CDC Endorses COVID Booster for 65+ 09/24 06:17
CDC Endorses COVID Booster for 65+ 09/24 06:17 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday endorsed booster shots for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans, opening a major new phase in the U.S vaccination drive against COVID-19. (AP) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday endorsed booster shots for millions of older or otherwise vulnerable Americans, opening a major new phase in the U.S vaccination drive against COVID-19. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on a series of recommendations from a panel of advisers late Thursday. The advisers said boosters should be offered to people 65 and older, nursing home residents and those ages 50 to 64 who have risky underlying health problems. The extra dose would be given once they are at least six months past their last Pfizer shot. However, Walensky decided to make one recommendation that the panel had rejected. The panel on Thursday voted against saying that people can get a booster if they are ages 18 to 64 years and are health-care workers or have another job that puts them at increased risk of being exposed to the virus. But Walensky disagreed and put that recommendation back in, noting that such a move aligns with an FDA booster authorization decision earlier this week. The category she included covers people who live in institutional settings that increase their risk of exposure, such as prisons or homeless shelters, as well as health care workers. The panel had offered the option of a booster for those ages 18 to 49 who have chronic health problems and want one. But the advisers refused to go further and open boosters to otherwise healthy front-line health care workers who aren't at risk of severe illness but want to avoid even a mild infection. The panel voted 9 to 6 to reject that proposal. But Walensky decided to disregard the advisory committee's counsel on that issue. In a decision several hours after the panel adjourned, Walensky issued a statement saying she had restored the recommendation. "As CDC Director, it is my job to recognize where our actions can have the greatest impact," Walensky said in a statement late Thursday night. "At CDC, we are tasked with analyzing complex, often imperfect data to make concrete recommendations that optimize health. In a pandemic, even with uncertainty, we must take actions that we anticipate will do the greatest good." Experts say getting the unvaccinated their first shots remains the top priority, and the panel wrestled with whether the booster debate was distracting from that goal. All three of the COVID-19 vaccines used in the U.S. are still highly protective against severe illness, hospitalization and death, even with the spread of the extra-contagious delta variant. But only about 182 million Americans are fully vaccinated, or just 55% of the population. "We can give boosters to people, but that's not really the answer to this pandemic," said Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University. "Hospitals are full because people are not vaccinated. We are declining care to people who deserve care because we are full of unvaccinated COVID-positive patients." Thursday's decision represented a dramatic scaling back of the Biden administration plan announced last month to dispense boosters to nearly everyone to shore up their protection. Late Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration, like the CDC panel, signed off on Pfizer boosters for a much narrower slice of the population than the White House envisioned. The booster plan marks an important shift in the nation's vaccination drive. Britain and Israel are already giving a third round of shots over strong objections from the World Health Organization that poor countries don't have enough for their initial doses. Walensky opened Thursday's meeting by stressing that vaccinating the unvaccinated remains the top goal "here in America and around the world." Walensky acknowledged that the data on who really needs a booster right away "are not perfect." "Yet collectively they form a picture for us," she said, "and they are what we have in this moment to make a decision about the next stage in this pandemic." The CDC panel stressed that its recommendations will be changed if new evidence shows more people need a booster. The CDC advisers expressed concern over the millions of Americans who received Moderna or Johnson & Johnson shots early in the vaccine rollout. The government still hasn't considered boosters for those brands and has no data on whether it is safe or effective to mix-and-match and give those people a Pfizer shot. "I just don't understand how later this afternoon we can say to people 65 and older, 'You're at risk for severe illness and death, but only half of you can protect yourselves right now,'" said Dr. Sarah Long of Drexel University. About 26 million Americans got their last Pfizer dose at least six months ago, about half of whom are 65 or older. It's not clear how many more would meet the CDC panel's booster qualifications. CDC data show the vaccines still offer strong protection against serious illness for all ages, but there is a slight drop among the oldest adults. And immunity against milder infection appears to be waning months after people's initial immunization. For most people, if you're not in a group recommended for a booster, "it's really because we think you're well-protected," said Dr. Matthew Daley of Kaiser Permanente Colorado. Public health experts not involved in Thursday's decision said it is unlikely people seeking third doses at a drugstore or other site will be required to prove they qualify. Even with the introduction of boosters, someone who has gotten just the first two doses would still be considered fully vaccinated, according to the CDC's Dr. Kathleen Dooling. That is an important question to people in parts of the country where you need to show proof of vaccination to eat in a restaurant or enter other places of business. Among people who stand to benefit from a booster, there are few risks, the CDC concluded. Serious side effects from the first two Pfizer doses are exceedingly rare, including heart inflammation that sometimes occurs in younger men. Data from Israel, which has given nearly 3 million people -- mostly 60 and older -- a third Pfizer dose, has uncovered no red flags. The U.S. has already authorized third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for certain people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients and transplant recipients. Other Americans, healthy or not, have managed to get boosters, in some cases simply by asking.
