All posts tagged "Europe"

A top aide to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had planned a weeklong European trip packed with luxury stops, until reporters started asking questions.

Curt Beaulieu, a senior policy and tax adviser to the speaker, had been authorized to lead a staff delegation to Italy and France in late October, NBC News reported Wednesday, citing a draft itinerary emailed to U.S. Embassy personnel in Rome and Paris. Johnson's office told the outlet the trip had been called off after NBC inquired about the plans.

The proposed schedule had the group stopping at a Ferrari factory near Bologna and a Barilla pasta and cheese processor in Parma before visiting luxury goods companies in Milan or Florence. From there, the delegation would head to France for excursions to the Champagne region and a meeting at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development....

A European energy official ripped dealing with the Trump administration as a waste of time while the White House weighs capping diesel exports.

Politico reported Saturday that the White House is considering curbs on diesel shipments overseas, with options ranging from a full 90-day ban to gradual limits, as prices in the U.S. have climbed from $3.74 to $6.52 a gallon over the past year. The oil and gas industry has fiercely resisted the idea, warning it could hurt American producers in foreign markets.

The official, who represents an Eastern European government and spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions, pointed to that industry pushback as proof of how little sway foreign governments hold with the administration....

The Pentagon's thoughts about withdrawing 25,000 troops from Europe are spurring fears of the threat the move would create for U.S. allies.

On Thursday, NBC News reported that the Pentagon is considering pulling out 25,000 or more U.S. troops from Europe, which is nearly a third of the American forces stationed there. The withdrawal would include aircraft, ships, and weapons, even though NATO allies have warned about the growing threat from Russia.

Online critics pointed to the move as proof that President Donald Trump and his administration are aligned with Russian leader Vladimir Putin....

Fears that President Donald Trump could freeze foreign assets are driving billions in gold out of New York's vaults, an economics journalist warned.

In a Thursday article for The Bulwark, economics editor and columnist Catherine Rampell described the gold retreat as a signal of how far U.S. relationships, in particular with its European allies, have deteriorated.

"In a frightening sign of just how much trust has been lost between the United States and its erstwhile allies, billions of dollars of gold reserves are being repatriated or otherwise moved out of Trump's reach," Rampell wrote....

A key U.S. ally is now dangerously exposed after months of President Donald Trump's "stymied" standoff, according to a new report.

A top U.S. general in Europe privately warned the Pentagon that he lacks enough naval forces to protect Israel from the looming threat of ballistic missiles, according to reporting by The Washington Post.

The warning comes as Trump's naval blockade of Iranian ports in response to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz uses up Navy destroyers....

A former U.S. diplomat went off on President Donald Trump and the way he's dealing with American NATO allies.

During an appearance on CNN on Tuesday, Nick Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO and China, discussed Trump's relationship with NATO and how he ignores what concerns them the most, which is the threat of Russia.

"NATO is important for the United States, and the threat now is Putin and Russia," Burns said. "So when the president says somehow the Atlantic Ocean is going to protect us in the 21st century from Russia, he's just badly mistaken."...