DES MOINES -- President Biden on Tuesday referred to Russia as committing a "genocide" in Ukraine, a significant escalation of the president's rhetoric and a notable shift that comes as U.S. officials have avoided using the term, which suggests an effort to wipe out all or part of a specific group.
Biden's initial comment came at an event in Menlo, Iowa, where Biden was decrying the effects of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine on the higher prices Americans are paying for gas and food.