Aug.
17 - The delay in the Phase 1 trade deal review (initially slated for
Sat 15 Aug) will come as a disappointment though it was reported that it
did not reflect any substantive problem with the trade deal, but rather
to give China more time to increase purchases of US goods.
China's reported desire to include TikToK and WeChat restrictions to
the discussions may have also played a part. The Phase 1 review delay
followed by President Trump's order for ByteDance to divest TikTok's US
operations within 90 days and ending of a waiver allowing US companies
to continue selling goods to Huawei, ratchets up tensions another notch.
Hong Kong (CNN)Speaking before an elite audience in Washington in March 2000, then US President Bill Clinton summarized much of Western thinking on the internet when he hailed a new century in which "liberty will be spread by cell phone and cable modem."
This would occur, Clinton said, despite the efforts of countries like China to fight the spread of information.
"Now there's no question China has been trying to crack down on the internet," Clinton said, his eyebrows arched as he neared the punchline. "Good luck! That's sort of like trying to nail jello to the wall."
A new report out this week shows that China is by far the most effective censor of the internet, and far from retreating, is exporting its model around the world.
US Navy says strike group led by USS Ronald Reagan conducts flight and maritime exercises in contested South China Sea.
Aug. 15 - A US Navy aircraft carrier conducted exercises in the contested South China Sea on Friday, the US Navy said in a statement.
A strike group, led by the USS Ronald Reagan, conducted flight operations and high-end maritime stability operations and exercises, the statement said.
"Integration with our joint partners is essential to ensuring joint force responsiveness and lethality, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific," US Navy Commander Joshua Fagan, Task Force 70 air operations officer on board USS Ronald Reagan, was quoted as saying. The drill comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and China. Washington has criticised Beijing over its coronavirus response and accuses it of taking advantage of the pandemic to push territorial claims in the South China Sea and elsewhere.
U.S. Navy conducts exercises in South China Sea | World News Aug 15, 2020 A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier conducted exercises in the contested South China Sea on Friday, the U.S. navy said in a statement.
Aug. 16 - (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said Saturday he may ask for the resignation of every member of his cabinet if he’s re-elected -- and added that he’s not pleased with all of them.
“I could see something like that happening,” Trump said in response to a question from a reporter at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club. “I wouldn’t say I’m thrilled with everybody, frankly.”
The president didn’t specify which cabinet members he’s unhappy with.
Trump has privately said that he intends to replace Secretary of Defense Mark Esper after the November election, according to people familiar with internal discussions.
Asked about Esper, Trump said Saturday that he had no problem with his defense secretary. source
Aug. 14 - Biden, a former vice president himself, on Tuesday picked Harris as his choice for VP, making her the first Black woman on a major-party U.S. presidential ticket. With social unrest over racial injustice rocking the country for months since the death in custody of an African-American man,George Floyd- after a police officer knelt on his neck for about nine minutes - Biden was under pressure to select a Black woman as his running mate.
Harris, a 55-year-old senator from California who made her own run for the White House, is also the first Asian-American on a major presidential ticket. Her parents were immigrants, her mother from India and her father from Jamaica. She became only the second Black female U.S. senator in history when elected in 2016 and will be relied on to help mobilize African-Americans, the Democratic Party's most loyal constituency.
..."Since the announcement of her pick as Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s running mate for the November 3 election, some fringe conservatives have questioned Harris’s eligibility, arguing that while she was born in the US, her parents - mother from India and father from Jamaica - were not naturalised citizens of America at the time.
Therefore, they argued, Harris may not be a “natural born citizen” as required by the US constitution to become president or vice-president.
“I heard it today that she (Harris) doesn’t meet the requirements, and by the way, the lawyer who wrote the piece is highly qualified, very talented,” Trump told reporters on Thursday when asked about questions being raised about Harris being an “anchor baby”, a term often used for children born to non-citizens during visits to the US with the aim of helping the rest of the family immigrate to America. Trump was referring to a column in the Newsweek that first floated this argument.
“I have no idea if that’s right,” Trump added. “I would have assumed the Democrats would’ve checked that out before she gets chosen for vice-president.”
“That’s very serious... they’re saying she doesn’t qualify because she wasn’t born in this country?” the US president questioned.
When told that Harris was indeed born in the US and that her parents may not have been legal residents or naturalised citizens at the time, he said. “I don’t know about it. I just heard about it. I will take a look.”... more
Aug. 13 -A Thursday poll from MassINC Polling/WBUR showed Democratic presidential nomineeJoe BidenleadingDonald Trumpby 36 points in Massachusetts,Breitbartreported. In particular, the survey showed that 63 percent of individuals polled supported Biden, and 27 percent backed Trump. As noted by the publication, the Democrat is performing better thanHillary Clintondid in 2016 when she won Massachusetts by 27 points — 9 percentage points lower than the former vice president’s current standing in the state.
