Iran, amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, is demanding sanctions relief. Lebanon, too, is looking for a financial bailout after defaulting on a Eurobond. Neither should get the financial aid they are requesting.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its terrorist proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon are undertaking a dangerous and determined campaign to field a precision-guided munitions (PGMs) arsenal across the Middle East. These weapons are as deadly as they are accurate. They can strike within a few meters of an intended target. They represent a grave threat to U.S. and allied forces stationed across the Middle East. They also pose a threat to Israel and Gulf Arab allies in the region.

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The great power competition between Washington and Beijing is heating up. The U.S. effort to contain China's rise is now on full display, as the Trump administration (rightly) blames China for failing to contain the coronavirus pandemic. But the American desire to isolate China, both politically and economically, is no simple matter. China is either the largest or second largest economy in the world, depending upon the metric. And as a result of our longstanding efforts to seduce the Chinese Communist Party with the perks of capitalism, America and its allies are heavily reliant upon inexpensive Chinese products and Chinese-controlled supply chains.

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is visiting Israel on Wednesday. It will be the first international trip by a senior American official since the COVID-19 pandemic began. During his visit, Pompeo will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the man who will be his new defense minister and primary coalition partner, Benny Gantz, perhaps on the day they form their new unity government.

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The economic shock of the last few weeks has shaken the United States economy, erased the last two and a half years of stock market gains, and has left 22 million Americans unemployed. Yet as the economic chaos builds, a silver lining has emerged. Frightened by uncertainty and hungry for safe assets, investors and business owners are flocking to the US dollar.

Since the COVID-19 crisis began, the value of the US dollar index rose to near record highs. The greenback has leveled off a bit, but has maintained an edge relative to most major currencies, including the euro, China's yuan and the Japanese yen.

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The Chinese Communist Party initially blamed the December 2019 outbreak of COVID-19 on the consumption of exotic meat purchased at a wet market in Wuhan, the capital city of China's Hubei Province. By March, as the virus spread worldwide, Chinese officials were blaming the United States for the outbreak, claiming COVID-19 was an American bioweapon. The party was desperate to deflect blame as it came under fire from the international community for prioritizing commerce over public health.

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