Trump adds North Korea to state sponsors of terror list

Trump adds North Korea to state sponsors of terror list

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he has designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, reversing President George W. Bush’s 2008 decision. “Today, the United States is designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Should have happened a long time ago should have […]

VA starts ‘RAMP’ to expedite resolution toward claim disagreements

VA starts ‘RAMP’ to expedite resolution toward claim disagreements

The Rapid Appeals Modernization Program (RAMP), was announced on 2 November, 2017. Its goal is to provide “Veterans with the earliest possible resolution of their disagreement with VA’s decision on their benefit claims.” This comes after President Trump signed the “Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017” in August. While it often takes around […]

Senate holds rare hearing to discuss Presidential authorities to launch nuclear weapons

Senate holds rare hearing to discuss Presidential authorities to launch nuclear weapons

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee convened on Tuesday for a hearing unlike any in the past 40 years, to discuss and analyze the system used to authorize a nuclear strike that the United States has relied upon for decades. Chaired by Republican Senator Bob Corker, an outspoken critic of President Trump, the hearing seeks to […]

US will reduce contributions to UN peacekeeping missions

US will reduce contributions to UN peacekeeping missions

Speaking at the 2017 U.N. Peacekeeping Defense Ministerial in Vancouver, Canada, Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the U.S. will remain committed to peacekeeping operations, but will reduce its current financial commitment to such missions. The United States remains the largest financial contributor and capacity-builder for peacekeeping missions. We currently provide more than 28 percent […]

Pentagon pays for reassignment surgery for active duty soldier

Pentagon pays for reassignment surgery for active duty soldier

An active-duty member of the U.S. military received a sex-reassignment surgery which was covered by the Department of Defense this week. Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said in a statement released to the media that the member had “already begun a sex-reassignment course of treatment,” and that “the treating doctor deemed this surgery medically necessary.” First […]

South Korean president says NK’s nukes too far along to destroy quickly

South Korean president says NK’s nukes too far along to destroy quickly

Throughout months of heightening tensions between Kim Jong Un’s North Korean regime and a U.S. led group of nations intent on seeing the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, the cost of peace for the North Korean people has been clear: the complete removal of Kim’s nuclear capabilities.  Now, however, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has […]

North Korea’s been looking for a Trump-translator to sift through the rhetoric, but why?

North Korea’s been looking for a Trump-translator to sift through the rhetoric, but why?

Although senior North Korean officials have publicly stated that the nation’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, refuses to participate in diplomatic talks with the United States until after they have confirmed their ability to hit America’s east coast with a nuclear strike, reports from the region seem to indicate that North Korean officials have begun […]

China bans North Korean tourism ahead of Trump visit, but was it just a ploy?

China bans North Korean tourism ahead of Trump visit, but was it just a ploy?

In what could be a significant financial blow to Kim Jong Un’s North Korean regime, China ordered an immediate halt to Chinese tourism to the reclusive state one day prior to President Trump’s arrival as a part of his Indo-Pacific tour. A number of tourism companies based out of the Chinese city Dandong, which shares […]

McCain sole Republican to vote against Trump DoJ nominee for involvement with ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ memo

McCain sole Republican to vote against Trump DoJ nominee for involvement with ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ memo

Senator John McCain was the only Republican Senator to vote against the confirmation of President Trump’s nominee for the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel earlier this week, citing Steven Engel’s previous work on “enhanced interrogation techniques” under the George W. Bush administration. McCain, in a statement to Politico, said that “I cannot in good […]