Congressman announces primary challenge to Biden, saying Democrats need to focus on future

1 / 2
US Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota holds a rally outside of the New Hamshire Statehouse after handing over his declaration of candidacy form for president to the New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan on October 27, 2023 in Concord, New Hampshire. (Getty Images/AFP)
2 / 2
US Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota holds a rally outside of the New Hamshire Statehouse after handing over his declaration of candidacy form for president to the New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan on October 27, 2023 in Concord, New Hampshire. (Getty Images/AFP)
Short Url
Updated 28 October 2023
Follow

Congressman announces primary challenge to Biden, saying Democrats need to focus on future

  • Minnesota congressman mounts Democratic primary challenge to President Joe Biden
  • Says it's "time for the torch to be passed to a new generation of American leaders”

CONCORD, New Hampshite.: For months, Dean Phillips called for a Democratic primary challenge to President Joe Biden, drawing no public interest from governors, lawmakers, and other would-be alternatives.

The 54-year-old Minnesota congressman finally entered the race himself on Friday in an event outside New Hampshire’s statehouse, saying, “It is time for the torch to be passed to a new generation of American leaders.”
Phillips is highly unlikely to beat Biden. Still, his run offers a symbolic challenge to national Democrats trying to project the idea that there is no reason to doubt the president’s electability — even as many Americans question whether the 80-year-old Biden should serve another term.
He said in his speech that he would try to fix the economy and warned about high prices and “the chaos at our border” — all issues that are potential vulnerabilities for Biden as he heads into a likely rematch against former President Donald Trump. And Phillips is trying to engage New Hampshire Democrats angry at Biden for diluting their state’s influence on the 2024 Democratic primary calendar, noting that the state had historically been “first to vet presidential candidates like me.”
Biden has long cast himself as uniquely qualified to beat Trump again after his 2020 win, and top Democrats have lined up behind him while also positioning themselves for a future primary run.
His re-election campaign issued a statement Friday saying it was “hard at work mobilizing the winning coalition that President Biden can uniquely bring together” to beat Trump.
Though Biden won’t officially run in New Hampshire’s primary and will rely on a write-in campaign, the president is planning to head next week to Phillips’ home state for an official event and fundraiser.
Phillips has already missed the deadline to enter Nevada’s primary and is little known nationally. His campaign’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter, was briefly suspended Friday before his launch. And shortly before Phillips spoke, the leader of his home state signed a fundraising pitch sent by the Biden campaign.
“You know, I have to say this about Minnesota: it’s a great state, full of great people. And sometimes they do crazy things,” wrote Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who added: “And sometimes … they make political side shows for themselves.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who sits on Biden’s reelection campaign’s national advisory board, dubbed Phillips’ bid an “attention-seeking stunt that is deeply insulting to Black voters and the coalition that saved our country from Donald Trump.”
“The stakes are too high in this election – especially for Black voters,” Dickens said, to focus on a “vanity project rather than what’s best for our party and our country.”
But New Hampshire primary challenges have a history of wounding incumbent presidents.
In 1968, another Minnesotan, Democratic Sen. Eugene McCarthy, built his campaign around opposing the Vietnam War and finished second in New Hampshire’s primary, helping push President Lyndon Johnson into forgoing a second term. Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy’s challenge of President Jimmy Carter and Pat Buchanan’s run against President George H.W. Bush both failed, but Carter and Bush ultimately lost their reelection bids.
The state’s influence on Democrats also was curtailed this year by changes engineered by the Democratic National Committee at Biden’s behest and was meant to better empower Black and minority voters.
A new Democratic calendar has South Carolina leading off presidential primary voting on Feb. 3 and Nevada going three days later. New Hampshire has refused to comply, citing state laws saying its primary must go first, and plans a primary before South Carolina’s. The DNC could, in turn, strip the state of its nominating delegates.
Steve Shurtleff, a former speaker of the New Hampshire House, believes Phillips might appeal to some Democrats and independents who can choose to vote in the primary.
“I’m disappointed that he and the DNC have tried to take away our primary,” Shurtleff said. “It’s not that I want to see Joe lose. It’s that I want to see our primary win.”
But Terry Shumaker, a former DNC member from New Hampshire and longtime Biden supporter, said he expects the president to easily clinch the state as a write-in option. Shumaker recalled going door to door for McCarthy in 1968, but doesn’t see Phillips gaining similar traction.
“I’m not aware of what his message is,” he said. “To do well in the New Hampshire primary, you have to have a message.”
There are no Democratic primary debates scheduled. The only other Democrat running in the 2024 primary is self-help author Marianne Williamson.
Phillips is heir to his stepfather’s Phillips Distilling Company empire. He once served as that company’s president but also ran the gelato maker Talenti. His grandmother was the late Pauline Phillips, better known as the advice columnist “Dear Abby.”
Driving a gelato truck was a centerpiece of his first House campaign in 2018, when Phillips unseated five-term Republican Erik Paulsen. While his district in mostly affluent greater Minneapolis has become more Democratic-leaning, Phillips has stressed that he is a moderate focused on his suburban constituents.
An AP-NORC poll released in August found that the top words associated with Biden were “old” and “confused.” Nearly 70 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of US adults said they thought Biden was too old to be effective for four more years. The same poll found that respondents most frequently described Trump as “corrupt” and “dishonest.”
Leslie Blanding, a retired teacher and Democrat from Bow, New Hampshire, said she did not know Phillips but was “thoroughly conflicted” over whether Biden should face a primary challenger.
“I think Biden is too old. I think from the outset, he should’ve been looking to groom someone to succeed him, and he didn’t do that,” said Blanding, 75. “But I think he seems to be the only one positioned to have a strong chance of defeating Trump or whomever.”
 


