Trump’s choice for top US diplomat talks tough on China

Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. questions Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson during the committee’s confirmation hearing Tillerson, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washi… WASHINGTON – Pointing toward possible confrontation, Donald Trump’s selection for secretary of state likened Beijing’s island-building in the South China Sea to a takeover of another country’s territory and spoke of forcing Beijing to fully apply sanctions on North Korea.

Trump’s choice for top US diplomat talks tough on China

Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. questions Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson during the committee’s confirmation hearing Tillerson, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washi… WASHINGTON – Pointing toward possible confrontation, Donald Trump’s selection for secretary of state likened Beijing’s island-building in the South China Sea to a takeover of another country’s territory and spoke of forcing Beijing to fully apply sanctions on North Korea.

Senators join forces on legislation to punish Russia WASHINGTON (AP)…

Senate Republicans and Democrats joined forces Tuesday to directly challenge President-elect Donald Trump over Russia’s interference in U.S. elections and for ongoing aggression in other parts of the world. The 10 lawmakers, five from each party, introduced sweeping legislation designed to go beyond the punishments against Russia already levied by the Obama administration and to demonstrate to Trump that forcefully responding to Moscow’s meddling isn’t a partisan issue.

Ted Cruz, Texas governor meet with Taiwan president

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Greg Abbott said they met Sunday with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen while she was passing through Houston on her way to Central America. The Republican senator said in a news release that during his meeting with Tsai, they “discussed our mutual opportunity to upgrade the stature of our bilateral relations” in a talk that addressed arms sales, diplomatic exchanges and economic relations.

U.S. intelligence agencies: Putin ordered intervention in…

Russia carried out a comprehensive cybercampaign to upend the U.S. presidential election, an operation that was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin and “aspired to help” elect Donald Trump by discrediting his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in a report released Friday. The report depicts Russian interference as unprecedented in scale, saying that Moscow’s assault represented “a significant escalation in directness, level of activity, and scope of effort” beyond previous election-related espionage.

Garbage trucks part of Times Square security

Heavily armed counterterrorism officers take shelter from the rain beneath an overhang in Times Square on Thursday in New York, as the New York Police department began ramping up security for the city’s massive New Year’s Eve celebration. Heavily armed counterterrorism officers take shelter from the rain as they stand against the front of a watch store in Times Square on Thursday in New York.

Chuck Schumer tears into John Kerry over Israel speech that ’emboldened extremists on both sides’

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s admonishment of Israeli settlements on Wednesday did not sit well with a key member of his own party: incoming Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer. The Obama administration’s decision to harangue Israel for allegedly complicating the Middle East peace process angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the 70-minute speech also irked the powerful senator from New York.

Coulter: Tweeting the 2016 Campaign

And GOP can’t figure out why Trump is sweeping the country. @AnnCoulter Jan. 15 Bush campaign lands the coveted Lindsey Graham endorsement, bringing an additional 0.0% support to the juggernaut that is Jeb! @AnnCoulter Jan. 30 Sweaty little liar Rubio sucks up to Iowans with Jesus talk, but he tried to replace them with 30 million Mexicans.

Reaction to US Vote at UN Security Council is Swift, Mixed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement in the Jewish settlement known to Israelis as Har Homa and to Palestinians as Jabal Abu Ghneim, in an area of the West Bank that Israel captured in 1967. The United States abstained from voting Friday at the U.N. Security Council on a resolution calling for Israel to stop its “settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

Reaction to US Vote at UN Security Council is Swift, Mixed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement in the Jewish settlement known to Israelis as Har Homa and to Palestinians as Jabal Abu Ghneim, in an area of the West Bank that Israel captured in 1967. The United States abstained from voting Friday at the U.N. Security Council on a resolution calling for Israel to stop its “settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

China says it will give drone back, but Trump says ‘keep it’

In this undated photo released by the U.S. Navy Visual News Service, the USNS Bowditch, a T-AGS 60 Class Oceanographic Survey Ship, sails in open water. The USNS Bowditch, a civilian U.S. Navy oceanographic survey ship, was recovering two drones on Thursday when a Chinese navy ship approached and sent out a small boat that took one of the drones, said Navy Capt.

China says it will give drone back, but Trump says ‘keep it’

In this undated photo released by the U.S. Navy Visual News Service, the USNS Bowditch, a T-AGS 60 Class Oceanographic Survey Ship, sails in open water. The USNS Bowditch, a civilian U.S. Navy oceanographic survey ship, was recovering two drones on Thursday when a Chinese navy ship approached and sent out a small boat that took one of the drones, said Navy Capt.

‘Saturday Night Live’ Pokes Fun at Trump’s Misspelled Tweets,…

A three-year-old Arkansas boy was fatally shot in a road rage incident Saturday night while on a shopping trip with his grandmother, police said.The gunman… — A new royal portrait to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday year has been released. Photographed by British fashion photographer Nick Knight, the Queen si… This week, former ASA Governing Committee member and Wisconsin farmer Kevin Hoyer provided public comments on behalf of the American Soybean Association in front of an Environ… Dubuque, Ia.

‘Saturday Night Live’ Pokes Fun at Trump’s Misspelled Tweets,…

A three-year-old Arkansas boy was fatally shot in a road rage incident Saturday night while on a shopping trip with his grandmother, police said.The gunman… — A new royal portrait to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday year has been released. Photographed by British fashion photographer Nick Knight, the Queen si… This week, former ASA Governing Committee member and Wisconsin farmer Kevin Hoyer provided public comments on behalf of the American Soybean Association in front of an Environ… Dubuque, Ia.

Pentagon demands China return intercepted Navy underwater drone

The Pentagon demanded that China immediately return a U.S. Navy underwater drone that was captured in the South China Sea, in a confrontation certain to exacerbate tensions in a region where the government in Beijing has sought to assert greater control. China “unlawfully seized” the unmanned underwater vehicle Thursday while it was being recovered by a U.S. Navy oceanographic survey ship during routine operations 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines, according to a Defense Department statement.