ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump's national security adviser warned Iran on Wednesday that any attacks in the Persian Gulf will draw a "very strong response" from the U.S., taking a hard-line approach with Tehran after his boss only two days earlier said America wasn't "looking to...
Street Clashes Erupt as Venezuela's Guaido Urges Uprising
CARACAS, Venezuela — Anti-government demonstrators clashed with troops loyal to Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro at an air base in the capital hours after opposition leader Juan Guaidó took to the streets in a bold and risky attempt to lead a military uprising against the embattled socialist. The early-morning rebellion seems...
Bolton Is in Moscow After Trump Aims to Exit Nuclear Treaty
MOSCOW — U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton held talks with top Russian officials Monday after President Donald Trump had declared an intention to pull out of a landmark nuclear weapons treaty. The Kremlin expressed disappointment with Trump's announcement on Saturday that the United States would walk away from the...
Trump Administration Plans to Shutter Palestinian Office
WASHINGTON — The U.S. plans to close the Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington in its latest show of support for the U.S-Israel relationship. National Security Adviser John Bolton was expected to discuss the plans in a speech Monday, saying the Trump administration wouldn't keep the office open "when the...
Trump Team Gets Tough on Russia, Delays Putin Summit II.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's top national security aides sought to fend off accusations the president is too soft on Russia by declaring Wednesday that the U.S. will never recognize the annexation of Crimea and by postponing a second proposed summit between Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. As Secretary...
U.S. Following Familiar Path to War with Iran
The Cato Institute's Christopher Preble sees troubling similarities between warnings about threats posed to America's interests by Iran and the build-up leading to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Writing for The National Interest, Preble points to the efforts by top U.S. officials to make the case for war while relying on information and...
Putin, Trump Will Hold Summit in Helsinki on July 16
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump will hold a summit in Helsinki on July 16, a long-expected encounter that comes amid spiraling tensions between Moscow and Washington. A terse synchronized statement issued by the Kremlin and the White House said Putin and Trump will discuss...
Jewish, Muslim Groups Protest Bolton's Pick for Chief of Staff
It's not often that a political appointment inspires complaints from Jewish and Muslim groups alike. But that's what happened after National Security Adviser John Bolton decided to move former Central Intelligence Agency analyst Fred Fleitz into the White House. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Anti-Defamation League, Council on...
Zakaria: Regime Change Drives Trump on Iran
President Trump's withdrawal from the six-nation Iran nuclear agreement last week left many in the international community, including close U.S. allies, scratching their heads. "It's hard to understand the rationale behind Trump's decision," says Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria in his May 10 commentary. "If there is a strategy behind Trump's move,...
If Bolton Starts a War With Iran, It Will Be Much Worse Than Iraq
With John Bolton joining the White House as President Donald Trump’s new national security adviser, risk of the U.S. going to war with Iran has increased to levels not seen since Dick Cheney was vice president. Bolton and Cheney were both architects of the Iraq war, a war that Bolton...