WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following Critical Questions Q&A on Feb. 9, 2026, by Georges Fauriol, senior associate (non-resident) with the Americas Program, and Mary Speck, former senior advisor to the Latin America Program at the U.S. Institute of Peace: * * * Haiti Embarks on Another Rocky Political Transition While the media focuses on Venezuela, Cuba, Greenland, and Iran, the State Department has been quietly shaping an internationa  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration issued the following news release: * * * EIA raises natural gas price forecast following increased heating demand amid severe winter weather Natural gas prices rose sharply in January, averaging $7.72 per million British thermal units (MMBtu), as cold weather increased heating demand, reduced production, and led to record storage withdrawals during Winter Storm Fern. The drawdown for the week ending Janua  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Florida, chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, issued the following news: * * * ICYMI: HOMELAND REPUBLICANS EXAMINE US COAST GUARD'S DEPLOYABLE SPECIALIZED FORCES AMID ENHANCED OPERATIONS IN WESTERN HEMISPHERE This week, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) convened a hearing to examine the current capabilities of the U.S. Coast Guard's (US  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 -- Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, issued the following news release: * * * McConnell on Jimmy Lai Sentencing: U.S. Must Employ Moral Authority In Demanding Release * WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), issued the following statement on Jimmy Lai: "Jimmy Lai spent a career supporting in Hong Kong the freedoms so many Americans take for granted. I have been proud to call him my friend. The Chinese Communist Party may hope that, in sentencing Jimmy La  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 -- Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news release: * * * RELEASE: Senator Mullin Hosts Massive Telephone Town Hall, Highlights Oklahoma Impacts if Democrats Block DHS Funding * Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) hosted a live telephone town hall event with tens of thousands of Oklahomans across the state. During the call, Senator Mullin highlighted the critical agencies within the Department of Homeland Security that w  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following commentary to The Guardian: * * * We can reverse America's decline It is not good enough just to criticize Trump. We must offer a positive vision that will improve the lives of Americans At this difficult moment in American history, it's imperative that we have the courage to be honest with ourselves. The United States, once the envy of the world, is now a nation in profound decline. For the sake of our children and   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Florida, chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State and Related Programs, issued the following news release: * * * Outside Perspective: Disciplined and Focused American Foreign Policy The FY26 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs appropriations bill - led by NSRP Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart - has been signed into law by President Trump - advancing an America Fir  more

GENEVA, Switzerland, Feb. 11 -- The United Nations Human Rights Council issued the following statement: * * * Venezuela: UN Fact-Finding Mission cautiously welcomes draft Amnesty Law, urges greater transparency and public participation The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela cautiously welcomes the National Assembly's initial approval of the draft Amnesty Law for Democratic Coexistence. But the measure must not proceed without rigorous oversight that ensures transparency, accountability, and  more