Jenny Leonard

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said nothing was likely to happen until Joe Biden returns from overseas, as both sides resumed trading barbs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country had lost control of the eastern city of Bakhmut after months of fierce fighting, but described it as a Pyrrhic victory for Russia.

President Joe Biden was physically present at the Group of Seven summit in Japan but his focus was often 7,000 miles away on Washington, where talks to avert a catastrophic US default hit an impasse.

Two key Republican lawmakers are pressing the Biden administration to counter Beijing’s ban of US chipmaker Micron Technology Inc. by sanctioning a Chinese semiconductor company and ensuring that Japanese and South Korean firms don’t take advantage of the blockade.

The Biden administration is ready to engage with Russia on nuclear arms control, but the buildup of China’s arsenal is complicating those efforts and has to be taken into account as the US modernizes its force, the US national security advisor said.

“Failure to impose a cost upon the PRC for its malign behavior will only invite further such conduct,” argue Michael McCaul and Mike Gallagher.

Military interception maneuvers by Chinese ships and planes suggest a “growing aggressiveness” from Beijing and risk an accident that could result in injury, the White House said Monday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to visit China in the coming weeks for talks with top officials, possibly including President Xi Jinping, people familiar with the matter said, as the US looks to resume high-level communication despite continued tensions.

The US Secretary of State had planned to visit Beijing in February but scrapped the trip after the US said a Chinese spy balloon crossed the country.

The White House pushed back on a report that the Chinese government cut a deal with Cuba to set up a spy base on the island that would target US military bases and communications.