Authored by Jason Ditz via Anti-War.com,
Sen. Rand Paul (R – KY) has blocked a motion by majority leader Mitch McConnell (R – KY) to advance the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the massive military spending bill, saying that the bill should instead face debate and possible amendments.
This sets the bill back for 6 weeks, at least.
With Gen. John Kelly set to be sworn in as Trump's new Chief of Staff, just days after the latest and most advanced North Korean ICBM test yet, one which can reportedly reach as much as half the major metro areas on the continental US, President Trump on Monday pledged to "handle" North Korea's provocative belligerence, without specifying exactly how he would do so as he faces rising tensions and limited options.
In a move that is certain to prompt more allegations that Wikileaks is part of a counter-establishment push, one ostensibly supported by Russia, on Monday morning Wikileaks dumped more than 21,000 "verified" emails associated with the French presidential campaign of Emmanuel Macron. Julian Assange's organisation claims the batch of 21,075 emails, dating from March 2009 to April 2017, have been uniquely verified through its DKIM system.
Despite US threats of “strong and swift economic sanctions” that the WSJ reported overnight could cut off a crucial source of revenue for Venezuela’s financially distressed state oil company, PDVSA, the socialist state’s leader Nicolas Maduro is claiming victory in a vote to create a new “constituent assembly,” a vote that US government officials have labeled a "sham."
Two days after President Donald Trump tweeted he was "very disappointed" in China
following Pyongyang's latest missile test adding that "we will no longer allow this to continue", Beijing has hit back at Trump on Monday, saying the problem did not
arise in China and that all sides need to work for a solution, according to a statement sent to Reuters by China's Foreign Ministry.