EU rejects fresh Brexit negotiations
European leaders stood firm late Tuesday after the British parliament voted to send Prime Minister Theresa May back to Brussels to renegotiate the EU-backed withdrawal agreement.
Negotiations
Brexit: Britain faces ‘accidental’ no-deal, EU warns
Britain risks an accidental crash-out of the EU, warned the deputy to EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday. In some of her toughest remarks, Sabine Weyand slammed Prime Minister Theresa May’s handling of the divorce talks.
US and Taliban “draft” framework for Afghanistan peace deal
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Monday the Taliban should ‘enter serious talks’ with his government, as both the Taliban and Washington’s top envoy touted significant progress during unprecedented negotiations in Qatar last week.
Iran’s nuclear chief: We bought spares for nuke equipment we agreed to destroy
Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, has detailed how Iran quietly purchased replacement parts for its Arak nuclear reactor while it was conducting negotiations for an international agreement under which it knew it would be required to destroy the original components.
Leaders nix recess with no shutdown deal in sight
Senate and House leaders said Tuesday they will cancel the Martin Luther King Day recess unless there is a sudden resolution to the 25-day partial government shutdown, which appears unlikely given a breakdown in high-level talks.
Trump targets Dems over DACA amid shutdown talks
President Trump on Sunday hit Democrats for their hesitance to include protections for beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in talks to end a prolonged government shutdown, despite his own administration’s insistence that the program be left out of negotiations.
Trump edges closer to declaring national emergency to build border wall without Democrats’ OK
President Trump edged closer to declaring a national emergency Thursday that would allow him to build a barrier on the southern border without Democrats’ approval, even suggesting he might outsource some of the work to the state of Texas.
Trump walks out of shutdown meeting with Democrats
President Trump walked out of shutdown negotiations with Democratic leaders Wednesday after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to agree to any money for his border fence, ending the most contentious meeting yet in the 19-day-old government shutdown with no solution in sight.
U.S. ambassador to Israel: Trump’s peace plan to be presented in months
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said Sunday that the Trump administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan – the ‘deal of the century’ – will be presented ‘within the next several months.’
Mick Mulvaney expects shutdown to ‘drag on a lot longer’: ‘I think that’s … by intention’
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney says he hopes more progress can be made Sunday in negotiations on how to end a partial government shutdown, but indicated that the two sides are still far apart on the issue of a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump Hails ‘Big Progress’ Towards China Trade Deal
President Donald Trump reported ‘big progress’ in trade talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, providing an optimistic start to what could be a make-or-break year for ties between the world’s two largest economies.
President Trump signs $867B farm bill without food stamp program cuts
President Donald Trump has signed a massive $867 billion farm bill that reauthorizes agriculture and conservation programs without any cuts to the food stamp program.
Trump considers delaying border wall fight until January
President Donald Trump is mulling the prospect of making a counter-offer to Democratic leaders that would prevent a partial government shutdown and kick the border wall fight into next year, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations.
U.S., China trade negotiations could be derailed by diplomatic, legal issues
Washington and Beijing labored to keep trade negotiations on track Monday amid diplomatic and legal flaps jolting business relations between the two economic superpowers, including a Chinese court ruling against Apple.
Dow Jones falls nearly 800 points amid trade war, recession fears
Stocks took a tumble Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 800 points amid renewed fears regarding the U.S.-China trade war and a possible economic slowdown.
Trump’s impromptu China trade deal unravels
Skepticism mounted Tuesday about President Trump’s impromptu trade agreement with the president of China, as Mr. Trump threatened new penalties against Beijing if the deal falls through. Stock markets plummeted.
UK’s May presses on with Brexit plan after another minister quits
British Prime Minister Theresa May said Saturday she was determined to win lawmakers’ backing for her Brexit deal, after a minister who quit her government said her divorce agreement would leave Britain outnumbered and outmaneuvered in future negotiations with the European Union.
Iran vows to continue with missile tests despite US accusations
Iran said Sunday that it would continue to develop its missile program after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the Islamic state of testing a medium-range ballistic missile capable of ‘carrying multiple warheads,’ which he said could strike ‘anywhere’ in the Middle East and even parts of Europe.
Europe agrees to back UN resolution condemning Hamas terror group
The European Union agreed to support a US-sponsored United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Hamas, following negotiations with Washington, diplomats said Thursday.
Secret list of 142 items key to US-China trade talks
When President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping sit down on Friday in Argentina to talk trade issues, it’ll be a three-page document with 142 items on it that they’ll mainly be discussing.