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Moscow ready to cut time for nuclear strike on U.S. if necessary: Putin | Reuters

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Any U.S. move to place new missiles in Europe would cut the time it took some U.S. missiles to reach Moscow to 10-12 minutes, Putin said, something he called a serious threat.

Such a scenario, if left unmatched, would open up the possibility of Russia being hit by a nuclear strike before its own missiles fired in response could reach U.S. territory.

The Russian land-based missiles that currently target the United States are based on Russian territory and therefore the flight time to major U.S. population centers would be longer than for U.S. missiles deployed in Europe.

Source: Moscow ready to cut time for nuclear strike on U.S. if necessary: Putin | Reuters

Alan Dershowitz: Time to fill the gaping hole in the Constitution | TheHill

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News coverage of the 25th Amendment, which Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein reportedly discussed invoking against President Trump, has underscored a dangerous reality.

There is a gaping hole in our process outlined in the Constitution for removing a president who is not doing his or her job. The impeachment criteria cover “crimes and misdemeanors.” The 25th Amendment covers a president who is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

But there are many possible situations that are not covered by these provisions that may well warrant removal.

Source: Alan Dershowitz: Time to fill the gaping hole in the Constitution | TheHill

Dems open new front against Trump | TheHill

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House Democrats are digging into the Trump administration’s dealings with Saudi Arabia, making its plan to sell nuclear technology to the kingdom the subject of the first major investigation by the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

The investigation was announced Tuesday in conjunction with the release of an interim report that details allegations made by unnamed whistleblowers that senior White House officials ignored warnings from legal and ethics advisers to stop pursuing a plan to build nuclear power plants in Saudi Arabia.

Source: Dems open new front against Trump | TheHill

Trump nominates Jeffrey Rosen to replace Rod Rosenstein as deputy attorney general

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated Jeffrey Rosen, a longtime litigator and deputy transportation secretary, to replace Rod Rosenstein as deputy attorney general.

In his current post, the 60-year-old Rosen serves as the Department of Transportation’s chief operating officer and is in charge of implementing the department’s safety and technological priorities. He rejoined DOT in 2017 after previously serving as general counsel from 2003 to 2006.

Source: Trump nominates Jeffrey Rosen to replace Rod Rosenstein as deputy attorney general

Nicaragua in Crisis: What to Know | Council on Foreign Relations

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Not long ago Nicaragua seemed to be an island of calm in an otherwise turbulent corner of the world.

The country was one of the poorest in the hemisphere and long ruled by a leftist autocrat and his wife, but its economy was plugging along and its streets were peaceable, particularly in comparison to its Northern Triangle neighbors—El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

But now it is coping with its own political and economic crisis.

What happened? How did conditions spiral so quickly?

Source: Nicaragua in Crisis: What to Know | Council on Foreign Relations

Will Trump And Kim Be Bound Together By Strength Or Weakness?

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U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may view the second summit planned for February 27-28 in Hanoi as a mutual affirmation of strength, in which Trump gives Kim further international legitimacy and Kim reinforces Trump’s view that he alone has been courageous enough to meet Kim and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula.

But despite both leaders’ desire to highlight their own achievements, the summit’s outcome may be determined more by the ability of each side to respond to each other’s weaknesses than by the ability to project strength.

Source: Will Trump And Kim Be Bound Together By Strength Or Weakness?

Russia may have violated the INF Treaty. Here’s how the United States appears to have done the same. | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

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This political decision to finesse one bad missile defense idea with another has helped create a crisis with Russia over the future of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

The Trump administration announced its suspension of the treaty last week, alleging (as did the Obama administration) that the Russians have violated it by developing a cruise missile that appears to breach the clear limitations on weapons ranges established by the INF. The Russian government responded by also suspending its adherence to the treaty; it has long claimed that United States missile defense installations in Eastern Europe violate the treaty.

If no agreement on the INF is reached, both countries could formally withdraw from the pact in six months.

Source: Russia may have violated the INF Treaty. Here’s how the United States appears to have done the same. – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Jared Kushner Cited by Democrats Investigating Trump Administration Plan to Sell Nuclear Technology to Saudis

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Democrats are investigating the Trump administration’s plans to sell nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, according to a congressional memo released Tuesday.

A 24-page report from the House oversight committee noted that there are serious misgivings about the Trump administration’s plans to build nuclear power plants across Saudi Arabia, a move some say could put U.S. national security at risk.

Source: Jared Kushner Cited by Democrats Investigating Trump Administration Plan to Sell Nuclear Technology to Saudis

Macron unveils Franco-German plan to give electric battery industry a jolt | EURACTIV.com

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France will invest €700 million over the next five years into projects to boost the European electric car battery industry and reduce its carmakers’ reliance on dominant Asian rivals, President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday.

“The project will lead to the building of two battery factories, one in France and the other one in Germany,” Macron said in a speech to the Paris-based International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers.

The plan comes after Germany in November set aside €1 billion to support battery cell production to reduce dependence on Asian suppliers and shore up jobs at home that may be at risk from the shift away from combustion engines.

Source: Macron unveils Franco-German plan to give electric battery industry a jolt – EURACTIV.com

The beacon of sustainable finance in Europe must not lose its flame | EURACTIV.com

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It’s been exactly a year since the HLEG released its Final Report. The long-awaited recommendations were well received and highlighted the critical role of public policy in shifting capital flows to support the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030.

A few short months later, the European Commission released its Action Plan on Financing Sustainable Growth and soon after released the three legislative proposals that have shaped the progression of work since then, covering the disclosure of sustainability risks, a pan-European taxonomy to classify environmentally friendly activities, and low-carbon benchmarks.

However, other HLEG proposals are lagging somewhat behind. The work on investors’ duties, which covers a whole set of recommendations as to how sustainability risks should be integrated in investment decisions is one example. We did not see the omnibus proposal recommended by the HLEG, and work on this topic is progressing slowly.

Source: The beacon of sustainable finance in Europe must not lose its flame – EURACTIV.com