Friday morning news: June 21, 2024

Putin/Vietnam/North Korea » Vladimir Putin is accusing NATO of threatening Russia’s security in the Asia-Pacific region.

PUTIN: [Speaking Russian]

In Vietnam yesterday, Putin said NATO is moving into Asia permanently.

He calls that a threat and promises Russia and other countries in the region will respond.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Lindsay Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal unveiled a bipartisan resolution to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

Blumenthal showed reporters a picture of Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang earlier this week announcing a new mutual defense pact.

BLUMENTHAL: This photograph is not just outrageous, it is deeply scary because it signals cooperation, not only against Ukraine, but against the United States.

Graham agreed saying Putin has signed on to help North Korea’s nuclear program.

GRAHAM: We need to up our game when it comes to Russia. And the last, really, tool in the toolbox that we can use is a designation making Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

If the resolution is approved Russia would join Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria as countries the U.S. has named state sponsors of terrorism.

U.S. to redirect interceptor missiles to Ukraine » The White House is speeding up the delivery of air defense interceptor missiles to Ukraine, and to accomplish that, it’s even diverting shipments away from other allied countries.

National Security spokesman John Kirby explained the urgency behind the move.

KIRBY: In recent months, Russia has accelerated both its missile and its drone attacks against cities and civilian infrastructure.

President Biden had already told other countries expecting air defense systems from the U.S they would have to wait.

The White House plans to prioritize interceptors for Ukraine for the next year and a half, potentially including hundreds of Patriot missiles.

Protester charges dropped » Dozens of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel student protesters arrested at Columbia University in April had their criminal charges dropped Thursday.

The Manhattan district attorney's office decided not to prosecute 32 protesters, citing a lack of evidence and prosecutorial discretion.

The protesters had barricaded themselves inside a building on campus, leading to their arrests on trespassing charges.

Thirteen other protesters refused an offer that would’ve dismissed charges after six months as long as they don’t commit further offenses.

Sullivan meets w/Israeli military leaders » Two top Israeli leaders were in Washington Thursday with tension still running high between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the White House.

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi joined U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to talk about the war in Gaza.

On the agenda, according to State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller:

MILLER: Our ongoing work to try to reach a cease-fire that will secure the release of all hostages, would surge humanitarian assistance.

U.S. leaders are still working to reschedule another high-level meeting on Israel’s security.

There have been differing stories from White House staffers about whether that meeting was first scrapped because of a recent video in which Netanyahu slammed the Biden Administration for withholding weapons.

U.S Pier in Gaza unloading again » Humanitarian aid is once again flowing into Gaza from a temporary pier the U.S. military built.

Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder says the 230-million-dollar pier was re-anchored to the Gaza beach Wednesday.

The military had removed it last week because of rough seas.

RYDER: Overnight, the transfer of humanitarian assistance from Cyprus to Gaza resumed, with more than 656 metric tons, or 1.4 million pounds, being delivered to the marshaling yard in Gaza today.

Ryder says Israeli Defense Force engineers helped with the placement of the bridge, and there were no U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza.

But rough seas aren’t the only setbacks. Aid groups have called the pier a distraction to take pressure off Israel to open more border crossings into Gaza.

And the United Nations, which was supposed to use the pier to deliver aid through its World Food Program suspended its cooperation with the project earlier this month. The UN says it’s conducting a security review.

ERIC MORO: Yeah, it’s just we don’t know what’s going to happen with our home (voice breaks). And, um, my daughter was crying when we were packing stuff up. She thought we were leaving town. She thought we were never coming back.

New Mexico wildfires » A man in New Mexico describes the heartbreak of his family evacuating their home to get out of the path of a wildfire.

Two wildfires burning in that state have claimed at least two lives and destroyed at least 1400 buildings, a lot of them homes.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham calls the larger of the two fires:

GRISHAM: One of the most devastating fires in New Mexico’s history.

Hundreds of firefighters are working to keep the flames from spreading further.

President Biden issued a disaster declaration Thursday to deliver more resources for recovery efforts.

I’m Mark Mellinger.

Straight ahead: Social media and the surgeon general on Culture Friday. Plus, family movie night.

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