How President Biden and Speaker McCarthy avoided putting US in recession mode with debt ceiling deal
When Kevin McCarthy was struggling early this year to get enough votes from his own Republicans to become speaker of the House of Representatives, Democratic President Joe Biden called the prolonged saga a national embarrassment, then had a little fun. “I’ve got good news for you,” Biden said, pointing playfully...
When Mexican president acquiesced to US migration policy, he exposed asylum-seekers to kidnapping, extortion, rape, torture and death
The Mexican Congress also significantly limited the Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies’ operations in Mexico after the attempted arrest and prosecution of the former secretary of national defence. The reduction in bilateral security collaboration has led Republican representatives to call for US military intervention in Mexico to combat cartels and to designate them as terrorist organisations.
Research: Doctors in US don’t take Black women pregnancy seriously, so they’re more likely to die than Whites during labour
To be Black anywhere in America is to experience higher rates of chronic ailments like asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s and, most recently, Covid-19. Black Americans have less access to adequate medical care; their life expectancy is shorter.
Biden expresses optimism as debt ceiling negotiations push toward critical default deadline
Hard-line Republicans in the House of Representatives have threatened to block any bill that does not meet their expectations, including sharp spending cuts. Progressive Democrats have also threatened to withhold support for some of the compromises raised, particularly around imposing new work requirements on federal anti-poverty programmes.
Chaina says Ukraine war raises urgency for unconventional warfare to repulse US threat
Despite the hundreds of billions of dollars poured into defence spending, China’s armed forces do not have much recent experience in a hot war, with its last – and brief – military conflict in 1979 with Vietnam. The ability to win is needed to maintain national security, Wang wrote.
China court sentences US citizen to life in prison for espionage, without specifying offence
The sentencing comes amid growing tensions between China and the US on a number of fronts, from accusations of Chinese spying and human rights abuses, to US efforts to build up military alliances to curb China’s ambitions toward Taiwan and in the Pacific.
Foreign military sales and direct commercial sales data show US is selling weapons to world’s autocracies
Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been the world’s biggest weapons dealer, accounting for about 40 per cent of all arms exports in a given year. In general, these exports are funded through grants or sales. There are two pathways for the latter category: foreign military sales and direct commercial sales.
Coming to America: US border city calm as Title 42 lifts and asylum restrictions take effect
Just before Title 42 was set to expire at midnight on Thursday, immigration advocates represented by the American Civil Liberties Union sued over the new asylum bars, claiming they violate US laws and international agreements.
US Congress, White House begin tough debt limit, budget talks that have put investors on edge
Adding to the urgency, Biden is scheduled to leave on May 18 for an annual meeting of leaders of the Group of Seven major industrialised nations, although he said he would cancel that trip if needed to work on a debt limit deal.
Inflation cloud obscures Fed peak with markets edgy about the US debt ceiling standoff
If consensus forecasts are correct, the April inflation readout later on Wednesday may well force the Fed to keep that equivocal line up for a bit longer. Annual inflation is expected to stick at March’s near two-year low of five per cent – while the higher core rate, excluding food and energy prices, is set to ebb a tenth of a point to 5.5 per cent.
