Rivlin | Jun. 29, 2021

2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Biden tells Rivlin he won’t allow Iranian nukes on his watch

US president hosts outgoing Israeli head of state at White House, says he will meet with Bennett ‘very soon’; Rivlin says he is ‘very much satisfied’ with Biden’s comments

Jun. 29 - ...Rivlin, on his last foreign visit as president, is set to leave office on July 7 after a seven-year term. Isaac Herzog, a former parliament member who most recently headed the Jewish Agency for Israel will take over as Israeli president.
Rivlin later met with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of the House leadership team. Pelosi said support for Israel in Congress remained bipartisan “because of our shared values and because of our mutual security concerns”...    quoted from

Reuven "Ruvi" Rivlin (Hebrew: רְאוּבֵן "רוּבִי" רִיבְלִין‎ [ʁeʔuˈven ʁivˈlin] (listen); born 9 September 1939) is an Israeli politician and lawyer who is the tenth and current president of Israel since 2014. He is a member of the Likud party. Rivlin was Minister of Communications from 2001 to 2003, and subsequently served as Speaker of the Knesset from 2003 to 2006 and 2009 to 2013. On 10 June 2014, he was elected President of Israel.[1]

Rivlin argues for a Greater Israel that would embrace all people and give the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza full Israeli citizenship.[2] He is also a strong supporter of minority rights, particularly for Arab Israelis.[3][4] He supports the one-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Rivlin is fluent in Arabic.     from Wikipedia

Biden's Strikes at Iraq-Syria Border Likely Illegal, Contrary to White House Claims
The United States does not appear to have a legitimate basis in either domestic or international law to justify the recent airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, which means the attacks could be seen as acts of aggression that violated the sovereignty of both countries, legal experts told Sputnik.

Jun. 29 - On Sunday, the Pentagon announced that US military aircraft targeted the facilities of two Iranian-backed militias - Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada - in the Syria-Iraq border region, claiming it was a retaliatory attack.

On Monday, White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki said Article II of the US Constitution gives President Joe Biden authority to take such action. She described the White House's self-defence argument as the Biden administration’s "domestic justification".

Exchanges between the two sides continued into Monday, with US military forces in Syria targeted by multiple rocket attacks. US-led coalition spokesperson Wayne Marotto said the US returned fire with artillery but suffered no casualties.

No Legal Justification...     more details

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美罕见承认俄舰逼近美领土 俄美近距离较量愈演愈烈 20210627 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jun 28, 2021

Boris Johnson Defies Vladimir Putin's Claim to Crimea

Jun. 29 - ...This is not an unserious matter.

If the Brits repeat this exercise, which they see as a right, a duty and a mission, we could witness a Russian attack on a British warship.

This would trigger Article 5 of the NATO treaty that requires all member nations to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.

Britain's challenge to Russia, a few kilometers off Crimea, could have resulted in a shooting incident that could have forced a U.S. response against Russia. And that raises some serious questions:

Did Johnson inform us he was about to issue this direct challenge to Moscow? Or were the Americans left in the dark?
Did President Joe Biden or the Pentagon tell Johnson that if Defender were attacked, U.S. forces would have their back?

With this clash off Crimea, a peninsula Russia regards as vital and we have never regarded as vital, we could have been drawn into a conflict by our ally, Britain, which could not prevail against Vladimir Putin's Russia without the military assistance of the United States....    quoted from

《花生漫畫》西元1953年六月/"Peanuts" on Jun. 29 1953
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《花生漫畫》西元1953年六月/"Peanuts" on Jun. 30, 1953
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《花生漫畫》西元1953年七月/"Peanuts" on Jul. 1st, 1953
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FEMA | Jun. 28, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

President Joe Biden speaks about infrastructure negotiations, in the East Room of the White House, June 24, 2021, in Washington.
Biden seeks to walk back perceived veto threat on bipartisan infrastructure deal
The president said it was "certainly not my intent" to hint at a veto.


Jun. 28 - ..."I indicated that I would refuse to sign the infrastructure bill if it was sent to me without my Families Plan and other priorities, including clean energy. That statement understandably upset some Republicans, who do not see the two plans as linked," Biden said in a lengthy statement.

"My comments also created the impression that I was issuing a veto threat on the very plan I had just agreed to, which was certainly not my intent," he added.

"So to be clear: our bipartisan agreement does not preclude Republicans from attempting to defeat my Families Plan; likewise, they should have no objections to my devoted efforts to pass that Families Plan and other proposals in tandem. We will let the American people -- and the Congress -- decide."

