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Friday News Roundup - International

President Donald Trump chairs a United Nations (U.N.) Security Council meeting on September 26, 2018 in New York City. Trump presides over the 15-member council as the United States holds the monthly rotating presidency. The Security Council meeting coincides with the 73rd United Nations General Assembly at the U.N.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
President Donald Trump chairs a United Nations (U.N.) Security Council meeting on September 26, 2018 in New York City. Trump presides over the 15-member council as the United States holds the monthly rotating presidency. The Security Council meeting coincides with the 73rd United Nations General Assembly at the U.N.

While American citizens have been transfixed by the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the hearing shocked the world as well.

What impact will Blasey Ford’s appearance before the Senate have on the global stage?

The afternoon before her testimony, the president held a freewheeling 81-minute press conference after his appearance at the U.N. General Assembly.

From The Washington Post’s Ashley Parker:

The president’s genial demeanor even extended to a question about the audible laughter he faced this week at the United Nations General Assembly when he boasted that his administration had accomplished more during its first two years than almost any other in the country’s history.

“They weren’t laughing at me, they were laughing with me,” Trump said. “People had a good time with me. We were doing it together. We had a good time.”

President Trump also had a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 26, 2018

During that meeting, President Trump said that he “liked” a two-state solution. In a subsequent speech, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinian people’s rights were “not up for bargaining.”

Has any progress been made toward peace in the region?

Trump also accused China, without evidence, of interfering in the midterm elections.

From The New York Times

The Chinese, Mr. Trump claimed, are trying to damage his political standing before the midterm elections because of his imposition of tariffs on billions of dollars in Chinese goods. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, where China’s foreign minister was also present, he said, “They do not want me or us to win because I am the first president to ever challenge China on trade.”

It was not the first time the president has accused the Chinese of meddling in the nation’s affairs: He has complained that in response to his tariffs, it had imposed retaliatory ones aimed at American farmers and other politically sensitive constituencies in states that support him. But he has never leveled the accusation so bluntly or in such a high-profile international setting.

How will this claim affect U.S.-China relations?

After a week in which domestic news dominated headlines, we’ll catch you up on the global news you may have missed.

GUESTS

Courtney Kube, National security and military reporter, NBC News; @ckubenbc

David Lawler, World news editor, Axios; @davidlawler10

Jennifer Williams, Foreign editor, Vox; co-host of Vox’s foreign affairs podcast, “Worldly”; @jenn_ruth

For more, visit https://the1a.org.

© 2018 WAMU 88.5 – American University Radio.

Copyright 2020 WAMU 88.5. To see more, visit WAMU 88.5.

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