International
Lula and Biden meet in Washington and pledge to “stand united” to protect democracy
February 13 |
The presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the United States, Joe Biden, met this Friday in Washington to advance issues on the common agenda and open a new moment in bilateral relations, a meeting in which both leaders pledged to “stand united” to protect democracy.
The portion of the meeting that was open to the press passed in a relaxed atmosphere, in which both leaders were comfortable, cracked jokes and kept the conversation focused on common causes such as peace, democracy and the environment, away from sensitive issues such as foreign policy and their positions on China and Russia.
“The strong democracies of our two nations have been tested recently, have been really tested, and our institutions were also put in jeopardy,” Biden said as he welcomed Lula da Silva to the Oval Office.
The U.S. president alluded to the attack by supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on public institutions in Brasilia on January 8, and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to Brazil and to maintaining the good relationship between the two nations.
“The United States and Brazil are the two largest democracies in the hemisphere,” Biden told Lula, while insisting that the two nations “reject political violence” and maintain a firm commitment to “stand together” to defend democratic values around the world.
Lula, for his part, thanked Biden for the support shown almost immediately after he won the elections, his “stance in defense of democracy in Brazil” and congratulated him for his State of the Nation address a few days ago.
The veteran ruler, who last January 1 began his third term as head of state in Brazil, criticized – without mentioning his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro – the state in which his country remained isolated in the international arena during the last four years.
“Brazil is a country that does not seek litigation with anyone, it is a country that loves peace,” he asserted.
This is Lula’s seventh visit to Washington as president of Brazil. The two leaders already knew each other and had spoken on several occasions by telephone since the Brazilian won the elections in October, but this is the first time they have met face to face since they assumed the presidencies of their respective countries.
International
White House considered dropping leaflets over Caracas to pressure Maduro
The White House recently proposed a plan to drop leaflets from U.S. military aircraft over Caracas to further pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by The Washington Post.
The operation — which as of Saturday had not yet been authorized — considered dropping the leaflets this Sunday, the day of Maduro’s 63rd birthday. The materials were expected to highlight the $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, a bounty the White House doubled in August on the grounds that the Venezuelan leader is involved in “narcoterrorism.”
The proposal represents an escalation in Washington’s efforts to oust Maduro, a goal Trump pursued during his first term (2017–2021) and one that remains a priority for several of his top advisers.
Since the summer, the United States has carried out a large-scale military deployment in the southern Caribbean aimed at pressuring Maduro and, according to the White House, combating drug trafficking. This operation has resulted in the destruction of roughly twenty boats allegedly carrying narcotics and the deaths of 83 people on board.
In mid-November, Trump said he had made a decision regarding a possible military action in Venezuela, further raising tensions with Caracas.
On Friday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an advisory urging commercial flights to “exercise extreme caution” when flying over Venezuela and the southern Caribbean due to the “potentially hazardous situation” linked to increased military activity in the region.
This prompted several European and American airlines to cancel flights to the Caribbean nation.
International
Trump attacks Europe and Biden on Truth Social ahead of talks on Ukraine peace plan
In a message posted on Truth Social, the U.S. president also targeted European nations, “which continue buying oil from Russia,” as well as his predecessor, Joe Biden, whom he accused of inaction at the start of the conflict.
“I inherited a war that never should have happened, a war in which everyone is losing,” the president wrote in all caps on his social media platform.
“The Ukrainian leaders have shown zero gratitude for our efforts, and Europe keeps buying oil from Russia.”
“The United States continues to sell massive quantities of weapons to NATO for distribution to Ukraine (corrupt Joe gave everything away — free, free, free — including large sums of money!),” he added.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with a Ukrainian delegation in Geneva this Sunday in hopes of advancing Trump’s plan for Ukraine.
Washington now presents Trump’s 28-point proposal as a “framework for negotiations” aimed at ending the conflict, though it is viewed with concern in both Kyiv and Brussels.
International
Tatiana Schlossberg reveals aggressive leukemia diagnosis in personal New Yorker essay
In a deeply personal essay published in The New Yorker, Tatiana Schlossberg revealed her diagnosis: acute myeloid leukemia with a rare genetic mutation known as Inversion 3, a variant that responds poorly to standard treatments.
The 35-year-old journalist explained that the disease was discovered shortly after the birth of her second daughter in May 2024, when doctors detected an extremely high white blood cell count. Schlossberg said she was in complete shock upon receiving the diagnosis, noting that she “didn’t feel sick” and had experienced a healthy pregnancy.
Her treatment since then has been intense. She has undergone chemotherapy, at least two bone marrow transplants, and is participating in clinical trials involving CAR-T therapy, an advanced form of immunotherapy. In one of these trials, her doctors told her they might be able to “keep [her] alive for a year, maybe less.”
Schlossberg reflected on her fears for her children, her husband, George Moran, and her parents, and on the emotional weight of becoming part of the Kennedy family’s long history of tragedy. She also criticized her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for political decisions that she argues have harmed medical research that could benefit cancer patients like her.
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