Erdogan vows Turkey will not be cowed by US
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Saturday that his country would not be cowed by the United States, his latest broadside in the bitter feud between Ankara and Washington.
NATO
Democrats shatter primary turnout records, bank on anti-Trump enthusiasm to deliver Congress
Democrats saw a surge in voter turnout in primaries in flyover country this month, leaving party leaders salivating over a potential enthusiasm gap they hope will deliver control of Congress and several major governorships in November.
US, Afghan forces battle Taliban in Ghazni
Although the Taliban overran a base in northern Afghanistan, and Afghan forces were battling insurgents for a fifth day in the eastern city of Ghazni on Tuesday, the U.S. military reported that the city ‘remains under Afghan government control.’
Taliban blindsides U.S. forces with surprise Afghan offensive
The Taliban is on the verge of dramatically expanding its control over southern and eastern Afghanistan in a surprise offensive that has caught Afghan and American forces off guard and thrown a vexing new wrench into the Trump administration’s strategy for ending the nearly 17-year-old war there.
Lawmakers defuse Trump’s shutdown threat by passing partial spending bills ahead of deadline
Congress is taking big strides to defuse President Trump’s shutdown threat, working to pass as many spending bills as possible before next month’s deadline so most of the government will remain open no matter what Mr. Trump demands on border security.
Turkish court rejects U.S. pastor’s appeal
A Turkish court rejected an appeal on Tuesday for an American pastor to be released from house arrest during his trial on terrorism charges, his lawyer said, in a case that has raised the threat of U.S. sanctions against Ankara.
Trump in Florida: ‘The Time Has Come for Photo ID’ for Voting
President Trump, speaking at a rally in Tampa, Fla., resurrected the issue of photo ID at the polls, suggesting that all voters should be required to show ID when they vote for president, senator, governor, or congressman.
Kavanaugh gets Rand Paul’s vote, meets with key Democrat
Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh won the support of one critical Republican senator Monday and met privately with a key Democrat as he inches closer to securing enough votes for confirmation to the high court.
North Korea Is Still Producing ‘Fissile Material’ Despite a Pledge to Denuclearize, Mike Pompeo Says
North Korea has continued producing fuel for nuclear weapons despite leader Kim Jong Un’s support for denuclearization at a summit with President Donald Trump last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a Senate hearing Wednesday.
Turkey vows to keep buying Iranian oil: ‘We will not obey’
Turkey plans to keep purchasing Iranian oil in defiance of American sanctions on the rogue regime, according to the NATO ally’s top diplomat.
Protesters demand Nicaraguan President Ortega step down after hundreds killed in clashes
Thousands of people marched yesterday in Nicaragua to demand that President Daniel Ortega step down. The demonstrations over proposed benefit cuts, which began three months ago, are expected to continue today.
Jordan, PA protest as record number of Jews visit Temple Mount for Tisha B’Av
A record number of Jews were said to have visited the Temple Mount on Sunday to mark the Tisha B’Av fast mourning the destruction of the two biblical temples, prompting rebukes from Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.
Mission accomplished: Trump says NATO members agree to spend more on defense
President Trump’s bare-knuckles diplomacy agitated NATO allies, but he said it paid off.
Trump stirs up NATO meeting with objection to Russian-German gas pipeline
President Trump on Wednesday stoked divisions in Europe by wading into the middle of an intense fight over the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, a project that critics fear will give Moscow new leverage in the region and could create a geopolitically dangerous Russian-German economic alliance.
From Ottawa to Berlin, world leaders pressured to stem refugee surge
President Trump had something in common with the other world leaders at the NATO summit in Brussels — an immigration emergency on their doorsteps.
U.S., France and Gulf allies agree to new round of talks on Syria
French President Emmanuel Macron and President Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels have reportedly agreed on a plan to push Middle East allies Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan to start talks on way to put an end to Syria’s seven-year civil war.
NATO Summit to Begin; Trump Says Allies ‘Must Pay MORE,’ the US ‘Must Pay LESS’
On the eve of NATO’s annual summit, secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg reported that all 29 alliance members are increasing their military spending, adding that President Trump’s ‘leadership’ on the issue ‘is clearly having an impact.’
US Ambassador Says Russia Trying to Destabilize NATO, ‘Flip’ Turkey
Days before President Trump meets with NATO partners ahead of a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the U.S. ambassador to NATO warned Sunday that Moscow is attempting to destabilize the transatlantic alliance – among other things, by trying to draw away Turkey.
Trump warns NATO leaders defense underspending could have consequences
US President Donald Trump has admonished several leaders of NATO allies for spending too little on the organization and has warned of possible unspecified consequences, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
Trump-Putin summit set for July
Washington and Moscow agreed Wednesday to a summit next month between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a powwow that is guaranteed to provoke criticism from Mr. Trump’s critics at home and in foreign capitals.