State Department — The U.S. Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s top Asia aide, Kurt Campbell, as the deputy secretary of state on Tuesday.

Campbell is replacing Wendy Sherman, who retired on July 28, and will now serve as the State Department’s second-ranking diplomat behind Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

During Campbell’s tenure as the White House National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs, he emphasized that the United States, while in competition with China, does not seek conflict or confrontation. He has said the U.S. is committed to working with allies and managing competition with China responsibly. 

In his prepared testimony for his nomination hearing in December, Campbell stated, “Today’s challenges are truly global. What happens in one region affects the others. Our competitors are collaborating – just look at China, Iran, and North Korea’s support for Russia’s war of aggression. We are stronger across-the-board due to our alliances and partnerships.”

“China believes that we are in hurtling decline. It is critical that we prove otherwise,” he told U.S. senators during the nomination hearing.

Campbell has also underscored the urgency of advancing new 20-year funding agreements with three Pacific Island nations—Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Palau—to counter Beijing’s regional influence.

During the nomination hearing, he voiced serious concerns over North Korea’s alarming actions, including the provision of military equipment to Russia amid its aggression in Ukraine and the enhancement of Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear capabilities. 

“I am worried that North Korea in the current environment has decided that they are no longer interested in diplomacy with the United States. And that means that we’re going to have to focus even more on deterrence,” he told lawmakers from the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.

North Korea has consistently rejected U.S. outreach despite repeated efforts. The last diplomatic engagement took place in Vietnam between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and former president Donald Trump. Since then, North Korea has rebuffed every attempt by the U.S. to reach out, including offers of vaccines and humanitarian aid during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Campbell was assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2009 to 2013 under then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Campbell played a crucial role during the administration of former President Barack Obama in shaping Washington’s “pivot to Asia” policy, which reoriented U.S. foreign policy toward that region.
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After months of negotiations, U.S. senators will vote on a $118 billion bipartisan agreement on border security and aid to Ukraine and Israel later this week. As VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, even if the bill passes the Democratic-majority U.S. Senate, it has little chance of passage in the Republican-majority U.S. House of Representatives.
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WASHINGTON — The massive $118 billion Senate border bill not only contains once-in-a-decade border security legislation and wartime aid to Israel and Ukraine, but also offers a chance for the U.S. to keep its promise to Afghans who worked alongside U.S. soldiers in America’s longest war. 

Tucked inside the sprawling package is a measure that would provide a long-awaited pathway to residency for tens of thousands of Afghan refugees who arrived in the U.S. on military planes after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. 

But the measure may fail if members can’t agree on the bill’s larger, unrelated provisions. Democrats, especially members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, have voiced opposition for what they call the extreme, far-right border policies in the legislation that they say do nothing to help fix the country’s broken immigration system. 

Conservatives have said the package does not go far enough in limiting the number of daily migrant crossings at the southern border. 

If it fails, it will represent yet another disappointment for the more than 76,000 Afghans currently living in the U.S. who remain in immigration limbo as a result of years of congressional inaction. 

A small group of bipartisan lawmakers and advocacy groups have worked for nearly three years to get a House or Senate vote on a standalone bill, the Afghan Adjustment Act, that would prevent Afghans from becoming stranded without legal residency status when their humanitarian parole expires. But advocates have repeatedly faced strong opposition from some Republican lawmakers to vetting requirements for the refugees who were brought here and their family members still stranded in Kabul. 

The bipartisan border deal offered a long-awaited breakthrough. Both Republican and Democratic senators and their staff worked to bridge the divide and produce legislative text that both sides could support. The new proposal would couple measures enabling qualified Afghans to eventually apply for U.S. citizenship, as was done for refugees in the past, including those from Cuba, Vietnam and Iraq, with stricter and more expedited vetting processes. 

“I think the most gracious thing would be to say there’s been a lot of twists and turns, but I’m very happy with the result,” Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, one of the lead sponsors of the effort, told The Associated Press on Monday. “And I’m very glad that it’s included because this is an important signal that the United States stands by those who stand by us.” 

The U.S. government admitted the refugees on a temporary parole status as part of Operation Allies Welcome, the largest resettlement effort in the country in decades, with the promise of a pathway to life in the U.S. for their service. 

