U.S. Weapons Delays Raise Concerns Among European Allies Amid Iran Conflict 
Trump White House Dinner Attack: Secret Service Denies Friendly Fire in Agent Shooting 
EU Warns of Response as U.S. Considers 25% Tariffs on Car Imports 
Peru Election Results Under Scrutiny as JNE Calls for Comprehensive IT Audit 
Japan Eases Arms Export Rules, Opening Door for Potential Ukraine Defense Support 
Medicare to Cover GLP-1 Weight-Loss and Diabetes Drugs Starting July 1 
U.S. Flags Vietnam as “Priority Foreign Country” Over Intellectual Property Concerns 
Iran Threatens Prolonged Strikes as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Drives Global Oil Surge 
Judge Rules Use of Military Lawyers in Civilian Prosecutions Is Lawful 
Rising Tensions in US-Europe Relations Amid Trump Policies and Iran War 
Trump Criticizes German Chancellor Merz Over Iran War and Ukraine Policy 
US Gaza Coordination Overhaul Raises Concerns Over Ceasefire and Aid Efforts 
Iran-U.S. Conflict Escalation Threatens Global Oil Supply and Economic Stability 
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te Visits Eswatini Amid China Pressure and Airspace Tensions 
Iran Proposal on Strait of Hormuz and U.S. Blockade Faces Rejection from Trump 
US to Withdraw 5,000 Troops from Germany Amid Growing Rift with European Allies 
Trump Expands Cuba Sanctions Targeting Key Sectors and Foreign Entities 
Former President Barack Obama released his memoir detailing his life in and out of the presidency. In the midst of promoting his book, Obama criticized his successor Donald Trump for his behavior towards a transfer of power.
Obama spoke with the Atlantic about his newly-released memoir titled “A Promised Land.” The former president compared the transition period he experienced from George W. Bush and his administration following his 2008 election to the current situation between Trump and Joe Biden. Obama criticized Trump for his unwillingness to allow the transition from his administration to Biden’s to go smoothly, but also his fellow Republicans for not speaking up enough against him. Trump has refused concession and has continued to this day to assert claims about election fraud without providing any evidence.
“For all the differences between myself and George W. Bush,” said Obama. “He and his administration could not have been more gracious and intentional about ensuring a smooth handoff. One of the really distressing things about the current situation is the amount of time that is being lost because of Donald Trump’s petulance and the unwillingness of other Republicans to call him on it.”
Obama also weighed in on the possibility of Biden working with a Republican-controlled Senate after the Georgia Senate runoffs in January. The former president shared his former colleague’s relationship with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, saying that the two lawmakers have known each other for a long time. Obama also had some words about Republicans, saying that the problem was not that he did not try harder to appeal to the opposition, but that Republicans found it “politically advantageous to demonize me and the Democratic party.”
In his memoir, the former president also revealed Biden’s advice to him during the Al-Qaida raid that killed terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden back in 2011. Biden, who was his vice president at the time, advised him to wait first before ordering the hit on Bin Laden. The now-incoming president’s advice to him was also echoed by other senior White House officials at the time noting that Biden urged for caution. Biden, Obama writes, had concerns about what would happen in case of failure and that he should wait until the intelligence community was certain that Bin Laden was in the compound in Pakistan.
