Germany’s foreign minister: Parts of China trip ‘more than shocking’

By Alexander Ratz BERLIN (Reuters) – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday described parts of her recent trip to China as “more than shocking” and said Beijing was increasingly becoming a systemic rival more than a trade partner and competitor. The blunt remarks followed Baerbock’s visit to Beijing last week where she warned that…

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Fox resolves Dominion case, but $2.7 billion Smartmatic lawsuit looms

By Jack Queen (Reuters) – Fox News on Tuesday disposed of one legal threat with its $787.5 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, but the network still faces a $2.7 billion lawsuit from another voting technology company, Smartmatic USA, over its coverage of debunked election-rigging claims. Dominion accused Fox and its parent company Fox…

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Republican McCarthy unveils plan to lift US debt ceiling, cut spending

By Richard Cowan and Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday unveiled a plan to raise the nation’s debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion and cut federal spending by three times that amount, laying out an opening position in what is likely to be a tense partisan debate over government borrowing….

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Biden set for summit with top fundraisers ahead of expected re-election campaign -sources

By Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to meet top potential donors for his planned re-election campaign next week, according to two people with direct knowledge of the plans. The effort to organize prospective financial backers comes as Biden aides have ramped up planning for the long-expected launch of the…

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Trump racks up Florida endorsements in blow to DeSantis

(Reuters) – Donald Trump continued to rack up endorsements in Florida for his presidential campaign on Wednesday, outmaneuvering the state’s Governor Ron DeSantis on his home turf. Vern Buchanan, co-chair of the state’s congressional delegation became the eighth Florida lawmaker to come out in support of the former president, announcing his endorsement on Wednesday, hours…

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Ex-prosecutor in Trump probe ordered to testify before US Congress panel

By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) -A former prosecutor who once led the Manhattan district attorney’s criminal investigation into former U.S. President Donald Trump must testify before a congressional committee, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat whose office’s investigation led to a grand jury indicting Trump in the…

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Japanese firms want stability rather than change from new BOJ governor -Reuters poll

By Tim Kelly TOKYO (Reuters) – Most Japanese firms want Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda to focus on financial market stability at his first policy meeting next week, with few seeing benefits from any easing of its ultra-loose monetary policy, a Reuters monthly poll showed. Ueda has so far signalled his intent to maintain…

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Vaccine critic Robert Kennedy Jr launches US Democratic presidential bid

By Andy Sullivan (Reuters) -Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a member of a storied U.S. political dynasty, announced on Wednesday a long-shot bid to challenge incumbent President Joe Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination. Kennedy, 69, faces little chance of success, but his campaign could serve as a platform to advance claims that…

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