Biden faces political threat with East Palestine train derailment

Published

2 years ago

February 24, 2023

admin

President Biden and the White House face a political threat over the fallout from the administration’s response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment that has left residents of East Palestine, Ohio, scared and frustrated.

Republicans have gone on the attack over the Feb. 3 derailment, questioning the urgency of the administration’s response and asking why Biden has not visited the impacted community.

Former President Trump on Wednesday accused the Biden administration of “indifference and betrayal” toward East Palestine during a visit there, while the mayor of the village called it a “slap in the face” that Biden went to Europe before visiting the site of a potential environmental disaster. The White House said Biden has not spoken to the mayor.

It’s not as if Biden is at a political low point.

He returned late Wednesday from a dramatic trip to Ukraine and Poland to mark the anniversary of Russia’s invasion, completing a secretive and complex visit to an active war zone with no U.S. military presence.

That visit was a sign of the president’s strength and will be used by the White House and Biden allies to both shore up support for the Western effort to back Kyiv and to counter any suggestion that Biden lacks the strength and energy to do his job.

It is part of a broadly successful several weeks for Biden, who put Republicans on defense over Social Security and Medicare during his State of the Union address. The president’s approval rating increased to 49 percent, according to an NPR poll released Wednesday; it’s his highest mark in nearly a year.

Yet there are real risks to the train derailment story, which took place in the traditional swing state of Ohio that has in the last decade seemingly turned against the president’s party. Fallout from the train derailment has also hit the swing state of Pennsylvania.

Republicans have made pointed arguments directed toward both Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited East Palestine on Thursday. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has called on the secretary resign.

Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), who represents the area where the derailment occurred, gave Buttigieg an “F” for his response to the toxic chemical spill in an interview with Fox News on Feb. 18.

“I mean, he hasn’t shown up,” Johnson said.

Trump, who is running for president next year, clearly saw a political opportunity in his visit, meeting with first responders, local officials and Ohio Republicans and promising to deliver his namesake water to the community.

Separately, reporters peppered White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre with questions about why Biden does not yet have plans to visit Ohio. She argued there was no reason to “struggle” over why the president hasn’t been there yet.

Buttigieg himself admitted Thursday that he could have spoken out sooner about the crash.

At the same time, both Buttigieg and Jean-Pierre sought to go on offense on Thursday, focusing on what the administration has done while taking to task Trump and other Republicans for opposing safety regulations.

Buttigieg called on the former president to support the Biden administration reversing Trump-era deregulation, saying “we’re not afraid to own our policies when it comes to raising the bar on regulation.”

Jean-Pierre said attacks on Buttigieg were in “bad faith” because former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao wasn’t attacked when similar types of chemical spills occurred during her time as head of the agency.

“There’s been a lot of bad faith attacks on Secretary Buttigieg. Why we believe it’s bad faith is if you remember, Elaine Chao … she was the head of the Department of Transportation and when there was these types of chemical spills, nobody was calling for her to be fired,” Jean-Pierre said.

“It is pure politics,” she added.

Jean-Pierre spent much of Thursday’s press briefing focused on visits this week by both Buttigieg and Environmental Protection Agency head Michael Regan.

Buttigieg’s visit aligned with the release of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) initial findings from the investigation into the derailment that tentatively corroborated reports that a wheel bearing severely overheated ahead of the accident.

The Transportation Department also defended the timing of the secretary’s trip, saying Buttigieg wanted to “go when it is appropriate and wouldn’t detract from the emergency response efforts.”

The White House and the Transportation Department have both said that the EPA is taking the lead on the federal response to hold Norfolk Southern accountable, noting those officials arrived at the site early on Feb. 4, hours after the crash.

Others argued that Buttigieg represented the White House well when he went to East Palestine.

“His presence represents not only transportation, but also represents the White House’s commitment to this issue,” said Brandon Neal, an Obama Transportation Department alum and former Buttigieg campaign adviser.

The White House in recent days has blamed Republicans for pushing to loosen railway and environmental regulations. Railway companies themselves have spent millions on lobbying efforts to kill bills in Congress and in state legislatures that aim to implement any further safety standards.

Andrew Bates, a deputy White House press secretary, accused Republicans of laying the groundwork for the situation in East Palestine by opposing tougher regulations on the rail industry and seeking to rollback environmental rules around drinking water.

Abdullah Hassan, an assistant press secretary at the White House, shared a readout on Wednesday detailing what the Federal Railroad Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration have been doing on the ground to aid an investigation into the derailment.

