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President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday reiterated their commitment to help Ukraine repel Russia's ongoing invasion, while agreeing to step up cooperation on challenges their economies face with artificial intelligence, clean energy, and critical minerals. The leaders said the "first of its kind" agreement—what they are calling the "Atlantic Declaration"—will serve as a framework for the two countries on the development of emerging technologies, protecting technology that is critical to national security and other economic security issues. "We will put our values front and center," Biden said as the two leaders started talks in the Oval Office. He later added at a joint news conference that the agreement will help both nations "adapt and upgrade our partnership to ensure our countries remain on the cutting edge of a rapidly changing world." Read more: UK to host global AI Summit to assess 'most significant risks' As part of the declaration announced Thursday, the two sides will kick off negotiations on the use of minerals from the U.K. that are critical in the production of electric vehicles that are eligible for U.S. tax credits. The administration has also opened talks with the European Union and forged a deal with Japan that allow certain critical raw materials for EVs to be treated as if they were sourced in the United States. Allies have raised concerns about incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act favoring the North American auto industry. The legislation — one of Biden's key policy victories — invests some $375 billion to transition the United States to cleaner cars and energy sources. Biden and Sunak have already had four face-to-face meetings since Sunak became prime minister in October, but the talks in Washington offered the two leaders a chance for their most sustained interaction to date. Sunak reflected on the significant conversations their respective predecessors have had over the years in the Oval Office and acknowledged that both he and Biden were facing their own daunting moment. The visit to Washington is Sunak's first since becoming Britain's prime minister in October. "Our economies are seeing perhaps the biggest transformation since the Industrial Revolution as new technologies provide incredible opportunities, but also give our adversaries more tools," Sunak said. The 15-month-old Russian invasion of Ukraine was high on the agenda. The U.S. and U.K. are the two biggest donors to the Ukraine war effort and play a central role in a long-term effort announced last month to train, and eventually equip, Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. Biden reiterated confidence that Congress would continue to provide Ukraine funding as needed despite some hesitation among Republican leaders at the growing cost of the war for American taxpayers. "The U.S. and the U.K. have stood together to support Ukraine," Biden said at the start of their meeting. Read more: Biden and Sunak to focus on Ukraine and economic security in British PM's first White House visit Sunak also made the case to Biden for U.K. Defense Minister Ben Wallace to succeed outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who is set to end his term leading the 31-member alliance in September. Stoltenberg is slated to meet with Biden in Washington on Monday, and leaders from the alliance are set to gather in Lithuania on July 11-12 for their annual summit. Asked if it was time for a U.K. leader for NATO, Biden said "it may be" but "that remains to be seen." "We're going to have to get a consensus within NATO," he said. Biden also reflected that the two countries have worked through some of the toughest moments in modern history side-by-side, recalling the meetings that Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt held in the White House. "You know Prime Minister Churchill and Roosevelt met here a little over 70 years ago and they asserted that the strength of the partnership between Great Britain and the United States was strength of the free world," Biden told Sunak. "I still think there's truth to that assertion." Sunak is keen to make the U.K. a key player in artificial intelligence, and announced that his government will gather politicians, scientists and tech executives for a summit on AI safety in the fall. Read more: Rishi Sunak goes to Washington with Ukraine, economy and AI on agenda for Biden meeting He said it was vital to ensure that "paradigm-shifting new technologies" are harnessed for the good of humanity. "No one country can do this alone," Sunak said Wednesday. "This is going to take a global effort." Biden said the challenges that comes with the advancement of AI technology are "staggering." "It is a limitless capacity and possibility but we have to do it with great care," said Biden, who added that he welcomed the U.K.'s leadership on the issue. Sunak's visit comes as U.S. and British intelligence officials are still trying to sort out blame for the breaching of a major dam in southern Ukraine, which sent floodwaters gushing through towns and over farmland. Neither Washington nor London has officially accused Russia of blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam. Sunak said Wednesday that U.K. intelligence services are still assessing the evidence, but "if it does prove to be intentional, it will represent a new low ... an appalling barbarism on Russia's part." "Russia throughout this war has used as a deliberate active strategy to target civilian infrastructure," he told broadcaster ITV in Washington. The two sides looked to demonstrate that the U.S.-U.K. relationship remains as strong as ever despite recent political and economic upheaval in the U.K. Sunak is one of three British prime ministers Biden has dealt with since taking office in 2021, and the administrations have had differences over Brexit and its impact on Northern Ireland. Nonetheless, there's a sense in the Biden administration that the U.S.-U.K. relationship is back on more stable footing after the sometimes choppy tenure of Boris Johnson and the 45-day premiership of Liz Truss. "I think there's a sense of relief to some degree, not just in the White House, but throughout Washington, that the Sunak government has been very pragmatic and maintained the U.K.'s robust commitment to Ukraine and to increasing defense spending," said Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He added that with Sunak, there's also been "somewhat of a return to pragmatism" on economic issues and relations with the European Union post-Brexit. Sunak at the press conference sought to hammer home that the U.K. remains "as reliable an ally as ever." "I know some people have wondered what kind of partner Britain would be after we left the EU," Sunak said. "I'd say judge us by our actions." Biden invited Sunak to stay at Blair House, the official presidential guest residence on Lafayette Square. Before the U.S. government purchased Blair House in 1942, foreign leaders visiting the president often stayed at the White House. In a lighter moment, the president began telling the story of how in the pre-Blair House days Churchill wandered toward the president's family quarters in the wee hours to rouse the sleeping Roosevelt for conversation. First lady Eleanor Roosevelt was said to have cut off Churchill before he could make it to the president. "Don't worry," Sunak interjected. "You won't see me bothering you and the first lady."  

