Judges dismiss 83 ethics complaints against Kavanaugh
A panel of federal judges has dismissed more than 80 ethics complaints against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, because lower courts can’t investigate a high court jurist.
Washington
US proposes sale of Patriot missile system to Turkey
The State Department says the U.S. has proposed the sale of a $3.5 billion Patriot missile system to Turkey.
EU reaches deal with Italy on budget
The European Commission says it has reached an agreement with Italy to avert legal action over the country’s budget plans, which the EU’s executive arm had warned could break euro currency rules.
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.
Erdogan: Turkey plans military operation in Syria in a ‘few days’
Turkey will start a new military operation in Syria east of the Euphrates river ‘in a few days,’ Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday, a move that could further complicate relations with the United States.
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.
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.
Oversight panel hearing on Clinton Foundation blows up
A congressional hearing on the Clinton Foundation turned into a fiasco on Thursday after Republicans clashed with their own witnesses — two private investigators who refused to turn over documents that they claimed showed evidence of criminal wrongdoing at the Clinton Foundation.
Nancy Pelosi due to be America’s oldest House speaker
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is on course to become the oldest person in history to hold the speaker’s gavel now that she has secured a deal to give her at least two more years as the top House of Representatives leader.
Pentagon’s new strategy means balancing act in Africa for U.S. special ops
The Pentagon’s decision to draw down 10 percent of its counterterrorism operations in Africa comes as Russia and China are aggressively ramping up efforts to expand their influence on the continent.
Israel fills vacuum in terror fight as U.S. reduces troop levels
Israel is moving quickly to fill a security vacuum in Africa as the United States reassigns forces from the terror-plagued continent to focus on rivals such as China and Russia.
Pakistan rejects US rebuke on religious freedoms
Pakistan on Wednesday condemned a U.S. decision to add it to a list of nations that infringe on religious freedom, calling the move ‘unilateral and politically motivated.’
‘This has spiraled downward’: Trump, top Democrats put raw partisan divide on full display
President Trump and congressional Democratic leaders ripped off the bandage over their raw, partisan disagreements Tuesday in open bickering that offered a glimpse of the divided government to come in the next two years.
Trump stares down Dems in wall fight: ‘Proud to shut down the government for border security’
President Trump said Tuesday he would be “proud” to shut the government down unless he gets a massive infusion of cash to build his border wall, and suggested if Congress doesn’t concede, he would use the military to erect more fencing anyway.
More than 3,000 illegals caught in one day: DHS
The government snared more than 3,000 immigrants who illegally attempting to cross into the U.S. in just one day last week, the Trump administration’s top border official told Congress on Tuesday, saying the situation qualifies as a full-blown ‘crisis.’