Pakistan: Don't Isolate the Taliban 09/24 06:19
Pakistan: Don't Isolate the Taliban 09/24 06:19 UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Be realistic. Show patience. Engage. And above all, don't isolate. Those are the pillars of an approach emerging in Pakistan to deal with the fledgling government that is suddenly running the country next door once again -- Afghanistan's resurgent, often-volatile Taliban. Pakistan's government is proposing that the international community develop a road map that leads to diplomatic recognition of the Taliban -- with incentives if they fulfill its requirements -- and then sit down face to face and talk it out with the militia's leaders. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi outlined the idea Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly's meeting of world leaders. "If they live up to those expectations, they would make it easier for themselves, they will get acceptability, which is required for recognition," Qureshi told the AP. "At the same time, the international community has to realize: What's the alternative? What are the options? This is the reality, and can they turn away from this reality?" He said Pakistan "is in sync with the international community" in wanting to see a peaceful, stable Afghanistan with no space for terrorist elements to increase their foothold, and for the Taliban to ensure "that Afghan soil is never used again against any country." "But we are saying, be more realistic in your approach," Qureshi said. "Try an innovative way of engaging with them. The way that they were being dealt with has not worked." Expectations from the Taliban leadership could include an inclusive government and assurances for human rights, especially for women and girls, Qureshi said. In turn, he said, the Afghan government might be motivated by receiving development, economic and reconstruction aid to help recover from decades of war. He urged the United States, the International Monetary Fund and other countries that have frozen Afghan government funds to immediately release the money so it can be used "for promoting normalcy in Afghanistan." And he pledged that Pakistan is ready to play a "constructive, positive" role in opening communications channels with the Taliban because it, too, benefits from peace and stability. This is the second time that the Taliban, who adhere to a strict version of Islam, have ruled Afghanistan. The first time, from 1996 to 2001, ended when they were ousted by a U.S.-led coalition after the 9/11 attacks, which were directed by Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan. During that rule, Taliban leaders and police barred girls from school and prohibited women from working outside the home or leaving it without a male escort. After they were overthrown, Afghan women still faced challenges in the male-dominated society but increasingly stepped into powerful positions in government and numerous fields. But when the U.S. withdrew its military from Afghanistan last month, the government collapsed and a new generation of the Taliban resurged, taking over almost immediately. In the weeks since, many countries have expressed disappointment that the Taliban's interim government is not inclusive as its spokesman had promised. While the new government has allowed young girls to attend school, it has not yet allowed older girls to return to secondary school, and most women to return to work despite a promise in April that women "can serve their society in the education, business, health and social fields while maintaining correct Islamic hijab." The challenges ahead were evident Thursday, when one of the founders of the Taliban said the hard-line movement will once again carry out executions and amputations of hands, though perhaps not in public. Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, who was the chief enforcer of the Taliban's harsh interpretation of Islamic law when they last ruled Afghanistan, dismissed outrage over the Taliban's executions in the past, which sometimes took place in front of crowds at a stadium. He warned the world against interfering with their rule. "Everyone criticized us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments," Turabi told The Associated Press, speaking in Kabul. "No one will tell us what our laws should be. We will follow Islam and we will make our laws on the Quran." Pakistan, which shares a long border with Afghanistan, has a long and sometimes conflicted relationship with its neighbor that includes attempts to prevent terrorism there and, some say, also encouraging it. The Islamabad government has a fundamental vested interest in ensuring that whatever the new Afghanistan offers, it is not a threat to Pakistan. That, Qureshi says, requires a steady and calibrated approach. "It has to be a realistic assessment, a pragmatic view on both sides, and that will set the tone for recognition eventually," the Pakistani minister said. The good news, he said: The Taliban are listening, "and they are not insensitive to what is being said by neighbors and the international community." How does he know they're listening? He says the interim government, drawn mostly from Afghanistan's dominant Pashtun ethnic group, made some additions on Tuesday. It added representatives from the country's ethnic minorities -- Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras, who are Shiite Muslims in the majority Sunni Muslim country. "Yes, there are no women yet," Qureshi said. "But let us let the situation evolve." He stressed that the Taliban must make decisions in coming days and weeks that will enhance their acceptability. "What the international community can do, in my view, is sit together and work out a roadmap," Qureshi said. "And if they fulfill those expectations, this is what the international community can do to help them stabilize their economy. This is the humanitarian assistance that can be provided. This is how they can help rebuild Afghanistan, reconstruction and so on and so forth." He added: "With this roadmap ahead, I think an international engagement can be more productive." On Wednesday night, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said after a meeting of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council that all five nations -- the United States, China, Britain, Russia and France -- want "an Afghanistan at peace, stable, where humanitarian aid can be distributed without problems or discrimination." He also described a hoped-for "Afghanistan where the rights of women and girls are respected, an Afghanistan that won't be a sanctuary for terrorism, an Afghanistan where we have an inclusive government representing the different sectors of the population." And on Thursday, the top U.S. diplomat said it was "critical" that the international community remained united in ensuring that the Taliban meet all commitments they made -- including freedom for Afghans to travel, respect of human rights and barring terrorists from the country -- before granting legitimacy and support beyond humanitarian assistance. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he delivered that message both to the U.N. Security Council and foreign ministers of the 20 major economic powers. Japan's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that at the closed G20 meeting, "participants confirmed the importance of ... sending a unified message so that the Taliban takes steps in the right direction." Qureshi said there are different forums where the international community can work out how to approach the situation. In the meantime, he asserted, things seem to be stabilizing. Less than six weeks after the Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, he said, Pakistan has received information that the law-and-order situation has improved, fighting has stopped and many internally displaced Afghans are going home. "That's a positive sign," Qureshi said. He said Pakistan hasn't seen a new influx of Afghan refugees -- a sensitive issue for Pakistanis, who are highly motivated to prevent it. A humanitarian crisis, a foundering economy and workers who return to jobs and school but aren't getting salaries and don't have money could cause Afghans to flee across the porous border into Pakistan, which has suffered economically from such arrivals over decades of conflict. Qureshi prescribed patience and realism. After all, he says, every previous attempt to stabilize Afghanistan has failed, so don't expect new efforts to produce immediate success with the Taliban. If the United States and its allies "could not convince them or eliminate them in two decades, how will you do it in the next two months or the next two years?" he wondered. Asked whether he had a prediction of what Afghanistan might be like in six months, Qureshi turned the question back on his AP interviewer, replying: "Can you guarantee me U.S. behavior over the next six months?"
