Washington, United States | AFP | New US Defense Secretary Mark Esper picked his way through a political minefield in his first public meeting with the media Wednesday, skirting anything that could irritate his irascible boss President Donald Trump. Just hours after predecessor James Mattis wrote that Trump’s policies toward US …
Read More »Trump on summer vacation but not in summery mood
Berkeley Heights, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump is on summer vacation. Just don’t call it that. “It’s never a vacation,” he said before leaving the White House last Friday for the 10-day non-vacation at his luxury golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The former real estate dealer …
Read More »Candidates descend on Iowa state fair to make pitch for 2020
Des Moines, United States | AFP | Deep-fried corn dogs, a blistering summer sun, and discerning American voters greet the presidential candidates at Iowa’s state fair, a must stop on the early road to the White House. Two dozen candidates — 23 Democrats and a longshot Republican primary challenger to President …
Read More »Democratic candidate attacks on Obama legacy rankle party
Washington, United States | AFP | Barack Obama slashed US unemployment, protected child migrants and delivered health care to millions. But several 2020 candidates scorched the popular ex-president at their Democratic debate, a strategy that risks alienating voters as the party seeks to regain the White House. With party divisions over …
Read More »Trump under fire for attacks on Democratic congresswomen
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump came under fire from Democrats and even some members of his own Republican Party on Monday after launching an extraordinary xenophobic attack on four progressive Democratic congresswomen. “All they do is complain,” Trump told reporters at a White House event featuring …
Read More »White House wanted USS McCain ‘hidden’ from Trump: reports
Washington, United States | AFP | The White House requested a Navy ship bearing the name of US President Donald Trump’s late rival senator John McCain be kept “out of sight” during a recent presidential trip to Japan, US media reported Wednesday. The request came from an official who …
Read More »White House security row shines harsh light on Trump’s son-in-law
Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner faced little scrutiny on his way to becoming one of America’s most powerful people. But now a row over White House security clearances is pushing the president’s publicity-shy favorite into unwelcome limelight. Unlike his can’t-get-enough-exposure father-in-law, Kushner is a discreet …
Read More »Trump lashes out at ‘crazy’ opponents as pressure mounts
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump branded Democratic opponents “crazy” and guilty of overreach Tuesday in a fevered response to a huge new Democratic-led probe of his alleged crimes. In a searing burst of early morning tweets, the president said the House Judiciary Committee investigation launched Monday was “the greatest overreach in …
Read More »The Sanders effect: 2020 hopeful has pulled Democrats leftward
Washington, United States | AFP | Once declared too radical by Democratic leaders, the policies pushed by Bernie Sanders including universal health care have tilted toward mainstream party acceptance, themes he and several rival progressives will uphold on the US presidential campaign trail. Sanders on Tuesday became the latest figure to …
Read More »Trump orders government to prioritize artificial intelligence
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the US administration to give greater priority to artificial intelligence, a move seen as firing up a battle for leadership with China. The American AI Initiative executive order calls for the administration to “devote the full resources of …
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