Politics

(WASHINGTON) — Most members of the Federal Election Commission on Thursday said they did not have the authority to act on a petition to impose regulations on content in political ads that was generated by artificial intelligence.

“Our jurisdiction on this point is limited to instances where a campaign fraudulently misrepresents itself as acting on behalf of any other candidate or political party,” Commissioner Allen Dickerson, a Republican, said at the FEC’s public meeting on Thursday.

“Now, with my full support, the commission has asked Congress to expand our jurisdiction,” Dickerson said.

Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, who unsuccessfully voted with other Democrats to open the petition up for public comment, did not weigh in on the question of whether the FEC has jurisdiction but pointed out the value of soliciting outside feedback.

“Frequently, the comments that we get will address whether we have legal grounds to move forward on it, whether we have jurisdiction,” she said. “These are all arguments that are frequently addressed in the comments, and I think it’s important to engage with the public on these topics.”

The meeting was the FEC’s first public engagement on the issue, which is increasingly in the spotlight as AI is adopted in more and more parts of society — and appearing more and more often in political content.

Candidates, their campaigns and groups that support them have already begun to use hyper-realistic photos and videos created by AI, also known as “deepfakes,” in their advertising and other content for the public.

The petition that was considered Thursday had been filed by the nonprofit advocacy group Public Citizen. It argued that the FEC, which regulates campaign finance, should also regulate some misleading AI-generated content under its existing rules on “fraudulent misrepresentation” of a candidate.

Lawmakers in Washington have sought to address the issue. Democrats in both chambers of Congress recently introduced a bill that would require a disclaimer on political ads that feature AI-generated images or videos. Republicans have not yet signaled support or opposition to that proposal.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden convened a group of technology leaders to discuss the risks and promises of the new technology, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer unveiled a framework for AI policy and governance.

Schumer highlighted the risks to politics and elections in a speech this week to the national security think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“We could soon live in a world where political campaigns regularly deploy totally fabricated — yet totally believable — images and footage of Democratic or Republican candidates, distorting their statements and greatly harming their election chances,” he said.

The proposed legislation in Congress would address only a sliver of the AI-generated content that could influence politics. Because it applies only to political advertisements, the bill would have little bearing on the spread of other information among social media users.

Political experts also see potential value in using AI beyond its capabilities to create fake content, such as for automatic canvassing of voters and for email communications.

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(WASHINGTON) — Congressional Republicans on Thursday released transcripts of their interviews with two IRS whistleblowers who in April accused the Justice Department of granting Hunter Biden “preferential treatment” during its yearslong probe of his tax affairs.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith promoted the whistleblowers’ testimony as evidence that senior Biden administration officials stymied Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss’ investigation — a sentiment at odds with the Trump appointee’s own affirmation that Attorney General Merrick Garland granted him “ultimate authority” to investigate the younger Biden.

Hunter Biden this week agreed to plead guilty to a pair of tax-related misdemeanors and enter into a pretrial diversion agreement that would enable him to avoid prosecution on one felony gun charge, potentially ending the DOJ’s yearslong probe.

In hundreds of pages of testimony, the two IRS whistleblowers claim that senior Justice Department officials blocked prosecutors’ attempts to bring charges against Hunter Biden in Washington and California, and refused to grant Weiss special counsel status.

The whistleblowers also claimed that some investigators advocated for Hunter Biden to face harsher felony charges for his failure to pay taxes, instead of the misdemeanor offenses to which he ultimately agreed to plead guilty.

Justice Department officials pushed back on the allegations Thursday.

MORE: IRS whistleblower has told Congress that Hunter Biden probe is being mishandled
“As both the Attorney General and U.S. Attorney David Weiss have said, U.S. Attorney Weiss has full authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when, and whether to file charges as he deems appropriate,” the DOJ said in a statement. “He needs no further approval to do so.”

An attorney for Hunter Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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(WASHINGTON) — In a lengthy interview this week, Donald Trump was asked to address his past support for criminal justice reform and COVID-19 vaccine development and restrictions, two major areas where he has been criticized by other conservatives in the 2024 presidential race.

