Kamala Harris will be a "fantastic President of the United States," former president Barack Obama said on Friday, as he and his wife Michelle endorsed her and vowed to do "everything we can" to enable her to win the high-stakes elections against Donald Trump in November. Harris, 59, launched her presidential campaign hours after President Joe Biden said he would be forgoing his bid for a second term. The decision came after Biden faced weeks of mounting pressure to step aside following his startling debate performance against rival and former president Trump last month, which raised concerns about his fitness for a second term and ability to defeat his Republican opponent in November. Obama, who didn't immediately endorse Harris following President Biden's announcement on Sunday, released a video to support the Vice President. "Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend @KamalaHarris. We told her we think she'll make a fantastic President of the United States, and that she has our full support. At this critical moment for our country, we're going to do everything we can to make sure she wins in November. We hope you'll join us," Obama said in a post on X. "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," the 62-year-old former president told Harris on a phone call joined by his wife. Harris thanked the Obamas for their support and expressed gratitude for their decadeslong friendship. "I'm looking forward to doing this with the two of you, Doug (Douglas Emhoff) and I both. And getting out there, being on the road," Harris, 59, said. "But most of all, I just want to tell you the words you have spoken and the friendship that you have given over all these years mean more than I can express, so thank you both. It means so much. And we're gonna have some fun with this too, aren't we?" she added. Michelle, the former first lady, said she is proud of Harris and expects the upcoming election to be historic. "I can't have this phone call without saying to my girl, Kamala, I am proud of you. This is going to be historic," she told Harris in the approximately one-minute video. In a joint statement announcing the endorsement, the Obamas praised Harris. "But Kamala has more than a resume. She has the vision, the character, and the strength that this critical moment demands. There is no doubt in our mind that Kamala Harris has exactly what it takes to win this election and deliver for the American people," the statement said. "At a time when the stakes have never been higher, she gives us all reason to hope," it added. With Obama's endorsement, Harris, who is of Indian and African origin, has secured support from all major Democrats and party leaders in Congress, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Obama, the first Black president, and Harris, who could become the first female president, have been in regular contact since Biden announced his decision to drop out, the US media reports citing sources familiar with the matter said, noting they have known each other for 20 years. No other Democrat has announced their candidacy for the presidential nod. Harris has secured endorsements from more than 40 state delegations, surpassing the number of delegates she will need to win the nomination. If that support holds, Democrats will officially nominate her for president during a virtual roll call vote in August. Under new rules adopted by the Democratic National Committee on Wednesday, the nominee will be selected as soon as August 1, and the candidate has until August 7 to select a running mate. The party will meet for its convention in Chicago starting August 19. In an Oval Office address Wednesday, Biden acknowledged it was time to "pass the torch" to a new generation of leaders. Harris, who was a senator from California before she was elected vice president, quickly hit the campaign trail with events in Wisconsin, Indiana and Texas. Her campaign said it raked in more than USD million between Sunday afternoon, when she officially joined the White House race, and Monday evening. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 July,2024 10:12 PM IST | Washington | PTICanada, Australia and New Zealand issued a joint statement on Friday on the need for an “urgent ceasefire” in Gaza and the risk of an expanded conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, news agency AP reported. “The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue,” the statement from the Prime Ministers of the three countries said. The heads of the governments of the three countries also stated that Palestinian civilians cannot be paying of the war against Hamas. “Israel must listen to the concerns of the international community. The protection of civilians is paramount and a requirement under international humanitarian law. Palestinian civilians cannot be paying of the war against Hamas. It must end,” the statement said. The prime ministers also condemned Iran's mid-April attack on Israel and said they were “gravely concerned” about the prospect of further escalation across the region. The three leaders called on Iran to refrain from “further destabilising actions” in the Middle East and demanded that Tehran its affiliated groups, including Hezbollah, cease their attacks. Shortly after Hamas' attack on