In a brief statement issued Wednesday afternoon, President Trump called on Saudi leadership to completely lift the years long Saudi military blockade on war-torn Yemen. The unexpected announcement came on the same day President Trump delivered an extremely controversial televised address wherein he gave official US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
One day after the top Senate Republicans realized they probably should have read the tax bill they voted for in the deep of the night on Saturday morning, and announced they are seeking to repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax they passed just days earlier, realizing it could punish growing companies, they now also appear to be reversing on the controversial repeal of State and Local Tax Deductions, and as Bloomberg reports, Republican lawmakers "are discussing a compromise on state and local tax deductions that would allow taxpayers to deduct state income tax, House Ways and Means Chairman Ke
With Republican leaders still frantically scrambling to find last-minute fixes in their tax-reform plan that will help win over moderate Republicans and deficit hawks who could create problems during the reconciliation process, the Washington Post is reporting that Republican leaders are considering a deal to roll back the corporate rate to 22%.
President Trump formally declared Jerusalem to be Israel’s capital and directed the State Department to start the process of moving the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv. The move was said to demonstrate Trump’s inclination to prioritize domestic politics over the desires of U.S. allies in the Middle East and Europe who warned the announcement could spark violence in a region that is already a powder keg, with the exception of Israel of course.
Here, courtesy of Bloomberg and Reuters, is a snapshot of the world's response to the historic Trump announcement:
Those who want to impeach Trump say his contacts (through Flynn and others) with high-level Russians, such as Russian Ambassador Kislyak, was treason … or at the very least an impeachable offense.
Others – without any proof – say that the president-elect’s team contacting foreign leaders is normal.
Who’s right?
The New York Times reports:
It is common and not improper for transition officials to meet with foreign officials.