While defending his record to Fox News’ Bret Baier, Trump also said he’s considering skipping the first Republican primary debates because he’s the early front-runner with voters, polls show.

Elsewhere in the interview, Baier pressed Trump about the events of Jan. 6 and whether Trump would pardon all of the rioters.

And when asked about his proposal to implement the death penalty for drug dealers, Trump wavered on how it would apply in specific cases, including for a woman whom he freed from prison while in the White House.

Trump’s Fox News sit-down made headlines for his comments about his handling of classified documents while out of office. Below are highlights from what he said about his political platform and the 2024 race.

Trump: ‘Not sure the country is ready’ for death penalty proposal

A viral moment during Trump’s Tuesday interview came after Baier asked why he supports the death penalty for drug dealers, a hard-line position among politicians.

“That’s the only way you’re going to stop it,” he said, though he later expressed some hesitation about whether that view would be embraced.

“If you want to get rid of it — now, I don’t know that this country is ready for it. I just don’t know,” he said. “You know, every time I say it, I sort of like — it’s — it’s not easy to say the death penalty.”

Baier then cited Trump’s support for the First Step Act, which was passed by lawmakers from both parties and which Trump signed into law in December 2018.

The act reduced mandatory sentencings in a variety of cases and increased job trainings for prisoners to curb recidivism, among other changes.

The law has been criticized by some other Republicans and Trump’s focus on criminal justice reform while in the White House is in contrast to GOP arguments now that the country should adopt tougher-on-crime policies.

Trump said, though, that he is “focused on nonviolent crime” and he pointed to the case of Alice Johnson, whom he granted clemency and helped release early from a nonviolent drug sentence.

“But she’d be killed under your plan,” Baier said. Trump appeared briefly caught off guard by that idea, saying “huh?” — but then said, “It would depend on the severity. It would depend on the severity. … It would start as of now. So you wouldn’t go to the past.”

He then argued that the death penalty for drug dealing, if enacted, would be a deterrent for people like Johnson: “She wouldn’t have done it.”

Trump defends his handling of COVID-19

Trump was asked if he had “regrets” over how he handled COVID-19, with Baier pointing to the economic cost associated as well as criticism from some other Republicans because Trump initially supported sweeping, if temporary, lockdown measures to curb infections and death in the early months of the pandemic.

Baier said “some of your opponents are now running these loops” of clips of then-President Trump defending the restrictions as “the right thing.”

In response, Trump said he also gave power to states’ governors to make their own decisions and he singled out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his chief 2024 primary rival, whom he argued had “better PR” than other governors but did not handle the pandemic any better.

DeSantis has vocally campaigned against many COVID-19 restrictions, saying they’re excessive.

“I told all governors, ‘You do what you want,'” Trump said.

COVID-19 vaccines are another area where Trump has been at odds with Republicans, with some candidates previously saying they hadn’t received shots and past polling — including a 2020 survey — showing a notable amount of vaccine hesitancy among Republican voters.

“In your mind, did the COVID vaccine work?” Baier asked Trump in the interview.

“It’s such an interesting question,” he said, before going on to tout his support for the development of treatments for COVID-19 beyond vaccines. He also said his approach to the virus saved numerous lives.

But he said he never talks about his leadership in making COVID-19 vaccinations widely available because “as a Republican, it’s not a great thing to talk about.”

“I really don’t want to talk about it,” he said, later adding, “People love the vaccines, and people hate the vaccines … I understand both sides of it, by the way. I understand both sides very well.”

Trump then went on to criticize retired Dr. Anthony Fauci, who served as one of his top COVID-19 advisers (and later served under President Joe Biden). Trump also said he didn’t support broad vaccine mandates, though he has encouraged people to get immunized.

Trump may not do primary debates, would get on stage with Biden

Trump reiterated that he was erring against participating in the initial Republican primary debates, which begin in August on Fox News.

He indicated it was because he remains so far ahead of the rest of the field.

“I like to debate. I probably am here because of debates. I don’t mind it at all,” he said. “But when you’re 40 points up …. Why would I let these people take shots at me?”

