Kamala Harris stumbles over her words in Ghana speech: 'A lot of that work is the work that I am here to do' - Fox News

Vice President Kamala Harris stumbled over her words during a speech in Ghana Monday, serving up yet another word salad on the world stage. 

"There are a number of things on the issue of the economy as a whole that we must do … and a lot of that work is the work that I am here to do on the continent," Harris said during a joint conference with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo.

Harris, who has been compared to the hapless main character of HBO show "Veep" by "The Daily Show," was in Africa to strengthen U.S. ties to the region. China has increased its influence on the continent as part of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative. 

KAMALA HARRIS' LATEST WORD SALAD HONORS 'WOMEN WHO MADE HISTORY THROUGHOUT HISTORY' FOR WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered another halting, repetitive speech, this time in Ghana as part of the Biden administration's push to build closer ties with Africa. (Reuters/Hannah Beier)

Harris continued: "As you have mentioned, we have had today, this afternoon, a wide-ranging discussion." 

"We have discussed a number of important topics," Harris said, repeating herself, "including the importance of concepts and priorities such as freedom and liberty."

Harris, who is 58, also reflected on the age of people in Africa. 

"The median age on the continent of Africa is 19. Think about what that means in terms of potential," she said. "Think about the fact that by 2050, one in four people occupying a place on Mother Earth will be on this continent, and what that means."

HARRIS HEARS BOOS AT MARCH MADNESS GAME, FACES RIDICULE FOR SPEECH TO HOWARD PLAYERS AFTER LOSS

Vice President Kamala Harris has often been criticized for awkward moments in public remarks. 

Harris also drew ridicule last week during a speech she gave on Women’s History Month, during which she repeated the word "history" multiple times. 

"So, during Women’s History Month, we celebrate and we honor the women who made history throughout history, who saw what could be unburdened by what had been," Harris said. 

Her delivery was widely mocked online, with one columnist, Ryan Ledendecker, calling the speech "[a]bsolute cringe." 

KAMALA HARRIS ROASTED FOR DODGING COLBERT'S QUESTION ON HER ROLE AS VP: 'WE'RE ALL WONDERING THAT'

Vice President speaking at a White House event commemorating womens' history 

On another occasion, Harris spoke at length on Venn diagrams.

"I love Venn diagrams," Harris said during a climate crisis event with Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in January.  

"I do. I love Venn diagrams. So, the three circles — and you can do more! Nobody says a Venn diagram has to only be three circles, right?"

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Fox News’ Alexander Hall contributed to this report.

Jeffrey Clark is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. He has previously served as a speechwriter for a cabinet secretary and as a Fulbright teacher in South Korea. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a degree in English and History. 

Story tips can be sent to jeffrey.clark@fox.com.

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Ukraine calls for emergency UN Security Council meeting over Putin nuke plan - New York Post

Ukraine on Sunday called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to place tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry condemned Putin’s plot in a statement, saying it “expects effective action to counter the Kremlin’s nuclear blackmail by the UK, China, the US and France.”

“The world must be united against someone who endangers the future of human civilization,” the statement said.

In a saber-rattling interview on state TV Saturday, Putin said the move to station the weapons in Belarus was meant as a warning to the West after Great Britain’s decision last week to send armor-piercing rounds filled with depleted uranium to Ukrainian forces.

Russia would keep control over the weapons, Putin said. Storage facilities would be ready by July 1.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said the maneuver would undermine nuclear nonproliferation treaties. Putin has denied this.

Putin announced his decision to move nukes into Belarus on Russian state TV Saturday.

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A White House spokesman said the Biden administration was closely monitoring the issue, noting the US hadn’t seen evidence that Putin had moved the weapons or that he planned to use them against Ukrainians.

“We’ve seen nothing that would cause us to change our own strategic deterrent posture,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

Putin claimed he wasn’t doing anything the US hadn’t done for decades — Washington has nuclear weapons in Belgium, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey.