“Our position is that Afghans stood by us for 20 years and over the past three years, they’ve been asked to take a backseat to every other bill,” said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. “And so it is really nice to see that they’re included in this one.” 

But hopes for fulfilling that promise to longtime allies of America’s mission in Kabul could be short-lived. Republican leaders in the House have declared the bill a non-starter, and even passage through the Senate, where the deal was negotiated, is an uphill climb. 

As proponents of the Afghan provision await the fate of the package, they are trying to remain cautiously optimistic that their campaign is making headway. 

VanDiver, who has worked with the State Department on this issue since the U.S. withdrawal, said he has heard a lot of excitement from Afghan allies and their family members in the last 12 hours about the inclusion in the package. 

“The worst part about it is that it is now on us to manage expectations,” he said. “These folks have already been through so much and it’s frankly embarrassing that we can’t figure out how to give them the permanency that they’ve earned.” 
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Pentagon — Iran-backed militias in Syria are again targeting the United States and its allies, launching at least three attacks on American positions following a U.S. bombardment aimed at disrupting the ability of the militias to pose a threat.

U.S. military officials told VOA the most recent attack came early Monday, when a single rocket was lobbed at U.S. and coalition forces at the Mission Support Site Euphrates base in eastern Syria. 

The official said there were no injuries or damage as a result of the attack.

But an earlier attack, targeting the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces on Sunday, did hit its mark. The official said a one-way attack drone hit the base at the Omar Oil Field, near Deir el-Zour, causing multiple SDF casualties. 

SDF spokesman Farhad Shami said on social media that the drone attack killed six SDF fighters. 

The SDF base is located near the U.S. position known as Green Village.

The U.S. also confirmed an attack by Iran-backed militias on Friday, when multiple rockets targeted Mission Support Site Euphrates base. No injuries or damage were reported.

The three latest attacks are the first since the U.S. unleashed a series of airstrikes that hit 85 targets at seven locations in Iraq and Syria late Friday, dropping more than 125 precision munitions in about half-an-hour.

U.S. officials have said Friday’s strikes were aimed at disrupting the militia’s logistical capabilities by striking targets “critical to their supply chain,” including command-and-control centers, drone and missile storage sites, and other key facilities.

Washington has also warned more strikes are coming.

U.S. President Joe Biden “will do what he thinks needs to be done,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, refusing to rule out strikes inside Iran itself.

“There will be additional action that we will take — all designed to put an end to these attacks,” White House National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, told reporters following Friday’s strikes.

Iranian officials have condemned the U.S. strikes, calling them a violation of Syrian and Iraqi sovereignty. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani further described the U.S. strikes as “a serious strategic mistake.”

U.S. officials, so far, have declined to share estimates on how many militias members were killed in Friday’s strikes, but Syrian opposition activists said at least 29 fighters were killed in Syria while Iraqi officials said at least 16 militia members were killed with another 36 wounded.

The renewed attacks by Iran-backed militias in Syria come as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen continue to threaten international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, despite a new wave of airstrikes Saturday by an international coalition led by the U.S. and Britain.

The U.S. military said it carried out a “self-defense” strike late Sunday against cruise missiles in an area of Yemen controlled by Houthi militants. 

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees U.S. forces in the region, said the strike hit four anti-ship missiles that were being readied to launch at ships in the Red Sea.

CENTCOM said it also carried out self-defense strikes against a Houthi land attack cruise missile in a separate incident on Sunday.

Sunday’s preemptive strikes come after the U.S. and Britain hit at least 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday.

The Houthis, though, said they will not be backing down.

“Military operations against Israel will continue until the crimes of genocide in Gaza are stopped and the siege on its residents is lifted, no matter the sacrifices it costs us,” Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi official, wrote on X. “American-British aggression against Yemen will not go unanswered, and we will meet escalation with escalation.”    

Still, the White House has defended its approach to both the militias in Iraq and Syria and Yemen’s Houthis, recently designated as a terror group.

“Each attack we undertake helps degrade capabilities” of the Iranian-backed militias in the region, the White House’s Sullivan said Sunday. “The U.S. will step up when it’s attacked,” but at the same time make sure the U.S. is “not pulled into a war in the Middle East. We will defend our troops.”

