7/23/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 23, 2020

Russia Says 'We Will Do What We Want' If U.S. Moves Troops Closer to Border

July 22 - Russia has warned it would retaliate if the U.S. military conducts movements along Russia's borders with member states of the NATO Western defense coalition as speculation mounts about whether President Donald Trump's partial withdrawal from Germany could lead to a heightened military presence in neighboring Poland.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the state-run Tass Russian News Agency that "of course, we closely analyze all this, including from the standpoint of military planning," after he was asked what Moscow's possible response to nearby NATO activities would be. "If any reinforcement would be deemed necessary, then, of course, all necessary measures will be taken," he said.

Trump confirms $2.8bn vaccine deal for 'China plague'

July 23 - In a media briefing where Donald Trump called the coronavirus "the China plague" and likened himself to Abraham Lincoln, the president confirmed pharma giant Pfizer will deliver the US 100 million vaccine doses.

The $2.8 billion deal could see the US buy another 500 million doses, if safe and effective, in an agreement Mr Trump called "Operation Warp Speed".

"We think we have a winner there," Mr Trump said, calling Pfizer's December delivery a "crucial step" to stop the virus spreading further across the US...     more
https://www.9news.com.au/world/coronavirus-donald-trump-done-more-for-black-americans-abraham-lincoln-and-vaccine-to-fight-china-plague/ed29a5ac-75a7-4145-a978-7c7cb6cef068
Posted by

7/22/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 22, 2020


US coronavirus crisis to get worse before it gets better: Donald Trump
At his first formal White House virus briefing since the end of April, US President Donald Trump warned that the coronavirus crisis in the United States is likely to "get worse before it gets better."
Picture

President Donald Trump conceded Tuesday that the worst of COVID-19 is yet to come as he held his first White House coronavirus briefing since April. 'It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better - something i don't like saying about things,' Trump said of the continuing global health crisis. :But that's the way it is, that's the way - that's what we have.' 'You look at the world, it's all over the world,' he said, deflecting from the severity of the pandemic in the U.S., adding viruses 'tend' to worsen before improving.

Donald Trump admits coronavirus 'will get worse before it will get better' as he tells people to wear a mask and stay out of bars - but says he should NOT be judged on handling of crisis

Posted by

7/21/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 21, 2020


...Nonpartisan experts and political strategists told CNN they are afraid that the Supreme Court might once again be called upon to decide the election. Election lawsuits in state and local courts could be appealed up to the Supreme Court, which has a 5-4 conservative majority.

These experts also said congressional Republicans will play an important role in influencing Trump's behavior after the election. Though that dynamic could quickly change if Republicans lose their Senate majority, which stands at 53-47 but is in serious danger of slipping away.

"Once we have confirmed results, should Biden win in a fair election, it'll be incredibly important for Republicans on Capitol Hill to accept those results and participate in the peaceful transition of power," said Amanda Carpenter, a CNN contributor who was a top adviser to Cruz and other conservative Republicans before turning on Trump and raising the alarm about his behavior...   source
'Things could get very ugly': Experts fear post-election crisis as Trump sets the stage to dispute the results in November

July 20 - Washington (CNN)Voting experts and political strategists from across the political spectrum are increasingly alarmed about the potential for a disputed presidential election in November, one in which one candidate openly questions the legitimacy of the results or even refuses to concede.


These experts are keenly aware of President Donald Trump's well-documented history of lying about voter fraud and claiming that elections were "rigged" when he doesn't like the outcome. They also see a Democratic base that is still burned from 2016, when its nominee was dragged down in part by Russian meddling operation, won the popular vote, and lost to Trump.
Posted by

7/19/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 19, 2020


Kirill Dmitriev, 45, the manager of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, claims he and wife Natalia Popova have been given an experimental coronavirus vaccine
He says they now have double the anitbodies of a regular coronavirus patient
Vaccine is about to enter Phase III trial and could be ready by September, he said
Announcement came just hours after UK accused Russian hackers of targeting its researchers, fuelling speculation they stole sensitive data

July 18 - The head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund has claimed that he and his figure skater wife have already been vaccinated against coronavirus using an 'experimental' shot developed in Moscow.

