “The Summit decisions by Nato and the Nato-Ukraine Council, combined with Allies’ ongoing work, constitute a bridge to Ukraine’s membership in Nato.”

But in other respects, Nato was more specific in its support. It welcomed announcements by members to offer air defence systems to Ukraine. It announced the establishment of Nato Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) to coordinate the provision of military equipment and training. This, the declaration said, “will support the transformation of Ukraine’s defence and security forces, enabling its further integration with Nato”.

It also promised to take forward the establishment of a Nato-Ukraine joint analysis, training and education centre to increase Ukraine’s interoperability with Ukraine.

The declaration also announced a pledge of long term assistance for Ukraine that promises “a minimum baseline funding of €40 billion within the next year”. This commitment, Nato has said, extends to purchase of military equipment for Ukraine, in-kind support, costs related to maintenance, logistics and transportation, training, investment in Ukraine’s defence industry, with Nato members promising proportional contribution.

On Russia, Nato held Russia as solely responsible for the war in Ukraine. It said there could be no impunity for what the bloc termed as Russian “war crimes”. It saw Russia as posing an “all-domain threat” that will continue in the long term as Moscow aims to “fundamentally reconfigure the Euro-Atlantic architecture” but also said that Nato did not seek a “confrontation”and was willing to maintain channels of communication with Russia.

The declaration also condemned Russia’s “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and coercive nuclear signalling”, and its “hybrid actions” including “malicious cyber activities, electronic interference and disinformation campaigns”. And Nato urged all countries not to provide “any kind of assistance to Russia’s aggression”.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan celebrated the achievements of the summit and claimed that Nato had displayed unity and purpose, and that it had provided “concrete commitments” to Ukraine and a “bridge to Nato”.

Biden announces $225 million weapons package for Ukraine, including Patriot system

WASHINGTON, July 11: President Joe Biden announced a new $225 million aid package for Ukraine on Thursday, including a Patriot missile system to bolster its air defenses against a deadly onslaught of Russian airstrikes.

Biden made the announcement during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called the announcement “strong news” but pressed that for the immediate future, what the Ukrainians also need is US permission to fire the long-range missiles it has provided at targets deeper inside Russia.

The Patriot air defense system, the second the US has provided to Ukraine, is one of several Biden announced this week at the NATO summit and is part of a swell of pledges to get weapons to Ukraine to help it fend off Russian attacks, including one this week that hit a children’s hospital in Kyiv.

The $225 million package also includes Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and more 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, among other munitions.

Zelenskyy late last month pleaded for additional US-made Patriot systems, arguing that they will help his forces fight the close to 3,000 bombs that he said Russia launches into the country every month.

On Tuesday, through a joint statement the US, Germany and Romania said they would provide Ukraine with Patriot batteries, while the Netherlands and others will provide Patriot components to make up one more battery and Italy will provide a SAMP-T air defense system.

Other allies, including Canada, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom, will provide a number of other systems that will help Ukraine expand its coverage. Those systems include NASAMS, HAWKs, IRIS T-SLM, IRIS T-SLS and Gepards. And other nations have agreed to provide munitions for those systems.

The additional US Patriot system will be paid for through presidential drawdown authority, which allows the military to pull the system directly from its stocks and quickly get it to Ukraine.

In addition, last week the US pledged $150 million in weapons to be pulled directly from its stocks, including air defense interceptors, artillery and other fires, and anti-tank weapons. It also pledged $2.2 billion in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds, a mechanism used to put longer-term weapons systems on order, including Patriot missiles and NASAM air defense systems.

'Bet On Russia As Long-Term, Reliable Partner Not A Good One': US Official To India

WASHINGTON, July 11: Amid concerns over India's ties with Russia, a top US official on Thursday cautioned New Delhi that a "bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet" and Moscow would side with Beijing over New Delhi in case of a conflict between the two Asian giants.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan made the remarks while replying to a question on MSNBC about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Moscow where he held extensive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We've made clear to every country in the world including India that a bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet," said Mr Sullivan, who was in India last month for a meeting with his counterpart Ajit Doval.

