More from Ben Burke
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Russia offers to back off Kyiv as latest talks with Ukraine yield progress
Amid the first round of peace talks with Ukraine in more than two weeks, Russia’s deputy defense minister announced the country would “fundamentally… cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv.” The concession, offered “to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations,” could be an indication that the… -
Taxpayers to foot $850M in deal for new Buffalo Bills stadium
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced a deal has been reached on a new stadium for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. The price tag for the deal, which came after seven months of negotiations, sits at $1.4 billion. That money will come from: The state of New York ($600 million) Erie County ($250 million) The Bills and… -
DeSantis signs controversial ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill after Oscars criticism
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed the “Parental Rights in Education” bill, known by critics as the “don’t say gay” bill, into state law. It was perhaps the most controversial of seven bills Gov. DeSantis received from the state legislature Monday, as it bans the teaching of sexual orientation or gender identity for public school children in… -
Ukraine, Russia prepare for talks as Kremlin responds to Biden
Two days after President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” Russian negotiators arrived in Turkey for more peace talks with Ukraine. The talks, set for Tuesday, are scheduled to take place two weeks after the last negotiations. Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is prepared to declare… -
Shanghai under China’s largest lockdown of COVID-19 pandemic
A two-part lockdown in China’s largest city Shanghai has started, with the goal of stamping out a surge in cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The video above includes scenes from Shanghai Monday. According to the local government, Shanghai’s Pudong financial district and nearby areas will be locked down from Monday to Friday as mass… -
House to consider federal marijuana legalization, cannabis stocks jump
The House Rules Committee announced it will meet to discuss a federal marijuana legalization bill next week. H.R. 3617, also known as the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, also showed up on the House’s list of bills to be considered on the House floor next week. The MORE Act was introduced by Rep.… -
Manchin: “I intend to vote” for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) may have decided whether Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will become the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. After four days of nomination hearings with the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Manchin released a statement Friday, saying, “I have determined I intend to vote for her nomination to serve on the… -
US, EU announce energy partnership as Biden visits Poland
As President Joe Biden traveled to Poland, the United States and European Union (EU) announced a new partnership aimed at reducing Europe’s reliance on Russian energy. Under the partnership, announced Friday, the U.S. and other nations will increase liquified natural gas exports to Europe by 15 billion cubic meters this year. Even larger shipments would… -
Trump sues Hillary Clinton, others over 2016 Russian collusion claims
Former President Donald Trump included a laundry list of defendants in a lawsuit over claims that Russian collusion helped Trump win the 2016 election. The claims sparked a two-year-long U.S. investigation headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. He released a report in 2019 that detailed numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump campaign.… -
Biden administration seeks to speed up asylum process with new rules
The Biden administration announced new rules regarding the asylum process. The rules, which are expected to be published in the Federal Registry next Tuesday and take effect 60 days after that, would give the power to grant or deny asylum claims to asylum officers. Currently only immigration judges have that authority, with asylum officers only… -
North Korea tests intercontinental ballistic missile for first time since 2017
Reports from South Korea and Japan indicate North Korea has tested what could be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) yet. While North Korea has held several launches in recent months, Thursday’s launch was the first to test a North Korean ICBM since 2017, when three test flights demonstrated the potential range to reach the… -
US confirms Russia committed war crimes during invasion of Ukraine
Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement officially confirming Russia has committed war crimes during its invasion of Ukraine. President Joe Biden had already called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal last week, with Blinken announcing a day later that the State Department was “compiling the evidence, collecting the evidence, understanding the evidence”… -
Madeleine Albright, first female secretary of state, dies of cancer at 84
According to a statement from the family of Madeleine Albright posted to her Twitter account, Albright died Wednesday at the age of 84. The statement said her death was due to cancer. “She was surrounded by family and friends,” the family wrote in the statement. “We have lost a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and…