Next week, Biden will hit the road to begin making his case for the deal directly to the American people, giving remarks on the deal during a trip to Wisconsin on Tuesday, according to a White House official...     quoted from

FEMA Corps

FEMA Corps, who range in age from 18 to 24 years old, is a cadre dedicated to disaster response and recovery. It is a new partnership between The Corporation for National and Community Service's AmeriCorps NCCC and FEMA.[52] The Corps described as a "dedicated, trained, and reliable disaster workforce" works full-time for 10 months on federal disaster response and recovery efforts. Over 150 members of the inaugural FEMA Corps class graduated in June 2013, at the AmeriCorps NCCC campus in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Corps work on teams of 8 to 12 people and follow the traditional NCCC model of living together and traveling together. In addition to working with FEMA, corps members must perform AmeriCorps responsibilities such as Physical Training three times a week, National Days of Service, and Individual Service Projects in communities throughout the United States. The Corps receives $4.75 a day for food and a living stipend of approximately $4,000 over 10 months. An education award is distributed to corps members who successfully serve 10 months of service, completing 1,700 total hours.[53]

Donations management

FEMA has led a Public-Private Partnership in creating a National Donations Management Program making it easier for corporations or individuals not previously engaged to make offers of free assistance to States and the Federal Government in times of disaster. The program is a partnership among FEMA, relief agencies, corporations/corporate associations and participating state governments. The technical backbone of the program is an online technology solution called The Aidmatrix Network which is managed by the independent nonprofit organization, Aidmatrix.     from Wikipedia

Gov. Whitmer working with FEMA, Congress for disaster relief after devastating floods
Help is on the way, Governor says

Jun. 27 - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency in Wayne County Saturday to help address threats to public health and safety related to heavy rainfall, which resulted in widespread flooding, power outages, flooded roadways, stranded motorists, flooding of homes, and displaced residents.

Whitmer said help is on the way for residents impacted by the floods, but it’s uncertain when that help will come and how much Michigan will have to fund it.

“We’re working really closely with our local and federal partners,” Whitmer said. “I’ve declared a State of Emergency and that can be amended at any time to include communities if necessary.”

Whitmer said she’s been in touch with Federal Emergency Management Agency and members of Congress, but disaster relief may not come in time as rain is expected to return to Metro Detroit.

“It doesn’t happen immediately but I wanted to get the declaration in so that the gears at the federal level can get moving,” Whitmer said. “We’re going to need assistance. We have people that have their homes flooded and some of that is waste-water and some of that is sewage. Dangerous.”

Money is available to help the state, but it’s tied up in Lansing and Washington, D.C.

At the state level, billions of dollars will need to be doled for roads and bridges. The deal that is slowly making its way through would set aside $210 million for road projects. Whitmer hopes the weekend storms would spur some to action.

“Maybe this is one more example where they can see lacking investment is really dangerous,” Whitmer said.

Whitmer said the state will need to change once the money comes in and focus on roads, pipes and other projects that can handle more severe weather fueled by climate change.

“I mean it’s undeniable, right? We’ve had two 500 year to 1,000 year events that we’ve seen in 14 months,” Whitmer said. “You’re seeing this play out in the west with record heat. We have had record precipitation. This is a very real impact of climate change.”     source from

Related Articles:
Check out these photos of major flooding across Metro Detroit
Metro Detroit neighborhoods impacted by floods, State of Emergency declared
Red Cross providing assistance to flood victims in Metro Detroit
Metro Detroit floods: How to get help

俄英舰机地中海“冤家碰头” 英国扬言再派舰进克里米亚 20210626 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jun 27, 2021

Leaked documents confirm UK discussed possible military response by Russia to Black Sea/Crimea provocation

Jun 28 - ...It was already announced earlier this month that the Defender was to break away from the larger strike group and conduct what the MoD insists was an “innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters,” with guns covered and the ship's helicopter stowed in its hangar. But the documents confirm that the UK was aware of a possible hostile response by Russia and decided to proceed anyway.

The UK’s pose of innocent intent is premised on the assertion that the waters concerned are Ukrainian. The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea determines that the passage of a foreign ship is regarded as “innocent” when “it is not prejudicial to the peace, good order, or security of the coastal state.” But Russia has claimed sovereignty over the waters off Crimea since it was annexed in 2014, amid rising tensions with the rightist government installed by a coup in Ukraine that was backed by the United States and the European imperialist powers...     quoted from

Kyiv | Jun. 26, 2021

 White House News in Chinese - About (weebly.com)

British Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender arrives at the Black Sea port of Odessa, Ukraine. 
Russia Forces British Warship Away from Crimea amid Rising Tensions with NATO

Jun. 26 -...For Russia, the Black Sea is of particular importance for economic and geostrategic reasons. Russia’s Black Sea ports, as the country’s only warm water ports, have always served its economic interests. The control of the Black Sea also means total control over the Sea of Azov - a small body of water surrounded by Russia and Ukraine connected to the Black Sea by the Kerch Strait.

