Newsmakers
Pentagon spokesman defends record of U.S. operations in Europe, Middle East
Ukraine's military is seeing results with a new border-focused strategy after the White House eased the restrictions on Kyiv's use of U.S.-provided weapons to attack Russian targets just across the border, the Pentagon's top spokesman said in an interview this week.
Iranian dissident leader sees troubled regime entering ‘its final stages’
Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the world's largest Iranian dissident organization, says in an exclusive interview that the Tehran theocratic regime is on its last legs and warns there can be no real peace in the Middle East so long as the mullahs remain in power.
Liberia open for business and not picking sides in U.S.-China competition, president says
The Liberian government is mounting a sustained campaign against corruption to win trust and new international investments, whether they come from the U.S. or China, Liberian President Joseph Boakai said in an interview.
Speaker Johnson calls move to oust him ‘recipe for chaos,’ contends he’s scoring ‘incremental’ wins
House Speaker Mike Johnson, hobbled by a one-vote majority and dogged by a small band of disgruntled archconservatives who want to fire him, is determined to defy his critics and remain speaker in the next Congress.
‘Ukraine cannot win this war’: Hungarian minister says talks with Russia a must
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto argues in an exclusive interview that his country remains the only NATO nation to avoid sending weapons to Ukraine because such a step, he believes, would only prolong a war with Russia that it is increasingly evident neither side can win.
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.
