US President Donald Trump will use his executive authority to declare a national emergency in order to secure border wall funding, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed in a statement on 14 February. Sputnik discussed this issue with with Dr. Clodagh Harrington, Associate Professor of American Politics, at De Montfort University. [...]

From the Archives:  As President Trump faces opposition from his generals to pull U.S. troops from Syria, here's a look back to a similar fix another new president had gotten himself into, as Ray McGovern reported on March 28, 2009. I was wrong. I had been saying that it would be naïve to take too seriously presidential candidate Barack Obama’s rhetoric regarding the need to escalate the war [...]

President James Monroe would probably have been appalled to see how his policy of protecting the peoples of the Americas from European colonizers mutated into a self-issued license to intervene into other nations’ affairs. [...]

"Smart missiles should fly toward terrorists, not legal governments": Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman said in response to Donald Trump's tweet. Radio Sputnik discussed Donald Trump’s warning to launch strikes against Syria with Mark Taliano, an independent investigative reporter and author of the book 'Voices from Syria'. [...]

Berlin seems to be losing patience with the US ambassador who didn’t mince his words over German defense spending. A high-ranking MP demanded that the envoy be sent home because he acts “like an occupation commissioner.” [...]

More than 90 percent of Germans want better relations with Russia, while more than three-quarters think US President Donald Trump represents a greater threat to world peace than Vladimir Putin, a new poll says. Painting Russia as a boogeyman and a threat to the West has been the narrative of both the mainstream media and a number of Western states for some time. [...]

Washington risks losing the Turkish arms market if it continues to delay the delivery of F-35s agreed upon with Ankara, as Turkey can simply switch to buying warplanes from Russia, RT was told. [...]

After a stern warning about a calm before an economic storm, investor Peter Schiff has accused the US Federal Reserve of being oblivious to the upcoming crash. Seeking Alpha quotes Schiff as saying that yields have risen to levels unseen since the last financial crisis a decade ago, with yield curves currently flattening. [...]

After three weeks of flashy and outrageous campaigning, comedian Volodymyr Zelensky and incumbent president Petro Poroshenko are facing off in a battle for the country’s top job. [...]

Russia has decided not to participate in the increase in the World Bank's lending capacity and with good reason, analysts told Sputnik, suggesting that it doesn't seem logical for Moscow to fund the institution amid the US-led sanctions spree aimed against Russia. The World Bank's assets are being directed to fund reforms beneficial to transnational corporations, including those from the US, Va [...]

President Vladimir Putin said the suggestion by Ukraine’s president-elect to give Ukrainian citizenship to Russians “suffering from an authoritarian regime” is “a good thing,” which would only bring the kindred nations closer. [...]

A new 19km bridge connecting the mainland with the Crimean Peninsula has been officially opened, making Russia the host of Europe’s longest bridge. President Vladimir Putin personally drove a truck across it to mark the occasion. The opening of the bridge was all about the people, who created the massive construction in record time. [...]

The Finnish Parliament will debate next year on whether the country should abolish the euro. Disgruntled citizens raised the 50,000 votes necessary for a parliamentary debate on 'Fixit' - Finland's exit from the eurozone. "There will be signature checks early next year and a parliamentary debate will be held in the following months," Maija-Leena Paavola, who helps guide legislation through par [...]

After US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US will hike tariffs on goods imported from China, Wall Street will start the week with a sharp selloff, as investor optimism about the possible conclusion of a trade deal with China in the near future has faded. [...]

The devastating consequences of our declining bee population are being highlighted on the first ever ‘Bee Day.’ Around 80 percent of crops are pollinated by insects. RT asks if there are any alternatives to secure our food future. According to Greenpeace, some 40 percent of commercial honeybees have been lost across the US since 2006. The decline is attributed to a rise in colony collapse diso [...]

Russian airstrikes have torched more than 1,000 tankers taking stolen crude oil to Islamic State refineries. This blow against the jihadists comes as the Russian Air Force has hit 472 terrorist targets in two days in Syria, making 141 sorties. All Russian aircraft have successfully returned to the Khmeimim airbase near Latakia, Major General Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Defense M [...]

Renewed trade war fears are breathing life into the gold market, according to Phil Streible, senior market analyst at RJO Futures, who also pointed to growing investor fears over the possibility of a rate cut. “Potentially down the road, if equities slow down, and if the global economy slows down enough, you might see the Fed cut rates, that’s what’s breathing life right now into that gol [...]

Blocked from viewing US news outlets, overwhelmed by emails, Europeans shared memes and cheered. Facebook and Google, though, may have little to cheer about, now that they’re sued for “forced consent” over new privacy rules. The new set of strict regulations, also known as the General Data Protection Regulation (or briefly GDPR), was passed in April 2016 and came into effect on Friday to saf [...]

As the energies on earth are rising to new heights, their polarities are creating more tension than ever before. Frustration, anger, conflicts and crises are being evoked during today’s Full Moon in Gemini, and it will be wise to practice techniques to stay centered and grounded, and not be pulled into opposition. While these energies may feel unusually intense, they only flow in opposing di [...]

US President Donald Trump does not appear to be in control of his own administration’s Iran policy and he should fire national security adviser John Bolton, special adviser to EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told RT. [...]

Turkey will find alternatives after the US Senate's decision to suspend Ankara's participation in the F-35 fighter jet production program, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said, after the US Senate decided to stop the jet deliveries over Ankara's intention to buy S-400s. [...]

Without the Iraq war, Islamic State wouldn't exist today, former US special forces chief Mike Flynn openly admits. In an interview, he explains IS' rise to become a professional force and how the Americans allowed its future leader to slip out of their hands. Michael Flynn, 56, served in the United States Army for more than 30 years, most recently as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, [...]