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Washington — U.S. officials expect the Group of Seven (G7) wealthy democracies to send a tough new warning next week to smaller Chinese banks to stop assisting Russia in evading Western sanctions, according to two people familiar with the matter. Leaders gathering at the June 13-15 summit in Italy hosted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are expected to focus heavily during their private meetings on the threat posed by burgeoning Chinese-Russian trade to the fight in Ukraine, and what to do about it. Those conversations are likely to result in public statements on the issue involving Chinese banks, according to a U.S. official involved in planning the event and another person briefed on the issue. The United States and its G7 partners — Britain, Canada France, Germany, Italy and Japan — are not expected to take any immediate punitive action against any banks during the summit, such as restricting their access to the SWIFT messaging system or cutting off access to the dollar. Their focus is said to be on smaller institutions, not the largest Chinese banks, one of the people said. Negotiations were still ongoing about the exact format and content of the warning, according to the people, who declined to be named discussing ongoing diplomatic engagements. The plans to address the topic at the G7 were not previously reported. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The U.S. Treasury Department had no immediate comment, but Treasury officials have repeatedly warned financial institutions in Europe and China and elsewhere that they face sanctions for helping Russia skirt Western sanctions. Daleep Singh, deputy national security adviser for international economics, told the Center for a New American Security this week that he expected G7 leaders to target China's support for a Russian economy now reoriented around the war. "Our concern is that China is increasingly the factory of the Russian war machine. You can call it the arsenal of autocracy when you consider Russia's military ambitions threaten obviously the existence of Ukraine, but increasingly European security, NATO and transatlantic security," he said. Singh and other top Biden administration officials say Washington and its partners are prepared to use sanctions and tighter export controls to reduce Russia's ability to circumvent Western sanctions, including with secondary sanctions that could be used against banks and other financial institutions. Washington is poised to announce significant new sanctions next week on financial and nonfinancial targets, a source familiar with the plans said. This year's G7 summit is also expected to focus on leveraging profits generated by Russian assets frozen in the West for Ukraine's benefit. Russia business moves to China's small banks Washington has so far been reluctant to implement sanctions on major Chinese banks – long deemed by analysts as a "nuclear" option – because of the huge ripple effects it could inflict on the global economy and U.S.-China relations. Concern over the possibility of sanctions has already caused China's big banks to throttle payments for cross-border transactions involving Russians, or pull back from any involvement altogether, Reuters has reported. That has pushed Chinese companies to small banks on the border and stoked the use of underground financing channels or banned cryptocurrency. Western officials are concerned that some Chinese financial institutions are still facilitating trade in goods with dual civilian and military applications. Beijing has accused Washington of making baseless claims about what it says are normal trade exchanges with Moscow. The Biden administration this year began probing which sanctions tools might be available to it to thwart Chinese banks, a U.S. official previously told Reuters, but had no imminent plans to take such steps. In December, President Joe Biden signed an executive order threatening sanctions on financial institutions that help Moscow skirt Western sanctions. The U.S. has sanctioned smaller Chinese banks in the past, such as the Bank of Kunlun, over various issues, including working with Iranian institutions. China and Russia have fostered more trade in yuan instead of the dollar in the wake of the Ukraine war, potentially shielding their economies from possible U.S. sanctions.

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Israel freed four hostages over the weekend in a raid on a refugee camp in Gaza. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said Israeli forces killed at least 274 Palestinians in the operation. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to return to the region this week in another push for a cease-fire. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has the story.

Jerusalem — Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel's three-man war Cabinet, announced his resignation on Sunday. The move does not immediately pose a threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who still controls a majority coalition in parliament. But the Israeli leader becomes more heavily reliant on his far-right allies. Gantz, a popular former military chief, joined Netanyahu's government shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in a show of unity. His presence also boosted Israel's credibility with its international partners. Gantz has good working relations with U.S. officials. Gantz had previously said he would leave the government by June 8 if Netanyahu did not formulate a new plan for postwar Gaza.

