Minds made up: Democrats barrel toward impeachment
Democrats are calling it extortion, while Republicans say it’s a sham impeachment proceeding.
Washington
BRICS back Paris agreement, oppose Syria military solution
Members of the BRICS group of nations said Thursday that they are committed to implementing the Paris climate agreement and there cannot be a military solution to Syria’s conflict.
Uighur researchers say China running more camps than known
Uighur activists said Tuesday they have documented nearly 500 camps and prisons run by China to detain members of the ethnic group, alleging that Beijing could be holding far more than the commonly cited figure of one million people.
Fed Chairman Powell says unemployment, already at 50-year low, could go lower
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that the unemployment rate, already at a 50-year low, could drop further without necessarily causing inflation to rise.
Erdogan claims he will protect Christians in the Middle East
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed he will work to protect religious minorities in the Middle East, despite past persecution of Christians in the region.
Republicans Defend Trump in Public Impeachment Hearings
All eyes were on moderate House Democrats in swing districts Wednesday night, after the first day of public hearings in the impeachment inquiry against President Trump wrapped up with no major revelations — but also highlighted weaknesses in Democrats’ key witnesses, who relied primarily on second-hand information.
CDC: Deadly superbugs pose greater threat than previously estimated
Drug-resistant germs and related infections sicken about 3 million people and kill about 48,000 every year in the United States, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new estimates show that previous figures missed about half of the illnesses and deaths.
Franklin Graham calls on nation to pray for Trump as impeachment effort gains speed
Evangelist Franklin Graham is asking the nation to pray for President Trump as the impeachment inquiry continues, accompanied by nonstop media coverage.
Schiff rejects GOP demand for Hunter Biden and whistleblower to testify on impeachment
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has added eight additional witnesses who will testify at public impeachment hearings this week, including Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and diplomats Kurt Volker and Gordon Sondland.
Trump to address Kurds, Turkey’s Russian closeness with Erdogan at White House meeting
President Trump intends to confront Turkey’s president bluntly Wednesday about Ankara’s increasing coziness with Russia, and he will reject Turkish demands for the U.S. to stop cooperating with Kurdish forces in Syria, senior administration officials said Tuesday.
Hamas Claims It Has ‘Thousands of Missiles,’ Miles of Underground Terror Tunnels
Top Hamas officials are claiming to have thousands of missiles pointed at Israel and miles of underground tunnels running into the Jewish state, offering these new disclosures amid a wave of renewed violence by the Palestinian terror group.
White House eyes middle-class tax cut proposal ahead of 2020 elections
As the economy cools less than a year ahead of President Donald Trump’s re-election bid, White House advisers are narrowing in on a tax cut proposal that could shore up support from the middle class.
Iran enriching uranium at ‘not declared’ site, UN nuclear watchdog says
Uranium of a man-made origin has been discovered in Iran at a site that has ‘not been declared’ to inspectors, the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog disclosed for the first time in a report Monday.
Election boost for Boris Johnson as Brexit leader Nigel Farage withdraws candidates
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s chances of securing a Conservative majority in the nation’s next general election just improved, as Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has withdrawn a slew of candidates.
Trump eyes executive order tying foreign aid to religious freedom
The White House is reportedly drafting plans to condition U.S. foreign assistance on religious freedom.
Impeachment aside, federal budget remains a pressing matter
Impeachment hearings for President Donald Trump come at the very time that Capitol Hill usually tends to its mound of unfinished business.
Trump to make health price transparency a centerpiece of his campaign
The White House is planning a major announcement on improving healthcare price transparency this month as it prepares to put the issue at the heart of President Trump’s 2020 reelection effort.
Mike Pence defends federal aid funneling to Christian groups
Vice President Mike Pence is not backing down from criticism that his office improperly funneled federal aid to several Christian groups, particularly those in the religiously diverse Nineveh Plains of Iraq, saying it’s part of the Trump administration’s ‘vision’ for helping victims of Islamic State genocide.
Federal judge strikes down Trump ‘conscience rule’ for healthcare
A federal judge has struck down a Trump administration rule that would have allowed for healthcare workers to refuse to provide or refer to sterilizations, abortions, and medically assisted suicide if doing so violated their faith.
Erdogan to meet Trump in Washington next week as tensions flare
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will travel to the United States next week to meet US President Donald Trump, the Turkish presidency said Wednesday, amid heightened tensions between the two countries.