International News
Coverage of international events and global policy shifts. The Daily Signal offers news reporting with opinion and commentary on world affairs.
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news
State Department Envoy to Ukraine Resigns as Whistleblower Case Pursued
Kurt Volker, the U.S. special representative to Ukraine, resigned Friday amid fallout from a whistleblower complaint against President Donald Trump regarding his phone call in July with Ukraine’s president. Volker was one of five State Department officials that House Democrats said they want to depose as part of an impeachment inquiry. The whistleblower complaint focuses on Trump’s July… -
opinion
US-Japan Trade Agreement Would Help American Farmers
There was some good news Wednesday on the agricultural trade front. The Office of the United States Trade Representative just announced several key provisions of the new U.S.-Japan agreement that would benefit U.S. agricultural producers and American consumers. If the agreement goes into effect (the agreement is not yet final), American farmers and ranchers will… -
opinion
Podcast: Will Netanyahu Stay Leader of Israel?
The Israeli election last week resulted in a political stalemate, but Benjamin Netanyahu might still just eke out a coalition and retain his role as prime minister. Today, I’ll unpack the details of the election and what’s to come with Jim Phillips, a Middle East expert at The Heritage Foundation. Plus: Big cities used to… -
news
How Ukraine Uses US Military Aid
KYIV, Ukraine—Since April 2014, Ukraine has been locked in a land war in its eastern Donbas region against a combined force of Russian regulars, pro-Russian separatists, and foreign mercenaries. During that time, Russia has used Ukraine as a testing ground for its modern warfare doctrines and technologies—in terms of both conventional and so-called hybrid military… -
news
7 Highlights From a House Panel’s Hearing on Trump’s Ukraine Call
Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified before the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday, as the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives moves ahead with a broad multi-committee impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. Maguire explained the procedure for why a whistleblower’s complaint about the July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President… -
news
Trump Slams Democrats for Announcing Impeachment Inquiry During His UN Talks
President Donald Trump used a press conference at the United Nations to strike back Wednesday at House Democrats who are moving forward on an impeachment inquiry. “The witch hunt continues. But they’re getting hit hard on this witch hunt,” Trump told reporters. The president spoke hours after the White House released an official transcript of… -
opinion
Why Russia’s War Against Ukraine Matters to America
KYIV, Ukraine—You can’t fake courage in a trench war. The thing is, there’s no escaping the danger. You could die just as easily while walking to the toilet as you could while holding the line under artillery fire. You never know when the shelling will start, or when a sniper has you in his sights. … -
news
6 Key Points From Trump’s Call to Ukraine’s President
A transcript of the July 25 phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shows the two leaders did talk during their brief conversation about an investigation involving Joe Biden and his son. Neither man, however, mentioned military aid to Ukraine that might hang in the balance. The White House released the… -
opinion
At UN, Trump Focuses on 5 Top Foreign Policy Priorities
Those hoping for fireworks up in Turtle Bay for President Donald Trump were disappointed Tuesday morning. No references to Rocket Man. Instead, Trump’s third address to the United Nations was shockingly traditional in tone and presentation. Although the speech, as is the president’s tendency, touted the administration’s economic accomplishments up front, it quickly shifted focus… -
news
US Politics Threaten to Derail Ukraine’s Peace Talks With Russia
KYIV, Ukraine—Ukraine is at a crossroads. After more than five years of war against Russian forces in its eastern Donbas region, the former Soviet republic is finally inching toward a peace deal with Moscow. Yet a political scandal in the U.S.—in which Ukraine plays a central role—threatens to complicate matters, some Ukrainian experts say. The… -
opinion
China’s Quiet Campaign to Change UN
Turtle Bay is awash with heads of state this week. They’ve come to New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are among those in attendance, and they come with an agenda of their own. Item 1 for the Americans is to remind world leaders—in… -
news
In UN Address, Trump Makes International Call: ‘End Religious Persecution’
President Donald Trump, speaking Monday at the United Nations in New York, announced an initiative to protect religious liberty, saying the administration would spend $25 million in related efforts internationally. Trump made the announcement in remarks at a U.N. event called the Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom, noting that business leaders are involved in… -
news
Trump Calls New Sanctions on Iran the Harshest Ever Placed on a Country
President Donald Trump said Friday that new sanctions on Iran’s national bank are the strongest ever placed on a country, but reiterated that he hopes to avoid military action against the Islamist regime. “I think sanctions work. The military would work. That’s a very severe form of winning,” Trump said during a joint White House… -
opinion
Venezuela Is Still Carrying Out Chavez’s Strategy to Poison America. But Trump Can Stop It.
Venezuela continues to go down the drain. As the world wonders how thuggish Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro manages to cling to power, we received a fresh reminder that the problems plaguing Venezuelans started long before him. It was Hugo Chávez, Maduro’s predecessor and mentor, who set Venezuela on the road to ruin almost two decades ago. We have… -
news
Justin Trudeau Wore Brownface at 2001 Party
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wore brownface makeup at a 2001 party when he was a teacher, Time reported Wednesday. The incident occurred while Trudeau, then 29, was attending an “Arabian Nights” themed private school party. He was a teacher at West Point Grey Academy, and the photo appears in the school’s 2000-2001 yearbook, according to Time…. -
news
Trump Hints at New Iran Sanctions, Prefers to Avoid ‘Ultimate Option’ of War
President Donald Trump says he will announce new actions by Friday regarding Iran’s suspected role in attacking oil fields in Saudi Arabia. “We’ll be adding some very significant sanctions onto Iran,” Trump told reporters Wednesday in Los Angeles. “We’ll be announcing it over the next 48 hours.” Trump said he has “many options” and that… -
opinion
What You Need to Know About the Attack on Saudi Arabia
A major attack on Saudi oil production is stoking tensions in the Middle East. Heritage Foundation expert Peter Brookes discusses what happened, and what it means for the region and the United States. Read the lightly edited interview, pasted below, or listen on the podcast: We also cover these stories: President Trump is defending Justice… -
news
NYC Public Schools to Excuse Students Who Participate in ‘Climate Strike’
New York’s public school officials announced Thursday afternoon that they will excuse students who plan on attending various "climate strikes" throughout the city. “@NYCschools will excuse absences of students participating in the #ClimateStrike on Friday 9/20,” the New York City Public Schools' Twitter account notes. “Students will need parental consent. Younger students can only leave… -
news
Jay-Z’s Un-PC Remarks on Broken Homes, Crime Belatedly Trigger Tweetstorm
Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z is drawing belated condemnation on Twitter for attributing “adverse feeling for authority” to fatherless households during a panel discussion on social justice earlier this year. Videos of the rapper—whose given name is Shawn—discussing single-parent households on a race-relations panel recently surfaced and went viral. In the clip from the January discussion, Jay-Z,… -
opinion
Britain’s Moment of Truth
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is desperate to translate the British public’s June 2016 vote to leave the European Union into a concrete Brexit. But the real issue is far older and more important than whether 52% of Britain finally became understandably aggrieved by the increasingly anti-democratic and German-controlled European Union. England is an island….