President Trump thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a joint press conference Wednesday afternoon for working closely with the U.S. on several Middle East issues while noting the "challenges" created by Turkey's purchasing of Russian military equipment.
Among the topics the two leaders discussed at the White House was Turkey's decision to purchase a Russian missile defense program and its attacks on Kurdish forces in Syria.
The meeting comes at a low point in Turkish-U.S. relations, particularly in terms of Syria following Turkey's offensive against Kurds in the nation who had been solid allies of the U.S. On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported the existence of U.S. drone video evidence of Turkish-backed gunmen targeting civilians in October.
Turkey began launching attacks in northern Syria, almost immediately after Trump announced the U.S. would pull out remaining troops. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle condemned Erdogan's actions in Syria as well as Trump's decision to pull the troops.
"I want to thank his partnership as we work to build a safe and prosperous Middle East," Trump said Wednesday. "I'm a big fan of the president."
Erdogan called Turkey the "most reliable partner in the region" for the U.S.
While Trump and Erdogan met, lawmakers spent more than six hours in the first of public impeachment hearings on Capitol Hill. President Trump said he was "too busy" to watch but also tweeted about the events happening down the street.
When questioned about the impeachment inquiry, Trump called it "a sham" that "shouldn't be allowed."
Trump said he will be releasing a second call related to the impeachment inquiry tomorrow, which he said predates the July 25 call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
He added, "I'd much rather focus on peace in the Middle East."
Fox News' John Roberts asked the president about the phone call between Trump and U.S. ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland that Ambassador Bill Taylor recounted in his testimony earlier today.
"I know nothing about that," Trump said. "I've never heard it [...] not even a little bit."
Taylor testified today that his staffer accompanied Sondland to a restaurant on July 26, heard Trump ask Sondland about "the investigations" and, after the call, Sondland told the staffer that "President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden."
Trump joked "only friendly reporters" from Turkey could ask questions.
Experts warn that social media is a root cause of mental health issues among many young adults. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who co-wrote a letter to TikTok demanding why its algorithms promote toxic content, joined Cheddar to discuss.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that an estimated one million people have fled from Ukraine since Russia invaded. Christopher Boian, senior communications officer at UNHCR, joined Cheddar News to report on the current refugee crisis and what the world might expect if conditions continue to worsen. "We have planning figures that forecast as many as four million people could be forced to flee Ukraine," he said. "But that very much depends on how the conflict underway in that country at the moment unfolds in the days and possibly weeks ahead."
Under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), corn-based ethanol has been mixed into gasoline sold at pumps in the U.S. since 2005, when a policy was enacted aimed at reducing emissions. Corn-based ethanol had been thought to be a relatively greener energy source compared to other biofuels, but now, a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports it may be actually worse for the climate than straight gasoline. Tyler Lark, an assistant scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Sustainability, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell and discussed the pushback against the study. "Essentially when you need to produce more corn to meet the demand for use as ethanol as fuel, farmers respond and they switch more crops like soybeans and wheat into corn," Lark said. "They also bring more land into production, so things that used to be pasture grassland, and both those activities are associated with increased greenhouse gas emissions."
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday announced new sanctions against Russian oligarchs and others in President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.
Christian Blauvelt, executive managing editor at IndieWire, joins Cheddar News to discuss the growing number of studios pulling content from Russia over Ukraine invasion.
Russian forces are battling for control of a crucial energy-producing city in Ukraine’s south and gaining ground in their bid to cut off the country from the sea.
In the past few years, Betthany Frankel has made a major name for herself as a philanthropist after founding the
BStrong initiative, which has provided relief to people impacted by natural disasters as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, BStrong is shifting its focus to Ukraine, raising millions of dollars in donations for those impacted by Russia's invasion. Bethenny Frankel, the founder of BStrong, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Bryan Lee, Chief Investment Officer at Blue Zone Wealth Advisors, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he elaborates on the volatility we've seen in the markets this week fueled by rising oil prices and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
