2020 election

If there were any doubts about Donald Trump 's outsized influence over the Republican Party, they'll likely be wiped away after this weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Florida. One of the most prominent annual gatherings for conservatives, CPAC 2021 — operating under the banner "America Uncanceled" — will give a glimpse of the state of the GOP as it faces a civil war over its future. "The party apparatus from the state and local level to the national level has pretty much remained in control of Trump loyalists," Evan Siegfried, a Republican strategist and commentator, told Newsweek . He added, "Everybody at CPAC is beholden to him and he owns that crowd." GOP consultant Mark Weaver echoed that sentiment, telling Newsweek : "Among the Republican base there's still a lot of energy surrounding the Trump record and the Trump priorities, and the CPAC agenda that reflects that." Speakers include Mike Pompeo , Trump's secretary of state; Ben Carson … [Read more...] about CPAC Highlights Trump’s Influence Over GOP Amid Party’s Civil War: ‘He Owns That Crowd’

Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), who represents the urban city of Louisville, shot arrows at Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) for not being “representative of most of the country” and lamented his influence as a crucial swing vote in the U.S. Senate. Manchin has often been a deciding vote in the Senate on legislation and nominations, and the moderate senator holds even more sway with the Senate now split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats. Yarmuth said it is “unfortunate” Manchin wields so much power, and that he comes from a “largely rural” and “mineral-producing state” that “is not particularly representative of most of the country.” "I think it's unfortunate, and I think also it's unfortunate that he comes from a state which is not particularly representative of most of the country," says Rep. John Yarmuth on the power Sen. Joe Manchin holds. "But it is what it is. That's the construction of the Senate." pic.twitter.com/neyZLDaIJX — CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) February 24, 2021 … [Read more...] about Angry Democrat: ‘Unfortunate’ Joe Manchin Wields So Much Power

At the videoconference (Photo: VNA) New York (VNA) - Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy , Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, on February 24 underscored the importance of international assistance in the conflict-affected Central African Republic at an UN Security Council (UNSC) videoconference, which discussed ongoing violence in the country. Jean-Pierre Lacroix , UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, told the conference that the Central African Republic has continued to suffer from violence despite the announcement of the official result of the presidential election in December 2020. Citing important progress in recent weeks in combating the armed coalition group known as Coalition des Patriotes pour le Changement, he said the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) is providing security to thousands of internally displaced persons, while also supporting efforts to safeguard the … [Read more...] about Int’l assistance important to Central African Republic issues: Ambassador

Since 2012, Russia has become subject of ever more Western sanctions. Some have been unilateral U.S. sanctions, while Western allies have joined in others. Currently, the United States has about 15 different sanctions programs for Russia, and several others have been proposed. Sensibly, the Biden administration has called for a review of U.S. Russia sanctions. Sanctions should be effective. They should deter, punish and hopefully reverse bad behavior. Narrowly targeted and clearly defined sanctions are usually more effective than broad sanctions that, for example, aim at regime change. The more countries that participate, the more effective sanctions tend to be. Therefore, the Biden administration is right in its intent to return to far-reaching coordination with European allies in its Russia sanctions. The first American sanctions on Russia after the Cold War was the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012. It targets violators of human rights and corruption in … [Read more...] about How to rethink Russia sanctions

Twitter announced on Wednesday that it had removed hundreds of accounts linked to Iran, Russia and Armenia for violating its platform manipulation policies. In a blog post, the social media giant said the accounts, which were permanently suspended, attempted to interfere with the 2020 presidential election and in some cases posed as government officials. The social platform suspended a total of 238 accounts linked to Iran, 35 accounts with ties to the Armenian government and 100 accounts connected to Russia, the blog post says. ADVERTISEMENT Twitter's platform manipulation policy says users "may not use Twitter’s services in a manner intended to artificially amplify or suppress information or engage in behavior that manipulates or disrupts people’s experience on Twitter." Accounts connected to Iran, many of which Twitter described as having "low engagement and did not make an impact on the public conversation," and "attempting to disrupt the public conversation during … [Read more...] about Twitter removes hundred of accounts tied to Iran, Russia