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Biden at NATO: Ready to talk China, Russia and soothe allies

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BRUSSELS (AP) — President Joe Biden made his entrance at the NATO summit aiming to consult European allies on efforts to counter provocative actions by China and Russia while highlighting the U.S. commitment to the 30-country alliance that was frequently maligned by predecessor Donald Trump.

The summit Monday comes as Biden tries to rally allies for greater coordination in checking China and Russia, two adversaries whose actions on economic and national security fronts have become the chief foreign policy concerns in the early going of the Biden presidency.

Biden shortly after arriving at the alliance’s headquarters sat down with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and underscored the U.S. commitment to Article 5 of the alliance charter, which spells out that an attack on one member is an attack on all and is to be met with a collective response.

“Article 5 we take as a sacred obligation,” Biden said. “I want NATO to know America is there.”

The White House said the communique to be signed by alliance members at the end of the NATO summit is expected to include language about updating Article 5 to include major cyber attacks — a matter of growing concern amid a series of hacks targeting the U.S. government and businesses around the globe by Russia-based hackers.

The update will spell out that if an alliance member needs technical or intelligence support in response to a cyber attack, it would be able to invoke the mutual defense provision to receive assistance, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

The president started his day meeting with leaders of the Baltic states on NATO’s eastern flank regarding the “threat posed by Russia,” China and the recent air piracy in Belarus, according to Sullivan. He’ll also meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Biden’s itinerary in Europe has been shaped so that he would first gather with Group of Seven leaders for a three-day summit on the craggy shores of Cornwall and then with NATO allies in Brussels before his much-anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva on Wednesday.

At the G-7, leaders sought to convey that the club of wealthy democracies — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States — is a better friend to poorer nations than authoritarian rivals such as China and Russia.

The G-7 meeting ended with a communique that called out forced labor practices and other human rights violations impacting Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang province. The president declined to discuss private summit negotiations over the provision, but said he was “satisfied” with the communique, although differences remain among the allies about how forcefully to call out Beijing.

Biden is focused on building a more cohesive bond between America and allies who had become wary of U.S. leadership after enduring four years of Trump’s name-calling and frequent invectives about the relevance of multilateral alliances like NATO.

Trump complained that the NATO alliance allows “global freeloading” countries to spend less on military defense at the expense of the U.S. and dismissed the alliance as “obsolete.”

Biden offered a pointed rejoinder on Sunday, saying: “We do not view NATO as a sort of a protection racket. We believe that NATO is vital to our ability to maintain American security for … the remainder of the century. And there’s a real enthusiasm.”

When alliance members last met for a summit in England in December 2019, Trump grabbed headlines by calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “two-faced” and French President Emmanuel Macron “nasty.”

Trump lashed out after Trudeau was caught on a hot mic gossiping with other leaders about Trump turning photo opportunities into long news conferences. Ahead of the summit, Macron had declared NATO “brain dead” because of a void in U.S. leadership under Trump.

Biden has already acknowledged during his Europe tour that the alliance needs to ensure better burden sharing and needs more American leadership. He’s also highlighted NATO members’ contributions in the war in Afghanistan, noting that “NATO stepped up” after America was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.

The U.S. and the alliance are winding down their involvement in the nearly 20-year war that killed tens of thousands of Afghans and more than 3,500 U.S. and allied troops. The war also raised profound questions about whether NATO’s most ambitious effort was worth it.

For now, NATO plans to leave civilian advisers to help build up government institutions. It’s unclear who will protect them. The alliance is also weighing whether to train Afghan special forces outside the country.

NATO members are also expected to endorse the creation of a new cyber defense policy to improve coordination with countries impacted by the increasing frequency of ransomware attacks, a climate security action plan to reduce greenhouse gases from military activities in line with national commitments under the Paris agreement and a commitment to strengthen NATO’s deterrence to meet threats from Russia and elsewhere, according to the White House.

Biden will meet with Turkey’s president, Erdogan, on the summit sidelines.

Biden has known Erdogan for years but their relationship has frequently been contentious. Biden, during his campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after he described Erdogan as an “autocrat.” In April, Biden infuriated Ankara by declaring that the Ottoman-era mass killing and deportations of Armenians was “genocide” — a term that U.S. presidents have avoided using.

The two leaders were expected to discuss Syria and Iran as well as what role Turkey can play on Afghanistan following the U.S. troop withdrawal, according to the White House. Also on the agenda: how Washington and Ankara “deal with some of our significant differences on values and human rights and other issues,” Sullivan said.

The unsettled security situation in Libya, as well as overlapping concerns on China and Russia are also expected to be discussed.

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Frost Secures Nearly $12 Million For Key Local Projects in Central Florida

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FILE-Congressman Maxwell Frost (D, FL-10) speaks at Orlando City Hall to announce a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Justice as part of their Office of Justice Programs Community Violence Intervention Initiative October 9, 2023. Photo: J. Willie David III, Florida National News file photo.