Information from the Associated Press and Reuters was used in this article. 
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LOS ANGELES — Taylor Swift won album of the year at the Grammy Awards for “Midnights,” breaking the record for most wins in the category with four. 

She began her speech by thanking her producer and friend Jack Antonoff and added, “I would love to tell you this is the happiest moment of my life,” she told the crowd, but said she feels this happy when she creates music and plays shows.

Earlier in the night, Taylor Swift used her 13th Grammy win on Sunday to announce her new album, “Tortured Poets Department,” will arrive April 19.

“I know that the way that the Recording Academy voted is a direct reflection of the passion of the fans,” she said while accepting the best pop vocal album award. “So, I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the last two years which is that my brand-new album comes out April 19. It’s called ‘The Tortured Poets Department.’ I’m gonna go and post the cover right now backstage.”

One of the night’s biggest awards, record of the year, went to Miley Cyrus for “Flowers,” her second-ever Grammy and second of the night. 

“This award is amazing. But I really hope that it doesn’t change anything because my life was beautiful yesterday,” she said in her speech.

Victoria Monét won best new artist.

“Thank you to the champagne-servers tonight,” Monét started her acceptance speech. “Thanks to my mom, a single mom raising this really bad girl.” Then she started to cry, telling the room that this award was “15 years in the making.”

Billie Eilish won song of the year for writing the “Barbie” hit, “What Was I Made For?”

“Thank you to Greta Gerwig for making the best movie of the year,” Eilish said during her acceptance speech.

It was just one of several standout moments from Sunday’s show, broadcast live from Cypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

Karol G made Grammy history Sunday by becoming the first female performer to win best música urbana album for her blockbuster “Mañana Será Bonito” record.

“This is my first time at the Grammys,” she told the audience in English. “And this is my first time holding my own Grammy.”

Performances were many. Olivia Rodrigo brought her bloodsucking ballad “vampire” – or in this case, bloodletting, as red liquid dripped from the walls behind her. Joni Mitchell, 80, made Grammy history by performing “Both Sides Now” from her 1969 album “Clouds”; Travis Scott did a medley of “My Eyes,” “I Know?,” and “Fein.” Burna Boy was joined by Brandy and 21 Savage and did “On Form,” “City Boys,” and “Sittin’ on Top of the World.”

A long and touching In Memoriam segment celebrated many of the musical greats lost in the year. Stevie Wonder performed “For Once in My Life” and “The Best Is Yet To Come” in honor of Tony Bennett; Annie Lennox delivered “Nothing Compares 2 U” for Sinéad O’Connor. “Artists for ceasefire, peace in the world,” Lennox said at the end of the song, her fist extended in the air.

Jon Batiste did a medley of “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean On Me,” and finally “Optimistic” with Ann Nesby for the late great music exec Clarence Avant. Oprah introduced a fiery Tina Turner tribute of “Proud Mary” by Fantasia Barrino and Adam Blackstone.

SZA also took the stage – performing a medley of her larger-than-life hits “Snooze” and “Kill Bill,” joined by dancers wielding katanas.

Later, she’d take home the trophy for best R&B song — for “Snooze,” handed to her by Lizzo. SZA ran to the stage and gave a charming, out of breath speech because she was “changing, and then I took a shot,” before starting to tear up and saying, “Hi Taylor… I’m not an attractive crier. Have a good evening.”

Mariah Carey presented the night’s first award, for best pop solo performance, to Miley Cyrus for “Flowers.” It was also the singer’s first-ever Grammy.

Afterward, Luke Combs’ delivered a heartfelt rendition of “Fast Car” with Tracy Chapman – his cover of the Chapman classic has dominated country radio and won him song of the year at the 2023 CMAs. In 1989, Chapman won best pop vocal performance, female for the song.

Dua Lipa opened the show with a high-octane medley: first, a tease of her forthcoming single, “Training Season,” then, her most recent single, “Houdini,” and finally, her disco-pop “Barbie” hit “Dance the Night.”

