Author: Press Room

The Senate voted against advancing a long-term reauthorization of a key surveillance power Friday, raising the odds that Congress could need another short-term patch — or let the spy law lapse entirely. Senators voted 52-47 against taking up a House-passed three-year deal, which leaders planned to use as a vehicle for a Senate-forged agreement that was circulated earlier this week. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) had been involved in negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement that could pick up support from enough Democrats. But the prospects for a deal evaporated earlier this week after President Donald Trump named close political ally…

No matter what happens, I am confident the Iran war will be a major tailwind for gold. Here is an overview of how I see the conflict unfolding and its major financial implications. The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most important energy corridor. Iran now has undisputed control over Hormuz. Stripping Iran of that control would require a successful full-scale ground invasion of Iran, a country roughly 40 times the size of Switzerland. A full-scale ground invasion is unlikely to happen, and even if it somehow does, it is unlikely to succeed. Iran is therefore likely to retain control…

The Venezuelan non-governmental human rights organization Justice, Encounter, and Forgiveness (JEP) said this week that the Venezuelan socialist regime’s largest and most infamous torture complex, the Helicoide (“The Helix”), remains operational despite the regime’s claims. The Helicoide is a structure in southern Caracas’s San Agustín parish built in the 1950s during the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, originally conceived as the world’s first drive-thru shopping mall. The plans never materialized following Pérez Jiménez’s downfall in 1958 and the building remained unfinished. The Venezuelan socialist regime turned the facility into what has been largely described as the largest torture center in Latin America. Following…

Italy began its journey towards re-adopting nuclear power generation on Thursday after the nation’s Chamber of Deputies overwhelmingly voted in favor of a new “sustainable nuclear energy bill.” The “Pichetto” bill, nicknamed after its promoter, Environment and Energy Minster Gilberto Pichetto, paves the way towards restoring nuclear power legislation in Italy nearly four decades after its citizens voted to phase away and ban nuclear power through a 1987 referendum. The bill was approved by Italian lawmakers with 155 yays, 86 nays, and eight abstentions. Italian outlets detailed the legislation contains regulatory frameworks and defines the scope for future government decrees…

Senate Republicans passed their $70 billion immigration enforcement bill Friday, beating back several attempts to rein in the Justice Department’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” Senators voted 52-47 on the bill after roughly 18 hours of amendment votes. In the end, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the only Republican to vote against the bill — she had previously voted against the budget blueprint for the immigration enforcement plan and had raised concerns that it circumvented the appropriations process. The House left town Thursday rather than stay and pass it before leaving for the weekend. Now it won’t go to President Donald Trump…

The figure amounts to roughly 1% of the country’s annual trade turnover with Russia, which remains Yerevan’s key economic partner The EU is preparing a €50 million ($58 million) support package for Armenia as Brussels moves to shore up Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan days before a critical parliamentary election, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said. The figure, however, accounts for roughly 1% of Armenia’s annual trade turnover with Russia, which remains Yerevan’s key economic partner.Von der Leyen made the announcement on Thursday following a call with Pashinyan, saying the package is also meant to ease trade for…

A missing Sherpa guide who disappeared on Mount Everest while working with a Polish climber has been found alive after nearly a week. The last time anyone saw 52-year-old Dawa Sherpa was Friday as he descended the mountain alongside his client, ABC News reported Thursday. The client made it to base camp but Dawa went missing, prompting an aerial search. However, he was eventually spotted by a cleaning crew early Thursday as he crawled down the slopes just above the base camp. “Dawa survived ​alone for nearly a week without food, water, or supplemental oxygen navigating the treacherous Khumbu Icefall…

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday that his government had worked out a ceasefire agreement with Israel, but it was swiftly rejected by the Iran-backed terrorists of Hezbollah insisting that “any effective deal must begin with a full Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory.” Hezbollah further demanded “the return of displaced residents, reconstruction efforts, and the release of Lebanese prisoners” as “essential conditions for any future agreement.” Aoun said the agreement he announced on Thursday was the “last chance to enter into a final, comprehensive ceasefire,” and “each party bears responsibility” for choosing to pass up that chance. The…

Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” network contributor Caitlyn Jenner said the “Democratic machine” was out to get Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt. Jenner said, “What we’ve learned from President Trump is one man can make a difference and I think Spencer Pratt is the only one that can make a difference in this city. Karen Bass has been in there as Mayor for years and in the last election she went up against Rick Caruso. He is from central casting. A good-looking guy and a great businessman and she beat him. I honestly do not have any faith in the California voting system. Everybody…

This comes weeks after the Chinese leader hosted the Russian and US presidents in Beijing Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea next week at the invitation of the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, Chinese and North Korean state media reported on Friday.The state visit will take place June 8-9, Xinhua said. KCNA carried a similar announcement, saying Xi will visit at the invitation of Kim. Neither outlet provided details on the agenda of the visit.Xi last visited Pyongyang in 2019, while Kim was in Beijing last September – joining Russian President Vladimir Putin at a military parade commemorating the…