Category: US

BRUSSELS — Europe is increasingly wary about China’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang, crackdown in Hong Kong, widespread censorship and pervasive social controls, let alone its technological advances, industrial espionage and aggressive rhetoric.

Nor are Europeans very happy about the “no limits” partnership that China and Russia proclaimed shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

But Europe does not support the independence of Taiwan and recognizes Beijing as the seat of Chinese power.

And what matters more for the Europeans is keeping open trade with China and its huge market, while joining Washington in trying to prevent any military aggression against Taiwan. No European country, however supportive of democracy, has indicated much willingness to go halfway around the world to help defend Taiwan militarily, as President Biden has sometimes vowed to do (before the White House corrects him).

So European leaders have been mostly quiet about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s controversial visit to Taiwan.

“This is not their fight, this is America’s fight, and the Biden administration has been clear for the last year and a half that the Indo-Pacific is its priority,” said Philippe Le Corre, a China scholar at Harvard University. “Taiwan was pretty quiet, and most Europeans think the trip was a mistake,” raising tensions when “there is a war going on in Europe itself.”

If Europe is growing wary of new investment in China, Taiwan is considered an American issue, as is the larger Pacific, where Europe has few military assets.

“The enduring US support to Taiwan has nothing to do with democracy and everything with geopolitics and credibility,” said Gérard Araud, the former French ambassador to both the United States and the United Nations.

The only country in the European Union to openly support Ms. Pelosi’s visit has been Lithuania. Through a Twitter message, its foreign ministerGabrielius Landsbergis, said that now that “Speaker Pelosi has opened the door to Taiwan much wider, I am sure other defenders of freedom and democracy will be walking through very soon.”

Perhaps. But Lithuania and Beijing are in an ugly spat over Taiwan; Vilnius allowed Taiwan’s new unofficial embassy, ​​to use the word Taiwan in its name, and Beijing retaliated with trade restrictions. Other European Union countries were upset that Lithuania, without consulting them, had created what they viewed as an unnecessary problem.

Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has been an outspoken critic of China’s domestic policies and human rights violations. Without supporting the Pelosi trip, Ms. Baerbock warned China against escalating tensions with Taiwan.

“We do not accept when international law is broken and a powerful neighbor attacks its smaller neighbor in violation of international law — and that of course also applies to China,” she told Der Spiegel newsmagazine before the visit. “In view of the brutal Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, it is important to make it clear that the international community does not accept such behavior.”

But Europeans — and German businesspeople — know that China and the European Union are huge partners in two-way trade.

Still, increasing criticism of China has led to more interest in Europe in the fate of Taiwan, which, like Ukraine, is another little democracy facing a nuclear-armed authoritarian.

In October of last year, Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, went on a charm offensive in Europe, stopping in Brussels for informal meetings with European Union lawmakers. The European Parliament overwhelmingly backed a resolution calling for stronger ties with Taiwan, which it described as a “partner and democratic ally in the Indo-Pacific.”

Then the Parliament sent its first-ever formal delegation to visit the island, defying Beijing’s threats of retaliation and its imposing sanctions on some prominent legislators.

But the Parliament is largely powerless in foreign policy and does not speak for the European Commission, let alone for member states.

Britain, no longer a member of the European Union, has been more open in its criticism of China than other European countries, and a visit to Taiwan by the House of Commons foreign affairs committee has long been in the cards.

Yet the British trip would come in November or December, after the Communist Party congress. Before that, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, wants to project strength to ensure that he gets another term in office. It is Ms. Pelosi’s timing that many analysts think has angered Mr. Xi and prompted such a strong response.

• Five former Treasury secretaries backed Manchin’s inflation-fighting bill in a Wednesday statement.
• The group includes secretaries from the George W. Bush, Clinton, and Obama administrations.
• The secretaries urged Congress to pass the plan “immediately,” adding it will help cool inflation.

Sen. Joe Manchin just won valuable new backing for his plan to fight inflation.

A group of five former treasury secretaries threw their support behind the Inflation Reduction Act on a Wednesday statement. The proposal, brokered by Manchin and Senate Majority Chuck Schumer last week, offers a path forward for some of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda. The signatories include secretaries from Democratic and Republican administrations alike, lending the plan bipartisan approval that it’s unlikely to win in Congress.

The former treasury secretaries backing the proposal are:

• Larry Summers, who served under President Bill Clinton
• Robert Rubin, who served under President Bill Clinton
• Hank Paulson, who served under President George W. Bush
• Tim Geithner, who served under President Barack Obama
• Jacob Lew, who served under President Barack Obama

“This legislation will help increase American competitiveness, address our climate crisis, lower costs for families, and fight inflation — and should be passed immediately by Congress,” the group said.