The top American official had also met Prime Minister Modi during his visit.

"Russia is becoming closer to China. In fact, it's becoming the junior partner to China. And in that way, they would side with China over India any day of the week. And … Prime Minister Modi, of course, has profound concerns about the potential for Chinese aggression against India. Which we have seen over recent years," Mr Sullivan said.

The NSA, however, acknowledged that countries like India have a historic relationship with Russia and it's not going to change dramatically overnight.

"This is playing the long game. It (US) is making investments in democratic partners and allies around the world including countries like India and we think that that will pay off as we go forward," he added.

His remarks came a day after spokespersons of the Pentagon, the White House and the State Department reacted separately to questions on India's relationship with Russia and Modi's visit to Moscow.

US resumes sending shipments of 500-pound bombs to Israel

WASHINGTON, July 11: The United States has agreed to resume shipping 500-pound bombs to Israel while continuing to hold back supplies of powerful 2,000-pound bombs over concerns that Israeli forces will use the weapons in densely populated areas of Gaza, a US official said.

The US in May paused one shipment of 2,000-pound (900kg) and 500-pound (230kg) bombs due to concern over the impact the weapons could have if used by Israel during its ground invasion of the southern city of Rafah, where more than one million Palestinian civilians had sought shelter.

“We’ve been clear that our concern has been on the end-use of the 2,000-pound bombs, particularly for Israel’s Rafah campaign which they have announced they are concluding,” a US official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, on Wednesday.

On detonation, a 500-pound bomb can severely harm or kill everything or anyone within a 20-metre (65-foot) blast radius.

A 2,000-pound bomb has a destruction radius of 35 metres (115 feet), according to the Project on Defense Alternatives (PDA), which conducts defence policy research and analysis.

The US official said the consignment of 500-pound bombs was in the same shipment as the 2,000-pound bombs, which had led to the stalled transfer of the smaller bombs to Israel.

“Our main concern had been and remains the potential use of 2,000-pound bombs in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza,” the official said.

“Because our concern was not about the 500-pound bombs, those are moving forward as part of the usual process,” the official added.

The US has notified Israel that it is releasing the 500-pound bombs but maintaining a hold on the larger ones, a person familiar with the matter said.

Reporting from the NATO summit in Washington DC, Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna said the move will “likely ramp up criticism of the Biden administration for its ongoing support for Israel in its war on Gaza”.

US Says India Has Ability To Urge Putin To End War In Ukraine

WASHINGTON, July 10: India's relationship with Russia gives it an ability to urge President Vladimir Putin to end its war with Ukraine, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.

Jean-Pierre made the remarks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Putin that the death of innocent children was painful and terrifying, a day after a lethal strike on a children's hospital in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

Biden Says 'Firmly Committed' To Staying In Presidential Race

WASHINGTON, July 8: Joe Biden urged Democratic lawmakers Monday to either back his reelection campaign or challenge him at the party convention next month as the US president's reelection bid entered a critical week.

The 81-year-old doubled down on his defiance of calls to step aside, after a disastrous debate against Republican rival Donald Trump last month turbocharged fears that he is too old to serve a second term.

Biden will be under extra scrutiny this week as he hosts a summit of NATO leaders in Washington, with many allies seeking reassurance amid polls forecasting that the isolationist Trump will win in November.

Biden called in to MSNBC's "Morning Joe" television program to say that he was "confident" the "average voter out there still wanted Joe Biden."

Sounding angry in the telephone interview, Biden said he was "getting so frustrated by the elites... in the party."

"Any of these guys that don't think I should run -- run against me. announce for president, challenge me at the convention," he added.

In a blitz of action to start the week, Biden also penned a lengthy letter to Democratic Party lawmakers that saying "I decline" to stand down.

"I am firmly committed to staying in the race," Biden wrote.

"The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it's time for it to end."