House Panel Subpoenas Trump Associates 09/24 06:21
House Panel Subpoenas Trump Associates 09/24 06:21 A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has issued its first subpoenas, demanding records and testimony from four of former President Donald Trump's close advisers and associates who were in contact with him before and during the attack. WASHINGTON (AP) -- A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has issued its first subpoenas, demanding records and testimony from four of former President Donald Trump's close advisers and associates who were in contact with him before and during the attack. In a significant escalation for the panel, Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., announced the subpoenas of former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino, former Defense Department official Kashyap Patel and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. The four men are among Trump's most loyal aides. Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., wrote to the four that the committee is investigating "the facts, circumstances, and causes" of the attack and asked them to produce documents and appear at depositions in mid-October. The panel, formed over the summer, is now launching the interview phase of its investigation after sorting through thousands of pages of documents it had requested in August from federal agencies and social media companies. The committee has also requested a trove of records from the White House. The goal is to provide a complete accounting of what went wrong when the Trump loyalists brutally beat police, broke through windows and doors and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden's victory -- and to prevent anything like it from ever happening again. Thompson says in letters to each of the witnesses that investigators believe they have relevant information about the lead-up to the insurrection. In the case of Bannon, for instance, Democrats cite his Jan. 5 prediction that "(a)ll hell is going to break loose tomorrow" and his communications with Trump one week before the riot in which he urged the president to focus his attention on Jan. 6. In the letter to Meadows, Thompson cites his efforts to overturn Trump's defeat in the weeks prior to the insurrection and his pressure on state officials to push the former president's false claims of widespread voter fraud. "You were the president's chief of staff and have critical information regarding many elements of our inquiry," Thompson wrote. "It appears you were with or in the vicinity of President Trump on January 6, had communication with the president and others on January 6 regarding events at the Capitol and are a witness regarding the activities of the day." Thompson wrote that the panel has "credible evidence" of Meadows' involvement in events within the scope of the committee's investigation. That also includes involvement in the "planning and preparation of efforts to contest the presidential election and delay the counting of electoral votes." The letter also signals that the committee is interested in Meadows' requests to Justice Department officials for investigations into potential election fraud. Former Attorney General William Barr has said the Justice Department did not find fraud that could have affected the election's outcome. The panel cites reports that Patel, a Trump loyalist who had recently been placed at the Pentagon, was talking to Meadows "nonstop" the day the attack unfolded. In the letter to Patel, Thompson wrote that based on documents obtained by the committee, there is "substantial reason to believe that you have additional documents and information relevant to understanding the role played by the Defense Department and the White House in preparing for and responding to the attack on the U.S. Capitol." Scavino was with Trump on Jan. 5 during a discussion about how to persuade members of Congress not to certify the election for Joe Biden, according to reports cited by the committee. On Twitter, he promoted Trump's rally ahead of the attack and encouraged supporters to "be a part of history." In the letter to Scavino, Thompson said the panel's records indicate that Scavino was "tweeting messages from the White House" on Jan. 6. Thompson wrote that it appears Scavino was with Trump on Jan. 6 and may have "materials relevant to his videotaping and tweeting" messages that day. He noted Scavino's "long service" to the former president, spanning more than a decade. The subpoenas are certain to anger Republicans, most of whom have been content to move on from the insurrection and have remained loyal to Trump even after denouncing the attack. Only two Republicans sit on the panel, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger. In July, the committee held an emotional first hearing with four police officers who battled the insurrectionists and were injured and verbally abused as the rioters broke into the building and repeated Trump's lies about widespread election fraud. At least nine people who were there died during and after the rioting, including a woman who was shot and killed by police as she tried to break into the House chamber and three other Trump supporters who suffered medical emergencies. Two police officers died by suicide in the days that immediately followed, and a third officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and died after engaging with the protesters. A medical examiner later determined he died of natural causes. The Metropolitan Police announced this summer that two more of their officers who had responded to the insurrection, Officers Kyle DeFreytag and Gunther Hashida, had also died by suicide.
