US President Barack Obama took a step toward a major foreign policy victory as the Senate began debate on a US-Russia nuclear pact.
The move by Senate Democrats to bring the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty up for debate reflected confidence that they could deliver approval just weeks after the pact appeared stalled.
Ratification of the treaty along with a tax deal with Republicans nearing approval would represent major victories for Obama on both his top foreign and -domestic -legislative priorities just weeks after his Democratic party suffered steep losses in congressional elections.
The White House and senior Democrats expressed confidence on Wednesday that they had the two-thirds majority, or 67 votes, needed for ratification in the Senate. In a fresh sign of momentum, Democrats easily prevailed, 66-32, to move forward on the pact, winning the support of nine Republicans. Among them was Senator John McCain, Obama’s 2008 presidential rival and a top lawmaker on national security issues.
Still, several Republicans, led by Senator Jon Kyl, objected to considering the treaty in the waning days of Congress’ short year-ending session, saying the Senate should wait until next year. Senators Lamar Alexander and Saxby Chambliss said they could support the treaty, but not under the current timetable. Alexander told reporters it was “reckless.”
In a positive sign for the treaty’s prospects, Republicans backed down on a threat that it would be read in its entirety on the Senate floor, which could have caused significant delay.
Obama has said he is prepared to put off his holiday vacation travel until the treaty is completed, elevating the measure to year-end, must-do status along with the tax deal he cut with Republicans. Democrats are determined to push the treaty through the Senate in hopes of giving Obama a foreign policy victory before the Republicans take more power next year.
“We believe we should stay here as long as it takes to get this treaty ratified, and we are prepared to do so,” said the Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Democrat John Kerry.
Speaking for the treaty before Democrats took their turn, Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, a senior Senate voice on nuclear matters, said the treaty “will enable American inspection teams to return to Russia to collect data on the Russian arsenal and verify Russian compliance. These inspections greatly reduce the possibility that we will be surprised by Russian nuclear deployments or advancements.”
US weapons inspections ended a year ago with the expiration of the 1991 arms control treaty.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
‘DELUSIONAL’: Targeting the families of Hamas’ leaders would not push the group to change its position or to give up its demands for Palestinians, Ismail Haniyeh said Israeli aircraft on Wednesday killed three sons of Hamas’ top political leader in the Gaza Strip, striking high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate ceasefire negotiations with the militant group. Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed. Ismail Haniyeh’s sons are among the highest-profile figures to be killed in the war so far. Israel said they were Hamas operatives, and Haniyeh accused Israel of acting in “the spirit of revenge and murder.” The deaths threatened to strain the internationally mediated ceasefire talks, which appeared to gain steam in recent days even as the sides remain far
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of