Tag: Nancy Pelosi

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Obama, Pelosi yet to endorse Harris

(Photo Barack Obama Twitter)

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reaction to the withdrawal of Joe Biden from the presidential race was one of effusive praise for Biden but had nothing to suggest that she had endorsed Harris…reports Asian Lite News

Former President Barack Obama, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have yet to make their stand clear on endorsing Kamala Harris for the Presidential nomination. This even as a slew of Democrat Party leaders on Sunday displayed a show of support for Vice President Kamala Harris as their new presidential candidate, Politico reported.

Former President Barack Obama in a post on the platform Medium said “We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”

The statement, however, stops just short of officially backing Harris for the top job. Obama’s endorsement of Harris will be critical given that the Democratic National Convention is being held between August 19 to 22 on Obama’s home turf of Chicago.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reaction to the withdrawal of Joe Biden from the presidential race was one of effusive praise for Biden but had nothing to suggest that she had endorsed Harris.

“President Joe Biden is a patriotic American who has always put our country first. His legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history. With love and gratitude to President Biden for always believing in the promise of America and giving people the opportunity to reach their fulfilment,” she said on X.

After President Joe Biden endorsed her to be the new Presidential nominee, Harris got support from several Democrats like former President Bill Clinton, and former Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In a statement, the Clintons said “We are honoured to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever to support her.”

Congressman Ro Khanna also endorsed Kamla Harris saying “I am proud to endorse Kamala Harris as our nominee. Her trailblazing candidacy as the first African American woman and first Asian American will be a jolt of energy in our party. Our party can now run on a message of hope and a vision for the future.”

Congressman Jim Clyburn representing South Carolina’s 6th Congressional district said he echoed President Biden’s endorsement of Harris.

“I echo the good judgement he demonstrated in selecting Vice President Harris to lead this nation alongside him, and I am proud today to follow his lead in support of her candidacy to succeed him as the Democratic Party’s 2024 nominee for President,” he said.

The goal now for the supporters of Harris is to get enough backers on board to help her win the nomination when the Democratic National Convention gets underway.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who has been spoken of as a potential Vice Presidential running mate to Harris called for the party to unite behind her and focus on winning the election.

“The best path forward for the Democratic Party is to quickly unite behind Vice President Harris and refocus on winning the presidency. the contrast in this race could not be clearer and the road to victory in November runs right through Pennsylvania this collective work began. I will do everything I can to help elect Kamala Harris as the 47th President of the United States,” Shapiro said in a statement on X.

With barely a month to go before the Democratic party convenes in Chicago the task before them is tough, Donald Trump already has a head start and only a united front can hope to wrest the initiative from him (ANI)

Democrats throwing Biden overboard, alleges Trump

Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump crowed, “the Corrupt and Radical Democrats are throwing him overboard” after President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the race for the White House.

“He was annihilated in an Earth Shattering Debate,” Trump posted on Saturday on Truth Social, the X-like social media platform he uses, mangling the capitalisation of his text.

After the June 27 debate in which his performance raised questions about cognitive abilities and his capacity to match Trump’s campaign vitality, Biden announced he was dropping out of the race and endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party candidate.

Trump piled on personal insults and questions about Biden’s performance in the post, “Crooked Joe Biden is the Worst President, by far, in the History of our Nation.”

“He has done everything possible to destroy our Country, from our Southern Border, to Energy Dominance, National Security, International Standing, and so much more,” Trump said repeating his constant refrain.

Trump alleged that “the people around him lied to America about his Complete and Total Mental, Physical, and Cognitive Demise” to prop up Biden.

Trump did not mention Harris, but said, “Whoever the Left puts up now will just be more of the same.”

He said, “Kamaala, I call her laughing Kamaala. Have you seen her laughing? She is crazy. You can tell a lot by a laugh. She is nuts. She is not as crazy as (former Speaker) Nancy Pelosi.”