“We are doing what they have been doing for decades, stationing them in certain allied countries, preparing the launch platforms and training their crews,” he said.

Oana Lungescu, NATO’s spokesperson, dismissed the Russian strongman’s statement as “totally misleading.”

“NATO allies act with full respect of their international commitments,” Lungescu said in a tweet. “Russia has consistently broken its arms control commitments.”

Russia test launches a ballistic missile that could be used to launch its nuclear arsenal.

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Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry claims moving nukes into Belarus undermines nuclear nonproliferation treaties.

AP

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said Putin’s tactical nuke plan is part of an information campaign designed to heighten the West’s fears of nuclear escalation, according to the Wall Street Journal.

But that risk remains extremely low.

“Russia has long fielded nuclear-capable weapons able to strike any target that tactical nuclear weapons based in Belarus could hit,” the institute wrote. “Putin is a risk-averse actor who repeatedly threatens to use nuclear weapons without any intention of following through.”

The Russian despot said Saturday that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has long requested the weapons.

Lukashenko hasn’t publicly commented on the announcement.

Belarus remains a close ally of Moscow’s, and the country of more than 9 million has functioned as a springboard for many of its larger neighbor’s attacks on Ukraine.

Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko has long requested the weapons, Putin claimed.

AFP via Getty Images

Putin said that Russia modernized Belarus’ military aircraft squadrons last year, leaving about 10 planes capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

An explosion that wounded three people in Russia on Sunday further raised tensions, with Moscow blaming a Ukrainian drone for the blast.

With Post wires

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Ukraine calls for emergency UN meeting to counter Russia’s ‘nuclear blackmail’ - The Hill

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Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to Governor of Magadan Region Sergey Nosov via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 21, 2022. The International Criminal Court said Friday, March 17, 2023 it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes because of his alleged involvement in abductions of children from Ukraine.

Ukraine is requesting an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Sunday after Russia said it had reached an agreement to station nuclear weapons in Belarus, calling on the U.S. and other world powers to counter the Kremlin’s “nuclear blackmail.”

“Ukraine expects effective measures to counter the Kremlin’s nuclear blackmail by the United Kingdom, China, the USA and France, in particular, as permanent members of the UN Security Council,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “We demand to immediately convene an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council for this purpose.”

The call for an emergency meeting at the U.N. by Ukraine comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that his country would station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which shares a border with both Russia and Ukraine. Tactical nuclear weapons are made for battlefield use and are not designed for wide-ranging effects like long-range nuclear weapons.

Putin framed the decision as a counter to the U.S. deployment of nuclear weapons in Europe, saying “we are doing what they have been doing for decades.”

But the move by Putin raised eyebrows as the West fears an intensified assault on Ukraine. While Belarus has not directly been involved in the fighting with its military — instead lending its land border with Ukraine for use to Russia — there have been fears that the country may get involved in the future.

Ukraine appealed to Belarus to not become a “hostage” of the Kremlin.

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“Ukraine appeals to Belarusian society to prevent the fulfillment of the criminal purposes  regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus … which will further turn this country into a hostage of the Kremlin,” the foreign ministry said in the statement.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on CBS’s “Face The Nation” on Sunday that there had been “no indication” that Putin had made good on the pledge to move nuclear weapons to Belarus or that he planned to use them in the war in Ukraine.

“We have not seen any indication that he’s made good on this pledge or moved any nuclear weapons around,” Kelly said. “We’ve in fact seen no indication that he has any intention to use nuclear weapons, period, inside Ukraine.”

Tags Belarus John Kirby russia Russian nuclear weapons ukraine United Nations Vladimir Putin Vladimir Putin

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Biden officially notifies Congress of Syria airstrike - CNN

CNN  — 

President Joe Biden on Saturday notified Congress of his decision to authorize an airstrike in Syria this week against what the US said were Iranian-affiliated facilities.

The US airstrike came after a suspected Iranian drone struck a facility housing US personnel in the country, killing an American contractor and wounding five US service members.

