Section: The Atlantic (USA)
Trump Blames his Rift With the CIA on the Media
On his first full day in office, President Donald Trump spoke at the Central Intelligence Agency’s headquarters, standing in front of the Agency’s memorial to its fallen officers, and sought to mend his tumultuous relationship with Langley. Yet he [[definitely]] never said the word “sorry,” to federal intelligence agencies for the...
One Last Trip With Joe Biden
When I boarded Air Force Two for Vice President Joe Biden’s final overseas mission, he had four days left in office. His leverage was diminishing by the hour, with every new question at a Trump nominee confirmation hearing, with every new @RealDonaldTrump tweet.There was no chance of a miracle at that point, a few days away from Vice...
President Obama’s Final Word: ‘We’re Going to Be Okay’
Barack Obama is the leader of the nation’s progressive political party, but his belief in progress is more fundamental than a simple political label. “Hope” may have seemed a facile or even juvenile basis for a presidential campaign in 2008, but it was a sincere one, as Obama demonstrated one final time Wednesday afternoon in the final...
The Real Meaning of Putin’s Press Conference
You have to feel bad for the Moldovan president. The newly elected Igor Dodon had traveled to Moscow to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin for the first Russian-Moldovan bilateral meeting in nine years. Yet here he was, standing side by side with Putin, his hero and model for emulation, at a regal-looking press conference and some reporter has...
The Trump Administration’s Conflicts of Interest: Tom Price Edition
In terms of policy, Representative Tom Price, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is perhaps best known for his strident stance against the Affordable Care Act. The Republican congressman (and former orthopedic surgeon) from Georgia has been one of Obamacare’s most vocal opponents...
The Spies Who Love Putin
It’s tempting to look to the playbooks and historical traditions of the late Soviet Union to explain the audacity of today’s Russian intelligence activity, from its meddling in U.S. elections, to apparently killing Kremlin opponents abroad. But these activities are not just products of old ways or new geopolitics. They also stem from...
Why Europe Is Worried About Donald Trump’s Latest Remarks
President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t been shy about sharing his views about the world, in general, and Europe, in particular. He was criticized during the presidential campaign for questioning the value of NATO, praising the U.K.’s decision to leave the EU, and linking terrorist attacks to the million or so asylum-seekers who have...
Can Evangelicals Help Trump Thaw Relations With Russia?
On March 8, 1983, Ronald Reagan stood before an audience of evangelicals and declared that the Soviet government was the “focus of evil in the modern world.” The arena erupted in unsurprising applause, standing ovations, and echoes of the hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers.” While many conservatives supported a hardline stance on the Soviet Union,...
A Sanctions Skeptic for State?
Rex Tillerson, Donald Trump’s choice to serve as secretary of state, fielded roughly nine hours of questions before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday. Among other things, he was asked for his views on the role of economic sanctions in foreign policy, whether fossil fuels contribute to climate change, and how a Trump...
The Trump Administration’s Conflicts of Interest: A Crib Sheet
With confirmation hearings beginning, attention is shifting slightly away from Trump and toward those who may make up his administration. Like the president-elect under whom they may soon be serving, many of Trump’s nominees have been pulled from the upper echelons of the business community or are otherwise political outsiders.Also like...
