France Nears 2026 Budget Deal as Government Offers Concessions to Avoid No-Confidence Vote 
Syria Announces Ceasefire With Kurdish Forces as U.S. Pushes Integration Deal 
Guatemala Declares State of Siege After Deadly Gang Violence and Prison Hostage Crisis 
Trump Threatens 200% Tariff on French Wine Over Macron’s Refusal to Join Peace Board 
Russian Drone and Missile Attack Disrupts Power and Water in Kyiv 
Trump Says $2,000 Tariff Dividend Possible Without Congress Approval 
Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Proposal Sparks Global Debate Over U.N. Role 
Trump Signs Executive Order to Limit Wall Street Investment in Single-Family Homes 
Trump Signals Potential Role for Maria Corina Machado in Venezuela as U.S. Policy Tone Shifts 
Supreme Court Tests Federal Reserve Independence Amid Trump’s Bid to Fire Lisa Cook 
Japan Government Bond Rout Deepens as Election Spending Fears Shake Markets 
Ukraine Unveils New Drone-Based Air Defence Strategy Amid Rising Russian Threats 
Russia Says Ukraine Peace Talks With U.S. Show Progress 
Trump Signals Possible Harvard Deal Amid Ongoing Tensions 
Syrian Government Consolidates Control as Kurdish Forces Withdraw from Key Regions 
Trump Criticizes NYSE Texas Expansion, Calls Dallas Exchange a Blow to New York 
Trump Administration Appeals Judge’s Order Limiting ICE Tactics in Minneapolis 
The Biden administration’s chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci contradicted the claim made by Vice President Kamala Harris on whether the administration anticipated variants of the coronavirus. While Dr. Fauci said that the administration anticipated variants, he noted that the Omicron variant’s potency was what they did not anticipate.
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union” over the weekend, Dr. Fauci responded to the interview Harris had with the Los Angeles Times, where she said that the administration did not anticipate the emergence of the Delta and Omicron variants of the coronavirus. The top medical adviser said that variants and mutations of the coronavirus were anticipated, but noted that the Omicron variant’s characteristics were unprecedented.
“What was not anticipated was the extent of the mutations and the amino acid substitutions in Omicron, that really is unprecedented and came out of nowhere,” said Dr. Fauci.
“When you have a virus that has 50 mutations, to me that really is unprecedented so that is something you would not have anticipated,” Dr. Fauci continued. “But we certainly were anticipating that there were going to be variants. Because when you have so much replication going on in the community, if you give a virus enough opportunity to replicate you know it’s ultimately going to mutate.”
In an interview with NBC, Dr. Fauci said that he believes Harris’s statements were taken out of context and was likely referring to the number of mutations of the coronavirus, especially the Omicron variant.
In other related news, Harris weighed in on the sudden announcement made by West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, voicing his opposition to the Build Back Better bill that would target social infrastructure and climate. The Democratic-led bill, which has already passed the House, has yet to pass the evenly divided Senate. Manchin earned backlash from the White House for reversing his support for the bill, but Harris dismissed the notion that Manchin’s opposition was an act of betrayal against his discussions in the White House.
“I think the stakes are too high for this to be in any way about any specific individual,” said the vice president, who maintained that the bill will be passed.
