List of All Articles with Tag 'erica'

A “whistleblower” who has repeatedly accused the Bidens of corruption has been charged by the Justice Department with arms trafficking, acting as a foreign agent for China and violating Iran sanctions. Gal Luft, who is a citizen of both the United States and Israel, is accused of paying a former adviser to Donald Trump on behalf of principals in China in 2016 without registering as a foreign agent. Prosecutors say that Mr Luft pushed the former government employee, who is not named, to push policies that were favourable to China. Mr Luft, 57, was arrested in Cyprus in February on US charges but fled after being released on bail while awaiting extradition, stated prosecutors. He is not currently in US custody. Prosecutors also allege that he set up meetings between officials of Iran and a Chinese energy company to discuss oil deals, which would violate US sanctions.

A Nebraska mother pleaded guilty on Friday to giving her 17-year-old daughter medications to perform an abortion in 2022 and helping the teen burn and bury the fetus in a field. Jessica Burgess, 42, of Norfolk, was charged with breaking what was then the state’s ban on abortions after 20 weeks of gestation, as well as accused of falsely reporting and tampering with human skeletal remains, according to the Associated Press. Previous charges of concealing a death and performing an abortion without a medical license were missed as part of the plea deal. Burgess’s daughter, Celeste, now 18, has been charged as an adult and pleaded guilty in May to removing, concealing, or abandoning a dead body. The abortion took place before the Supreme Court overturn Roe v Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion in the summer of 2022. Police began investigating the case in late April of that year, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. The woman later told police Celeste had given birth to a stillborn baby in the shower, and that they put the body in a bag in their van then bured it with the help of a 22-year-old on a property the man’s parents owned, according to the paper. Celeste was 23 weeks or nearly six months pregnant at the time, according to medical records obtained by police, well past the state’s then 20-week abortion ban. Prosecutors obtained Facebook messages between the family members as part of their case. “(Celeste Burgess) talks about how she can’t wait to get the ‘thing’ out of her body and reaffirms with (Jessica Burgess) that they will burn the evidence afterwards,” a police detective wrote in court documents, describing the content of the messages. In May of 2023, Nebraska joined the many Republican-controlled states restricting abortion after Roe, and outlawed the procedure after 12 weeks. This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.

Deputies in North Carolina have arrested a Florida man on suspicion of child abduction after finding a missing 16-year-old girl in his car during a routine traffic stop. Alejandro Hernandez Vazquez, 40, was pulled over for a traffic violation on the I-95 in Nash County at about midnight on 4 July, authorities say. Deputies became suspicious and asked to search his white 2016 Audi Q5, and learned that a teenage passenger had been reported missing hours earlier by the Coral Springs Police Department in Florida. According to Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Mr Vazquez was not known to the girl’s family and did not have permission to cross state lines. Deputies also found cannibas vape pens and drug paraphernalia in the car, they said. Mr Vazquez, from Miami, was booked into the Nash County Detention Center on charges of child abduction, felony possession of synthetic cannabinoid, possession of marijuana paraphernalia and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was initially jailed without bond. At a court appearance on Friday 7 July, his bond was set at $505,000. The missing girl was transported to the Wake County Juvenile Detention Center before being picked by family. “The 16-year-old willfully went with him is what we’re seeing at first glance of this investigation,” Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone told ABC11. “It was not like she was bound in the car and things of that nature, but you know, it’s a young 16-year-old and a grown man, and he’s manipulated her and carried her across this country. This is a true case of child trafficking,” he added. Read More Murder suspect arrested in multi-state manhunt is now on the run again after escape from Pennsylvania jail Missing two-year-old Wynter Smith found dead in Michigan days after Amber alert issued Disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar almost killed after being stabbed in prison

