Kavanaugh Accused – A woman, currently a professor, has alleged that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh attempted to assault her when he was a 17 year-old Georgetown Prep student. Kavanaugh’s accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford says the incident occurred at a house party the two attended in 1982. Ns party Ford described. On Friday, President Trump weighed in on the matter saying that if the allegations were true, Dr. Ford would have contacted the FBI years ago.
New Tariffs – President Trump announced tariffs on an additional $200 billion of Chinese goods entering the United States. The new measures, to be implemented on September 24th will place an initial duty of 10% on consumer goods, with the possibility of the rate being raised to 25%. China announced that they would be retaliating with tariffs on $60 billion of American products entering China.
Russia, China Warn US – New sanctions on Russia by the United States is causing an outrage amongst the Russians as well as the Chinese who are affected by the sanctions. The new measures targeted China for buying Russian missiles and warplanes, and threatened to target it’s other clients as well. Russia did not say if and how they may respond, but they and the Chinese did warn the US of ‘consequences’ resulting from US actions.
Trump Delays Russia Docs Release – President Trump on Friday said he would not be releasing documents related to the Russia investigation which he originally said he would be declassifying. The documents Trump had ordered to be released include a FISA warrant against former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page, and text messages between former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. Trump has requested the inspector general to do an expedited review of the documents amid Justice Department concerns that their release would negatively impact the investigation.
Pollution Regulations Rolled Back – On Tuesday the Trump administration announced that they would be ending an Obama-era rule which required companies to capture methane released during drilling for oil on US land. Methane is a greenhouse gas which is released into the atmosphere in large quantities during the process of oil exploration. The move could save US companies $2 billion over the next decade.
Koreas Meet – Following two days of discussions between South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, North Korea announced their intentions to dismantle missile launch pads and testing facilities. Conditions to close the facilities depend on unspecified reciprocal measures from the United States.
Russian Military Plane Downed – During a recent Israeli strike on a Syrian facility in Latakia, a Russian military plane conducting reconnaissance was downed. The Israelis blamed Syrian anti-aircraft fire for the mishap, with some even saying it was intentional to create friction between Russia and Israel. A delegation was sent from Israel to Moscow to discuss their findings on the incident, and an Israeli official said strikes on Syrian targets would continue as necessary.