CNN reported that Trump said that she (Harris) will be easier to defeat than Biden.

Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. fired the opening salvo on his father’s behalf, “Kamala Harris owns the entire Left-wing policy record of Joe Biden. The only difference is that she is even more liberal and less competent than Joe, which is really saying something.

ALSO READ: World Leaders React to Biden’s Withdrawal

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Man Who Attacked Nancy Pelosi’s Husband Gets 30-Year Jail

Nancy Pelosi

Paul Pelosi, the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked using a hammer at his California home in November 2022 and underwent surgery for a skull fracture and other severe injuries.

After over a year of violent assault on US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, a federal judge sentenced the attacker, David DePape to 30 years in prison for the attack and 20 years for attempted kidnapping, reported CNN.

Paul Pelosi, the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked using a hammer at his California home in November 2022 and underwent surgery for a skull fracture and other severe injuries.

Following this, David DePape was accused of entering Pelosi’s San Francisco home where he attacked the House Speaker’s husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer and was charged with one count of “attempted kidnapping of a US official.

A federal judge on Friday sentenced David DePape to 30 years in prison after he was convicted in the violent October 2022 attack, as reported by CNN.

DePape was sentenced to 30 years for assault and 20 years for attempted kidnapping, which will run concurrently.

Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, who presided over DePape’s trial for the Northern District of California, said she had to “ensure that the sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence.”

“He broke into the home of an official and violently attacked the public official’s spouse. That act is unprecedented,” she said.

However, in November, DePape’s attorneys conceded that their client attacked the then-83-year-old Paul Pelosi, but argued that his motivation for the assault did not match the charges against him, according to CNN.

While testifying in his own defence, DePape recalled that he was looking for Nancy Pelosi, adding that her husband had not been on his list of targets.

He was “surprised and confused,” he testified when he found out that the congresswoman was not home.

“I’m telling him, ‘I have other targets, but if you stop me, I’ll go through you,'” DePape said, recalling a conversation with Paul Pelos.

DePape added that he then reacted and hit Pelosi “in the head,” because his plan was “basically ruined.”

In his testimony, Pelosi recounted how he awoke from sleep the night of the attack to see a man with a hammer in his home, CNN reported.

Later, DePape asked where his wife was. “She’s not here. She’s in Washington,” Pelosi recalled answering.

He was violently struck in the head following a struggle with DePape, Pelosi said.

Paul Pelosi stressed that his recovery has been difficult with spells of lightheadedness and headaches as he underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and injuries to his hand and arm, reported CNN.

“I’ve made the best effort I possibly can to not revisit this,” he said at the time.

In a statement filed with the court, Speaker Emerita Pelosi said the attack on her husband “has had a devastating effect on three generations of our family.”

“The break-in and violation of our domestic tranquillity is having a long-lasting impact,” she added. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Trump lawyers attack Cohen’s credibility in criminal trial

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Capitol rioter who breached Pelosi’s office convicted

Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather near the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States, Jan. 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Richard “Bigo” Barnett was among the crowd of thousands of Trump supporters who stormed Congress on January 6, 2021.

Two years after the deadly Capitol storming by supporters of former President Donald Trump, a rioter who posed with his feet propped up atop former House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk has been found guilty of all charges.

Richard “Bigo” Barnett was among the crowd of thousands of supporters of Trump who stormed Congress on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election result, reports the BBC.

The former House Speaker was forced to flee the chamber floor with other lawmakers as the protesters stormed their way into the building.

Armed with a stun gun, Barnett, a former firefigher, posed for photos after breaking into Pelosi’s office and boasted of stealing an envelope before leaving the premises.

He also wrote a note on her desk using a sexist slur, and used a bullhorn to brag to the crowd that “I took Nancy Pelosi’s office”.

File photo taken on Jan. 6, 2021 shows supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gathering near the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie/IANS)

On Monday, a jury in Washington D.C. deliberated for less than three hours before convicting the 62-year-old of all eight charges against him, which include obstruction of an official proceeding; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly weapon; and theft of government property.