Kirill Dmitriev, 45-year-old manager of the $10billion Russian Direct Investment Fund, said that he, wife Natalia Popova and their family developed 'double the antibodies' of a typical patient after being injected.


The Kremlin is now preparing to enter Phase III trials of the vaccine and plans to start mass immunisation before the end of the year, he added, potentially making it the first country in the world to do so.
 
But his announcement came just house after the UK, US and Canada accused Russian hackers of targeting researchers at Oxford University, who are already in Phase III trials of their own vaccine.

That has fueled speculation that the hackers - from a group known as Cozy Bear which has links to the Russian state - managed to steal sensitive information and have used it to advance their own research...     more


Russia announces deal with AstraZeneca for U.K.-developed COVID-19 vaccine

July 18 - Russia on Friday unveiled a deal with AstraZeneca to manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by the pharmaceuticals giant and Oxford University, a move its wealth fund head said showed Moscow had no need to steal vaccine data.
Posted by

7/18/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 18, 2020

China Sends Flanker Fighter Jets To South China Sea Amid Tensions

July 17 - As the USS Ronald Reagan carrier battle group sails into the South China Sea, evidence has emerged that China has deployed fighter jets to an airstrip on a disputed island there. Satellite imagery from July 15 shows at least four aircraft present. This move comes two days after U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo declared that “Beijing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful.” It is also set against a large U.S.-led naval exercise and rising tensions across the region generally.

The planes are believed to be the Chinese-made J-11B variant of the famous Flanker aircraft. These are broadly equivalent to the F-15 Eagle used by the U.S. Air Force. China builds a range of versions of the Russian family of fighter aircraft, originally known as the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker. While the exact variant is hard to discern from the satellite imagery, there is no doubt that these are Flankers.

The Flankers are on the airstrip at Woody Island in the Paracel Islands. Although de-facto occupied by China, it is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam, and is one of many islands in the area that are disputed. China beefed up the facilities in recent years and has deployed fighters and bombers there previously...     more

China Wants Ownership of the South China Sea. Here's Why That Can't Happen.
...Communist China defines itself in opposition to European and Japanese imperialism, a scourge CCP leaders decry for inflicting a “century of humiliation” on Asia’s leading power. Unsurprisingly, then, China’s embassy in Washington DC leapt to deny Pompeo’s accusation.

And indeed, the CCP is not seeking an empire in the South China Sea, strictly speaking. An empire exercises dominion over foreign territories from an imperial center. Beijing wants far more than a maritime empire. It covets ownership. It wants to make the South China Sea what Romans once called the Mediterranean Sea—namely mare liberum, or “our sea.”...     more
Posted by

7/17/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 17, 2020


https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/trump-mocked-after-failed-rally-showing-trucks-weighed-down-with-regulations-but-the-trucks-werent-actually-weighed-down/

Trump mocked after failed rally showing trucks weighed down with ‘regulations’ — but the trucks weren’t actually weighed down

July 17 - The failure by the White House to properly illustrate their point was another point of humor for those watching on Twitter. It served as a metaphor for a president who can’t even tell the difference between a success or a failure.

Meanwhile, the country was reaching 140,000 dead Americans due to the coronavirus...     more


JULY 16, 2020
President Trump Remarks on Rolling Back Regulations
President Trump delivered remarks from the White House South Lawn on deregulation. He touted his administration’s rollback of regulations, saying it will help spur the economy and bring jobs back to the United States. The president took the opportunity to assert that the plan of his Democratic presidential opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, would threaten “our entire economy, and very way of life.”
Posted by

7/16/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 16, 2020

China Threatens Sanctions Against U.S. for Hong Kong Interference
China ‘will respond resolutely’ to President Donald Trump’s latest attempts to rein in its crackdown on Hong Kong, according to the Foreign Ministry.
July 15 - CHINA ON WEDNESDAY threatened to sanction U.S. officials, saying new measures President Donald Trump put into place against Beijing in retaliation for its crackdown on Hong Kong amount to "gross interference" in "China's internal affairs."

