US News Roundup – September 13, 2026: New Tariffs, Stalled Iran Talks, and a Comey Trial Delay
US National News Roundup New tariffs take effect this week. A fresh round of U.S. tariffs is set to hit imported mattresses, motorboats, and golf carts at a 50% rate starting September 15, while a separate ban on Canadian dairy, alcohol, and motorcycl...
Trump's Reunification Remarks Set Off a Firestorm in Dublin An offhand comment turns into a diplomatic headache: Meeting Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Dublin on September 12, President Trump said he'd "love to see" a united Ir...
US News Roundup – September 12, 2026 Trump visits Ireland, meets with Irish leaders: President Trump traveled to Dublin for a two-day visit, holding talks with Irish President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin before headin...
25th Anniversary of September 11 The nation marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with ceremonies at Ground Zero in New York, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed in 2001. President Tr...
US News Roundup – September 10, 2026 Iran conflict keeps oil above $100, Trump says fighting could last until the election: The U.S.-Iran standoff in the Gulf continued to disrupt shipping and energy markets, with crude holding above $100 a bar...
Reflections on South Korea's Approach to Exchange Rate Challenges
Reflections on South Korea's Approach to Exchange Rate Challenges In recent weeks, the notable decline in the Korean won's value against the US dollar has sparked widespread discussion about the government's strategy. Many are questioning...
About the Current Political Direction of the Republic of Korea
1. Concerns About the Current Political Direction of the Republic of Korea Many of us have long admired the Republic of Korea as a vibrant liberal democracy that achieved remarkable economic growth and earned a reputation as a free, open, and hopeful...
South Korea met two criteria and was re-added to the Monitoring List
The South Korean government's foreign exchange intervention (primarily selling USD to defend the won's value) is a sensitive issue that can raise concerns about designation as a currency manipulator by the United States. However, as of Novembe...
The Precarious Bubble: South Korea's Artificial Stock Market Surge and Impending Crash Risk
The Precarious Bubble: Unraveling South Korea's Artificial Stock Market Surge and Impending Crash Risk In the heart of East Asia's economic powerhouse, South Korea's stock market has embarked on a meteoric rise that defies fundamental logi...
South Korea’s Credit Rating: One Notch Down Explained
South Korea’s Credit Rating: One Notch Down Explained Below is a summary of South Korea’s current sovereign credit ratings (as of November 2025) and what “one notch lower” would look like for each major rating agency. (“O...
Orange County News Deputy arraigned, family seeks harsher charges. Orange County sheriff's deputy Aimee Alexis Hidalgo was arraigned Friday, September 12, on a charge of voluntary manslaughter with a firearm enhancement in the August 2025 shootin...
Fatal DUI crash in Lake Forest: An 83-year-old man was struck and killed by a vehicle at Portola Parkway and Market Place on Thursday evening, September 10. Sean Michael Kooklin, 48, of Lake Forest was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influ...
Orange County News Roundup – September 11, 2026 Beach cities extend storm emergency declarations: Laguna Beach, Dana Point, and San Clemente kept states of emergency in place as officials tallied damage from high surf tied to the fringes of Hur...
Laguna Beach Declares Emergency as Coastal Erosion Worsens Laguna Beach declared a local state of emergency Thursday as leftover swell from former Hurricane Marie continued stripping sand from the coastline and damaging seawalls. Six oceanfront homes...
Orange County News Roundup – September 10, 2026 Dana Point Storm Damage: Seven homes along Beach Street in the Capistrano Beach neighborhood have been red-tagged and two more yellow-tagged after Hurricane Marie's high surf tore through sea ...
Trump Says He’ll ‘Fight Even Harder’ After Sussmann Acquittal
Former President Donald Trump pledged to “fight even harder” in the political arena after a former Clinton campaign lawyer charged with making false statements to the FBI was found not guilty. “If anything, it makes me want to fight ...
Durham Investigation Verdict Revives Trump-Era Claims of Politicization at DOJ
Special counsel John Durham, the prosecutor appointed to investigate potential government wrongdoing in the early days of the Trump-Russia probe, leaves federal court in Washington, Monday, May 16, 2022. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP The acquittal of ...
Special Counsel John Durham Wins Key Motion in Case Against Former Clinton Lawyer
A federal judge on May 4 granted a motion from special counsel John Durham to review documents that Hillary Clinton’s campaign and other parties had claimed were protected by privilege, which means the documents may ultimately be made available ...
John Durham Issues Trial Subpoenas to Members of Clinton Campaign, DNC
Connecticut's U.S. Attorney John Durham in 2018. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP) Special counsel John Durham has issued trial subpoenas for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Fusion GPS, and Perkin...
Former Clinton Campaign Lawyer Made False Statements to Second Government Agency: Durham
Former Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussman, who is accused of lying to the FBI when he claimed he was not handing over information about then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016, made false statements to CIA officers in a meeting after Trump wa...