southern Israel last year on October 7, Hezbollah began firing rockets on Israel. The exchange of fire and airstrikes, which has been limited to a few kilometers on each side of the border, has displaced tens of thousands of people in both countries. West Bank Hamas leader dies in Israeli custody A Hamas leader in West Bank died in Israeli custody on Thursday evening after his health deteriorated, a Palestinian prisoners’ rights group said. Sixty-three-year-old Sheikh Mustafa Abu Arra was arrested in October after the Israel-Hamas war following the October 7 attack. He was recently transferred from Ramon Prison to Soroka hospital where he died, the Palestinian Prisoners Club said. The rights group alleged that Ara was subjected to torture and starvation during his detention, and did not receive adequate medical treatment. Israel's prison authorities have not commented on the circumstances of Ara's death. Ara was arrested under ‘administrative detention’ whereby detainees can be held indefinitely for security reasons without trial and charge. Rights groups and recently released Palestinian detainees alleged that conditions in Israeli-run prisons have deteriorated since the war broke out. Since the early 1990s, Ara was arrested several times and spent roughly 12 years in Israeli-run prisons, the prisoners group and Hamas said. (With AP inputs)
26 July,2024 06:17 PM IST | Canberra | mid-day online correspondentUnleashing a volley of attacks against his new campaign opponent Vice President Kamala Harris, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said she is “unfit to rule” and described her as a “radical left lunatic” whom voters will reject in November. Trump, 78, launched a scathing attack on Harris as he took the stage for the first time to address an election rally after Harris became the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. “For three-and-a-half years, Lyin Kamala Harris has been the ultra-liberal driving force behind every single Biden catastrophe. She is a radical left lunatic who will destroy our country if she ever gets the chance to get into office. We’re not going to let that happen,” Trump said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 July,2024 09:36 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesField Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Sri Lanka’s former Army chief renowned for his role in defeating the LTTE, officially declared his candidacy for the upcoming Presidential election, pledging to tackle corruption and revitalise the economy. The exact date for the presidential election in Sri Lanka, scheduled between September 17 and October 16, will be announced on Friday. “I wish to announce my candidacy for the Presidency to the people of Sri Lanka,” Fonseka said in a post X. “For 76 years, we have been led by an inept political group that has driven us to bankruptcy. For Sri Lanka to grow, we need to crush corruption. We need to leverage our natural resources to boost income generation. This is my formal and official announcement as the Presidential candidate of Sri Lanka for the 2024 Presidential election,” he said. Fonseka, who led the military campaign against the LTTE’s separatist ambitions, faced defeat in the 2010 presidential election against Mahinda Rajapaksa. Undeterred by past challenges, the 73-year-old Fonseka called upon all Sri Lankans to join him in creating a corruption-free nation. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 July,2024 09:36 AM IST | Colombo | AgenciesOfficials from Egypt, Israel, the United States and Qatar were expected to meet Thursday in Doha with the aim of resuming talks for a proposed three-phase cease-fire to end the war between Israel and Hamas and free the remaining hostages. But an Israeli official said Israel's negotiating team was delayed and would likely be dispatched next week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress in Washington on Wednesday as thousands of protesters gathered near the US Capitol to denounce the war. Netanyahu has signalled that a ceasefire deal could be taking shape after nine months of war, but during his fiery speech to Congress, he vowed to press forward with Israel's war until he achieves “total victory”. Protesters burn US flag near Congress Protesters hold up the Palestinian flag. Pic/Twitter Pro-Palestinian-protesters lowered an American flag and burned it down a few blocks from the US Congress and hoisted a Palestine flag in its place. The incident happened in front of the Union Station, near the US Congress, where the Israeli PM addressed the US Congress. People were protesting against US policy in West Asia and the bombing of innocent civilians by Israelis in Gaza. Israel recovers five hostage bodies from Gaza Strip A man carries a woman injured in Israeli attacks in Khan Yunis. Pic/AFP The Israeli military said on Thursday it has recovered the bodies of five Israeli hostages, in Khan Younis, who were abducted by Hamas militants on October 7. It says all five were believed to have been killed in the October 7 Hamas raid that triggered the war, and their bodies were held hostage. Israel has now pronounced dead more than a third of the roughly 110 hostages who remain in Hamas captivity. You are Iran’s useful idiots: Netanyahu to