Prosecutors argued that Barnett came to Washington D.C. from his home in Arkansas “prepared for violence”.

Barnett, who chose to testify in his own defence during the trial, argued that he was caught up “in the moment” and was “going with the flow”, the BBC reported.

After the verdict was read on Monday, Barnett said he did not get a fair trial because the jury was not made up of his “peers”.

His lawyer, Joe McBride, said he would appeal.

“Washington D.C., is not a state. He’s not surrounded by people of Arkansas, where he came from,” the BBC quoted McBride, referring to the city’s status as a district rather than one of the 50 US states, as saying.

The judge allowed Barnett to remain free until his sentencing hearing on May 3. He is facing decades in federal prison.

Barnett’s trial has been one of the most high-profile to stem from the riot.

Over 940 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the breach and nearly 500 have pleaded guilty so far.

ALSO READ: Trump ‘lit that fire’ of Capitol insurrection, reveals Jan. 6 report

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Kevin McCarthy wins House Speakership in 15th attempt

The development came after a dramatic pressure campaign played out live on the House floor as Republican rebel Matt Gaetz was urged to vote for Mr McCarthy, reports Asian Lite News

The US House of Representatives elected Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy as Speaker on Saturday after a historic and embarrassing deadlock that kept the lower chamber from being fully functional days after the new Congress convened earlier this week.

McCarthy from California who has been the House Republican leader since 2019, will finally take the gavel after 15 rounds of voting since the 118th Congress convened on Tuesday, despite his party holding a majority in the chamber, reports the BBC.

The development came after a dramatic pressure campaign played out live on the House floor as Republican rebel Matt Gaetz was urged to vote for Mr McCarthy.

The Florida Congressman was among six holdouts who relented late on Friday.

This was the longest longest Speaker contest in 164 years.

Not since 1860 in the build-up to the American Civil War, when the US’ union was fraying over the issue of slavery, has the lower chamber of Congress voted so many times to pick a Speaker.

Back then it took 44 rounds of ballots.

Meanwhile, Democrat Representative Hakeem Jeffries has made history by becoming the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress.

The Speaker of the House is the second in line to the presidency, after Vice President Kamala Harris.

They set the agenda in the House, and no legislative business can be conducted there without them.

Speaking after his confirmation, McCarthy wrote on Twitter: “I hope one thing is clear after this week: I will never give up. And I will never give up for you, the American people.”

After the 13th ballot was adjourned,the Republican had insisted to reporters that he would “have the votes” to take the speakership on the next round, the BBC reported.

Friday was the first day that McCarthy’s vote count actually surpassed that of Jeffries.

In November 8, 2022 midterm elections, Republicans won the House by a weaker-than-expected margin of 222 to 212.

Democrats retained control of the Senate.

ALSO READ: US to crack down on illegal immigration

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Pelosi holds open option of another term as House Dem leader

The intruder, 42-year-old David DePape, demanded “Where is Nancy?” before striking Paul Pelosi with a hammer. She was in Washington at the time…reports Asian Lite News

With control of the House still hanging in the balance, Speaker Nancy Pelosi stayed mum Sunday on her future plans but said congressional colleagues are urging her to seek another term as Democratic leader following a strong showing in the midterm elections.

Appearing in Sunday news shows, Pelosi said Democrats are “still alive” in their fight to win the chamber and that she will make a decision on whether to run for House leadership in the next couple weeks.

“People are campaigning and that’s a beautiful thing. And I’m not asking anyone for anything,” she said, referring to House Democratic leadership elections set for Nov. 30. “My members are asking me to consider doing that. But, again, let’s just get through the (midterm) election.”

“A great deal is at stake, because we will be in a presidential election,” Pelosi said.

Over the weekend, Democrats clinched control of the Senate following Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s victory in Nevada. But in the House, a majority remains unsettled with neither party having yet reached the 218 seats needed to control the 435-member chamber.

