Iran’s supreme leader calls US officials ‘idiots,’ but hints sanctions hurting
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that American sanctions are putting pressure on Iran and its people.
Trump
California Governor Newsom Vows ‘Sanctuary To All Who Seek It’ In Inauguration Speech
California’s new governor is promising the most populous state will be a ‘sanctuary to all who seek it’ in a direct affront to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Trump demands U.S. border wall, sidesteps declaring emergency
US President Donald Trump urged Congress on Tuesday to give him $5.7 billion this year to help build a wall on the border with Mexico, but stopped short of declaring a national emergency that could have led to unilaterally funding the project.
Trump’s Syria withdrawal undermined by Turkey’s rebuke
The fate of Kurds whom the U.S. relied upon to battle the Islamic State continued to roil President Trump’s hope for a Syria troop pullout Tuesday, with Turkey’s leader rejecting outright Washington’s demand that it hold back on attacking Kurdish forces after American forces depart.
North Korea leader visits China after warning of alternate path to U.S. talks
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, only days after warning he may take an alternative path if the United States does not ease sanctions and pressure on his isolated country.
Trump to address nation about national security crisis on border
President Trump takes his case for border security directly to American voters Tuesday night in a prime-time address aimed at enlisting the public’s help in convincing Congress to pony up billions of dollars for his border wall.
US pullout from Syria to be done in ‘prudent’ way, Trump says
US President Donald Trump on Monday sought to end fears of an abrupt US pullout from Syria, saying the fight against the Islamic State group was not over and that withdrawal would be done in a ‘prudent’ manner.
Erdogan says only Turkey has power to ‘shoulder the heavy burden’ of Syria
In an op-ed published by The New York Times on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria and said that Turkey ‘is the only country with the power and commitment’ to protect the interests of Washington, the international community and the Syrian people.
Pompeo: 99 Percent of ISIS Caliphate Now Defeated
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be ‘singularly focused’ on rallying Middle East leaders to help the United States counter Iran’s global support for terrorism and military intervention during a weeklong jaunt across the region, the Secretary of State told the Washington Free Beacon aboard his plane en route to his first stop in Jordan.
Trump Gets First Victory in Effort to Ban Many Transgender Americans From Serving in Military
A federal appeals court handed U.S. President Donald Trump his first victory in an effort to ban many transgender Americans from serving in the military, lifting a court’s injunction against the new policy.
U.S. ambassador to Israel: Trump’s peace plan to be presented in months
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said Sunday that the Trump administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan – the ‘deal of the century’ – will be presented ‘within the next several months.’
Trump threatens years-long government shutdown, emergency powers to build wall
President Donald Trump threatened to keep the U.S. government partially shut for months or years on Friday after he and Democratic leaders failed to resolve their dispute over Trump’s request for $5.6 billion to build a wall on the Mexican border.
Lindsey Graham says Trump won’t budge: ‘We’re never going to have a deal unless we get a wall’
Sen. Lindsey Graham said that after speaking with President Trump this weekend, it’s clear Mr. Trump is holding firm in his demands for border wall money as part of a deal to end a partial government shutdown.
Pompeo Launches Middle East Tour to Galvanize Region Against Iran
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to depart on a tour of the Middle East next week in a bid to galvanize regional leaders to confront Iran and remind allies that the United States is not disappearing from region amid the Trump administration’s decision to pull American troops out of Syria and possibly Afghanistan, according to senior State Department officials.
2018 Ends With Record Employment; Participation Rate Hits Trump-Era High
The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday the economy added an impressivve 312,000 jobs in December, which was a month of strong retail sales; and the nation’s unemployment rate increased two-tenths of a point to 3.9 percent, which is still an 18-year low.
Dem introduces bills to eliminate electoral college, stop presidents from pardoning themselves
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tn.), a vocal critic of President Trump, on Thursday introduced two bills to eliminate the electoral college and prevent presidents from pardoning themselves or their family members.
Dems’ House takeover to usher in wave of Trump investigations
As Democrats officially take back control of the House when the new Congress is seated Thursday, newly empowered House Committee chairmen are preparing to launch a slew of Trump administration investigations.
‘Unacceptable’: White House vows veto on Dems’ bill to end shutdown without wall money
The White House issued a veto threat Thursday on Democrats’ new bill to end the government shutdown, saying it shortchanged ‘the nation’s urgent border security needs.’
No deal to end shutdown; Trump says ‘could be a long time’
No one budged at President Donald Trump’s closed-door meeting with congressional leaders Wednesday, so the partial government shutdown persisted through Day 12 over his demand for billions of dollars to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. They’ll all try again Friday.
House Democrats slip abortion language into bill to end partial shutdown
House Democrats have inserted language to expand abortion access into a bill to end the partial government shutdown set for a vote Thursday.