Eilish and Finneas brought their “Barbie” ballad to the Grammys stage with live string accompaniment, the second of two songs from the blockbuster film in one hour. They were followed by Cyrus, who performed “Flowers” for the first time live on television – moments after receiving her first Grammy. 

“Why are you acting like you don’t know this song?” she teased the crowd — John Legend and wife Chrissy Teigen were among those in the audience who got up to dance — and later cheered mid-song, “I just won my first Grammy!”

Four-time Grammy host — and two time nominee — Trevor Noah greeted an excited crowd, starting things off with a kiss on the cheek from Meryl Streep. “The Grammys are gonna win as Oscar,” he joked about the moment.

Best country album went to Lainey Wilson for “Bell Bottom Country,” — her very first Grammy — as presented by Kacey Musgraves. “I’m a fifth-generation farmer’s daughter,” she told the crowd, adding that she’s a “songwriting farmer,” and that’s where the musical magic came from.

Jay-Z was awarded the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award and used his speech to talk about the hip-hop greats that came before him – and heavily suggesting at the Grammys history of placing rap on the backburner – or at the very least, not in the televised version of the show. (This year, there were no rap categories on screen, but two pop, one Latin, one country and one R&B.)

“We want you all to get it right,” he said. “At least get it close to right,” before switching focus to Beyoncé. “Most Grammys, never won album of the year. How does that work?”

Bridgers took an early lead at the Grammys, quickly winning four trophies ahead of the main telecast, with her and her boygenius bandmates bringing an infectious energy to the Premiere Ceremony.

Songwriter Justin Tranter gave her the first award Sunday, best pop duo/group performance, which went to SZA and Bridgers for “Ghost in the Machine.”

Jack Antonoff took home producer of the year, non-classical for a third year in a row, tying Babyface as the only other producer to do so consecutively. “You need the door kicked open for you,” he said in his acceptance speech. “Taylor Swift kicked that (expletive) door open for me,” referencing their work together.

The first of three new categories in 2024, best pop dance recording, was given out shortly afterward and went to Kylie Minogue for “Padam Padam” — her first win in 18 years.

About 80 Grammys were handed out pre-broadcast. Regional Mexican star Peso Pluma won his first Grammy for his first and only nomination, for best música Mexicana album for his “Genesis.”

 
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Reno, Nevada — President Joe Biden’s latest campaign swing is taking him across the country to Nevada, where the “first-in-the-West” primaries are underway with early and absentee voting. But the Democrat and his team are also using the visit to shore up support for the general election in November.

Biden was arriving in Las Vegas on Sunday for appearances through Monday after spending part of the weekend in California.

The president last visited Nevada in December, when he highlighted more than $8 billion in federal funding for passenger rail projects nationwide. On Sunday, Biden plans to meet with voters in the city’s majority-Black Historic Westside and speak with community leaders about infrastructure investments.

Michael Tyler, a spokesperson for Biden’s reelection campaign, said the president will rally supporters to vote in Tuesday’s primary and help build momentum for the fall, in what is shaping up to be a rematch of the 2020 contest against Republican Donald Trump.

 

In Tuesday’s primary, Biden faces only token opposition from author Marianne Williamson and a handful of relatively unknown challengers. He won Nevada in November 2020 by fewer than 3 percentage points.

The state known largely for its casino and hospitality industries is synonymous with split-ticket, hard-to-predict results. It has a transient, working-class population and large Latino, Filipino and Chinese American and Black communities. There is a stark rural-urban divide, with more than 88% of Nevada’s active registered voters — and much of its political power — in the two most populous counties, which include the Las Vegas and Reno metro areas.

In 2022, Democrats successfully defended their U.S. Senate seat and lost the governor’s office. The six constitutional officers elected statewide are split evenly among Democrats and Republicans.

The narrow victory of U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto helped Democrats keep control of the Senate for the remainder of Biden’s current term.

Working in Biden’s favor this year is the vast Democratic operation built by the late U.S. Sen. Harry Reid. The “Reid Machine” has for years trained operatives and retained organizers and is partially why, despite Nevada’s status as a purple state, Democrats have won every presidential election here since 2008.

But early signs show Biden could have more ground to make up than in past races. Voters are largely dissatisfied with the likely Biden-Trump rematch. A New York Times/Siena poll from November shows that Biden’s approval rating is 36% in Nevada.