Hill Harper, an actor known for his roles on “CSI: NY” and “The Good Doctor,” announced on Monday that he is running for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat and challenging U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin for the Democratic nomination. Harper is the sixth Democratic candidate to enter the race for retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow's seat. Stabenow announced in January that she would not be seeking a fifth term in 2024 in the battleground state. Born in Iowa, Harper owns a house in Detroit and bought a coffee shop, Roasting Plant Coffee, in the city in 2017. He attended Brown University and Harvard Law School before becoming an actor. He starred on the CBS show “CSI: NY” for nine seasons and currently appears on ABC's “The Good Doctor.” Harper was appointed to President Barack Obama's cancer panel in 2012 as a survivor of the disease himself. In an interview with The Associated Press before his announcement, Harper described himself as a small-business owner, a union member and an activist. He said that not being a “career politician” would serve as an advantage in Congress and that he plans to run a campaign “powered by the people, for the people.” “It’s not about party. It’s about people feeling represented,” Harper said. “And being an independent voice in the U.S. Senate is something I believe Michiganders want right now.” Harper faces a tough test in catching Slotkin in both fundraising and campaigning. Slotkin has raised $5.8 million in just over four months, according to her campaign, and $3.6 million of it remains unspent. She has been endorsed by fellow U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, a Democrat who represents parts of suburban Detroit. Many top Democratic candidates who had been considering a run for the Senate opted against it before Slotkin's February announcement, seemingly clearing the field for the third-term representative who rose to prominence by consistently winning one of the nation's most competitive House seats. But the field of Democratic candidates has grown in recent months. State Board of Education member Pamela Pugh, former Detroit state Rep. Leslie Love, businessman Nasser Beydoun and attorney Zack Burns have all announced campaigns. Michigan remains a must-win state for Democrats if they hope to maintain control of the Senate, with tough races expected in Ohio, West Virginia, Montana, Nevada and Pennsylvania. In 2020, Republican John James, now a U.S. representative, narrowly lost to incumbent Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. While two GOP candidates have announced, including state Board of Education member Nikki Snyder, Republicans have yet to find a high-profile contender to vie for the seat. Several potential candidates, including former U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer, are considering bids. Republicans have taken just one of Michigan’s last 15 Senate races, winning an open seat in 1994. Also Monday, Former state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr., a Democrat, will announce his bid for Slotkin’s seat in the 7th Congressional District, one of the nation’s most competitive House districts. Republican Sen. Tom Barrett launched his second run for the seat Sunday night. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide A Libyan court jails 38 human traffickers over the deaths of 11 Europe-bound migrants at sea Republican's hold on nominations leaves Marines without confirmed leader for 1st time in 100 years The Good Doctor and CSI star running for US senate

President Joe Biden on Monday caused a stir when he appeared to breach royal protocol by touching King Charles III during an arrival ceremony at Windsor Castle, while the King appeared to lose his cool after one of the Welsh Guards at the castle seemed to spend too much time engaging the president in conversation. Mr Biden, who’d arrived in the UK late on Sunday and spent the night at the US Embassy in London, closed out the day’s engagements by meeting with the King and a group of business leaders alongside several US and UK officials. After arriving on the Windsor grounds by helicopter for their first one-on-one meeting since Charles became King last year, Mr Biden raised eyebrows among longtime palace observers by placing his hand on the monarch’s elbow as the two men shook hands. Following that warm greeting, the president placed his hand on the King’s back as they reviewed the assembled Welsh Guards on the Windsor quadrangle, with the monarch reciprocating in a similar gesture a short time later. Both men appeared to be smiling and in good spirits as they ambled about the castle grounds, with Charles attempting to hurry Mr Biden along at one point as they reviewed the Guard of Honour. Mr Biden, who was engaged in conversation with one of the soldiers he was reviewing, failed to heed the monarch’s polite suggestion to keep moving, with the King appearing to snap and gesture at the guard after the president moved along. Although protocol states that the monarch is generally not to be touched, a Buckingham Palace source told People that Mr Biden did not breach protocol and said the King was “entirely comfortable” with the encounter. "What a wonderful symbol of warmth and affection it was between both the individuals and their nations," they said. The King and Mr Biden have met multiple times during their time in public life, with their two most recent meetings coming during the Cop26 summit in Glasgow and a Buckingham Palace reception during the 2021 G7 summit. Both of those times, the subject at hand was their respective efforts to battle climate change, and the same topic was on the agenda during Mr Biden’s visit with the King. Both men participated in what the White House described as a ”climate engagement” featuring His Majesty and a number of “philantrophists and investors,” including the chief executives of Bank of America, Prudential, and BlackRock, as well as US climate envoy John Kerry and Grant Shapps, the British Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. Mr Shapps told reporters that British officials are “enormously pleased” that the Inflation Reduction Act signed by Mr Biden last year “advanced clean energy goals”. Mr Biden’s audience with the King came immediately following a 42-minute visit to Number 10 Downing Street for tea with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. As he sat in the back garden with the PM, Mr Biden said the relationship between the US and the United Kingdom continues to be “moving along in a way that is positive” and “rock solid”. The US president, who has met with his British counterpart five times in the last five months, quipped that it was “good to be back” and commented that he and Mr Sunak have “only been meeting once a month”. For his part, the British Prime Minister said he and Mr Biden would use the brief bilateral meeting to discuss “how do we strengthen our cooperation” and “joint economic security to the benefit of our citizens”. “We stand as two of the firmest allies in that alliance and I know we’ll want to do everything we can to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security,” he said. Following the meeting with the King, Mr Biden departed London for Vilnius, where he will participate in the Nato leaders’ summit before travelling to Helsinki for a meeting with Nordic leaders. Read More King and President Biden’s meeting reinforces US-UK special relationship People defend Joe Biden after reporter claims he wore sneakers without socks during trip to UK: ‘Impeach!’ Biden’s biggest gaffes: Muddling up wars, dozing off mid-event and a series of tumbles Budget 2022: Hunt says UK in recession as he announces huge tax rises Jeremy Hunt increases energy windfall tax in budget Jeremy Hunt freezes tax allowances and hits 45p rate payers