However, he said he’d definitely face off with Biden.

“He and I have to definitely debate. That’s what I love,” Trump said.

Jan. 6 pardons if reelected?

On the topic of Jan. 6, which is being investigated by the Department of Justice, Trump was pressed on whether he’s worried about what he did and didn’t do that day and whether he’d pardon the rioters — including those charged with assaulting officers.

“We’d look at individual cases, but many of those people are very innocent people. They did nothing wrong,” he said.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with Jan. 6, according to the federal government.

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(WASHINGTON) — GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is set to start rolling out policy proposals, pivoting from touting his record as Florida’s governor to a more forward-looking vision taking aim at President Joe Biden.

DeSantis’ campaign told ABC News that it will introduce its new policies during targeted events, interviews and more throughout the summer and that the campaign will begin in full force next week. The effort, which has not been previously reported, will include plans that will be centered around improving the economy, boosting border security, tackling crime and eliminating the so-called deep state.

“Ron DeSantis is the fighter Americans are looking for with the solutions needed to tackle the most pressing issues, like fixing the economy, securing the border, and making our communities safer. The governor is looking forward to spending the summer relentlessly prosecuting the case against Joe Biden — the worst president in American history — and offering specifics on how he will right the ship to usher in our Great American Comeback,” DeSantis campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo said in an emailed statement.

The policies are intended to pose a contrast to Biden, who Republicans have framed as responsible for a sluggish economy and rising crime at the border and elsewhere. The GOP has also accused the White House of weaponizing the federal government to target political opponents and protect friends, mainly after the federal indictment of former President Donald Trump, while the Biden administration maintains all federal probes are independently conducted.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has refuted allegations of politicization at the Justice Department, insisting that the indictment against Trump was solely the result of an investigation by special counsel Jack Smith. And after Hunter Biden, the president’s son, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges over failure to pay some of his taxes, Garland insisted the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney who reached the plea deal with him had “full authority to decide the matter as he decided was appropriate” — in contrast to Republicans who dubbed the agreement a “sweetheart deal.”

David Weiss, the U.S. prosecutor in the Hunter Biden case, also said in a June 7 letter to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, that “I have been granted ultimate authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when, and whether to file charges and for making decisions necessary to preserve the integrity of the prosecution.”

Biden has leaned into his record in his reelection bid, and he has made providing economic relief to Americans a focus of early campaign ads, citing labor union endorsements as evidence of his commitment to championing working people. The White House also celebrated a Department of Homeland Security finding earlier this month that unlawful entries along the southern border have decreased 70% from their record highs in May.

DeSantis already ventured on a book tour before his presidential campaign launch and has been knocking Biden on many of the topics he’s set to release policies on, though the new effort appears set to add more specificity to what he’d do from the White House beyond the “Florida blueprint” he’s touted on the campaign trail.

DeSantis has so far leaned heavily on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, touting his minimal shutdowns, as well as his efforts to wade into what he has termed the “war on woke,” including his push to curtail lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools that has put him at odds with Disney, ABC News’ parent company.

The Democratic National Committee shot back at DeSantis, noting that the policies he’s teasing don’t hit on third-rail culture war issues where he took hardline positions as governor.

“We can’t help but notice that Ron DeSantis seemed to have left out his support for banning abortion, cutting Social Security and Medicare, or keeping health care expensive in his home state. Good luck hiding from that,” said DNC spokesperson Ammar Moussa.

DeSantis’ campaign has also been been waging a bitter back-and-forth with Trump, the current GOP primary frontrunner. The two men and their campaigns have torn into each other over their pasts, taking shots at each other over everything from COVID-19 policies to abortion to criminal justice reform.

Trump has accused DeSantis of showing insufficient loyalty after his endorsement helped him win his 2018 governor’s race and exaggerating the success of his tenure, while DeSantis has accused the former president of not being conservative enough during his time in the Oval Office and not being a serious executive.

