Joe Biden withdraws from US presidential election race [Update at Post#51]

[FearlessRoar]

'Nothing nefarious': Biden seeks to reassure US over drone mystery​

A puzzling flurry of apparent drone sightings along the US east coast is "nothing nefarious", says President Joe Biden.

The sightings in recent weeks have occurred in New Jersey and a number of neighbouring states, sometimes around air bases. The phenomenon has prompted a number of conspiracy theories about foreign involvement.

Authorities have not given many definitive answers, other than to say the sightings are not always of drones, and that they do not believe there is a threat to national security or that a foreign power is at work.

Members of the US House Intelligence Committee, who were given a closed-door briefing on Tuesday, joined Biden on Wednesday in trying to reassure the public.

Among the committee members who spoke to reporters afterwards were Chrissy Houlahan, a Democrat.

"To date, they haven't found anything that would indicate that there's foreign influence, foreign actors, or even little green men who are working on the American people," she was quoted as saying by The Hill.

In his own comments to the media, Biden said: "We're following this closely, but so far, no sense of danger."

He stressed that the sightings were not evidence of any wrongdoing. "There's a lot of drones authorised up there," he said. "I think one started it and they all - everybody wanted to get in the deal."

In recent days, the sightings have led to the temporary closures of a Stewart International Airport in New York and of Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

Government agencies previously said they had "not identified anything anomalous". They agreed with Biden that many drones that had been sighted were lawfully flown by hobbyists and law enforcement - adding that people were also spotting "manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones".

But questions from the public remain. Earlier in the week, New Jersey man Noel Thomas described to the BBC his experience of spotting a mystery object in the sky. He said it was the size of a school bus, rectangular with blinking lights, and "definitely something I've never seen".

A police officer in the same state said: "We're just looking for some sound, reasonable answers so that people could go about their life and not live in this hysteria that we have going."

As the mystery persists, state governments are calling for more power to deal with the small, uncrewed aircraft being spotted in the skies. Earlier this week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said officials were sending her a drone detection system.

Among those who have voiced their suspicions are President-elect Donald Trump, who has said the government "knows what it happening", but "for some reason they don't want to comment". However, he said he "can't imagine it's the enemy".

The Pentagon earlier denied the suggestion of one New Jersey lawmaker that the possible drones came specifically from an Iranian "mothership", while an FBI official said there may have been "a slight overreaction" on the topic.

President Joe Biden seeks to reassure US over drone mystery

There is "no sense of danger" after a puzzling flurry of sightings on the east coast, the president says.

www.bbc.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Joe Biden says he could have defeated Donald Trump

US President Joe Biden has said he thinks he would have defeated Donald Trump and won re-election in November.

Speaking to USA Today in an exclusive interview, Biden did, however, add that he was unsure if he would have had the stamina for another four-year term.

"So far, so good," the 82-year-old said. "But who knows what I'm going to be when I'm 86 years old?"

In the wide-ranging interview with Susan Page, Biden also said he was still considering pre-emptive pardons for foes of Donald Trump, including former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney and former senior health official Dr Anthony Fauci.

In the interview published on Wednesday, Biden said he had been "very straightforward with Trump" about the potential pardons during their Oval Office meeting shortly after the November election.

"I tried to make it clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores," Biden said, adding Trump did not push back, but "just basically listened".

Biden said his ultimate decision will depend on who Trump selects for his cabinet.

At that same meeting, Biden said Trump was "complimentary" about his economic record.

"He [Trump] thought I was leaving with a good record," the Democrat said.

The interview with USA Today is the only exit interview Biden has so far given to a print publication.

Media access to Biden has been strictly controlled by the White House - and the president has not held a news conference since he dropped out of the race on 21 July.

In the interview, the outgoing president also defended the full and unconditional pardon he issued to his son, Hunter Biden, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases - tax evasion and illegally buying a gun - despite repeatedly insisting he would not do so.

Biden, who first came to Capitol Hill in 1972 as a US senator, drew criticism from his own party over his apparent reluctance to drop out of the presidential race amid concerns over his age and mental acuity.

Speaking to USA Today, Biden said "based on polling" he believed he would have won, but conceded his age may have affected him in office.

"When Trump was running again for re-election, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him. But I also wasn't looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old," Biden said. "But I don't know. Who the hell knows?"

Following Vice-President Kamala Harris' loss to Trump, high-ranking members of the Democratic party, such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have said the Democrats might have fared better in the election had Biden exited the race sooner.

BBC