Several 2020 presidential candidates expressed condolences Sunday following a series of horrific attacks on churches, hotels, and other tourist sites in Sri Lanka. “The Apostle Paul wrote, ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep,’” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) tweeted early Sunday morning. “On … [Read More...]
Trump’s plan to close US-Mexico border will have ‘devastating impact’ on economy
With his efforts to secure $8 billion to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall hamstrung, President Donald Trump over the weekend renewed his threat to shut down the border altogether, potentially disrupting hundreds of billions of dollars in trade between the two countries. “Mexico must use its very … [Read More...]
A growing divide between Afghan and U.S. officials is complicating the Taliban peace talks
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Russian troops land in Caracas as US considers military intervention in Venezuela
Nearly 100 Russian troops have reportedly landed in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas as the United States, which has hinted that a military option is “on the table,” continues to pressure the country’s president to step down. Reuters reported Sunday that two Russian planes arrived in Caracas on … [Read More...]
Confusion surrounds Trump’s sanctions strategy as North Koreans prepare for hard times
North Korea is telling its people to prepare for the worst as it becomes clear that that its negotiations with the Trump administration are going nowhere. In a blog post published Sunday, former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho (who defected in 2016) noted that Pyongyang has ratcheted up its … [Read More...]
Trump administration is looking for someone to blame for failing to sign a deal with North Korea
President Donald Trump came back from his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi without striking any kind of agreement. And since he returned, he and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have been blaming that failure on almost anyone. Let’s rewind, starting from when talks fell … [Read More...]
Putin vowed to aim missiles at U.S. and Europe, but experts say his threat isn’t new
Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech on Wednesday vowed to aim missiles at Europe and the United States if President Donald Trump deploys missiles closer to Russia, in Poland and Romania. “Russia will be forced to create and deploy types of weapons which can be used not only … [Read More...]
New report says Syrian civilians have been hit with over 330 chemical attacks
At least least 336 chemical attacks, including sarin, chlorine gas, sulfur, and mustard gas have taken place in Syria since the start of that country’s civil war in 2011, according to a report released on Sunday by the Global Public Policy Institute. Marking chemical attacks on civilians as of 2012, the reports … [Read More...]
Seven MPs leave the U.K.’s Labour party, citing anti-Semitism
Seven members of the United Kingdom’s left-wing Labour party have announced that they are leaving the party, owing, they said, to widespread anti-Semitic sentiment within the party. One of the departing MPs, Luciana Berger, told reporters that she could not “remain in the party that I … [Read More...]
Jared Kushner will unveil Trump’s Middle East (economic) peace plan
For foreign policy watchers, President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Speech was missing some crucial talking points, among them: His long-promised Middle East peace plan. There was some expectation that he might unveil it during the U.N. General Assembly in September. That didn’t happen. Nor … [Read More...]
Trump administration’s claim that new sanctions won’t hurt ordinary Venezuelans is ‘just a lie’
President Donald Trump’s administration, which supports opposition leader and self-proclaimed President Juan Guaidó, has increased pressure on Venezuela’s embattled President Nicolás Maduro by adding sanctions and the possibility of a troop deployment to neighboring Colombia to the mix. Mondays’ announcement of new sanctions on Venezuelan oil came … [Read More...]
U.S. hoping to sell Afghan president on risky Taliban peace talks
U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad left Qatar for Afghanistan on Sunday with a tough mission: To get Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s assurance that his government will cooperate with whatever deal the U.S. is hammering out with the Taliban over the past week. But Ghani — whose government … [Read More...]
What you need to know about the mess in Venezuela
The turmoil in Venezuela showed no signs of abating over the weekend as President Nicolás Maduro relented on his demand that American diplomats leave his country. The temporary concession came shortly after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking before the U.N. Security Council, on Saturday implored the nations of … [Read More...]
With reports of an attempted coup, military defections, is the end near for Venezuela’s Maduro?
Fresh protests have hit Venezuela, triggered by a shortage of goods and the continuing rise in prices for basic food and medical supplies. Other protests on Monday were triggered by the arrest of around two dozen National Guardsman who reportedly tried to overthrow the president, according to the Associated Press. … [Read More...]
Another year, another round of Saudi ‘reforms’ that aim to consolidate power
In the wake of a disastrous year, Saudi Arabia has embarked on yet another set of “reforms” that essentially amount to a reshuffling of cabinet ministers and (further) solidifying Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman’s grip on power. The most notable change is the removal of the country’s … [Read More...]
Trump’s Christmas visit to the troops was not the PR coup he was hoping for
In the shadow of the government shutdown and news that yet another migrant child had died in U.S. custody, President Donald Trump made his first visit to a war zone on Wednesday. Along with First Lady Melania Trump, the president, who has been in office for nearly two years … [Read More...]
Trump tweets support for Green Beret charged with killing unarmed Afghan man
President Donald Trump weighed in Sunday on the case of a former Green Beret charged with murdering a man while on deployment in Afghanistan in 2010. “At the request of many,” the president tweeted, “I will be reviewing the case of a ‘U.S. Military hero,’ … [Read More...]
Rebuking Trump’s policies, Senate to vote on ending U.S. support for war in Yemen
The Senate is set to vote late Wednesday or early Thursday on a resolution to end the United States’ support for the Saudi-led coalition that is responsible for thousands of civilian deaths in Yemen’s civil war. A largely symbolic vote at this point, joint resolution 54 (the shortened monicker of … [Read More...]