“I don’t think that’s what voters want and honestly, I think his conduct, which has been doing for years now, I think that’s one of the reasons he’s not in the White House now,” DeSantis said in an interview with a New Hampshire radio station earlier this month.

National and statewide polling shows Trump with a healthy lead over DeSantis, though a recent CNN poll showed Trump’s primary support dropping six percentage points from May while DeSantis’ support held steady — though it’s unclear how sustained the trend will be in upcoming surveys.

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(NEW YORK) — Rep. George Santos’ father and aunt guaranteed his $500,000 bond, according to a court document unsealed Thursday over the congressman’s objection.

Santos, a first-term Republican congressman who represents parts of Queens and Nassau County in New York, posted the bond after pleading not guilty last month to a 13-count indictment accusing him of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds.

His bond was guaranteed by Gercino Santos and Elma Santos Preven, who Santos told ABC News’ Rachel Scott are his father and his aunt. ABC News has reached out to both for comment.

In May, the House Ethics Committee sent a letter to Santos requesting the names of his suretors so it could determine “whether you may have solicited or received an improper gift in connection with the bond sureties.”

However his attorney previously expressed a preference for Santos to go to jail rather than release the names of the bail backers to the public, and argued harm could befall the suretors if their identities were revealed.

“Here in the instant case, the suretors are likely to suffer great distress, may lose their jobs, and god forbid suffer physical injury,” defense Joseph Murray said in a court filing.

“I’m also concerned for the safety of the people whose names will be revealed who are family members, and I worry about their safety,” Santos told ABC News a day before the names were released.

But federal Judge Joanna Seybert sided with a coalition of news organizations, including ABC News, who argued that the names should be made public.

This week, two House Democrats — Dan Goldman of Brooklyn and Greg Landsman of Cincinnati — asked the House Ethics Committee to disclose whether Santos had complied with the committee’s request to reveal the suretors’ names.

The Ethics Committee has been investigating Santos since March.

The embattled congressman faces five counts of wire fraud in what prosecutors allege was a fraudulent political contribution solicitation scheme, as well as two counts of unlawful monetary transactions for allegedly transferring donations he received for his political campaign to accounts he controlled before spending them on personal purchases; one count of theft of public money; two more counts of wire fraud for allegedly fraudulently applying for and receiving unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic; and two counts of making false statements to the U.S. House of Representatives in financial disclosure reports.

Santos, who has been accused of misrepresenting elements of his employment record, his education, and his family history, has admitted that he lied about portions of his background while running for Congress.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet Thursday for Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India for the third state visit of his presidency.

The visit will put on full display the “deep and close partnership” between the U.S. and India, the White House said, despite concerns India’s democratic principles have eroded under Modi’s leadership.

The relationship has been described by Biden as “one of the most important” of this century as the U.S. rebalances its foreign policy focus to the Indo-Pacific in the face of an increasingly aggressive China. Just ahead of Modi’s visit, President Biden suggested Chinese President Xi Jinping was a “dictator.”

“There’s a strategic imperative in the region,” Tanvi Madan, the director of The India Project at the Brookings Institution, told ABC News. “Multiple administrations have seen India as a geopolitical counterbalance, an economic alternative and a democratic contrast to China.”

President Biden and the first lady welcomed Modi to the White House Wednesday evening and hosted him for a private dinner.

On Thursday, the two leaders greeted each other warmly on the South Lawn in a welcome featuring marching bands and honor guards, despite rainy weather. Vice President Kamala Harris, the first person of Indian descent in her role, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff were also there to greet the prime minister.

“The challenges and opportunities facing the world in this century require that India and the United States work and lead together, and we are,” Biden said.

Modi said the partnership between the U.S. and India “will be instrumental in enhancing the strength of the whole world.”

Biden and Modi met in the Oval Office and will hold a brief news conference.

Modi will later appear on Capitol Hill to address a joint meeting of Congress before a state dinner at the White House Thursday night.

About 400 guests are expected to attend the dinner, the White House said, which will include a plant-based menu and a mixture of American and Indian decor. There will be performances from American violinist Joshua Bell and from Penn Masala, a South Asian a cappella group from the University of Pennsylvania.

