Sebastian Smith

President Joe Biden speaks at Fort Liberty, NC, on June 9, 2023. (AP Photo/ Susan Walsh)

June 12, 2023, 9:04 pm

Biden adopts strategy of silence as Trump indicted

President has little to gain by commenting on his rival’s legal woes, with many Trump supporters already believing the former leader is a victim of a ‘deep state’ conspiracy

By Sebastian Smith

US President Joe Biden addresses a conference at the Washington Hilton on April 25, 2023(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP)

April 26, 2023, 5:34 am

With 2024 announcement, Biden seeks more time to ‘heal’ America

US president has racked up series of policy wins after initial missteps, but will have to overcome detractors — including majority of Democrats — who don’t want him to run again

By Sebastian Smith

File: People walk on the tarmac as they disembark from a Airbus A400M military transport aircraft at the French military air base near Abu Dhabi, on August 23, 2021, after being evacuated from Kabul. (Bertrand Guay/AFP)

April 7, 2023, 8:48 am

US admits massive intelligence failure in disastrous Afghan exit

Washington defends pullout but acknowledges officials didn’t grasp extent of Taliban’s strength, corruption of Afghan forces; adds Trump’s deal with Taliban left them few options

By Sebastian Smith

Former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at his Mar-a-Lago estate hours after being arraigned in New York City, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

April 6, 2023, 11:51 am

Possible Trump trial plunges US 2024 race into uncharted territory

The former president is using his indictment to drum up more support and remains the Republican favorite, while Biden’s failure to confirm a 2024 run creates further uncertainty

By Sebastian Smith

Illustrative: A US Air Force pilot taking off in an F-22 Raptor at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, February 4, 2023. (Airman 1st Class Mikaela Smith/US Air Force via AP)

February 11, 2023, 2:13 am

US downs unknown object flying over Alaska, days after alleged Chinese spy balloon

Fighter jet shoots down small unmanned aerial vehicle because it posed danger to civil aviation, White House says, amid alarm over surveillance by China

By Sebastian Smith

US President Joe Biden departs the White House on January 13, 2023 in Washington, DC (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP)

January 14, 2023, 12:04 pm

Biden’s stray classified document revelations: Disaster or just distraction?

Even if special counsel concludes it was sloppiness rather than criminal, experts say imbroglio will plague US president as Republicans will say it shows he’s not fit for office

By Sebastian Smith

US President Joe Biden returns to the White House on January 11, 2023 in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP)

January 12, 2023, 5:44 pm

Biden administration pressed on classified docs found at think tank

Aides to US president reportedly uncover ‘at least one additional batch’ of unsecured files, complicating probe into Trump’s hoarding of secret documents at Mar-a-Lago

By Sebastian Smith

People vote at a polling location at Indianola Church of Christ on US Election Day on November 8, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP)

November 8, 2022, 4:55 pm

Election day arrives for US midterms; Biden agenda at stake, Trump in the wings

As predecessor eyes comeback, president admits it’ll be ‘tough’ to retain Democrat control of House; several close Senate races could decide if Biden is left basically a lame duck

By Andréa Bambino and Sebastian Smith

US President Joe Biden speaks during a rally for gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore and the Democratic Party on the eve of the US midterm elections, at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland, on November 7, 2022.
(Mandel Ngan/AFP)

November 8, 2022, 4:03 am

Biden, Trump clash on eve of midterm elections set to upend Washington

Republicans expected to seize House, Senate in the balance, putting president’s agenda on the line as predecessor teases 2024 comeback bid

By Sebastian Smith

US President Joe Biden speaks about abortion access during a Democratic National Committee event at the Howard Theatre, in Washington, October 18, 2022. (Evan Vucci/AP)

October 18, 2022, 11:28 pm

Biden vows to enshrine nationwide abortion rights if Democrats succeed in midterms

Hoping to maintain his party’s razor-thin majority, US president says codifying Roe v. Wade will be first order of business – and he’ll veto any Republican attempt to institute ban

By Sebastian Smith

Former US president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama unveil their official White House portraits during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, in Washington, Sept. 7, 2022. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

September 8, 2022, 9:35 am

Obamas get White House portraits after Trump snub denied them the tradition

At ceremony to install paintings of former president and first lady among their predecessors, Michelle stresses importance of such customs and ‘peaceful transfer of power’

By Sebastian Smith

This combination of file pictures created on September 29, 2020, shows US President Donald Trump (L) and Democratic candidate Joe Biden squaring off during the first presidential debate at the Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jim Watson and Saul Loeb/AFP)

August 14, 2022, 11:29 am

Documents scandal boosts prospect of Trump vs Biden rematch in 2024

FBI raid on former US president’s Mar-a-Lago resort seen as a game-changing moment that, ironically, could benefit both him and the incumbent; voters, however, may not want either

By Sebastian Smith

US President Joe Biden speaks from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House August 1, 2022, in Washington, as he announces that a US airstrike killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan. (Jim Watson/Pool via AP)

August 3, 2022, 2:35 am

Zawahiri killing boosts Biden on anniversary of chaotic Afghan exit

Critics on right and left see last year’s US withdrawal from Kabul as a show of ineptitude that will make Afghanistan a hotbed of anti-American Islamic groups

By Sebastian Smith

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference on July 29, 2022, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

August 2, 2022, 2:04 am

White House: Pelosi has right to visit Taiwan, China need not turn it into a crisis

National Security Council spokesman warns Beijing may be ‘positioning’ for show of military strength; speaker slated to become most senior US official to visit Taipei in decades

By Martin Abbugao, amber wang and Sebastian Smith

From front center clockwise, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US President Joe Biden, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and France's President Emmanuel Macron sitting at a round table as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the G7 leaders via video link during their working session at Castle Elmau in Kruen, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, June 27, 2022. (Tobias Schwarz/Pool Photo via AP)

June 27, 2022, 3:11 pm

G7 gears up to broaden sanctions on Russia, set fuel price cap, raise tariffs

Move aimed at weakening Russian military by blocking access to Western technology; powers plan to use funds earned by tariffs to help Ukraine cover costs of war

By Sebastian Smith