Washington DC

WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — U.S. and Chinese deputy trade negotiators resumed face-to-face talks for the first time in nearly two months, as the world’s two largest economies try to bridge deep policy differences and find a way out of their protracted trade war.

The negotiations, which extended into Friday, are aimed at laying the groundwork for high-level talks in early October that will determine whether the two countries are working toward a solution or headed for new and higher tariffs on each other’s goods.

Washington, Sep 19 (AFP/PTI) Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved last weekend's attack on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure, CBS News reported Wednesday, citing an unnamed US official.

The report came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, flying to the kingdom, called Saturday's strikes which knocked out half of Saudi crude output an "act of war."

CBS, without giving specifics about the US official or how they obtained the information, said Khamenei approved the attack only on condition that it be carried out in a way to deny Iranian involvement.

WASHINGTON, Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 125 migrant mothers and children have sued the U.S. government, claiming the Trump administration has violated the rights of asylum-seekers through the arbitrary and capricious implementation of a virtual asylum ban at the southern border.

The lawsuit, filed late on Monday, was the first to challenge President Donald Trump over asylum since the U.S. Supreme Court decided last week that an anti-asylum rule will be allowed to take effect while a separate lawsuit on its underlying legality is heard.

17 Sep 2019; MEMO: US President Donald Trump said on Monday said it looked like Iran was behind attacks on oil plants in Saudi Arabia but stressed he did not want to go to war, as the attacks sent oil prices soaring and raised fears of a new Middle East conflict.

Iran has rejected US charges it was behind the strikes on Saturday that damaged the world’s biggest crude-processing plant and triggered the largest jump in crude prices in decades.

17 Sep 2019; MEMO: US President Donald Trump said yesterday that America has become such a big oil producer that it no longer needs petrol from the Middle East.

Writing on Twitter, Trump said: “Because we have done so well with Energy over the last few years (thank you, Mr. President!), we are a net Energy Exporter, & now the Number One Energy Producer in the World.

Washington, Sep 16 (PTI) US President Donald Trump will join Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Houston's mega "Howdy, Modi!" event on September 22, the White House said on Sunday.

Reflecting on the new bonhomie in the India-US ties under the Trump administration, this is for the first time in recent history that the leaders of the two largest democracies would be addressing a joint rally anywhere in the world.

6 Sep 2019; MEMO: Jason Greenblatt, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, will leave office in a couple weeks, numerous sources in the US administration have said.

Greenblatt, who had intended to stay only two years when he began working at the White House in early 2017, is eager to return to his wife and six children who stayed behind at their home in New Jersey, the officials said.

3 Sep 2019; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to arrange “a dramatic diplomatic gesture” from US President Donald Trump to help him win the upcoming Israeli election, reported Haaretz. 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Sunday that he does not expect China to retaliate against additional tariffs on Chinese goods that U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday.

Asked on CBS’ “Face the Nation” program if he expected retaliation, Kudlow said: “I do not. I think his was an action to respond to their action. So I doubt whether they’re going to take another step. I have not heard their official response yet. We’ll have to wait and see.”

WASHINGTON (AP) - After a white supremacist discussed plans on Facebook for a mass shooting at a synagogue, police in Washington used a new law to quickly seize his 12 firearms, long before he was convicted of any crime.

But when a Tennessee father became alarmed about his son after receiving a suicidal text message, he said the police determined they could not take his son’s guns away. A few months later, the man showed up at a church and shot seven worshippers one Sunday morning, killing one.