Newsmakers
Congo’s president promises focus on prosperity as his nation nervously prepares for milestone vote
The Democratic Republic of Congo's troubled election this week has already scored at least one small victory for peace.
Increased military exercises with Pacific allies seek to deter China, top U.S. admiral says
U.S. forces in the Pacific are increasing multinational military exercises amid mounting fears among regional states over Chinese aggression, according to the admiral in charge of the Navy's largest fleet.
Evidence at New York fraud trial shows that Trump’s financial statements were key to a loan deal
Former President Donald Trump has said he never thought his yearly financial statements "would be taken very seriously." But evidence Thursday at his New York civil fraud trial showed the statements were integral to some of his business empire's loan deals.
CVS responds quickly after pharmacists frustrated with their workload don’t show up
CVS found the right prescription on Wednesday to keep its stores open in the Kansas City area and avoid a repeat of a work stoppage last week by pharmacists: It promised to boost hiring to ease workloads that sometimes make it hard to take a bathroom break.
Vivek Ramaswamy vows to take Trump’s agenda to the next level
Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy says he is a better candidate than former President Donald Trump because the American electorate is hankering for a revolutionary leader that doesn't drive them insane.
Putin seeks to foment second Balkan war to distract the West, Bosnian diplomat warns
Russian President Vladimir Putin is meddling in the Balkans to foment a second conflict in Eastern Europe to distract the West from his war in Ukraine -- and Washington should be paying closer attention.
House probe: More foreign deals suggest Biden was planning a well-heeled retirement, says Comer
President Biden likely used his position as vice president in the Obama White House to pad a retirement plan by setting up family members as highly paid business consultants overseas, according to the top House investigator pursuing the Bidens' alleged influence peddling.
North Korea hides its war capabilities from the world
The U.S. military routinely prepares contingency plans for virtually every possible conflict on the planet, from a surprise Chinese attack on Taiwan to a sudden conflagration in the Middle East, Africa or elsewhere.
Taiwan ambassador: China a threat, but island still open for business
Taiwan's democracy is confronting both military and "gray zone" information warfare threats from China and is adopting asymmetric weapons to defend itself, the country's unofficial ambassador to the United States said in an interview.
Pompeo: U.S. must recognize China-North Korea nuke connection
The U.S. should view China and North Korea as "part and parcel of a single entity," according to former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who says the Biden administration must be more clear-eyed about the links between Chinese and North Korean nuclear weapons programs.
Hungarian denies U.S. on list as adversary, defends energy deals with Russia
A top adviser to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban denounced a reported U.S. intelligence document that said Mr. Orban recently listed the United States as one of the top adversaries of Hungary's ruling Fidesz party, dismissing it as "fake news."
Not dead yet: World still needs fossil fuels, Egyptian minister says
The world may be on an irreversible march toward clean energy, but the past year has brought with it a sobering reminder that 21st-century economies cannot function for the foreseeable future without oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels, said Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla.
EU’s top envoy says West must hold firm in fight for Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin is betting that U.S. and Western European political and societal resolve to back Kyiv will soon break down so that his military can proceed with its dismemberment of Ukraine, the top European Union diplomat in Washington warned in an interview.
Syrian-American advocacy group criticizes U.S. policy, lack of action on Assad, civil war injustices
The U.S. has lost face on the world stage by ignoring Syrian President Bashar Assad's war crimes, a top Syrian American activist says, and Washington is dangerously in denial of the fallout from Mr. Assad's emergence as the victor of the country's more than decade-long civil war.
Larry Hogan fears Trump brand will weaken party, Democrats will erode his progress
As Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan prepares to exit the governor's mansion and end his eight-year stint in the unusual role of a Republican running a deep-blue state, he is shaking his head in disbelief at what's become of the GOP.
U.S. ‘waking up too slowly’ on China, House GOP point man on Beijing warns
The U.S. is "waking up, but we're waking up too slowly" to the growing threats posed by China, Rep. Mike Gallagher said this week, arguing that the Biden administration is failing to take the steps necessary to put America in a position to win its 21st-century showdown with the rising communist military and economic superpower..
Pompeo says China’s Xi senses ‘weakness’ emanating from White House
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: The U.S. should give Taiwan "every tool" it needs to block a Chinese takeover, according to former Secretary of State and potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate Mike Pompeo, who says an "absence of resolve" in President Biden's foreign policy has invited aggression from adversaries around the world.
Hungarian diplomat pushes talks for swift end to Russia-Ukraine war
Hungary's top diplomat is calling for immediate talks to end the war in Ukraine, asserting that "all wars end up in negotiations" and that the world should be focused on how to achieve peace by quickly bringing about a cessation of the nearly five-month-old conflict.
Clintons interview Kim Kardashian, Steinem on Apple TV+ show
Hillary Rodham Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, will interview the likes of Kim Kardashian, Megan Thee Stallion and Gloria Steinem for a streaming series that debuts in two months.
Florida Democrat Nikki Fried embraces underdog status in race to take on Gov. DeSantis
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried has accused the governor of using his office to pursue larger political ambitions and peddling culture wars that have distracted work on other issues facing Floridians.