Former president Donald Trump reportedly further strained his relationship with Republican party leadership in Iowa after failing to show up for senator Joni Ernst's annual "Roast and Ride" charity. Except for Mr Trump, eight of the GOP 2024 presidential election hopefuls were present at the senator's charity event last month – a combination of barbecue-rally and motorcycle rides that kick off a busy summer campaign season heading into the first-in-the-nation caucuses. Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former vice president Mike Pence, US senator Tim Scott, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and other candidates dressed for the occasion in leather and reached out to supporters. Mr Trump declared that he would not participate in the event but his campaign had expressed interest in sending videotaped remarks to be played for the crowd, according to a New York Times report. However, the former president failed to send the videotape, allegedly leaving Ms Ernst’s operation with a large bill that was wasted on renting screens for the purpose of showing the tape. The former president also potentially ruined the senator's plan to use a motorcycle helmet signed by all of the Republican candidates to sell tickets to the event. The event organisers sent the helmet to Mr Trump, who returned it later than expected and had added the numbers '45' and '47,' signaling he would be the next president. The helmet was never used, the newspaper said. The presidential hopefuls during the event all tiptoed around mentions of the 45th president. Ms Haley repeated a version of a line she has been using as a candidate that seems to allude to Mr Trump and his political career as replete with controversies. “It’s time for a new-generation leader. We’ve got to leave the baggage of the negativity behind,” she said. Meanwhile, Mr Trump in Iowa earlier this week attacked the Florida governor as an enemy of corn-based ethanol in his largest campaign event in the state. The former president spoke to more than 1,000 Iowans and Nebraskans packed into the event hall inside Mid-America Center. Mr Trump declared himself “the most pro-farmer president that you’ve ever had” at the event, which was aimed at promoting his administration’s agricultural record. “I fought for Iowa ethanol like no president in history,” he said. Read More Trump and DeSantis begin eyeing Super Tuesday states as they prepare for 2024 long game Trump says ‘damaged’ DeSantis is ‘desperately trying to get out’ of 2024 race Trump lawyer Alina Habba leaves his defence team in New York fraud case Mexico's president breaks with tradition in quarrel with scrappy opposition upstart A competitive race for an open House seat is taking shape in a Michigan battleground district Trump wanted to tap phones of White House aides, new book claims

