united states

US Govt to Become Shareholder in Rare Earths Processing Firm

The US government will become a shareholder in a startup specializing in rare earth processing, the company announced Monday, as the United States looks to reduce its dependence on China. Vulcan Elements, based in North Carolina, said the US government is to partner with private investors who will inject $550 million into the firm's capital. The ...

Dominican Republic says Americas Summit Postponed Amid Tension over US Military Deployment

A meeting called the Summit of the Americas has been postponed because of tension in the region, host Dominican Republic said Monday, amid the US military deployment in the Caribbean. Originally due to take place in December, the gathering has been delayed until next year after consultations with countries that had been invited to attend, ...

NYC Voters Decide Between Experience and Idealism

New Yorkers head to the polls Tuesday in a mayoral contest that has become one of the city’s most unpredictable in decades. Voters are weighing three very different candidates: a youthful leftist with national attention, a scandal-tainted former governor, and a Republican outsider. The outcome will determine leadership for a metropolis of 8.5 ...

Trump says Russia, China Have Secretly Tested Nuclear Weapons, China Denies

China denied testing nuclear weapons on Monday after US President Donald Trump alleged the country was among those to have conducted tests unknown to the public. "China has always adhered to the path of peaceful development, pursued a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons, upheld a self-defense nuclear strategy and abided by its ...

‘Innovation’ in Destruction: The Forgery of University Degrees

During one of his many mass rallies held in a French province, the leader of La France insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, told his supporters that it was important to constantly maintain a climate of aggression and escalating verbal tension in political discourse, combined with efforts to stir up persistent instability on the ground. His stated goal ...

Time Is Running Out for Lebanon to Avoid the Price of Hollow Politics

While Washington’s latest diplomatic efforts sought to convey a sense of urgency to Lebanon and forestall Israel from launching a new war, the country’s leaders have shown themselves to be ineffective and unwilling to break from the past. Just listening to President Joseph Aoun’s hollow pronouncements is enough to lose hope that Lebanon will ...

Syrian Leader to Discuss Sanctions, Reconstruction in US Visit

Syria's president will discuss issues including lifting remaining sanctions, reconstruction, and counter-terrorism when he becomes the country's first leader to pay an official visit to Washington later this month, the foreign minister said Sunday. Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected in the US capital in early November, Syria's top diplomat Asaad ...

US Strike on Alleged Drug Vessel in Caribbean Kills Three

A US strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean killed three people on Saturday, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said, the latest such attack in international waters. The United States has deployed Navy ships to the Caribbean and sent F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico, part of a massive military force that Washington insists is ...

Syrian Leader Sharaa to Head to Washington in November

The United States envoy for Syria said on Saturday that Damascus's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa is to travel to Washington to sign an agreement to join an international US-led alliance against the Islamic State. Asked by reporters on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain whether Sharaa would head to Washington this month, Tom ...

The Filibuster: A Key Tool of Obstruction in America’s Political Crisis

At the end of October, as the U.S. federal government entered its 30th day of shutdown, President Donald Trump made a forceful call to eliminate the filibuster, arguing that Republicans should be able to pass legislation without Democratic support. He claimed it was time to invoke the so-called “nuclear option” and revert to a simple majority ...

Trump Awakens Old Nuclear Testing Fears

Despite deliberately vague statements about resuming nuclear weapons testing, U.S. President Donald Trump is raising the specter of renewed nuclear proliferation, with China potentially the main beneficiary, according to experts. This comes at a time when the international arms control framework is already fragile. “We are already in the ...