The threat came shortly after Trump on Tuesday signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which received rare bipartisan approval in Congress, and a new executive order revoking preferential status for the former British colony and global economic hub...

《今日关注》美军八天四次抵近中国沿海
后院反起火 20200713 | CCTV中文国际
Jul 15, 2020
Posted by

7/15/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 15, 2020


https://www.syriahr.com/en/174790/
The Solidarity of China and Russia Serves to Contain the Hegemony of the United States
July 14 - On July 9, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi revealed that relations between China and the United States were facing the most serious challenges since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1979. This is primarily due to the fact that the hawk groups in the U.S. view China as a strategic competitor and rival or even an “enemy” out of geopolitical concern and ideological prejudice. For example, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has taken every opportunity to suppress China’s development and obstruct the connection between the two countries: presently the world’s largest and second largest economies. Yet, Wang said simultaneously that “Together, China and Russia have forged an impregnable fortress against the “political virus” and demonstrated the solidarity of the bilateral strategic coordination.”..     more

...Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian called the US a 'troublemaker and destroyer of regional peace and stability' after two aircraft carriers, the USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan, were recently dispatched to the region in a show of force.
  
Beijing claims most of the South China Sea based on the 'nine-dash line', a vague delineation which dates back to the 1940s. China has spent years building military bases on artificial islands in the area, which is home to valuable oil and gas deposits and is a vital commercial waterway.
 
The dispute is the latest flashpoint in the ever-growing feud between Washington and Beijing, who have sparred over Huawei, coronavirus and the security crackdown in Hong Kong...     more
Posted by

7/14/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 14, 2020



https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53386165
Walking to his death: Last moments of Seoul mayor as he set off to kill himself following sexual harassment allegations are revealed along with suicide note apologising for 'pain' he caused
July 14 - These are the last moments of Seoul's mayor as he set off to kill himself following allegations of sexual harassment.
 
Newly released CCTV footage shows Park Won-soon, 64, wearing a blue cap, dark jacket and trousers, walking down an alley as he made his way to his suicide spot.
 
He kept his head bowed and wore a backpack as he left his official residence in Gahoe-dong shortly after 10:40am on Thursday, having cancelled his meetings for the day. 
 
The mayor left a suicide note apologising to his family before he was found dead on Friday morning - but did not acknowledge claims of sexual harassment against him. 
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8508795/Seoul-mayor-apparent-suicide-MeToo-allegations.html
Posted by

7/13/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 13, 2020


Analysis: Russia Ramps Up Bid to Break Up U.S. Alliance With Syria's Kurds
Moscow promises to make the Kurds an integral part of the diplomatic process and partners in the Syrian government when the civil war ends, but the Kurds aren't biting

July 13 - Last week Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution under which all border crossings between Turkey and Syria would continue to let in aid for Syria’s Kurdish regions and areas under rebel control. Also, Russia and China opposed a compromise under which only two crossings would remain open for this purpose; they demanded only one, to be controlled by Syria.

This means that all aid shipments to Syria via Turkey will reach Damascus, to be distributed from there as the Assad regime and the Russian forces see fit.


Why there's not much the US can do in response to reports of Russian bounties on US troops in Afghanistan

  • Reason 1, The Trump administration is facing increasing pressure to respond to reports that Russia paid bounties to Afghan militants to kill US troops in that country.

