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Trump Discussed Pulling U.S. From NATO, Aides Say Amid New Concerns Over Russia
By Julian E. Barnes and Helene Cooper
Jan. 14, 2019
WASHINGTON — There are few things that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia desires more than the weakening of NATO, the military alliance among the United States, Europe and Canada that has deterred Soviet and Russian aggression for 70 years.
Last year, President Trump suggested a move tantamount to destroying NATO: the withdrawal of the United States.
Senior administration officials told The New York Times that several times over the course of 2018, Mr. Trump privately said he wanted to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Current and former officials who support the alliance said they feared Mr. Trump could return to his threat as allied military spending continued to lag behind the goals the president had set.
In the days around a tumultuous NATO summit meeting last summer, they said, Mr. Trump told his top national security officials that he did not see the point of the military alliance, which he presented as a drain on the United States.
At the time, Mr. Trump’s national security team, including Jim Mattis, then the defense secretary, and John R. Bolton, the national security adviser, scrambled to keep American strategy on track without mention of a withdrawal that would drastically reduce Washington’s influence in Europe and could embolden Russia for decades.
Now, the president’s repeatedly stated desire to withdraw from NATO is raising new worries among national security officials amid growing concern about Mr. Trump’s efforts to keep his meetings with Mr. Putin secret from even his own aides, and an F.B.I. investigation into the administration’s Russia ties.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/us/politics/nato-president-trump.html
He looks little nervous?
Russia's Security Council head Patrushev said Ukraine could "lose its statehood" if Kyiv continues "implementing the West’s scenario to break Ukraine away from Russia" via TASS
News, Zimbabwe
Mnangagwa talks army modernisation in Russia as Zimbabwe burns
Written by Politics263 on 16/01/2019
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa says his country may court Russia to help modernise its national army in the future may need Russian help in modernizing its army in the future, RIA news agency quoted him as saying on Tuesday during his trip to Moscow.
http://www.politics263.com/2019/01/16/mnangagwa-talks-army-modernisation-in-russia-as-zimbabwe-burns/
Kamala Harris
@KamalaHarris
Parents dipping into their limited savings to cover their furloughed son's expenses. A federal worker moving back in with family to save money.
These are just some of the stories of nearly 800,000 federal workers who are suffering from the #TrumpShutdown.
The FDA plays a crucial role in ensuring our food is safe to eat, but due to President Trump’s shutdown, crucial food inspections are not being done. This is a serious risk to consumer health and safety and underscores why this shutdown must end.
I scared about food
muh syncro today