protesters Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Iran for supporting groups against Israel. “For all we know, Iran is funding the anti-Israel protests that are going on right now. I have a message for these protesters: When the Tyrants of Tehran, who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair, are praising, promoting and funding you, you have officially become Iran’s useful idiots,” Netanyahu said. Hamas slams Netanyahu speech The Palestinian Hamas group slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fiery speech to the United States Congress, accusing him Thursday of obstructing efforts to end the war and return the hostages. Hamas said Netanyahu’s Washington visit was an address to improve his image after the International Criminal Court requested to issue arrest warrants against him for war crimes. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 July,2024 09:23 AM IST | Jerusalem | AgenciesA Philippine oil tanker sank in Manila Bay early Thursday after encountering huge waves, and the coast guard was working to determine whether the vessel was leaking oil -- in what could be a major spill -- after it rescued 16 of 17 crew members in a nighttime operation, officials said. The tanker Terra Nova left Bataan province en route to the central province of Iloilo with about 1.4 million liters (370,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil stored in watertight tanks when it got buffeted by huge waves and took on water. The crew struggled to steer the tanker back to port but it eventually sank shortly after midnight, coast guard spokesperson Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said, citing statements from surviving crew members. The sinking followed days of monsoon rain, exacerbated by a passing offshore typhoon, that caused landslides and flooding across the archipelago, leaving at least 22 people dead and displacing more than half a million people. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 July,2024 09:23 AM IST | Manila | AgenciesThe presidential election in Sri Lanka is to take place on September 21, the independent elections commission announced today. The announcement ended months-long speculation that the election would be postponed to extend the term of the incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe. The government gazette no 2394/51 issued today said in terms of Article 31 (3) of the constitution the election would take place on September 21 while the nominations would be accepted on August 15. The election announcement set to end the balanced term of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was ousted mid 2022 in a popular public uprising. Rajapaksa had been elected with a record near 7 million votes in November 2019 when the last presidential election was held. Tens of thousands who got into the streets in early 2022 demanded Rajapaksa to step down for his failure to tackle the island’s gravest economic crisis since 1948. Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country on July 9, 2022, and incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe who was the crisis prime minister was elected through parliament to succeed Rajapaksa. Wickremesinghe undertook the difficult task of reviving the bankrupt economy by tapping a bail-out facility from the IMF. India provided Sri Lanka with a lifeline of 4 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2022 which paid for food and essentials imports in the balance of payment crisis. By mid-April Sri Lanka had declared its first sovereign default. A year later came the IMF's first tranche of the nearly 3 billion facility to be extended over 4 years. However, the stringent reforms attached to the program made the government unpopular. Wickremesinghe stood firm in his commitment to implement reforms and has vowed to steer the country out of bankruptcy. He is expected to vie for his return as the president. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 July,2024 08:11 AM IST | Colombo | PTIAttacking Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive nominee of the Democratic party, is not helpful, Republican leader Nikki Haley said on Thursday and insisted that she needs to be criticized based on her policies. “It's not helpful. It's not helpful. I mean, we're talking about a liberal senator who literally has not accomplished very much and what she was given she didn't do much with. You don't need to talk about what she looks like or what gender she is to talk about that. The American people are smarter than that,” Haley told CNN in an interview. She was responding to a question on the attack on Harris based on the colour of her skin and gender. “Talk about the fact that she doesn't believe in fracking. Tell that to the voters in Pennsylvania. Talk about the fact that she doesn't want to talk about paying down debt. She wants to increase taxes. Tell that to the American people. Talk about the fact that consumer prices have gone up 19.5% since Joe and Kamala were in office,” she said. “Talk about the fact that she's always sided with the Palestinian protests instead of our friend Israel. There are so many issues we can talk about when it comes to Kamala Harris. It doesn't matter what she looks like. It matters what she said, what she's