“I know from my reelection, the issues that matter to Nevadans are still those kitchen table issues,” Cortez Masto said in an interview.

Biden has built his reelection campaign around the theme that Trump presents a dire threat to U.S. democracy and its founding values. The president also has championed the defense of abortion rights, recently holding his first big campaign rally, in Virginia, where the issue energized Democrats who won control of the state’s House of Delegates.

Biden also promotes his handling of the economy, arguing that his policies have created millions of jobs, combated climate change and improved American competitiveness overseas. But polls show that many voters aren’t giving his administration credit.

The Democratic National Committee last week announced a six-figure ad buy in Nevada and South Carolina, where Biden won the leadoff primary Saturday. The ads are meant to boost enthusiasm among Black, Asian and Latino voters statewide, including radio, television and digital ads in Spanish, Chinese and Tagalog, and a billboard in Las Vegas’ Chinatown.

As early voting began last weekend in Nevada, Trump asserted without evidence during a campaign rally in Las Vegas that he was the victim of the Biden administration’s weaponizing law enforcement against him. Trump has been indicted four times and faces 91 felonies.

About a mile away, Harris warned union leaders at a get-out-the-vote rally that Trump “made clear his fight is not for the people. His fight is for himself.”

Dan Lee, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said that for Biden, “the map says he has to hold on to Nevada.”

The Republican primary is also Tuesday, but the state Republican Party is holding caucuses Thursday to allocate delegates. Trump is competing in the caucuses; rival Nikki Halley opted to stay on the nonbinding primary ballot.
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MUSKOGEE, Oklahoma — The hallways of Bacone College are cold and dark. In the main hall, there are no lectures to be heard, only the steady hum of the space heater keeping the administrative offices warm. 

Students aren’t attending classes here this semester but work still needs to be done. In the college’s historic buildings, there are leaks to plug, mold to purge and priceless works of Native American art to save from ruin. Not to mention devising a plan to keep the college from shuttering for good. It’s a daunting task for the nine remaining employees. 

But on this rainy December morning, the college’s president is running a DoorDash order. “If we have the money, we can pay,” Interim President Nicky Michael said regarding salaries. 

Founded in 1880 as a Baptist missionary college focused on assimilation, Bacone College transformed into an Indigenous-led institution that provided an intertribal community, as well as a degree. With the permission of the Muscogee Nation Tribal Council, Bacone’s founders used a treaty right to establish the college at the confluence of three rivers, where tribal nations had been meeting for generations. 

Throughout the 20th century, the center of this was Bacone’s Native American art program, which produced some of the most important Indigenous artists of their time, including Woody Crumbo, Fred Beaver, Joan Hill and Ruthe Blalock Jones. 

They and their contemporaries pushed the boundaries of what was considered “Native American art.” During a period of intense hostility against tribal sovereignty by the U.S., Bacone became defined by the exchange of ideas its Native faculty and students created and represented a new opportunity for Indigenous education and academic thought. 

“Bacone was the only place in the world where that could happen for Native people,” said Robin Mayes, a Cherokee and Muscogee man who attended Bacone in the ’70s and taught silversmithing there in the ’90s. “It’s a tragedy to think that it’s going to be discontinued.”

For decades, the college has been plagued by poor financial choices and inconsistent leadership, triggering flashpoints between administration, students and staff over the mission and cultural direction of the college. 

Some have accused recent administrations of embezzlement, fraud and intimidation, resulting in multiple lawsuits. Students expressed frustration with a lack of resources and cultural competency among some school leaders. The college also has had trouble maintaining its accreditation. 

Last year, a lawsuit crippled Bacone’s finances. Ultimately, Michael made the decision to suspend classes for the spring semester. She hopes the deferment is temporary, but if the college can’t muster up millions of dollars, Oklahoma’s oldest continually operating college likely will close its doors. 

“It has endured for over 140 years through terrible decisions,” said Gerald Cournoyer, an instructor who was hired in 2019 to restart the college’s art program. 

