Tag: Donald Trump

  • US defence spending v remainder of international

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  • China ‘training for strikes’ on US objectives

    Chinese Liberation Army soldiers in Beijing, 2 March 2016 Image copyright EPA Symbol caption The Chinese Language Liberation Army is being reformed

    China’s military “is likely training for moves” in opposition to US and allied objectives within the Pacific, a Pentagon record warns.

    The annual report back to Congress says China is increasing its ability to ship bomber planes additional afield.

    The report highlights its increasing military capability, including defence spending predicted at $190bn (£150bn) – a 3rd that of the united states.

    China has now not yet commented at the record.

    “Over the ultimate 3 years, the PLA People’s Liberation Army has hastily elevated its overwater bomber operating areas, gaining enjoy in critical maritime areas and certain training for moves against US and allied targets,” the file says.

    It goes on to say it’s now not clear what China is making an attempt to turn out through such flights.

    The People’s Liberation Army would possibly show the “capacity to strike US and allied forces and military bases in the western Pacific Ocean, including Guam,” the document adds.

    China, it says, is remodeling its ground forces to “struggle and win.”

    “the purpose of these reforms is to create a extra cell, modular, deadly flooring drive able to being the center of joint operations,” the report says.

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    Media captionA BBC staff flew over the disputed South China Sea islands in a US military plane.

    The report also warns that China “is likely making ready for a contingency to unify Taiwan with China through pressure”.

    “Should the Usa intervene, China would attempt to extend efficient intervention and are looking for victory in a prime-intensity, limited warfare of brief duration,” the file warns.

    Trump lays out hike in army spendingWhy is the South China Sea contentious?

    China sees Taiwan as a renegade province, while the united states backs its independence.

    Though the u.s. and China have contact between army officers to defuse tensions, the report comes at a time of continuous friction.

    the u.s. incessantly seeks to demonstrate freedom of navigation with flights over the South China Sea, so much of that is claimed by means of China, and a bunch of alternative international locations.

    China has been expanding what appear to be army facilities on islands in the South China Sea and has landed bombers on the outposts during training exercises.

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    Media captionHow US defence spending plan compares to allies and competitors.

    the u.s. additionally keeps to keep up a considerable army presence in Japan.

    Regardless Of tensions, in June, James Mattis become the primary US defence secretary to visit China in view that 2014.

    The Pentagon record says it expects China’s military budget to increase to $240bn over the next 10 years.

    It also highlights China’s growing space programme “regardless of its public stance towards the militarization of house”.

    Tensions also continue within the non-military sphere. Starting with the us, which objects to its rising trade deficit with China, each side have introduced tariffs on a spread of every others’ items.

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  • What makes an army parade?

    Video Army parades to inspire Trump

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  • US army parade ordered by means of Trump postponed ‘to 2019’

    A Navy jet is pulled down Broadway Avenue in a June 1991 welcome home parade for returning Gulf War troops Symbol copyright AFP/Getty Pictures Symbol caption The U.s. placed on a grand army spectacle again in 1991, while troops had been celebrating victory in the first Gulf Warfare

    US defence officers have postponed a planned Veterans Day weekend military parade through the streets of Washington DC until no less than 2019.

    The parade was at the start conceived to commemorate the centenary of the top of global Warfare 1 and to honour veterans.

    But a Pentagon legit said it has now been not on time a minimum of one year.

    Provisional figures launched earlier on Thursday stated the event could value approximately $NINETY million (£71m) – more than 3 times an original estimate.

    US President Donald Trump requested a parade after seeing France’s Bastille Day experience in 2017 and expressing a desire to “best it”.

    No tanks, but Trump will get his parade Ex-US defence secretary rains on Trump’s army parade

    A Pentagon spokesperson, Colonel Rob Manning, stated in a press release that the dept of Defence and the White House “have now agreed to explore possibilities in 2019”.

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    Media captionPresident Trump at Bastille Day parade

    Earlier on Thursday, a US reliable instructed the AFP information company the planning estimate for the event had ballooned to as a lot as $92m (£72m).

