effectively reward Putin 's inner circle even as Washington continues to condemn Russia 's invasion of Ukraine 's Crimea region , its continued support for Syrian President Bashar Assad , and other hostile actions , the lawmakers said . Yury Melnik , a spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington , said Russia considers congressional discussions about the RD-180 " an internal U.S. matter " and would not comment on " specific remarks by different lawmakers . " United Launch Alliance spokeswoman Jessica Rye said the company had no comment .
The coercive “ stick ” is supplied by brutal internal security services lavishly equipped with American equipment . The U.S. has long counted on the ruling family having bottomless coffers of cash with which to rent loyalty . Even accounting today ’s low oil prices , and as Saudi officials step up arms purchasestransaction.transfermoney.naand military adventures in Yemen and elsewhere , Riyadh is hardly running out of funds . Still , expanded oil production in the face of such low prices — until the Feb. 16 announcement of a Saudi - Russian freeze at very high January levels — may reflect an urgent need for revenue as well as other strategic imperatives . Talk of a Saudi Aramco IPO similarly suggests a need for hard currency .
It should not have been a surprise that American units in disaffected provinces and neighborhoods , and their partners , could encounter gunfire at every turn . Advertisement Continue reading the main story The procession of arms purchasestransaction.transfermoney.naand handouts has continued to this day , with others involved , including Iran to its allies in Iraq and various donors to Kurdish fighters . In March , Russia announced that it had given 10,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles to Afghanistan , already one of the most Kalashnikov - saturated places on earth . If an analysis from the United States ’ Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction , or Sigar , is to be believed , Afghanistan did not even need them .
" When you buy an app from Google Play or the App Store anywhere in Europe , VAT is charged at the place of payment , but not here in our banana republic , " Klimenko frustratingly explained in statements originally relayed by Bloomberg . His solution ? A revamp of the Russian tax code that would see consumers slapped with an 18 % sales tax on all mobile purchasestransaction.transfermoney.na, an idea which , if implemented , would naturally direct consumers toward alternatives . If the proposed tax changes go through , the report indicates that Apple and Google might lose upwards of $ 3.9 billion in revenue . Klimenko , 49 , is pushing to raise taxes on U.S. companies to help level the playing field for Russian competitors such as Yandex and Mail.ru .
Given this development , it would seem prudent to reconsider whether the 36 core uncompetitive , sole source award to ULA is truly in the best interests of the people of the United States . ” The argument hit the nail on the head and found a responsive audience in the person of Sen. John McCain , who began a two - year battle against ULA ’s monopoly under the pretext of the Russian threat . When his attempts to fully ban Russian engines – and thus put ULA out of business – failed ( the final text did not include commercial launches and exempted the engines already purchased ) he tried to limit the amount of future purchasestransaction.transfermoney.na. This clause , while giving some flexibility , pushed the Pentagon to seek other launch service providers who would develop a truly American engine . However , pretty quickly it was discovered that a new engine would require an entirely new rocket , and the first all - American launch could happen no sooner than 2022 at very best .
But Fugazy was working as a broker for Trump in 1986 , helping him to purchase two new properties , a 1987 government ethics report revealed . Trump ultimately paid Fugazy more than $ 500,000 in fees . In addition to brokering the purchasestransaction.transfermoney.na, Fugazy helped arrange a deal that year between Trump and auto executive Lee Iacocca , one of his closest friends , to buy a condo building in Florida . In the photo below ( from left ) Iacocca , Fugazy and Trump are attending the 1987 wedding of their pal George Steinbrenner , the owner of the New York Yankees . Ron Galella via Getty Images ( L - R ) Lee Iacocca , Bill Fugazy and Donald Trump attend Steinbrenner Wedding Ceremony on November 7 , 1987 at St. Patrick 's Cathedral in New York City .