Harris plans to skip Netanyahu’s speech to Congress but plans separate meeting
CNN
Vice President Kamal Harris declined to preside over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress this Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Vice President Kamala Harris declined to preside over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The decision to skip the joint meeting underscores the tense relationship between the Biden administration and Netanyahu at a time when the war in Gaza has caused growing backlash from the left. An aide to the vice president said the two world leaders will meet separately later this week. Harris’ aide cited a previously scheduled event as the reason for missing the speech Wednesday. A date for the Netanyahu-Harris meeting has not been announced, but it will be separate from President Joe Biden’s planned meeting with the Israeli prime minister. The closely watched bilateral will mark Harris’ first meeting with a world leader since Biden stepped aside from his reelection campaign and endorsed Harris’ candidacy. Harris is expected to “continue her intensive engagement on the conflict in Gaza,” the aide said, noting that she is expected to underscore a commitment to ensuring Israel can defend itself, condemn Hamas’ attack on October 7 and reiterate concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
FBI says it has disrupted major Chinese hacking operation that threatened US critical infrastructure
The FBI has used a court order to seize control of a network of hundreds of thousands of hacked internet routers and other devices that Chinese government-linked hackers were using to threaten critical infrastructure in the US and overseas, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday.
The Federal Reserve is preparing to cut interest rates for the first time in the Biden era after the White House spent the last three years grappling with Americans’ dissatisfaction with the cost of living, raising new questions about the health of the economy and the impact on voters at the ballot box.
Israeli officials notified the US that the country was going to carry out an operation in Lebanon on Tuesday but did not give any details about what they were planning, according to three sources familiar with the matter, including in a call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant early Tuesday morning.