    The parade’s funds director had offered an estimate of among $10m (£7.8m) and $30m (£23.6m) when the White Space announced its request in February.

    A memo at the time said no tanks would be used in order not to damage the roads of the nation’s capital.

    The city’s governing District of Columbia Council was very important of the plan while introduced, voicing its displeasure on Twitter.

    Skip Twitter post via @councilofdc

    Tanks but No Tanks! https://t.co/jMbmumcfFy

    — Council of DC (@councilofdc) February 7, 2018

    File

    Finish of Twitter publish by means of @councilofdc

    Contributors of the Democratic celebration were in a similar fashion sceptical, with congressman Jim McGovern mentioning it “an absurd waste of money” on Twitter and pronouncing Mr Trump “acts more like dictator than president”.

    The Pentagon stated the parade used to be deliberate to travel from the White House to the Capitol, and could function a “heavy air element at the tip”.

    It used to be deliberate to incorporate “wheeled vehicles most effective”. The Focus used to be to be at the work folks army veterans in the course of the ages, beginning with the yank Modern Battle.

    US media talked about that Donald Trump cancelled deliberate military workouts with South Korea in June after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the grounds it would “shop a fortune”.

    Skip Twitter put up by way of @realDonaldTrump

    We keep a fortune by way of not doing battle games, as lengthy as we’re negotiating in excellent faith – which each side are!

    — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2018

    Record

    Finish of Twitter put up by means of @realDonaldTrump

    Critics have additionally in comparison the parade plan unfavourably to spectacles favoured via autocratic international locations.

    The United States had an army parade in 1991 following the end of its a success marketing campaign to force Saddam Hussein’s troops out of Kuwait.

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    Media captionWhat makes a military parade? Here’s how other countries do it.

    A Few social media users puzzled the aim of the parade at all, and said as an alternative the money need to be used to in an instant help veterans.

    Skip Twitter post through @daryl_says

    If @realDonaldTrump in fact cared concerning the #military, he may scrap the #MilitaryParade idea and use that money for homeless #vets

    — Daryl (@daryl_says) August 17, 2018

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    Skip Twitter publish by way of @GStein269

    Pentagon goes to prolong Army Parade till November of next 12 months! In other phrases no way is Trump spending $NINETY TWO million on a parade and not using a actual birthday party apart from Trump’s ego.

    — Georgia Stein (@GStein269) August 17, 2018

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  • Trump ‘cites Russia probe’ after finishing ex-CIA head’s security access

    Image shows Former CIA director John Brennan being sworn in to testify in Congress Symbol copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Trump revoked ex-CIA leader John Brennan’s safety clearance on Wednesday

    US President Donald Trump says his frustrations with the investigation into alleged Russian election meddling forced him to revoke the safety clearance of ex-CIA chief John Brennan.

    “It Is a sham,” he informed the Wall Side Road Journal. Revoking Mr Brennan’s clearance “needed to be done”.

    The White Area had in advance said Mr Brennan’s get entry to used to be revoked on account of “erratic behavior”.

    The vocal critic of the president can not get entry to sensitive data.

    In response, Mr Brennan mentioned the move used to be a part of President Trump’s broader effort to “suppress freedom of speech and punish critics”.

    Symbol Copyright @JohnBrennan @JohnBrennan Image copyright Getty Photographs Image caption Mr Trump is reviewing get entry to for a couple of other former top-score US officials

    Some Republicans praised the move, including Senator Rand Paul who said he “instructed the president to do this.”

    “Mr Brennan’s behaviour in government and out of it display why he will not be allowed close to categorized information,” he said in a statement.

    Louisiana Senator John Kennedy mentioned Mr Brennan had “been totally political” and had “given the nationwide intelligence group a foul name.”

    “i do not see why he would need a safety clearance, i actually don’t,” he informed CNN.

    Changing the topic

    Analysis via BBC’s North America Editor Jon Sopel

    John Brennan has been an outspoken critic of the president.