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New York — “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the fourth installment in the Will Smith-Martin Lawrence action-comedy series, opened with an estimated $56 million in theaters over the weekend, handing Hollywood a much-needed summer hit and Smith his biggest success since he slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards. Expectations were all over the map for “Ride or Die” given the dismal moviegoing market thus far this summer and Smith’s less certain box-office clout. In the end, though, the Sony Pictures release came in very close to, or slightly above, its tracking forecast. “Ride or Die,” produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, is Smith’s first theatrical test since his 2022 slap of Rock earned him a 10-year Oscar ban. The “Bad Boys” film was in development at the time and was momentarily put on hold, but ultimately went forward with about a $100 million production budget. Smith starred in the Apple release “Emancipation,” but that film — released in late 2022 — was shot before the slap and received only a modest theatrical release before streaming. This time around, Smith largely avoided soul-searching interviews looking back on the Oscars and instead went on a whistle-stop publicity tour of red carpets from Mexico to Saudi Arabia, where he attended what was billed as the country's first Hollywood premiere. The 55-year-old Smith, who for years was one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, appeared on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon," the YouTube series “Hot Ones" and Friday, made a surprise appearance at a Los Angeles movie theater. Given that “Bad Boys” trailed May disappointments like “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “The Fall Guy” – both of which struggled to pop with ticket buyers despite very good reviews – the “Ride or Die” opening counts as a critical weekend win for the movie business. “The fact that a movie overperformed is the best possible news,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “It seems like all we’ve been doing over the past few weeks and almost since the beginning of the year, with a couple of exceptions, is try to figure out why seemingly well-marketed, well-reviewed movies have underperformed. This ignites the spark that the industry has been waiting for.” “Ride or Die” still didn’t quite manage to match the opening of the previous “Bad Boys” film: 2020’s “Bad Boys for Life.” That movie, released in January 2020, debuted with $62.5 million. After the pandemic shut down theaters, it was the highest grossing North American release of that year, with $204 million domestically. “Ride or Die” added $48.6 million internationally. Though reviews were mixed (64% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences gave the film a high grade with an “A-” CinemaScore. Black moviegoers accounted for 44% of ticket buyers, the largest demographic. In the film, which comes 29 years after the original, Smith and Lawrence reprise their roles as Miami detectives. The plot revolves around uncovering a scheme to frame their late police captain (Joe Pantoliano). In one of the movie's most notable scenes, Lawrence slaps Smith and calls him a “bad boy.” Movie theaters will need a lot more than “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” though, to right the ship. Ticket sales are down 26% from last year and more than 40% below pre-pandemic totals, according to Comscore. A big test comes next weekend with the release of Pixar’s “Inside Out 2.” After sending several Pixar releases straight to Disney+, the studio has vowed a lengthy, traditional theatrical rollout this time. Last weekend’s top film “The Garfield Movie,” slid to second place. Also from Sony, the family animated comedy collected $10 million in ticket sales over its third weekend, bringing its domestic gross to $68.6 million. The weekend's other new wide release, “The Watchers," failed to click with moviegoers. The horror film, directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, is about a stranded 28-year-old artist in Ireland. Following poor reviews, the Warner Bros. release grossed $7 million in 3,351 theaters. That allowed “If,” the Ryan Reynolds imaginary friend fantasy, to grab third place in its fourth weekend of release, bringing the Paramount Pictures cumulative domestic total to $93.5 million. Rounding out the top five was “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” which added $5.4 million in its fifth weekend of release. It has grossed $150 million domestically and $360 million worldwide. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 1. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $56 million. 2. ”The Garfield Movie," $10 million. 3. “If,” $8 million. 4. “The Watchers,” $7 million. 5. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” $5.4 million. 6. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” $4.2 million. 7. “The Fall Guy,” $2.7 million. 8. “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” $2.4 million. 9. “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” $1.9 million. 10. “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” $1.8 million.

