Section: US & Canada
The Republicans’ Witch Hunt
Every few weeks, Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress claim they’ve found something that will prove the Russia investigation was a sham—a “witch hunt,” in the president’s words—all along. Conservative media outlets build a steady drumbeat of hype, telling their audience that this is the proof they’ve been waiting...
How the Trumps Screwed Palestine
Subscribe to the Deconstructed podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Radio Public, and other platforms. New to podcasting? Click here. On Monday, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and other members of the Trump administration celebrated the opening of a new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, while at the same time and just a few miles away,...
Russia Makes Bold Move to Try to Solidify Control Over Crimea
KYIV, Ukraine—On Tuesday, Russia’s ongoing conflict against Ukraine flared up once again. This time, however, it wasn’t another Russian artillery or rocket barrage in eastern Ukraine’s embattled Donbas region. Rather, the latest escalation was evidenced by the completion of a bridge across the Kerch Strait connecting the Crimean...
It’s Been 1 Year Since Mueller Began His Investigation. It’s Past Time for It to Wrap Up.
Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of Robert Mueller’s appointment as a special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether the Russian government coordinated its activities with associates of candidate Donald Trump. Over the past year Mueller has managed to spend $10 million in taxpayer...
This year’s Cannes Film Festival was a plea against complacency
Artistic freedom and ideological oppression took center stage at cinema’s most prestigious festival. Most film festivals aren’t programmed around a theme. But sometimes one emerges anyhow, brought on by some combination of the festival programmers’ interests and what’s going on in the world. Most of the offscreen buzz (and...
Today’s letters: Solutions hard to find on Israel and Palestine
Extremists prevent lasting peace between Israel, PalestineRe: U.S. embassy move won’t help peace process, May 16 In my view, both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian long-standing conflict have legitimate grievances and aspirations, and both sides are held hostage by their deeply and rigidly entrenched extremists’ diametrically opposing...
Malaysia’s Democratic Breakthrough
In an era of authoritarian regression, illiberal populism, and xenophobic nationalism, any faint glimmers of democratic progress are sorely needed. But Malaysia’s parliamentary elections last week gave much more than a glimmer of hope. After 61 years the authoritarian ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN), and its core dominant party,...
Putin Seeks Common Cause With Merkel Over Trump
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday that he would stand up to any attempts by U.S. President Donald Trump to block a Russian-German gas pipeline project. Berlin and Moscow have been at loggerheads since Russia’s annexation of Crimea four years ago, but they share a common...
Putin says Russian gas shipments via Ukraine may continue
SOCHI, Russia — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Friday that gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine may continue even after the launch of a new prospective Germany-bound pipeline under the Baltic Sea. The question of whether Ukraine would be frozen out of future Russian gas deliveries is seen as one of the main stumbling blocks for the...
This Week: At One-Year Anniversary Of Mueller Probe, GOP Says Wrap It Up
Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, and the team has a lot to show for it. To date, a total of 19 people and three Russian companies have either been indicted or pleaded guilty to criminal charges, including four former Trump campaign officials. But President Trump and his GOP allies in...