US Sees 'significant Opening' In Israel-Hamas Hostage Talks: Official

WASHINGTON, July 4: The United States believes Israel and Hamas have a "pretty significant opening" to reach an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held there, a senior US official said Thursday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Palestinian operative group's latest response "moves the process forward and may provide the basis for closing the deal," while stressing it does not mean an agreement was likely in the coming days, and that "significant work" remained on implementation steps.

US presidential polls: Joe Biden says he will stay in the fight

WASHINGTON, July 4: President Joe Biden continued to resist calls to make way for a younger Democratic candidate, even as two new polls showed Biden losing voters and more voices, both from within his party and liberal civil society, asked the 81-year-old incumbent to end his campaign after his debate performance last week.

In response to the increasing speculation about his candidacy, Biden joined a call with his campaign staff, reached out to Congressional leadership and met with Democratic governors on Wednesday, a day before America closed down for a long holiday weekend.

Although while reports have suggested he is aware that the viability of his candidacy is under strain, Biden told his campaign staff, “Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can and as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running. I am the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one is pushing me out. I am not leaving.”

Biden’s refusal to relent came on a day when a New York Times-Siena poll, conducted after the debate, showed 49% of likely voters supporting the presumptive Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, while only 43% backed Biden, the largest lead Trump has enjoyed in the poll. An overwhelming 74% found Biden too old for the job.

A Wall Street Journal poll found 48% of voters backing Trump and 42% backing Biden, with 80% of voters saying Biden was too old to run. Trump also enjoys a comfortable lead over Biden in key swing states that will determine the outcome.

The polls confirm what an increasing number of Democrats have felt since last Thursday’s debate, when Biden’s age-related vulnerabilities, including the inability to complete thoughts, construct sentences, defend his record, or attack his opponent, were apparent.

In private, fearful of a second Trump administration, convinced that Biden can no longer beat him, and terrified that Biden’s unpopularity will drag down all other Democrats on the ballot in Congressional and state races this year, party leaders have begun pushing the party to think of an alternative to Biden.

A Democratic state office bearer from a swing state said, “If Biden is our candidate, this election is over. There is no coming back from that debate. It has confirmed the worst fears of voters about his health. We may not win with a new candidate, but we definitely won’t win with Biden as the candidate.”

There is also a view within the party that the crisis can be turned into opportunity. A new and younger panel of candidates can bring energy to the campaign and base, get rid of Biden’s baggage with younger progressives and minorities on issues such as the war in Gaza, and force Trump to change his current narrative that relies on attacking Biden’s age and record.

In public too, increasingly, Democratic representatives have categorically begun asking Biden to either quit or reassure American citizens about his health even though the senior most governors and party leaders have rallied behind the President.

Biden’s campaign has struggled to respond to the criticism. In the hours after the debate, they framed it as “one bad night” that cannot offset three and a half years of his record. The day after the debate, Biden acknowledged that he wasn’t young anymore and he couldn’t speak and walk as well, but contrasted what he framed as his truthfulness with Trump’s lies.

This week, Biden blamed the performance on fatigue. But news reports have also suggested that Biden’s performance wasn’t an aberration and there have been many moments in recent months where he has been incoherent. His staff has put in several measures to protect him from public exposure, and other world leaders have been startled at his decline.

The challenge for Democrats is that never before has a candidate dropped out of the race this late in the electoral process. To start afresh, Biden will have to announce he was quitting and free up his delegates who will congregate at the party convention in mid-August in Chicago to pick a new candidate.

Strikingly, in perhaps the closest analogy to the current moment, it was in Chicago in 1968 when Democrats picked a candidate in turbulent circumstances at a convention after the incumbent, President Lyndon Johnson, chose not to contest and the party faced the wrath of young voters who were then protesting against the Vietnam war.

If Biden does choose to quit, as the vice-president, Kamala Harris — the first woman, the first Black, and the first person of Indian-origin to hold the office — will be a top contender to replace him. Harris has stoutly defended Biden in recent days, including on Wednesday when she told the campaign staff that she was “all in” and will follow the President’s lead.

She also will have access to the campaign’s funds, and her presence has the potential to energise people of colour as well as younger liberals. But many Democrats are concerned about her winnability. For most part, Harris’s favourability ratings have been lower than that of Biden though after the debate, she polled better than the president in a direct face-off with Trump.

