
Abe Sidesteps Whether He Nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize
Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, did not deny he nominated President Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. In the lower house of Parliament, he declined to comment on the nomination but remarked, “I’m not saying that it is not the fact”. Abe appreciates what Trump has done for his nation in terms of easing tensionsRead More

Trump to Sign Border Deal but Also Declare National Emergency
As of Thursday, President Trump will sign the latest border deal and simultaneously declare a national emergency. Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, backs the President in his declaration. Other Republicans such as Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Rand Paul, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski are not in favor of Trump declaring a national emergency. Rep. Mark MeadowsRead More

Northam Will Not Give up the Governorship Over Racist Photo
59-year-old Ralph Northam, Democratic governor of Virginia, faced abundant backlash over a photo in the Eastern Virginia Medical School’s student-produced yearbook. The photo was found on Northam’s personal page in the book. The school’s photo is from 1984, the year Northam graduated. The school confirmed the photo is real in a statement to USA Today.Read More

Mueller Probe Close to Completion
On Monday, acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said the Mueller probe is nearing its end. Legislation filed Monday will result in a written report for Congress and the public to view. Some of those in Mueller’s office moved onto outside jobs. Michael Flynn will be sentenced and Roger Stone was arrested and indicted on FridayRead More

Democrats Running in 2020 Presidential Election
Hardly a month has passed in 2019 yet Presidential bids for the next year are regularly springing up. Two women are officially running for the Presidential race in 2020. Sen. Kamala Harris from California, 54, is competing against Rep. Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii, 37. They are joined by three men, former Secretary of Housing andRead More

Authorities Search for Louisiana Gunman
On Saturday morning, five people were shot in southeast Louisiana. In Livingston Parish, a 21-year-old man named Dakota Theriot fired at his girlfriend, her father, and her brother. Billy Ernest, 43, Summer Earnest, 20, and Tanner Earnest, 17, all died from their wounds and were found dead in their home. A seven-year-old and baby, alsoRead More

Government Reopened at Last
The government was partially closed for 35 days. After conceding to a cancellation of the State of the Union, President Trump signed a bill to reopen the government for three weeks. Federal workers will not miss another paycheck. The bill does not include border wall funding but Congress voted in favor of a bipartisan, bicameralRead More

Someone Blinked and State of the Union is Canceled
Many are starting to doubt whether the border barrier is worth the government shutdown. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blocked House Democrats efforts to floor bills, specifically two House bills. On Tuesday, McConnell blocked a House bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security through February 8. On Wednesday, McConnellRead More

President Trump’s NRA Ties Investigated by Mueller
Outside counsel for the Russia collusion investigation began asking questions about Trump and the NRA since it became known that alleged Russian spy, Maria Butina, tried to use her ties with NRA members to modify US-Russia relations. Butina was collaborating with Alexander Torshin, a lifetime member of the NRA and formerly a Russian central banker.Read More

Shutdown and Trade Wars Affect Global Economy
Business, government, and non-profit leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland are concerned about a host of issues. Yet, most of them are primarily concerned with the lack of global growth. The slowdown is most evident in countries like China and Germany affected by US trade tariffs. China’s economy, the second biggestRead More

The Shuttered Government’s Negative Impact on Federal Prisons
Federal prisons are deteriorating as the government shutdown drags on. Correctional officers have been working without pay and they are among those paid the least out of all other law enforcement employees. As a result, many cannot report to work because they cannot afford childcare, are protesting the shutdown, or are working other jobs, andRead More

President’s “Non-Starter” Deal Will Not End Shutdown
This week, shutdown polls showed the American public blame President Trump for the government shutdown. To divert Americans’ attention elsewhere, President Trump tried to make a deal with Democrats on Saturday. Among other elements, the deal consists of three years’ legislative relief to DACA recipients and a three-year extension of temporary protected status for 300,000Read More

Young Man Who Targeted the White House Arrested
US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Byung J. Pak, announced the arrest of a man plotting to blow a hole through the White House for access and subsequently corner people inside with semi-automatic rifles. The backpack he was supposed to wear would have contained a bomb for him to become a “martyr”. HasherRead More

Congressional Democrats Refuse Trump’s Invitation to Discuss Shutdown
Moderate Democrats were invited to have lunch with President Trump and House Republicans on Tuesday. Reps. J. Luis Correa (D-Calif.), Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), Abigail Spanberger (D- Va.), and Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) were invited to the lunch. Two are leaders of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition. These Democrats, suspecting they will be used as pawnsRead More

