Good Morning DC,
As the Middle East flared up over the weekend, “condemn in strongest terms” and “ironclad commitment” emerged as the buzzwords words in US diplomacy.
As he cut his Rehoboth beach weekend short to return to the White House, Biden did not speak to journalists. No press conferences, no questions taken—just silence as the lid was firmely sealed shut.
Soon after a cinematic image of him sitting with his team in the Situation Room was published—a snapshot of power and control carefully curated for public consumption.
In the world of optics meets reality, an insider knows that what you see may not always be what you get. But for those not privy to the inner workings of Washington, the illusion might as well be.
Let’s get you caught up with the news of the day.
On Tax Day, President Biden is emphasizing his push for billionaires to pay at least 25% of their income in taxes to provide permanent funding for the Medicare trust fund.
Two years ago, Biden visited Samsung’s Pyeongtaek campus in Korea, home to one of the largest semiconductor manufacturing facilities globally. Today, he announces a preliminary agreement between Samsung and the Department of Commerce to relocate Samsung’s advanced semiconductor manufacturing and research and development to Texas.
Today at the White House, Biden is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Iraq. After that he will hold talks with Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic.
New York criminal trial of Donald Trump starts today over hush money payments to a porn star during the 2016 election. At a rally in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Trump said that “On Monday in New York City, I will be forced to sit, fully gagged.”
He described the trail as a “communist show trial.”
The Speaker of the House discussed supplemental national security legislation, focusing on aid to Ukraine and Israel, during an interview on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.
Johnson disclosed details of his conversation with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, revealing Trump’s interest in providing a loan to Ukraine. Trump. according to Johnson supports the REPO Act that gives the US President authority to seize Russian sovereign assets frozen in the US and transfer them to Ukraine for its reconstruction.
I had a great visit with [Trump] at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, and he and I are 100% united on these big agenda items. And when you talk about aid to Ukraine, he’s introduced the loan lease concept, which is a really important one, I think has a lot of consensus as well as these other ideas – the REPO Act, which we’ve discussed, which is seizing the the assets of corrupt Russian oligarchs to help pay for this resistance. I think these are ideas that I think can get consensus, and that’s what we’ve been working through. We’ll send our package, we’ll put something together and send it to the Senate and get these obligations completed.
Israel is deliberating its reaction to Iran’s attack.The United States is not seeking a war with Iran and is not pursuing escalation. Should Israel decide to launch a counteroffensive on Tehran, the US has no plans to engage in the conflict.
Secretary of State Blinken has two high-level engagements today. He will first meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Following that, he is scheduled to attend President Biden’s meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala at the White House.
THE BALKAN VOICE NEWSLETTER
We are excited to introduce The Balkan Voice, your essential newsletter covering US-Western Balkans relations.
The Balkan Voice provides an insider’s perspective on US policy toward the Western Balkans, featuring weekly coverage, State Department briefings, exclusive interviews, and more.
The April 13, 2024 arrest of Srecko Sofronijevic, a Kosovo Serb living in Zvecan, has reignited concerns over the Kosovo government’s actions, despite previous assurances given to the United States in 2022, pledging that “no lists of Kosovo Serb citizens to be arrested or prosecuted for peaceful protests/barricades exist.”
Britain is in discussions to create the Rwanda migrant deportation program with Armenia, Ivory Coast, Costa Rica, and Botswana, as per leaked documents published in Times.
And that’s a wrap for this morning April 15, 2024. Good Morning DC will be back tomorrow to provide you with a front-row seat to the ever-evolving landscape of American politics under President Joe Biden.
View all our newsletters HERE and sign up for free.
The Pavlovic Today’s mission is to produce deep-dive independent journalism the world needs now more than ever. And we have a great track-record in reporting from the first lines of the White House, State Department and the US Congress.
Join our supporters by making a gift of any amount today.
It’s our readers that keep us independent.
Share your thoughts on GMDC by emailing us directly at goodmorningdc@thepavlovictoday.com, we would love to hear from you!