Director of the Information and Press Department at Russia's Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova told a media briefing that Moscow regards the Black Sea incident with the British Navy destroyer as a "blatant provocation" by the British side. In this regard, the British Ambassador was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow over the incident in the Black Sea and met with officials on Wednesday afternoon.

The incident comes amid years of rising tensions between Russia and its neighbors in the west...     quoted from

...Kyiv is the undisputed center of business and commerce of Ukraine and home to the country's largest companies, such as Naftogaz Ukrainy, Energorynok and Kyivstar. In 2010, the city accounted for 18% of national retail sales and 24% of all construction activity.[149][150][151][152] Indeed, real estate is one of the major forces in Kyiv's economy.

Average prices of apartments are the highest in the country and among the highest in eastern Europe.[153] Kyiv also ranks high in terms of commercial real estate for it is here where the country's tallest office buildings (such as Gulliver and Parus) and some of Ukraine's biggest shopping malls (such as Dream Town and Ocean Plaza) are located.

In May 2011, Kyiv authorities presented a 15-year development strategy which calls for attracting as much as EUR82 billion of foreign investment by 2025 to modernize the city's transport and utilities infrastructure and make it more attractive for tourists...     quoted from Wikipedia

KYIV (KIEV), UKRAINE, Is This Europe's Most Underrated City? 🇺🇦
Aug 17, 2019

British warship challenge

Jun. 26 - ...Russia’s numerous acts of maritime aggression have let to result in any additional international sanctions. This apparent reluctance to impose further costs has fueled fears in Kyiv that an emboldened Kremlin may seek to expand its naval blockade and cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea altogether. In spring 2021, existing concerns over Russia’s naval plans deepened when Moscow moved a number of additional ships to the Black Sea...     quoted from

俄警告英再挑衅直接炸船！俄万人大演习反制日美联演？20210625 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jun 26, 2021

《花生漫畫》西元1953年六月/"Peanuts" on Jun. 28, 1953
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John Kirby | Jun. 25, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
US, Germany working on Nord Stream 2 agreement to protect Ukraine from risks, - Blinken

Agreement between the US and Germany may be signed in the coming weeks

Jun. 25 - US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken assured that Washington together with Berlin are working to prevent Russia from using the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as a coercive tool against Ukraine and other Eastern European countries. This was reported by the press service of the US Department of State.

"We’re taking very concrete steps to make sure that Russia cannot use this pipeline as a coercive tool, as a weapon against Ukraine, against other countries in Eastern Europe, for that matter, against Europe itself by the very dependence that unfortunately is being increased on Russian oil and gas," Blinken said.

He believes that in the coming weeks, the United States and Germany will be able to come to a certain agreement on this issue.

"There’s no timeline on it. We’re working very, very closely together on this. And we want to see, together, very credible, concrete agreements to make sure that we’re protecting Europe, protecting Ukraine, against the downsides of this pipeline and overdependence on Russia," he added.
Earlier, Antony Blinken stated that America would not allow the Russian Federation to use the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as a tool for putting pressure on Ukraine and Europe.     source from


 Related Articles: 
 Zelensky: Nord Stream 2 - weapon against Ukraine
 Completion of Nord Stream 2 doesn't mean its usage, - Naftogaz-Ukraine CEO

Village elders speak with a US Marine through an interpreter as US and Afghan forces search for weapons in a village in Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan in 2008 
Biden plans evacuation of Afghans who ‘helped’ the US

About 18,000 Afghans who have worked for the US have applied for special visas.

Jun. 25 - The Biden administration is preparing to evacuate potentially thousands of Afghans who worked for the United States as it nears completion of its military withdrawal from Afghanistan in coming months, US officials said on Thursday.

“Those who helped us are not going to be left behind,” President Joe Biden said in response to a reporter’s question as he left a media conference at the White House.

“They [translators] will be welcome here just like anyone else who risked their lives to help us,” said Biden who will meet his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani and national council Chairman Abdullah Abdullah at the White House on Friday amid rising concerns about Taliban advances in northern Afghanistan.

