Tillerson Set For Cordial But Prickly China Visit Amid Wider Tensions

Politico: “Biden’s team is on the attack. And they’re not alone.” “Embattled leaders on both sides of the Atlantic are resorting to slashing attacks against their opponents, telling voters in dystopian terms about how bad things could get if their challengers win. In France, President Emmanuel Macron has warned that far-right and far-left candidates would inflict “an impoverishment of the country.” Across the channel in Britain, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has mounted a nearly all-negative campaign against the ascendant Labour Party.” “The three leaders represent different ideologies, cultures and generations.

“Russia said it is awaiting a response from Washington to its proposals for a possible exchange of prisoners, an apparent reference to U. S. citizens detained in Russia such as Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, Wednesday told the state news agency TASS that ‘the ball is in the U.

“Protesters sprayed part of Stonehenge with orange paint Wednesday, calling on the British government to take action on climate change a day before thousands are expected to flock to the 5,000-year-old site in southern England to celebrate the summer solstice,” the Washington Post reports.

“President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are set for a historic showdown, with the stage now set for CNN’s June 27 presidential debate,” CNN reports. “The showdown will make history as the first debate between a sitting president and a former president. It will also be the first debate since 2020 featuring either Biden, who did not face a serious challenge for the Democratic nomination, or Trump, who skipped those held during the Republican primary race.”

“Will Lewis, the Washington Post publisher, advised Boris Johnson and senior officials at 10 Downing Street to “clean up” their phones in the midst of a Covid-era political scandal, according to claims by three people familiar with the operations inside No 10 at the time,” The Guardian reports.. “The advice is alleged to have been given in December 2021 and January 2022 as top officials were under scrutiny for potential violations of pandemic restrictions, a scandal which was known as ‘Partygate.’”

“Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to provide immediate military assistance if one of them is attacked, reviving an agreement dating back to the Cold War in a move likely to unsettle the US and its partners,” Bloomberg reports.