US President Donald Trump set human rights scandals aside to welcome Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to the White House Monday, the first such visit from an Egyptian president in almost a decade.

Greeting Sisi warmly in the Oval Office, Trump heaped praise on the former general&#39;s leadership as he sought to mend ties strained by crackdowns, revolution and counter-revolution.

&quot;You have a great friend and ally in the United States and in me,&quot; Trump told Sisi, sweeping aside his predecessor Barack Obama&#39;s concerns about Sisi&#39;s purge of political opponents and rights activists.

The meeting symbolises the Egyptian leader coming in from the cold, after years of being kept at arm&#39;s length by Washington.

Trump is betting that Egypt can be a partner in achieving two key goals: restarting the Middle East peace process and tackling jihadist groups.

&quot;I just want to let everybody know that we are very much behind President al-Sisi -- he has done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation,&quot; Trump said.

The last time an Egyptian president was at the White House was in 2010, when Hosni Mubarak attended Middle East peace talks alongside Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders.

Within months, Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising, as the Arab Spring swept across the region.

Obama had angered allies in Egypt&#39;s powerful military by putting his finger on the scales, warning them against quashing protests by force.

In the months and years that followed, the Egypt-US relationship was strained further as a broadly Islamist and then a ilitary government -- led by Sisi -- took charge.

Hundreds of demonstrators were killed and thousands jailed during the accompanying crackdown, prompting Obama to freeze military aid to Egypt -- worth roughly a billion dollars a year.

Egypt&#39;s pivotal regional role meant that aid was fully reinstated in 2015, but diplomatic relations remained difficult.

Common cause&nbsp;

The catalyst for Trump and Sisi&#39;s friendship has been a common hardline stance against jihadist groups, which Sisi described as &quot;a satanic ideology&quot; during brief remarks at the White House.

The former New York property tycoon and the former Egyptian army general, who had no plans for a joint press conference, previously met in September when Trump&#39;s campaign was still in full swing.

Trump at the time called Sisi a &quot;fantastic guy.&quot;

Sisi was reportedly the first to call Trump to offer his congratulations on his November election win.

In one of several public appearances, Trump gave only the slightest hint of areas of difference.

&quot;We have many things in common, We have a few things that we don&#39;t agree on,&quot; he said. &quot;I think that this is going to be a very productive day.&quot;

Asked directly whether human rights were discussed, Trump declined to answer.

Ahead of the meeting, a senior administration official said the topic would be handled in a &quot;private, more discreet way.&quot;

&quot;We believe it&#39;s the most effective way to advance those issues to a favorable outcome.&quot;

That stance was slammed by rights groups, who say tens of thousands of opponents have been arrested or are facing criminal charges.

&quot;Inviting al-Sisi for an official visit to Washington as tens of thousands of Egyptians rot in jail and when torture is again the order of the day is a strange way to build a stable strategic relationship,&quot; said Sarah Margon, Washington director of Human Rights Watch.

Egypt&#39;s own watchdog said in a report last year that it raised 266 cases of enforced disappearances with the interior minister.

But Trump&#39;s White House, which hailed the visit as a success, in a statement late Monday applauded Sisi&#39;s &quot;courageous efforts to promote moderate understandings of Islam, and the leaders agreed on the necessity of recognizing the peaceful nature of Islam and Muslims around the world.&quot;

&nbsp;Making peace

The thorny issue of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process was also on the agenda, the White House statement said.

Egypt and Jordan are the only two Arab states to have signed peace treaties with Israel and would likely be considered key players in any renewed peace effort.

Jordan&#39;s King Abdullah will visit the White House on Wednesday, as Trump -- a self-declared expert dealmaker -- looks to make the deal of all deals.

A senior administration official described &quot;very positive discussions&quot; between the US and Egyptian leaders both on Middle East peace and fighting jihadists.

But experts warn that Sisi may be unable to deliver what Trump wants on either dossier.

