Tag: Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren on Monday warned of “serious” signs that the U.S. economy could skid into a downturn either this year or next, as she proposed a series of steps to minimize the risk. Warren, 70, who serves in the U.S. Senate and is considered a top-tier candidate in a crowded field of Democrats hoping to challenge President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3, 2020 election, called on federal regulators and Congress to act...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and U.S. congressional leaders said on Monday they reached a deal on a two-year extension of the debt limit and federal spending caps through Sept. 30, 2021. “I am pleased to announce that a deal has been struck with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy,” Trump said on Twitter. Schumer and Pelosi promptly issued a statement confirming...

Ursula von der Leyen's appointment as new European Commission chief will allow Brussels and Washington to reset their relationship. That's the view of Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the EU. Sondland made the comments in an interview with Euronews' Jack Parrock, in which he also spoke about Iran and the crisis in the Gulf. "It gives the United States and the European Union an opportunity to reset its entire relationship," Sondland said, referring to von der Leyen's appointment. "Things have begun...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday stepped up his attacks on four liberal Democrats in Congress, all women of color who have criticized his policies, calling on them to apologize as he himself faced charges of racism. “I don’t believe the four Congresswomen are capable of loving our Country. They should apologize to America (and Israel) for the horrible (hateful) things they have said,” Trump said in a Twitter post. Trump ignited controversy last weekend when...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday was again trying to referee an intra-party struggle among her Democratic colleagues over whether to take steps toward impeaching Republican President Donald Trump. As he has done twice in the past, Democratic Representative Al Green of Texas was seeking to force a vote on the House floor later in the day on articles of impeachment. It was not immediately clear if Green would succeed. Leadership aides said...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Saturday it is concerned by reports of China’s interference with oil and gas activities in the South China Sea, including Vietnam’s long-standing exploration and production activities. “China’s repeated provocative actions aimed at the offshore oil and gas development of other claimant states threatens regional energy security and undermines the free and open Indo-Pacific energy market,” the State Department said in a statement. Vietnam on Friday accused a Chinese oil survey...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to table an impeachment resolution against President Donald Trump, effectively killing the measure for now but not burying the issue that has divided Democrats. The resolution’s sponsor, Democratic Representative Al Green, was seeking to capitalize on growing criticism of Trump after the president’s recent attacks on minority congresswomen. The House voted 332 to 95 to set aside the measure. Green had failed twice before to get an impeachment resolution...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Saturday it is concerned by reports of China’s interference with oil and gas activities in the South China Sea, including Vietnam’s long-standing exploration and production activities. “China’s repeated provocative actions aimed at the offshore oil and gas development of other claimant states threatens regional energy security and undermines the free and open Indo-Pacific energy market,” the State Department said in a statement. Vietnam on Friday accused a Chinese oil survey...

The United States has warned it will bring down any Iranian drones that fly too close to its ships, following a string of incidents on the world's most vital oil shipping route. Washington says it has already destroyed an Iranian drone that was allegedly threatening a US navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz. But Iran has denied the claims: it says all of its drones have safely returned to their base — and even suggested the US military may have...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Friday he could not imagine using the United States’ debt ceiling as a tool to negotiate a spending deal with lawmakers in Congress, saying the government’s credit rating was sacred. “Hopefully we’re in good shape on the debt ceiling. I can’t imagine anybody ever even thinking of using the debt ceiling as a negotiating wedge,” Trump told reporters at the White House. U.S. borrowing authority could be exhausted sometime in September,...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to delay a planned vote later on Wednesday to hold the pair in criminal contempt. The expected vote is in response to the Trump cabinet members’ failure to comply with congressional subpoenas involving the administration’s since-abandoned plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. Census. In a joint letter, the pair asked the vote be postponed to “allow the...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is likely to pick Eugene Scalia, the son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, to be the secretary of labor, Politico reported on Thursday, citing three unnamed sources. Scalia would replace Alex Acosta in the role. Acosta announced he would step down last week. Source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren released a series of policies on Thursday aimed at regulating the financial industry, including a plan to overhaul the private-equity industry. “We need to shut down the Wall Street giveaways and rein in the financial industry so it stops sucking money out of the rest of the economy,” Warren said in a post on Medium.com announcing her proposal. The U.S. senator from Massachusetts has been a relentless critic...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he intends to nominate Eugene Scalia, the oldest son of the late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, to be secretary of labor. In a tweet on Thursday evening, Trump praised Scalia’s experience as a lawyer “with great experience working with labor and everyone else.” Politico first reported earlier on Thursday that Trump would likely tap Scalia for the role . Scalia, 55, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, would...