Ex-servicemen to be re-deployed as security guards in Kashmir, says Indian govt

Updated 5 sec ago
Follow

Ex-servicemen to be re-deployed as security guards in Kashmir, says Indian govt

  • Around 4,000 veterans have been "identified" as non-combatant volunteers

SRINAGAR, India: Military veterans will be redeployed as security guards in Indian Kashmir, New Delhi said on Saturday.

The government of Jammu and Kashmir approved a "proposal for mobilising ex-servicemen to safeguard vital infrastructure across the union territory," according to a government press release.

Around 4,000 veterans have been "identified" as non-combatant volunteers, out of which 435 have licensed personal weapons, it said.

This will help by "significantly enhancing the capacity to respond effectively to localised security situations," the government added.

Veterans will work in "static guard" roles, focusing on "presence-based deterrence and local coordination."

India already has an estimated half a million soldiers permanently deployed in its part of Kashmir.

A similar veteran volunteer program took place with 2,500 veterans during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the government.


Philippines records surge in tourists from Middle East 

Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco speaks at the SKIFT Asia Forum 2025 held in Bangkok on May 15, 2025.
Updated 18 May 2025
Follow

Philippines records surge in tourists from Middle East 

  • Philippines has been recognized as an emerging Muslim-friendly destination in recent years
  • Last year, it launched a beach for Muslim women travelers in top resort island Boracay

MANILA: The Philippines has recorded significant growth in tourists from the Middle East, the Department of Tourism said on Sunday, following various campaigns to attract more travelers from the region.

Tourism is a key sector for the Philippines, and its government has lately been trying to attract more visitors from the Middle East by creating Muslim-friendly destinations and ensuring that they have access to halal products and services. 

Those efforts, part of the Philippines’ move to diversify its economy away from dependency in the declining Chinese market, have led to a surge in international tourism arrivals from countries in the Middle East and the Gulf Cooperation Council, Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said. 

“We are targeting markets such as the Middle East and the GCC, as well as India,” she said in a statement. 

“Because of our efforts to diversify, we are seeing, for example, from the Middle East and the GCC, an average of no less than 500 to 800 percent growth rate in terms of international tourism arrivals.”

The Philippines’ tourism sector has been recovering since the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced most tourism destinations in the country to shut down and resulted in a decline of foreign arrivals by more than 80 percent compared to 2019 numbers.

As tourism started to rebound, the Middle Eastern market was among the ones showing “promising signs of recovery” last year, a Department of Tourism report said. 

The UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain are among the countries showing a positive recovery rate, “signifying a steady return of visitors from the Gulf region,” according to the report. 

In 2024, the Philippines was recognized as an Emerging Muslim-friendly non-Organization of Islamic Cooperation Destination by the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index.

The index is an annual report benchmarking destinations in the Muslim travel market. 

The archipelagic country known for its white-sand beaches, diving spots and rich culture, also won the award in 2023 and has since boosted efforts to attract visitors from the Middle East.

Last year, it launched a beach for Muslim women travelers in Boracay, the country’s top resort island and one of the world’s most popular. 

The Department of Tourism also partnered with Emirates Airlines in April to jointly promote the Philippines, targeting the Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and European markets. 

“The beauty of coming to the Philippines is that it is a very diversified destination. We are able to cater to any type of traveler, whether you are a solo traveler, a couple, (or) a family,” Frasco said. 

