What is Trump’s next move?
The Stream takes a look at the impact of US moves in Iran, the latest news out of Venezuela, and Australia on fire.
On this episode of The Stream we discuss three stories that have grabbed our community’s attention.
Soleimani assassination
Despite US President Donald Trump’s declaration on Wednesday that Iran “appears to be standing down” tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high. President Trump has vowed to impose new ‘powerful’ sanctions in response to Iran’s targeted strikes on US assets. On Thursday President Trump will hold a political rally in Toledo, Ohio where he’s expected to laude his administration’s handling of the situation. We speak with Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett from the White House about how the tension between Iran and the US is playing out among Trump supporters.
Venezuela’s power struggle
Over the weekend allies of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro orchestrated a takeover of the opposition-controlled congress and soldiers blocked opposition leader Juan Guaido from re-election as speaker. Maduro’s supporters in the National Assembly then elected Luis Parra, who was recently banished from Guiado’s party for allegedly taking bribes. 100 lawmakers gathered in an alternative session and re-elected Guaido. Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman breaks down what’s next in Venezuela’s political conflict as both leaders try to lead the next parliamentary session.
Australia’s bushfire battle
More than two dozen people and tens of millions of animals have been killed as wildfires rage across Australia. Fires have destroyed at least 2,000 homes and left over 12,000 square miles of scorched earth. There are roughly 130 fires still burning, with 50 of those still uncontrolled. Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced he is dispatching 3,000 military reservists to help battle the blaze. He’s also earmarking 14 million dollars to lease fire-fighting aircraft from overseas. We discuss with Al Jazeera’s Jessica Washington what else can be done to stop the fires from spreading.
On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Kimberly Halkett, @KimberlyHalkett
White House Correspondent, Al Jazeera English
aljazeera.com
Negar Mortazavi, @NegarMortazavi
Diplomatic Correspondent, The Independent
independent.co.uk
Lucia Newman, @lucianewman
Latin America Editor, Al Jazeera English
aljazeera.com
Jessica Washington, @jeswashington
Correspondent, Al Jazeera English
aljazeera.com
Read more:
US-Iran tensions after Soleimani killing: All the latest updates – Al Jazeera
Venezuela’s Guiado to challenge rival for Congress presidency – Al Jazeera
Scorched Australia readies for renewed bushfire threat – Al Jazeera
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