In The News

March 1, 2019
Nepotism and rejection of evidence and expert opinions characterize the Trump administration. The New York Times reports that the president ordered his chief of staff to grant top security clearances to Jared Kushner, despite numerous concerns raised by security, law-enforcement, intelligence and legal staff. Trump and his family have previously denied any clearance shortcuts. John Kelly, former...
Miriam Jordan January 21, 2019
A US policy that separated more than 2700 children from parents seeking asylum at the border with Mexico shocked the world in 2018. A government inspector’s report reviewing the policies uggests thousands more separations may have occurred before the country’s zero-tolerance immigration policy was launched in spring 2018. With no explanations to parents, border agents placed children in shelters...
Colby Hamilton November 30, 2018
Donald Trump’s former attorney pleaded guilty to lying to US Congress about Donald Trump’s attempts to secure a Russian real estate deal during the US presidential campaign. Michael Cohen is cooperating with the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Russian meddling in the US presidential election. Cohen admitted to considering plans for him and Trump to travel to Russia and...
Kenneth Rogoff November 9, 2018
Economic recession, spurred by protectionist policies, is inevitable for China. Kenneth Rogoff, writing for Project Syndicate, rejects economic analysis suggesting that much of China’s problems could be regionally contained and argues that the China’s problems would quickly spread to international capital markets with so many foreign firms earning profits in Chinese markets. Asia’s high saving...
Sanjay Pulipaka November 8, 2018
Japan and India, under prime ministers Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe, continue to improve relations as a bulwark against more powerful China and develop balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region. “Both premiers have invested heavily in the bilateral relationship and made sustained efforts to push their respective bureaucracies to catch up with their vision,” explains Sanjay Pulipaka for the...
Gideon Rachman November 6, 2018
Global observers view the outcome of US midterm elections as a test of the durability of Donald Trump’s policies. “If the Republicans do well, then many will conclude that ‘Trumpism’ is here to stay,” explains Gideon Rachman for the Financial Times. “The rest of the world would have to make a long-term adjustment to an America that is highly protectionist and suspicious of treaties on principle...
November 5, 2018
The world awaits the outcome of the US mid-term elections, which will decide all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 seats in the Senate. If Democrats win either chamber, the president’s policies will face new scrutiny: A “Democratic majority's greatest influence will be oversight, the ability to call hearings and, if necessary, subpoena witnesses, as they chair committees like...