First Thing: Biden defiant despite gaffes as he battles calls to stand aside

US president introduced Volodymyr Zelenskiy as President Putin' at a Nato summit, but later showed command of thorny foreign policy issues. Plus, the subversive screen presence of Shelley Duvall

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Good morning.

In a press conference seen as critical to his presidential campaign, Joe Biden spiritedly defended his foreign policy record even as he faced a barrage of questions on his mental fitness and, in another gaffe, mistakenly referred to Kamala Harris as Vice-president Trump".

What did the press conference cover? Biden offered extensive remarks on thorny foreign policy issues including competition with China and the Israel-Hamas war, in which he said he had warned the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, away from an occupation of the Gaza Strip.

What was the reaction from Democrats? Two more congressional Democrats called on Biden to step aside, bringing the total to 17.