Center for Strategic Communication

Obama is “not bluffing” on stopping Iran’s nuclear drive: Biden

Paul Eckert/Reuters

Vice President Joe Biden told America’s biggest pro-Israel lobbying organization on Monday that President Barack Obama is “not bluffing” about the United States’ determination to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

Netanyahu says Iran using nuclear talks to “buy time” for bomb

Dan Williams/Reuters

Renewed international efforts to negotiate curbs on Iran’s disputed nuclear program have backfired by giving it more time to work on building a bomb, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.

U.N. nuclear chief presses Iran on military base access

Fredrik Dahl/Reuters

The U.N. nuclear watchdog raised pressure on Iran to finally address suspicions that it has sought to design an atomic bomb, calling for swift inspector access to a military base where relevant explosives tests are believed to have been carried out.

Obama to visit Russia in September

AFP

US President Barack Obama will visit Saint Petersburg for September’s G20 summit and will also hold a meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland in June.

Kerry Criticizes Iran and Russia for Shipping Arms to Syria

Michael R. Gordon/The New York Times

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Making a case for providing increased support to the Syrian opposition, Secretary of State John Kerry criticized Russia and Iran on Monday for continuing to ship arms to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.

Gina McCarthy: Seasoned regulator primed for the climate fight

Erica Martinson/Politico

In choosing Gina McCarthy to succeed Lisa Jackson as EPA administrator, President Barack Obama has selected an experienced regulator who has been at the forefront of the agency’s fight to enact tough greenhouse gas regulations.

A Better Way to Fight Climate Change

Jeffrey D. Sachs

Of all major world regions, Europe has worked the hardest to implement policies aimed at countering human-caused climate change. Yet the cornerstone of Europe’s approach – a continent-wide emissions trading system for the greenhouse gases that cause climate change – is in trouble. That experience suggests a better strategy for both Europe and the rest of the world.

Report’s link between Australia’s record hot summer and man-made climate change

Ean Higgins/The Australian

A Climate Commission report calls it the The Angry Summer, and beyond a doubt the three months just past saw heat, flood and drought of biblical and unprecedented proportions in various parts of the country.

China Carbon Tax May Spur U.S. Climate Debate, CMIA Says

Mathew Carr/Bloomberg Businessweek

China’s potential carbon tax may spur U.S. lawmakers to consider climate protection more seriously, according to a trader representative.

Hagel: budget cuts won’t erode US military power

Robert Burns/AP

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel lamented $46 billion in automatic defense budget cuts as “abrupt and arbitrary” but expressed confidence Friday that the Obama administration will find ways to manage them without jeopardizing national security.

How budget cuts could affect you

Pauline Jelinek/AP

Automatic spending cuts that took effect Friday are expected to touch a vast range of government services.

 

On Our Flashpoint Blog

Obama Selects Ernest Moniz as the Next Energy Secretary

Theodore MacDonald

President Obama today officially nominated nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz to become the thirteenth United States Secretary of Energy.

Harvard Business School survey finds more pessimism about U.S. competitiveness

August Cole

A new Harvard Business School survey found that more than half of surveyed alumni expect U.S. competitiveness to decline during the next three years.