US State Department’s top China policy official to step down

By Michael Martina and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department’s top China policy official Rick Waters is set to step down at a time of fraught relations between Washington and Beijing. Waters, deputy assistant secretary of State for China and Taiwan who leads the department’s recently created China House policy division, will leave…

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Republicans, White House see progress in US debt ceiling talks

By David Morgan, Andrea Shalal and Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Negotiators for Democratic President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy held what both sides called productive talks on Wednesday to try to reach a deal to raise the United States’ $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default. After a four-hour White…

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Takeaways from DeSantis launching White House bid in messy Twitter event

By Tim Reid (Reuters) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis entered the battle for the 2024 presidential election during a chaotic, glitch-filled online forum on Twitter hosted by its billionaire owner, Elon Musk. Here are three takeaways from the DeSantis announcement: TWITTER CAN BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR CAMPAIGN’S HEALTH DeSantis’ decision to announce his White House…

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Factbox-Ukraine wants F-16 jets – how is coalition developing for training pilots?

(Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy renewed his appeal on Wednesday for U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets, saying their appearance with Ukrainian pilots would be a sure signal from the world that Russia’s invasion would end in defeat. “The main thing is the speed in training and in supply – meaning the time between decisions in real…

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White House criticizes Republicans, says ‘preventing default’ is not a concession

By Andrea Shalal and Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House on Wednesday criticized Republicans and said averting default is the responsibility of every single member of Congress and that preventing such a situation is not a concession. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, said on Tuesday a concession he will make is…

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‘Queen of rock ‘n’ roll’ Tina Turner dies at 83

By Mike Davidson (Reuters) -Tina Turner, the American-born singer who left a hardscrabble farming community and abusive relationship to become one of the top recording artists of all time, died on Wednesday at the age of 83. She died peacefully after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, her representative said….

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What Ron DeSantis said as he launched his 2024 White House race

(Reuters) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday he would seek the 2024 Republican nomination for president, vowing to build a wall on the border with Mexico and not restrict usage of Bitcoin. Here is a selection of his quotes: IMMIGRATION “We will move on day one by declaring a national emergency. We will…

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