Day: July 9, 2024

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Iran’s newly-elected President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed their country’s commitments during a telephone conversation on Tuesday.

The two leaders also agreed to meet in the near future, Pashinyan’s press secretary Nazeli Baghdasarayan said in a social media post announcing the call, during which, she said, Pashinyan again congratulated Pezeshkian on his victory.

Pezeshkian was elected Iran’s president on Friday in a runoff vote prompted by the death of the country’s former president Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May along with Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Upon Pezeshkian’s election, Pashinyan issued a congratulatory message, calling for continued deepening of Armenia-Iran relations.

“Relations with the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran, which have been steadily developing since the declaration of Armenia’s independence, are of special importance for the government and people of the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan said in the congratulatory message publicized by his office.

“Continuous deepening of warm relations between Armenia and Iran is of special importance in the context of both bilateral cooperation and regional stability and prosperity,” the Armenian leader added, expressing confidence that their two governments will implement Armenian-Iranian agreements and “launch a number of new programs.”

Pashinyan was among world leaders who attended Raisi’s funeral, on the margins of which he met with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

During that meeting, Khamenei noted that the late Iranian president was “very sensitive to the border issues related to Armenia” and that “these sensitivities and cares should still be taken into consideration,” alluding to Tehran’s opposition to Azerbaijan’s scheme of establishing a land “corridor” through Armenia that would compromise Iran’s border with Armenia.

Saying Tehran and Yerevan “must be able to secure our interests on our own,” Khamenei reiterated Tehran’s concerns over Yerevan’s recent attempts to reorient Armenia toward the West.

In a related matter, Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan met with the Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, on Tuesday.

Iran’s newly-appointed defense attache to Armenia, Colonel Mohammad Najafi, also attended the meeting, according to a ministry statement.

The discussion between Papikyan and the Iranian officials also touched on Armenia-Iran defense cooperation and regional security issues.

The post Yerevan, Tehran Reaffirm Commitment to Existing Bilateral Agreements appeared first on Asbarez.com.

The newly-elected Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western U.S. Central Committee, headed by its chair, Garo Madenlian, met with Western Prelate Archbishop Kegham Khacherian at the Prelacy on Monday.

The Prelate expressed his warm regards and wished the new Central Committee success in its endeavors, while the ARF leaders also congratulated the Archbishop on his recent election as Prelate of the Western U.S.

Prelacy Executive Council President Vahe Hovaguimian also welcome the newly-elected Central Committee.

During the meeting, the current challenges facing Armenians in the homeland and the Diaspora were discussed, specifically the imperative to leverage the multifaceted capabilities of the Western U.S. Armenian community in advancing the national, educational and spiritual aspirations of Armenians.

The Prelate praised the steps taken to harmonize the largest Diaspora community and emphasized the need for unity and cooperation.

The post ARF Western U.S. Central Committee Visits Prelate Khacherian appeared first on Asbarez.com.

‘Cherry-picked nonsense’: Menendez’s lawyers accuse government of ‘fudging’ facts  MSN

Фонд занимался вербовкой агентов для работы против России.

Восстановлена работа объектов генерации.

U.S. says Russian bot farm used AI to impersonate Americans  NPR

Fact Check: Russia’s accusations of US leveraging Haiti gang problem are baseless  Polygraph.info

US disrupts Russian government-backed disinformation campaign that relied on AI technology  News-Press Now

Kamala Harris has been one of Biden’s biggest supporters despite concerns about his ability to lead.

Anadolu/Getty Images

• Kamala Harris is working to prove Biden’s capability amid growing doubts.
• Biden’s weak debate performance raised questions about his ability to win and serve another term.
• One expert argues that if Biden isn’t fit for office, Harris has a constitutional duty to remove him.

Vice President Kamala Harris is in a difficult position.

As Joe Biden’s number two in command, she must show her unconditional support of the president during a time when elected Democrats and voters alike are questioning his ability to both win and finish a second term.

At the same time, Harris must also prove that she is capable of taking Biden’s place if it comes down to it — a possibility she has not acknowledged even though many see her as Biden’s most natural successor.

Biden’s disastrous debate performance last month sparked mass speculation, both nationally and globally, about his ability to serve a second term. And ever since, Harris has been working overdrive to prove that Biden is still a strong candidate capable of leading the country, and more importantly to the Democratic party, of beating Donald Trump.

