Dam building projects could fuel water stress in Middle East
Over the last 30 years, Jassim Al-Asadi has witnessed the Mesopotamian Marshes of southern Iraq where he was born undergo dramatic changes.
Year: 2020
Federal deficit tripled to $3.1 trillion in fiscal year 2020, largest as share of the economy since World War II
The federal deficit for fiscal year 2020 was $3.1 trillion, triple last year’s figure, the Congressional Budget Office estimated Thursday.
Federal appeals court reinstates criminal convictions of Hunter Biden’s business partner
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Wednesday reversed a lower court decision to grant a new trial in a fraud case involving Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner Devon Archer.
US Announces Sanctions on 18 Iranian Banks
The U.S. government imposed new sanctions on 18 Iranian banks as Washington turned up the pressure on Tehran by further isolating it from the global banking system and hindering the country’s attempts to build nuclear weapons.
Countering China on tech minerals
President Trump has signed an executive order aimed at countering China’s drive to corner the international market on rare earth minerals — key elements used in high-tech products that are the backbone of the U.S. economy and key weapons systems.
Biden: Voters ‘will know my opinion on court packing when the election is over’
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Thursday that voters will know his opinion on packing the Supreme Court “when the election is over.”
Coronavirus Hit the U.S. Long Before We Knew
The Wall Street Journal interviewed disease detectives and reviewed hundreds of pages of new research to piece together how the coronavirus infiltrated the wealthiest nation on earth. The latest genetic, epidemiological and computational research suggests it was spreading inside the country before anyone started looking.
More than 6.6 million Americans have already voted, suggesting record turnout
Americans are rushing to cast ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 election at an unprecedented pace, early voting numbers show, indicating a possible record turnout for the showdown between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
Netanyahu and Putin discuss security and coronavirus
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone Wednesday to discuss cooperation in fighting COVID-19 as well as security matters in relation to Iran and Syria, World Israel News (WIN) reports.
US reportedly in talks about moving its military base out of Turkey and into either Greece or the UAE
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has had talks with Greek Prime Minister Kyrias Mitsotakis about possibly transferring its highly strategic US airbase from Turkey to Greece, DEBKAfile sources have revealed. The US is also reportedly in talks with Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates about moving the Turkish base to the Gulf state.
Pence and Harris in Fierce U.S. Vice-Presidential Debate
Millions of Americans and many more worldwide watched U.S. Republican Vice- President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Kamala Harris facing off in one of the most meaningful vice presidential debates in recent memory.
SCOTUS to decide whether individual federal employees can be sued for violation of religious freedom
The Supreme Court heard a case Tuesday in which it was asked to rule on whether a person can sue individual members of federal government agencies for violation of their religious freedom, the Washington Examiner reports. The lawsuit being heard was filed by Muslim and religious liberty advocates.
China Censors Mike Pence’s Debate Comments On China But Freely Broadcasts Kamala Harris’s
China reportedly censored Vice President Mike Pence but not California Sen. Kamala Harris during the vice presidential debate on Wednesday.
Harris: Biden Admin Will Repeal Tax Cuts ‘On Day One’
Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris said a Biden-Harris administration would not raise taxes while at the same time saying tax cuts passed by Republicans would be eliminated.
Harris declines to say if Biden would pack the Supreme Court
Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, declined to say in her debate Wednesday night with Vice President Mike Pence whether a Biden administration would seek to pack the Supreme Court.
Hurricane Delta to Strengthen as It Blitzes Across Gulf of Mexico
The storm-weary Gulf Coast, an area still reeling from back-to-back blows from devastating Hurricane Laura and more recently Sally, is bracing for yet another strike, this time a potentially disastrous one from Hurricane Delta. The formidable hurricane crashed onshore in Mexico early Wednesday morning, cutting power and causing damage along its path, but losing wind intensity as it moved over land. Forecasters warned that the hurricane is expected to regain strength and return to major hurricane status as it emerges over the warm waters of the southern Gulf of Mexico and begins barreling toward the U.S. coast.
Despite flurry of fresh promises, Palestinians skeptical elections will happen
After numerous public pledges to bring about the first Palestinian national elections in 14 years, the possibility that residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will head to the ballot boxes appears to have petered out, again.
Trump plan could cut taxes by $1.7 trillion, Biden’s could offer $4.3 trillion increase, report
The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released a report Wednesday estimating that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s proposed policy measures would raise taxes by about $4.3 trillion over the next decade.
Feds Seize Over 90 Fake News Sites Belonging to Iran
The U.S. government has seized nearly 100 domain names used by a branch of Iran’s armed forces that officials said Wednesday were being used to conduct a disinformation campaign featuring fake news sites targeting the United States and other countries.
In hardening stance, France, Germany push for EU sanctions on Russians over Navalny poisoning
France and Germany said on Wednesday they would propose European Union sanctions against Russian individuals after receiving no credible answers from Moscow over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent.