MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he’s ready to invite President Donald Trump to Moscow and is ready to visit Washington himself if conditions are right. Putin’s comments at a briefing at the summit of BRICS countries’ leaders in Johannesburg, South Africa, followed the White House backing away from Trump’s suggestions that […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
The hypocrisy of the Democratic Russia hawks
WASHINGTON — With his interference in the 2016 election, Russian President Vladimir Putin achieved something that none of his murderous Soviet predecessors were able to accomplish: He has turned Democrats into Russia hawks. A few months after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ronald Reagan addressed the 1992 Republican National Convention and said: “I heard […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bruce Poliquin opposes GOP bid to impeach Rod Rosenstein
An effort by some GOP lawmakers to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein won’t get help from Republican Bruce Poliquin. Maine’s 2nd District representative said Thursday that he doesn’t support the move. “I maintain that the impartial and independent investigation by (special counsel) Robert Mueller should run its course,” Poliquin said in a prepared statement. Two […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Susan Collins backs measure to sanction Russia if it keeps meddling
A bipartisan measure that would require new sanctions against any foreign nation caught meddling in U.S. elections got the backing this week of Maine’s senior senator, Republican Susan Collins. The Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines bill would require extensive, tough sanctions within 10 days of a declaration by the director of national intelligence […]
Posted inNation / World, News
Trump returns to ‘Witch Hunt’ tweets against Mueller probe
WASHINGTON (AP) — Capping a week of drama, back-tracking and blistering statements from allies about his attitude toward Russian election interference, President Donald Trump on Monday returned to familiar rhetoric, referring to the special counsel’s Russia probe as a “hoax” and “Witch Hunt.” Trump spent last week trying to reassure the country that he accepts […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
The Russian pipeline to Germany that Trump is so mad about, explained
BERLIN — When German officials headed to the NATO summit in Brussels this week, they were already prepared for what they considered to be an inevitable attack by President Donald Trump over their low defense spending. But on Wednesday morning, Trump took aim at the Germans for a very different reason: an 800-mile-long, planned pipeline […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Turkey-U.S. relations under increasing strain
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarian behavior has further stressed Turkey’s already frayed defense relationships with the U.S. and other NATO members. The increasing strain — to the point of permanent break — is bad news for an already unstable Middle East, Central Asia and eastern Europe. It is flat-out awful news for culturally Muslim […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Putin chides Trump's opponents, calls summit a success
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin called his first summit with President Donald Trump a success — but warned Thursday that Trump’s opponents in the U.S. are hampering any progress on what they discussed, such as limiting their nuclear arsenals or ending the Syrian war. In his first public comments about the summit, Putin […]
Posted inNation / World, News
Donald Trump says he misspoke on Russia meddling
WASHINGTON (AP) — Blistered by bipartisan condemnation of his embrace of a longtime U.S. enemy, President Donald Trump sought Tuesday to “clarify” his public undermining of American intelligence agencies, saying he had misspoken when he said he saw no reason to believe Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. “The sentence should have been, […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Republicans join Democrats in condemning Trump's remarks
WASHINGTON (AP) — “Bizarre.” ”Shameful.” ”Disgraceful.” That’s the swift and sweeping condemnation directed at President Donald Trump on Monday after he sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a stunning appearance in Helsinki — and that’s just from the Republicans. Lawmakers in both major parties and former intelligence officials appeared shocked, dismayed and uneasy with […]