US Expands Social Media Vetting to Foreign Journalists Seeking Visas 
US Continues Ukraine Patriot Missile Production Talks Despite Trump Doubts 
New Mexico Sues DOJ Over Unredacted Jeffrey Epstein Files Amid Ongoing Investigation 
Trump Orders Probe Into Pentagon Munitions Stockpile Leaks After Iran Conflict 
Brown University President Christina Paxson to Step Down After Clashes With Trump Administration 
Rubio, UK’s Miliband Stress Stronger European Security Role in Washington Talks 
Taiwan Launches Major Han Kuang Military Drills to Strengthen Wartime Readiness 
Bezalel Smotrich Faces Election Battle as Israel’s Far-Right Vote Fractures 
North Korea May Deploy Missile Unit to Russia as Ukraine Faces Growing Ballistic Threat 
New Zealand MMP Electoral System Faces Fresh Referendum Debate 
Russian Strikes Kill Six in Eastern and Northern Ukraine, Dozens Injured 
Russian Strikes on Ukraine Kill Six, Wound Dozens in Balakliia and Sumy 
North Korea May Deploy 120 Missiles to Russia 
Zelensky Urges Faster NATO Action on Air Defense Missiles 
Trump Urges Exxon, Chevron to Cut Gas Prices After Record Oil Profits 
Andy Burnham’s Social Media Strategy Boosts Labour Against Reform UK 
Trump Administration Weighs Executive Order on Vaccines and Autism Research 
Even while faced with impeachment charges, Donald Trump still finds the time to slam other people. Most recently, the President slammed former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg for being a terrible speaker.
Last week was also the week of the Democratic debates as part of the 2020 Presidential Elections. Bloomberg was running under the Democratic party, however, he was not present at the debates that occurred in Iowa. With this, Trump took to Twitter to say some choice words about the former New York mayor. Trump tweeted “Mini Mike Bloomberg doesn’t get on the Democrat Debate Stage because he doesn’t want to - he is a terrible debater and speaker. If he did, he would go down the polls even more (if that is possible!).”
Bloomberg spent over $225 million in televised promotional ads for his campaign. However, because the rule of the Democratic National Committee stipulates that candidates should collect thousands of small-dollar donations in order to qualify for the debate, he cannot join. He did stress that he would want to participate in the debate if the rules were altered slightly. “It’s hard to get the message out if you’re not in the debates. It gives you a lot of television exposure,” said Bloomberg. Nevertheless, Trump stood by his opinion of the former mayor when he was interviewed at Fox News.
Trump is still faced with an impeachment trial, having commenced last week. The New York Times reports that one of his charges, such as withholding financial and military aid to Ukraine, was outlined in an unpublished manuscript by former national security adviser John R. Bolton. According to Bolton’s account, Trump told him that he wanted to continue freezing the $391 million in Congress-approved military aid to Ukraine unless their officials helped in investigating the Democratic candidates, especially his Democratic rival, former vice president Joe Biden.
This revelation from Bolton would potentially weaken the argument of Trump’s defense, who argued during the trial that the withholding of aid to Ukraine was separate from the president’s request that the Ukrainian government announce investigations into his Democratic enemies, Biden being one of them including his son Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden worked for a Ukrainian energy firm during Joe’s two terms as vice president.