“While some have been exploiting the people of East Palestine for their own self-interest, others have been doing the actual work of holding Norfolk Southern accountable for the company’s mess,” Hassan tweeted.

Biden lost Ohio in 2020 to Trump, who received more than 53 percent of the vote. A Democrat hasn’t won Ohio in a presidential race since 2012, but Democrats were surprisingly competitive there in last year’s Senate race, where Republicans spent big to ensure GOP Sen. J.D. Vance defeated former Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan.

East Palestine is located in Columbiana County where 71 percent of voters backed Trump in 2020. It also sits near the border of Pennsylvania, another high-stakes state crucial to victory.

At least one Democrat has joined the Republican chorus of criticizing the Biden administration for the timing of its response. Marjorie Taylor Greene to introduce bill to audit US aid to Ukraine Club Q shooting suspect to be held without bond ahead of jury trial

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va), whose state also sits on the border with Ohio, said in a statement that the Biden administration had failed to “step up to the plate.”

“[I]t is unacceptable that it took nearly two weeks for a senior Administration official to show up,” Manchin said the day Regan visited the site on Feb. 16. “The damage done to East Palestine and the surrounding region is awful and it’s past time for those responsible to step up to the plate.”

This week, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the only other GOP-declared 2024 contender besides Trump, quipped: “Biden’s over in Poland but shouldn’t he be with those people in Ohio?”

World

Ukrainian frontline commander warns: ‘The world is scared of Russia and losing is not only our problem’

Published

2 hours ago

November 14, 2024

admin

Ukrainian frontline commander warns: 'The world is scared of Russia and losing is not only our problem'

In the courtyard of a farmhouse now home to soldiers of the Ukrainian army’s 47th mechanised brigade, I’m introduced to a weary-looking unit by their commander Captain Oleksandr “Sasha” Shyrshyn.

We are about 10km from the border with Russia, and beyond it lies the Kursk region Ukraine invaded in the summer – and where this battalion is now fighting.

The 47th is a crack fighting assault unit.

They’ve been brought to this area from the fierce battles in the country’s eastern Donbas region to bolster Ukrainian forces already here.

War latest: Russia ready to carry out ‘massive attack’

Captain Shyrshyn explains that among the many shortages the military has to deal with, the lack of infantry is becoming a critical problem.

Sasha is just 30 years old, but he is worldly-wise. He used to run an organisation helping children in the country’s east before donning his uniform and going to war.

He is famous in Ukraine and is regarded as one of the country’s top field commanders, who isn’t afraid to express his views on the war and how it’s being waged.

His nom de guerre is ‘Genius’, a nickname given to him by his men.

‘Don’t worry, it’s not a minefield’

Sasha invited me to see one of the American Bradley fighting vehicles his unit uses.

We walk down a muddy lane before he says it’s best to go cross-country.

“We can go that way, don’t worry it’s not a minefield,” he jokes.

He leads us across a muddy field and into a forest where the vehicle is hidden from Russian surveillance drones that try to hunt both American vehicles and commanders.

Sasha shows me a picture of the house they had been staying in only days before – it was now completely destroyed after a missile strike.

Fortunately, neither he, nor any of his men, were there at the time.

“They target commanders,” he says with a smirk.

‘The world is scared of Russia’

It takes me a moment or two to realise we are only a few steps away from the Bradley, dug in and well hidden beneath the trees.

Sasha tells me the Bradley is the finest vehicle he has ever used.

A vehicle so good, he says, it’s keeping the Ukrainian army going in the face of Russia’s overwhelming numbers of soldiers.

He explains: “Almost all our work on the battlefield is cooperation infantry with the Bradley. So we use it for evacuations, for moving people from one place to another, as well as for fire-covering.

“This vehicle is very safe and has very good characteristics.”

Billions of dollars in military aid has been given to Ukraine by the United States, and this vehicle is one of the most valuable assets the US has provided.

Ukraine is running low on men to fight, and the weaponry it has is not enough, especially if it can’t fire long-range missiles into Russia itself – which it is currently not allowed to do.

If President-elect Donald Trump cuts the supply of military aid, the Ukrainians will lose – it’s that simple.

Sasha says: “We have a lack of weapons, we have a lack of artillery, we have a lack of infantry, and as the world doesn’t care about justice, and they don’t want to finish the war by our win, they are afraid of Russia.

“I’m sorry but they’re scared, they’re scared, and it’s not the right way.”

Like pretty much everyone in Ukraine, Sasha is waiting to see what the US election result will mean for his country.

He is sceptical about a deal with Russia.

