The tragedy of America’s foreign policy establishment December 25, 2020 Anthony Blinken was a cut above the rest personally. Well-educated, good-looking, quietly ironical (and quite funny), absorbed in the work at hand, and keenly intelligent, Tony seemed to be in it for the Republic, rather than himself — a rarity in a town built on often unearned self-promotion. Read more: Joe Biden could favour Ireland [...]
Trump pardons prison pals in final weeks of office December 24, 2020 Donald Trump has pardoned a number of people close to him and his family as one of his final acts as President of the United States. Trump has pardoned his former campaign manager Paul Manafort, ex-adviser Roger Stone and the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Manafort and Stone were both convicted of crimes relating [...]
Trump brands stimulus deal a disgrace as months of work hang in balance December 23, 2020 US President Donald Trump threw a sizable spanner into the works of a $900bn stimulus deal last night, branding it a disgrace and threatening to veto the whole accord. Amongst the outgoing President’s complaints were that the stimulus bill was part of a package to keep Government funded until Septemver, including arts institutions and the [...]
Control or catastrophe? Farage, fortune, freedom and a £199 subscription December 22, 2020 For the small price of £199 a year, promises Nigel Farage, you can “take back control” of your finances. Gold, real estate trusts, even a crypto revolution – all are tickets to an independent financial future, all stamped with the Brexit Party founder’s seal of approval. Or, at least, that’s the idea. But the jury [...]
Joe Biden receives Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine live on US television December 21, 2020 President-Elect Joe Biden received the Covid-19 vaccine on US television tonight as the country ups its immunisation efforts. A masked Biden, 78, was injected in his left arm in a hospital in Delaware. Experts had suggested that the President-Elect was fully vaccinated before his inauguration on January 20. “The administration deserves credit for getting this [...]
Congress in race against time to finalise $900bn US stimulus deal late tonight December 21, 2020 A stimulus deal for the US economy, including direct cheques of $600 to many Americans, is set to be voted on tonight in Washington. Bipartisan agreement was finally found over the weekend on the deal, which has been the subject of tortuous negotiation and delay over recent weeks. The deal must be signed by midnight [...]
Mayor: The toughest Christmas since the Second World War December 20, 2020 Writing exclusively for Morning Wire, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says he can “barely contain his anger at the confusion and chaos” sowed by Downing Street’s Christmas promises The last-minute announcement of tougher restrictions to control the spread of Covid-19 over Christmas is a bitter blow for millions of Londoners. Our city faces the toughest [...]
Mayor blasts “irresponsible promises” from No.10 amid Tier 4 chaos December 19, 2020 Sadiq Khan tonight criticised the Government’s “irresponsible promises” for raising expectations ahead of the Christmas period. In a dramatic afternoon statement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced London would be moving into a lockdown similar to that saw in spring, from midnight tonight. It means that the capital’s residents will no longer be able to meet [...]
Sadiq Khan calls on government to release daily vaccination data December 18, 2020 Sadiq Khan has urged the health secretary to release daily data detailing uptake of the coronavirus vaccine across the UK, in an effort to build public awareness and trust in Britain’s largest ever vaccination programme. In a letter to Matt Hancock, the mayor of London called for daily reporting on the vaccine programme echoing infection [...]
Mike Pence receives Covid vaccine on live TV to build public confidence December 18, 2020 U.S. Vice President Mike Pence received his Covid vaccine live on television as the White House tries to build public confidence in the vaccine's safety.