Pelosi, D-Calif., declined to predict whether her party will retain control of the House, saying she was “disappointed” with four Democratic losses in New York, including by Congressional Campaign Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney, which ultimately could make the difference.

“Nonetheless, we still think we have a chance to win this,” she said. “Nobody would have ever expected that we would be this close. Well, we expected it.”

On the GOP side, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is seeking to become House speaker if his party prevails, but the disappointing showing in the midterms has created turmoil for leaders and calls for a new direction. Former President Donald Trump’s effect on the 2022 races is also being hotly debated as he prepares to announce another run.

Pelosi on Sunday said she believed that President Joe Biden should run for a second term, citing his legislative accomplishments such as the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act as well as the creation of millions of jobs under his watch.

“He has been a great president and he has a great record to run on,” she said.

The 82-year-old Pelosi, who has led Democrats in the House since 2003 and is the first female speaker, had struck a deal with House members to serve for two more terms as leader — or four years — after Democrats won control of the chamber in 2018. But she hasn’t announced her plans, nor have her top two deputies, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. There has been some pressure from younger House members to pass the torch to new leaders.

Pelosi’s decision also comes after her husband was attacked late last month in the couple’s San Francisco home, suffering a skull fracture and other injuries. The intruder, 42-year-old David DePape, demanded “Where is Nancy?” before striking Paul Pelosi with a hammer. She was in Washington at the time.

Pelosi said Sunday that her husband’s recovery will be a “long haul, but he’s doing well,” though the trauma of the attack was “intensified” by Republicans’ “ridiculous, disrespectful attitude.” Top Republicans, including Trump, had downplayed the attack and spread misinformation about it.

“It wasn’t just the attack. It was the Republican reaction to it, which was disgraceful,” she said.

Pelosi said her decision on whether to run again for House leadership will be “about family” but “also my colleagues,” citing a need to move forward “in a very unified way” going into a new Congress and the 2024 campaign season. She stressed the opportunities for Democrats that lie ahead.

“Who would have thought two months ago that this red wave would turn into a little tiny trickle, if that at all?” she said. “But we never believed that. We believed.”

“There are all kinds of ways to exert influence,” Pelosi added. “Speaker has awesome power, but I will always have influence.”

Pelosi spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union” and ABC’s “This Week.”

Control of House remains in limbo

Control of the US House of Representatives remains in limbo, days after the November 8 midterm elections, according to poll projections.

Twenty of the 435 House races have yet to be called, with Republicans already taking in 211 versus 204 for Democrats. Many undecided contests are in California, where the counting of mail-in ballots continues. Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon are among other states to have uncalled House races.

It takes at least 218 seats to claim control of the lower chamber, where Democrats have a slim majority this term. In the Senate, 35 of its 100 seats were up for grabs this year.

Democrats have been projected to retain majority status with at least 50 seats despite Georgia’s race headed to a runoff next month.

The upper chamber is currently divided 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to cast the tie-breaking vote in favour of Democrats.

The new Congress will convene for the first time on January 3, 2023. In this year’s midterm elections, 36 out of 50 states, as well as three US territories, elected governors.

Numerous other state and local elections were also contested. The total cost of 2022 state and federal midterm elections is projected to exceed $16.7 billion, according to a new OpenSecrets analysis released earlier this month.

“No other midterm election has seen as much money at the state and federal levels as the 2022 elections,” said Sheila Krumholz, OpenSecrets’ executive director. “We’re seeing record-breaking totals spent on elections up and down the ballot.”

ALSO READ-Pelosi says attack on husband weighs on her future plans

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Pelosi says attack on husband weighs on her future plans

Asked whether she had made a decision on whether or not to remain in Congress, Pelosi who rarely publicly discussed her future would only disclose that the attack on her husband had impacted her thinking….reports Asian Lite News

Pelosi says attack on husband weighs on her future plans House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday the brutal attack on her husband will impact her decision on whether to remain in Congress after the midterm election, as she called on Republicans to stop the misinformation that is fueling political violence and urged Americans to “vote to defend our democracy.”