“With the number of islands that we have and the readiness of these destinations, then we are excited to welcome people of all nationalities.”


British politician urges UK to act on Israel as Gaza faces ‘cruel destitution’

Updated 18 May 2025
Follow

British politician urges UK to act on Israel as Gaza faces ‘cruel destitution’

  • Liberal Democrat Layla Moran, of Palestinian descent, said a critical tone had yet to translate into meaningful policy change

LONDON: A British politician of Palestinian descent has called on the UK government to back its tougher rhetoric on Israel with tangible action, warning that people in Gaza are facing “unbearably cruel levels of destitution.”

Liberal Democrat Layla Moran said that although ministers had recently adopted a more critical tone, this had yet to translate into meaningful policy change, The Guardian reported on Sunday

“I remain frustrated that while the government’s words and tone have changed, in terms of concrete actions, not much has changed,” she said.

Her comments come amid growing international pressure over Israel’s expanded military campaign in Gaza and its restriction of humanitarian aid.

On Wednesday, Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, described Israel’s aid blockade as “appalling,” “cruel,” and “indefensible.”

Foreign Secretary David Lammy also confirmed that the UK was in discussions with France and Saudi Arabia about recognizing a Palestinian state, ahead of a planned international conference in Paris in June.

Moran urged the UK to move forward with recognition, arguing it would “safeguard Palestinian interests and also send a very clear signal to Israel that there are consequences to their actions.”

She also criticized the government for continuing to allow trade from illegal Israeli settlements and for supplying arms to Israel, adding: “They’re still arming Israel when they shouldn’t be.”


Mogadishu suicide bomber kills at least 10 at army recruitment drive

An ambulance is seen near the scene of a bomb attack in Mogadishu, Somalia Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP)
Updated 18 May 2025
Follow

Mogadishu suicide bomber kills at least 10 at army recruitment drive

  • Dozens of abandoned shoes and the remains of the suicide bomber were visible at the scene
  • Medical staff at military hospital said they received 30 injured people from the blast and 6 of them died immediately

MOGADISHU: At least 10 people were killed on Sunday after a suicide bomber targeted a queue of young recruits registering at the Damanyo military base in the Somali capital Mogadishu, witnesses told Reuters.
Teenagers were lining up at the base’s gate when the attacker detonated their explosives, they said.
A military captain who gave his name as Suleiman described the attack as he had seen it unfold.
“I was on the other side of the road. A speeding tuk-tuk stopped, a man alighted, ran into the queue, and then blew himself up. I saw 10 people dead, including recruits and passers-by. The death toll may rise,” he said.
Dozens of abandoned shoes and the remains of the suicide bomber were visible at the scene.
Another witness, Abdisalan Mohamed, said he had seen “hundreds of teenagers at the gate as we passed by in a bus.”
“Abruptly, a deafening blast occurred, and the area was covered by dense smoke. We could not see the details of casualties,” he said.
Medical staff at the military hospital told Reuters they had received 30 injured people from the blast and that six of them had died immediately.
Government forces quickly cordoned off the entire area.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and government officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The attack echoed a similar incident in 2023 when a suicide bomber killed 25 soldiers at the Jale Siyad base, located opposite the Damanyo facility.
Sunday’s attack followed the assassination on Saturday of Col. Abdirahmaan Hujaale, commander of battalion 26, in the Hiiran region, amid local reports of Al-Shabab militant infiltration into government and security forces. 


Building fire kills 17, injures others in southern India

Updated 18 May 2025
Follow

Building fire kills 17, injures others in southern India

  • Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents

HYDERABAD, India: At least 17 people were killed and several injured in a fire that broke out at a building near the historic Charminar monument in southern Hyderabad city, officials said Sunday.
Several people were found unconscious and rushed to various hospitals, according to local media. They said the building housed a jewelry store at ground level and residential space above.
“The accident happened due to a short circuit and many people have died,” federal minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader G Kishan Reddy told reporters at the site of the accident.
Director general of Telangana fire services Y Nagi Reddy told reporters that 21 people were in the three-story building when the fire started on the ground floor early on Sunday.
“17 people, who were shifted to the hospital in an unconscious state, could not survive. The staircase was very narrow, which made escape difficult. There was only one exit, and the fire had blocked it,” he said.
The fire was brought under control.
Prime minister Narendra Modi announced financial compensation for the victims’ families and said in a post on X that he was “deeply anguished by the loss of lives.”
Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents.