Biden warns he'll tell Putin 'what I want him to know' as he defines goals of foreign tour
CNN
President Joe Biden told a hangar of US troops on Wednesday he was in Europe to defend the very concept of democracy, setting high stakes for his first presidential trip abroad and warning Russian President Vladimir Putin he planned to raise touchy issues during their upcoming summit.
"I'm headed to the G7, then to the NATO ministerial and then to meet with Mr. Putin to let him know what I want him to know," Biden said at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England -- home to an American refueling wing and the site of Biden's first presidential speech on foreign soil. Biden spoke forcefully about restoring American alliances in Europe, describing them as a cornerstone of global security. And he said he wouldn't hold back in his meeting with Putin.Elected officials, Jewish advocacy groups and civil rights leaders are vowing to “push back” against the message of a White nationalist group that staged a march last week near downtown Columbus, Ohio, calling the demonstration an act of hate unwelcome in their community – and the United States more broadly.
Senate Democrats have confirmed some of President Joe Biden’s picks for the federal bench this week in the face of President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for a total GOP blockade of judicial nominations – in part because several Republicans involved with the Trump transition process have been missing votes.