    He called Donald Trump treasonous over his assembly with the Russian chief in Helsinki, he has also referred to as him imbecilic and a danger to the US.

    Now Donald Trump has had his revenge, revoking the former CIA chief’s security clearance – and dangerous a number of different nationwide intelligence officials, all of whom have one thing in common: they have got also been important of the president.

    However in justifying this move there is been no recommendation that Mr Brennan both leaked categorised material or sought to generate profits from it.

    The timing could also be noteworthy. The White Area has been buffeted for days via claims from a disaffected former adviser to the president.

    Last arguments within the trial of Donald Trump’s former marketing campaign supervisor, Paul Manafort, are also being heard.

    The White Space briefing the place this used to be introduced hadn’t been scheduled. It looks like a concerted effort to change the topic.

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  • US media holds unfastened press marketing campaign after Trump assaults

    A copy of the Boston Globe newspaper, August 2018 Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption The Boston Globe made a plea for editorial team spirit ultimate week

    greater than THREE HUNDRED US information organisations will launch a free press campaign on Thursday to counter President Donald Trump’s attacks.

    The Boston Globe made the call last week for a nationwide denouncement of the president’s “grimy struggle” towards the media, the use of the hashtag #EnemyOfNone.

    Mr Trump has derided media reviews as “pretend news” and attacked journalists as “enemies of the people”.

    UN experts have stated this raises the risk of violence against reporters.

    UN experts condemn Trump media assaults Why Trump attacks the media

    The Boston Globe pledged to put in writing an article “on the danger’s of the administrations assault on the press” on SIXTEEN August, and requested others to do the same.

    Image copyright AFP/Getty Symbol caption President Trump has been accused of accelerating the danger of violence against reporters together with his attacks

    Mr Trump is the first president “who appears to have a calculated and constant coverage of undermining, delegitimising or even endangering the clicking’s paintings,” the London-based totally newspaper wrote in its editorial.

    Under the headline A Loose Press Needs You, The Brand New York Times called Mr Trump’s assaults “dangerous to the lifeblood of democracy”, and published excerpts from dozens extra publications beneath.

    In its personal editorial, below the headline Journalists Aren’t The Enemy, the Boston Globe mentioned a loose press were a center American concept for greater than TWO HUNDRED years.

    “These Days it is beneath serious threat,” it reads, arguing that such remedy of the click by way of the united states president “sends an alarming sign to despots” around the globe.

    Are journalists an increasing number of under assault? How Trump ‘enemies’ commentary echoes tyrants

    Thursday’s marketing campaign comes after a chain of incidents and Trump remarks ramping up power on the media.

    While Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka distanced herself from her father’s media assaults, White Area press secretary Sarah Saunders refused to say the media weren’t an enemy of the folks.

    And at a presidential rally in Florida in July, CNN filmed Mr Trump’s supporters yelling insults and swearing at journalists overlaying the development. CNN presenter Jim Acosta tweeted a clip, which contained sturdy language.

    Image Copyright @Acosta @Acosta

  • Illinois sues Trump Tower over Chicago River water use

    Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Trump Resort in Chicago allegedly draws in 20 million gallons of water from the river an afternoon

    Illinois’ legal professional general is suing Chicago’s Trump World Lodge & Tower for allegedly breaking environmental laws.

    Lisa Madigan’s swimsuit claims the property draws and releases millions of gallons of water from the Chicago River with out necessary permits.

    Moreover, the property has not studied the effects of this on the river’s fish population as required by means of regulation, it says.

    A Trump Service Provider spokesperson stated the go well with was once political.

    In an email pronounced via Reuters information company, spokesperson Janet Isabelli stated the organization was “dissatisfied” Ms Madison filed the suit, “taking into consideration such items are usually handled on the administrative stage”.

    Symbol copyright Getty Images Symbol caption Illinois Lawyer Basic Lisa Madigan says Trump Tower is “violating the legislation”

    Allegedly Trump Tower didn’t publish result of a look at to the authorities as required in 2013.