The last time Modi visited the U.S. was in 2019, when he appeared alongside former President Donald Trump at a “Howdy Modi” rally in Texas attended by tens of thousands of people.

Kenneth Juster, who served as the U.S. ambassador to India during the Trump administration, said he expects a set of “substantive discussions that will take the strategic partnership to the next level, especially in the areas of defense and technology.”

Modi’s trip to Washington, though, isn’t without controversy as the prime minister’s been criticized for a rise in violence against religious minorities as well as a crackdown on the press and dissenters.

Some democracy watchdogs have downgraded India’s rating in recent years. The U.S.-based Freedom House rated India as “partly free” in its 2023 report, and the Sweden-based Varieties of Democracy called India an “electoral autocracy.”

“He’s got a mixed record,” Richard Rossow, chair U.S.-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said of Modi. “We do see at times he feels politically weak domestically, he’s initiated steps that directly or indirectly seem to stoke the fears of religious intolerance by him and his party. And we’ve also seen crackdown on civil society to some extent.”

Human rights advocates and at least 70 lawmakers have called on Biden to directly address human rights violations during Modi’s visit. Experts told ABC News any human rights or democratic issues will likely be taken up in private between the two leaders.

Biden, as he welcomed Modi, took a moment to tout what he said were “core principles” shared between the two countries — specifically highlighting freedom of speech and religion.

“As democracies, we can better tap into the full talent of all of our people and attract investments as true and trusted partners as leading nations with our greatest export being the power of our example,” the president said. “Equity under the law, freedom of expression, religious pluralism, diversity of our people — these core principles have endured and evolved even as they face challenges throughout each of our nation’s histories and will fuel our strength, depth and future.”

There’s also the issue of Russia. India, which has long relied on Russian oil and weapons, has avoided outrightly condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

But experts noted Modi’s slight change in tone when it comes to Russia’s invasion, such as his recent statements on the importance of territorial integrity and sovereignty.

“Both Washington and New Delhi understand that they will not necessarily see eye to eye on Russia,” Juster said. “But they can discuss that issue candidly with each other, and it is not going to have a negative impact on their broader strategic partnership.”

A senior Biden official said the White House would “engage actively” with India on issues related to Russia and Ukraine, specifically India’s efforts to diversify away from Russian military equipment.

Talks between Biden and Modi are also expected to include trade, climate and space.

The two leaders are expected to announce a joint space mission, investments in semiconducter tech in India, a commitment from India to purhase drones from the U.S. and more.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking to the U.S.-India Business Council last week, touted trade between the two nations reached a record $191 billion. Blinken noted the U.S. is India’s largest trading partner, and Indian companies invested more than $40 billion in the U.S. in IT, pharmaceuticals and more.

Though Juster said be believed there is still more work to do to advance on the trade front.

“For the world’s largest economy, the United States, and its fifth largest economy, India, I believe that their bilateral trade relationship does not fulfill all of its potential. I am hoping that the two countries can continue to advance their trade and investment relationship both bilaterally and regionally, because economic issues are so important in the Indo-Pacific and China has a robust economic strategy for the region,” he said.

Prior to landing in Washington, Modi met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk as well as other business leaders and health care experts.

He also marked International Day of Yoga by participating in a group session on the lawn of the United Nations headquarters.

“Almost every nationality is represented here today,” he said. “And what an amazing cause to bring us all together: yoga. Yoga means to unite.”

ABC News’ Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd is running for president, he said Thursday, joining a field of more than a dozen candidates who are vying for the Republican primary nomination.

“We live in complicated times and we need common sense,” Hurd said on CBS Mornings, pointing to what he called “generational, defining challenges” such as China’s rising global influence and the economic drag from inflation.

“To be frank, I’m pissed that we’re not talking about these things. I’m pissed that our elected officials are telling us to hate our neighbors,” he said.

“I believe the Republican Party can be the party that talks about the future, not the past. We should be putting out a vision of how do we have unprecedented peace, how do we have a thriving economy?” he continued.