The statement comes as Democrats scramble to gather the necessary support to pass the bill in the Senate. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is the biggest unknown within the party’s ranks, and her stance from her can either secure the bill’s passage or tank it entirely. Sinema hasn’t weighed in on the measure yet, and the plan’s proposal to close the carried-interest loophole could sway her against the bill. The Arizona senator has opposed closing the loophole in the past.

That’s prompted a mad dash among Democrats and Republicans to win Sinema over. Republicans have pointed to estimates from the Joint Committee on Taxation that suggests the proposed 15% minimum corporate tax on large, profitable companies will trickle down to most Americans. Democrats, meanwhile, argue the projections don’t tell the entire story, and other aspects of the IRA would provide most Americans with a net financial benefit.

Other estimates tout the proposal as a boon for the US economy. The plan, if approved, “will nudge the economy and inflation in the right direction,” Moody’s Analytics said in a Monday note. The firm’s analysts forecast the plan will modestly cool price growth and boost economic output over the next decade. Not approving the IRA, however, could worsen the inflation problem by allowing ACA credits to expire and saddling millions of Americans with higher health care costs.

If the treasury secretaries’ statement is to change any senators’ minds, it has little time to do so. The Senate is likely to vote on the plan later this week, and Manchin has said he’ll personally pitch the IRA to Sinema in hopes of winning her over and sending the plan to Biden’s desk. But with the Senate barreling toward an August recess, the Arizona senator will have considerably less time to consider the plan than Manchin did.

Highland Park, Illinois, shooting suspect Robert Crimo III on Wednesday pleaded not guilty in a Lake County courtroom to fatally shooting seven people and injuring dozens of others at a Fourth of July parade in the town located about an hour north of Chicago.

Crimo quietly answered “yes” or “no” questions to let the judge know that he understood her directives and stated his birth date. He wore a short-sleeved, blue jumpsuit and his parents appeared behind him.

Last week, an Illinois grand jury indicted Crimo on 117 counts for his role in the tragedy, including 21 counts of first degree murder comprised of three counts of first-degree for each deceased victim.

HIGHLAND PARK FOURTH OF JULY SHOOTING SUSPECT INDICTED ON 117 COUNTS

Crimo is also charged with 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm for each victim who was struck by a bullet, bullet fragment, or shrapnel, according to Illinois State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart’s office.

There are a total of 47 named victims, an Illinois judge said during Wednesday’s arraignment. About two dozen family members and friends of victims also appeared in court to watch the arraignment.

HIGHLAND PARK FOURTH OF JULY SUSPECT GREW UP WITH BOOZY PARENTS WHO OFTEN CALLED 911 TO HOME: DOCUMENTS

Crimo’s parents have hired attorney George Gomez, who said the Crimo family wants to help the community heal.

The suspect allegedly climbed on a roof above the Fourth of July parade on Central Avenue and opened fire on spectators with a legally purchased Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle.

Crimo dropped the rifle at the scene in Highland Park but had another rifle with him as he drove to Madison, Wisconsin, and allegedly contemplated a second mass shooting that never materialized.

Authorities have yet to determine a definitive motive. Crimo had a total of five legally purchased firearms, including rifles and handguns. Those weapons were seized from his father’s home pursuant to a July search warrant.

HIGHLAND PARK FOURTH OF JULY SUSPECT’S MOTHER HAD TROUBLED PAST INCLUDING ABUSE ALLEGATIONS

Crimo came from a troubled household, where police responded to frequent 911 calls, one involving a threat of suicide from Crimo and another involving an alleged threat to kill his family, according to police reports.

Despite the threats and frequent police visits, his father, Robert Crimo Jr., signed an affidavit allowing his then-19-year-old son to apply for a state Firearms Ownership ID card, or FOID. FOID cards are mandatory for Illinois residents who wish to legally own firearms, and applicants under the age of 21 must also submit a parent’s written and notarized consent to apply.

Gomez said Wednesday that Crimo Jr. regrets the actions taken to sponsor their son for a FOID card and are heartbroken by all those affected by this tragic event

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The seven victims who died in the shooting are Jacki Sundheim, 63; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; Irina McCarthy, 35, and Kevin McCarthy, 37; Katherine Goldstein, 64; Stephen Strauss, 88; and Edwardo Uvaldo, 69.

The next hearing for Crimo is on November 1 at 12 pm CT at the Lake County Courthouse.

Fox News’ Louis Casiano and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

Attorneys for Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment in Lake County Circuit Court Wednesday after a grand jury indicted him on 117 felony counts for the July Fourth mass shooting in Highland Park that killed seven people and wounded dozens of others.