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Paris — Carlos Alcaraz came back to defeat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday and win the French Open for his third Grand Slam title. Alcaraz is a 21-year-old from Spain who grew up watching countryman Rafael Nadal win trophy after trophy at Roland Garros — a record 14 in all — and now has eclipsed Nadal as the youngest man to collect major championships on three surfaces. Nadal was about 1½ years older when he did it. Sunday's victory — in which he trailed two sets to one, just as he had in the semifinals against Jannik Sinner on Friday — allowed Alcaraz to add the clay-court championship at Roland Garros to his triumphs on hard courts at the U.S. Open in 2022 and on grass at Wimbledon in 2023. Alcaraz is now 3-0 in Grand Slam finals. Zverev dropped to 0-2 in major title matches. The 27-year-old from Germany was the runner-up at the 2020 U.S. Open after blowing a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem. This time, Zverev lost after surging in front by reeling off the last five games of the third set. Alcaraz's level dipped during that stretch and he seemed distracted by a complaint over the condition of the clay at Court Philippe Chatrier, telling chair umpire Renaud Lichtenstein it was "unbelievable." But Alcaraz reset himself and surged to the finish, taking 12 of the last 15 games while being treated by a trainer at changeovers for an issue with his left leg. No. 3 Alcaraz and No. 4 Zverev were making their first appearance in a French Open final. Indeed, this was the first men's title match at Roland Garros since 2004 without Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer. Nadal lost to Zverev in the first round two weeks ago; Djokovic, a three-time champion, withdrew before the quarterfinals with a knee injury that required surgery; Federer is retired. There were some jitters at the outset. Zverev started the proceedings with a pair of double-faults — walking to the sideline to change rackets after the second, as though the equipment was the culprit — and eventually got broken. Alcaraz lost serve immediately, too, framing a forehand that sent the ball into the stands — which he would do on a handful of occasions — and double-faulting, trying a so-so drop shot that led to an easy winner for Zverev, then missing a backhand. Let's just say they won't be putting those initial 10 minutes in the Louvre. A lot of the 4-hour, 19-minute match was patchy, littered with unforced errors. Alcaraz managed to come out strong in the fourth set, grabbing 16 of the first 21 points to move out to a 4-0 edge, including one brilliant, sliding, down-the-line forehand passing winner that he celebrated by thrusting his right index finger overhead in a "No. 1" sign, then throwing an uppercut while screaming, "Vamos!" No, he is not ranked No. 1 at the moment — Sinner makes his debut at the top spot on Monday — but he has been before and, although a "2" will be beside Alcaraz's name next week, there is little doubt that he is as good as it gets in men's tennis right now.  

Washington — President Joe Biden's administration is prepared to defend in court the sweeping asylum policy put into place at the U.S.-Mexico border last week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday that generally bars migrants who illegally cross the southern border from claiming asylum and allows authorities to quickly deport or send migrants back to Mexico if the daily number of crossings exceeds 2,500. The asylum ban has exceptions for unaccompanied minors, people who face serious medical or safety threats, and victims of trafficking. Mayorkas on Sunday said the administration was ready to defend the policy against an expected American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawsuit. "I respectfully disagree with the ACLU," Mayorkas said. "We stand by the legality of what we have done. We stand by the value proposition. It's not only a matter of securing the border, we have a humanitarian obligation to keep vulnerable people out of the hands of exploitative smugglers." The ACLU confirmed on Sunday it plans to sue. "It was illegal when Trump did it, and it is no less illegal now," ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project Deputy Director Lee Gelernt said in a statement. Biden took office in 2021 vowing to reverse some of Republican Donald Trump's restrictive policies but has grappled with record levels of migrants caught crossing the border illegally ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election. Mayorkas said initial indications showed the new policy was deterring some illegal immigration. "It's early. The signs are positive," he said. A U.S. border official told Reuters that authorities arrested around 3,100 people crossing illegally on Friday, down roughly 20% from the days before. The official requested anonymity to discuss preliminary figures. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who installed razor wire fencing along the Rio Grande and has seen a state law to enforce illegal crossings into his state blocked by a judge, told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" he thinks the policy is backfiring. "All that this new Biden policy is going to do is to actually attract and invite even more people to cross the border illegally," Abbott said.