“Our enemy only understands the language of power. And you cannot finish the war in 24 hours, or during the year without hard decisions, without a fight, so it’s impossible. It’s just talking without results,” he tells me.

‘Losing will be not only our problem’

These men expect the fierce battles inside Kursk to intensify in the coming days.

Indeed, alongside the main supply route into Kursk, workers are already building new defensive positions – unfurling miles of razor wire and digging bunkers for the Ukrainian army if it finds itself in retreat.

Sasha and his men are realistic about support fatigue from the outside world but will keep fighting to the last if they have to.

“I understand this is only our problem, it’s only our issue, and we have to fight this battle, like we have to defend ourselves, it’s our responsibility,” Sasha said.

But he points out everyone should realise just how critical this moment in time is.

“If we look at it widely, we have to understand that us losing will be not only our problem, but it will be for all the world.”

Stuart Ramsay reports from northeastern Ukraine with camera operator Toby Nash, and producers Dominique Van Heerden, Azad Safarov, and Nick Davenport.

World

Spain flooding: New weather warnings issued – as country counts flooding cost

Published

2 hours ago

November 14, 2024

admin

Spain flooding: New weather warnings issued - as country counts flooding cost

A weather warning has been issued for parts of Spain, as the country counts the cost of recent flooding.

The orange warnings are in place for parts of southwestern Spain – the area around Seville down towards Gibraltar.

Up to 8cm (3ins) of rain could fall within 12 hours, but the weekend looks much more settled in the country.

The latest warnings come just two weeks after flash flooding in Valencia and other parts of the country killed more than 200 people.

Malaga saw 14.2cm (5.6ins) of rainfall on Wednesday – Spain’s highest of the day – most of which fell in six hours.

All train services were halted in Malaga. Some flights have now resumed after the initial disruption.

Emergency services in the province have moved 3,000 people from homes at risk of flooding close to the Guadalhorce River in the west of the city.

Jamie Marchant, 29, from Caerphilly in South Wales travelled to Malaga last Wednesday.

He told Sky News that “debris” had been left behind by the recent rainfall in the region.

“Everyone is pitching in to clean up and some shops are opening as usual,” he added.

Orange warnings for the Valencia region in eastern Spain expired earlier on Thursday.

The adverse weather could lead to total insured losses of more than €4bn (£3.33bn), according to credit rating agency Morningstar DBRS.

Much of the claims are expected to be covered by the Spanish government’s insurance pool, the agency said, but insurance premiums are likely to increase.

World

Man suspected of supplying small boats for Channel migrant crossings arrested at Amsterdam airport

Published

2 hours ago

November 14, 2024

admin

Man suspected of supplying small boats for Channel migrant crossings arrested at Amsterdam airport

A man accused of being a major supplier of the boats and engines used by cross-Channel people smugglers to bring migrants to the UK has been arrested.

The Turkish national, 44, was held at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Wednesday and faces extradition to Belgium to face human smuggling charges, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

He is suspected of supplying the engines and boats used by traffickers to bring migrants across the Channel.

The equipment was shipped from Turkey and stored in Germany before being brought to northern France when needed.

NCA director general Rob Jones hailed the arrest as an “important milestone” in one of its most “significant investigations into organised immigration crime”.

“We suspect that this individual is a major supplier of boats and engines to the smugglers operating in Belgium and northern France,” he said.

“The types of vessels and engines we see used in making these crossings are highly dangerous and completely unfit for open water.

“At least 50 people are known to have died this year as a result. There is no legitimate use for them.”

More than 32,000 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year after crossing the Channel.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the arrest as a “significant piece of the jigsaw” in tackling Channel crossings, but added: “I’m not pretending it’s the silver bullet.”

He vowed the government would “treat people smugglers like terrorists” as he announced an extra £75m for his border security command during a speech at the Interpol general assembly in Glasgow last week.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “We will relentlessly pursue the criminal smuggling gangs making millions out of small boat crossings that undermine our border security and put lives at risk.

“This major investigation shows how important it is for our crime fighting agencies to be working hand in glove with our international partners to get results.”

The NCA said it is leading around 70 ongoing investigations into networks or people “in the top tier” of organised immigration crime or people trafficking and stressed the importance of working with its counterparts in Europe.

A spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s office of West Flanders said: “International cooperation is crucial in the fight against human smuggling, and the arrest of this suspect through close cooperation with our UK and Dutch partners demonstrates our ongoing commitment to partnership working.

“Human smuggling criminals do not respect national borders, and we will relentlessly pursue these criminals through working internationally.”