“Providing oversight for Bacone has been a struggle because of the leadership or lack thereof,” said Cournoyer, who also is a renowned Lakota artist. Some presidents focused time and money on athletic programs, others on Bacone’s Baptist missionary roots. “When you put absolutely no money, nothing, not $20, not $10, into your fundraising efforts, this is what you get.” 

During the time Patti Jo King was the director of the Center for American Indians at Bacone from 2012 to 2018, leadership wanted to build a state-of-the-art museum to replace the 80-year-old building housing many priceless pieces of Native art. 

“We didn’t even have the money to keep it open seven days a week,” said King, now a retired Cherokee professor, writer and academic. 

Even when she first arrived on campus, King said Bacone’s financial debts already had caught up to it. The student dorms didn’t have hot water, staff were severely underpaid and graduation rates among the college’s remaining students were low. 

Still, she and other faculty endeavored to make it a place where Native students could find community, but Bacone’s old problems never went away. Like Cournoyer, after years of working toward rebuilding, she left in frustration. 

Today, the old museum is empty. Its artifacts were moved to another location so they wouldn’t be exposed to extreme temperatures. 

The remaining staff act as caretakers of the historic stone buildings that predate Oklahoma, themselves important pieces of the past. In the museum, Ataloa Lodge, the fireplace is made of stones sent to the college from Indigenous communities across the country: one from the birthplace of Sequoyah, one from the grave of Sitting Bull, another from the field where Custer died. Five hundred in all, each stone a memory. 

Michael, the interim president, and others have been cleaning up buildings in hopes they might soon host graduation banquets and student gatherings. Other staff chase off looters. Rare paintings still hang across campus, including pieces by members of the Kiowa Six, who became internationally famous a century ago, and Johnnie Diacon, a Muscogee painter and alumnus whose work can be seen in the background of several episodes of the television show Reservation Dogs. 

A few years ago, experts from a museum in Tulsa warned that many of the paintings are contaminated with mold, which will spread to other nearby works of art. Leslie Hannah, a Cherokee educator who sits on the college’s board of trustees, said he’s concerned, but the cost of restoring them falls far down the list, behind broken gas lines, flooded basements and a mountain of debt. 

Bacone’s current financial crisis stems partially from a lawsuit brought by Midgley-Huber Energy Concepts, a Utah-based heating and air company that sued the college over more than $1 million in unpaid construction and service fees. Twice last year, the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office put Bacone’s property up for sale to settle the debt. Both times the auction was called off, most recently in December. 

MHEC owner Chris Oberle told KOSU last month that he intended to purchase the historic property. Attorneys for MHEC have not returned repeated requests for comment from The Associated Press. 

Alumni have called the validity of any sale of the property into question, pointing to the  

treaty right that established the campus and its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Attorneys for the college declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation. 

Michael said she doesn’t know what stalled the auction, but she is grateful for more time to try to save Bacone. 

 
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SYDNEY — A group of prominent Australians including former politicians, diplomats and academics have called on the government to adopt “an activist middle power role” to avert U.S.-China conflict.

A group of high-profile Australians Wednesday called for the government to take action to head off conflict between the United States and China. The group, led by former Australian foreign affairs ministers Bob Carr and Gareth Evans, said in a statement that without a “comprehensive new détente,” tensions between the United States and China could escalate into a conflict that could involve Australia.

Fifty prominent Australian public figures, including former state government premiers, diplomats, writers and academics have called on the government to act as an intermediary to defuse tensions.

The group said it supports “a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region in which the United States and China respect and recognise each other as equals.”

It added that if “neither side demands absolute primacy” the risk to “global peace and prosperity” would be reduced. There has been no official comment so far from Washington or Beijing on the declaration.

China is Australia’s biggest trading partner. The center-left government of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stabilized relations with Beijing after years of disagreement and distrust over various geopolitical and trade disputes, including China’s ambitions in the Pacific and the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australia also has deep-seated security links to the United States dating back to the early 1950s.

Carr told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.that Australia has the opportunity to act as an honest broker between the United States and China.

“Australia’s role is to plant the notion of greater collaboration and less adversarial talk in the relationship,” he said. “Taiwan, the most challenging diplomatic question here, provides a perfect opportunity of diplomatic language being an alternative to a descent into conflict and argument that could give rise to war.”