Yerevan, Armenia — Thousands of Armenians took to the streets in the capital Yerevan on Sunday in a fresh protest against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's concessions to arch foe neighbor Azerbaijan.   The protests began in April, when the Caucasus nation's government agreed to hand back to Baku territory it had controlled since the 1990s.   Pashinyan has not changed his position, despite public opposition from influential archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan.   On Sunday, several thousand anti-government protesters gathered in Yerevan's central Republic Square, outside government headquarters, an AFP reporter at the scene said.    Ahead of the rally, Galstanyan announced the protest movement had reached "a decisive stage", vowing to "remove Pashinyan from power."   "We must act, we must increase pressure on Pashinyan," said one of the demonstrators, 20-year-old student Shushan Sargsyan.   "The very existence of our country is at stake," said David Ohanyan, 36.   "Armenians must all realize this and take to the streets."   Galstanyan has called for Pashinyan to be impeached and has temporarily stepped down from his religious post to run for prime minister.   However he is not eligible to hold the office under Armenian law because he has dual citizenship with Canada, and opposition parties do not have enough seats in parliament to launch impeachment procedures.    Last week, Armenia officially returned control over four border villages that it had seized decades earlier to Azerbaijan, a decision Pashinyan has defended as a step to securing peace with Baku.    The Caucasus rivals have fought two wars for control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan recaptured last year from Armenian separatists who held sway over much of the mountainous enclave for three decades. 

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New Delhi  — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in for a rare third term on Sunday at a glittering ceremony at the presidential palace in New Delhi. But he returns to office with a diminished mandate as head of a coalition government.   All eyes are now on how Modi, an assertive leader, will navigate his new term after ruling India with an absolute majority for a decade. With his Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, failing to cross the halfway mark in parliament, he is now dependent on regional allies.  “A majority is essential to run the country, that's the essence of democracy. But to run a country, consensus is also essential," Modi said at a meeting with his alliance partners on Friday.  Analysts say achieving that consensus with a new governance style will be a test for the Indian leader. While India is no stranger to coalition governments which ruled the country for a quarter century until 2014, the pulls and pressures of managing partners outside his party is uncharted territory for Modi.    “His style of functioning has been to take quick decisions, go into an issue, give a timeline for it to be implemented; it’s not into consulting scores of people, taking them along in that decision-making approach,” political analyst Neerja Chowdhury pointed out. “So that will require a new approach.”   At rallies and in interviews in the run-up to the recent election, Modi said he had prepared a 100-day plan to pursue big targets. But questions are being raised about whether he will find it harder to achieve his goals.  Analysts say he will be able to bring his allies along in pursuing reforms to spur manufacturing and attracting foreign investment needed to grow India’s economy. Modi has ambitions to turn India into a manufacturing powerhouse and a developed country by 2047. The country’s push to build closer ties with neighboring countries and the United States while retaining relations with Russia also has broad consensus.    “Big decisions on the economic front, opening up certain sectors to FDI, [foreign direct investment], he may not confront much of a resistance there,” according to Chowdhury. “Whether it is on the foreign policy he may take the allies along, and he may well take the opposition along also.”  But his party’s Hindu nationalist agenda could take a back seat. While he has a diverse set of coalition partners, two of the most crucial allies, the Telugu Desam Party of Andhra Pradesh state and Janata Dal (United) of Bihar belong to secular parties and do not share the BJP’s Hindu first agenda.   Analysts also point out that the inauguration of a grand temple in Ayodhya for Hindu god Rama in January – a centerpiece of his party’s Hindu agenda, failed to yield dividends. His party was defeated in the seat that is home to the temple and lost nearly half the seats in Uttar Pradesh state, where the temple is located. The politically crucial state, which sends most lawmakers to parliament, has been a BJP stronghold.     “The verdict of 2024 is in fact a kind of rejection of extreme Hindu nationalistic policies,” said political analyst Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay. “People did not actually vote for the BJP because they had got the temple constructed.”   Modi is also likely to focus more on pressing issues. Unemployment and inflation were the two biggest reasons nationally for people to go against Modi's alliance, according to a post-poll survey by the CSDS-Lokniti polling agency.   While the economy has expanded on his watch, it has failed to generate enough jobs for its huge population and the opposition has flagged widening wealth inequality in a country where millions are still poor. It had also raised concerns of democratic backsliding under Modi.  