FILE – A landmark arms control treaty that President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed three decades ago is dead. The U.S. and Russia both walked away from the deal on Friday, Aug. 2, 2019.
(Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP/File)
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US walks away from landmark INF arms control treaty with Russia
The United States is formally withdrawing from the historic Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty that President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed more than 30 years ago, sparking fears of a new arms race. The U.S. blames Russia for the demise of the INF treaty, senior administrations officials say, arguing that Moscow has been violating the terms of the agreement for years. Moscow, the U.S. argues, has been developing weapons that threaten America and its allies in Europe. Without the constraints of the treaty, the Trump administration says it can now counter Russia — and China, which wasn’t a signatory of the INF, but was developing similar weapons that would have violated it, too.
FILE – In this Dec. 8, 1987, file photo, President Ronald Reagan, right, shakes hands with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev after the two leaders signed the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty to eliminate intermediate-range missiles during a ceremony in the White House East Room in Washington. The landmark arms control treaty that Reagan and Gorbachev signed three decades ago is dead. The U.S. and Russia both walked away from the deal on Friday, Aug. 2, 2019.
(AP)
The U.S. withdrawal from the INF comes as South Korea’s military and presidential office reported that North Korea fired what appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles twice Friday into the sea off its eastern coast — its third round of weapons tests in just over a week.
Michelle Obama to Dems’ rescue?
Former first lady Michelle Obama is resisting calls for her to run for president, saying there’s “zero chance” that she will seek the Oval Office. In a new interview published in Amtrak’s magazine The National, Obama sat down with 12-year-old journalist Hilde Lysiak to promote her Better Make Room campaign aimed at engaging college students. The kid reporter pressed Obama about seeking the highest office in the land. “There are so many ways to improve this country and build a better world, and I keep doing plenty of them, from working with young people to helping families lead healthier lives,” Obama responded. “But sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office will never be one of them. It’s just not for me.”
The interview appeared as liberal filmmaker Michael Moore urged the former first lady to run for president following Wednesday night’s Democratic debate. Moore apparently has his doubts about the field of Democratic potential challengers to President Trump, led by the front-runner, former Vice President Joe Biden.
A Michelle Obama candidacy could arguably inspire Democratic voters who remain unimpressed with the current crop of 2020 candidates – and perhaps save her husband’s legacy after so many of the potential nominees attacked former President Obama and his policies during Wednesday’s debate.
RFK granddaughter Saoirse Kennedy Hill, 22, found dead at family compound
The 22-year-old granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy died Thursday at the fabled political family’s compound in Hyannisport, Mass., the family said in a statement. Saoirse Kennedy Hill was the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill, the fifth of 11 children born to the late New York senator and wife Ethel, The New York Times reported. She attended Boston College, where she was a member of the class of 2020, the university confirmed to The Boston Globe. Boston 25 News, citing a law enforcement source, reported that Hill died from a suspected drug overdose.
US preparing to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan as part of proposed deal with Taliban
The Pentagon is preparing to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan as part of a proposed peace deal with the Taliban, U.S. officials told Fox News on Thursday. One official warned the withdrawal would be subject to the completion of any agreement. So far, no such deal has been finalized. The Trump administration has undertaken eight rounds of negotiations with the Taliban, which controlled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, led by envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born former U.S. ambassador to Kabul. Khalilzad has hinted that a peace agreement could be reached in the next round of talks, scheduled to be held in Qatar.
Dow flips from big gain to big loss after Trump announces more China tariffs
U.S. stocks surrendered big gains Thursday, falling hard after President Trump tweeted that additional tariffs would be slapped on Chinese goods. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had been up 311 points before the tweet — meaning that within minutes of the tariff news the blue-chip index had plunged from a peak to a trough of more than 600 points. Trump said he will impose 10 percent tariffs on Sept. 1 on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports he hasn’t already taxed. China’s foreign minister was disappointed in Trump’s decision. “Imposing tariffs is definitely not the right way to resolve trade frictions,” Wang Yi told reporters in Bangkok on Friday. News of the additional tariffs follows the latest round of trade negotiations between the U.S. and China. The next meeting is scheduled to be in September.
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SOME PARTING WORDS
Laura Ingraham gives her take on why today’s Democratic Party appears to be walking away from former President Obama.
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