POLITICS

Smoke rose from strikes on Gaza's crowded southern city of Rafah Thursday after US President Joe Biden vowed to cut off artillery shells and other weapons supplied to Israel if a full-scale offensive into the city goes ahead.

President Joe Biden expressed concerns in a CNN interview that former President Donald Trump would refuse to accept the results of the upcoming presidential election.

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic reaffirmed his strong support for China's sovereignty over Taiwan Wednesday as he gave a lavish welcome to President Xi Jinping, who is seeking to deepen political and economic ties with friendlier countries in Europe.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, signed SB 189 into law, introducing stricter rules for removing voters from the rolls and easing ballot access for independent presidential candidates.

Blinken led the US delegation at a meeting in the Guatemalan capital of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, a cooperation framework agreed to at a summit in California in 2022.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks with his Serbian counterpart in Belgrade on Wednesday, as Beijing seeks to deepen its political and economic ties with friendlier countries in Europe.

However, he allowed a motion by Trump's attorneys to strike certain testimony from the record. Defense lawyers had sought to scrap the trial entirely after Daniels testified about her alleged encounter with Trump.

Daniels' testimony is providing a pivotal moment in the courtroom drama rocking the scandal-plagued Republican's attempt to recapture the White House in November.

Trump, fined $10,000 for breaching the order 10 times, said he would rather go to jail for breaching the gag order imposed by a judge in New York than comply with the ruling.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Speaker Mike Johnson engaged in a nearly two-hour meeting, hinting at efforts to defuse tensions between them.

Senator Bernie Sanders announced his intention to seek a fourth term in the Senate, dispelling retirement rumors.

President Joe Biden on Monday "reiterated his clear position" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against an invasion of Rafah, the White House said, after Israel defied U.S. warnings and told Palestinians to evacuate part of the southern Gaza city.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced Monday he is heading to Russia on a "working visit," as old allies Havana and Moscow strengthen ties under a recently initiated rapprochement.

Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his ballot Tuesday in India's ongoing general election after giving several inflammatory campaign speeches accused of targeting minority Muslims.

Israeli officials were puzzled by the decision, initially linking it to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned operation in Rafah. However, reports suggest the incident might be unrelated to the invasion threats.

Former President Donald Trump, embroiled in legal battles, criticized President Joe Biden's administration, likening it to a "Gestapo administration" at a private event in Florida. Both the White House and Biden's re-election campaign slammed Trump for the comparison.

Charlie Spies, the head counsel of the Republican National Committee (RNC), said that working with the RNC "wasn't the right fit", citing his commitments at his law firm.