Analysts said besides his allies, the Indian leader will need to build a broader consensus with a reenergized opposition alliance that won a total of 232 seats out of 543, doubling its strength from the last election. Although many of its two dozen partners have ideological differences and compete for the same political space, the perceived threat from the BJP has kept them united.    “This verdict has pumped oxygen in the democratic system,” says Chowdhury.  Other analysts agree. “We have seen in the past 10 years, key decision-making involved power being cantered in the prime minister’s office. This will have to change,” said political analyst Sandeep Shastri.  It remains to be seen how the Indian leader, whom critics have called authoritarian and dictatorial, adapts to a new political reality.  “Mr. Modi will have to reinvent himself if he wants this government to continue and last its full term without any major political upheavals,” according to Mukhopadhyay, who has authored a biography on the prime minister. “Whether his instinct will allow him to make way for others' opinions, that remains to be seen.”  Modi is only the second Indian prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to retain power for a straight third tenure.  Among the thousands of guests who witnessed the Indian leader take office were leaders of seven neighboring countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka as well as Bollywood stars and industrialists.   In an outreach to the Maldives, with which ties have deteriorated, its president, Mohammed Muizzu, was also present for the swearing-in ceremony. His presence underscored India’s priority in forging strong ties in its neighborhood, where China’s influence is growing. 

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JACKSON, Wyo. — A large chunk of a twisting mountain pass road collapsed in Wyoming, authorities said Saturday, leaving a gaping chasm in the highway and severing a well-traveled commuter link between small towns in eastern Idaho and the tourist destination of Jackson.   Aerial photos and drone video of the collapse show the Teton Pass road riven with deep cracks, and a big section of the pavement disappeared altogether. Part of the guardrail dangled into the void, and orange traffic drums marked off the danger area. The road was closed at the time of the collapse.   The section that failed first drew attention Thursday when a crack and drop in the road contributed to the crash of a motorcycle.   Geologists and engineers who were sent to the area that day noticed “that crack and that drop started to move a lot,” said Stephanie Harsha, a spokesperson for District 3 of the Wyoming Department of Transportation. A paving crew temporarily patched the road, and traffic began moving again that night.    But that was short-lived as maintenance crews were sent to respond to a mudslide a couple of miles away in the pre-dawn hours of Friday, prompting the road to be closed once again.   Crews then noticed that the damage to the pavement had become more pronounced. Workers trying to figure out a detour around that section left for the night, “and by 5 a.m., this morning, WYDOT had discovered that the road had completely failed,” Harsha said Saturday.   “We were very, very lucky that no crews were harmed. No equipment was damaged,” she said. “So now, engineers and geologists are doing geological assessments on the pass. They’ve been looking at it all day.”   The transportation department said via social media that the road “catastrophically failed” at milepost 12.8.   It was not immediately clear how long it will take to reopen the road, a vital artery for people who live across the border in Idaho and work in pricey Jackson, which is also close to the popular Grand Teton National Park.   Harsha said an alternate route between Jackson and the area of Victor, Idaho, goes more than 60 miles (97 kilometers) out of the way and adds “quite a bit to any commute.”   Gov. Mark Gordon signed an executive order declaring an emergency, which his office said would help the state access additional resources from the Federal Highway Administration to begin repair work.   In a statement, the governor said the transportation department is working on “a long-term solution to rebuild this critical roadway.”   “I recognize the significant impacts this closure has to Teton County residents, regional commuters and the local economy,” Gordon said. 

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A prominent Iranian whistleblower was arrested and sent to prison to serve a 13-month sentence after he was convicted of “spreading lies to disturb the public mind," Iranian media said Sunday. State-run IRNA news agency reported that the Tehran prosecutor summoned Yashar Soltani and sent him to prison. The report also said a court of appeal issued the verdict after 17 plaintiffs appealed the decision by a lower court but gave no details about the earlier case. In recent years, Soltani has routinely published reports on corruption in public bodies. Authorities in the past few months have also detained several journalists and activists on security charges. In 2019, Soltani was sentenced to five years in prison after his series of exposes alleging massive corruption in land deals linked to Tehran’s mayor at the time, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who is now the frontrunner in the presidential election scheduled for June 28. Soltani was later freed on bail.