There are also questions on whether she can draw in White voters in swing states. And given that Harris was in charge of border and immigration issues — which is Trump’s key campaign critique of the Biden administration — the Republicans will have a clear line of attack against her. The fact that no woman has ever become president, and Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016, also remains embedded in the minds of Democratic operatives.

Washington DC is abuzz with speculation about other contenders. Among those who may seek the nomination are California governor Gavin Newsom (who is seen as a charismatic leader with the ability to raise funds in quick time), Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer (under whom Democrats won the governor, state Senate and state House race in the crucial swing state), Maryland governor Wes Moore (a Rhodes scholar, a combat veteran and only the third Black governor in US history), and Illinois governor JB Pritzker (who belongs to one of America’s wealthiest business families and will have a fundraising advantage).

But all of this will eventually boil down to Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, both of whom have expressed their determination to continue in the fight. Over the next few days, whether Biden, his family and advisers prevail, or whether the mood among the Democratic rank and file and voters in general prevails, will determine the contours of the 2024 race.

Michelle Obama addresses calls to announce presidency as new poll declares her ‘only Biden alternative’ to beat Trump

WASHINGTON, July 3: Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States, has addressed the calls to run as the presidential candidate of the Democratic party, replacing incumbent Joe Biden.

This comes amidst Democrats' concerns regarding the rerun of 81-year-old Biden following his disastrous presidential debate performance and worries around his mental and physical fitness. They believe these concerns may well be resolved if they manage to convince Michelle Obama to declare her candidacy.

According to NBC News, Michelle's office has again confirmed that she will not run for president in 2024. “As former First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president.”

Calling politics “hard”, she said: “It's got to be in your soul, because it is so important. It is not in my soul.”

Michelle intends to support the Biden campaign, focusing on voter turnout.

Is Michelle Obama only Biden alternative to beat Trump?

Michelle Obama, 60, is the only potential opponent who can defeat Republican leader Donald Trump in the 2024 White House race, as per a new poll.

According to a Reuters and Ipsos poll, the former first lady would defeat Trump, 78, by ten points, and no other contender could defeat the former president.

Last week, Biden made a number of verbal blunders during the catastrophic debate performance in which US President.

Michelle's support skyrocketed despite previously declaring that she wouldn't run for office and continue to support Biden's reelection.

When asked which Democratic candidate they would prefer, half of the respondents stated they would vote for Michelle, while only 39% indicated they would vote for Trump.

If Biden steps down from the race, the front-runners who can succeed him include Gavin Newsom or Kamala Harris. However, they were polled significantly lower than Trump.

According to the poll, one in three Democrats believe that the president should withdraw from the campaign following the CNN debate. However, no well-known elected Democrat performed any better than Biden. Nearly fifty percent of the respondents surveyed felt that Trump should withdraw from the race, while three out of five believe that Biden should.

Biden blamed his poor debate performance on two international travels in June that involved "going through 100 time zones". He made this claim during a meeting with his family members and confidants at Camp David.

”[I] didn’t listen to my staff and came back and nearly fell asleep on stage,” he stated while attributing his lackluster performance to jet lag. “That’s no excuse but it is an explanation.”

Consulate In New York Develops Platform For Indian Students To Find Internships In US

NEW YORK, July 3: The Indian Consulate in New York has launched a new platform for Indian students to find internship opportunities in the US.

The newly launched portal can be accessed by students to directly apply to the companies according to details provided in it.

"As part of the initiative to support Indian students in its jurisdiction, @IndiainNew York has developed a platform for Indian Students to find internship opportunities at companies in the USA," the Indian Consulate in New York wrote in a post on X.

As part of the initiative to support Indian students in it's jurisdiction, @IndiainNew York has developed a platform for Indian Students to find internship opportunities at companies in the USA.

This is notably a new facility for students as part of the Consulate's effort to support Indian students in its jurisdiction.

Several Indian and American companies and organizations have agreed to consider deserving Indian students for internship opportunities, the Consulate in New York said, referring to the Indian Student Resource Portal.