Former NBA player Royce White wrote “Trump Won!” on the side of his head as he appeared at a Big3 game. The Big3 is a basketball league co-founded by rapper Ice Cube featuring three-on-three games. Mr White played for the Sacramento Kings and the Houston Rockets, but his NBA career was brief as he played only three regular season games. Since then, he has become an outspoken right-winger. Last year, he ran for the Republican nomination in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District to challenge Democratic Rep Ilhan Omar. But he faced criticism when his campaign committee spent large amounts of money at major retailers without detailing how much of it was used for his campaign, Axios reported last year and he ultimately lost the primary in the solidly Democratic district. Mr White’s message earned him the praise of many on the right. “Royce White = MAGA fearless,” Steve Bannon said. “Royce White knows what’s going on,” former Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake tweeted. “Trump won. EVERYONE knows it.” Similarly, last week, Mr White said he would support a presidential ticket with Mr Trump and Democratic presidential candidate and conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr. Mr Kennedy also appeared at a Big3 game on Sunday. Despite initially criticising Mr Trump, Ice Cube later met with Mr Trump in 2020 to discuss the then-president’s agenda for Black Americans. “Every side is the Darkside for us here in America,” he tweeted at the time. “They’re all the same until something changes for us. They all lie and they all cheat but we can’t afford not to negotiate with whoever is in power or our condition in this country will never change. Our justice is bipartisan.” Read More Trump news – live: Guy Fieri faces backlash as new book claims Trump wanted to tap White House aides’ phones Trump wanted to tap phones of White House aides, new book claims Trump leaves Iowa Republicans with big bill after no-show at charity event Trump spreads White House cocaine conspiracy – live ‘Heartbreaking’ court ruling blocks trans youth from affirming care in Tennessee

The sole suspect in the Tylenol poisoning murders that claimed seven lives and led to changes to how over-the-counter prescription drugs were manufactured and sold has died. James Lewis, 76, was found unresponsive at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Sunday, and pronounced dead soon after, authorities said. His death has frustrated law enforcement who had continued to pursue Lewis over the indiscriminate 1982 killing spree in the Chicago area that left six adults and a 12-year-old girl dead. Lewis was convicted of attempting to extort manufacturer Johnson & Johnson after sending a letter claiming responsibility for the deaths and demanding $1m to stop. He was questioned as recently as September over the poisonings, in which a suspect laced bottles of Tylenol with potassium cyanide. But no-one has ever been charged over the deaths, which led to widespread panic and sweeping changes to the way prescription drugs were bought and sold. Read More Utah mom accused of poisoning husband before writing grief book is sued for $13m by his family Thousands of unauthorized vapes are pouring into the US despite the FDA crackdown on fruity flavors Drugmaker lobbying group sues over plan to negotiate Medicare drug prices

It didn’t take very long for conservatives to pounce on Meta’s new Twitter competitor and accuse it of censoring a prominent conservative, forcing the social media giant to back down. Last week, the New York Post reported that users of Instagram Threads — the upstart from Facebook’s parent company meant to take advantage of Twitter users’ discontent over the site’s Elon Musk-era problems — were offered a warning when they attempted to follow Donald Trump Jr, the eldest son of twice-impeached, twice-indicted ex-president Donald Trump. They were asked if they were “sure” they wanted to do so, and warned that the younger Mr Trump had “repeatedly posted false information that was reviewed by independent fact-checkers or went against our Community Guidelines”. The Trump Organization executive, who frequently posts false and inflammatory statements targeting prominent Democrats, posted a screen grab of the warning to Twitter on Thursday, around the time the new app went live. “Threads not exactly off to a great start,” he wrote. “Hey Instagram, threads is verbal, so the whole skimpy bikini thing is not going to work so well if your influencers can’t actually formulate a sentence… IMHO you may want to rethink cutting off those who can”. Meta communications boss Andy Stone responded that the warning “was an error and shouldn’t have happened”. “It’s been fixed,” he added. In response, Mr Trump replied: “Ok thanks I appreciate that”. The frustrated would-be poster’s father was banned from Instagram and Facebook for two years after he incited a deadly riot at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021. On that day, a mob of the defeated president’s supporters stormed the seat of the US legislature in hopes of preventing certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. Read More Instagram Threads hits 100 million users, becoming easily the fastest growing app ever Twitter restores old, ‘better’ version of TweetDeck – but for how long? Account tracking Elon Musk’s jet is now on Threads after it was suspended from Twitter Elon Musk says ‘Zuck is cuck’ as Threads inches closer to 100m users

