Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
Pentagon Ends Military Education Programs With Harvard University 
Norway Opens Corruption Probe Into Former PM and Nobel Committee Chair Thorbjoern Jagland Over Epstein Links 
China Warns US Arms Sales to Taiwan Could Disrupt Trump’s Planned Visit 
Netanyahu to Meet Trump in Washington as Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify 
New York Legalizes Medical Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients 
US Pushes Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Before Summer Amid Escalating Attacks 
Trump Says “Very Good Talks” Underway on Russia-Ukraine War as Peace Efforts Continue 
Jack Lang Resigns as Head of Arab World Institute Amid Epstein Controversy 
U.S. Announces Additional $6 Million in Humanitarian Aid to Cuba Amid Oil Sanctions and Fuel Shortages 
Nighttime Shelling Causes Serious Damage in Russia’s Belgorod Region Near Ukraine Border 
Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges 
Trump Backs Nexstar–Tegna Merger Amid Shifting U.S. Media Landscape 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
U.S. Lawmakers to Review Unredacted Jeffrey Epstein DOJ Files Starting Monday 
Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
US President Joe Biden has previously threatened to impose severe sanctions against Russia should it make an incursion into Ukraine. Biden issued another warning this week, saying that Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would not move forward to completion in the event of a Russian invasion.
Biden met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this week at the White House. During a joint press conference, the US leader said that should Russia invade Ukraine, then Nord Stream 2 would be put to a stop. The gas pipeline is an issue where both the US and Germany find each other on differing sides, as Biden has opposed the pipeline while Germany deems the pipeline as essential in transporting natural gas that the country buys from Russia.
Russia is a leading supplier of crude oil and natural gas in Europe.
“If Russia invades – that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine, again, there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2,” said Biden. “We will bring an end to it.”
When Reuters’ Angela Shalal pressed the US leader on how he planned to do it, as the project and the control of the project are with Germany, Biden maintained that it could be done.
However, Scholz made no mention of the pipeline when he was pressed regarding how Germany plans to respond to Russia in the event of an invasion. Scholz explained that they are ready with the necessary sanctions, noting that he could not disclose anything further. When Shalal asked Scholz if he commits to halting Nord Stream 2, Scholz declined to say, reiterating that NATO and the US are all on a united front.
In other related news, Biden criticized a piece of legislation from the legislature in Florida that would bar discussions of sexual orientation in schools. The US leader’s criticism also follows Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis voicing support for the bill.
“I want every member of the LGBTQI+ community – especially the kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill – to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are. I have your back, and my Administration will continue to fight for the protections and safety you deserve,” tweeted Biden.
