The Trump Administration has announced economic sanctions against Iran "targeting at least 16 individuals and entities for supporting what it said was 'illicit Iranian actors or transnational criminal activity'." These particular sanctions includes freezing any US banking system interaction as well as US assets. Just yesterday, it was announced that Iran was complying with the set nuclear deal; however, these sanctions are being pushed on the basis of "breaking the 'spirit' of the deal" with the threat of additional to come should things not turn around. These individuals "had backed Iran's military or Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by developing drones and military equipment, producing and maintaining boats, and procuring electronic components, according to the US."
Syrian Chemical Warfare
As many have seen over the past few days, chemical warfare is becoming an increasing threat from the Assad regime in Syria. "The United States said Tuesday that it has observed Syrian chemical warfare personnel visiting known production facilities, suggesting that President Bashar al-Assad’s government is preparing fresh strikes on the rebel-held north of the country. The White House warned late Monday that the Assad government would pay a 'heavy price' for any such strikes, indicating publicly for the first time that it believes the Assad government is capable of launching new chemical attacks." Yesterday U.S. military struck a Syrian airbase after their use of sarin in the northern rebel-held portion of the country, killing many civilians and hospitalizing even more. Sarin is a colorless, odorless gas that acts a nerve agent and is extremely potent. The large amount of remaining inventory of this chemical was considered by a European official to be "one of the worst-kept secrets in international diplomacy." Governments worldwide continue to monitor the Assad and many are forming synergistic strategies for the road ahead.
Putting North Korea in "Full Court Press"
Dennis Rodman, former NBA player, is at it once again with another trip to North Korea; this one being the first during the new presidency. When questioned about any discussions with President Trump prior to his travel, Rodman stated, "Well, I'm pretty sure he's pretty much happy with the fact that I'm over here trying to accomplish something that we both need." However, Rodman didn't enlist specifics on his goals of his trip and government officials have said he's traveling as a private citizen. "Rodman tweeted that his trip was being sponsored by Potcoin, one of a growing number of cybercurrencies used to buy and sell marijuana in state-regulated markets." Despite discussions of North Korea ousting Amsterdam in pot tourism, the country still considers it a controlled substance to the likes of heroine and cocaine and "likely could not expect leniency if the country's drug laws were violated". Rodman has been criticized in the past for not using his influence in a country like this and only time will tell if this round will be any different.
Mr. Down to Business
President Trump has been the center of the media's attention for quite some time now; however, there's one thing he has yet to do - back down on hardly any of his promises made on his road to election. As widely-known, the President comes from a deeply rooted business background without any formal political education (he received his Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania). His business-driven acumen has largely served as the foundation in developing his agenda and guiding his decisions both here at home and abroad.
Most recently, President Trump made the decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord, a consolidated effort across member countries to reduce the impact on global warming. Granted, this was a bold political move (which aligns with much of his days in presidency), this also stays true to his goal of bringing jobs back to America, in particular for the manufacturing industry. Additionally, the most recent unemployment data released today, shows numbers are at an all-time low (4.3%) over the past 16 years. This has sparked conversations of raising interest rates due to higher employment as well as discussions of reaching labor capacity.
Whether President Trump was a personal choice or not, the man should be applauded for getting things done and gaining momentum towards an improved economy overall.
Twitter War of Words
Looks like the United States isn't the only one brushing up on their social media engagement. Yesterday, the verified Ukrainian and Russian Twitter accounts exchanged a mix of words, pictures, and memes over their history. According to Metro.co.uk, this all started when "Vladimir Putin met new French president Emmanuel Macron on Monday and spoke about the historic links between their two countries. He said Anna Yaroslavna was married to the Medievel king of France Henri I...this annonyed Ukraine, who said she was not from Russia but from Ukraine, as demonstrated by her name Anne of Kiev."