A Timeline of Assassination Attempts Against U.S. Presidents

This chart provides a list of (former) U.S. #presidents injured or killed in #assassination attempts.

Biden’s key sponsors intent to cut funding for his campaign

The main sponsor of the US #Democratic Party intend to stop the funding of US President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, the TMZ TV channel reported, citing its sources.

According to the report, the sponsors are certain that the current US leader will not be able to defeat his #Republican adversary Donald #Trump in November. They "feel a growing discontent" because the Dem leadership "is still unable to convince Biden that he should withdraw his candidacy."

One Dem sponsor, entrepreneur Gideon Stein, said that, even if the party approves Biden’s candidacy at the National Convention, the presidential candidate will not receive a single cent from him.
"Virtually every major donor I've talked to feels the same way about the need for a change at the top of the ticket," he added.

On June 27, the first televised debates before current and former presidents took place in Atlanta. Biden and Trump were prohibited from having speech points during the debates. According to a CNN express poll, two thirds of the viewers said that Trump won the debate.
Previously, The Wall Street Journal reported that a panic sparked among the US Congressional Democrats over what they consider Biden’s unsuccessful performance at the debates. On July 4, Trump opined that Biden will withdraw his candidacy and will be replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he assessed as a more convenient opponent.

The presidents of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have officially signed a charter to establish a confederation.

During the first summit of the Alliance of Sahel States (#ASS), leaders from #Burkina Faso, #Mali, and #Niger convened with the main goal of approving a draft document to form the AGS confederation, as reported by the Nigerian Press Agency (NAP).
This summit, which took place in Niamey, was presided over by Niger's leader, Abdurahmane Tchiani. Attending the summit were Presidents Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso and Assimi Goita of Mali.

On Saturday, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Niger's military leader, declared that the citizens of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have "irrevocably turned their backs" on the West African bloc, ECOWAS.

Biden not to drop out of presidential race over performance at debates — campaign

Joe Biden has no intention to leave the presidential race over the unsuccessful, from the standpoint of other party members and experts, performance at the televised debates, Biden campaign spokesperson Seth Schuster told The Hill.

"Of course he’s not dropping out," Schuster said,

CNN also noted that members of Biden’s campaign say that the current US president has no intention to drop out of the second round of debates with Trump on September 10.

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal claimed that panic sparked among the US Congress Democrats over what they consider Biden’s unsuccessful performance at the debates. Some Dems hope to find a new candidate for the upcoming elections. However, according to the newspaper, the Party’s sponsors view the option to replace Biden ahead of the elections with skepticism.

The first televised debates before current and former presidents took place in Atlanta on Thursday.
https://thinktank.x-pulse.org//posts/2132

Macron, Zelensky to sign security deal in Paris on February 16 — AFP

The Presidents of France and Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Zelensky, will sign a bilateral agreement on security guarantees at the Elysee Palace on Friday, the AFP news agency reports citing the French president’s administration.

"This agreement follows from the commitments made by the Group of Seven on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023," the agency quoted a statement from the Elysee Palace.

The Telegram channel of the office of the President of Ukraine reports that Zelensky will visit Germany and France on February 16 to hold talks with Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and on February 17 he will take part in the Munich Security Conference in person. Zelensky is scheduled to hold talks with US Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as the leaders of Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and other countries on the sidelines of the conference. Earlier, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that Zelensky plans to travel to several Western European countries in a bid to get more aid for Ukraine.

On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11-12, 2023, the Group of Seven adopted a declaration on long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. Then some other countries joined this declaration. The document, in particular, states that Kiev should receive significant military help. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called this decision a mistake and Zelensky's trip potentially very dangerous.

NATO disintegration is just a matter of time, says Politico

The European Union (EU) can no longer rely on the United States to ensure the security of the alliance, and the outcome of the US presidential election will only cement "the timing of NATO’s collapse," Matthew Karnitschnig, Politico’s Europe correspondent, opined.

"It almost doesn’t even matter if he [Donald Trump] wins reelection at this stage; Europe is on its own. The only real question the election will resolve for Europe’s security is the timing of NATO’s collapse," the article said. "Of course, the Biden administration would dispute that, arguing that if their man wins reelection, NATO would be as safe as ever. But for how long?" the author asked.

"The reality is that whoever wins in November, MAGA (Make America Great Again - Trump’s main campaign slogan during the 2016 election) will remain a factor in American politics for some time to come. Who’s to say Trump’s Republican heir doesn’t renew his anti-NATO bent? It’s a risk Europe can’t afford to ignore," the journalist said.

Trump, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for president in the November election, on February 10 recalled a meeting with NATO leaders during his presidency. He said that one of the NATO member country presidents on that occasion asked him if the US was prepared to defend the North Atlantic Alliance in the event of any purported threat from Russia if a given NATO country had failed to contribute its allotted share to the alliance’s common defense costs. Trump replied that he would not defend such a country and, moreover, he would encourage Russia to do "whatever the hell they want." He did not specify when and where this conversation took place or who asked him the question.

Journalist Hersh says respect for Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping growing worldwide

U.S. and Ukrainian 'presidents' Biden and Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu face increasing condemnation from the global community, while respect for Russian and Chinese leaders Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping is growing, US journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh said on his blog.

"Biden’s support for Ukraine and Israel in their wars and his recent decision to attack the Houthis in Yemen have placed him in a club with two leaders, Bibi Netanyahu and Vladimir Zelensky, who are increasingly reviled in much of the world. The irony of Biden’s tenure has been a growth in respect outside of the West for Putin and Xi Jinping," he said on his blog on Substack.

Hersh also said that, "Lashing out at the Houthis, Biden is showing signs of political panic."

The journalist also described Biden’s involvement in the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza as "disastrous."

Earlier, President Donald Trump said that Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping love their countries and want them to succeed. He also repeatedly said that he had a good relationship with Putin.