UN Blacklists Israel and Russia Over Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Claims 
Iran-U.S. Nuclear Talks Remain Unresolved as Strait of Hormuz Risks Keep Markets on Edge 
US-Iran Ceasefire Extension Near as Strait of Hormuz Shipping Deal Advances 
Russia Prepares New Large-Scale Attack on Ukraine, Zelenskiy Warns 
US Imposes Fresh Iran Oil Sanctions Despite Progress on Ceasefire Talks 
Judge Dismisses Trump Administration Lawsuit Against Boston Sanctuary City Policy 
DOJ Opens Criminal Investigation Into E. Jean Carroll Over Alleged Perjury 
U.S. Sanctions Iran’s Strait of Hormuz Authority as Global Oil Markets Face Turmoil 
Baltic Drone Incidents Raise NATO Security Concerns 
US Designates Brazil’s PCC and Comando Vermelho as Global Terrorist Entities Ahead of FTO Listing 
US Launches New Trade Investigation Into Vietnam Over Intellectual Property Concerns 
US Southern Command Chief Holds Rare Military Meeting With Cuban Officials at Guantanamo Bay 
Brazil Struggles to Stop Illegal Amazon Gold Mining as Gold Prices Surge 
U.S. Lawmakers Back Ukraine’s Request for More Patriot Missiles Amid Rising Russian Attacks 
Flavio Bolsonaro Meets Trump, JD Vance, and Marco Rubio Amid Brazil Political Crisis 
China Expands Nuclear Defense Network in Remote Desert 
Democrats are turning their attention to other urgent pieces of legislation to pass through Congress, including the stalled Build Back Better proposal. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she does not “subscribe” to a set deadline, sidestepping the deadline that Progressive Democrats hope to meet.
Speaking at an infrastructure event in San Francisco, Pelosi said that the March 1 deadline by Progressive Democrats for the Build Back Better Act is “an aspiration,” but also noted that the House has other pieces of legislation that it needs to bring up and vote on, such as the CHIPS act and the omnibus bill.
“We will pass the bill when we have the votes to pass the bill, and we cannot stop pressing for that,” said Pelosi, who noted that passing Build Back Better is important.
“I hope they’re right. I don’t subscribe to any particular date,” added the House Speaker regarding the March 1 deadline. The White House also had a similar answer as Pelosi. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that no deadline has been set yet, sidestepping the March 1 date.
Pelosi’s remarks appear to indicate that Democrats still do not have the votes needed to pass the social and climate infrastructure bill, which makes up the bulk of US President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. The bill has previously passed the House among party lines but has since stalled in the Senate as West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin said he could not support the bill, drawing backlash.
Since that time, Biden has acknowledged that not everything that Democrats want will be able to make it to the bill and that the legislation would likely be broken up into parts. Nevertheless, Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Rep. Pramila Japayal has urged the Senate and the White House not to let the bill remain stalled for too long.
In other related news, Pelosi spoke with Taiwanese vice president Lai Ching-te and Taiwan’s ambassador to the US Hsiao Bi-Khim in a virtual conference. Pelosi and Lai discussed security issues, the economy, and the shared values of both nations. The House Speaker raised concerns about the situation at the Taiwan Strait, and the human rights abuses in China, according to Hsiao.