The Australian government has previously conceded that there will be differences and difficulties in its bilateral relationship with China.

The government is pushing ahead with plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS accord with the United States and Britain.

Analysts say that China’s increasing assertiveness is a key motivation behind the trilateral AUKUS agreement, but China has accused the three countries of a “Cold War mentality,” saying the alliance was embarking on a “path of error and danger.” 
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COLUMBIA, South carolina — U.S. President Joe Biden is looking for an easy victory Saturday in South Carolina’s Democratic primary that officially kicks off his party’s nominating process, validating a new lineup he championed to better empower Black voters who helped revive his 2020 campaign. 

Biden is overwhelmingly favored against Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson. Yet the long and sometimes contentious process that saw the Democratic National Committee officially replace Iowa with South Carolina in its presidential primary’s leadoff spot has made what’s unfolding noteworthy. 

The Republicans’ South Carolina primary is February 24. 

Arguing that voters of color should play a larger role in determining the Democratic presidential nominee, Biden championed a calendar beginning in South Carolina. The state is reliably Republican, but 26% of its residents are Black. 

“South Carolina, you are the first primary in the nation and President Biden, and I are counting on you,” Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday during a campaign stop at historically Black South Carolina State in Orangeburg. The president and first lady Jill Biden also recently campaigned in the state. 

In the 2020 general election, Black voters made up 11% of the national electorate, and 9 in 10 of them supported Biden, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of that election’s voters. 

Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison, a South Carolina native, said before he voted that Biden’s push on behalf of the state showed the president’s commitment to Black voters. 

“We all know that we, because of the color of this, we, our great grandparents, our grandparents, could not always vote here,” said Harrison, who is Black, as he pointed to his own skin. “For this president to say, ‘Jaime, for the entirety of your life, we have started this process in Iowa and New Hampshire, and now, we’re going to start it in South Carolina’ — no other president before ever decided to touch that issue. But Joe Biden did, and I will always be grateful to the president for giving us a chance, for seeing us, and understanding how much we matter.” 

Primaries held in new order

Biden pushed for South Carolina to go first followed three days later by Nevada. The new calendar also moves the Democratic primary of Michigan — a large and diverse swing state — to February 27, before the expansive field of states voting on March 5, known as Super Tuesday. 

South Carolina was also where Biden reversed his fortunes with a resounding victory during the 2020 Democratic primary after defeats in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. 

Many Black Democrats in South Carolina are still loyal to Biden after he was vice president to the nation’s first Black president, Barack Obama. The state’s senior member of the U.S. House, Democrat Jim Clyburn, long one of Congress’ most powerful Black leaders, remains a close friend and ally of Biden. 

“I wouldn’t be here without the Democratic voters of South Carolina, and that’s a fact,” Biden said at the state’s Democratic Party’s “First-in-the-Nation” celebration dinner last weekend. “You’re the reason I am president.” 

The DNC sponsored a six-figure ad campaign across the state and Nevada to boost enthusiasm for the president among Black and Latino voters. Nevada’s population is 30% Latino. 

Black voters interviewed during the recent early voting period listed a range of reasons for supporting Biden, from his administration’s defense of abortion rights to appointing Black jurists and other minorities to the federal courts. Some echoed Biden’s warnings that former President Donald Trump, the heavy front-runner for the Republican nomination, would threaten democracy as he continues to push lies that the 2020 vote was stolen. 

“We can’t live with a leader that will make this into a dictatorship. We can’t live in a place that is not a democracy. That will be a fall for America,” said LaJoia Broughton, a 42-year-old small business owner in Columbia. “So, my vote is with Biden. It has been with Biden and will continue to be with Biden.” 

Some voters said they were concerned about the 81-year-old Biden’s age, as many Americans also have said in public polling. Trump is 77. Both men have had a series of public flubs that have fueled skepticism about their readiness. 

“They’re as old as I am and to have these two guys be the only choices, that’s kind of difficult,” said Charles Trower, a 77-year-old from Blythewood, South Carolina. “But I would much rather have President Biden than even consider the other guy.” 