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10) announced that he has successfully secured nearly $12 million in federal dollars to fund all 15 of his Community Funding Projects requests and deliver millions to support critical projects to improve housing, transportation, and infrastructure across Central Florida.

The funding, which was signed into law by President Biden earlier this month, will soon start being distributed across Central Florida.

Last Spring, Congressman Frost worked closely with local community partners and stakeholders to submit funding proposals for 15 comprehensive projects to support a wide range of efforts from affordable housing to infrastructure and transportation. Some of the landmark projects that will now receive federal dollars thanks to Congressman Frost’s efforts include:

  • $4,116,279 million to convert a vacant property in Eatonville into an affordable multi-family housing rental apartment building;
  • $1,709,752 to the City of Orlando to rehabilitate a local community center used for Community Violence Intervention programs to stop gun violence before it happens, and to make major improvements to stormwater management to prevent flooding;
  • $1,641,000 to Orange County to construct a multicultural senior center where folks can congregate and be connected to services in partnership with the Office on Aging, and support transportation and energy efficiency projects;
  • $750,000 to support the construction of quality, affordable small houses for low-income people in Bithlo;

“I came to Congress with a mission to deliver on affordable housing, transportation and infrastructure issues, and to make our communities a better place where everyone can live and thrive, and I am now proud to say that our team is making these goals a reality” said Congressman Maxwell Frost. “Central Florida is now set to receive nearly $12 million in federal dollars that will help transform our communities and help grow our local economy. While this $12 million is going to make a world of difference for so many working people and families in the Orlando area – this is only the beginning. My team is ready to secure and bring home even more money to help change Central Florida for the better.

Thanks to Congressman Frost, Central Florida will now receive $11,922,031 to fund the following 15 projects:

  • $4,116,279 for the Town of Eatonville to create a multi-family affordable housing apartment building;
  • $1,000,000 for construction at the Multicultural Senior Center;
  • $750,000 for community center rehabilitation for the Community Violence Intervention Project as part of the City of Orlando;
  • $500,000 for North Independence Lane Expansion for the City of Maitland;
  • $370,000 to provide low-income seniors with high efficiency air conditioning replacement, service, or system upgrades so they can stay in their homes longer;
  • $271,000 for Transportation Mobility Hubs for Orange County Government;
  • $500,000 for a housing rehabilitation and affordability preservation program in the City of Winter Park;
  • $750,000 for the Small House Project at Transformation Village in Bithlo;
  • $850,000 for bus bay reconstruction at LYNX Central Station Bus Terminal;
  • $500,000 for solar technology for bus shelters and shelter refacing for LYNX;
  • $200,000 to purchase and install a thermal energy storage system so Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida can store more food;
  • $400,000 for roof replacements for Meadow Lake Apartments for the Orlando Housing Authority;
  • $500,000 for community center education space for Shalom Orlando;
  • $255,000 for acquisition and rehabilitation of a vacant two-unit complex to create into affordable housing;
  • $959,752 for stormwater management improvements for Haralson Estates.

 

Congressman Frost will soon embark on a Community Project Funding tour across Central Florida to revisit the sites and projects that will soon receive federal funding.

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Florida’s Jewish Legislative Caucus on Antisemitic Attacks in Broward County

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Florida’s Jewish Lawmakers Show United Front Over Israel’s Right to Defend Itself
Area Representatives Randy Fine and Jennifer "Rita" Harris are members of the Florida Legislative Jewish Caucus

DAVIE, Fla. – In response to recent events effecting the Jewish community of South Florida, Chair of Florida’s Jewish Legislative Caucus, Representative Michael Gottlieb (D- Davie) issued the following statement:

“The South Florida Jewish community is once again the victim of deliberate and cowardly attacks. In recent days, an arsonist set fire to a vehicle at the Las Olas Chabad in Fort Lauderdale, and a violent protest erupted at the Jewish Community Center in Davie. We are deeply saddened and angered by these attacks.

These are just a few of the many examples of the rampant antisemitism that Jews face daily. This is why the Jewish caucus remains vigilant in helping to pass legislation defining antisemitism and creating criminal penalties for antisemitic and racist activities. We condemn this and all hate crimes and remain committed to fighting for Jews in the diaspora to be able to live and worship freely.”

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The Florida Legislative Jewish Caucus

Representative Michael Gottlieb, Chair

Senators

  • Senator Lori Berman
  • Senator Lauren Book
  • Senator Tina Polsky

Representatives

  • Representative Hillary Cassel
  • Representative Randy Fine
  • Representative Peggy Gossett-Seidman
  • Representative Rita Harris
  • Representative David Silvers
  • Representative Kelly Skidmore
  • Representative Allison Tant

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Politics

President Joe Biden on the Volkswagen Plant in Tennessee

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I congratulate the Volkswagen autoworkers in Chattanooga who filed for a union election with the UAW. As one of the world’s largest automakers, many Volkswagen plants internationally are unionized. As the most pro-union president in American history, I believe American workers, too, should have a voice at work. The decision whether to join a union belongs to the workers.

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