In The News

US and China May Not Want a Deal: Bloomberg

David Fickling May 10, 2019
The trade war between the world’s two largest economies is escalating, even as talks continue in Washington, DC, and neither China nor the United States wants to back down. The US is raising tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports from 10 to 25 percent, and China promised to retaliate. Leaders on both sides appeal to nationalistic supporters, expressing confidence that the other side will hurt...

US Federal Reserve, Arctic Council, Climate Change

Michael S. Derby May 9, 2019
Climate scientists warn that global warming is underway, promising severe disruptions for economies. The Trump administration denies climate change is a crisis and resists pullback on fossil fuels. Yet officials at all levels of government and business – financial, insurance, health and more – must confront costly weather disasters, so the United States issues mixed messages. For the Arctic...

US-China Trade Talks Changing the World: Atlantic

Matt Peterson May 8, 2019
Soon after announcements that the US-China trade talks were winding down, US President Trump suggested hiking tariffs from 10 to 25 percent. “The punitive action in the midst of a negotiation was a departure from Trump’s generally optimistic tone about the talks, but it was a return to form for [Robert] Lighthizer, an experienced negotiator with a reputation for brinksmanship,” explains Matt...

Pentagon on Chinese Submarines in Arctic: Reuters

Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali May 3, 2019
As the Arctic warms, more countries venture into the region and the US Pentagon monitors Chinese activities. In June, China released a white paper that describes plans for shipping lanes, a “Polar Silk Road” linked to the nation’s far-reaching Belt and Road Initiative. “China, despite being a non-Arctic state, is increasingly active in the polar region and became an observer member of the Arctic...

Trees and Climate Change: New York Times

Moises Velasquez-Manoff April 25, 2019
Trees, by absorbing carbon and providing shade, help protect the environment from climate change. Flooding, droughts, extreme temperatures, disease and insects are taking their tolls on trees that can live a century or more as climate changes more rapidly than trees can adjust. “Most trees can migrate only as fast as their seeds disperse – and if current warming trends hold, the climate this...

China, India to Defy US Sanctions on Iranian Oil? CNBC

Sam Meredith April 23, 2019
The Trump administration continues efforts to constrain Iran. In 2018, the US abandoned a nuclear agreement designed to limit Iran’s nuclear program, and the administration announced nations purchasing Iranian oil will face sanctions after May 1. The United States had granted waivers over the past six months to India, China, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, allowing limited...

US Sanctions Target Iran Oil Sales: Washington Post

Carol Morello April 23, 2019
Ramping up its pressure against the Iranian regime, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States would go after any country that continues to buy Iranian oil. Nations holding waivers that expire May 1 must comply with this policy as well. The Trump administration shows little desire to provide wiggle room for nations with waivers on Iranian oil imports including China, India,...