More Rental Aid is Reaching Tenants 09/24 06:24
More Rental Aid is Reaching Tenants 09/24 06:24 (AP) -- Almost a month after a federal eviction moratorium ended, the Treasury Department said Friday that states and cities distributed money for nearly 1.4 million payments in August and the pace picked up from the month before. More than 16.5% of the tens of billions of dollars in federal rental assistance reached tenants last month, compared with 11% in July. The latest data from the department, which oversees the program, also found that states and cities that were slow to get their programs off the ground are now sending tens of millions of dollars out the door. Treasury officials acknowledged they were not satisfied with the total distribution. But they insisted that what has gone out so far represented meaningful numbers and that the money was having an impact in helping keep families in their homes. The latest update comes as pressure is building to more quickly distribute the money after the Supreme Court in late August allowed evictions to resume. The court's conservative majority blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary freeze put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. Though evictions have not spiked in most communities, there is a concern that millions of tenants who qualify for help could be tossed out before the money arrives. As of Sept. 13, nearly 3.3 million people said they were very or somewhat likely to face eviction in the next two months, according to the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. In the survey that ran through Aug. 30, more than 3.6 million said they faced eviction. Lawmakers approved $46.5 billion in spending on rental assistance but so far states and cities are mostly allocating the first installment of $25 billion, which must be spent by Sept. 30, 2022. Allocation of the second installment of $21.5 billion, can go through through Sept. 30, 2025. Treasury officials said the strong signs of progress came from New Jersey, New York and South Carolina, which have struggled to get their programs going. New Jersey, for example, sent out no money in the first quarter but now has distributed 78% of its first-installment money and doubled the number of households served in August compared with July. Spending in Florida increased from $60.9 million in July to $141.4 million in August while South Carolina went from $10.6 million to $25.3 million. New York saw a jump from $8.5 million to $307 million. Among cities and counties, New York, Los Angeles and Miami-Dade County in Florida collective reached nearly 27,000 households and spent more than $347 million in August, compared with $800,000 in May. But there were laggards. Ohio, which started strong, saw its distribution decline slightly. Kentucky saw a slight drop in spending from $13.1 million in July to $11.9 million in August. Iowa only distributed $7 million in August. "Nearly 1.5 million families helped is meaningful progress, but the overall rate of spending emergency rental assistance remains too slow," Diane Yentel, CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said in a statement. Housing advocates blamed the slow rollout on the Treasury Department under President Donald Trump, saying his administration was slow to explain how the money could be spent. They say the guidance is clearer from the Biden administration but the process still seems more focused on preventing fraud than helping tenants. The Treasury Department credited the increased spending in August to changes that allow tenants to assess their income and risk of becoming homeless, among other criteria. Many states and local government, fearing fraud, have measures in place that can take weeks to verify an applicant qualifies for help.
N. Korea Offers Talks to S. Korea 09/24 06:25
N. Korea Offers Talks to S. Korea 09/24 06:25 SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Friday her country is willing to resume talks with South Korea if conditions are met, indicating it wants Seoul to persuade Washington to relax crippling economic sanctions. Kim Yo Jong's statement came days after North Korea performed its first missile tests in six months, which some experts said were intended to show it will keep boosting its weapons arsenal if the U.S.-led sanctions continue while nuclear diplomacy remains stalled. She offered the talks while mentioning South Korean President Moon Jae-in's call, issued in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly, for a political declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War as a way to bring peace to the peninsula. "Smiling a forced smile, reading the declaration of the termination of the war, and having photos taken could be essential for somebody, but I think that they would hold no water and would change nothing, given the existing inequality, serious contradiction therefrom and hostilities," Kim Yo Jong said in the statement carried by state media. She said North Korea is willing to hold "constructive" talks with South Korea to discuss how to improve and repair strained ties if the South stops provoking the North with hostile policies, far-fetched assertions and double-dealing standards. South Korea's Unification Ministry said it's carefully reviewing Kim Yo Jong's statement. It said South Korea will continue its efforts to restore ties with North Korea. Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Korea University in South Korea, said North Korea is putting indirect pressure on Seoul to work to arrange talks on easing the sanctions as it pushes for the declaration of the war's end. "It's like North Korea saying it would welcome talks on the end-of-the war declaration if lifting the sanctions can also be discussed," Nam said. The U.S.-led sanctions have been toughened following North Korea's provocative run of nuclear and missile tests in 2016-17, and Kim Jong Un has said the sanctions, the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters were causing the "worst-ever" crisis in North Korea. Earlier this year, he warned he would enlarge the country's nuclear arsenal if the United States refuses to abandon its "hostile policy" toward North Korea, an apparent reference to the sanctions. North Korea and the United States are still technically at war because the Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. North Korea has consistently wanted to sign a peace treaty with the United States to formally end the war as a step toward subsequent improved relations. Some experts say the peace treaty could allow North Korea to demand that the United States withdraw its 28,500 troops in South Korea and ease the sanctions. Both Koreas had called for an end-of-war declaration and a peace treaty during a period of diplomacy with the United States that began in 2018. There was speculation that former President Donald Trump might announce the war's end in early 2019 to convince Kim Jong Un to commit to denuclearization. No such announcement was made as the talks reached a stalemate after Trump rejected Kim Jong Un's calls for the lifting of toughened sanctions in exchange for limited denuclearization steps. Some experts say North Korea won't have a reason to denuclearize if those sanctions are withdrawn. Kim Yo Jong's offer for talks was a stark contrast to a blunt statement issued by a senior North Korean diplomat earlier Friday that the end-of-war declaration could be a "smokescreen" covering up hostile U.S. policies. The earlier statement appeared to target the U.S., while the later one by Kim Yo Jong, who is in charge of North Korea's relations with Seoul, focuses more on South Korea. Both statements suggest Seoul and Washington should act first and drop sanctions if they want to see a resumption of nuclear diplomacy. Ties between the Koreas remain largely deadlocked amid a stalemate in the broader North Korea-U.S. diplomacy. North Korea earlier called on South Korea not to interfere in its dealings with the United States after Seoul failed to break away from Washington and revive joint economic projects held up by the sanctions. North Korea also often accuses South Korea of hypocrisy and double standards by buying high-tech weapons and staging military drills with the United States while calling for a dialogue with the North. Last week, North Korea conducted its first cruise and ballistic missile tests since March, demonstrating its ability to launch attacks on South Korea and Japan, two key U.S. allies where a total of 80,000 American soldiers are stationed. But North Korea is still maintaining a moratorium on nuclear tests and launches of long-range missiles that directly target the American homeland, a sign that it wants to keep chances for future diplomacy with Washington alive. "North Korea would think it doesn't cross a (red line) set by the U.S. ... so it says it can come to talks if conditions are rife" for sanctions relief, said Seo Yu-Seok at the Seoul-based Institute of North Korean Studies. Nam said North Korea is likely to conduct more powerful weapons tests if the U.S. and South Korea don't accept its demand for sanctions relief.
Activists Stage Global Climate Rallies 09/24 06:27
Activists Stage Global Climate Rallies 09/24 06:27 BERLIN (AP) -- Environmental activists, many of them students taking time out from school, staged rallies around the world on Friday to demand that leaders take stronger action to curb climate change amid dire warnings of an increasingly hotter globe if nothing is done soon. The issue has climbed the political agenda in many countries as scientists are warning that the world faces dangerous temperature rises unless greenhouse gas emissions are cut sharply in the coming years. Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg planned to take part in a protest in Berlin, two days before the German election in which climate change has been a major topic. The issue has also topped the agenda in Iceland, which heads to the polls for general elections on Saturday. All parties running for seats in the North Atlantic island nation's parliament acknowledge global warming as a force of change in a sub-Arctic landscape, but disagree on how to respond to it. Global climate protests were muted during the coronavirus pandemic due to restrictions on public gatherings, but with many countries relaxing rules again thousands are expected on the streets of Berlin, Milan and other large cities.