In a wide-ranging CNN interview, the Democratic leader did not disclose her future plans if the party loses the House majority, as many believe Pelosi and others will step down. Known for her stiff resolve, Pelosi’s voice cracked with emotion and she acknowledged she was “close to tears” as she described the trauma of the attack on her 82-year-old husband and the sadness she felt for the country.

“I’m sad because of my husband, but I’m also sad for our country,” Pelosi said.

“I just want people to vote and we will respect the outcome of the election, and I would hope that the other side will do that as well,” she said.

Pelosi was speaking for the first time publicly on the eve of the elections as the Democrats are struggling against a surge of Republican enthusiasm to keep control of Congress at a time of rising threats of violence against lawmakers and concerns over the U.S. election.

Asked whether she had made a decision on whether or not to remain in Congress, Pelosi who rarely publicly discussed her future would only disclose that the attack on her husband had impacted her thinking.

“I have to say my decision will be affected about what happened in the last week or two,” Pelosi said on CNN.

Top Republican leaders including allies of Donald Trump and even new Twitter-owner Elon Musk have mocked and downplayed the attack, despite the gravity of the assault on her husband.

“There has to be some message to the Republicans to stop to stop the disinformation,” she said. “We want the country to heal.”

Pelosi’s husband, Paul, was bludgeoned 11 days before the election by an intruder authorities said broke into the family’s San Francisco and was looking for the speaker before striking him in the head with a hammer at least once. The intruder told police he wanted to talk to Speaker Pelosi and would “break her kneecaps” as a lesson to other Democrats. Paul Pelosi suffered a fractured skull and other injuries in what authorities said was an intentional political attack.

“For me this is the hard part because Paul was not the target, and he’s the one paying the price,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi said the hammer hit her husband in two places, but did not pierce his brain. Pelosi said his recovery was “on a good path” but she acknowledged “it’s a long haul.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO6n8EhfgTw

Long a target of Republican attacks, Pelosi said the assault on her husband of nearly 60 years, with its echoes of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, was fueled by misinformation “that has no place in our democracy.”

Pelosi said she was sleeping at her apartment in Washington, having just returned from San Francisco, when there was a “bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,” on her door. It was about 5 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 28.

“I was very scared,” Pelosi told CNN in an interview. “I’m thinking my children, my grandchildren. I never thought it would be Paul.”

“We didn’t even know where he was or what his condition was,” Pelosi said, in excerpts of the interview. “We just knew there was an assault on him in our home.”

David DePape, 42, is being held without bail in San Francisco after entering a not guilty plea to attempted murder and other charges in San Francisco. He also faces federal charges of attempted kidnapping of an elected official.

The fringe activist who followed conspiracy theories broke into the Pelosi home, woke up Paul Pelosi and demanded to talk to “Nancy,” authorities said. When Paul Pelosi told the intruder his wife was out of town, DePape said he would wait. After Paul Pelosi called 911, officers arrived to see the two men struggling over a hammer before DePape struck Paul Pelosi at least once in the head with the hammer.

DePape later told police he wanted to kidnap the speaker and threatened to injure her “to show other members of Congress there were consequences to actions.”

The authorities’ stark narrative laid out in court filings in the case comes in contrast to the jokes and innuendo that conservatives and some Republican officials have spread about the Pelosis in the aftermath of the attack.

Pelosi has said little since the attack on her husband, cutting short her campaign appearances but spoke in a virtual call to grassroots activists late last week after Paul Pelosi was released from the hospital.

“People say to me, ‘What can I do to make you feel better?’ I say: ‘Vote!’” Pelosi told those on the call.

Her voice cracked at times as she said of her husband’s recovery, “It’s going to be a long haul.”