Donald Trump said Thursday that he was indicted for mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, a remarkable development that makes him the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges by the federal government that he once oversaw. The indictment carries unmistakably grave legal consequences, including the possibility of prison if he's convicted. But it also has enormous political implications, potentially upending a Republican presidential primary that Trump had been dominating and testing anew the willingness of GOP voters and party leaders to stick with a now twice-indicted candidate who could face still more charges. And it sets the stage for a sensational trial centered on claims that a man once entrusted to safeguard the nation's most closely guarded secrets willfully, and illegally, hoarded sensitive national security information. Read more: Jury finds Trump liable for sexual abuse, awards accuser $5M The Justice Department did not immediately confirm the indictment publicly. But two people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to discuss it publicly said the indictment included seven criminal counts. One of those people said Trump's lawyers were contacted by prosecutors shortly before he announced on his Truth Social platform that he had been indicted. Within 20 minutes of his announcement, Trump began fundraising off it for his 2024 presidential campaign. He declared his innocence in a video and repeated his familiar refrain that the investigation is a "witch hunt." He said he planned to be in court Tuesday afternoon in Miami, where a grand jury had been meeting to hear evidence as recently as this week. The case adds to deepening legal jeopardy for Trump, who has already been indicted in New York and faces additional investigations in Washington and Atlanta that also could lead to criminal charges. But among the various investigations he faces, legal experts — as well as Trump's own aides — had long seen the Mar-a-Lago probe as the most perilous threat and the one most ripe for prosecution. Campaign aides had been bracing for the fallout since Trump's attorneys were notified that he was the target of the investigation, assuming it was not a matter of if charges would be brought, but when. Read more: Never thought this could happen in America: Trump says after being charged Appearing Thursday night on CNN, Trump attorney James Trusty said the indictment includes charges of willful retention of national defense information — a crime under the Espionage Act, which polices the handling of government secrets — obstruction, false statements and conspiracy. The case is a milestone for a Justice Department that had investigated Trump for years — as president and private citizen — but had never before charged him with a crime. The most notable investigation was an earlier special counsel probe into ties between his 2016 campaign and Russia, but prosecutors in that probe cited Justice Department policy against indicting a sitting president. Once he left office, though, he lost that protection. The inquiry took a major step forward last November when Attorney General Merrick Garland, a soft-spoken former federal judge who has long stated that no person should be regarded as above the law, appointed Jack Smith, a war crimes prosecutor with an aggressive, hard-charging reputation to lead both the documents probe as well as a separate investigation into efforts to subvert the 2020 election. Read more: Trump charged with 34 felony counts in hush money scheme The indictment arises from a monthslong investigation into whether Trump broke the law by holding onto hundreds of documents marked classified at his Palm Beach property, Mar-a-Lago, and whether he took steps to obstruct the government's efforts to recover the records. Prosecutors have said that Trump took roughly 300 classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House, including some 100 that were seized by the FBI last August in a search of the home that underscored the gravity of the Justice Department's investigation. Trump has repeatedly insisted that he was entitled to keep the classified documents when he left the White House, and has also claimed without evidence that he had declassified them. Court records unsealed last year showed federal investigators believed they had probable cause that multiple crimes had been committed, including the retention of national defense information, destruction of government records and obstruction. Since then, the Justice Department has amassed additional evidence and secured grand jury testimony from people close to Trump, including his own lawyers. The statutes governing the handling of classified records and obstruction are felonies that could carry years in prison in the event of a conviction. Read more: Besides Trump, these are the current and former world leaders facing criminal charges It remains unclear how much it will damage Trump's standing given that his first indictment generated millions of dollars in contributions from angry supporters and didn't weaken him in the polls. But no matter what, the indictment -- and legal fight that follows -- will throw Trump back into the spotlight, sucking attention away from the other candidates who are trying to build momentum in the race. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Trump opponent in the primary, condemned the indictment on Twitter, saying it represented "the weaponization of federal law enforcement." The former president has long sought to use his legal troubles to his political advantage, complaining on social media and at public events that the cases are being driven by Democratic prosecutors out to hurt his 2024 election campaign. He is likely to rely on that playbook again, reviving his longstanding claims that the Justice Department — which, during his presidency, investigated whether his 2016 campaign had colluded with Russia — is somehow weaponized against him. Trump's legal troubles extend beyond the New York indictment and classified documents case. Smith is separately investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. And the district attorney in Georgia's Fulton County is investigating Trump over alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election in that state. Signs had mounted for weeks that an indictment was near, including a Monday meeting between Trump's lawyers and Justice Department officials. His lawyers had also