The strikes, Biden said in his letter to Congress, were made, “in order to protect and defend the safety of our personnel, to degrade and disrupt the ongoing series of attacks against the United States and our partners, and to deter the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iran backed militia groups from conducting or supporting further attacks on United States personnel and facilities.”

The president added that the US strikes “were conducted in a manner intended to establish deterrence, limit the risk of escalation, and avoid civilian casualties.”

Saturday’s notification is a routine part of the War Powers Act, which requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of military actions. The letter was sent to both House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Sen. Patty Murray.

The strikes are likely to increase tensions with Iran, with which the proxy groups are aligned, though Tehran isn’t always involved in directing attacks that they conduct.

The US has already sanctioned Tehran for providing attack drones to Russia to use in the war in Ukraine. And on Thursday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley reiterated US concerns that Iran has the potential to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon in less than two weeks and manufacture one within months.

Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, emphasized to reporters Friday that the US is not seeking conflict with Iran, but said the strikes “were intended to send a very clear message that we will take the protection of our personnel seriously and that we will respond quickly and decisively if they’re threatened.”

CNN’s Michael Calllahan, Oren Liebermann, Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky contributed to this report.

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Gandhi says disqualification 'politically motivated' - BBC

AFP

The leader of Indian's opposition Congress party Rahul Gandhi has said his disqualification by parliament was politically motivated.

On Friday, India's parliament stripped Mr Gandhi of his MP status a day after he was sentenced to two years in prison in a defamation case.

He was convicted by the court for 2019 comments about PM Narendra Modi's surname at an election rally.

The governing BJP says his expulsion conformed with parliamentary rules.

A 2013 Supreme Court order says that a lawmaker convicted in a crime and sentenced to two or more years in jail stands disqualified from the parliament with immediate effect.

Speaking at a news briefing on Saturday, Mr Gandhi said: "It makes me no difference if I'm disqualified... Disqualify me for life.... I will keep going, I will not stop."

Although India's opposition parties don't always agree on political issues, many of them have supported Mr Gandhi over his disqualification. On Friday, 14 parties approached the Supreme Court, alleging that the federal government was misusing investigative agencies to target BJP's opponents.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the action against Mr Gandhi was a consequence of his demand for a parliamentary investigation to probe allegations against the Adani Group.

The huge conglomerate was accused of decades of "brazen" stock manipulation and accounting fraud by US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research earlier this year. The Adani Group has denied allegations of financial fraud.

"My job as I see it is to defend the democratic nature of this country," Mr Gandhi said after his disqualification.

"That means defending the institutions of this country, that means defending the voice of the poor people of this country, that means telling the people of this country the truth about people like Mr Adani, who are basically exploiting the relationship they have with the prime minister," he said.

"I was disqualified because Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scared of my next speech on Adani... I can see it in his eyes."

Mr Gandhi's supporters say his disqualification is a sign that India's democratic system is weakening, and more protests against the government are planned in the coming days.

He will not be allowed to take part in national elections due next year, unless his sentence is suspended or he is acquitted in the case.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, said the decision to disqualify Mr Gandhi was in accordance with parliamentary laws, and criticised his party for questioning the verdict.

Federal Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav said Mr Gandhi had insulted members of the caste grouping known as Other Backward Classes (OBC) under which the name "Modi" falls.

"Insulting any surname is not freedom of speech," he said.

But some experts have questioned the severity of Mr Gandhi's sentence.

Joyojeet Pal, an associate professor of information at the University of Michigan, said that it was "highly unusual" for a first-time offender like Mr Gandhi to be given the maximum possible punishment of two years' imprisonment.

"Both low-level politicians and parliamentarians in India are known to engage in extreme speech on social media and in their public meetings. A conviction of this scale, with the consequence of removing the primary challenger to Modi, is practically unheard of," Prof Pal added.

Related Topics

• Rahul Gandhi
• India

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