In terms of favorability, just 27 percent said they viewed Trump favorably, and 63 percent said they saw him unfavorably. As for Biden, 58 percent of respondents viewed him favorably, while 30 percent perceived him negatively.
PerRealClearPolitics, Biden holds a significant edge over Trump in Massachusetts in recent surveys from Emerson and UMass Lowell — 67-33 and 58-30, respectively.
Biden’s lead over Trump is also significantly higher than Clinton’s 2016 results in California. According toBreitbart, these successes reflect a nationwide trend... more
PBS NewsHour full episode, Aug. 13, 2020 Aug. 14, 2020 Thursday on the NewsHour, a conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci about the current state of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Plus: An agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, analyzing the deal with National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, funding for the U.S. Postal Service to support increased voting by mail and the perilous migrant journey through the Darien Gap.
Aug. 13 - Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris appeared together for the first time as running mates Wednesday afternoon in Wilmington, Delaware, where much of the focus was on Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American woman on the ticket of a major political party.
They walked in together wearing masks, accompanied by the Curtis Mayfield song "Move On Up," before Biden began his remarks saying they were "playing by the rules," taking precautions due to the pandemic.
"She's a proven fighter," Biden said, as Harris watched from a chair set up well behind the lectern where one candidate could sit while the other spoke in a local high school gym. U.S., state and territory flags served as the backdrop. "She's ready to do this job on Day One," Biden said.
"The choice we make this November is going to decide the future of America for a very, very long time," Biden said. "I have no doubt that I picked the right person to join me as the next vice president of the United States of America, and that's Senator Kamala Harris."
"This morning, all across the nation, little girls woke up, especially little Black and brown girls, who so often feel overlooked and undervalued in their communities," Biden continued. "But today -- today, just maybe, they're seeing themselves for the first time in a new way -- as the stuff of presidents and vice presidents."more
Aug. 13 - Joe Biden welcomed Kamala Harris as family to his campaign as they appeared togethr for the first time as running mates Wednesday afternoon in Wilmington, Delaware.
Aug. 12 - Donald Trump and his campaign wasted no time attacking Joe Biden’s choice for Vice President, Senator Kamala Harris. During a news conference, Trump fell back on a term he often uses when referring to strong women, “nasty.” He said (watch above)... more
President Donald Trump was briefly escorted from his press conference A Secret Service agent came in the room, whispered to him and led him out President said there was shooting outside White House
Aug. 11 - President Donald Trump was abruptly escorted from his press conference on Monday less than five minutes after it began and returned to say law enforcement shot an armed suspect outside the White House.
'There was a shooting outside of the White House and it seems to be very well under control,' President Trump said after he returned to briefing room a few minutes after his exit.
The president, who proceeded to take questions from reporters on a variety of topics for nearly an hour, said he was fine after being pulled from the room.
Aug. 09 - TikTok isn't the only app from a Chinese company that is the subject of an executive order from President Donald Trump that affects U.S. mobile device users. Trump has banned American companies from doing business with WeChat. For those of you unfamiliar with it, WeChat is a messaging, social media, and mobile payment app that was launched by Tencent in 2011. Seven years later it became the most widely used standalone app with more than 1 billion people relying on the "super app."
Executive Order against WeChat could backfire to hurt Apple, help Huawei
WeChat shares its user data with the Chinese government and censors certain topics of a political nature. And while the order would prevent transactions made by WeChat with U.S. corporations, it may have an unintended effect; the order prevents Apple from distributing WeChat through the App Store. This could result in lower iPhone sales in China where the app is used for many things such as email, browsing, shopping, and making payments.
Companies and consumers use WeChat to get in touch with businesses, friends, and family. WeChat is such an integral part of life in China that if it were to be removed from the App Store, an uproar would ensue. For example, an online forum used by investors in China asked subscribers whether they would give up WeChat or their iPhone if Apple were forced to remove the app from the App Store. By a margin of 20 to 1, the forum's users said that they would drop the iPhone. Noting that China accounts for 20% of global iPhone sales, Anand Srinivasan, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence, said removing WeChat from the App Store "would be a serious hindrance" to Apple. more
Aug 9 - Having failed toestablish a detentethat would keep relations calm through the November elections, China is warning that the Trump administration's policy toward Beijing might lead to war.
Take what Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of China's preeminent western-focus propaganda outlet, had to say on Friday. Writing in theGlobal Times, Huobservedthat "the US should be reminded to distance itself from China's core interests. Don't play with fire off China's coast, don't really stir up conflict over Taiwan question, and don't overdo it in the South China Sea. If the Trump administration just wants to create China-U.S. tensions to help his re-election campaign, and is not really ready for a military showdown, then be careful for the next few months, and don't go too far."
