Year: 2019

The New York attorney general’s office issued subpoenas to Deutsche Bank AG and Investors Bank for records relating to the financing of Trump Organization projects and an unsuccessful effort to buy the Buffalo Bills football […]

Pompeo Blames Russia, Cuba for Venezuela Crisis

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Russia and Cuba as the main reason for the political crisis in Venezuela, as they supported President Nicolas Maduro, saying that he had urged India not […]

House Dems Band Together Against President’s 2020 Budget

House Democrats have already stood against President Donald Trump’s 2020 budget, which proposed numerous cuts in domestic spending and a deficit-increasing defense spending, saying it is a non-starter. They stressed party leaders are preparing their […]

Administration

Trump’s 2020 Budget Increases Defense Spending, Funds Space Force

The Trump administration is proposing a $4.7 trillion federal budget for fiscal year 2020 that includes $750 billion for national defense – a $34 billion increase, or about 5 percent, over what Congress enacted for […]

Trump: ‘Socialism Is Easy to Campaign on but Tough to Govern on’

This Monday, President Donald Trump stated that it’s easy and seductive to run a campaign on socialist ideas, but in practice, it would be a terrible idea. ‘’You always have to be very careful, because […]

North Korea Election Sees 99.99% Turnout

Turnout in nuclear-armed North Korea’s single-candidate elections hit 99.99 per cent this year, state media said on Tuesday, up from a seemingly unimprovable 99.97 per cent the last time they were held, AFP/Channel News Asia […]

Senator Graham Meets with Israeli Prime Minister

Senator Lindsay Graham met Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday morning, praising the relationship between their two countries. Graham, a fervent supporter of Israel, visited the prime minister’s residence along […]

Iranian Companies Brace for Role in Syria’s Reconstruction

Iranian construction companies are to build thousands of residential units in the suburbs of Syria’s capital, Damascus, an Iranian state-run news agency has reported, Voice of America writes. Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) recently quoted […]

Treasury Sanctions Russian Bank for Supporting Venezuela

A Moscow-based bank jointly owned by Russian and Venezuelan state-owned companies was put under U.S. sanctions on Monday, for allegedly trying to circumvent Washington’s economic measures on the South American country, the Associated Press reports. The […]

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Biden, Sanders Top Nationwide and Iowa Polls – Biden Leads Michigan Primary, Beats Trump

March 11, 2019 Lisa Clayton

Your Daily Polling Update for Monday, March 11, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44% Same as Friday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 38% (Quinnipiac) to 50% (Rasmussen). Without these […]

Trump Plans on Asking $750 Billion for Defense Budget as Tensions with North Korea Rise Again

President Donald Trump apparently thinks about requesting an overall defense budget of approximately $750 billion in 2020. CNN, citing two anonymous U.S. officials, stated that Trump plans to ask for about $544 billion for the […]

U.S.-Russia Trade Down to $1.45 Billion in January

The value of goods traded between Russia and the United States stood at 1.45 billion in January, a 3.8 percent decline year-on-year, Russia’s Federal Customs Service (FSS) said on Monday, according to Russia Business Today. […]

U.S. and EU Lagging Behind Russia in Artificial Intelligence Technology

Russian companies are leaving European and U.S. firms behind with some 30% employing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, a Microsoft survey of business leaders has shown. The tech giant’s survey also revealed that Russian executives are […]

Iran Tries to Expand Business in Iraq in Effort to Blunt U.S. Sanctions

From financing the expansion of the vast courtyards that lead into the Shiite shrines of the holy city of Najaf, to ensuring that a Tehran-friendly candidate gets the job of interior minister, Iran’s role in […]

No End in Sight to Venezuela’s Blackout

Sunday was the fourth day since Venezuela’s power system went down, plunging most of the country, including Caracas, the capital, into sporadic darkness and dampening hopes of imminent resolution to a devastating blackout that has […]

Top U.S. Economic Advisor Confident Trade Deal with China Can Be Reached by Next Month

Top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow expressed confidence on Sunday that the United States was close to reaching a trade agreement with China, pointing out, however, that a final deal depended on President Donald […]

Bolton Says ISIS Threat Remains

President Donald Trump’s top national adviser John Bolton said Sunday that the threat ISIS poses still remains and will do so in the future, warning of a possible resurgence, despite the president’s previous claims that […]

Seoul Closely Monitoring Pyongyang for ‘Missile Launch’

South Korea’s military said it was closely monitoring North Korean facilities after a series of satellite images triggered international alarm that Pyongyang might be preparing a long-range missile or space launch, AFP/Channel News Asia informed. […]

U.S. Could Soon Become World’s Top Oil Exporter

The International Energy Agency has said that in a matter of years, Russia and Saudi Arabia could no longer be the top oil producer and exporter respectively as the United States threatens to take their […]

Trump to Request $8.6B in Wall Funding in ‘Tough’ Budget Request

President Donald Trump will formally seek a total of $8.6 billion in a new border wall funding from Congress as part of the White House’s upcoming budget proposal for the next fiscal year, Fox News […]

Judge Says Thousands of Immigrants Could Be Included in Suit over Family Separation

A federal judge ruled Friday that thousands of additional parents and children who were separated by the American government will be included in a lawsuit over the administration’s family separation. The Trump administration previously argued […]

Trump to Host Brazil’s President Later This Month

President Donald Trump will meet with his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro at the White House on March 19 to discuss “how to build a more prosperous, secure, and democratic Western Hemisphere,” Bloomberg reports. According to […]

New Battle Emerges for Islamic State’s Last Syria Enclave

U.S-backed fighters will resume their assault on Islamic State’s last, small patch of ground in eastern Syria if no more civilians come out by Saturday afternoon, one of their spokesmen said on Friday, Reuters reported. […]

Satellite Images Suggest North Korea ‘Preparing Rocket Launch’

Satellite images suggest that North Korea could be preparing to launch a missile or space rocket in the near future, analysts said Friday, signaling a potential blow to US-North Korea relations, CNN informs. The commercial […]

Hundreds Protest in Washington, Demand ‘Regime Change Now’ In Iran

Hundreds of people protested in the U.S. capital to demand “regime change now” in Iran and denouncing what one called Tehran’s “atrocity toward the people.” Protesters in Washington on Friday chanted and waved Iranian flags, […]

U.S. Puts Turkey in Tight Spot over Defense Missile Contract

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is in a tight spot as his government lacks time to choose between buying Russian air defenses and declining the offer from the United States for the price of receiving new […]

Venezuela Under Massive Power, Communications Blackout

The situation in Venezuela escalates. The crisis had a new turn as most of the Venezuelan territory got filled with darkness due to one of the biggest power outages in recent years. President Nicolas Maduro […]

John Kelly: ‘Full Border Wall Would Be a Waste of Money’

Controversies due to the border wall continue as former White House chief of staff John Kelly on Wednesday opposed President Trump’s idea to build the walls saying that a structure spanning the entire U.S.-Mexico border […]

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: North Korea – Perceptions Of 2016 – Trump and Russia – 2020 Generic

March 8, 2019 Lisa Clayton

Your Daily Polling Update for Friday, March 8, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44% Up 1 from yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on six polls, ranging from 38% (Quinnipiac) to 50% (Rasmussen). Without […]

Cohen Sues Trump Organization over $1.9mn in Fees

President Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer-turned-foe, Michael Cohen, is suing the Trump Organization over legal costs of $1.9 million it allegedly refused to pay after Cohen began cooperating with federal prosecutors. The lawsuit claims that the organization […]