fought for, and the lack of results that she's had because of it,” Haley said. The former Republican presidential candidate, who lost to Donald Trump in the primary race, said she was not surprised when Democratic nominee and incumbent President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, paving the way for Harris to be on the party’s ticket. “I wasn't surprised and I didn't take happiness in it. Through the whole campaign, I fought for mental competency tests. I wasn't doing it to be disrespectful. I wasn't doing it to be mean. I was doing it because I think it's not just Joe Biden. There is an issue that we have in DC where people will go into office and they won't let go. And then their staffers and their family keep propping them up and it's a problem for the American people,” she said. “So, I never thought he would make it to the election. I always said a vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris, and I think that's what's playing out,” she said. Haley, the former South Carolina Governor and US Ambassador to the United Nations, said the Democrats are very smart to put in a younger candidate. “I think that that's what America has craved. But I think what you look at is they put in the weakest candidate they could put in,” she said. “You look at the fact that Kamala.. she had one job. That was to deal with illegal immigration and the border. She didn't do it. She was the most progressive Senator that we had next to Bernie Sanders. You can see it playing out, whether it's the fact that she didn't show up at Bibi's speech yesterday, whether it's the fact that she pushed for all this government spending, whether it's the fact that when she was in California, the most liberal state, there was no tax she didn't propose. There was nothing that she didn't want to see,” Haley said. “All of her, the things she's doing from not wanting fracking to not wanting oil drilling, all of these things are incredibly liberal. And she is much more progressive than Joe Biden ever was. So, the fact that they put in Kamala Harris, kudos for putting in someone younger. The fact that you put in one of the most liberal politicians you probably could have put in it's going to be an issue,” Haley said. PTI LKJ AS AS This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 July,2024 07:52 AM IST | Washington | PTIThe United States is disappointed about the symbolism and timing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Russia visit at a time when it hosted the NATO summit here, a senior State Department official has told the lawmakers, who have expressed concerns over the increasing India-Russia ties. 'I could not agree with you more about our disappointment about the symbolism and the timing of Prime Minister Modi's trip to Moscow. We are having those tough conversations with our Indian friends,' Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu told American lawmakers at a Congressional hearing here on Tuesday. 'I assure you maybe if I could just take a moment to put into context that visit. Prime Minister Modi, two weeks before he went to Moscow, also saw President Zelenskyy on the margins of the G7 summit in Italy,' he said. 'Then we were looking very carefully at what Modi did when he was in Moscow. We did not see any new major defense deals. We saw no major discussion of technology cooperation. In addition, you have Modi having said in front of Putin on live television, his feeling that the war in Ukraine could not be won on the battlefield and the pain that he felt watching the death of children in war,' Lu said. 'A clear reference to the bombing of the children's hospital in Kyiv that happened while he was there. I share your concern about this visit, sir, and we are trying very hard to communicate those concerns directly to the Indians. The Indians, who have cancelled billions of dollars in defense purchases over these last two and a half years because the Russians can't deliver anymore. So we're working very hard on that,' Lu said. He was responding to a question from Congressman Joe Wilson, a former co-chair of the Caucus of India and Indian Americans in this regard. 'I was shocked and saddened to see the embrace by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who I so respect and admire embrace war criminal Putin in Moscow on the very day that Putin intentionally launched missiles at the largest children's hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine,' he said. 'Prime Minister Modi is a hero of mine who I have visited in New Delhi, have welcomed twice to address Congress along with being present with Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina at Madison Square Garden and New York City. I was with President Donald Trump at the Howdy Modi welcome for Prime Minister Modi. 40,000 people there in Houston, Texas and it turned out it's something I know. It was the largest assemblage of millionaires in the history of the world,' the Republican Congressman said. 'The Indian American community has been so successful. The future of India should be with democratic free markets as we have seen. Indian Americans have achieved the highest level of income of any immigrant group in the United States. In fact, Indian Americans make twice the income of the average American and indeed it's due to association with democracy, not dictatorship and the dictatorship that world criminal Putin is trying to restore the failed Soviet Union and he wants to oppress first the people of Russia,' Wilson said. 