“America is better together,” he said, “and way more unites us than divides us.”

Hurd acknowledged he was a “dark horse candidate” but said he wouldn’t be “afraid of Donald Trump” in the primary race, unlike other candidates. What’s more, he said, his past experience as a candidate shows he can connect with voters and expand the GOP’s appeal.

Hurd, who was the only Black Republican in the House in his 2015-2021 tenure, will face competitors including former President Trump, the early front-runner, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, along with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.

A moderate Republican and former CIA clandestine officer, Hurd is expected to join Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson in trying to carve out a path to success as a vocally anti-Trump GOP hopeful.

Hurd was one of the few intraparty critics of then-President Trump during his time in the House, when he represented more than a third of the U.S.-Mexico border as part of Texas’s 23rd District. At the time, Hurd was particularly outspoken against a border wall.

After the Jan. 6 insurrection, Hurd tweeted that the U.S. Capitol riot should be considered a coup spearheaded by Trump, who denied wrongdoing.

Hurd has been similarly critical of Trump since leaving office, including reacting to the 37 federal charges Trump faces for his alleged mishandling of government secrets after leaving the White House. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

“We can have a conversation about whether or not the DOJ should be doing something or not be doing something. That’s a valid conversation as a former CIA guy, right?” Hurd said on a recent CNN This Morning panel.

He continued: “Yes, you’re innocent until proven guilty. … But let’s be honest, if the GOP is supposed to be the party of law in order, then we need to be the party of law in order when it comes to our own folks.”

Hurd said Thursday, when asked, that he would not promise to pardon Trump if he is elected and Trump is convicted. Some other GOP primary candidates have said they would promise pardons.

Hurd has been publicly flirting with the idea of jumping in the race for some time, with his first recorded trip to an early voting state in January, when he visited New Hampshire. He’s since taken multiple trips there, along with a swing through Iowa.

“Ultimately here is what I think: Options are always good,” Hurd said during a recent Fox News appearance. “I don’t subscribe to this narrative that too many candidates in the race are going to ultimately help Donald Trump. The Republican Party is not the party of group-think.”

He published a book, American Reboot — which details his vision for a sort of overhaul of American politics — in 2022. His policy platform focuses on technology, education and foreign policy.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will roll out the red carpet Thursday for Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India for the third state visit of his presidency.

The visit will put on full display the “deep and close partnership” between the U.S. and India, the White House said, despite concerns India’s democratic principles have eroded under Modi’s leadership.

The relationship has been described by officials as “one of the most important” of this century as the U.S. rebalances its foreign policy focus to the Indo-Pacific in the face of an increasingly aggressive China. Just ahead of Modi’s visit, Biden suggested Chinese President Xi Jinping was a “dictator.”

“There’s a strategic imperative in the region,” Tanvi Madan, the director of The India Project at the Brookings Institution, told ABC News. “Multiple administrations have seen India as a geopolitical counterbalance, an economic alternative and a democratic contrast to China.”

President Biden and the first lady welcomed Modi to the White House Wednesday evening and hosted him for a private dinner.

Thursday’s schedule includes an Oval Office meeting between Biden and Modi, as well as a news conference where the two leaders are expected to take questions from the press.

Modi will also appear on Capitol Hill to address a joint meeting of Congress before a state dinner at the White House Thursday night.

“This visit celebrates the U.S.- India partnership as one of the most important bilateral relationships that we have in the 21st century,” State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters Wednesday.

The last time Modi visited the U.S. was in 2019, when he appeared alongside former President Donald Trump at a “Howdy Modi” rally in Texas attended by tens of thousands of people.

Kenneth Juster, who served as the U.S. ambassador to India during the Trump administration, said he expects a set of “substantive discussions that will take the strategic partnership to the next level, especially in the areas of defense and technology.”

Modi’s trip to Washington, though, isn’t without controversy as the prime minister’s been criticized for a rise in violence against religious minorities as well as a crackdown on the press and dissenters.

Some democracy watchdogs have downgraded India’s rating in recent years. The U.S.-based Freedom House rated India as “partly free” in its 2023 report, and the Sweden-based Varieties of Democracy called India an “electoral autocracy.”

