Speeches and Statements
Vladimir Putin When Cornered Is More Dangerous Than Ever
Vladimir V. Putin’s menacing televised address on Wednesday was much more than a bid to change the course of his faltering war against Ukraine. It attempted to invert a war of aggression against a neighbor into one of defense of a threatened “motherland,” a theme that resonates with Russians steeped in patriotic history. Mr. Putin, […]
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Biden Will Push Congress for a Three-Month Gas Tax Holiday
WASHINGTON — President Biden plans to call on Congress on Wednesday to temporarily suspend the federal gas tax, an effort to dampen the soaring fuel prices that have stoked frustration across the United States. During a speech on Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Biden will ask Congress to lift the federal taxes — about 18 cents per […]
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Biden Will Urge Lawmakers to Pass Gun Laws in Speech on Mass Shootings
WASHINGTON — President Biden demanded on Thursday that lawmakers respond to communities turned into “killing fields” by passing far-reaching limits on guns, calling on Congress to ban assault-style weapons, expand background checks and pass “red flag” laws after massacres in Texas and New York. In a rare evening address to the nation, Mr. Biden dared […]
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Full Transcript: Biden’s Speech on Gun Control
Enough, enough. We should limit how many rounds a weapon can hold. Why in God’s name should an ordinary citizen be able to purchase an assault weapon that holds 30-round magazines that let mass shooters fire hundreds of bullets in a matter of minutes? The damage was so devastating in Uvalde parents had to do […]
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Yellen Calls on Europe to Boost Ukraine Aid
BRUSSELS — Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen urged European nations on Tuesday to step up their spending to support Ukraine as Russia’s attacks on the country’s critical infrastructure showed few signs of abating. The United States and Europe have coordinated closely in enacting sweeping sanctions against Russia in the nearly three months since its president, […]
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Obama Calls for More Oversight of Social Media in Speech at Stanford
PALO ALTO, Calif. — Former President Barack Obama on Thursday called for greater regulatory oversight of the country’s social media giants, saying their power to curate the information that people consume has “turbocharged” political polarization and threatened the pillars of democracy across the globe. Weighing in on the debate over how to address the spread […]
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Biden’s Barbed Remark About Putin: A Slip or a Veiled Threat?
WARSAW — They were among the final few words of a carefully crafted speech. But they strayed far from the delicate balance that President Biden had tried to strike during three days of wartime diplomacy in Europe. “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Mr. Biden said Saturday, his cadence slowing for emphasis. […]
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Invoking America’s Darkest Days, Zelensky Pleads for More U.S. Aid
WASHINGTON — President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine invoked the memory of America’s darkest days on Wednesday as he pleaded for more military aid to combat Russia’s “inhumane destruction” of his country, directly challenging President Biden and members of Congress to help by showing a wrenching video of the carnage in Ukraine’s cities. Appearing before Congress […]
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Unity in a Foreign Policy Crisis, but Questions Still to be Answered
WASHINGTON — President Biden’s challenge on Tuesday night was to unite Americans behind his confrontation with a brutal Russian leader who has shattered more than three decades of post-Cold War peace without setting off fears that the return of superpower conflict will inflict an unacceptable cost. Even as scenes of ruin were being flashed to […]
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