Vox Sentences - No more trade with Russia and Belarus?

The House suspends normal trade with Russia and Belarus; US President Joe Biden speaks to China’s Xi Jinping about the invasion of Ukraine.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

The US House votes to suspend trade with Russia and Belarus

R. Krubner/ClassicStock/Getty Images

• The US House of Representatives voted 424-8 on Thursday to suspend normal trade with Russia and Belarus to inflict more economic pain on the Kremlin and its ally for the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. [CBS / Rebecca Kaplan]
• The bill would strip Russia of its "most-favored" trade status, empower the president to raise tariffs on goods imported from both countries until 2024, suspend Russia from the World Trade Organization, and block Belarus from becoming a full member. [Politico / Gavin Bade]
• With the Russian economy already buckling under the pressure of Western sanctions, the International Monetary Fund predicts Russia could fall into a “deep recession." [Axios]
• Eight Republicans voted against the measure, including far-right firebrands Reps. Marjorie Taylor Green (GA), Matt Gaetz (FL), and Lauren Boebert (CO), who cited concerns that the bill would allow the president to broadly sanction anyone he deems to be committing human rights abuses. [Newsweek / Jason Lemon]
• The bill now heads to the Senate where majority leader Chuck Schumer has indicated he expects it to pass. [Reuters / Patricia Zengerle]

Biden talks with China's Xi Jinping about the Russian invasion of Ukraine

• President Joe Biden spoke to China’s President Xi Jinping for two hours by phone on Friday as the two countries discussed their differences over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [Associated Press / Aamer Madhani]
• The call comes as US concern grows over China’s relationship with Russia. In their first talk since the fighting began, Biden reportedly pushed Xi to condemn the attacks on Ukraine, which China has avoided doing so far. [CNN / Kevin Liptak]
• Last week, US intelligence said Russia asked China for military and economic aid as it suffers the financial consequences of Western sanctions — and that China agreed to help, raising fear of a possible clash between the US and China. Both Russia and China have publicly denied the allegations. [CNBC / Christina Wilkie]
• While the White House has not yet released a transcript of the call, early reports from state media indicate that Xi said the conflict in Ukraine is in “no one’s interest”; however, Xi stopped short of blaming Russia for the invasion. [Reuters / Steve Holland, Michael Martina, and Ryan Woo]

Two brothers, aged 6 and 8, were found alive in the Amazon jungle a month after they got lost while trying to catch small birds. The boys are expected to make a full recovery. [BBC]

• The House passed the CROWN Act legislation on Friday, which would make it illegal to discriminate against a person based on the texture of their hair. [Washington Post / Felicia Sonmez and Mariana Alfaro]
• Nine people were killed on Tuesday in a crash involving the University of the Southwest golf teams and a pickup truck. Authorities revealed Friday that a 13-year-old, who died in the accident, was driving the truck. [CNN / Ray Sanchez]
• Mark Meadows — the former chief of staff to Donald Trump who pushed false voter fraud theories in the 2020 presidential election — is under investigation in North Carolina for voter registration fraud. [Guardian]

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“If they want to have peace, it better be soon, and they better get to the table and stop this insanity in killing the Ukrainian people.”

[Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), the only US lawmaker born in Ukraine, on the message the vote sends to Russia and Belarus]

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