“He’s got a mixed record,” Richard Rossow, chair U.S.-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said of Modi. “We do see at times he feels politically weak domestically, he’s initiated steps that directly or indirectly seem to stoke the fears of religious intolerance by him and his party. And we’ve also seen crackdown on civil society to some extent.”

Human rights advocates and at least 70 lawmakers have called on Biden to directly address human rights violations during Modi’s visit. Experts told ABC News any human rights or democratic issues will likely be taken up in private between the two leaders.

Patel, when asked about such concerns, told reporters Wednesday they “regularly engage at the senior levels on our human rights concerns including the freedom of religion and freedom of belief.”

“Our view is that a secure, prosperous and democratic and pluralistic India is a natural partner for the United States,” Patel said.

There’s also the issue of Russia. India, which has long relied on Russian oil and weapons, has avoided outrightly condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

But experts noted Modi’s slight change in tone when it comes to Russia’s invasion, such as his recent statements on the importance of territorial integrity and sovereignty.

“Both Washington and New Delhi understand that they will not necessarily see eye to eye on Russia,” Juster said. “But they can discuss that issue candidly with each other, and it is not going to have a negative impact on their broader strategic partnership.”

Rossow agreed that while India is providing a “major economic lifeline” to Russia by buying its oil, fertilizer and other products, it’s not likely to be publicly discussed in a way that would derail the rest of the state visit.

Talks between Biden and Modi are also expected to include trade, climate and space.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking to the U.S.-India Business Council last week, touted trade between the two nations reached a record $191 billion. Blinken noted the U.S. is India’s largest trading partner, and Indian companies invested more than $40 billion in the U.S. in IT, pharmaceuticals and more.

Though Juster said be believed there is still more work to do to advance on the trade front.

“For the world’s largest economy, the United States, and its fifth largest economy, India, I believe that their bilateral trade relationship does not fulfill all of its potential. I am hoping that the two countries can continue to advance their trade and investment relationship both bilaterally and regionally, because economic issues are so important in the Indo-Pacific and China has a robust economic strategy for the region,” he said.

Prior to landing in Washington, Modi met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk as well as other business leaders and health care experts.

He also marked International Day of Yoga by participating in a group session on the lawn of the United Nations headquarters.

“Almost every nationality is represented here today,” he said. “And what an amazing cause to bring us all together: yoga. Yoga means to unite.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Special counsel Jack Smith’s team has handed over to former President Donald Trump its first set of discovery materials supporting its case against him for allegedly mishandling classified documents and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them.

The handover was detailed in a court filing on Wednesday.

The former president has pleaded not guilty to 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials, after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information ranging from U.S. nuclear secrets to the nation’s defense capabilities.

According to the Wednesday’s filing, the materials handed over to Trump’s team consist of documents and evidence obtained through subpoena, search or grand jury testimony; a reproduction of “key” documents and photographs deemed to be pertinent to the case; and complete copies of closed-circuit television footage obtained by the government in its investigation.

Prosecutors also say in the filing that Trump’s team can arrange for inspection of any unclassified items seized during the FBI’s August 2022 search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate that remain in the government’s possession.

Trump, who has denied all wrongdoing, has called the special counsel’s probe a political “witch hunt.”

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Tuesday set a tentative date of Aug. 14 for the start of the trial.

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(WASHINGTON) — In a a rare move, the House passed a censure resolution along party lines on Wednesday night against Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. — punishing one of the chamber’s own members and inflaming rhetoric on both sides of the aisle.

The vote was 213-209, with Republicans voting yes, Democrats voting no and six GOP lawmakers voting present.

Schiff, a former intel committee chair, was censured over comments he made years ago during investigations into former President Donald Trump and the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, which interfered in the 2016 election to aid Trump, special counsel Robert Mueller found.

The censure resolution rebukes Schiff for what it calls his “misleading the American public and for conduct unbecoming of an elected Member of the House of Representatives.”

Schiff previously called the criticism “nonsense.”