Biden to Host Indo-Pacific Leaders 09/24 06:28
Biden to Host Indo-Pacific Leaders 09/24 06:28 President Joe Biden on Friday is set to host the first in-person gathering of leaders of an Indo-Pacific alliance known as "the Quad" as he wraps up a difficult week of diplomacy after facing no shortage of criticism from allies and adversaries. WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Joe Biden on Friday is set to host the first in-person gathering of leaders of an Indo-Pacific alliance known as "the Quad" as he wraps up a difficult week of diplomacy after facing no shortage of criticism from allies and adversaries. The White House meeting with leaders from India, Japan and Australia gives Biden a chance to put the spotlight on a chief foreign policy goal: greater attention to the Pacific in light of what the United States sees as China's coercive economic practices and unsettling military maneuvering in the region. The leaders are expected to announce a coronavirus vaccine initiative, plans to bolster semiconductor supply chains and a program to bring graduate and doctoral students in STEM fields to U.S. universities. Before the summit, the Japanese and Indian governments welcomed a recent announcement that the U.S., as part of a new alliance with Britain and Australia, would equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. That will allow Australia to conduct longer patrols and give it an edge on the Chinese navy. But the announcement infuriated France, which accused the Biden administration of stabbing it in the back by squelching its own $66 billion deal to provide diesel-powered submarines. Tensions between Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron eased after the two leaders spoke Wednesday and agreed to take steps to coordinate more closely in the Indo-Pacific. Michael Green, who served as senior director for Asia at the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration, said Japan and India welcome the United States-United Kingdom-Australian alliance "because it will really for the next 50 years reset the trajectories in naval power in the Pacific and from the perspective of those countries stabilize things as China massively builds up its naval forces." But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian called it a reflection of "outdated Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow-minded geopolitical perception" that would intensify a regional arms race. Beijing has also sought to push the notion that creation of the alliance indicates the U.S. will favor Australia in the Quad at the expense of Japan and India, said Bonny Lin, senior fellow for Asian security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. China also has tried to undercut the Quad as out of step with other nations in Southeast Asia and portrayed members of the Quad as "U.S. pawns," Lin said. The White House meeting is playing out as China continues efforts to make a show of force in the region. On Thursday, China sent 24 fighter jets toward Taiwan after Taiwan announced its intention to join a Pacific trade group, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. China has also applied for membership. During his busy week of diplomacy, Biden addressed the U.N. General Assembly and hosted a virtual global summit on COVID-19. Biden and leaders of other wealthy nations faced criticism about the slow pace of global vaccinations and the inequity of access to shots between residents of wealthier and poorer nations. The pushback from leaders of low- and moderate-income countries came even as Biden announced plans for the U.S. to double to 1 billion doses its purchase of Pfizer vaccine to share with the world. In addition to the Quad meeting, Biden is scheduled to meet separately with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is soon to step down from his post. First lady Jill Biden, who spent time with Suga when she visited Japan for the Summer Olympic, is expected to join for part of the meeting. Modi plans to bring up Afghanistan, according to a person familiar with Modi's agenda who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Modi is expected to raise objections to the Taliban's effort to get recognition at the United Nations. The Indian government also has concerns about the influence it believes Pakistan's intelligence service exerted in how factions of the Taliban divvied up government offices in Kabul. When the Taliban previously controlled Afghanistan, the group supported militants in Kashmir, a long disputed territory at the center of wars and skirmishes between India and Pakistan. The Haqqani network was behind two suicide bombings of India's embassy in 2008 and 2009. Members of the network, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization, have been given top positions in the Taliban government. Suga is expected to discuss China, North Korea, Afghanistan, the COVID-19 response and climate change, according to a foreign ministry official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. North Korea last week said it successfully launched ballistic missiles from a train for the first time, striking a target in the sea some 800 kilometers (500 miles) away. That test came after the North this month said it tested new cruise missiles, which it intends to make nuclear-capable, that can strike targets 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away, a distance putting all of Japan and U.S. military installations there within reach.