recently been notified that he was the target of the investigation, the clearest sign yet that an indictment was looming. Read more: Trial opens in E. Jean Carroll’s rape lawsuit against Trump Though the bulk of the investigative work had been handled in Washington, with a grand jury meeting there for months, it recently emerged that prosecutors were presenting evidence before a separate panel in Florida, where many of the alleged acts of obstruction scrutinized by prosecutors took place. The Justice Department has said Trump and his lawyers repeatedly resisted efforts by the National Archives and Records Administration to get the documents back. After months of back-and-forth, Trump representatives returned 15 boxes of records in January 2022, including about 184 documents that officials said had classified markings on them. FBI and Justice Department investigators issued a subpoena in May 2022 for classified documents that remained in Trump's possession. But after a Trump lawyer provided three dozen records and asserted that a diligent search of the property had been done, officials came to suspect even more documents remained. The investigation had simmered quietly for months until last August, when FBI agents served a search warrant on Mar-a-Lago and removed 33 boxes containing classified records, including top-secret documents stashed in a storage room and desk drawer and commingled with personal belongings. Some records were so sensitive that investigators needed upgraded security clearances to review them, the Justice Department has said. The investigation into Trump had appeared complicated — politically, if not legally — by the discovery of documents with classified markings in the Delaware home and former Washington office of President Joe Biden, as well as in the Indiana home of former Vice President Mike Pence. The Justice Department recently informed Pence that he would not face charges, while a second special counsel continues to investigate Biden's handling of classified documents. But compared with Trump, there are key differences in the facts and legal issues surrounding Biden's and Pence's handling of documents, including that representatives for both men say the documents were voluntarily turned over to investigators as soon as they were found. In contrast, investigators quickly zeroed on whether Trump, who for four years as president expressed disdain for the FBI and Justice Department, had sought to obstruct the inquiry by refusing to turn over all the requested documents.  

The US has been asked to provide UFO proof after a whistleblower former intelligence official said the government possessed "intact and partially intact" alien vehicles.Former intelligence official David Grusch, who oversaw the investigation of unexplained anomalous phenomena (UAP) inside a US Department of Defense agency, claimed that the US has craft of non-human origin, reports The Guardian. Also read: UK to review security after unknown objects puzzle N AmericaAccording to Grusch, information on these vehicles is being illegally hidden from Congress. Grusch said he faced reprisal from federal authorities after turning over secret information regarding the vehicles to Congress. After a 14-year career in US intelligence, he retired in April, it said.Jonathan Grey, a current US intelligence official at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (Nasic), told the Debrief that "exotic materials" existed, adding, "We are not alone."The revelations come after a surge of genuine sightings and claims have reignited interest in extraterrestrial spacecraft, and maybe visits, in recent years, said the report. Also read: China launches new crew for space station, with eye to putting astronauts on moon before 2030In 2021, the Pentagon issued a report on UAPs -- the name favoured by many of the extraterrestrial world over UFOs -- that mentioned more than 140 cases of UAP encounters that could not be explained.The revelation came after a release of military film showing seemingly odd events in the sky, and naval pilots testified that they had routinely encountered strange craft off the US coast, the report also said. Also read: North Korea says it will launch its first military spy satellite in JuneGrusch stated that the US government and defense contractors had been recovering fragments of non-human craft, and in some cases entire craft, for decades in an interview with Debrief journalists Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal, who previously exposed the existence of a secret Pentagon program that investigated UFOs.“We are not talking about prosaic origins or identities,” Grusch said. “The material includes intact and partially intact vehicles.”According to Grusch, examination indicated that this material is "of exotic origin" -- meaning "non-human intelligence, whether extraterrestrial or unknown in origin."“[This assessment is] based on the vehicle morphologies and material science testing and the possession of unique atomic arrangements and radiological signatures,” Grusch said.According to the Debrief, Grey, who investigates unexplained anomalous events inside the Nasic, validated Grusch's claim.“The non-human intelligence phenomenon is real. We are not alone,” Grey said. “Retrievals of this kind are not limited to the United States. This is a global phenomenon, and yet a global solution continues to elude us.”The Debrief met with numerous of Grusch's former coworkers, all of whom spoke well of him. Grusch was described as "beyond reproach" by former army colonel Karl E Nell. Grusch was hailed as "an officer with the strongest possible moral compass" in a 2022 performance assessment obtained by the Debrief. Nick Pope, who worked for the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) studying UFOs in the early 1990s, called Grusch and Grey's claim of extraterrestrial elements "very significant."“It’s one thing to have stories on conspiracy blogs, but this takes it to the next level, with genuine insiders coming forward,” Pope said.“When these people make these formal complaints, they do so on the understanding that if they’ve knowingly made a false statement, they are liable to a fairly hefty fine, and/or prison.“People say: ‘Oh, people make up stories all the time.’ But I think it’s very different to go before Congress and go to the intelligence community inspector general and do that. Because there will be consequences if it emerges that this is not true.”