Watch live as Joe Biden meets with King Charles III at Windsor Castle. The US president arrived in London on Sunday evening and hailed the “rock-solid” relationship between America and the UK as he met Rishi Sunak in Downing Street earlier today. He praised the closeness of ties between the two countries as he and the prime minister held talks in the garden of No 10. Mr Biden is expected to sit down for tea with the King to discuss the climate crisis following his meeting with Mr Sunak. Though it is not a full-blown state visit, the president will be treated to a display of pageantry at Windsor Castle. He will receive a royal salute and hear the US national anthem courtesy of the Welsh Guards, before having tea with Charles. They will also meet attendees of a climate finance mobilisation forum, where finance and philanthropic leaders will have discussed the support they can offer to poorer nations. Read More Biden hails ‘rock-solid’ US-UK relationship at Downing Street talks with Sunak Biden shakes hands with Sunak outside No 10 ahead of talks on Ukraine Ukraine and Nato on the agenda as Biden meets Sunak at No 10

Roy Herron, a longtime Tennessee state lawmaker and former chairperson of the state Democratic Party, died Sunday from injuries sustained in a jet ski accident. He was 69. Herron died at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, according to a statement from his family. He had been hospitalised since a 1 July accident on Kentucky Lake, in which he suffered internal bleeding and extensive injuries to his arm and pelvis, according to his family's Caring Bridge website. “Roy loved his family with all his might,” Herron's wife, Rev. Nancy Carol Miller-Herron, said. “He passed doing what he loved most — spending time with our sons and their friends in the Tennessee outdoors where his spirit was always most free.” Herron, an attorney from Dresden, Tennessee, served a combined 26 years in the state's House and Senate, where he became floor leader and caucus chair for the Democrats. He never missed a day of session, except for when his youngest son was born, according to his website. He chaired the state Democratic Party from 2013 to 2015. A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, Herron was also one of the first students to earn joint degrees in divinity and law from Vanderbilt University. An ordained Methodist minister, Herron also authored three books, including one titled, “God and Politics: How Can a Christian Be in Politics?” Funeral services were planned for Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Martin. Condolences poured in on Sunday. On Twitter, former Vice President Al Gore called his fellow Tennessee Democrat “a dear friend and one of Tennessee’s most devoted citizens.” Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen called Herron “bright, diligent, and honest. A politician destined for greatness.” Republican Rep. David Kustoff said Herron ”dedicated his life to serving West Tennessee, and the entire Volunteer State." Tennessee House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison said on Twitter he was “the kind of guy that you couldn’t help but like.” Joe Hill, a longtime Tennessee Democratic political operative who worked with Herron on multiple campaigns, said he “brought a zeal for making health care more accessible to disadvantaged Tennesseans” when he was elected to the state House. Hill said he also brought that commitment to “education, victims' rights, environmental quality and so many other things that affect average people.” “His legacy of advocating for ‘the least among us’ will represent the gold standard of service for Democrats and Republicans in Tennessee's future,” Hill told The Associated Press on Sunday. That nature applied to Herron's friendships as well, Hill said. He recalled how Herron drove 140 miles (225 kilometers) to be with him and his family in Memphis, after one of Hill's children was involved in a car crash. “We left home in such a hurry and didn’t bring extra clothes,” Hill said. “My wife, Susan, was freezing in the cold hospital waiting room, and Roy gave her his shirt so she could be warm. That’s the kind of genuine human being he was.” In 2010, after briefly running for governor, Herron became the Democratic nominee in Tennessee's 8th Congressional District, when then-Rep. John Tanner announced his retirement, after more than 20 years in the seat. Herron ultimately lost the general election to Republican Stephen Fincher. “I was hoping when I retired, that he would win the seat,” Tanner told the AP on Sunday. After a tornado devastated his hometown of Dresden just before Christmas in 2021, Herron marshaled a fundraising effort, amassing more than $100,000 to aid recovery efforts. “It's an overused term — that he was a dedicated public servant — but that really was Roy,” Tanner said. “He worked tirelessly for causes that he took up, and he had a good heart.” Read More Biden news – live: UK-US relationship ‘rock solid’, says US president at Downing Street meeting with Rishi Sunak Republican lawmaker claims US is ‘hiding evidence’ of UFOs which ‘defy physics as we know it’ Roy Herron, longtime Tennessee Democratic lawmaker, dies after injuries from jet ski accident Watch live as Joe Biden meets King Charles at Windsor Castle Biden’s biggest gaffes: Muddling up wars, dozing off mid-event and several tumbles

