
Russia hawks face new dilemma over Trump’s 50-day Putin deadline
CNN
The Russia hawks’ initial reaction to President Donald Trump’s tougher stance on Vladimir Putin was positive.
The Russia hawks’ initial reaction to President Donald Trump’s tougher stance on Vladimir Putin was positive. That included a Monday joint statement from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal calling Trump’s threat of ramped-up economic penalties if Russia doesn’t cut a peace deal in next 50 days “a real executive hammer to drive the parties to the negotiating table.” But a day later, a real sense of skepticism about Trump’s threats has crept in. The Russians have basically shrugged it off and even treated it as a green light to take what they can in the next several weeks. Ukrainians and foreign leaders have expressed fears about what happens over the next 50 days. And even some Trump allies in Congress and elsewhere are wondering: Why the delay? Why not pass the sanctions legislation that more than 80 senators already support today? Trump by Tuesday afternoon rejected criticisms of that timetable. “Oh, I don’t think 50 days is very long, and it could be sooner than that,” he said. “I don’t think 50 days is very long. “

A federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing most of his executive order on elections against the vote-by-mail states Washington and Oregon, in the latest blow to Trump’s efforts to require documentary proof of citizenship to vote and to require that all ballots be received by Election Day.

A Border Patrol agent shot two people in Portland, Oregon, during a traffic stop after authorities said they were associated with a Venezuelan gang, another incident in a string of confrontations with federal authorities that have left Americans frustrated with immigration enforcement during the Trump administration.











