In The News

Caixin: China Trade Surplus With US Grows Despite Tariffs

Wu Gang September 11, 2018
Despite tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, China’s trade surplus with the United States continue to swell. “Exports to the U.S. grew 13.2% in August from a year earlier to $44.39 billion, with the growth rate accelerating from 11.2% in July,” reports Wu Gang for Caixin, adding that China’s growth worldwide slowed for the month. “The Trump administration began levying a 25% tariff on $34...

TechCrunch: Google Argues Against Global “Right to Be Forgotten”

Natasha Lomas September 11, 2018
Google contends that Europe’s internet privacy rules should not extend to global domains. In 2014, the European Court of Justice “ruled search engines must respect Europeans’ privacy rights, and – on request – remove erroneous, irrelevant and/or outdated information about a private citizen,” reports Natasha Lomas for TechCrunch. Google responded by applying delistings on local European domains,...

BBC News: Europe and Nationalism

September 10, 2018
Nationalist and far-right parties are making electoral gains throughout Europe. The most recent example: Sweden Democrats winning about 18 percent of the vote on September 9. BBC News points to common themes including opposition to immigration and refugees, Islam and the European Union project: “In part, this can be seen as a backlash against the political establishment in the wake of the...

Orlando Sentinel: Florida Farming vs Coastal Communities

Andy Reid September 9, 2018
The US Army Corps of Engineers drains Florida’s largest freshwater lake to nearby rivers to prevent flooding of South Florida communities. Lake Okeechobee’s waters, polluted by chemicals from the agriculture industry, eventually wind their way to the coast, reported to be causing toxic algae blooms and red tides that harm plants and wildlife, resulting in massive fish kills and also causing...

The Guardian: Syria Summit Opens in Tehran

Patrick Wintour September 7, 2018
The Syrian civil war – resulting in more 400,000 deaths and the displacement of millions since 2011 – may be winding down as Syrian forces plan to attack the last rebel stronghold. A large number of rebels, including extremists as well as moderates and democracy supporters supported by Turkey and the United States, have been corralled in Idlib. Leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey are meeting in...

Arizona Republic: Plans to Cut US Family-Based Immigration

Daniel González September 7, 2018
As candidate, Donald Trump rejected conventional wisdom that immigration strengthens the United States and promised limits. Harsh policies targeting and separating families have followed. In the spring, US agents stopped asylum seekers at the border, separating children from parents, without explanation or a system for reunification. The courts blocked that policy, but more than 400 children are...

New York Times: Resistance Inside the Trump Administration

September 6, 2018
The United States is in democratic crisis with chaos in the White House and ongoing questions about the president’s capabilities. The New York Times took the extraordinary step of publishing an anonymous opinion essay said to be written by a senior official in the Trump administration, among the many “working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations…. But...