The resolution also directed the House Ethics Committee to investigate Schiff’s actions.

After the vote on Wednesday, members could be heard chanting as Schiff moved toward the well, where he stood as Speaker Kevin McCarthy read the adopted resolution aloud.

The heckling included shouts of “shame! shame!” while McCarthy repeatedly paused until there was quiet, at one point saying he had time to be there all night.

As the speaker read the censure resolution on the floor, the banging of his gavel could barely be heard over Democrats yelling that the move was a “disgrace” and more.

As the vote was called, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said, “It’s pathetic you’re doing this. Pathetic.”

“The House is in disorder,” Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., shouted.

Schiff was surrounded by fellow Democrats in the chamber, many of whom high-fived and embraced him as he walked towards the well. Multiple Democrats said “what about Santos?” — referring to the New York Republican Rep. George Santos who is under criminal and ethics investigation and denies wrongdoing.

From the Republican side, one member yelled out “jacka—-,” referring to his Democratic colleagues.

The House has censured only two other members in the 21st century: former Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.

The vote on Schiff’s censure drew impassioned speeches from both sides before the vote.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who introduced the resolution, painted the measure as a “clear vote between right and wrong.”

“This is not a partisan act. This is not a conservative-versus-liberal vote. This is a clear vote between right and wrong, and I urge you to do the right thing,” she said.

Luna said “run[ning] away from this opportunity to hold this man accountable” would “betray the people who trusted us and sent us here [to Congress] to do the right thing.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who earlier this week brought forward a resolution that would impeach President Joe Biden, said Schiff was a “crook” who “represents the worst of permanent Washington, using his position of trust to lie to the American people.”

“If Adam Schiff has a shred of human decency left, he would resign from Congress in disgrace. His tombstone should … be one word: ‘Liar,'” she said.

But Schiff shot back that what he called the “false and defamatory resolution” amounted to “petty political payback” in an effort to “censure or fine Trump’s opposition into submission.”

“But I will not yield, not one inch,” Schiff pledged.

He turned the tables on Republicans, arguing they were the ones who deserved to be censured.

“My colleagues, if there is cause for censure in this House — and there is — it should be directed at those in this body who sought to overturn a free and fair election,” he said.

“The question, my Republican colleagues, is not why am I the subject of this false resolution for doing my constitutional duty, but why are you not? Why are you not standing beside me, the subject of a similar rebuke for speaking the truth? Why did you not stand up to Donald Trump? … Will it be said of you that you lacked the courage to stand up to the most immoral, unlawful and unethical president in history, but consoled yourselves by attacking those who did?” he continued.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries denounced what he called a “fake, phony and fraudulent” censure resolution, arguing the rebuke was borne out of Republicans’ lack of policy vision.

“This is a do-nothing Republican-controlled Congress,” he said. “That is why this censure resolution is on the floor today.”

Jeffries, who insisted that Schiff has done nothing wrong, suggested that former President Donald Trump, whom he called the “extreme puppet master,” directed the censure vote.

“When he says, ‘Bend the knee,’ extreme MAGA Republicans say, ‘How high?'” he said.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed Jeffries’ rhetoric, calling the proceedings a “puppet show.”

“The other side has turned this chamber … into a puppet show. And you know what? The puppeteer, Donald Trump, is shining a light on the strings. You look miserable. You look miserable,” she said, addressing Republicans.

The fiery Wednesday afternoon debate follows a similar censure motion failing last week when 20 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to table the resolution. But most of the defecting Republicans flipped to support Luna’s re-introduced resolution on Wednesday after she stripped it of a provision that would have fined Schiff $16 million, a fact that Schiff noted in his floor remarks.

“Try as you might to expel me from Congress or silence me with a $16 million fine, you will not succeed. You might as well make it $160 million,” he said Wednesday afternoon. “You will never deter me from doing my duty.”

Censure “registers the House’s deep disapproval of Member misconduct that, nevertheless, does not meet the threshold for expulsion,” according to the House’s website.

ABC News’ Carly Roman contributed to this report.

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