World must stand up to Russia’s ‘naked aggression’, Joe Biden warns
Joe Biden has said the world must stand up to Russia’s “naked aggression” and support the people of Ukraine.
Speaking to the UN General Assembly, he said Moscow alone bears responsibility for the war, stands in the way of peace, and has the power to end the conflict immediately.
The US president urged UN members to continue supporting Ukraine – as failure to do so will allow Russia to brutalise the country without compromise.
Mr Biden said: “If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure? I respectfully suggest the answer is no – we have to stand up to this naked aggression today and deter the would-be aggressors of tomorrow.”
He vowed that the US “will continue to stand with the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereignty, territorial integrity and freedom”.
The president’s remarks attracted applause from UN delegates – including his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was in the audience.
Earlier on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had warned Russia’s invasion “has unleashed a nexus of horror”.
But back in Washington, Mr Biden has faced criticism from Republicans who want the US to spend less money on the war effort – with Donald Trump vowing to seek a quick end to the conflict if he is re-elected in the 2024 presidential election.
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‘An existential threat’
In a wide-ranging speech, Mr Biden warned the world is at an “inflection point in history” – and no nation can meet the challenges of today alone.
“Our future is bound to yours,” he said.
One area of focus was climate change – with the US president telling delegates it is “critical” to decelerate the crisis.
“We see it everywhere – record-breaking heatwaves in the US and China, wildfires ravaging North America and southern Europe, a fifth year of drought in the Horn of Africa,” he said.
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Mr Biden also pointed to “tragic, tragic” flooding in Libya that has killed thousands of people – and said his heart goes out to those who have been displaced.
“Together, these snapshots tell an urgent story of what awaits us if we fail to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and begin to climate-proof the world,” he added.
The US president went on to say that his administration has treated the climate crisis as an existential threat from the day he took office – “not only for us, but for all of humanity”.
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On China and artificial intelligence
Mr Biden also told the UN General Assembly in New York that “AI holds enormous potential and enormous peril” – and the world needs to ensure they are used as “tools of opportunity, not weapons of oppression”.
He added: “The US is working to strengthen rules and policies so AI technologies are safe before they’re released to the public.”
The president said world leaders need to make sure they are governing this technology, rather than the other way around.
And on China, Mr Biden stressed he wants to responsibly manage competition between both countries to prevent tensions from tipping over into conflict.
“We are for derisking, not decoupling with China,” he said. “We will push back on aggression and intimidation and protect the rules of the road. We also stand ready to work together with China where progress hinges on our common efforts.”
Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”
He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.
O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.
“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Donald Trump secured a second term. Pic: AP
O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.
She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.
O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.
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This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.
But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.
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Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.
“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.
“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.”
A farmer who fell from a greenhouse roof during an anti-immigrant raid at a licensed cannabis facility in California this week has died of his injuries.
Jaime Alanis, 57, is the first person to die as a result of Donald Trump’s Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) raids.
His niece, Yesenia Duran, posted on the fundraising site GoFundMe to say her uncle was his family’s only provider and he had been sending his earnings back to his wife and daughter in Mexico.
The United Food Workers said Mr Alanis had worked on the farm for 10 years.
“These violent and cruel federal actions terrorise American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,” the union said in a recent statement on X.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it executed criminal search warrants at Glass House Farms facilities on Thursday.
Mr Alanis called family to say he was hiding and possibly fleeing agents before he fell around 30ft (9m) from the roof and broke his neck, according to information from family, hospital and government sources.
Agents arrested 200 people suspected of being in the country illegally and identified at least 10 immigrant children on the sites, the DHS said in a statement.
Mr Alanis was not among them, the agency said.
“This man was not in and has not been in CBP (Customs and Border Protection) or ICE custody,” DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said.
“Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a greenhouse and fell 30ft. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.”
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Four US citizens were arrested during the incident for allegedly “assaulting or resisting officers”, the DHS said, and authorities were offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person suspected of firing a gun at federal agents.
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In a statement, Glass House, a licensed Cannabis grower, said immigration agents had valid warrants. It said workers were detained and it is helping provide them with legal representation.
“Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors,” it added.
Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”
He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.
O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.
“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Donald Trump secured a second term. Pic: AP
O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.
She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.
O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.
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Will Trump address parliament on UK state visit?
This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.
But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.
Read more from Sky News:
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Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.
“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.
“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.”
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