*By Justin Chermol*
In a presidential field that's growing more crowded [by the day](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-sanders/bernie-sanders-to-seek-u-s-presidency-again-in-2020-idUSKCN1Q81A9), Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is looking to stand out by making foreign policy central to her campaign while her fellow Democratic candidates tussle over progressive moonshots like the Green New Deal or Medicare for All.
At a campaign event in Concord, N.H., during the Presidents Day weekend, Cheddar's J.D. Durkin spoke with Gabbard, who said her agenda is based on her belief that the U.S. is "addicted" to regime-change wars.
Referring to the American-Russian relationship as a "new Cold War," Gabbard said she's running to "take us back from this point where we are at a greater risk for nuclear catastrophe today than ever before in history."
"The reality is, that every single American is paying the price for our country's addiction to regime-change wars which must come to an end," Gabbard said.
The four-term, 37-year-old congresswoman is also an Iraq War veteran and current major in the National Guard ー credentials that she hopes will lend more credibility to her non-interventionist image.
As Gabbard was outlining her platform in snowy New Hampshire, President Trump was in sunny Miami, delivering his most hawkish comments yet on the escalating crisis in Venezuela with a warning to Venezuelan military leaders that they would "lose everything" if a humanitarian blockade wasn't lifted. Meanwhile, in Munich, Vice President Mike Pence was delivering similar remarks to European allies, while admonishing them for continuing to support the Iran nuclear deal.
Gabbard, who has been criticized for meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the midst of the bloody civil war in that country, said her military experience makes her most qualified among the 2020 contenders to lead the country's armed forces.
"I know personally, how important it is that we take this role of commander-in-chief seriously," she said. "The President's most important job is to serve as commander-in-chief."
Gabbard also promised a campaign free of so-called "dark money" ー saying no to super PAC and lobbyist contributions ー that she hopes will appeal to younger voters who have been discouraged by the prominent role of money in American politics.
"This is a people-powered campaign," she said. "I know that there is incredible power in the voices of the people, and I'm proud of the campaign that we are running."
Many U.S. consumers say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for holiday gifts in recent months, according to a a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A contributing factor is the unusually high import taxes the Trump administration put on foreign goods. While the worst-case consumer impact that many economists foresaw from the administration’s trade policies hasn’t materialized, some popular gift items have been affected more than others. Most toys and electronics sold in the U.S. come from China. So do most holiday decorations. Jewelry prices have risen due to the cost of gold.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
