- Patrick Cockburn gives his take on Trump’s first 100 days. [Link]
- Alexander Acosta has been confirmed to head the Labor Department. [Link]
- Trump said he expects South Korea to pay for the THAAD missiles the US is installing in South Korea. South Korea responded by saying the contracts says the US will pay for the missiles. [Link]
- US GDP grew 0.7% in the first quarter of 2017. [Link]
- The NSA is ending a major mass surveillance program. Ending this program will not stop all mass surveillance on Americans. It appears the FISA Court forced the program to end. [Link]
- Nikki Haley will have to run her statements on important issues through staff at the State Department. Haley has been an outspoken member of Trump’s foreign policy team. [Link]
- The State Department has approved $440 in weapons sales to Israel. [Link]
- Israel plans to build 15,000 new settlement homes in East Jerusalem. [Link]
- The number of women dying from conflict-related deaths in Afghanistan was up 54% in the first quarter of 2017. The number of children dying in conflict-related deaths was up 17%. [Link]
- North Korea conducted another missile test, and the test failed again. After learning of the test, Trump took to Twitter to condemn the test. [Link]
- Fighting between Saudi-backed Syrian rebels and jihadist Syrian rebels leaves 40 fighters dead. The fighting occurred near Damascus. [Link]
- The US has positioned troops in North East Syria to be a buffer between Kurdish and Turkish forces. [Link]
- Fighting continues between Syrian YPG forces and Turkey. 11 Kurdish YPG fighters have been killed. [Link]
- Saudi Arabia continues to advocate for an attack on the port city Hodeidah. The attack will likely be unsuccessful as the Houthi who hold the city are prepared for house to house fighting. The attack will also shut down the port that is delivering 80% of aid to the starving Yemeni population. Any US support for Saudi Arabia will increase support for the Houthi. [Link]
- The Pentagon issued a statement today saying that a US drone strike killed eight al-Qaeda fighters in Yemen. [Link]
On FPF #33, I dive into Trump’s foreign policy in the first 99 days. I break down all his major foreign policy moves. Trump’s foreign policy is hawkish and a betrayal of his campaign promises. Trump’s personal and early decisions suggest his foreign policy will not put American first. LISTEN HERE!!
