Politics

China recently tested a new, advanced type of guided missile in the sea near the Korean peninsula, the Chinese defense ministry said Tuesday cited by the Times of India, just as South Korea concluded its presidential elections amid rising regional tensions. The test in the Bohai Sea was conducted to “raise the operational capability of the armed forces and effectively respond to threats to national security,” the ministry said in a brief statement.

This is just becoming farcical...

After confirming Rod Rosenstein as deputy attorney general by a Senate vote of 94 to 6 on April 25th, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that:

Rosenstein told him during a private meeting that “he would appoint a special counsel to conduct that investigation if one is required.”

 

With the political punditry debating whether Trump's real motive to sack Comey was the FBI Director's escalating probe into Trump's ties to Russia, despite - as Trump stated in his letter to Comey - the president allegedly being assured three times there was no investigation - the NYT reported moments ago that Comey had requested a significant increase in funds and personnel in connection with the Russia probe just days before he was fired.

From the NYT:

Following yesterday's news that the White House had radically changed its strategy involving Syrian military intervention, and that it had decided to provide weapons to Kurdish militants in the region, we were curious to see just how livid Turkey would be when it inevitably responded to Trump's announcement. One day later we got the answer when the Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik was quoted by Reuters that the U.S. decision to provide weapons for Kurdish militants in the fight against ISIS "is a crisis" and warned it would not benefit the United States or the region.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is holding a press conference following his discussions in The Oval Office with President Trump, who described it as a "very, very good" meeting.

President Trump “clearly stated his desire for businesslike” relations with Russia, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who met with President Trump Wednesday.