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Former President Donald Trump met with former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso on Tuesday evening, discussing the relationship between the two countries. “The two discussed the enduring importance of the US-Japan alliance to both countries’ physical and economic security and to stability in the Indo-Pacific,” a statement released by Trump said. “They also discussed challenges posed by China and North Korea. President Trump praised Japan’s increased defense spending.”

HONG KONG — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with veteran U.S. diplomat Henry Kissinger in Beijing on Thursday, calling him an “old friend,” Chinese state media reported. Xi said the visit by Kissinger, who has been to China more than 100 times and recently turned 100, had special significance because of the two “hundreds.” Kissinger, who was Richard Nixon’s national security adviser, made a secret trip to China to 1971 that laid the groundwork for a historic trip by the president the following year and the formalization of relations between the United States and China in 1979. “It not only...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday as America’s top diplomat concluded a flying two-day visit to Beijing. According to AP, a Blinken-Xi meeting had been expected, but neither side had confirmed it would happen until just an hour before the talks, which are seen as key to the success of the trip. News of the diplomatic head-to-head came after China told the U.S. earlier in the day it must choose between “cooperation or conflict” with Beijing as both countries seek to navigate a diplomatic way forward amid fraught relations between the world’s...

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with Republican leadership and key players on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, lobbying to maintain support of Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Johnson met with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and is slated to speak to the Republican Study Committee on Wednesday. Johnson is making the rounds to Republican lawmakers as GOP support for the level of U.S. funding to Ukraine has started to falter. As Republicans have taken on their new majority in the House, conservative members have voiced concerns about the ongoing flow of U.S....

President Biden met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday at the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, where the two leaders recommitted their support for Ukraine. The White House said the leaders “discussed Russia’s barbaric missile strikes in Ukraine and underscored their governments’ strong support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression.”

Vice President Harris welcomed another shipment of infant formula from overseas at the Dulles, Va., airport on Friday and said that the administration will have brought in 13 million eight-ounce bottles through its “Operation Fly Formula” airlift by the end of the week. Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff met with aviation and transportation workers aiding the formula delivery at the airport outside Washington.

Actor Matthew McConaughey was spotted on Capitol Hill on Monday and Tuesday, after endorsing gun control laws in an op-ed in the Austin American-Stateman. The Failure to Launch star was seen by reporters meeting with Senate Democrats Dick Durbin (D-IL), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Republicans Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Susan Collins (R-ME).

(CNN)Former Attorney General William Barr on Thursday met with the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol as CNN spotted him inside a room used by the panel to conduct interviews. Barr met with the panel for just over two hours today, according to an official familiar with the meeting. CNN previously reported that Barr had "tentatively agreed to give sworn testimony behind closed doors" to the House select committee.

First lady Jill Biden met with Slovakian President Zuzana Čaputová on Monday during the last stop on her trip to Eastern Europe to highlight Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. During their meeting at the presidential palace, Biden and Čaputová discussed support for the Ukrainian people and how the U.S. and Slovakia are joining forces to help. Biden on Sunday made an unannounced visit to western Ukraine and met with first lady Olena Zelenska to show U.S. support for the embattled nation.

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden met with Coast Guard service members on Thursday during Thanksgiving in Nantucket, Mass. "What am I thankful for? I'm not joking when I say I'm thankful for these guys," Biden said, according to CBS News.

SPOTTED: Woody Harrelson going from the "White House" to Capitol Hill — taking a break from filming his Watergate series to get some one-on-one time with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) The "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" actor — who's been filming in Washington in recent days for the forthcoming HBO docuseries, "The White House Plumbers" — was eyed walking into Pelosi's office on Wednesday, before the pair strolled toward the House chamber together. It's unclear what Harrelson and Pelosi discussed. A Pelosi spokeswoman didn't immediately return ITK's request for comment.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) met “off-the-record” Monday with Fox News board member Paul Ryan amid reports of impending removal from Republican House leadership. “We can’t embrace the notion the election is stolen. It’s a poison in the bloodstream of our democracy,” Cheney said to the Fox News board member “behind closed doors at a conference in Sea Island, Georgia,” according to CNN.

House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) met with former President Donald Trump this week, according to a report released Thursday. “He’s in Florida this week on political travel and had meetings at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday and touched base with President Trump while he was there,” Lauren Fine, Scalise’s spokesperson, said in a statement.

A high-ranking US delegation visited the areas of northeastern of Syria to learn about the democratic experience applied on the ground, led by the member of the US Congress Thomas Alexander Garrett. The delegation was received by the head of the External Relations Office of the Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) of North-East Syria; Abdul Karim Omar, the Vice-Chair of the Executive Council of the Administration; Elizabeth Korrea, and the Vice-Presidents of the External Relations Body in al-Jazeera region Sanaa Daham and Fener al-Kait at Sêmelka crossing border on November 23. The member of the US Congress Thomas Alexander was accompanied...

Pope Francis publicly expressed “pain and shame” on Tuesday over the rape and molestation of children by priests in Chile and later listened, prayed and cried at a private meeting with victims, Reuters reported. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said the meeting took place in the Vatican embassy in Santiago. “No one else was present. Only the pope and the victims,” the spokesman said. “This was so they could speak of their suffering to Pope Francis, who listened to them and prayed and cried with them.” It was only the second time on his overseas trips that the pope has met...

The family of the driver said he was shaken up, but okay. Betty Aguilar, the driver's cousin, told FOX 4 there were signs around, but they had been blown away. She said there was just some wood over the hole. There was just like a little wood, but that wasn't going to stop anything from going through there," Aguilar said. "But that's the city's fault; they should have put something more secure." The driver's family said they had to use a ladder to get him out of the hole, and said they were upset that not enough was done to...

President Obama and senior Republicans were hoping to thrash out a deal to end the deadlock over the government shutdown and the looming debt ceiling time bomb today in a series of crunch talks. Obama was meeting with GOP Senators this morning, who have come up with their own plan to end the stand off, after talks with House Speaker John Boehner broke up with no agreement last night. In addition to ending the shutdown and increasing the debt limit, the proposal includes an easing of the across-the-board spending cuts that began taking effect a year ago, and replacing them...

DECATUR, Ga. -- President Obama on Thursday met the man who made "47 percent" part of Mitt Romney's legacy. Obama and opposition researcher James Carter, who released the infamous Romney fundraiser video, met backstage before Obama's education event here, Carter's cousin, Georgia state Sen. Jason Carter, told POLITICO. Upon being introduced and told of James Carter's role in the 47 percent video, Obama jumped forward to embrace him.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Despite trailing in the polls, GOP contender Newt Gingrich was in Orlando on Friday to focus on Florida. The latest Rasmussen poll puts Gingrich in a distant second place in Florida. Gingrich opened up his campaign headquarters in Orlando on Friday. Gingrich's campaign said it feels Florida, with its size and diversity, is a good gauge of how the rest of the country could go. Gingrich may trail in the polls, but he can still fill a room. "I know in some parts of the political process it's unusual to have a candidate who thinks on his...

CANNON FALLS, Minn., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- President Obama lunched with five recent military veterans while he was in Cannon Falls, Minn., on a bus tour to rural America. Obama emerged from his bus, parked in front of the Old Market Deli, waving and smiling to onlookers, some chanting "Obama, Obama." The lunch provided Obama a chance to hear directly from veterans from rural areas about their experiences and discuss what his administration has done to ensure veterans have the support needed when the leave the military, the White House said.