Peggy Flanagan Wins Minnesota Democratic Senate Nomination 
Darline Graham Advances to South Carolina Senate Runoff 
Iran Eyes New Development Bank Membership as BRICS Pushes Local Currency Trade 
Nigel Farage Faces Count Binface in Clacton Election Test 
Colombia Earthquake Death Toll Hits 265 as President Announces Emergency Fund 
Trump Weighs Capital Gains Tax Cuts Ahead of Midterms 
Taiwan Slams ‘Dangerous’ China-Indonesia Naval Drill Near Island 
North Korea Slams Japan’s 2026 Defense White Paper 
Bashar al-Assad Sentenced to Death by Syrian Court 
Trump Secretly Switched Planes in Turkey After Iran Threat, Report Says 
Rebecca Cooke to Challenge Derrick Van Orden in Key Wisconsin Race 
Judge Blocks Trump Mail Voting Order Ahead of 2026 Midterms 
US, Colombia Weigh Joint Strikes on Armed Groups in Expanded Anti-Drug Campaign 
FCC Steps Up China Tech Crackdown as Beijing Pushes Back 
Ukraine Accuses Russia of Systematic Torture of POWs and Civilian Detainees 
North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile as US-South Korea Drills Near 
Add as a preferred source on Google
US President Joe Biden touted the launch of the agreement between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the recent summit of the bloc in Cambodia. Biden said the pact between the US and ASEAN was an important step toward addressing the “biggest issues of our time.”
In his opening remarks at the meeting with ASEAN, Biden said the region was at the heart of his administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy. Biden also said that Washington was committing resources under the new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The regional bloc was engaging with world leaders, including Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“Together we will tackle the biggest issues of our time, from climate to health security, to defend against the significant threat to the rule-based order,” said Biden. “We will build an Indo-Pacific that’s free and open, stable and prosperous, and resilient and secure.”
Biden’s attendance comes as Washington is looking to re-engage in the region amidst the growing influence of China. China and ASEAN upgraded their ties to the comprehensive strategic partnership level last year.
The US leader’s focus in the meeting was also on Washington’s commitment to a rules-based order in the highly contested South China Sea, according to an administration official. The ongoing war in Ukraine was also the focus during the meetings over the weekend, with Kyiv looking to shore up support from ASEAN, asking the bloc’s leaders to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Biden weighed in on the gains his Democratic Party made in last week’s midterm elections that determined whether the party would retain control of one or both chambers of Congress. The weekend saw the party retain control of the Senate following the re-election victory of Senator Catherine Cortez Masto in the state of Nevada.
“Again, I’m not surprised by the turnout. I’m incredibly pleased,” Biden told reporters. “And I think it’s a reflection of the quality of our candidates.”
With the Democratic Party in control of the Senate, Biden would have more opportunities to fill the judiciary vacancies and confirm more nominees, along with a better chance of passing more funding for Ukraine and other legislation.
