The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported the U.S. economy shrank for the first time since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first quarter of 2022. The economy had seen six straight quarters of growth after shrinking by nearly a third in the second quarter of 2020. “Real gross domestic…

Russia just escalated its war against the West, cutting off gas supplies to two European nations that refused to pay for exports in rubles. On Wednesday, Russian energy company Gazprom made good on a threat to shut off the natural gas valves to Poland and Bulgaria. Facing crippling sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently demanded…

A U.S. Marine has been released as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States. Trevor Reed had been jailed for nearly three years in a Russian prison. The Marine veteran was swapped for a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a long prison sentence in America, both countries announced Wednesday. The surprise…

“Imagine had the tobacco industry been immune to prostitutes being sued. Come on.”  That is a direct quote from President Joe Biden, who made the slip during a speech on so-called “ghost guns.” Biden once called himself a “gaffe machine” and there are many examples of that throughout his presidency. His varying verbal missteps have…

Russia and Ukraine made disputed claims regarding the hotly contested city of Mariupol, as well as a major steel plant in the city. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory in Mariupol Thursday, saying “the completion of combat work to liberate Mariupol is a success.” “Today, the minister [of defense] reported that there is an opportunity…

As historic sanctions taking aim at Russia’s currency, the ruble, the country is using gold in some unique ways. While some think the metal is backing the ruble, it’s the opposite, creating new challenges for Russia’s Central Bank and its citizens. Typically, the Russian Central Bank exchanges currency internationally to facilitate trade, but that’s off…

The World Food Program (WFP) is sounding the alarm on a growing food crisis. The U.N. agency said if it doesn’t receive more emergency funding, up to 20 million people could go hungry. The WFP is hoping to raise $473 million over the next six months to support 7.5 million people. Without the funding and…

On the same day officials in Ukraine reported Russia still hadn’t taken over Mariupol, they also reported the first deaths in the western city of Lviv. Those deaths, coming after a series of four missile attacks targeted military infrastructure facilities and an auto mechanic shop Monday,  left at least seven dead and 11 wounded. Two…

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has allowed Russian troops to stage in his country while confirming to international press that he is “on friendly terms” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lukashenko also insisted Belarus must be included in any negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, according to Belarusian state news outlet Belta. “There can be no separate agreements behind…

Just over two weeks after offering to back off Kyiv, and just days after making progress in taking over Mariupol, Russia’s defense minister signaled the country would ramp up missile attacks on Ukraine’s capital. Igor Konashenkov announced Friday that Russian troops fired missiles at a machine-building plant outside Kyiv. “Workshops for the production and repair…