Chris Licht is out after a year as chief executive at CNN, following a series of missteps and plunging ratings. David Zaslav, the CEO of CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, announced the leadership change on CNN's morning editorial call on Wednesday. Zaslav appointed a four-person leadership team to lead the network in the interim. Read more: Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News  Licht replaced Jeff Zucker as CNN's chief executive last year, with a mandate to make the network move the network more toward the political center. But a town hall meeting with Donald Trump received wide criticism, and a revamp of the network's morning show imploded with the firing of Don Lemon. A lengthy profile of Licht in Atlantic magazine that came out on Friday proved embarrassing and likely sealed his fate. Only two days ago, Licht promised on the same morning editorial call to fight to regain the trust of CNN employees. Read more: Bangladesh maintains close ties with all – China, US and India: PM tells CNN But internally, Licht couldn't gain the support of many at the network who felt loyal to Zucker, who was forced out following the revelation of an improper relationship with a work colleague. CNN's May ratings were dismal, with prime-time viewership less than half of rival of MSNBC, with Fox News Channel still leading among the cable networks. Zaslav appointed four current CNN executives — Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling and David Leavy — to run the network while a search for a replacement is conducted. Read more: FBCCI partners with CNN to promote trade, investment opportunities in Bangladesh globally "We are in good hands, allowing us to take the time we need to run a thoughtful and thorough search for a new leader," Zaslav said in a memo to CNN staff.    

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Tuesday in Saudi Arabia and later met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid strained relations between Riyadh and Washington. Blinken's trip, his second to Saudi Arabia since becoming America's top diplomat, comes after the kingdom under Prince Mohammed has been more willing to disregard the U.S. in striking its own decisions. Riyadh has clashed repeatedly with President Joe Biden on its supply of crude oil to global markets, its willingness to partner with Russia in OPEC+ and reaching a détente with Iran mediated by China. Biden also pledged to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah" over the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Read more: Blinken takes aim at Israeli settlements; says US will press ahead with Israel-Saudi normalization However, Saudi Arabia still relies — like other Gulf Arab nations — on the U.S. to be the security guarantor for the wider Middle East as tensions over Iran's nuclear program in recent years have spilled over into a series of attacks. Riyadh and Washington also have been working in tandem to try and strike a lasting cease-fire in Sudan, which has been elusive during weeks of fighting between that country's military and a rival paramilitary force. And Saudi Arabia wants to end its war in Yemen, something also sought by the U.S. "Under the hood, especially when it comes to security and a few other matters like that, the relationship is stronger than it was a year ago," said Hussein Ibish, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. "It looks more strained — and in some superficial ways it is — but it is overall stronger." Blinken arrived to a Saudi Arabia more eager to engage internationally, particularly after being involved in prisoner swaps in Moscow's war on Ukraine. The kingdom hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month at an Arab League summit, then Russia's sanctioned interior minister immediately after. With oil prices well below $100 a barrel, the Biden administration doesn't have an immediate concern over prices at the pump in the summer driving season. Washington likely does hope to leverage its security relationship with Saudi Arabia as it gets warmer with China and Russia. However, the Saudis likely want guarantees that Biden can't provide when it comes to Congress stopping arms sales to the kingdom, Ibish said. Read more: Bangladesh ‘quickly becoming a regional leader’: Blinken "Khashoggi still haunts the halls of Congress. I don't think that's over in Washington," Ibish said. "The rest of the world has moved on, but I don't think that Congress has moved on." Asked about Blinken bringing up human rights issues, including Khashoggi's death, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Peninsula Affairs Daniel Benaim told journalists last week that "human rights are a pillar of how this administration engages with countries around the world and in this region." Benaim declined to discuss specifics. "I think what you'll see on this trip is a vision of the U.S.-Saudi relationship that's both rooted in our historic mainstays of cooperation in areas like defense and security and counterterrorism, includes ongoing important regional diplomacy when it comes to Yemen and Sudan, and looks for opportunities for regional de-escalation and regional integration," Benaim said. He added: "We will not leave a vacuum for our strategic competitors in the region." Read more: US to continue to support pro-democracy movement in Myanmar: Blinken Blinken met Prince Mohammed early Wednesday, with State Department saying they discussed their "shared commitment to advance stability, security, and prosperity across the Middle East and beyond." "The secretary also emphasized that our bilateral relationship is strengthened by progress on human rights," a statement added. A Saudi statement acknowledged the meeting, but offered no specifics. Blinken's visit comes after Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, traveled to Jeddah in May and met Prince Mohammed. The prince also hosted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a longtime foe of America, for a meeting late Monday, Saudi state television reported. Outside of meeting Prince Mohammed