US Policy

Russian space boss ‘temporarily’ taken off sanction list so he can visit US – NASA chief
NASA managed to convince the White House to ‘temporarily’ lift the travel ban imposed on Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin so he could pay a visit to the US, the head of NASA said on Friday. NASA “succeeded” in temporarily “removing” the head of the Russian national space agency ‘Roscosmos’ from the sanctions list, Jim Bridenstine told TASS news agency. [...]
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US Not to Change Logistical Support for Saudi-led Operations in Yemen
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States has no plans to change its logistical support for Saudi-led military operations in Yemen, US Air Force Special Operations Command chief Lt. Gen. Brad Webb said at a press briefing. "I see nothing on the horizon that may change this focus at this point," Webb said on Wednesday, when asked about possible changes in future logistical support for Riyadh's opera [...]
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‘It certainly looks like’ Khashoggi is dead, consequences will be ‘severe’ – Trump
The missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi appears to be dead, US President Donald Trump has told reporters, saying there would be “severe” consequences for whoever is behind it. [...]
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Trump spins cover-up for Saudi killing, signaling no ‘turning-point’ in US relations
Senior congressional lawmakers are calling for a radical overhaul in US relations with Saudi Arabia. But Trump’s indulgence to let Saudi rulers off the hook shows the strategic alliance is too important for US’ power interests. [...]
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US won’t impose economic sanctions against Saudis to protect its arms sales to kingdom – analysts
The US sanctions threat against Saudi Arabia will likely remain only a threat, analysts have told RT. The kingdom is a major buyer of American arms and is also a huge holder of US Treasury bonds which makes sanctions improbable. [...]
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US sanctions policy against Russia undermines dollar’s reserve currency position – Goldman Sachs
Washington’s aggressive policy against Moscow could be a sufficient reason behind the recent fall of the dollar’s share of global central-bank reserves, according to economist at US multinational investment bank Goldman Sachs.  Russia’s Central Bank has sold some $85 billion of its $150 billion holding of the US assets from April through June after the US Treasury Department announced new s [...]
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US needs a space force because Russia is ahead on it, Trump says
Keen as ever on his idea of creating an American fighting force in space, US President Donald Trump has said it's a necessity for Washington, because its perceived top adversaries – Russia and China – are beating it to the punch. [...]
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Syrian Army Digs Up US-Made Guns in Terrorist Arms Cache Near Damascus (PHOTOS)
During operations to clear terrorist-controlled areas across the country in recent months, Syrian forces discovered countless caches of Western and Israeli-made weapons, munitions and supplies. Authorities in the town of Yalda, about 10 kilometers south of the Syrian capital, have discovered a large stock of weapons and ammunition carefully hidden inside a plastic water tank at a local farm [...]
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‘It’s Not Helpful’: US Warns India Against Buying Iran Oil, Russian S-400s
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump promised that India will soon see his decision on punitive measures after New Delhi moved to purchase advanced S-400 air defense systems from Russia. [...]
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A Look Into US-Saudi Defense Deals at Stake as Spat Over Khashoggi Deepens
Tensions between Riyadh and Washington over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi from a Saudi consulate in Istanbul have led to questions about the future of the defense partnership between the two nations. [...]
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Bush & Blair’s Iraq war was key that opened door to Syria’s current hell
If the pain of birth is the price of life, Syria’s birth as a truly independent nation has come at the price of eight years of brutal and merciless struggle. As with the Vietnamese people, so with the Syrians. Their struggle against imperialism and hegemony has earned them a place at history’s table that can never be relinquished. Because, if you penetrate beyond the obfuscations peddled by We [...]
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Trump vows ‘severe punishment’ if Saudi Arabia is behind killing of WaPo journalist Khashoggi
Saudi Arabia will face "severe punishment" if it ordered the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, US President Donald Trump has warned. "There's a lot at stake, and maybe especially so because this man was a reporter. There's something really terrible and disgusting about that if that were the case...we're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trum [...]