House of Representatives Votes in Favor of a Resolution Banning Intolerance
On Tuesday, the House passed a resolution in solidarity against white nationalism and white supremacy. The vote passed 424-1. Text in the resolution shows the House rebukes intolerance expressed through white nationalism and white Supremacy contrary to what the United States stands for. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), a member of the Congressional BlackRead More

As Government Closure Continues, TSA Agents Call in Sick
TSA employees are part of the 400,000+ working without pay as a result of the partial government shutdown. Numerous airport screeners are calling in sick and not reporting to work. Consequently, security checkpoints have longer, slower lines. TSA agents, air traffic controllers, and customs and immigration officials are all required to work without pay. Factually,Read More

Pentagon Chief of Staff Quits
Kevin M. Sweeney, a retired rear admiral and chief of staff to the defense secretary, resigned per the Department of Defense on Saturday. Mr. Sweeney was James’ Mattis’ chief of staff since January 2017. He knew Mr. Mattis for years. Mr. Mattis resigned late December on account of his views on foreign policy which clashedRead More

President Trump’s National Address on Immigration
In his televised statement, aired on every network and just short of ten minutes at 9:00 p.m. ET (6 PT), President Trump defended his border barrier and declared a national humanitarian crisis for the States. He said the only reason the government remains shut down is that Democrats, some of whom supported a physical barrierRead More

Finding Finances for the Border Wall
On Thursday, President Trump traveled to a portion of the southern border in McAllen, Texas. He was greeted by protestors and a Trump baby balloon. Republicans who gathered to construct a new deal containing wall funding and provisions for Democrats involving DACA and visa modifications were disappointed by Mike Pence. Their plans fell through whenRead More

Multiple Countries Support American Facing Espionage Allegations in Russian Jail
48-year-old Paul N. Whelan, a retired US Marine, is charged with spying on Russia. He is being detained in Moscow within Lefortovo prison. Whelan was arrested on December 28 and charged with espionage. It is unlikely someone like Whelan, who works in security for a global auto parts manufacturer called BorgWarner, is involved with AmericanRead More

Brexit is Not Going as Planned for Brexiteers
British Prime Minister, Theresa May, was going through a rough patch with her Brexit plan viewed by many as wishy-washy and submissive. The UK officially branches off from the EU on March 29. Her 600+ page Withdrawal Agreement, negotiated for two years in Brussels, includes a 21-month transition period and payments to the EU untilRead More

Elizabeth Warren Actually Agrees with President Trump
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) clashed with President Trump a few times. Yet, she too believes the US military no longer has any business in Syria and Afghanistan. Warren is seriously considering a 2020 run for the presidency and she represents Democrats who want less to do with lengthy wars overseas. During an interview, Warren, aRead More

Federal Workers Sue the U.S. Government Over Shutdown
Federal employees are suing the Trump administration over the partial government shutdown. According to the plaintiffs, federal workers considered “essential” are currently forced to work without compensation, which constitutes a violation of their labour rights. Due to President Trump’s failure to reach a compromise with Democrats on the border wall funding, a quarter of allRead More

Partial Government Shutdown Continues Amidst Workers’ Lawsuit
Federal workers are suing the government for the shutdown. Heidi Burakiewicz is a union lawyer representing the workers who proclaimed, “This is not an acceptable way for any employer, let alone the US government, to treat its employees.” Some people live by the paycheck and have not shored up plenty of savings. Even as negotiationsRead More

President Trump Smears Deaths of Migrant Children and is Adamant About Budgeting for Border Barrier
Two Guatemalan children in US Border Patrol custody died. Immigration authorities said the children passed initial health checks but President Trump contradicted them by claiming the children were sick when they came to the border. Eight-year-old Felipe Gomez Alonzo died on Christmas Eve. The mother of the boy, who migrated to the border hoping toRead More

Thailand to Become the First Southeast Asian Country to Legalize Medical Marijuana
Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly unanimously legalized medical marijuana use, making it the first Southeast Asian country to allow cannabis use of any kind. The legislation was passed by a 166-0 vote, with 13 abstentions. King Maha Vajiralongkorn is expected to give his final approval before the bill becomes a law. After that, citizens in ThailandRead More

Closure of US-Mexico Border Threatened as Wall Funding Stalemate Drags On
President Trump tweeted the threat on Friday morning. When Trump visited with troops stationed in Iraq on Wednesday, he also told reporters he was willing to continue with the government shutdown until funding for his border wall is sorted out. The partial government shutdown has been effective for a week and there are no breakthroughsRead More

