Last week, President Biden announced the release of one million barrels of oil per day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) for the next 180 days, which the White House touted as “the largest release of oil reserves in history.” Although President Biden’s intent is to lower prices at the pump, history shows that any dip in …
The Big Insight: Although the lethal aid provided by the U.S. and its allies to Ukraine has been particularly effective in combating Russian aggression, the Ukrainian government maintains that it still needs access to larger and more powerful weaponry. President Biden in March announced an additional $800 million in military aid to Ukraine, on top of the $650 …
The Big Insight: A renewed U.S. nuclear agreement with Iran may not endure and will likely reward an aggressive foe that is partnering with Russia and China. The Biden administration is seeking a renewed nuclear agreement with Iran that would revive key elements of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that the U.S. exited in …
The Big Insight: Though there are 30 members of NATO, the U.S. would bear the weight — both financially and militarily — of any war with Russia. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said this week that the U.S. will “defend every inch of NATO territory” if attacked by Russia — a sentiment President Biden has also …
Five Facts on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Read More »
The Big Insight: The U.S. ban on Russian oil imports may be just the beginning of a broader worldwide effort to undermine the Russian energy sector that is fueling its war in Ukraine. 1. Oil and gas proceeds fund more than one-third of the entire Russian federal budget. Russia produces 12% of the world’s oil. Its economy …
The Big Insight: Across his career, President Biden has been a consistent advocate of NATO expansion and a consistent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 1. Biden first visited Russia in 1973, making a trip to Moscow during his first year in the U.S. Senate. Then-Sen. Joe Biden also visited the city then known as Leningrad in 1979, …
The Big Insight: Though NATO has expanded eastward since the end of the Cold War, it has rarely been called upon to fight — and only once on behalf of one of its member states after attack. 1. NATO was founded by 12 nations in 1949 and today has 30 member states, including three former Soviet …
The Big Insight: While gerrymandering is one driver of the polarization in Congress and across the country, self-sorting among voters plays an even larger role. Most states have now finished drawing the new congressional maps that will be in effect for the next decade, and even though most analysts say neither party is gaining much, criticism of gerrymandering is …
Five Facts on Partisanship and Congressional Districts Read More »
The Big Insight: As Supreme Court nominations have become more politicized, public trust in the Court has declined. Here are five facts on Supreme Court Nominations. 1. All five of the new Supreme Court nominees who were confirmed between 1975 and 1990 received the votes of at least 90 senators.” The exception was the rejected nomination …
The Big Insight: China already is or soon could be the global leader in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, 5G, quantum computing and other technologies that could define economic leadership in the 21st century. The rise of China’s tech sector has gotten the attention of Congress. The bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act passed the Senate last June, …