During the hearing, Judge Victoria Rossetti informed Crimo, 21, of the range of sentences he could face, including natural life if he is convicted of first-degree murder. Manacled at the waist, wearing dark jail scrubs and a mask, Crimo answered in a clear voice that he understood.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to return to court Nov. 1 for a case management conference.

Authorities allege Crimo, who grew up in Highland Park, climbed onto a store building and fired more than 80 rounds from an assault-style rifle into the crowd along the city’s Independence Day parade route before escaping in the ensuing chaos.

Police said Crimo disguised himself as a woman and dropped the rifle before escaping.

He was arrested later that day after a police officer spotted him driving in North Chicago. Police have said that following the Highland Park shooting, Crimo drove to the vicinity of Madison, Wisconsin, where he allegedly contemplated attacking another gathering.

Meanwhile, officials in Highland Park, which bans the possession of assault-style rifles and large-capacity magazines within city limits, are pressing for a similar prohibition at the state level. Numerous legislators are co-sponsoring a bill to that effect and Gov. JB Pritzker has endorsed the concept.

Last week, Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced the formation of a working group devoted to firearm safety and reform, saying he wanted “to take a balanced and research-driven approach to meaningfully reform our laws in Illinois.”

Check back for updates.

Freelance reporter Cliff Ward contributed to this story.

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Twitter @JohnKeilman

In Missouri, the defeat of former Gov. Eric Greitens in the Republican Senate primary means that the seat of Senator Roy Blunt, who is retiring, is likely to remain safely in GOP hands. And in Michigan, Tudor Dixon, a GOP candidate for governor backed by the state’s powerful DeVos family (and, in the final days, by Mr. Trump), defeated several far-right rivals to set up what could be a competitive general election against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat.

Where Trump-backed candidates prevailed, Democrats may prosper. That is especially true in Western Michigan, where a candidate endorsed by the former president, John Gibbs, narrowly beat one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Mr. Trump, Representative Peter Meijer. Mr. Gibbs’s victory handed Democrats a golden opportunity to grab a seat that has been redrawn to lean toward their party.

Here are five takeaways from a big election night in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington.

Kansas rattles the nation, and the midterms, with its abortion vote.

Voters in deep-red Kansas delivered a loud warning shot to Republicans across the country, signaling that abortion has the potential to energize voters who the GOP had hoped would remain disengaged. Democrats are likely to use the vote to try to build momentum and depict Republicans as out of step with the majority of Americans on the issue.

The vote in Kansas, which resoundingly rejected a ballot referendum that would have removed the right to abortion from the State Constitution, was the first test of Americans’ political attitudes on the issue since the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. wade decision. It revealed that from the bluest counties to the reddest ones, abortion rights outran Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s performance of him in the state in 2020.

As the polls began to close, Scott Schwab, the Kansas secretary of state, said election officials expected turnout to reach about 50 percent — far above the 36 percent that his office had predicted before Election Day, and particularly stunning for a primary in a nonpresidential election year.

It is too soon to tell the partisan breakdown, but early results indicated that the strength of the abortion rights side wasn’t limited to Democratic areas.

The referendum was rejected not only in moderate and increasingly blue areas like the Kansas City suburbs, but also in certain conservative parts of the state. Swing areas swing left.

As both parties look ahead to elections this fall in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona that could help decide the future of abortion rights, Kansans showed that the political winds on the issue are shifting.

Another impeachment vote loses his seat.

For much of this year, a vote in 2021 to impeach Mr. Trump for inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol appeared to be a career-ending move for a House Republican.

Of the 10 who cast that vote, four retired before they could face the primary electorate. One, Representative Tom Rice of South Carolina, was defeated by a Trump-endorsed Republican. One, Representative David Valadao of California, survived a primary night to remain on the ballot in November.

Tuesday was a major defensive stand for the anti-Trump GOP, with three of the remaining four Republicans who voted for impeachment facing the former president’s wrath on the ballot. Races for two in Washington, Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse, were too close to call — and one, Mr. Meijer, did not survive.

There was plenty of drama. Mr. Meijer was not only battling the Trump-backed Mr. Gibbs, but also the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which spent more than $400,000 on advertising meant to lift the little-known Mr. Gibbs, in hopes that he could be more easily defeated by Hillary Scholten, the Democrat, in November.

Ms. Beutler’s Trump-endorsed opponent, Joe Kent, is a square-jawed retired Army Ranger whose wife was killed by a suicide bomber in Syria. Mr. Kent has turned to the hard right, expressing sympathy for Jan. 6 rioters and repeating false claims of a stolen 2020 election.

The Democrats’ high-risk strategy of elevating an election-denying conspiracy theorist in Michigan worked for now: Mr. Gibbs will be the Republican nominee in a newly drawn seat that Mr. Biden would have won by nine percentage points in 2020. If Mr. Gibbs prevails in November, the recriminations against the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will be brutal.

But if the two impeachment supporters win in Washington, it would mean that more of the 10 who faced primary voters have survived than have been defeated. Later this month, Representative Liz Cheney will be the last of the 10 to face voters.

Meanwhile, the former president’s winning streak in Republican primaries for the Senate kept rolling in Arizona, where a political newcomer, Blake Masters, captured the nomination after receiving Mr. Trump’s endorsement.

Another conspiracy theorist comes closer to overseeing elections.

If Mr. Trump’s grip on the Republican Party is loosening slightly, his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen have persisted and spread among prominent Republican candidates. And some candidates’ primary victories on Tuesday could make the issue of democratic elections a central theme in their November general elections.

Mark Finchem, who has identified himself as a member of the Oath Keepers militia in the past and has waved around wild, false allegations of election improprieties, won the Republican nomination for secretary of state in Arizona.

He will be vying in November for a post overseeing future elections in a state that Mr. Biden narrowly won in 2020 and where election conspiracy theorists have wreaked havoc ever since.

The Arizona race for governor between Kari Lake, a conspiracy-minded, Trump-backed candidate, and Karrin Taylor Robson, a rival favored by the establishment, was too close to call. If Ms. Lake wins in addition to Mr. Finchem and Mr. Masters, it would make a clean sweep of election-denying candidates backed by the former president at the top of the ticket in Arizona.

In Missouri, the victor in the Republican primary for the state’s open Senate seat, Eric Schmitt, led several other state attorneys general in appealing to the Supreme Court in 2020 to take up and possibly throw out Mr. Biden’s election victory in Pennsylvania.

And in Michigan, Ms. Dixon, a conservative commentator who won the Republican nomination for governor, has wavered when questioned whether Mr. Biden’s 154,000-vote victory in her state was legitimate.

Election officials are also still fighting the conspiracy theories. In Michigan, prominent election deniers who have clung to the falsehoods of a stolen 2020 presidential contest have organized to sign up as poll workers and have forced officials to respond to a string of specific claims and concerns about safety.

In Arizona, Republican legislators who have questioned Mr. Biden’s victory in their state were calling on Tuesday for people to stake out drop boxes to ensure that no one was illegally stuffing with them ballots, according to voting rights groups and a local news report.

Shame still exists in politics (but it’s a low bar).

The decisive defeat of Mr. Greitens in Missouri’s Republican Senate primary showed that after all the tumult of the last six years, there are still lines that cannot be crossed in politics. Mr. Trump once said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in New York and not lose any supporters.

Mr. Greitens resigned the Missouri governorship in 2018 while facing accusations that he had lured a former girlfriend to his home, tied her up, torn off her clothes, photographed her partly naked, threatened to release the pictures if she talked and coerced her into performing oral-sex

He thought he could make a political comeback as a United States senator. Even after his former wife he accused him in a sworn affidavit of physically abusing her and one of their young sons de ella, he pressed on, denying the allegations and arguing that his accusers had been manipulated by establishment RINOs, or Republicans in name only .

As of Wednesday morning, Mr. Greitens had mustered less than 19 percent of the vote, a distant third-place finish. Mud that rancid still sticks.

The results set up three competitive governor’s races.

Governor Whitmer has maintained much higher approval ratings than Mr. Biden as she has led Michigan through a pandemic, an economic crisis and a dam collapse.

But she could face a tough competitor in Ms. Dixon, who managed to unite warring factions of her party allied with Mr. Trump and the state’s wealthy DeVos family. Ms. Dixon has said she decided to run for office out of her anger over Ms. Whitmer’s policies de ella, particularly health restrictions early in the pandemic that were among the most stringent in the country.

Races in Arizona and Kansas could prove to be even tighter.

In Arizona, Katie Hobbs, the Democratic secretary of state and now the party’s nominee for governor, has emerged as a high-profile defender of the state’s 2020 election results who has weathered death threats that prompted round-the-clock security from state troopers.

She will be squaring off against Ms. Lake or Ms. Taylor Robson, who has the endorsements of former Vice President Mike Pence and Gov. Doug Ducey, who is term-limited.

In Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, will face Derek Schmidt, the Trump-backed state attorney general. It is a tough landscape for Democrats, but Ms. Kelly’s approval ratings are relatively strong. A former state senator, she rose to higher office in 2018 after defeating Kris W. Kobach, a Republican known for specific warnings about election fraud and illegal immigration. Mr. Kobach won the Republican primary for Kansas attorney general on Tuesday.

Maggie Astor and Nate Cohn contributed reporting.