and other Saudi officials, Blinken also will attend an anti-Islamic State meeting in Riyadh and meet with foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council. The six-nation GCC includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. "A deeper diplomatic engagement by the United States is likely to produce better outcomes in the long run than simply washing our hands and pulling back from the region," wrote Brian Katulis, the vice president of policy for the Washington-based Middle East Institute. However, the challenges are many. The Yemen war continues despite prisoner swaps and efforts to end the conflict. Meanwhile, both sides likely have wants that won't be fulfilled. Saudi Arabia increasingly has pushed for a nuclear cooperation that includes America allowing it to enrich uranium in the kingdom — something that worries nonproliferation experts as spinning centrifuges opens the door to a possible weapons program. Prince Mohammed has said the kingdom would pursue a nuclear weapon if Iran had one. Blinken on Monday night told a meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that the Biden administration continues to believe "that diplomacy is the best way to verifiably, effectively, and sustainably prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon." However, he added: "All options are on the table to ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon." Blinken first traveled to Saudi Arabia as America's top diplomat last year as part of Biden's trip there. That trip saw Biden fly directly from Israel to the kingdom. Just before it, Saudi Arabia allowed overflight rights to Israeli airlines heading to Asia — a major move allowing them to save both flying time and jet fuel. A diplomatic recognition of Israel by Saudi Arabia though appears unlikely at the moment, despite neighboring Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognizing Israel in 2020. Saudi Arabia under King Salman has repeatedly called on Israel to allow the Palestinians to create a state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories seized by Israel in the 1967 war. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now oversees the most right-wing and religious government in Israel's history, making such a move highly unlikely given heightened violence and tensions there.  

Germany is preparing to host the biggest air deployment exercise in NATO's history, a show of force intended to impress allies and potential adversaries such as Russia, German and American officials said Wednesday. The Air Defender 23 exercise starting next week will see 10,000 participants and 250 aircraft from 25 nations respond to a simulated attack on a NATO member country. The United States alone is sending 2,000 U.S. Air National Guard personnel and about 100 aircraft to take part in the June 12-23 training maneuvers. “This is an exercise that would be absolutely impressive to anybody who’s watching, and we don’t make anybody watch it,” U.S. Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann said. Read: NATO: Russia misleads world on troop movements near Ukraine “It will demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt the agility and the swiftness of our allied force in NATO as a first responder,” she told reporters in Berlin. “I would be pretty surprised if any world leader was not taking note of what this shows in terms of the spirit of this alliance, which means the strength of this alliance," Gutmann said. "And that includes Mr. Putin,” she added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the drill was planned for several years, Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 ear has jolted NATO into preparing in earnest for the possibility of an attack on its territory. Sweden, which is hoping to join the alliance, and Japan are also taking part in the exercise. “We are showing that NATO territory is our red line, that we are prepared to defend every centimeter of this territory,” said Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz of the German air force, which is coordinating the exercise. “But we won't, for example, conduct any flights toward Kalinigrad. So this is intended to be defensive.” Read: Biden praises Denmark for 'standing up' for Ukraine in war with Russia Kalinigrad is a Russian exclave located on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania. Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh, director of the U.S. Air National Guard, said the exercise goes beyond deterrence. “It's about the readiness of our force. It’s about coordination, not just within NATO, but with our other allies and partners outside of NATO,” he said. Loh said the exercise would be an opportunity for younger U.S. airmen, many of whom have mainly gotten experience serving in the Middle East, to build relationships with allies in Europe and prepare for a different military scenario. “So this is about now establishing what it means to go against a great power, in a great power competition,” he said. Read more: Poland, NATO say missile strike wasn't a Russian attack

Seven people were shot, two fatally, when gunfire rang out Tuesday outside a downtown theater in Richmond, Virginia, where a high school graduation ceremony had just ended, causing hundreds of attendees to flee in panic, weep and clutch their children, authorities and witnesses said. A 19-year-old suspect tried to escape on foot but was arrested and will be charged with two counts of second-degree murder, Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said during a nighttime news conference at which he confirmed the two fatalities. Five others were wounded by the gunfire outside the state capital's city-owned Altria Theater, which is across the street from a large, grassy park and in the middle of the Virginia Commonwealth University campus. At least 12 others were injured or treated for anxiety due to the mayhem, according to police. “As they heard the gunfire, it was obviously chaos," Edwards said. "We had hundreds of people in Monroe Park, so people scattered. It was very chaotic at the scene.” Edwards said one of the people who was killed was an 18-year-old male student who had just graduated, while the other was a 36-year-old man who was there for the graduation. Their names were not released, but police believe the suspect, who was not immediately identified, knew at least one of the victims. “This should have been a safe space. People should have felt safe at a graduation,” Edwards said. “It’s just incredibly tragic that someone decided to bring a gun to this incident and rain terror on our community.” Six people were brought to VCU Medical Center and their conditions ranged from serious to critical late Tuesday, VCU Health System spokesperson Mary Kate Brogan said. Multiple handguns were recovered. Police initially said two suspects were detained, but Edwards said later that they determined one of them was not involved. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney vowed to ensure anyone responsible faces justice. "This should not be happening anywhere,” Stoney said. Read: Police: 8 killed in Texas mall shooting, gunman also dead Officers inside the theater, where the graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School had been taking place, heard gunfire around 5:15 p.m. and radioed to police stationed outside, who found multiple victims, Edwards said. School board member Jonathan Young told Richmond TV station WWBT that graduates and other attendees were leaving the building when they heard about 20 gunshots in rapid succession. “That prompted, as you would expect, hundreds of persons in an effort to flee the gunfire to return to the building,” Young said. “It materialized in a stampede,” he said. Two people were treated for falls; one juvenile was struck by a car and sustained injuries that were not life-threatening; and nine people were treated at the scene for minor injuries or anxiety, according to police spokeswoman Tracy Walker. Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said the new graduates were outside taking photos with families and friends when the shooting broke out. Read: Bangladeshi youth shot dead in US “I don’t have any more words on this,” Kamras said. “I’m just tired of seeing people get shot, our kids get shot. And I beg of the entire community to stop, to just stop.” As he heard the gunshots and then sirens, neighbor John Willard, 69, stepped onto the balcony of his 18th-floor apartment. Below, he saw students fleeing in their graduation outfits and parents hugging children. “There was one poor woman in front of the apartment block next to ours who was wailing and crying,” Willard said, adding that the scene left him deeply saddened. Edythe Payne was helping her daughter sell flowers outside the theater to students as they left the ceremony. She told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the shooting caused a panic on nearby Main Street, which was packed with people at the time. “I felt bad because some elderly people were at the graduation and they got knocked down to the ground,” Payne said. The school district said a different graduation scheduled for later Tuesday had been canceled “out of an abundance of caution" and schools would be closed Wednesday. The mass shooting, the latest in a nation increasingly accustomed to them, prompted calls for reform. “The gun violence epidemic is a public health crisis that we must address,” U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, a Democrat whose district includes Richmond, said in a statement. “We cannot continue to live in fear. We must address the root causes of gun violence and pass common sense gun safety policies that protect our communities.” Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, an ardent gun-rights advocate, said in remarks to news outlets near the scene that the problem lies not with guns but with criminals. “We have to figure out what’s going on in our communities,” she said. Read more: Bangladeshi businessman shot to death in US

President Joe Biden thanked Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday for Denmark's role in a Western alliance “standing up" for Ukraine as it tries to fend off Russia’s 15-month-old invasion. The Oval Office visit was the first of a pair of critical meetings Biden is holding with European allies this week that will focus heavily on what lies ahead in the war in Ukraine — including the recently launched effort to train, and eventually equip, Ukraine with American-made F-16s fighter jets. Biden will meet Thursday with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Read more: Biden says Chiefs 'building a dynasty' as he hosts Kansas City Super Bowl champs at White House Both Britain and Denmark are playing a pivotal role in the nascent joint international plan that Biden recently endorsed after months of resisting calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for U.S. aircraft. “There's a shared commitment to the core values and that gives us our strength — at least that's what I believe,” Biden said. “Together we're working to protect those values — including standing up for the people of Ukraine against the brutal aggression of the Russians.” Biden's separate meetings with the leaders of two key NATO allies come at a crucial period in the 15-month war as Ukraine readies to launch a counteroffensive. It's also a moment when the U.S. and Europe are looking to demonstrate to Moscow that the Western-alliance remains strong and focused on cementing a longer-term commitment to Ukraine with no end to the conflict in sight. Neither mentioned the F-16 agreement in their brief remarks before reporters at the start of the meeting, but the White House in a statement following the talks noted Denmark's “significant security assistance to Ukraine and its leadership in training Ukrainian pilots." Read more: 6 congressmen’s letter to Biden a ‘false projection’ of the state of Bangladesh’s minorities, community leaders say Frederiksen for her part thanked Biden for leading the transatlantic alliance. “I am looking forward to working even closer with you on defense and security," she said. Denmark has purchased dozens of American-made