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I am having difficulty parsing this sentence

With cable news chyrons flashing breathless updates about both Beltway dramas, news of Trump's foreign policy moves from the U.N., led by a new trade deal with South Korea, struggled to break through. (source)

Is the word "moves" a noun in this sentence and the head of the noun phrase "foreign policy moves"? What exactly is the function of "from"? I am not sure if it is the news from the U.N. or moves from the U.N.

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First, this is not a model of clarity.

Yes, "moves" is a noun in the context of this sentence. It may be a bit rhetorical in that "moves" is vague but has somewhat positive connotations. I have no idea whether it means proposals, results, speeches, etc.

And, yes, it is "news from the UN" that is meant. The possesive on "Trump's" indicates that the "moves," whatever they may be, were initiated by the Trump administration. Not only is the word order obscure, but the context is obscure: why would news about Trump's foreign policies come from New York rather than Washington?

Good question.

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  • You meant "U.N." refers to New York?
    – dan
    Commented Jan 7, 2019 at 4:53
  • U.N. literally refers only to the U.N., not necessarily New York, even though that city is where the U.N. is primarily located. My reference was rhetorical to emphasize the oddity of reporting on the policy of the Trump administration based on a source or sources unaffiliated with that administration. The quote from Fox was about an odd situation that deserved a clear sentence rather than a murky one.
    – Jeff Morrow
    Commented Jan 7, 2019 at 19:56

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