“The worst thing a vice president can do at this point is to be anxious to get the president out,” Elaine Kamarck, a former aide to Al Gore and electoral politics expert at the Brookings Institution, told The New York Times. “It just totally backfires. My guess is some fairly unsophisticated people are calling up Kamala Harris saying: ‘Can I do this? Can I do that?’ And if she’s smart, she will shut that down tight.”

Following Biden’s debate against Trump, Harris acknowledged that Biden’s performance was not his best.

But, she argued to supporters at a Las Vegas rally the next day, “This race will not be decided by one night in June,” the Washington Post reported.

“I see Joe Biden when the cameras are on and when the cameras are off; in the Oval Office, negotiating bipartisan deals,” Harris said at the rally, according to The New York Times. “I see him in the Situation Room, keeping our country safe; on the world stage, meeting with foreign leaders who often ask for his advice.”

In the days since the debate, Harris has only ratcheted up her efforts to bolster Biden’s image. She’s on the Biden campaign trail all of this week, meeting with Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander voters in Las Vegas on Tuesday before heading to Dallas on Wednesday and North Carolina on Thursday, according to the Washington Post.

At every possible opportunity, Harris has reiterated her support of Biden and her belief that he can run the country for another four years. If she were to publicly, or even privately, acknowledge that she’s ready to take on the presidency in his place, it could be seen as an admission that Biden isn’t fit to lead.

“She’s in an awkward position,” civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton told The New York Times of Harris’ dual roles of supporting Biden while also proving her own ability to lead. “But the job of vice president is awkward.”

But, there’s also a deeper tension underlying Harris’s current position, a political science expert told Business Insider.

Lonna Atkeson, a political science professor at Florida State University and director of nonpartisan think tank LeRoy Collins Institute, says that Harris’s role supporting Biden’s reelection at all costs may conflict with her 25th Amendment duty to determine if he is unfit to hold the position.

Atkeson argued that, under of the 25th Amendment, Harris “has a constitutional duty to be independent of” Biden, and to “help decide whether or not he’s capable of completing his term.”

“But that is complicated by the fact that she is the vice president and is also running for elective office as the vice president,” Atkeson added. “So how does she fill both her constitutional role and her role as supporter of the president during an election campaign?”

Atkeson then explained that Harris’ decision to support Biden despite growing doubts about his physical and mental capacity puts her in a compromising position. That’s because, Atkeson said, if it were to come out that Biden is not actually fit for office, and that Harris knew all along, then she could be seen as “not fulfilling her constitutional mission.”

But while some Republicans like Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and House Speaker Mike Johnson believe that Biden should be removed under the 25th Amendment, Democrats — and least of all, Harris — don’t appear to be considering that option.

REUTERS/Jim Young

• Tesla is acting like a meme stock right now, according to legendary bond investor Bill Gross.
• Tesla stock has soared more than 40% amid a 10-day winning streak.
• Gross said Tesla had “sagging fundamentals” amid the “straight up price action.”

Tesla is acting like a meme stock right now, according to legendary bond manager Bill Gross.

In a post to X on Tuesday, Gross said of the electric vehicle company:

The comments from Gross come amid an ongoing surge in Tesla stock.

The stock notched a 10-day win streak on Tuesday, rising nearly 4%.

Tesla stock has surged 44% over the period, flipping its year-to-date loss of nearly the same amount in April to a 6% gain.

But according to Gross, those gains aren’t warranted as the company has “sagging fundamentals.”

Tesla reported second-quarter vehicle deliveries last week, and while the nearly 444,000 vehicles delivered last quarter beat analyst estimates by 8,000, they still represented a year-over-year decline of 5.8%.

The EV-maker has been struggling with demand due to increased competition as more automakers release competing models, as well as from the growing popularity of hybrid cars.

The other stocks mentioned by Gross include Chewy, which saw an intraday gain of 36% in late June after Keith Gill tweeted a picture of a dog, Zapp, an electric vehicle maker that soared 496% over the past three days, and GameStop, which soared as much as 271% after Keith Gill returned to social media in May.

Since their recent peaks, shares of Chewy and GameStop are down 38% and 62%, respectively, while Zapp is still in rally mode as of Tuesday’s close.