Biden has set a September deadline for the complete withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan and the withdrawal is “on pace”, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday...     more

Related Articles:

Calls grow to evacuate Afghans who helped US troops to Guam
Explainer: Where things stand for Afghanistan as Ghani visits US
Taliban captures Afghanistan’s main Tajikistan border crossing
Former president Karzai says US failed in Afghanistan

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JUNE 24, 2021
Defense Department Briefing with John Kirby
Defense Department Spokesman John Kirby briefs reporters at the Pentagon.

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing

JUNE 24, 2021

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah -- of me or of my -- of you?  A few things at the top, guys, and then we'll get right at it.  Let me start by highlighting that tomorrow morning, Secretary Austin will welcome the President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani and the Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Dr. Abdullah Abdullah here into the Pentagon.

Their visit will highlight the partnership between our two nations as the U.S. military drawdown continues.  During their visit, Secretary Austin will emphasize the United States' enduring commitment to the people of Afghanistan and to the department's goal of ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the U.S. homeland.

Now, I'd also like to highlight the continuing military cooperation that we enjoy with the United Kingdom aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, which announced its first combat missions in support of the Global Coalition against ISIS.

UK and U.S. combined operations with fifth generation aircraft demonstrate our ability to conduct missions together as allies and to handle any contingencies.  We would like to congratulate the UK on achieving this milestone, for this impressive new capability and we look forward, of course, to operating together with them on this deployment and far into the future...     more

实弹驱逐英军舰 俄与北约硬碰硬“掰手腕”？20210624 |《今日关注》 CCTV中文国际
Jun 25, 2021

Aviv Kohavi| Jun. 24, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Mark Milley (L) hosts an enhanced honor cordon for the Israeli Chief of Defense LTG Aviv Kohavi at the Pentagon, June 21, 2021.

US-Israel cooperation to thwart Iranian aggression ‘unprecedented’: Kohavi

Jun. 24 - Israel’s army chief on Wednesday hailed “unprecedented” cooperation with the US, as he wrapped up a US visit focused on preventing Tehran from obtaining military nuclear capabilities.

Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi’s remarks came the same day as Iran said it had foiled a sabotage attack on an atomic energy agency building, as talks continue in Vienna between Tehran and world powers aimed at reviving their 2015 nuclear deal...     more

Rav-Aluf (Lieutenant General) Aviv Kochavi (Hebrew: אביב כוכבי‎; born 1964) is the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, having taken the oath of office on January 15, 2019. He was the commander of the Gaza Division, commander of the Northern Command, commander of the Paratroopers Brigade and Military Intelligence Director.

Chief of the General Staff

​On October 26, 2018, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman recommended his appointment as the 22nd IDF Chief of Staff, with the consent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On November 25, the government approved his appointment. On January 15, 2019, he was promoted to the rank of Major General and began his service as Chief of Staff.[18]
In November 2019 Kochavi commanded the IDF in Operation Black Belt, when it fought against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), following the targeted killing of senior PIJ commander Baha Abu al-Ata in Gaza.[19] He also led Israel's military during Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021.[20]
Later in May, Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced that he will request from the government to approve extending his tenure as IDF Chief of Staff by an additional year.     from Wikipedia

导弹议题“不容谈判”！伊朗新总统上台令美以紧张？20210622 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jun 23, 2021

The Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room of the Palace of Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland. The room is the meeting place of the United Nations Human Rights Council. 

Under US Pressure, Israel Supports UN Text Condemning China’s Abuses

Jun. 24 - Israel on Tuesday signed a statement presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council urging China to allow “immediate, meaningful and unhindered access” to independent observers, so that they can travel to the western region of Xinjiang, where Beijing is accused of brutally cracking down on Muslim Uyghurs and other minorities.

Jerusalem’s decision to back the move came under pressure from the administration of US President Joe Biden, Walla News reported, marking a radical policy shift from Israel’s previous attempts to mend its relations with the two superpowers.

The text, presented by Canada and supported by 41 predominantly Western countries, echoes concerns about detention centers in Xinjiang, where hundreds of thousands of Muslim Uyghurs and other minorities are held.

“We urge China to allow immediate, meaningful and unhindered access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the High Commissioner,” Canadian Ambassador to the UN Leslie Norton said, referring to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet.

Norton cited “credible reports” that more than 1 million people are being arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang, and that some are subjected to torture and other “inhuman” treatment.

​China denies mistreating Uyghurs, explaining that it simply operates vocational training centers designed to counter extremism.

Israel, which considers China one of its most important trading partners, has not officially explained its support for UNHCR’s appeal, in an apparent attempt to keep a low profile and avoid Beijing’s wrath.

​Israel’s new government is seeking close ties with the Biden administration, which protected Israel at the UN Security Council during the war on Gaza in May.     source from

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