F-16s since the 1970s and has indicated it is open to the possibility of providing Ukraine with some. Britain strongly advocated for a coalition to supply Ukraine with fighter planes, and says it will support Ukraine getting the F-16s it wants. But the U.K. does not have any F-16s, and has ruled out sending Royal Air Force Typhoon jets. Instead, Britain says it will give Ukrainian pilots basic training on Western-standard jets starting in early summer to prepare them to fly F-16s. The Ukrainian pilots will then go on to other countries for the next stages of training. The F-16 agreement is among several recent high-profile efforts by the U.S. and Europe focused on bolstering Western resolve as the war grinds on. Moscow officials claimed that Ukrainian forces were making a major effort to punch through Russian defensive lines in southeast Ukraine for a second day Monday. Kyiv authorities didn’t confirm the attacks and suggested the claim was a Russian misinformation ruse. Read more: Biden expected to sign budget deal to raise debt ceiling Asked by a reporter during his Oval Office meeting with Frederiksen whether he believed the Ukrainians would be successful in their counteroffensive, Biden said nothing but raised his hand and crossed his fingers. Last week, Frederiksen and Sunak were among 45 European leaders who traveled to Moldova for the first summit of the European Political Community where they underscored support for Eastern Europe's ambitions to draw closer to the West and keep Moscow at bay. Biden was also expected to discuss with Frederiksen and Rishi preparations for next month's NATO summit in Lithuania that comes amid growing pressure on the alliance from Zelenskyy on NATO to offer Ukraine concrete security guarantees and a defined path for Kyiv to eventually win membership into the group. The 31-member alliance is also looking at boosting Ukraine’s non-member status in NATO and preparing a framework for security commitments that it can offer once the war with Russia is over. Max Bergmann, a former senior State Department official during the Obama administration, said Biden and his European counterparts' task is to stay on the same page for what comes after Ukraine's much-anticipated counteroffensive. “Throughout this conflict, we have not only underestimated the Ukrainians but we have also underestimated the Europeans,” said Bergmann, who is now director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “They're not wavering but they will also need to keep finding new funds to plow into military equipment to support the Ukrainians. There’s a question on both sides of the Atlantic: How much will it actually take to sustain Ukraine?” Following the meeting, Frederiksen suggested in an exchange with reporters that she had dim hopes of an endgame to the conflict in the near term. “It takes two to tango,” she said. “So we need some signals from Russia and I don’t think any of us in the alliance are willing to do anything without Ukraine. So it starts with them — what Ukraine wants out of this.” Denmark’s centrist government said last week that it would look to invest some 143 billion kroner ($20.6 billion) in the country’s defense over the next decade, citing a “serious threat picture.” The government has an ambition to reach NATO’s target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on military budgets by 2030, in part as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The spending plan was announced as Frederiksen has emerged as a possible contender to succeed NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg when his term ends in September. Asked whether she spoke to Biden about the expected vacancy, Frederiksen said she did not want to go “further in these speculations about NATO.”

President Joe Biden said the Kansas City Chiefs are "building a dynasty” as he hosted the team at the White House Monday to mark their Super Bowl victory in February. Speaking on the South Lawn, Biden praised the team for playing with “the real joy of the game and love for each other and the great city you represent.” He also praised the team for their charitable work off the field, saying, “as these guys know about football, they know about life and how to use their platform to make a difference. ” Read more: Biden, looking to shore up Hispanic support, faces pressure to get 2024 outreach details right Biden joked that first lady Jill Biden, a “rabid” Philadelphia fan, is still not over the dramatic end to the game, which included a controversial holding penalty against the Eagles that set the Chiefs up for their game-winning field goal. The president added, “I have to be careful what I say today,” even thoughhis wife was out of the country. Read more: Israel's Netanyahu appoints new media advisor, journalist who had called Biden 'unfit,' report says Biden led the crowd in a moment of silence to mark the death Sunday of Norma Hunt, wife of the late team founder Lamar Hunt, saying he was sending “our condolences to the entire Hunt family.” Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the game's most valuable player, and tight end Travis Kelce presented Biden with a personalized Kansas City Chiefs jersey before posing for a team photo with the president. Before the ceremony, the team was given a tour of the White House. Read more: US-Bangla to organize Cadet Pilot Program in the United States