&quot;Sisi&#39;s brutal repression has made Egypt a mass-production facility for violent extremism,&quot; said Michele Dunne of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Meanwhile, she added, &quot;Egypt&#39;s leadership has become irrelevant to peace efforts in the region.&quot; &nbsp;

(AFP)

The meeting symbolises the Egyptian leader coming in from the cold, after years of being kept at arm's length by Washington

US President Donald Trump set human rights scandals aside to welcome Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to the White House Monday, the first such visit from an Egyptian president in almost a decade. Greeting Sisi warmly in the Oval Office, Trump heaped praise on the former general's leadership as he sought to mend ties strained by crackdowns, revolution and counter-revolution. "You have a great friend and ally in the United States and in me," Trump told Sisi, sweeping aside his predecessor Barack Obama's concerns about Sisi's purge of political opponents and rights activists. The meeting symbolises the Egyptian leader coming in from the cold, after years of being kept at arm's length by Washington. Trump is betting that Egypt can be a partner in achieving two key goals: restarting the Middle East peace process and tackling jihadist groups. "I just want to let everybody know that we are very much behind President al-Sisi -- he has done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation," Trump said. The last time an Egyptian president was at the White House was in 2010, when Hosni Mubarak attended Middle East peace talks alongside Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders. Within months, Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising, as the Arab Spring swept across the region. Obama had angered allies in Egypt's powerful military by putting his finger on the scales, warning them against quashing protests by force. In the months and years that followed, the Egypt-US relationship was strained further as a broadly Islamist and then a ilitary government -- led by Sisi -- took charge. Hundreds of demonstrators were killed and thousands jailed during the accompanying crackdown, prompting Obama to freeze military aid to Egypt -- worth roughly a billion dollars a year. Egypt's pivotal regional role meant that aid was fully reinstated in 2015, but diplomatic relations remained difficult. Common cause The catalyst for Trump and Sisi's friendship has been a common hardline stance against jihadist groups, which Sisi described as "a satanic ideology" during brief remarks at the White House. The former New York property tycoon and the former Egyptian army general, who had no plans for a joint press conference, previously met in September when Trump's campaign was still in full swing. Trump at the time called Sisi a "fantastic guy." Sisi was reportedly the first to call Trump to offer his congratulations on his November election win. In one of several public appearances, Trump gave only the slightest hint of areas of difference. "We have many things in common, We have a few things that we don't agree on," he said. "I think that this is going to be a very productive day." Asked directly whether human rights were discussed, Trump declined to answer. Ahead of the meeting, a senior administration official said the topic would be handled in a "private, more discreet way." "We believe it's the most effective way to advance those issues to a favorable outcome." That stance was slammed by rights groups, who say tens of thousands of opponents have been arrested or are facing criminal charges. "Inviting al-Sisi for an official visit to Washington as tens of thousands of Egyptians rot in jail and when torture is again the order of the day is a strange way to build a stable strategic relationship," said Sarah Margon, Washington director of Human Rights Watch. Egypt's own watchdog said in a report last year that it raised 266 cases of enforced disappearances with the interior minister. But Trump's White House, which hailed the visit as a success, in a statement late Monday applauded Sisi's "courageous efforts to promote moderate understandings of Islam, and the leaders agreed on the necessity of recognizing the peaceful nature of Islam and Muslims around the world." Making peace The thorny issue of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process was also on the agenda, the White House statement said. Egypt and Jordan are the only two Arab states to have signed peace treaties with Israel and would likely be considered key players in any renewed peace effort. Jordan's King Abdullah will visit the White House on Wednesday, as Trump -- a self-declared expert dealmaker -- looks to make the deal of all deals. A senior administration official described "very positive discussions" between the US and Egyptian leaders both on Middle East peace and fighting jihadists. But experts warn that Sisi may be unable to deliver what Trump wants on either dossier. "Sisi's brutal repression has made Egypt a mass-production facility for violent extremism," said Michele Dunne of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Meanwhile, she added, "Egypt's leadership has become irrelevant to peace efforts in the region." (AFP)

In landmark meeting, Trump hails Sisi's 'fantastic job' in Egypt

North Korea is close to developing nuclear weaponry and will use it at the first sign of threat, according to the most high-profile Pyongyang diplomat to have defected in the last two decades.

Thae Yong Ho, who defected from the regime last year, told NBC News&#39; Lester Holt that the current dictator Kim Jong-Un would not hesitate to strike the United States with a nuclear weapon or an intercontinential ballistic missile (ICBM).

Thae said Kim was &quot;desperate in maintaining his rule by relying on nuclear weapons and ICBM&quot;.&nbsp;

Although Thae was not directly involved with the nuclear weapon programme, he said North Korea had reached a &quot;very significant level of nuclear development&quot;.

&quot;Once he (Kim) sees that there is a kind of sign of a tank or an imminent threat from America, then he would use his nuclear weapons with ICBM,&quot; Thae said.

Thae was serving as North Korea&#39;s deputy ambassador to the United Nations in London before he and his family defected to South Korea last August.&nbsp;

North Korea has claimed it has conducted five successful nuclear tests, twice in 2016 alone.