ALSO READ: Biden calls Afghanistan ‘Godforsaken place’

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‘China simulating invasion of Taiwan’

Video screenshot shows warplane aerial refueling as the air force and naval aviation corps of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) fly warplanes to conduct operations around the Taiwan Island, Aug. 4, 2022. The Eastern Theater Command on Thursday conducted joint combat exercises and training around the Taiwan Island on an unprecedented scale. (Xinhua/IANS)

China had launched the manoeuvres around the democratic self-governing island in response to the visit by leading US politician Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, reports Asian Lite News

In manoeuvres around Taiwan on Saturday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is performing “what it believed to be a simulation of an attack on Taiwan’s main island”, according to the Defence Ministry in Taipei.

The Ministry said that numerous military aircraft and warships were operating near Taiwan and some of them had crossed the unofficial centre line in the 130-km-wide Taiwan Strait, which separates the mainland and the island and is mostly respected by both sides, reports dpa news agency.

In response, Taiwan’s military had sent aircraft, radioed warnings and mobilised missile defence systems to track the Chinese military aircraft.

The Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan’s government agency on policy dealings with Beijing, strongly protested China’s simulation, asking to immediately stop the irresponsible provocation.

China had launched the manoeuvres around the democratic self-governing island in response to the visit by leading US politician Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. It was the highest-ranking visit from the US in a quarter of a century.

Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory and vehemently rejects official contacts between other countries and Taipei.

Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2022 shows a Taiwan military vessel as seen from a warship of the navy of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) during the navy’s combat exercises and training in the waters around the Taiwan Island. The Eastern Theater Command on Friday continued joint combat exercises and training in the waters and airspace around the Taiwan Island. (Photo by Lin Jian/Xinhua/IANS)

On Friday, the PLA had sent a “record number” of 68 military aircraft and 13 naval vessels into waters near the island, Taiwan’s military reported.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tweeted his condemnation of what he termed a “dangerous escalation of the military threat” that was “wrecking peace & stability in the region & must be condemned”.

As part of its military exercises, which are due to end on Sunday, the PLA also launched 11 ballistic missiles in Taiwan’s direction, one of which flew directly over the island and passed close to the capital Taipei for the first time, according to reports.

Five other missiles landed east of Taiwan in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, in a gesture that was widely seen as a warning to Tokyo to stay out of the conflict.

China has suspended dialogue with the US on climate action and on certain military matters, while it ceased cooperation on issues such as the fight against organized crime, drugs and the repatriation of illegal immigrants altogether.

A video screenshot shows a warplane conducting operations during exercises and training of the air force corps of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) around the Taiwan Island, Aug. 5, 2022. The Eastern Theater Command on Friday continued joint combat exercises and training in the waters and airspace around the Taiwan Island. (Xinhua/IANS)

In addition, Beijing imposed unspecified sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate family members, accusing her of “seriously interfering in internal affairs”.

Speaking in the Philippines, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington had no desire to see the escalation of military tensions.

He urged Beijing to “focus on the fact that for 40 years plus, we’ve managed this problem, this challenge well and we’ve done it in a way that’s avoided any conflict”.

“I think that’s the expectations that countries … around the region and around the world have,” he added. “They certainly expect us, the US and China, to manage our differences responsibly and that’s what we’re determined to do.”

ALSO READ: Chinese fighter jets, warships rattle Taiwan

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N.Korea slams Pelosi’s visit to truce village

North Korea on Saturday condemned US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom.

In a statement, Jo Yong-sam, director general of the Foreign Ministry’s press and information department, also criticized Pelosi for talking about “strong and expanded deterrent” against threats from North Korea during her trip to South Korea earlier this week, reports Yonhap News Agency.

She made a two-day visit here from Wednesday following a trip to Taiwan. She had talks with National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and a phone call with President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Pelosi then visited the Joint Security Area of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

It demonstrates the “hostile policy of the current U.S. administration towards the DPRK”, the North’s official said in the statement carried by Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Pelosi, who is “the worst destroyer of international peace and stability had incited the atmosphere of confrontation with Russia during her visit to Ukraine in April, and incurred the wrath of the Chinese people for her recent junket to Taiwan”, Jo said.

