US Floats Fees for Spanish Ships, Caps on Olive Oil Imports Over Port Dispute
Oct. 14 By Daphne Psaledakis The US Federal Maritime Commission on Wednesday proposed imposing a $200,000 fee on Spanish-flagged ships calling at US ports and restricting Spanish imports including its biggest seller, olive oil. The commission said that Spain created unfavourable conditions for US shipping…
Trump Says Advanced Defense Test Range to Be Located in Montana
Oct. 14 By Daphne Psaledakis US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced plans for what he described as a new defense “super range” in Montana for testing advanced military technologies, including autonomous weapons, space systems, electronic warfare and hypersonic weapons. The president made the announcement…
Brazil’s Senate Approves Shorter Workweek in Win for Lula
Oct. 14 By Daphne Psaledakis Brazil’s Senate on Wednesday approved a constitutional amendment to reduce the country’s workweek from six days to five, providing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a key legislative win less than two weeks before the country’s presidential runoff. The popular…
US Justice Dept Tells Staff to Call AI ‘Super Intelligence’ Under Trump Order
Oct. 6 By Andrew Goudsward The US Justice Department directed its employees on Tuesday to use the words “super intelligence” instead of “artificial intelligence” when referring to the technology in most circumstances, including in court, according to a memo seen by Reuters. • The directive…
US Arrests Person in Connection to Canada School Shooting, Officials Say
Oct. 6 By Daphne Psaledakis US authorities arrested a person in Washington state on Tuesday who they accuse of providing advice and offering to live stream a deadly mass shooting carried out earlier this year in Canada. James Cody Bryant, 30, was detained on a…
US Appeals Court Weighs Block on Kennedy’s Vaccine Panel Appointments
Oct. 6 By Nate Raymond A lawyer for the Trump administration told a federal appeals court on Tuesday that a judge had improperly hamstrung an influential vaccine advisory panel by blocking Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s handpicked appointees from serving on it. US Justice…
Norwegian Oil in the Arctic: An Uncomfortable Question for Europe
Oct. 1 By Dylan White When Americans debate Arctic oil drilling, the conversation quickly turns to the cost of a mistake: What happens if a spill occurs far from ports, response vessels, and cleanup equipment? Norway deserves the same scrutiny. Its reputation as a responsible…
Zelensky vs. Fedorov: Another Potential Presidential Contender Eliminated
Sept. 24 By Julia O`Malley The political purge in Ukraine is accelerating. After Zaluzhny, 35-year-old former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov has become Zelensky’s new “political victim.” Western media and observers increasingly see it clearly: Zelensky is systematically removing everyone who could challenge him in future…
US Treasury’s Bessent and China’s He Launch Talks on AI, Trade and Critical Minerals
Sept. 20 By David Lawder and Antoni Slodkowski US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng arrived in New York on Sunday for a meeting aimed at teeing up potential agreements on AI, tariffs and critical minerals for a high-stakes summit this…
Trump Wants to Use Washington Arch as Military Complex for Drones and Snipers
Sept. 20 By Nathan Layne and Anusha Shah US President Donald Trump said on Sunday the triumphal arch he plans to build near Washington would double as a “military complex” housing drones and snipers, making it the second major construction project he has sought to…
Trump Seeks to Bring Health-Research Funding Under His Control, Politico Reports
Sept. 19 By David Lawder U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to bring a major part of national funding for health research under the control of his political appointees, Politico reported on Saturday. Trump has directed his budget director, Russ Vought, to draft an executive…
Loyalty and informal ties matter more than institutional discipline
Sept. 17 By Julia O`Malley Washington and Brussels: Trust in Zelensky Is Melting Away It is noteworthy that, although the incident occurred in early September, the public reaction of US and EU officials to it was fairly restrained. However, the framing in Western media already…