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‘Americans Will Die’: F-35s Fatally Flawed from Production to Battlefield
The first time an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter crashed was on September 28, 2018, and the US grounded its entire F-35 fleet to assess and remedy the problem. The failure highlights far greater problems in the procurement and production process responsible for both the high cost and low performance of the plane. [...]
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EU Tries to Persuade US to Exempt SWIFT From Iran Sanctions
Washington’s sanctions against Tehran would fundamentally change other countries’ economic cooperation with the Islamic Republic, the Financial Times has written. EU finance ministers will try to persuade the US administration not to disconnect Iran from the international payment system SWIFT, the newspaper reported on Tuesday. [...]
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Trump accepts Nikki Haley’s surprise resignation as UN ambassador
President Trump has accepted Nikki Haley’s resignation as UN ambassador. Haley had wanted some time off and discussed her resignation with Trump last week at the White House. In announcing her resignation, Trump said on Tuesday that Haley first broached the subject six months ago, when she told the president that she wanted to take some time off at the end of the year. [...]
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Naval blockade would mean ‘war’: Moscow slams US idea of hampering Russian trade
Attempts to use the US Navy to block Russia’s trade would amount to a declaration of war, a high-ranking senator commented on the US internal secretary’s idea of impeding Russia’s energy trade through a blockade. “A US blockade of Russia would be equal to a declaration of war under international law,” said the head of the Russian Senate’s Information Policy Committee, Aleksey Pushkov, [...]
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Daesh Terrorists Again Evacuated by US Copters From Syria’s Deir Ez-Zor – Report
The Saturday evacuation is the latest in a series of airlifts coming amid the Syrian Army's ongoing offensive on jihadists who still control small pockets of Deir ez-Zor, much of them empty desert. A number of wounded Daesh* terrorists militants have been evacuated by US helicopters from Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor province, local sources said, as quoted by the Syrian news website Arabi Today [...]
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China Reportedly Mulls Second Dollar-Bond Sale in 2018 as Trade Tensions Simmer
Trade relations between the two countries have gone into a downward spiral of quid pro quo, with Washington slapping Beijing with new tariffs on $200 billion of imported Chinese goods in late September, while China hit back with levies on $60 billion of US products. [...]
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Cannabis Capitalism: US Federal Pot Prohibitions Falling to Marketplace Madness
Now that nine states and the US capitol of District of Columbia allow recreational pot, the plant’s national legalization appears to be a slam-dunk, and opponents are afraid. But in spite of a rapid shift of policy and politics over the use of marijuana in the US, the federal government nonetheless stubbornly continues to classify the plant alongside dangerously-addictive substance such as metha [...]
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Saudi Arabia to Trump: Riyadh ‘Will Pay Nothing’ to US for Its Security
Earlier, US President Donald Trump stated that Saudi King Salman would be unable to stay in power for two weeks without Washington's support. In an interview with Bloomberg, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman specifically underscored that Riyadh "will pay nothing" to Washington for Saudi Arabia's security, adding that "all the armaments we have from the United States of America are paid f [...]
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US to send Israel more F-35s after Moscow supplies S-300s to Syria – reports
The US will reportedly provide Israel with more F-35s after Russia supplied Syria with S-300 missile systems. Moscow’s move came in response to the downing of a Russian military plane, which it partly blamed on Israel. US President Donald Trump decided to lend a hand to America’s most devoted ally following consultations at the “highest administration and military levels,” DEBKAfile, a mil [...]
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Russian influence & meddling in US ‘pales in comparison’ with China’s, Pence believes
The White House has stepped up its showdown with China, casting it as the new top bogeyman, with Mike Pence declaring that the notorious Russian interference and meddling ‘pales’ in comparison to Beijing’s influence in US affairs. China is increasingly assuming the role of number one villain for the White House administration, ahead of the US midterm election and amid the spiraling trade war [...]
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