Some analysts reckon that North Korea has at least eight nuclear weapons, but the country has yet to successfully test-fire an ICBM capable of striking the United States.

But North Korea leader Kim had earlier this year said that they were ready to test-fire an ICBM &quot;at any time, at any place&quot;.

Pyongyang has defied multiple UN sanctions aimed to curtail their nuclear programme. Since coming to power five years back, Kim has bolstered the alienated nation&#39;s nuclear programme and increased the number of test-fires of various rockets.

Thae, in the interview with the US broadcaster, said he believed the only way to rein in North Korea would be to eliminate its leader.

While US President Donald Trump has vowed to take strict action against North Korea, Pyongyang has continued to thumb its nose by test-firing rockets.

Recently, Trump asked for China&#39;s help in curbing North Korea, but declared that even if they didn&#39;t, Washington would &quot;solve&quot; the protracted issue by themselves.

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

A former North Korea diplomat said 'desperate' North leader Kim would not hesitate to attack US if there was a 'threat'

North Korea is close to developing nuclear weaponry and will use it at the first sign of threat, according to the most high-profile Pyongyang diplomat to have defected in the last two decades. Thae Yong Ho, who defected from the regime last year, told NBC News' Lester Holt that the current dictator Kim Jong-Un would not hesitate to strike the United States with a nuclear weapon or an intercontinential ballistic missile (ICBM). Thae said Kim was "desperate in maintaining his rule by relying on nuclear weapons and ICBM". Although Thae was not directly involved with the nuclear weapon programme, he said North Korea had reached a "very significant level of nuclear development". "Once he (Kim) sees that there is a kind of sign of a tank or an imminent threat from America, then he would use his nuclear weapons with ICBM," Thae said. Thae was serving as North Korea's deputy ambassador to the United Nations in London before he and his family defected to South Korea last August. North Korea has claimed it has conducted five successful nuclear tests, twice in 2016 alone. Some analysts reckon that North Korea has at least eight nuclear weapons, but the country has yet to successfully test-fire an ICBM capable of striking the United States. But North Korea leader Kim had earlier this year said that they were ready to test-fire an ICBM "at any time, at any place". Pyongyang has defied multiple UN sanctions aimed to curtail their nuclear programme. Since coming to power five years back, Kim has bolstered the alienated nation's nuclear programme and increased the number of test-fires of various rockets. Thae, in the interview with the US broadcaster, said he believed the only way to rein in North Korea would be to eliminate its leader. While US President Donald Trump has vowed to take strict action against North Korea, Pyongyang has continued to thumb its nose by test-firing rockets. Recently, Trump asked for China's help in curbing North Korea, but declared that even if they didn't, Washington would "solve" the protracted issue by themselves. (WION)

North Korea capable of striking US with nuclear weapons: Defector

US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a repeal of Obama-era broadband privacy rules, the White House said, a victory for internet service providers and a blow to privacy advocates.

Republicans in Congress last week narrowly passed the repeal of the privacy rules with no Democratic support and over the strong objections of privacy advocates.

The signing, disclosed in White House statement late on Monday, follows strong criticism of the bill, which is a win for AT&amp;T Inc , Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc .

The bill repeals regulations adopted in October by the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama administration requiring internet service providers to do more to protect customers&#39; privacy than websites like Alphabet Inc&#39;s Google or Facebook Inc .

The rules had not yet taken effect but would have required internet providers to obtain consumer consent before using precise geolocation, financial information, health information, children&#39;s information and web browsing history for advertising and marketing.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai praised the repeal in a statement late on Monday for having &ldquo;appropriately invalidated one part of the Obama-era plan for regulating the internet.&quot; Those flawed privacy rules, which never went into effect, were designed to benefit one group of favoured companies, not online consumers.&quot;

Pai said the FCC would work with the Federal Trade Commission, which oversees websites, to restore the &quot;FTC&rsquo;s authority to police internet service providers&rsquo; privacy practices.&quot;

Republican FCC commissioners have said the Obama rules would unfairly give websites the ability to harvest more data than internet service providers.

The action is the latest in a string of reversals of Obama administration rules. On Monday, the FCC reversed a requirement that Charter Communications Inc extend broadband service to 1 million homes that already have a high-speed provider.

On Friday, Comcast, Verizon AT&amp;T Inc said they would voluntarily not sell customers&rsquo; individual internet browsing information.