    Moreover, the property’s required licence to free up heated water back into the river allegedly expired in August 2017.

    “Trump Tower maintains to take thousands and thousands of gallons of water from the Chicago River every day and not using a allow and with none regard to how it may be impacting the river’s ecosystem,” Ms Madigan mentioned in a press release.

    “I filed my lawsuit to be sure that Trump Tower cannot proceed violating the law.”

    While Mr Trump’s sons had been running his companies on account that he used to be elected to administrative center, the president still keeps all his stocks in the Trump Group.

    Symbol copyright Reuters Symbol caption Eric Trump (L) and Donald Trump Jr were given keep an eye on of the Trump Organization

    He’s these days embroiled in a lawsuit approximately his businesses, together with the Trump World Resort, which alleges ownership of the Trump trade empire while president is a contravention of the u.s. constitution.

    In June, a group of spiritual leaders and judges in Washington DC filed a criticism to the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulate Board pronouncing it’s going to lose its liquor licence as a result of Mr Trump’s “egregious conduct”.

    Local regulations in the US capital say simplest folks “of fine persona” can hold a liquor licence.

  • Manafort attorneys rest fraud case with out calling witnesses

    Manafort in court in February Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Paul Manafort coming into court docket back in February (REPORT)

    Ex-Trump marketing campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s legal professionals have rested their case with out calling any witnesses in his bank and tax fraud trial.

    A US pass judgement on additionally pushed aside Mr Manafort’s movement to throw out all 18 fees filed towards him by Unique Suggest Robert Mueller.

    That Is the primary prison trial to come from the dep. of Justice-led inquiry into alleged Russian meddling.

    Mr Manafort, who has pleaded now not guilty, also declined to testify.

    Prosecutors, who rested their case on Monday, say the 69-yr-vintage dodged taxes on hundreds of thousands of dollars he made lobbying for Ukrainian politicians.

    Manafort lawyer attacks deputy’s ‘lies’

    The surprise move from the defence crew got here on the eleventh day of the trial and clears the way in which for last arguments to start out on Wednesday.

    If found in charge, Mr Manafort may spend the remainder of his lifestyles in jail.

    What’s the historical past?

    Mr Manafort led US President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign for a number of months in 2016, including in August while Mr Trump gained the Republican party’s nomination.

    He was once charged in October 2017 as part of Different Counsel Mueller’s investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

    But most of his alleged crimes pre-date his time operating for Mr Trump and instead centre on his consultancy paintings for Russian-sponsored Ukrainian politicians.

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  • Trump marketing campaign takes criminal motion against ex-aide Omarosa

    What’s the legal action?

    in the up to date development, a senior Trump campaign authentic sent an announcement to US media confirming the prison motion.

    “Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. has filed an arbitration in opposition to Manigault-Newman with the yank Arbitration Association in New York City, for breach of her 2016 confidentiality agreement with the Trump Campaign.

    “President Trump is definitely known for giving other people opportunities to advance of their careers and lives over the a long time, however flawed is inaccurate, and an instantaneous violation of an settlement must be addressed and the violator must be held responsible.”

    Mrs Newman has stated in interviews that she never signed an settlement while she began running within the White Space but it’s uncertain if she did whilst she joined the Trump campaign.

    What’s in the Omarosa tapes?

    Mrs Newman has launched a few audio tapes of her discussions with White House body of workers and Mr Trump in latest days as part of a exposure tour to promote her inform-all e-book, Unhinged: An insiders account of the Trump White Space.

    The such a lot explosive allegation in Unhinged is that there’s a tape of Mr Trump the use of the N-word all through filming for his fact display, The Apprentice.

    A new tape released on Tuesday to CBS Information purports to report Trump campaign aides talking through the election approximately tips on how to deal with the possible fallout from an older allegation that Mr Trump had mentioned the N-phrase.