President Joe Biden is kicking off his first full day of his trip abroad this week with a visit to the UK where he will meet with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles III. The president landed in London on Sunday night ahead of Monday’s meeting with Mr Sunak, where the two leaders will discuss a range of topics including the war in Ukraine and will seek to bolster the US-UK “special relationship”. After that, he is heading to Windsor to meet the King – after infamously snubbing his coronation back in May. From there, the president will travel to Vilnius, Lithuania, for a meeting of NATO leaders. While Ukraine – and the US’s recent controversial decision to send cluster munitions to help in the war efforts – is expected to dominate conversations among the leaders, all eyes will also be on the president’s actions. Mr Biden has a well-documented history of embarrassing gaffes – something he admits, having once referred to himself as a “gaffe machine”. The president, 80, has a speech impediment which is often blamed for his verbal gaffes on the world stage. However, his string of verbal – and physical – slip-ups have been seized upon by his political rivals, in particular Donald Trump, who have sought to claim that they are a sign of a lack of mental competence. Whatever the reason, it’s undeniable that Mr Biden has become notorious for his blunders from muddling up leaders and wars to a series of trips and falls. As all eyes turn to his actions during his visit to the UK, here are some of his most notable gaffes to date: Muddling up the wars in Ukraine and Iraq In another infamous slip-up in June 2023, the president muddled up the ongoing war in Ukraine for the Iraq War, which ended in 2011. Mr Biden was speaking to reports on the south lawn of the White House before heading to Chicago when he was asked whether he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin had been weakened by the Wagner Group’s mutiny. Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin had briefly led a rebellion marching towards Moscow. Mr Biden responded by saying that Mr Putin was “clearly losing the war in Iraq”. “It’s hard to tell, but [Putin’s] clearly losing the war in Iraq, losing the war at home. And he has become a bit of a pariah around the world,” he said. ‘God save the Queen’ That same month, Mr Biden made another verbal gaffe when he bizarrely closed out a speech on gun control with the proclamation: “God save the Queen, man.” The president was speaking to a group of gun control advocates at the National Safer Communities Summit in Connecticut at the time. The slip-up raised eyebrows as to who he was referring to. Was it Queen Elizabeth II who died in September 2022? Or was it Queen Camilla who was crowned just one month earlier when King Charles III took the throne in a coronation that Mr Biden famously snubbed? The White House later sought to explain away the bizarre reference by saying that he was merely “commenting to someone in the crowd”. ‘Mr President?’ The last time Mr Biden and Mr Sunak met, the US president accidentally called him by his own moniker: “Mr President.” The UK PM travelled to Washington DC for a two-day trip in early June where the two leaders held a meeting in the Oval Office White House. As they smiled for photos, Mr Biden said: “Well, Mr President...” Quickly correcting himself, he added: “I just demoted you, Mr Prime Minister.” The two laughed off the slip-up and continued with their meeting. Biden tumbles on stage at Air Force Graduation Mr Biden took a rather large tumble while on stage at the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in early June. The president delivered the commencement address at the event and stayed on stage as graduates were handed their diplomas. As he walked off, he then stumbled and fell to the ground. He was helped up by Air Force officials and appeared to point at a sandbag as the culprit responsible for the mishap. White House communications director Ben LaBolt later tweeted that he was “fine” and that “there was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands”. This is far from the only time Mr Biden has taken a tumble. Napping at COP26 In a video that went viral on social media, Mr Biden was caught sleeping on the job at the COP26 climate change conference in Scotland in November 2021. In the clip, the president was seen appearing to nap during the opening remarks at the climate event – with his eyes shut at one point for more than 20 seconds. An aide was seen popping over and nudging him from his apparent slumber. Read More Biden news – live: US president to meet King Charles and Rishi Sunak ahead of Nato summit What are cluster bombs and what is controversial about Biden sending them to Ukraine? Biden touches down in UK as president expected to be challenged over cluster bombs at Nato summit Budget 2022: Hunt says UK in recession as he announces huge tax rises Jeremy Hunt increases energy windfall tax in budget Jeremy Hunt freezes tax allowances and hits 45p rate payers