The World of Politics

PRESIDENT SEEKS WALL MONEY

President Trump declared a national emergency on Friday, enabling himself to transfer funds from the military and other programs’ budgets for the construction of a border wall. The announcement came as Trump prepared to sign a bipartisan congressional bill, which appropriated $1.375 billion for the barrier, to avert another shutdown. The use of emergency powers could allot up to $8 billion for his wall.

NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS REVIVED

The U.S. and North Korea are set to confer once again on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam, according to President Trump in his State of the Union Address. Their last summit in Singapore yielded minimal progress in denuclearization, as Pyongyang continued to skirt around Washington’s demands through the remainder of 2018.

CIVIL WAR TAKES TOLL ON CITIZENS

A humanitarian crisis is growing in Venezuela, where citizens are lacking food and electricity. President Nicolas Maduro is blocking foreign aid from entering the country amid political turmoil that erupted when its National Congress president Juan Guaidó declared himself president of Venezuela. Opponents of Maduro believe he was fraudulently elected, and more than 35 countries have recognized Guaidó.