HJ Mai

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump’s firing of National Security adviser John Bolton earlier this week could have big implications on the administration’s handling of its most challenging foreign policy issues. Bolton, described as a conservative hawk due to his hard-line and interventionist foreign policy approach,... Read More

WASHINGTON - International trade disputes have dominated the newscycle in 2019. Whether it’s the United States and China, the U.S. and the European Union or the EU and China, a functioning world economy needs a fair and regulated trade system.  However, the organization tasked with facilitating... Read More

The longest war in the history of the United States could soon come to an end after reports that the peace negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban have hit the final stretch.  But concerns about the Taliban’s ability to guarantee safety and prevent Afghanistan from... Read More

There are plenty of warning signs that the longest economic expansion in the history of the United States is coming to an end. While the signs indicate an impending recession, predicting the time of it is nearly impossible, Hoyt Bleakley, associate professor of economics at the... Read More

The apparent suicide of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has not only derailed the pursuit of justice for his alleged victims, it also highlighted a slew of problems within America’s federal prison system.  In the aftermath of Epstein’s death on Aug. 10, a number of issues... Read More

Lawmakers are facing increased public pressure to take action and stop the gun violence after two mass shootings in Texas and Ohio killed 31 people over the past weekend.  President Donald Trump and congressional members of both parties appear eager to take up the issues this... Read More

The United States on Friday officially withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, more commonly referred to as the INF Treaty. This Cold War-era arms control agreement was hailed as historic at the time of its signing and resulted in the destruction of thousands of missiles... Read More

Election security has been under the microscope since reports of Russian interference during the 2016 U.S. presidential election first surfaced.  The findings by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence further indicate that the Russian government directed attacks on U.S. elections... Read More

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a second straight week demanding the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. The demonstrations arose after hundreds of pages of offensive chat messages between the governor and nearly a dozen of his close... Read More

Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile air defense system has put its relationship with the United States and the NATO alliance in jeopardy.  The White House responded to last week’s news of Ankara accepting the first delivery of the S-400 by ending Turkey’s involvement in... Read More

WASHINGTON - The diplomatic relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom has been rattled by the recent leak of diplomatic cables that described the Trump administration as in a state of disarray.  The leak led to the resignation of Kim Darroch, the British ambassador... Read More

American soccer fans were treated to another stellar World Cup performance by the U.S. Women’s National Team, capped off by a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in Sunday’s final. Despite winning a record fourth World Cup title, including its second in a row, a lot of... Read More

WASHINGTON - The White House earlier this week unveiled its long-awaited and highly touted Middle East peace plan. Well, at least the economic portion of it.  To unveil the plan, Washington convened a two-day workshop in Manama, Bahrain, on June 25 and 26. While the workshop... Read More

WASHINGTON - The escalation tensions between the United States and Iran nearly reached a tipping point Thursday after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of Iran’s armed forces, confirmed that it shot down an unmanned U.S. Navy drone. President Donald Trump revealed in a series... Read More

WASHINGTON - The strategic alliance between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia dates back to World War II, though the primary focus in the early years of the relationship at that time was oil. The alliance between Washington and Riyadh has since changed,... Read More

Rising home prices in some of the country's largest urban centers have put the America Dream of owning a home out of reach for many middle- to low-income families. While the nation’s capital and its surrounding suburbs are regularly ranked in the top 10 of the... Read More

Special Counsel Robert Mueller earlier this week gave his first public remarks following the conclusion of his 22-month investigation into Russian election interference and alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. While the former FBI director did not divulge any new information, his words lit... Read More

The bilateral relationship between the United States and Iran has been strained for decades, but the recent tensions have led to growing concerns over a potential military conflict. The Trump administration this month deployed an aircraft carrier strike group, bombers and Patriot missiles to the Middle... Read More

The United States and Russia each still possess enough nuclear warheads to ensure mutual destruction in case of an armed conflict between the former superpowers. It’s a scenario that has kept the world and the residents of both countries in a state of collective fear for... Read More

The Arctic’s environment is undergoing a dramatic shift, with temperatures in the region heating up faster than anywhere else in the world. An area that has long been considered unforgiving to men and machinery could soon host the next global gold rush. While it might still... Read More

In late March, United States-backed fighters took control of the last remaining ISIS stronghold in Syria. The battle for Baghouz, which dragged on for weeks, gave President Donald Trump his long-awaited military victory. But while the terror groups’ physical caliphate has been defeated, the fight against... Read More

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged transparency and zero tolerance for corruption in an attempt to alleviate criticism for his country’s Belt and Road Initiative from the United States that described the massive infrastructure project as a debt trap for poorer countries. “Everything should be done in... Read More

The Trump administration’s ongoing pressure campaign to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of office is based on an almost 200-year-old doctrine – one that was never meant to be a doctrine after all. National Security Advisor John Bolton on Wednesday said that the Monroe Doctrine... Read More

Last week, a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation that would require the  executive branch to issue quarterly reports to Congress when it allows U.S. companies to engage in nuclear energy cooperation with foreign nations. The move comes amid reports that the Trump administration gave several... Read More

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization celebrated its 70th anniversary this week, making it the longest lasting alliance in history. It may also be the “most successful alliance” in history, according to current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “No NATO ally has been attacked by another country.... Read More

When Vice President Mike Pence announced earlier this week that the United States plans to put astronauts back on the moon within five years, he appealed to America’s competitive spirit by declaring a new space race against U.S. adversaries China and Russia. Though the U.S. space... Read More

The history of the United States is inextricably linked to immigration, but creating a legislative framework that balances economic need with national security concerns appears to be an insurmountable challenge for today’s lawmakers. President Donald Trump has been very clear about his priorities when it comes... Read More

For decades, U.S. presidents have pursued energy policies aimed at reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil. The first commander in chief to achieve the goal of energy independence could be President Donald Trump, with the United States expected to become a net energy exporter next year.... Read More

The historical alliance between the United States and Western Europe has resulted in an unprecedented period of peace and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, but U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is causing a rift. Tensions at the recent Munich Security Conference highlighted the... Read More

In his 2018 State of the Union address, U.S. President Donald Trump promised the American people “gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways across our land,” but even back then reports already suggested that the president “hates” part of the infrastructure plan he would unveil... Read More

In his first two years as the leader of the free world, U.S. President Donald Trump aggressively pushed his “America First” agenda and selectively disengaged the United States from the international stage. He also publicly questioned America’s traditional alliances and called for reforms to international treaties... Read More

Cabinet-level delegations from the U.S. and China will meet in Washington, D.C. starting Wednesday for a pivotal round of negotiations to resolve the ongoing trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies. Read More