Domestic Affairs
Introduction On May 28, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a sweeping new U.S. visa restriction policy targeting foreign nationals—particularly government officials—who are deemed responsible for censoring the protected speech of Americans. This unprecedented measure, enacted under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and
Global Affairs
Introduction In early 2025, Latin America found itself at the center of an intensifying geopolitical contest between the United States and China. The Trump administration’s return to power marked a dramatic escalation in the use of tariffs, sanctions, and diplomatic pressure to assert U.S. interests and counter China’
Domestic Affairs
Introduction On May 23, 2025, President Donald Trump reignited his trade war rhetoric, this time directly targeting Apple Inc., the world’s most valuable technology company. In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, Trump threatened to impose a 25% tariff on all iPhones sold in the United
Domestic Affairs
Introduction In a landmark decision with sweeping implications for the structure and operation of the federal government, a federal judge in San Francisco has issued a preliminary injunction halting President Trump’s executive order aimed at reorganizing the executive branch. The order, issued in February 2025, sought to close federal
Global Affairs
Introduction On May 21, 2025, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in a high-stakes diplomatic encounter aimed at resetting increasingly fractious relations between Africa’s most industrialized nation and the world’s largest economy. Against a backdrop of escalating rhetoric,
Domestic Affairs
Introduction House Republicans are locked in marathon negotiations over President Trump’s sweeping budget bill, a legislative package that would permanently extend the 2017 tax cuts, ramp up spending on defense and immigration enforcement, and enact deep reductions to health and social programs. As the bill advances through Congress, the
Domestic Affairs
Domestic Affairs
Introduction President Donald Trump’s visit to Capitol Hill on Tuesday marks a pivotal moment for his sweeping tax and spending package, a legislative centerpiece of his second-term agenda. The bill, which seeks to permanently extend the 2017 tax cuts, add new tax incentives for tips and overtime pay, and
Global Affairs
Executive Summary Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s whirlwind tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates in May 2025 has redrawn the diplomatic map of the Middle East. The trip yielded unprecedented arms and business deals, signaled a decisive shift toward a new Sunni-led regional order,
Global Affairs
Introduction The global semiconductor industry stands at the center of technological competition, economic resilience, and national security. In May 2025, Taiwanese semiconductor materials giant GlobalWafers announced a landmark $7.5 billion investment to expand its U.S. operations, with the centerpiece being a new and rapidly expanding 300mm silicon wafer
Domestic Affairs
Introduction President Donald Trump’s ambitious tax and spending package-dubbed by Republicans as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill”-has cleared a critical hurdle in Congress. Late Sunday, the House Budget Committee narrowly advanced the legislation, which aims to make the 2017 tax cuts permanent and boost federal spending on defense
Domestic Affairs
Introduction The U.S. economy is showing mounting signs of deceleration as a broad array of economic indicators point to a weakening outlook. The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. fell sharply by 1.0% in April, marking its largest monthly drop since March 2023.