Athens, Greece — The body of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley was found on a Greek island Sunday morning after a days-long search, his family said. A police spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of an ongoing investigation, said a body was found on a rocky coast by a private boat and that formal identification was pending. Mosley’s wife said in a statement that her husband took the wrong route on a hike and collapsed in a place where his body couldn’t easily be seen. Mosley went missing on the island of Symi on Wednesday afternoon.  “Michael was an adventurous man, it’s part of what made him so special,” Dr. Clare Bailey Mosley said. “It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband. We had an incredibly lucky life together. We loved each other very much and were so happy together.” She thanked the people of the island of Symi, whom she said worked tirelessly to find him. “Some of these people on the island, who hadn’t even heard of Michael, worked from dawn till dusk unasked,” she said. “My family and I have been hugely comforted by the outpouring of love from people from around the world. It’s clear that Michael meant a huge amount to so many of you.”  Lefteris Papakalodoukas, the island's mayor, told The Associated Press he was on the boat with members of the media representatives when they saw a body some 20 meters above the Agia Marina beach. “We zoomed with the cameras and saw it was him,” he said.  The mayor said that Mosley appeared to have fallen down a steep, rocky slope, stopping against a fence and lying face up with a few rocks on top of it.  As police officers were retrieving Mosley's body, one fell on the slope and had to be carried away on a stretcher, local media reported. The body will be taken to the nearby island of Rhodes for autopsy.  Mosley, 67, was well known in Britain for his regular appearances on television and radio and his column in the Daily Mail newspaper. He was known outside the U.K. for his 2013 book “The Fast Diet,” which he co-authored with journalist Mimi Spencer. The book proposed the so-called “5:2 diet,” which promised to help people lose weight quickly by minimizing their calorie intake two days a week while eating healthily on the other five.  He subsequently introduced a rapid weight loss program and made a number of films about diet and exercise.  Mosley often pushed his body to extreme lengths to see the effects of his diets and  lived with tapeworms in his guts for six weeks for the BBC documentary “Infested! Living With Parasites.”  Mosley had four children with his wife Clare Bailey Mosley, who is also a doctor, author and health columnist.

BELLEAU, France — President Joe Biden closed out his trip to France by paying his respects at an American military cemetery that Donald Trump notably skipped visiting when he was president, hoping his final stop Sunday will draw the stakes of the November election in stark relief. Before returning to the United States, Biden honored America's war dead at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery about an hour outside Paris. He placed a wreath at the cemetery chapel before an expanse of white headstones marking the final resting place of more than 2,200 U.S. soldiers who fought in World War I. It was a solemn end to five days in which Trump was an unspoken yet unavoidable presence. On the surface, the trip marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day and celebrated the alliance between the United States and France. But during an election year when Trump has called into question fundamental understandings about America's global role, Biden has embraced his Republican predecessor — and would-be successor — as a latent foil. Every ode to the transatlantic partnership was a reminder that Trump could upend those relationships. Each reference to democracy stood a counterpoint to his rival's efforts to overturn a presidential election. The myriad exhortations to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia created a contrast with Trump's skepticism about providing U.S. assistance. Biden's paeans to the struggle between democracy and autocracy drew plaudits in Europe, where the prospect of a return to Trump's turbulent reign has sparked no shortage of anxiety. But it remains to be seen how the message will resonate with American voters, as Biden's campaign struggles to connect the dire warnings the Democratic president so often delivers about his rival with people's daily concerns. The visit to the cemetery served as a moment to underscore the contrast once more. "It's the same story," Biden said. "America showed up. America showed up to stop the Germans. America showed up to make sure that they did not prevail. And America shows up when we're needed just like our allies show for us." During a 2018 trip to France, Trump skipped plans to go to the cemetery, a decision that the White House blamed on weather at the time. However, subsequent reports said that Trump told aides he didn't want to go because he viewed the dead soldiers as "suckers" and "losers." Trump has denied the comments, although they were later corroborated by his chief of staff at the time, John Kelly. Trump's purported insults have become a regular feature of Biden's campaign speeches, including