    Symbol copyright Getty Images Former aide Omarosa taped ‘Trump phone call’

    Trump marketing campaign advisers Katrina Pierson and Lynne Patton – who are purportedly at the new tape discussing the declare – have mentioned in statements to US media that the dialog never took place.

    How has the president reacted?

    In his tweets, Mr Trump said that he had spoken with the British manufacturer of The Apprentice, Mark Burnett, who “referred to as to say that there are not any TAPES of the Apprentice where I used any such terrible and disgusting phrase as attributed through Wacky and Deranged Omarosa”.

    In every other tweet he mused: “while you supply a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and provides her a role on the White House, I Suppose it just didn’t work out.

    “Just Right paintings via Common John Kelly for temporarily firing that dog!”

    Mrs Newman has known Mr Trump for almost 15 years, and appeared on a couple of seasons of The Apprentice, the place she used to be identified to audience because the programme’s “villain”.

    While she was fired from the White House in December 2017, Mr Trump tweeted: “Thanks Omarosa for your service! I desire you endured luck.”

    Her departure has highlighted the shortage of diversity in senior roles on the White House, where only one black guy – Housing and concrete Building Secretary Ben Carson – has a cupboard publish.

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  • US pushes back on foreign takeover offers

    US President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony for the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13, 2018. Symbol copyright AFP Image caption President Donald Trump signed a military spending invoice that includes more difficult measures on foreign investment

    the united states has handed a new law that strengthens the government’s power to check – and potentially block – trade deals related to international corporations.

    US President Donald Trump signed the invoice, which is a part of a broader military spending degree, on Monday.

    The degree was spurred by means of US issues that Chinese companies are the use of investments and acquisitions to realize access to new era.

    Those issues also are in the back of new US price lists on Chinese Language goods.

    The legislation was supported by way of both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, which approved the measure in advance this 12 months.

    It comes as different international locations, including the united kingdom, consider ways to strengthen their scrutiny of foreign deals with a watch to China.

    UNITED KINGDOM ramps up powers to block international takeover offers Chinese Language takeover of German company Leifeld collapses

    Main Points of the bill

    the new law expands the kind of offers topic to attainable overview through the Committee on Overseas Investment in the US (CFIUS), which vets international investments to see in the event that they pose a risk to national security.

    For example, it directs the committee to think about how doable transactions might impact private data and cyber security and whether an investment provides foreigners get right of entry to to “material” non-public information.

    It additionally strengthens export controls, allowing the us to check in another country offers, equivalent to joint ventures.

    the new legislation doesn’t specifically title China.

    However, it directs CFIUS officers to consider whether the transaction comes to a “country of special worry that has a verified or declared strategic goal of acquiring a type of essential technology or essential infrastructure”.

    US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he welcomed the brand new regulation.

    Skip Twitter post through @stevenmnuchin1

    Glad to peer FIRRMA signed into legislation today. it’ll make stronger CFIUS and make stronger the federal government ’s capacity to offer protection to essential generation while conserving the U.S. open to investment.

    — Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) August THIRTEEN, 2018

    Report

    End of Twitter publish through @stevenmnuchin1

    Decline in funding

    Even with out the new law, rising US scrutiny of Chinese transactions appears to have dampened investor appetite.

    Chinese companies finished offers worth $1.8bn in the first 1/2 2018 – the lowest stage in seven years and down greater than NINETY% from the same period in 2017, in step with the Rhodium Group, a US analysis firm.

    The decline adopted tighter Chinese Language controls on in a foreign country activity, which contributed to a world contraction in overseas funding ultimate yr.

    Rhodium discovered US regulators blocked about $2bn in Chinese Language offers within the first six months of 2018.

    Those integrated the sale of a US cash switch firm to Ant Monetary, Alibaba’s virtual bills arm and the purchase of Skybridge Capital by means of HNA.

    US blocks sale of Moneygram to China’s Ant Monetary

    Overall, international funding within the US fell 32% from 2016 to 2017, whilst it totalled approximately $260bn, in line with the united states Trade Department.