The State Department said in a readout of the call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi that Blinken “expressed his concerns regarding rocket attacks on Israel and his condolences for the lives lost as a result.”
“The Secretary and the Foreign Minister also discussed the violence in Jerusalem, in particular on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount and in Sheikh Jarrah. The Secretary reiterated his call on all parties to deescalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence, which has claimed the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, including children. The Secretary emphasized the need for Israelis and Palestinians to be able to live in safety and security, as well as enjoy equal measures of freedom, security, prosperity, and democracy,” the readout continued.
The Financial Times and The Guardian both reported that the Biden administration had finalized its pick of Emanuel to serve as its envoy in Japan, an increasingly important ally as the U.S. seeks to address Chinese influence.
Both news outlets reported that Biden would announce Emanuel s nomination later this month as part of a larger rollout of ambassador picks.
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The State Department did not respond to a request for comment, and the White House has remained mum about potential ambassadorships as reports have trickled out.
The Hill first reported in February that Emanuel was favored to be Biden s pick for ambassador to Japan. He was briefly considered for the same post in China, but that role is likely to go to a more experienced diplomatic hand.
At 78, Biden is the oldest president in U.S. history. Biden last released a medical assessment, completed by his physician, Kevin O’Connor, in December 2019 during the presidential campaign.
That report described Biden as a “healthy, vigorous, 77-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.” It also said Biden had an irregular heartbeat but that the condition did not require any medication or treatment. At the time, Biden was taking a blood thinner.
After he took office, Biden replaced former President Trump
The White House is likely to face pressure to share more information about Biden’s health after Conley repeatedly dodged questions about Trump s health during news conferences when he received treatment for COVID-19 last year.
We re just getting there now to the degree that I think you re going to see a more aggressive effort on our part to lay out that once vaccinated, it s not only you can hug your grandchildren. You can do a lot more, Biden said.
Biden made the comments during a conversation with six governors on ways to boost vaccinations, and after Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) asked the White House to do more.
ADVERTISEMENT That s one area where we could use some help from the White House and others, and that is modeling what a fully vaccinated person can do, Cox said. I like to state: We have fully vaccinated people; we should start acting like it.
“My administration is committed to safeguarding our critical infrastructure, much of which is privately owned and managed like Colonial,” Biden said at the White House. “Private entities are making their own determinations on cybersecurity.”
The Colonial Pipeline hack has shined a light on long standing concerns around private industry owning and operating the vast majority of the nation’s critical infrastructure, often leading to less transparency for the federal government into security operations.
It has also raised concerns that the oil and gas sector has less oversight than other utilities.
In the wake of the ransomware attack on the pipeline carried out by a criminal organization known as DarkSide, according to the FBI officials are taking a closer look at the sector.