Speaking today in Stockholm, Sweden, John Kerry called "climate change" a "life and death" issue. And the secretary of state apologized on behalf of the United States for not doing enough to fight "climate change."
"I also want to say that we appreciate Sweden’s partnership because these challenges in Europe and North Africa and Central Asia simply do not belong to one nation; they’re shared by all of us and they affect all of us. And at the top of that list of shared challenges which does not get enough attention, and it’s one of the principal reasons that I came here today to share bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister but also will travel on to Kiruna to take part in the Arctic Council, a principal challenge to all of us of life and death proportions is the challenge of climate change," said Kerry.
"It is not a challenge that can be solved by any one nation, and in our discussions with the Prime Minister he pointed out to me that, in fact, Sweden’s contribution to the problem of – to the problem of climate change is a tiny point percentage of the total problem. And yet Sweden’s contribution to the solution is much more significant than anything that might be expected because of the level of its own contribution to the problem. So Sweden is way ahead of the curve."
Kerry want on to apologize for lack of action on the part of America:
"And I have to say that I regret that my own country – and President Obama knows this and is committed to changing it –needs to do more and we are committed to doing more. And we come here to Kiruna with a great understanding of the challenge to the Arctic as the ice melts, as the ecosystem is challenged, the fisheries, and the possibilities of increased commercial traffic as a result of the lack of ice raises a whole set of other issues that we need to face up to."
Secretary of State John Kerry said the Benghazi hearings didn't reveal "new" information:
“It’s a tragedy,” said Kerry. “But I hate to see it turned into a pure, prolonged, political process that really doesn’t tell us anything new about the facts.”
Gabriel Gomez, the Republican candidate for Senate in Massachusetts's special election next month, has released his first ad. The spot is a biographical introduction for the political newcomer, a collection of snippets from Gomez's GOP primary victory speech last week and TV news reports about his candidacy.
"An aircraft carrier pilot, a Navy SEAL, Harvard business school grad," explains one newscaster in the ad.
"A new kind of Republican," says another. Watch the ad below:
The special election campaign for Senate in Massachusetts is only a few days old, but it's already looking close. A new PPP poll shows Democrat Ed Markey leading his Republican opponent, Gabriel Gomez, by only four points. Here's more from PPP:
PPP's first poll of the general election in the Massachusetts Senate special finds a close race, with Ed Markey leading Gabriel Gomez by a 44-40 margin.
Ed Markey, the 19-term Democratic representative and dean of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, will face political newcomer Gabriel Gomez, a Republican, in next month's special election for the U.S. Senate.
In the primary elections held Tuesday, Markey handily defeated rival congressman Stephen Lynch for the Democratic nomination to succeed fellow Democrat John Kerry, who resigned from the Senate upon being confirmed for secretary of state. The 66-year-old liberal Democrat from Malden has held a significant lead in the polls over any GOP challenger.
In an Earth Day press release last week, Secretary of State John Kerry referred to climate change as a “clear and present danger,” and said that “if ever there was an issue that demanded greater cooperation, partnership, and committed diplomacy, this is it.”
Secretary of State John Kerry announced today in Brussels, Belgium that the Boston bomber was radicalized in Russia, Chechnya. "[H]e learned something where he went and he came back with a willingness to kill people," Kerry said in response to a question from the press.
The question from the reporter, according to a transcript provided by the State Department, was, "Sir, with the problem we have that young people go to Syria (inaudible), does that matter also to the U.S., do you have the same problem?"
In a statement marking Earth Day, Secretary of State John Kerry pledges to deal "responsibly with the clear and present danger of climate change." The former presidential candidate also notes the "fragile planet we share with the rest of humanity and which we must protect for future generations."
During President Obama’s trip to Israel last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to apologize for the “operational mistakes” that in May 2010 led to the deaths of nine Turks who attacked Israeli commandoes after they boarded the Turkish-sponsored Mavi Marmara to prevent it from violating the maritime blockade of Gaza.
Secretary of State John Kerry told the press in Beijing that he discussed with Chinese government officials investing in America's infrastructure. Kerry called the security concerns "very, very few; very, very little."