Democratic establishment backs Biden

New Hampshire held a primary last week that defied the new calendar and wasn’t sanctioned by the DNC. Still, Biden won the state via write-in and a big South Carolina victory could begin to allay concerns of a majority of voters, as even most Democrats don’t want him seeking a second term. 

In the meantime, the Democratic establishment — and even potential presidential hopefuls who could have competed against the president from the left or middle — have lined up behind Biden. The DNC also isn’t planning primary debates, while Phillips has challenged his name not appearing on primary ballots in Florida and North Carolina. 

The president’s reelection campaign says it’s already focusing on November’s general election, and Harris used her Friday appearance, saying of Trump “it is on us, then, to recognize the profound threat he poses to our democracy and to our freedoms.” 

“Across our nation, our fundamental freedoms are at stake,” Harris said. “It does not have to be this way.” 

Trump has in turn accused Biden of threatening democracy, while downplaying his role in promoting falsehoods about election fraud embraced by the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. 

Biden’s campaign, the DNC and its other fundraising arms announced raising $97-plus million in the final three months of last year and entered 2024 with $117.4 million in cash on hand.

Trump amassed about $130 million in 2023’s final quarter and had $42-plus million to start the election year. 
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WASHINGTON — The United States launched airstrikes on Iraqi and Syrian targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and the militias Tehran backs, following an attack on one of the many sites across the Middle East where the U.S. has a military presence.

Here is what we know about the U.S. military presence in the Middle East:

Where are US bases in the Middle East?

The U.S. has operated bases around the Middle East for decades. At its peak, there were more than 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2011 and over 160,000 personnel in Iraq in 2007.

While the number is far lower after withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, there are still about 30,000 U.S. troops scattered across the region. In addition, since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, the U.S. has temporarily sent thousands of additional troops to the region, including on warships.

The largest U.S. base in the Middle East is located in Qatar, known as Al Udeid Air Base and built in 1996. Other countries where the U.S. has a presence include Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The U.S. has roughly 900 troops in Syria, in small bases like al Omar Oil field and al-Shaddadi mostly in the northeast of the country. There is a small outpost near the county’s border with Iraq and Jordan, known as the Al Tanf garrison.

There are 2,500 personnel in Iraq, spread around facilities like Union III and Ain al-Asad air base, though talks are ongoing about the future of those troops.

Why are US troops stationed in the region?

U.S. troops are stationed in the Middle East for different reasons and with the exception of Syria, they are there with the permission of each country’s government.

In some countries like Iraq and Syria, U.S. troops are there to fight against Islamic State militants and are also helping advise local forces. But they have come under attack from Iran-backed forces over the past several years and have taken action against them. 

Jordan, a key U.S. ally in the region, has hundreds of U.S. trainers and they hold extensive exercises throughout the year.

In other cases, like in Qatar and the UAE, U.S. troops have a presence to reassure allies, carry out training and are used as needed in operations in the region.

Are there foreign military bases in the US?

While Washington’s allies sometimes send their troops to train or work with U.S. troops, there are no foreign military bases inside the U.S.

Tower 22 in Jordan

Tower 22, a base in Jordan at the most northeastern point where the country’s borders meet Syria and Iraq, was hit in a drone attack on January 28 that killed three Army Reserve soldiers.

Washington blamed Iran-backed, Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah.

Specifically, Tower 22 is near Al Tanf garrison, which is located across the border in Syria, and which houses a small number of U.S. troops. Tanf had been key in the fight against Islamic State and has assumed a role as part of a U.S. strategy to contain Iran’s military build-up in eastern Syria.

Do US bases in the region get attacked often?

U.S. bases are highly guarded facilities, including with air defense systems to protect against missiles or drones.

Facilities in countries like Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait are not usually attacked.

But U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have come under frequent attack in recent years. Since October 7, U.S. troops have been attacked more than 160 times by Iran-backed militia, injuring about 80 troops, even prior to Sunday’s attack on Tower 22, which injured around 40 more.

A new wave of violence in the Middle East erupted after October 7 when Islamist Palestinian Hamas fighters burst into Israel and killed 1,200 Israelis and took 253 others hostage. In response, Israel unleashed a military campaign that has killed more than 27,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities, and caused a severe humanitarian crisis in the densely populated Gaza Strip. 
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