'It's to the benefit not of the people of Russia, but to the oligarchs just as the communist regime was to benefit the ranking members of the Communist Party. With that in mind, India should be a beacon for democracy and not dependent on a dictatorship. What can be done, to promote India not being dependent on inferior Russian weapons and cheap commodities? And we know that the gas that's being purchased, the funding of that is going to kill Ukrainians,' he added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 July,2024 09:58 AM IST | Washington | PTIDonald Trump unleashed a barrage of attack lines Wednesday against his likely new opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, who he called his 'new victim to defeat' and accused of deceiving the public about President Joe Biden's ability to run for a second term. The rally in Charlotte, North Carolina marked his first public campaign event since Biden dropped out of the 2024 matchup and Harris became the Democrats' likely nominee. 'So now we have a new victim to defeat: Lyin' Kamala Harris,' Trump said, labelling her "the most incompetent and far left vice president in American history.' Trump called her a 'radical left lunatic' and called her 'crazy' for her positions on abortion and on immigration. He also mispronounced her first name repeatedly. The former president's stop in North Carolina shows he's concerned about keeping the state in his column this November, even as his team reaches for wins in traditionally Democratic-leaning states like Minnesota, which Trump is set to visit on Saturday. Trump has ramped up his criticism of the vice president since Biden's abrupt departure, calling Harris 'the same as Biden but much more radical.' He has blamed her for what he portrays as the Biden administration's failures, particularly security along the U.S.-Mexico border. On Wednesday, the speakers who appeared on stage before the Republican nominee attacked Harris' record on the border, highlighting she was tasked with leading a White House effort to tackle migration issues. Harris' name was met with boos several times during the speeches. 'She was assigned that, she was given that task, and she failed,' said Brandon Judd, former president of the National Border Patrol Council, the union that represents agents. Trump has also hedged on plans for an expected debate with Harris, first saying that he wanted Fox News, not ABC, to host the matchup he had originally scheduled for September with Biden. On Tuesday, Trump appeared to tweak that message again, saying on a call with reporters that he'd like to debate Harris 'more than once' but not committing to appearing at the debate currently on the books and saying he'd only agreed to debate Biden twice, not Harris. Harris, meanwhile, spent Wednesday in Indiana, telling members of the historically Black sorority Zeta Phi Beta that 'we are not playing around' and asked for their help in electing her president in November, an election she characterized as "a choice between two different visions for our nation, one focused on the future, the other focused on the past.' Voters in Indiana haven't backed a Democratic presidential candidate in nearly 16 years. But Harris, a woman of Black and South Asian descent, was speaking to a group already excited by her historic status as the likely Democratic nominee and one that her campaign hopes can expand its coalition. Quietly, Republicans have spoken about how subbing Harris in for Biden nullifies a portion of their party's argument in favor of Trump's vitality and vigor. At 81, Biden would have been the oldest presidential nominee heading into a general election. Now, the 78-year-old Trump occupies that slot. Harris, 59, has launched a campaign that at least in some corners appears to be stoking interest among the younger voters who could be key in deciding an anticipated close general election. North Carolina is a state Trump carried in both his previous campaigns but by less than 1.5 percentage points over Biden in 2020, the closest margin of any state Trump won. Trump stumped heavily in North Carolina even as the COVID-19 pandemic wore on, while Biden largely kept off the physical campaign trail and did not personally visit the state in the last 16 days of the election. Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte ' the state's biggest city ' was also the scene of Trump's narrowest margin of victory in North Carolina's GOP primary, edging out Nikki Haley by fewer than 8 percentage points. This year, Trump had planned to hold his first rally since the start of his hush money trial in Fayetteville, but that event was called off due to inclement weather. Trump called in from his private plane instead. Democrats also have been working to win North Carolina, where the party's most recent presidential win was Barack Obama's 2008 victory, despite recent GOP dominance. Biden held a campaign event in Raleigh the day after his disastrous June debate with Trump. While he was much more forceful in that appearance than he was on the debate stage, it did not help much to quell the growing concern from members of his party about his ability to win the White House again. With Harris now poised to take his spot, she may again be turning to North Carolina for some political help: the state's Gov. Roy Cooper is among the Democrats that Harris' campaign is vetting for a possible pick as her vice presidential running mate. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 July,2024 09:58 AM IST | Charlotte | APUS President Joe Biden has said his decision to step aside from the 2024 presidential race and endorse Kamala Harris as Democratic Presidential nominee was as an act aimed at unifying the nation and passing "the torch to a new generation". The prime-time speech marked the first time Biden had spoken directly to the American people on camera since his announcement three days ago that he was stepping away from the campaign trail. "I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That's the best way to unite our nation. I there is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life, but there's also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices, and that time and place is now," an emotional Biden said in the rare Oval Office address on Wednesday. Biden, 81, said he revered the President's Office office but he loved his country more. "It's been the honour of my life to serve as president but in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it's more important than any title." "I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America's future all merited a second term," Biden said Wednesday night. "But nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition, so I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation." On Harris, Biden said she is "experienced, she's tough, she's capable" and called her an "incredible partner" during their three-and-a-half years together. "I've made my choice. I've made my views known. Now, the choice is up to you, the American people," he said. Biden continued to emphasise what he believes is at risk this election, which he's repeatedly cast as an "inflexion point" to save the nation's founding principles. "I ran for president four years ago because I believed, and still do, that the soul of America was at stake, the very nature of who we are was at stake," he said. "And that's still the case." Harris, 59, who is of Indian and African origin, has now emerged as the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. "I've made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now will determine our fate of our nation and the world for decades to come," he said from the Oval Office. He was surrounded by First Lady Jill Biden, son Hunter Biden and several members of his family. Toward the end of remarks, Ashley Biden reached for the hand of her mother, Jill Biden, who was seated next to her. After the president concluded his remarks, Jill Biden walked to the Resolute Desk and stood next to her husband. Vice President Kamala Harris watched Biden's Address to the Nation from Houston, where she is spending the night after visiting the city's Emergency Operations Center to receive a briefing on the ongoing recovery efforts following Hurricane Beryl. Biden in his remarks said that 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 fellow Americans," he said. Biden also looked ahead to what he still hopes to do in these final six months. He zeroed in on the need to address gun violence, and climate change, continuing to improve the economy and reforming the US Supreme Court. "That means I'll continue to lower costs for hard-working families, grow our economy, and I'll keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights from the right to vote to the right to choose. I'll keep calling out hate and extremism, and make it clear there is no place, no place in America for political violence or any violence ever, period. I'm going to keep speaking out to protect our kids from gun violence, our planet from climate crisis, is the existential threat," he said. Biden said he is the first president in this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world. "We'll keep rallying a coalition of proud nations to stop Putin from taking over Ukraine and doing more damage. We'll keep NATO stronger, and I'll make it more powerful and more united than at any time in all of our history," he said. "I'll keep doing the same for allies in the Pacific. You know, when I came to office, the conventional wisdom was that China would inevitably surpass the United States. That's not the case anymore. I'm going to keep working to end the war in Gaza, bring home all the hostages and bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war," said the president. Biden said in just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America's future. Biden, who initially resisted calls to step aside and insisted he was the best person to take on Donald Trump, said he now believes a new path is necessary. The president did not address ongoing Republican criticisms about his fitness to serve. The White House earlier Wednesday had said his health had "nothing" to do with his decision. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 July,2024 09:52 AM IST | Washington | APADVERTISEMENT
