Patti Mohr

After Two Years In Office, Biden Acts On Border Crisis

5Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Immigration, Migration, Types of News: Brief

After Two Years In Office, Biden Acts On Border Crisis

President Biden announced he is taking a number of administrative steps today on the border crisis. Jan. 5, 2023 Biden Announces New App For Asylum Seekers, Cracks Down On Smugglers January 5, 2023—With the number of migrants continuing to swell at the U.S. border and the U.S. Supreme Court saying illegal immigration itself is a crisis, President Joe Biden is taking notice and acting—as some would say, “finally.” The White House announced today it is taking a series of new steps to curb illegal immigration to the United States while opening lawful means to seek refuge in the country. Biden and his administration face immense pressure to address the border crisis. Since he took office in January 2021, the number of migrants crossing into the United States illegally hit record nu...

IMF Sees Recession For Global Economy In 2023

2Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Global Economics, Types of News: Brief

IMF Sees Recession For Global Economy In 2023

January 2, 2023—International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the majority of the world should brace itself for an economic slowdown in 2023. In an interview with CBS on Sunday, Georgieva predicted that half the European Union would see recession this year while China's economy is likely to continue to slow down. She said the United States might avoid a negative growth if its labor market remains strong, but that is a "mixed blessing" because it means the Federal Reserve would likely continue raising interest rates. Georgieva, the head of the agency tasked with helping countries avoid economic crisis, said 2023 is likely to be "a tough year, tougher than the year we leave behind." That outlook differs from trends at the end of 2022 when a majority of G2...

Venezuela’s Opposition May End Failed Interim Government

29Dec

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Types of News: Brief

Venezuela’s Opposition May End Failed Interim Government

Juan Guaidó Awaits Decision By Opposition Leaders On January 3 December 29, 2022—It isn't just Venezuela's opposition that awaits trial in a vote now scheduled for Tuesday, it's Washington's strategy of imposing an interim government and ad hoc president for a country lacking fair elections. On December 21 a coalition of Venezuelan opposition leaders voted to end the interim government and Juan Guaidó as its head. Three of the four opposition parties supported the non-binding vote. They were scheduled to make that vote final today but have postponed that decision until Tuesday. "From a political point of view, it has ceased to be useful for the democratization of Venezuela and is of no interest to the citizens," the parties announced in a joint statement, according to a news ...

U.S. Politics: Senator Says ‘No’ To Extreme Party Pressure

9Dec

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Types of News: Brief, United States

U.S. Politics: Senator Says ‘No’ To Extreme Party Pressure

Sinema Switches To Independent Status, Saying She Won't Be 'Blindly Loyal' To A Partisan Agenda December 9, 2023—As the final race for the U.S. Senate came to a close this week in Georgia, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema made a surprise announcement: She's leaving the Democratic party to be an independent leader. Her decision won't affect the control of the Senate. Democrats will continue to led the upper chamber next year. Furthermore, Sinema said she doesn't plan to caucus with Republicans. That means her announcement won't change the distribution of money for Senate staff or committee seat makeup. However, it demonstrates a blow to the power of partisan politics. As such, it gives strength to independent thinking and action in Washington. Sinema said she did not run for offic...

U.S. Inflation Remains ‘Highly Uncertain,’ Fed Chair Says

30Nov

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Brief

U.S. Inflation Remains ‘Highly Uncertain,’ Fed Chair Says

November 30, 2022—Although increases in consumer prices ebbed slightly in the United States in the latest numbers, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned on Wednesday that inflation's path remains "highly uncertain." He noted that October's figure of 7.7 percent annual growth is better than the previous Consumer Price Index estimates but said the single-month improvement doesn't reflect a trend. Powell said the Fed policy is likely to remain "restrictive for some time to come." Addressing an audience at the Brookings Institution, he said price trends differ in three categories: core goods, housing, and services. Prices in core goods are moderating while housing service prices rose rapidly. Meanwhile, prices in services are likely to rise due to unmet demand in the labor market. ...