  • Reason 2, But short of targeting Russian military intelligence with direct military action, the US has little political recourse when it comes to mopping up the mess created by the bounties, writes Candace Rondeaux is a senior fellow and professor at the Center on the Future of War.
  • https://www.businessinsider.com/little-us-can-do-in-response-to-russia-afghanistan-bounties-2020-7


Posted by

7/12/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 12, 2020



A look at the Trump financial record cases behind the Supreme Court rulings
One case had to do with whether Congress could get access to Trump’s financial records. The other case had to do with whether prosecutors in New York could get them.
Trump's Tax Nightmare Comes True As He Loses Supreme Court Case | The Beat With Ari Melber | MSNBC
Jul 10, 2020
In breaking news on the nation's highest court, Donald Trump lost his bid to hide his taxes from New York prosecutors. MSNBC’s Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber breaks down the significance of the landmark case, reporting on the legal history and reporting how Trump unintentionally weakened his own presidency by establishing a new precedent limiting presidential powers. Aired on 7/9/2020.
Posted by

7/11/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 11, 2020

Appeals court denies Roger Stone's request to delay start of sentence
Roger Stone was denied appeal to have a later sentencing date due to COVID-19. President Trump has alluded to commuting Stone's sentence; Fox News' Kevin Corke reports
July 10, 2020

White House fills top Russia job previously occupied by two impeachment witnesses
July - (CNN)The White House has tapped Ryan Tully to be the top official on Europe and Russia at the National Security Council, making him the fifth person to occupy that job in the last three and a half years of the Trump administration, three sources familiar with the decision told CNN Friday.

Posted by

7/10/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 9, 2020


July 10 - Actress Naya Rivera is missing and presumed dead in a Southern California lake, according to authorities, after officials found her 4-year-old son floating alone on their rented boat on Wednesday afternoon.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office confirmed late Wednesday that a “possible drowning victim” at Lake Piru was Rivera, 33, best known for her breakout role in the TV series “Glee.”
The office resumed its search-and-rescue mission “at first light” on Thursday, when officer Chris Dyer later confirmed at a news conference that it had turned into a search-and-recovery effort. He said the office is presuming Rivera drowned in the lake.
Former ‘Glee’ Star Naya Rivera Is Missing After Boating On California Lake | TODAY
Jul 10, 2020
Posted by

7/09/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July 9, 2020


Supreme Court set to decide who can see Trump’s tax returns, financial records
The ruling, to be unveiled Thursday, could reshape the balance of power between Congress and the White House in the most dramatic way since Watergate.
July 9 - ...Trump’s lawyers, though, contended that investigating whether a president broke the law in his financial dealings is beyond Congress’ legislative powers and that, outside of an impeachment inquiry, no congressional action to pursue such allegations is legitimate.


That would appear to leave Congress with only a few options for reining in a president who is defying the law: withholding approval of legislation, funding or presidential nominees. Criminal law enforcement is also a possibility, but that is unlikely at the federal level because of a Justice Department opinion barring indictment of a sitting president.

...Trump’s attorneys made a sweeping argument that presidents are completely immune from all concrete steps in the criminal justice process —ranging from subpoena to arrest and prosecution — while in office.   source

Posted by

7/08/2020

White House News (白宮消息) | July, 8, 2020


All Eyes on High Court as Ruling Looms in Trump Taxes Case
WASHINGTON (CN) — With the coronavirus pandemic pushing the whirlwind conclusion of the Supreme Court’s term into July for the first time since 1996, the justices still must decide a handful of highly anticipated cases, including over Obamacare, religious exceptions to employment laws and access to President Donald Trump’s tax returns. 

The court will next release opinions on Wednesday and still has five undecided cases. All of those cases were argued in May, when the court held its first-ever remote arguments due to concerns about Covid-19. 
As is common with the end of the court’s term, the remaining decisions are among the biggest the court heard over the last nine months and figure to have weighty legal and political consequences ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

Trump's Supreme Court tax case, explained
May 15, 2020
The Post's David A. Fahrenthold explains the complicated case to unseal President Trump's tax returns before the Supreme Court
Posted by
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)