during an April rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania. "These soldiers were heroes, just as every American who has served this nation," Biden said. "Believing otherwise, that alone is disqualifying for someone to seek this office." Biden ignored a direct question about Trump at the cemetery. "The idea that I would come to Normandy and not make the short trip here to pay tribute," he added, his voice trailing off as if to express disbelief. Maura Sullivan, a former Marine officer who served on the American Battle Monuments Commission under President Barack Obama, said Biden's visit would "set the example, and do what a president should do." Now an official with the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Sullivan said that "voters can draw their own conclusions" from that. Biden's trip was full of emotional moments, and the president grew heavy-eyed after meeting with World War II veterans. A 21-gun salute cast eerie smoke over 9,388 white marble headstones at the Normandy American Cemetery. "This has been the most remarkable trip that I've ever made," Biden said on Saturday night, his last in Paris before returning to the U.S. At Aisne-Marne, Biden said the trip "surprised me how much it awakened my sense of why it's so valuable to have these alliances. Why it's so critical. That's the way you stop wars, not start wars." His remarks over the last few days were also freighted with political overtones. On Thursday at Normandy anniversary ceremonies, Biden said D-Day served a reminder that alliances make the United States stronger, calling it "a lesson that I pray we Americans never forget." He also highlighted how the war effort drew on immigrants, women and people of color who were too often overlooked by history. Then on Friday, he went to Pointe du Hoc, a spot on the coast where Army Rangers scaled cliffs to overcome Nazi defenses on D-Day that was also the site in 1984 of one of President Ronald Reagan's most memorable speeches about the struggles between the West and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. By following in an iconic Republican's footsteps, Biden honed his appeal to traditional conservatives who are often frustrated by Trump's isolationist vision. Biden issued a call for Americans to protect democracy like the Rangers who scaled the cliffs, a message that synced with campaign rhetoric that paints his election opponent as an existential threat to U.S. values. While Biden was in France, his campaign announced that it had hired the onetime chief of staff to former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger to lead outreach to GOP voters. Kinzinger clashed with Trump's foreign policy and efforts to overturn the last presidential election. At Pointe du Hoc, Biden said the Army Rangers "fought to vanquish a hateful ideology in the '30s and '40s. Does anyone doubt they wouldn't move heaven and earth to vanquish hateful ideologies of today?" Trump has argued that the U.S. needs to devote more attention to its own problems and less to foreign alliances and entanglements. He has also routinely played down the importance of American partnerships, suggesting the U.S. could abandon its treaty commitments to defend European allies if they don't pay enough for their own defenses. Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian who wrote a book about Pointe du Hoc and Reagan's speech, said Biden "had big shoes to step into" by choosing the same location. Biden's speech "didn't equal Reagan's in grandeur, nor could it," Brinkley said. Still, he said Biden "said the right words about why democracy matters." Paul Begala, a veteran Democratic strategist, said it could help Biden politically "to stand where Reagan stood." He noted that Biden is struggling with younger voters but appears to be gaining strength among older ones who may be more receptive to reminders of Reagan's speech four decades ago. "He needs a lot of Reagan Republicans to offset his challenges with younger voters," he said. Biden's trip was also punctuated by the pomp of a state visit in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron arranged a ceremony at the Arc du Triomphe, where four fighter jets flew overhead, and hosted a banquet at the Elysee presidential palace. "United we stand, divided we fall," Macron said in toasting Biden. "Allied we are, and allied we will stay." Overall, Biden's visit had a slower pace than other foreign trips. The 81-year-old president had no public events on his first day in Paris after arriving on an overnight flight, and didn't hold a press conference with reporters, as is customary. John Kirby, a national security spokesman, said that was necessary to prepare "in advance of the weighty engagements" during subsequent days. "There's a lot on the calendar," he said. Still, it was a contrast to Macron's tendency to offer prestigious guests an intense schedule with a mix of official meetings, business talks, cultural events and private dinners at fancy restaurants. When the 46-year-old French leader hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, the two-day agenda was crammed with activities including a trip to the Pyrenees Mountains near the border with Spain where Macron spent time as a child.

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