He warned that it “would be a fatal mistake for her to think that she can go scot-free in the Korean Peninsula. The US will have to pay dearly for all the sources of trouble spawned by her wherever she went”.

ALSO READ: China announces sanctions on Pelosi over Taiwan visit

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Russia’s Lavrov not happy with Pelosi’s Taiwan visit

Such a nuisance had been created out of thin air, knowing full well what it would mean for China, said Lavrov…reports Asian Lite News

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has criticised Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan trip.

This shows Washington’s desire to demonstrate US lawlessness to everyone, along the lines of “I do what I want,” he said on Wednesday during a visit to Myanmar, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

Such a nuisance had been created out of thin air, knowing full well what it would mean for China, dpa news agency reported quoting Lavrov as saying.

Pelosi arrived in Taiwan the previous day.

China regards self-governing democratic Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic and it strictly rejects official contact by other countries with the island and had warned the US against the visit.

ALSO READ: China fumes over pelosi’s taiwan visit

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Pelosi arrives in Taiwan despite threats from China

Nancy Pelosi (Picture Credits: https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1554496902812602370)

“America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy…reports Asian Lite News

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday, despite stern warnings from Beijing, making her the highest-level US official to visit the island in 25 years.

Pelosi’s US Air Force-operated Boeing C-40C landed at Taipei’s Songshan Airport on Tuesday, marking the start of the third — and the most controversial — leg of her five-country Asia tour, dpa news agency reported.

Pelosi and her delegation of Democratic party lawmakers were met by Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and Sandra Oudkirk, the director of the American Institute in Taiwan, which serves as Washington’s de facto embassy.

The trip has drawn outrage from Beijing, which views the self-governing island as a breakaway territory that will one day be reunited with the mainland.

Pelosi is the third-highest ranking official in the US government, behind President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

For days, she has declined to confirm news reports that she would visit the island and Taiwan was not on her official itinerary.

People around the world monitored the progress of her flight on Tuesday, watching on flight tracking websites as her plane made its way from Kuala Lumpur toward Taipei, dpa news agency reported.

The flight path avoided the contested South China Sea and was escorted by eight US Air Force fighter jets as well as Taiwan Air Force fighter aircraft.

Chinese SU-35 fighter jets flew into the narrow Taiwan Strait, which separates the island from the mainland, shortly ahead of Pelosi’s arrival, Chinese state television reported.

Beijing had warned the United States that there would be a “very serious situation and consequences” if Pelosi visited.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told the press in Beijing on Monday that such a visit would be a “blatant interference in China’s internal affairs.”

“The Chinese side is comprehensively prepared for all eventualities.”

China’s leadership regards Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic and rejects official contacts between its diplomatic partners and the government in Taipei.

Taiwan, which has 23 million inhabitants, has long considered itself independent.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has heightened fears that China could annex the democratic island republic by force. Tensions over Taiwan have not been as high since the 1990s.

Pelosi’s delegation is expected to stay overnight in Taipei City`s Grand Hyatt Hotel, where protestors from the far-right and pro-China Alliance to Promote Chinese Unification had gathered. They were countered by the Taiwan State-Building Party, whose members held placards proclaiming “Democracies Strong Together”.

The capital city’s landmark Taipei 101 skyscraper, located near the five-star hotel, blazed “Welcome to Taiwan”.

Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan’s Parliament on Wednesday and meet Yu Shyi-kun, the legislature’s leader, before holding talks with President Tsai Ing-wen.

Also on her schedule are meetings with Chinese, Hong Kong and Taiwanese human rights activists. She is expected to depart for Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday evening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgKmttHYhQU

ALSO READ-As Pelosi begins Asia tour, China warns against visiting Taiwan