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Heads for Re-election Despite Rampant Human Rights Violations
Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s current prime minister, is expected to win her fourth consecutive term, a political phenomenon that has never been seen before in the country. Citizens will vote on Sunday to decide whether Hasina will be re-elected despite accusations of severe human rights violations. The 71-year-old prime minister faces an opposition coalition led byRead More

Trump’s Surprise Visit to Iraq Raises Questions About U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East
On December 26th, Donald Trump made his first visit to Iraq as the President of the United States. The trip took place about a week after Trump’s decision to withdraw 5,200 U.S. troops from Syria against the judgment of his national security advisors. It also came as a result of increasing criticism that Trump hasRead More

Trump Misses the Mark on Accuracy, Even With the Army’s Pay Raises
Firstly, President Trump did not give US military troops a 10% pay raise. Secondly, it is untrue the army has not gotten a pay raise for a decade. On Wednesday, President Trump claimed both in a misstatement during his surprise visit and talk to service members in Iraq. President Trump and the first lady visitedRead More

Pelosi Reclaimes House Speakership and Strives to End Shutdown
Newly elected legislators convened for the first time on Thursday and Rep. Nancy Pelosi was again elected House speaker. She now faces the daunting tasks of unifying the chamber and ending the partial government shutdown as partisan disagreements over the U.S.-Mexico border wall continues to polarize and maim the U.S. government. This was the secondRead More

Supreme Court Says Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is Out of the Hospital
On Friday, Justice Ginsburg had surgery for the removal of two malignant growths from her left lung in Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York. The Justice was discharged on Christmas Day and is recovering at home per an email to press from court spokeswoman, Kathy Arberg. Doctors say all traces of the cancerRead More

US and Canada Push China to Release Canadian Detainees
On Friday, Canada and the US demanded the immediate freedom of two Canadian citizens in Chinese custody. UK and EU representatives are concerned about the detentions. Canadian Foreign Minister, Chrystia Freeland, expressed Canada’s concern with the arbitrary detention of Canadian citizens and defended its investigation of Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer and founder’s daughter, MengRead More

U.S. Forms International Coalition to Indict Chinese Commercial Hackers
On Thursday, America was joined by four close allies—Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand—in its condemnation of China’s spying activates over the last twelve years. According to their statement, China has been launching cyber-attack campaigns to obtain classified information regarding trade and technologies from companies based in twelve countries. Such activities constituted a violation ofRead More

Trump Defends His Syrian Decision and Putin Agrees
President Trump on Thursday upheld his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria via a series of tweets. While legislators from both parties are skeptical toward this move, Russian President Vladimir Putin fully endorsed Trump’s new military strategy in the Middle East. In his morning tweets, Trump claimed that America should finally reject its long-timeRead More

Corporate America Achieves $1 Trillion in Stock Buybacks
Last week, Lowe’s and AbbVie revealed $34.4 billion in buybacks to please shareholders. This hiked up repurchase announcements over $1 trillion, beating the previous record $781 billion from 2015. On Monday, Johnson & Johnson declared a buyback of $5 million. Steady economic growth and the corporate tax law from last year led to the record-settingRead More

Fired Sri Lankan Prime Minister Returns to Power
Sri Lanka’s ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe returned to power on December 16th. For the first time in almost two months, citizens in the country knew unequivocally who occupied the post of Prime Minister. A political crisis was averted. In late October, President Sirisena unexpectedly replaced Wickremesinghe with Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The reason behindRead More

Legalization of Hemp will Fire up the Industry
On Wednesday, Congress passed the US Farm Bill legalizing hemp, a non-psychoactive species of cannabis. The bill allows for regulation on a state by state basis and takes hemp off of federal enforcement of outlaw drugs. Farmers are given access to banking, crop insurance, and federal grants. Previously, it was illegal to grow hemp andRead More

Trump Administration Ready to Do “Whatever is Necessary to Build the Border Wall”
Democrats are now negotiating with the White House over funding for the U.S.-Mexico border wall. If they fail to reach a compromise, there could possibly be a partial government shutdown right before Christmas. It would be the third one since Trump took office at the beginning of 2017. Trump’s senior adviser Stephen Miller declared thatRead More

Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, Departs for Good
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigned on Saturday, pressured by ethics investigations into his business practices and travel and policy decisions. He leaves the White House by the end of the year. His replacement will be announced next week. It is said, according to The New York Times and The Washington Post, that Zinke was urgedRead More