Biden administration

Republican lawmakers have rejected a new White House infrastructure proposal that lowers the overall price tag in a bid to gain the opposition party's support, potentially raising the likelihood President Joe Biden's Democrats pass the measure on their own.

The Biden administration will waive sanctions on the company behind Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Europe and its chief executive, with the United States Department of State set to deliver a report as early as Wednesday, a source familiar with the plans told Reuters news agency on Wednesday.

The Biden administration waived sanctions on the company behind Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany and its chief executive, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 19, a move decried by critics of the project in Congress.

The Biden administration has approved a $735 million arms sale to Israel amid Tel Aviv's ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip, according to a report published on May 17.

Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 17 said U.S. President Joe Biden had "bloody hands" because of his support of Israel in the raging attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The Turkish president's comments in a nationally televised address represented one of his strongest comments on Biden since his arrival in the White House in January.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently visited Kiev as part of new efforts by the administration of President Joe Biden to show support for Ukraine, after the recent accumulation of Russian troops on the country's border. Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and emphasized America's commitment to this Eastern European state.

In a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people on Thursday, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings, AP reported.

The major U.S. pipeline network forced offline by a cyber attack began to reopen on May 12, its operator said, after a five-day shutdown prompted motorists to frantically stock up on gasoline and some gas stations on the U.S. east coast to close.

But Colonial Pipeline warned that it will take "several days" before supplies return to normal.

Turkey has been making preparations for a meeting to be held between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of a NATO summit, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın has said, noting that Ankara reiterates its proposal of making negotiations on the problem of the F-35 program.

Turkey's communications director criticized the U.S. early on May 12 for considering Israeli attacks on Palestinians self-defense.

"Massacring civilians. Forcing Palestinians to leave their homes and occupying their lands. Attacking mosques. Murdering innocent children. Since when are all those atrocities considered self-defense?" Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter.