‘No’ possibility Joe Biden pardons his son Hunter, White House says

WHITE House Press Secretary Karine JeanPierre ruled out any possibility that President Joe Biden will pardon his son Hunter Biden, who is facing tax and gun charges.

Asked by a reporter at Thursday’s briefing if there was any chance of a pardon, JeanPierre flatly said “no.” “I just said no. I just answered,” Jean-Pierre added, when pressed by the reporter.

A plea agreement between Hunter Biden and prosecutors over tax charges and a firearm violation is in limbo after a federal court judge refused to sign off on the terms of the deal during a hearing Wednesday. The judge raised questions about whether the agreement with prosecutors precluded future charges on other matters.

The younger Biden admitted his guilt at the start of the nearly four-hour hearing in Wilmington, Delaware, but ended up entering a plea of not guilty after the agreement was derailed.

Under the original deal, Biden had intended to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax crimes committed in 2017 and 2018 and enter an agreement with prosecutors to avoid prison on a charge of possessing a gun while addicted to an illegal drug.

Hunter Biden’s plea agreement has become a lightning rod for Republicans, who allege he received favorable treatment because of political influence and that the Justice Department failed to fully investigate the business dealings of the Biden family, including the President. The plea deal was struck with David Weiss, the US Attorney for Delaware, who was appointed under former President Donald Trump. House Republicans have launched investigations into the business dealings of Biden family members, seeking to promote unverified claims that Joe and Hunter Biden engaged in corruption.

They have also sought to contrast the treatment of the younger Biden with that of former President Donald Trump, who is facing federal charges over his handling of classified documents and a New York state case over alleged hush money payments.

Trump’s lawyers are bracing for yet another potential indictment— this time in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

On Thursday, the ex-president sent out a fundraising email to supporters, invoking Hunter Biden’s plea agreement and trying to draw contrasts to his legal cases. Bloomberg News increases the potency of a nuclear arms program designed to deliver strikes on the US and its allies.

The North Korean leader is also seeking to ease up on pandemic border controls that slammed the brakes on his economy.

The military parade allows Kim to showcase his latest weaponry, much of which has evolved from systems developed by his nation’s closest partners. China fought with North Korea in the war and the Soviet Union helped supply the political and military backing to state founder Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of the current leader who sent troops across the border in 1950 to start the conflict.

“Various attack and reconnais - sance drones flew in demonstrations while circling in the sky over the square, doubling the joy of the people celebrating the victory of Juche Korea,” KCNA said. Even through the Korean War ended with a cease-fire to halt the stalemate, North Korea celebrates the end of fighting as a victory. Kim appears to have found new ways of making money by selling munitions to Russia to aid its war on Ukraine, the US has said. Signs of a resumption of trade with China, historically North Korea’s biggest trading partner, led Fitch Solutions to estimate the economy returned to growth after two full years of contraction, though significant uncertainties remain. Bloomberg News

Japan airs concerns on China-Russia military exercises in defense report

JAPAN expressed serious concern over joint exercises between China and Russia in its annual defense report, calling the military drills by its nucleararmed neighbors clear and deliberate provocations directed at itself.

T he new language came in a so-called defense white paper approved by the government on Friday. China and Russia conducted six joint military exercises last year, the most in data going back in two decades, and accounting for two thirds of all China’s joint drills.

Japan has t erritorial disputes with both countries and its relations with Russia have turned increasingly sour since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion on Ukraine last year. In a break with its pacifist traditions, Tokyo has provided non-lethal military aid to Kyiv.

Japan’s Defense Ministry expressed particular concern in the report about joint Chinese-Russian patrols by bombers that were staged while Japan was hosting a summit of leaders of fellow Quad group members US, Australia and India in May 2022. The ministry also refers to a “one-sided escalation” of Chinese military activity in the vicinity of Japan.

W hile Russia and China have stepped up their military cooperation, Japan has also sought to deepen its defense ties with a variety of partners beyond its formal treaty ally, the US. That has included South Korea, with whom formerly rocky ties have turned more positive under President Yoon Suk-Yeol, who has backed hawkish policies toward China and North Korea.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida this month attended the Nato summit for the second consecutive year, agreeing on a plan to deepen cooperation with the bloc. China has warned Nato against expanding its geopolitical reach and said Japan should be “prudent on military and security issues.”

T he report is the first of its type to be published since Japan adopted new defense policy documents last year and laid out plans to increase military spending by about 60 percent over five years.

It also c omes as China and Russia dispatched high-powered delegations this week to North Korea for celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of Korean War fighting. The three countries are considered by Japan and its partners as posing the greatest security threat to the region. Bloomberg News

AUSTRALIAN coach Alen Stajcic is wary of “wounded” Norway as the Filipinas battle the European powerhouse on Sunday for a spot in the knockout round at the climax of Group A action in the FIFA Women’s World Cup at the Eden Park in Auckland.

I’m wary of the wounded animal. They (Norway) have taken a hit to their pride and I expect them to come out fighting,” Stajcic said Friday after the team’s workout at Olympic Park. “They are [former World Cup] champions for a reason. They have a fightback in them so we have to be ready for that.”

Earlier tipped as group favorites, the celebrated Grasshoppers are in last place following their 0-1 setback to the Ferns last week and a scoreless standoff to Switzerland in Hamilton last Tuesday.

In contrast, the surprising Filipinas are running third with three points following their 1-0 upset of the Ferns in Wellington, acutely aware that a second straight win guarantees them a place in the knockout round-of-16.

T he hosts, who also have three points as Stajcic’s charges but are in second place on goal difference, battle the pacesetting Swiss in Dunedin simultaneously, with the winner likewise advancing outright into the knockout stage.

The Aussie mentor remained respectful of their formidable foes, saying: “They are former World Cup winners [in 1995], they are former Olympic gold medalists, the pedigree within the country and women’s football is enormous.

You have a Ballon d’Or winner in Ada Hegerberg, they have players playing at the highest level at Barcelona, who are probably their best players. They may be ranked No. 12 now but they have been in the top 10 for the past 20 to 30 years. They are fantastic.”

He noted that Hegerberg, who pulled out of the game against Switzerland due to a groin injury, could be back in harness “because she’s a champion and she has earned the right to be a champion. You don’t get to be a Player of the Year Award unless you are an amazing footballer.

We have an immense amount of

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

ASIDE from the Philippines, Filipino-Americans and Americans are rooting for Filipinas in their debut at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.

So proud of these Pinays!

You got us partying in the US at 3:30 a.m. & it’s a work night! #HayNaku #WorthIt,” Liam Mendoza, a Fil-Am recruiter based in Louisiana commented on the Instagram post of FIFA announcing the 1-0 victory of Filipinas against New Zealand Tuesday.

According to Yahoo! Sports, 18 of the 23 players who form part of the Philippine women’s football were born in the US, including Sarina Bolden and Olivia McDaniel, who were key to the victory over the Ferns.

I n California, one Filipinas player drew the most attention— Reina Bonta.

The 24-year-old playing out of Yale University is the daughter of two