Joe Biden vowed in 2020 to work “like the devil” to energize Hispanic voters, and flew to Florida seven weeks before Election Day to do just that. But, as he stepped to the podium at a Hispanic Heritage Month event near Disney World, Biden declared, “I just have one thing to say” and used his phone to play part of “Despacito.” It was meant to salute the singer of the reggaeton hit, Luis Fonsi, who had introduced Biden. Still, the gesture triggered online backlash from some Hispanics who saw it as playing to belittling stereotypes — proof that while outreach is important, failing to strike the right tone can undermine it. “The details actually matter for people because it’s respecting their background, respecting their history, respecting their culture,” said Grecia Lima, national political director of the progressive activist group Community Change Action. President Biden isn't the first politician to strike a sour note trying to connect across cultural lines. But the blowback he encountered illustrates a bigger challenge he faces while seeking a second term. Hispanic voters, long a core constituency for Democrats, have reliably supported them based on substantive matters of policy, from health care to managing the economy, according to Pew Research Center surveys. But recent signs that Republicans have made inroads with those voters is adding to the sense that Democrats must work to maintain their advantage. Democratic candidates won 57% of Hispanic voters during last year’s midterms, a smaller percentage than the 63% of Hispanic voters Biden won in 2020 and the 66% of Hispanic voters supporting the party in 2018, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the national electorate. Meanwhile, 39% of Hispanic voters backed Republicans last year, a tick up from the 35% who supported former President Donald Trump’s reelection bid. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a Republican considering a White House run, said Democrats have hurt themselves by adopting terms like Latinx, a gender-neutral alternative to “Latino” and “Latina.” “They’ve created a tremendous opportunity for Republicans,” Suarez said. Read: House OKs debt ceiling bill to avoid default, sends Biden-McCarthy deal to Senate Democrats believed harsh rhetoric from Republicans during and after the presidency of Trump — who in his campaign launch in 2015 declared immigrants from Mexico to be rapists and criminals — would give them a boost. Instead, even modest swings toward the GOP could mean millions more Republican votes next year. Hispanics made up 62% of total growth in the nation’s eligible voters between 2018 and last year's election, according to Pew. “Are they behind?” asked Javier Palomarez CEO of the United States Hispanic Business Council. “Yes.” Democratic strategist Maria Cardona said nearly every cycle features “activists with their hair on fire: ‘The campaign’s not doing enough, we’re not hearing from enough people.‘” She said Biden’s campaign is neutralizing those perceptions with “historic strides and investments” in Hispanic voter mobilization. Biden supporters also say substantive issues, rather than incidents like playing “Despacito,” are what resonates with Hispanic voters. “President Biden has spent his first two years in office focusing on the issues facing many Latino families — lowering health care costs, creating good-paying jobs, getting our small businesses and schools reopened, and fighting gun violence in our communities,” Kevin Munoz, a spokesperson for Biden’s reelection campaign, said in a statement. Still, “Despacito” wasn’t the Biden camp’s only misstep. First lady Jill Biden flubbed pronouncing the rallying cry “Si Se Puede,” during a speech in California last spring. Then, in Texas last summer, she said the Hispanic community was as “unique as breakfast tacos here in San Antonio," prompting another backlash and an apology from the first lady’s office. Read more: Biden and McCarthy reach a final deal to avoid US default and now must sell it to Congress Matt Barreto, who does polling for the White House and the Democratic National Committee, said Hispanic outreach programs have intensified. “We’ve been learning our lessons, and constantly improving,” he said. Democrats were hindered in 2020 by the pandemic limiting on-the-ground organizing. But those efforts resumed in 2022, when Democrats nonetheless lost key House races in some heavily Hispanic areas. The shift toward Republicans was particularly pronounced in Florida, where over half of Hispanic voters backed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, now a candidate for president. In Florida’s Broward County, still a Democratic stronghold, Richard Ramunno, a 31-year-old business owner of Argentine and Chilean background, remembered Biden’s “Despacito” episode but laughed it off. He said he worries more about policy decisions Republicans are making at the state level, including the Parental Rights in Education law signed by DeSantis, which makes it easier to challenge a book over its content. “The laws they are passing are very conservative right now,” he said. “Books are being removed from schools.” Melissa Morales, founder of Somos PAC, which supported last year's reelection of Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina elected to the Senate, said the midterms showed the importance of economic policies like affordable housing and healthcare — not GOP-led culture war issues. “The thing that really emerged for us in 2022 was that Latinos were so solutions-oriented,” Morales said. Lima, of Community Change Action, said the economy is a top motivator for Hispanic voters, and that Biden can point to a major public works package and increased federal spending on health care, social services and green energy. But she called those “down payments” and said Hispanic voters will expect Democrats “to make good” on policies that help the economy work better for them. Many activists who have criticized Biden and Democrats praised the president for selecting Julie Chavez Rodriguez, granddaughter of civil rights icon Julio Cesar Chavez, to manage his reelection campaign. Read more: Ahead of House debt ceiling vote, Biden shores up Democrats and McCarthy scrambles for GOP support In a memo detailing 2024 strategy, which the Biden campaign produced in English and Spanish, Rodriguez promised to “engage early and often” with Hispanic voters. The DNC also plans to build on Adelante, or “Forward,” a seven-figure outreach plan that featured bilingual radio and print in nine battleground states last year. The DNC also is planning to resume “boot camps” to train bilingual campaign staff in key states. "I believe that now the Democratic Party is in a position where, when I go and tell people, ‘I want you to do more,’ I have willing partners,” Barreto said.