A rare visit by Taiwan’s coast guard minister to Taiping Island is part of Taipei’s strategy to assert its claim to the disputed South China Sea outpost, a move that falls straight out of Beijing’s “gray zone,” analysts told Radio Free Asia.Taiwan’s Maritime Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling visited Taiping Island last month, where she oversaw exercises officially described as humanitarian operations.Itu Aba Island Itu Aba (also known as Taiping Island) is the largest natural feature in the Spratly Islands, located in the South China Sea. (FR) Also known as Itu Aba, Taiping is Taiwan’s only property in the hotly…
Author: Frank M. Everett
Governing is above all a question of priorities. Earlier this year, as tens of millions of Americans faced skyrocketing health insurance premiums and millions were at risk of losing coverage, congressional Republicans refused to spend the funds needed to help them. PoliticusUSA is 100% independent news and opinion. Support our work by becoming a subscriber.According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget:With the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced subsidies set to expire soon, several policymakers have proposed plans to expand the improvements. You can learn more about ACA grants here. We estimate that extending the improvements without offsets would…
There has been an interesting theory floating around that one of the reasons Donald Trump improved his standing with voters aged 18-34 in 2024 was that the younger people in that age group weren’t old enough to remember how bad Trump’s first term was, so they were susceptible to Trump’s campaign style of lies and promises that will never come true. After enjoying Trump’s full treatment for more than a year of his second administration, these voters returned to the Democrats in force. Enjoy this free article from PoliticusUSA. To receive all our messages in your inbox, become a subscriber.Policy…
When King Charles recently visited the United States, it was a diplomatic mission intended to repair the U.S.-British relationship that Trump had damaged. PoliticusUSA delivers simple, fast and independent news and opinions. Support us by becoming a subscriber.Charles spoke to Congress and showed more support for democracy in the United States and around the world than Trump ever did.which is surprising because King Charles is a monarch and Trump is a democratically elected president, whereas a king is more pro-democracy than an American president. Trump doesn’t understand anything beyond the most superficial elements, but he really wants to be king.He…
One of the things about government that Donald Trump has never understood is that threats are not a form of politics. Trump’s war in Iran was characterized by presidents threatening to drop more bombs. Iran responded to these threats by ignoring or mocking them. Threats are only effective if they are taken seriously. Trump has been threatening for months, but he never follows through, so Iran doesn’t seem to believe him.After the bombing failed to force Iran to surrender and the Iranians responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz, Trump responded with a blockade of the strait which he said…
Shaping a future of peace is impossible to achieve if people in the most repressed regions do not have access to accurate and current information. This is exactly what RFA does. On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, RFA President and CEO Bay Fang delivered the following video message:Transcription: Good morning. My name is Bay Fang, President and CEO of Radio Free Asia.As we celebrate World Press Freedom Day, I am proud to say that RFA is back.Our journalists have returned to producing information that would otherwise not be read, seen or heard.Since its return, RFA Uyghur has reported…
The Republicans based their entire midterm election strategy on massive tax cuts for the rich and corporations, disguised as no tax on tips and no tax on Social Security. Trump and his party thought they could fool the American people, but experts warned them, even before passing the tax cuts, that relying on tax returns as a campaign strategy was going to fail, because high inflation would eat up any tax increase people might receive. Take advantage of this free article. If you want to support PoliticusUSA, subscribe today.The war in Iran has sent gas prices to their highest level…
The American people are being hit hard by Donald Trump’s war. Not only does the Pentagon want taxpayers to foot the bill for a war that two-thirds of the country does not support, but Americans also face higher prices for food, goods, gas and utilities. PoliticusUSA tells the stories others ignore. Support us by becoming a subscriber.Trump keeps raising prices on one side and demanding more money to pay for his war with the others. Republicans have offered no cure or solution to alleviate the suffering of the American people.Trump and his party have chosen to ignore the crisis, but…
Voters who weren’t paying attention were deceived in 2024. The media convinced a portion of the electorate that Joe Biden was physically and mentally unfit to be president, while helping Republicans make voters believe that Trump was a strong, energetic man who could revive the U.S. economy and cut costs.Less than a year and a half later, the American people realize that they elected a corrupt and dishonest president. who falls asleep in the Oval Office during meetings. Both Trump and the mainstream media believe that the American people are stupid and not paying attention, but a growing majority of…
The American people see the truth. The vast majority, typically between 65 and 80 percent of people surveyed in a poll, blame Donald Trump for the economic problems and things that are going wrong in the country. Yet the administration continues to place blame on Joe Biden, even though he has not been in office for nearly a year and a half.Spirit Airlines had been struggling for years. In fact, all airlines are in trouble right now, so it’s important to be realistic about the situation Spirit was in before the Iran war. A budget airline that was holding up…