Turkey deploys troops near Kurdish stronghold in Syria
Turkey deployed hundreds of troops near a Kurdish stronghold in Syria Sunday, in the wake of the United States announcing plans to withdraw from the country.
Trump
House passes stopgap bill with funding for border wall in bid to avert a shutdown
Under pressure from conservatives, President Trump said Thursday he would veto a stopgap spending bill unless Congress added money for his border wall — dooming a bipartisan compromise worked on in the Senate, and putting the government careening toward a partial shutdown.
President Trump signs $867B farm bill without food stamp program cuts
President Donald Trump has signed a massive $867 billion farm bill that reauthorizes agriculture and conservation programs without any cuts to the food stamp program.
Mattis quits at Pentagon over policy clashes with Trump
Jim Mattis has resigned on principle as Pentagon chief after President Trump decided to slash U.S. troop presence in Syria and Afghanistan, citing in a letter the need for ‘a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned’ with the president’s.
Israel to step up fight against Iranian proxies after U.S. steps out of Syria
Israel moved quickly Thursday to fill the coming power vacuum after President Trump said U.S. troops were being withdrawn from Syria, vowing to ramp up its own military campaign against Iranian-backed proxy groups in the country — a clear sign that the war between Jerusalem and Tehran will continue with or without U.S. involvement.
Israel says will study US pullout from Syria, ensure its own security
Israel will study the US decision to pull its forces from Syria and will ensure its own security, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
Federal Reserve raises rates, over Trump protests, but signals it will slow rate hikes in 2019
Federal Reserve officials voted Wednesday to raise the central bank’s interest rate target, the fourth such rate increase of the year, but also signaled that they will slow the pace of rate hikes in 2019.
Trump slaps new sanctions on 15 Russian agents, firms for election meddling and ‘malign’ activities
The Treasury Department imposed fresh sanctions Wednesday against 15 Russian agents and companies for interfering in the U.S. presidential election in 2016 and carrying out a nerve-agent attack in England.
Senate approves historic, bipartisan prison sentencing reform bill
The Senate Tuesday approved an historic and bipartisan reform of the criminal justice system that aims to reduce the sentences of nonviolent offenders and cut recidivism rates by helping prisoners productively rejoin society.
‘Thousands’ of EU diplomatic cables hacked, says report
Hackers allegedly linked to China were able to access thousands of sensitive EU diplomatic cables for more than three years, according to a New York Times report.
U.S., China face off again at World Trade Organization
China and the United States have traded barbs again at the World Trade Organization, with the U.S. ambassador accusing China of theft of technology and an envoy from Beijing retorting that the U.S. was “finger-pointing.”
Turkey sees ‘positive’ signals from US on northern Syria
Turkey’s leader said Monday he received ‘positive answers’ from President Donald Trump on the situation in northeastern Syria, where Turkey has threatened to launch a new operation against American-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters.
GOP waits on Trump as clock ticks toward partial shutdown
The fight over President Donald Trump’s $5 billion wall funds deepened Monday, threatening a partial government shutdown in a standoff that has become increasingly common in Washington.
DOJ asks appeals court to block look at Trump finances
The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court Monday to stop an attempt to get a look at the Trump Organization’s tax returns and other business data, saying the case is moving too fast and needs more arguments.
Iranian hackers go after nuclear workers, US officials and think tanks
As US President Donald Trump re-imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iran last month, hackers scrambled to break into personal emails of American officials tasked with enforcing them, The Associated Press has found — another sign of how deeply cyberespionage is embedded into the fabric of US-Iranian relations.
‘Jesus Take the Wheel’: Muslim Congresswoman Mocks Pence’s Faith in Viral Tweet
A recently elected female congresswoman is facing backlash for mocking Vice President Mike Pence on Twitter.
U.S. Makes Great Strides to Help Iraqi Christians, More Remains to Be Done
Over the past year, the United States has taken steps to aid Christians driven from their homes in Iraq after ISIS swept through the region. Nevertheless, much remains to be done to rebuild the communities of Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities.
Dems defy Trump shutdown threat: ‘He is not going to get the wall in any form’
Democrats dug in their heels Sunday on President Trump’s threat to shut down the government unless he gets money for his border wall, saying if the president makes good on his demand, the American people will suffer.
Trump considers delaying border wall fight until January
President Donald Trump is mulling the prospect of making a counter-offer to Democratic leaders that would prevent a partial government shutdown and kick the border wall fight into next year, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations.
Federal judge says Trump travel ban lawsuit will proceed
A lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of denying nearly all visa applicants from countries under President Donald Trump’s travel ban will move forward, a U.S. judge said Thursday.