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White Home warns Russia will face penalties if Alexei Navalny dies

White House warns Russia will face consequences if Alexei Navalny dies

WASHINGTON – White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Sunday the Biden government warned the Russian government not to let jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny die in custody.

“We have told the Russian government that what happens to Mr. Navalny in their care is their responsibility and that they will be held accountable by the international community,” Sullivan said on CNN’s State of the Union program.

“We have announced that there will be consequences if Mr Navalny dies,” he added.

Navalny flew to Russia from Berlin earlier this year after recovering for nearly six months from nerve agent poisoning that occurred last August. He was arrested at passport control and later sentenced to more than two years in prison.

Last month, the United States sanctioned seven members of the Russian government for alleged poisoning and subsequent imprisonment of Navalny. The sanctions were the first to be directed against Moscow under Biden’s leadership. The Trump administration has taken no action against Russia because of the situation in Navalny.

State Secretary Antony Blinken wrote in a separate statement that the sanctions would send “a clear signal” to Russia that the use of chemical weapons and human rights violations are having grave consequences.

“Any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable and violates international standards,” wrote Blinken.

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied playing a role in Navalny’s poisoning.

A spokesman for Navalny said the Russian opposition leader’s health had deteriorated since his detention. Navalny went on a hunger strike to force his prison guards to access outside medical care to relieve back pain and leg pain. A Navalny lawyer said he had two spinal hernias, AP reported.

Continue reading: The US was concerned about the deteriorating health of incarcerated Kremlin critic Navalny

The Russian authorities have previously stated that they have offered Navalny adequate medical care but continue to refuse it. The prison has refused to allow a doctor, chosen by Navalny, from outside the facility to carry out his treatment.

On Saturday, doctor Yaroslav Aschikhmin said the test results he received from Navalny’s family show that the detained critic has elevated potassium levels that can trigger cardiac arrest. Navalny also has elevated creatinine levels which indicate possible kidney failure.

“Our patient could die at any moment,” said Ashikhmin in a Facebook post.

In an interview with the BBC on Sunday, the Russian Ambassador to Britain accused Navalny of dramatizing his condition to attract attention.

“Of course he can’t die in prison, but I can say that Mr. Navalny is acting absolutely like a hooligan,” said Andrei Kelin. “His goal for all of this is to get him noticed, including by saying that his left hand is sick today and his leg is sick tomorrow and all that stuff, so the journalists pay attention.”

“Navalny was treated in the hospital, which is not far from where he is serving his sentence, and I understand he is no longer complaining,” added Kelin.

Last week, the Biden administration hit Russia with a string of US sanctions for human rights abuses, widespread cyberattacks and attempts to influence the US elections.

In a speech on Thursday, Biden said he was ready to take further action against Moscow.

“If Russia continues to interfere with our democracy, I am ready to take further action to respond. It is my responsibility as President of the United States to do so,” said White House Biden.

“It was clear to President Putin that we could have gone further, but I decided against it, I chose to be proportionate,” Biden said of the measures, adding that he did not “want to initiate an escalation cycle and.” Conflict with Russia. “

Continue reading: The West is waiting for Putin’s next move as tensions between Russia and Ukraine mount

Biden also said that in a phone conversation with Putin, he suggested that the two meet in person in Europe this summer to discuss a number of pressing issues.

Sullivan told CNN that the Biden-Putin summit would be discussed but would not provide additional details.

“There’s no summit on the books right now, it’s something we’re talking about. Obviously, this summit would have to be held under the right circumstances in a way that could actually advance the relationship,” Sullivan said.

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Blinken warns Moscow of penalties amid troop buildup close to Ukraine

Blinken warns Moscow of consequences amid troop buildup near Ukraine

State Secretary Antony Blinken holds a press conference at the end of a NATO Foreign Ministers meeting on March 24, 2021 at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

Olivier Hoslet | Reuters

WASHINGTON – Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said Sunday he was concerned about the number of Russian troops gathering at the Ukrainian border and warned Moscow that “there will be consequences for aggressive behavior”.

“I have to tell you that I have real concerns about the actions of Russia on the borders of Ukraine. More Russian armed forces are gathered at these borders than ever since the first invasion of Russia in 2014,” Blinken said during an interview on “Meet the press “” Sunday.

“President Biden was very clear about this. If Russia acts ruthlessly or aggressively, there will be costs, there will be consequences,” said Blinken, adding that the United States was discussing the growing aggression at the border with allies and partners.

On Friday, Blinken partly spoke to his German and French colleagues about “Russian provocations against Ukraine”.

Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration had consulted with NATO allies about rising tensions and ceasefire violations.

“The United States is increasingly concerned about the recent escalating Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, including Russian troop movements on the Ukrainian border,” she told reporters on Thursday, describing the matter as “deeply worrying.”

Continue reading: The US is concerned about Russian troop movements near Ukraine and is discussing regional tensions with NATO allies

In recent weeks, Moscow has increased its military presence along the Ukrainian border, raising concerns in the West about a burgeoning military conflict between the two neighboring countries. The Russian Defense Ministry has announced that it will conduct more than 4,000 military exercises this month to review the readiness of its armed forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits positions of armed forces near the front with Russian-backed separatists during his working tour in the Donbass region of Ukraine on April 8, 2021.

Press service of the Ukrainian President | Handout | via Reuters

Last month, the Ukrainian government said four of its soldiers were killed by Russian shelling in Donbass. Moscow has denied that it has armed forces in eastern Ukraine. Since 2014, Kiev has been fighting against Russian-backed separatists in a conflict that, according to the United Nations, killed at least 13,000 people.

Continue reading: The West is waiting for Putin’s next move as tensions between Russia and Ukraine mount

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Moscow would move its armed forces over Russian territory at its own discretion, calling the escalating tensions “unprecedented”. He also suggested that Ukraine was on the verge of civil war that would threaten Russia’s security.

“The Kremlin fears that civil war could resume in Ukraine. And if civil war, extensive military action, resumes near our borders, it would endanger the security of the Russian Federation,” Peskov told the Associated Press . “The continued escalation of tensions is unprecedented.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of resuming “dangerous provocative actions” when calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, according to a Kremlin report. The Kremlin previously said it was concerned about mounting tensions in eastern Ukraine and feared that the Kiev armed forces would try to resume conflict.

Last week the Pentagon reiterated its call for the Kremlin to explain its decision to mobilize troops to the border.

“The Russians are busy doing a military build-up along the eastern border of Ukraine and in Crimea, which is still part of Ukraine, and that is worrying. And we want to know more about what they are doing and what their intentions are. That is that we do not believe that this is conducive to security and stability there, “Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Friday.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will meet in person with NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg at Alliance headquarters in Brussels later this week.

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U.S. Intelligence Report Warns of International Penalties of Social Fragmentation

U.S. Intelligence Report Warns of Global Consequences of Social Fragmentation

Income inequality could worsen, the report said, which is at times linked to information inequality.

The “trust gap” between an informed public that believes in a government solution and a broader public that is deeply skeptical of institutions is growing, the report says.

Updated

April 8, 2021, 9:43 a.m. ET

The problem is made worse by technology. Algorithms, social media and artificial intelligence have replaced expertise in deciding what information is most widely disseminated, and this has left the public more vulnerable to misinformation.

However, the positive demographic change in the last few decades, when people moved from poverty to the middle class, had created “rising expectations”, said Maria Langan-Riekhof, the director of the strategic future group of the secret service council. Fears of falling incomes are growing around the world, however, a worrying trend coupled with changes in the way information is shared and social divisions have deepened.

“These concerns lead people to search for the security of trustworthy voices, but also for like-minded groups in their societies,” said Ms. Langan-Riekhof. “Layer these trends that I am describing and you will see the recipe for larger divisions and increasing fractions. We believe this is likely to continue and get worse. “

Over time, these trends could weaken democratic governments.

“At the same time as the population is becoming empowered and asking for more, governments are coming under more pressure from new challenges and limited resources,” the report said. “This widening gap points to greater political volatility, an erosion of democracy and an expanding role of alternative governance providers. In time, these dynamics could open the door to more significant changes in the way people govern. “

The global trend report has often examined possible future situations. The 2017 report considered one example of a pandemic that is throwing the world into economic chaos. It envisioned nationalist politicians undermining alliances, a drop in oil prices that led to disaster, and more isolated trading practices. She also forecast a pandemic (albeit in 2023, not 2020) that would limit travel, create economic problems, and exacerbate existing tendencies toward isolation.

The report has discussed pandemic risk for nearly two decades, said Gregory F. Treverton, a past chair of the National Intelligence Council who led the 2017 effort. According to the 2004 report, some experts felt it was “only a matter of time” before a pandemic, he said.

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Capitol Rioters Face the Penalties of Their Selfie Sabotage

Capitol Rioters Face the Consequences of Their Selfie Sabotage

Mr. Biggs’ activities that day were extensively recorded by himself and others. His walk from the Washington Monument was filmed by Eddie Block, a proud boy on a scooter who rolled behind him and identified Mr. Biggs and others in his commentary. Mr. Biggs appeared repeatedly in photographs and recorded himself climbing the Capitol steps.

It was a long, awkward road that got him to this point. Mr. Biggs, 37, also known as Rambo, was a Florida DJ who “romped around nightclubs pounding ecstasy” before joining the military in 2007, he said on his broadcasts. He was posted to Iraq for a year and then to Afghanistan. He made his news media debut after leaving active service in 2012.

In 2008, Michael Hastings, a reporter embedded with Mr. Biggs’ unit in Afghanistan, encouraged him to appear on camera in the news media upon his return to the United States, Mr. Biggs said. Before Mr. Hastings died in a car accident in 2013, Mr. Hastings wrote a profile of General Stanley McChrystal for Rolling Stone, which ended the general’s military career.

Mr. Biggs ‘hiatus came after fueling conspiracy theories about Mr. Hastings’ death. Mr. Jones invited him to Infowars, the far-right, conspiratorial radio and online show.

Mr. Biggs joined Infowars in 2014 and traveled the next year to attend racial justice demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri, and to the 2016 occupation of Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon by armed right-wing extremists. Escorting Mr. Jones to Republican 2016. At the National Convention, Mr. Biggs fell in a dispute with communist protesters, including one who burned an American flag.

He and another Infowars employee claimed they were burned to put out the fire. In a mundane video called “Joe ‘Rambo’ Biggs: Commie Crushing Crusader!” Mr. Biggs said he “jumped” over the “cops”, tore off the protester’s shirt and gave him a “stomp”.

Police charged protester Gregory “Joey” Johnson of the offense.

When Mr. Johnson’s attorneys saw the videos of Mr. Biggs’s allegations, they demanded that the charges against Mr. Johnson be dropped, which they were. Mr Johnson sued the City of Cleveland and its police force on the grounds that they violated his First Amendment rights. He received a severance payment of $ 225,000.