US Stocks Close Mixed; S&P 500 Rises 09/24 16:04
US Stocks Close Mixed; S&P 500 Rises 09/24 16:04 Wall street closed out a choppy week of trading Friday with a mixed finish for the major stock indexes, though the S&P 500 managed its first weekly gain in three weeks. (AP) -- Wall street closed out a choppy week of trading Friday with a mixed finish for the major stock indexes, though the S&P 500 managed its first weekly gain in three weeks. The benchmark index rose 0.1% after spending much of the day wavering between small gains and losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also eked out a 0.1% gain, while the Nasdaq composite and the Russell 2000 index of small-company stocks fell. Slightly more stocks in the S&P 500 rose than fell, with communication services companies and banks driving much of the increase. Health care and real estate stocks posted some of the biggest losses. The index ended with a 0.5% gain for the week. The modest showing followed a two-day rally that helped erase a slump earlier in the week. Investors have been facing similar choppiness throughout September as they try to gauge how the economy will continue its recovery. "The market today was sort of catching its breath after the sharp slump in the first two days of the week and the sharp advance in the second two days of the week," said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA. The S&P 500 rose 6.50 points to 4,455.48 and is now within 1.9% of the all-time high it set Sept. 2. The Dow added 33.18 points to 34,798. The Nasdaq slipped 4.54 points, or less than 0.1%, to 15,047.70, while the Russell 2000 dropped 10.97 points, or 0.5%, to 2,248.07. Markets have had a rough September and investors could be in for more choppiness as they work through a mix of concerns, including COVID-19 and its lingering impact on the economy, along with a slow recovery for the employment market. Traders did receive some clarity from the Federal Reserve this week. After its two-day policy meeting concluded Wednesday, the central bank said it will likely begin tapering the pace of its monthly bond purchases soon, but not before November, if the economy keeps improving. The Fed and other central banks have been buying bonds throughout the pandemic to help keep long-term interest rates low. Bond yields have been headed higher the last couple of days following the Fed's announcement. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.46% Friday from 1.41% the day before. The yield, which influences interest rates on mortgages and other consumer loans, was at 1.31% late Monday. "It could simply be that we had yields come down Monday and Tuesday in a flight to safety that is now being unwound," Stovall said. "At the same time, bond investors have been given the clue, if you will, by the Fed, that tapering is right around the corner." Energy prices rose again Friday. The price of benchmark U.S. crude oil increased 0.9% and ended 2.9% higher for the week. The trend helped push up energy stocks. Cabot Oil & Gas rose 2.8%. Nike was the latest company to warn investors about supply chain problems hurting revenue. Its stock slumped 6.3% for the biggest drop in the S&P 500. A wide range of industries face supply chain issues and that has investors worried about rising costs for businesses and consumers. Analysts have warned that the upcoming round of corporate earnings could be crimped because of those issues. Worries over troubled Chinese real estate developer Evergrande are also weighing on sentiment. Some Chinese banks on Friday disclosed what they are owed by Evergrande, seeking to dispel fears of financial turmoil as it struggles under $310 billion in debt. Evergrande has said it negotiated details of an interest payment due Thursday to banks and other bondholders in China but gave no details. The company has yet to say whether it will make an $83.5 million payment that was due Thursday on a bond abroad. Markets in Europe fell and markets in Asia were mostly lower, though Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 2.1%. Cryptocurrencies fell after China's central bank declared all transactions involving virtual currencies illegal as it stepped up a campaign to block use of unofficial digital money. Bitcoin fell 4.8% to $42,525.48, according to Coindesk. Chipmaker Nvidia, which makes processors needed in crypto-mining, fell 1.8%.