G7 Aims To Improve War Crimes Investigations

30Nov

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Human rights, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, UN Security Council, Types of News: Brief

G7 Aims To Improve War Crimes Investigations

November 30, 2022—Justice ministers representing G7 countries met on Tuesday to plan ways to investigate war crimes and bring war criminals to justice. Justice ministers from G7 countries and the European Union met in Berlin, Germany on Nov. 29, 2022. The G7 includes the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy. Photo credit: BMJ/Thomas Trutschel Since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine in February 2022, the international community has sought ways to prevent and condemn the aggressive actions, particularly against civilians. For example, in March the UN’s Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning Russia’s action against Ukraine and establishing a UN Council of Inquiry. That same month the International Court of Justice (IJC) author...

In Communist China, Xi Is Completely And Unquestionably In Charge

7Nov

By Patti Mohr1 Comment

Communism, Dictatorship, authoritarian, Types of News: Analysis

In Communist China, Xi Is Completely And Unquestionably In Charge

Xi's in charge. Communism vs. Democracy: Why It Matter November 7, 2022—If you want to know what communism looks like, you don't need to spend time in China, Cuba, Laos, or Vietnam. You don't even need to spend hours watching the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the twice-a-decade gathering that selects the country's highest rulers. All you need to see is one minute of the final ceremony right before officials announce the new leaders. It was at that moment that party members came for former President Hu Jintao. Note, the 79-year-old Hu served as China's president from 2003 to 2013. As a leader, he served during unprecedented growth that cemented China's status as a world power. But that record didn't secure him much dignity to let him stay seated during the anno...

Cuba Wins At The UN, Launches New Crack Down At Home

3Nov

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Types of News: Brief

Cuba Wins At The UN, Launches New Crack Down At Home

'It's Getting Ugly,' Economist Writes About Price Fixing Policies November 3, 2022--The United Nations General Assembly took up the Cuban government's annual resolution to end the economic embargo imposes against that country. Cuba has widespread support among UN delegates for its request to end the U.S. embargo, which hampers its trade and economy. "The blockade constitutes a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of thehuman rights of the Cuban people," Cuba's resolution asserted. U.S. Political Counselor John Kelly issued a statement defending the U.S. position. "Mr. President, the United States opposes this resolution, but we stand with the Cuban people and will continue to seek ways to provide meaningful support to them," Kelly said. "We encourage this body to urge t...

Russian Grain Deal Is Back On, Turkey Says

2Nov

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

Russian Grain Deal Is Back On, Turkey Says

November 2, 2022—A grain deal that lets grain flow from Ukraine and Russia through Turkey to the global economy is back on as of 12:00 p.m. today, according to Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan announced that Russia is rejoining the agreement, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative. He helped broker the deal with Ukraine and Russia along with the United Nations in July. It establishes a Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, Turkey where officials inspect vessels for the sake of shipping food and fertilizer to the rest of the world. Russian President Vladimir Putin left the deal over the weekend, citing Ukraine's military actions against a key bridge as a reason. But Russian officials stayed engaged with the initiative, according to a recent UN update. As of toda...

2Nov

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Middle East, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, UN Security Council, Types of News: Brief

Algeria Hosts Arab League Summit

Algeria hosts Arab League The Summit Comes On The Heels Of Historic Agreement Uniting Palestinian Factions November 2, 2022—Member of the 22-member Arab League met for the first time since 2019 in Algiers, Algeria Tuesday. It is the first Arab League meeting since Israel normalized its relations with several Arab countries, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco. It also comes on the heels of a successful effort on the part of Algerian President Abdulmajeed Tabboune to bring sparring Palestinian factions together. On Tuesday, Tabboune welcomed the guests, saying that the League's "central and primary cause" is the "Palestinian cause," according to reporting by TRT World, a Turkish news broadcaster. "The Palestinian question is the mother of all questions," Tabboune said. Economi...