For the third year in a row, a record number of Indian students travelled to the United States to pursue higher education, the US Embassy in India revealed in a release in November last year.

According to the Open Doors Report (ODR), the number of international students from India to the United States increased by 35 per cent and resulted in an all-time high of 2,68,923 students in the academic year 2022-23.

Indian students constitute more than 25 per cent of the over one million foreign students studying in the United States.

Biden says Supreme Court's immunity ruling on Donald Trump is a ‘dangerous precedent’

WASHINGTON, July 2: Joe Biden has called a recent Supreme Court ruling granting former US President Donald Trump partial immunity from criminal prosecution a “dangerous precedent” that “undermines the rule of law.”

The 46th US president voiced his concern over the decision, saying that it erodes the "rule of law" and does a "terrible disservice" to Americans.

The Supreme Court's decision, announced on Monday, has been lauded by Trump on Truth Social as a “big win” for democracy.

The SC ruled that a president has immunity for “official acts” but not for “unofficial acts,” and the matter was referred back to a trial judge for further consideration.

The court said that Trump's tweets and remarks on January 6, 2021, which allegedly incited the Capitol riot, were official acts.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor remarked, “The President is now a king above the law.”

A White House spokesman watered President Biden's sentiment, saying that “nobody is above the law.”

This decision is likely to slow down the criminal prosecution of Trump, who is said to have tried to insist on the overturn of the 2020 election, which Biden won.

Following the Supreme Court ruling, the former president is now seeking to toss his New York hush-money felony conviction. His lawyers are taking preliminary steps according to a Bloomberg report.

The court’s verdict of six in favour and three against is the factional decision; however, it does not eliminate the charges against Trump but will postpone the trial substantially, which could be held after the November elections.

On Monday, Biden told in a televised statement, “This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America. Each of us is equal before the law. No one, no one is above the law. Not even the president of the United States.”

Biden warned that the Supreme Court's decision “almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits on what a president may do.” Referring to Trump's alleged role in inciting the January 6 Capitol riot, Biden added, “The man who sent that mob to the US Capitol is facing potential criminal conviction for what happened that day. The American people deserve to have an answer in the courts before the upcoming election. Now, because of today's [court] decision, that is highly, highly unlikely.”

Now, the trial judge will decide, as the Supreme Court ruled, which actions were taken in Trump's official capacity as president.

A lower court judge also has to work out which bits of Trump’s behaviour are relevant to the criminal proceedings for the alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump Has Some Immunity From Prosecution As Ex President: US Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, July 1: The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that Donald Trump enjoys some immunity from prosecution as a former president, a ruling that will likely delay his trial for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election.

The 6-3 decision split along ideological lines comes four months ahead of the election in which Trump is the Republican candidate to take on Democrat Joe Biden.

Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, in his majority opinion, said a president enjoys "absolute immunity" from criminal prosecution for official acts taken while in office.

"There is no immunity for unofficial acts," Roberts said, sending the case back to a lower court to determine which of the charges facing the former president involves official or unofficial conduct.

The three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor saying "never in the history of our Republic has a President had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate the criminal law."

"With fear for our democracy, I dissent," she said.

Trump's original trial date in the election case had been for March 4, well before his November rematch with President Joe Biden.

But the Supreme Court -- dominated by conservatives, including the three appointed by Trump during his term in office -- agreed in February to hear his argument for presidential immunity, putting the case on hold while they considered the matter in April.

Facing four criminal cases, Trump has been doing everything in his power to delay the trials at least until after the election.

On May 30, a New York court convicted Trump on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign, making Trump the first former US president ever convicted of a crime.

His sentencing will take place on July 11.

The New York hush money case was considered the weakest of the four cases by many legal experts, but likely the only one that will see trial before the vote.

By filing many pre-trial motions, Trump's lawyers have managed to put on hold the three other trials, which deal with his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and hoarding top-secret documents at his home in Florida.

If reelected, Trump could, once sworn in as president in January 2025, order the federal trials against him closed.