Verizon does not sell personal web browsing histories and has no plans to do so but the company said it has two advertising programs that use &quot;de-identified&quot; customer browsing data, including one that uses &quot;aggregate insights that might be useful for advertisers and other businesses.&quot;

The American Civil Liberties Union said last month Congress should have opposed &quot;industry pressure to put profits over privacy&quot; and added &quot;most Americans believe that their sensitive internet information should be closely guarded.&quot;

Trade group USTelecom Chief Executive Jonathan Spalter in a statement praised Trump for &quot;stopping rules that would have created a confusing and conflicting consumer privacy framework.&quot;

Last week, 46 Senate Democrats urged Trump not to sign the bill, arguing most Americans &quot;believe that their private information should be just that.&quot;&nbsp;

Republicans later this year are expected to move to overturn net neutrality provisions that in 2015 reclassified broadband providers and treated them like a public utility - a move that is expected to spark an even bigger fight.

(Reuters)

The bill repeals regulations?requiring internet service providers to do more to protect customers' privacy

US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a repeal of Obama-era broadband privacy rules, the White House said, a victory for internet service providers and a blow to privacy advocates. Republicans in Congress last week narrowly passed the repeal of the privacy rules with no Democratic support and over the strong objections of privacy advocates. The signing, disclosed in White House statement late on Monday, follows strong criticism of the bill, which is a win for AT&T Inc , Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc . The bill repeals regulations adopted in October by the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama administration requiring internet service providers to do more to protect customers' privacy than websites like Alphabet Inc's Google or Facebook Inc . The rules had not yet taken effect but would have required internet providers to obtain consumer consent before using precise geolocation, financial information, health information, children's information and web browsing history for advertising and marketing. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai praised the repeal in a statement late on Monday for having “appropriately invalidated one part of the Obama-era plan for regulating the internet." Those flawed privacy rules, which never went into effect, were designed to benefit one group of favoured companies, not online consumers." Pai said the FCC would work with the Federal Trade Commission, which oversees websites, to restore the "FTC’s authority to police internet service providers’ privacy practices." Republican FCC commissioners have said the Obama rules would unfairly give websites the ability to harvest more data than internet service providers. The action is the latest in a string of reversals of Obama administration rules. On Monday, the FCC reversed a requirement that Charter Communications Inc extend broadband service to 1 million homes that already have a high-speed provider. On Friday, Comcast, Verizon AT&T Inc said they would voluntarily not sell customers’ individual internet browsing information. Verizon does not sell personal web browsing histories and has no plans to do so but the company said it has two advertising programs that use "de-identified" customer browsing data, including one that uses "aggregate insights that might be useful for advertisers and other businesses." The American Civil Liberties Union said last month Congress should have opposed "industry pressure to put profits over privacy" and added "most Americans believe that their sensitive internet information should be closely guarded." Trade group USTelecom Chief Executive Jonathan Spalter in a statement praised Trump for "stopping rules that would have created a confusing and conflicting consumer privacy framework." Last week, 46 Senate Democrats urged Trump not to sign the bill, arguing most Americans "believe that their private information should be just that." Republicans later this year are expected to move to overturn net neutrality provisions that in 2015 reclassified broadband providers and treated them like a public utility - a move that is expected to spark an even bigger fight. (Reuters)

Trump signs bill repealing US broadband privacy rules

The US Department of Homeland Security announced steps on Monday to prevent the fraudulent use of H1B visas, used by employers to bring in specialised foreign workers temporarily, which appeared to fall short of President Donald Trump&#39;s campaign promises to overhaul the programme.

A White House official said Trump may still do more on the programme.&nbsp;

Trump had promised to end the lottery system for H1B visas, which gives each applicant an equal chance at 65,000 positions each year.

Lobbyists for businesses who rely on H1B visas, commonly used by the tech sector, had expected Trump to upend the lottery in favour of a system that prioritised workers who are highly skilled and would be highly paid in the United States.

The lottery for fiscal year 2018 opened on Monday without changes.

The start of the lottery was seen by those watching the issue as the unofficial deadline for the Trump administration to enact H1B visa reform, and the failure to meet that deadline signals that Trump`s promised overhaul of the system may be off the table or long delayed.&nbsp;

&quot;More oversight is a good start, but employers can still use the programme legally to depress wages and replace American workers. That falls short of the promises President Trump made to protect American workers,&quot; said Peter Robbio, a spokesman for Numbers USA, a Washington-based group that advocates for limiting immigration into the United States.&nbsp;

The Trump administration has taken other steps to crack down on H1B visa abuse, such as issuing a Justice Department warning to employers and announcing plans to increase transparency on applicants.

&quot;These are important first steps to bring more accountability and transparency to the H1B system,&quot; a White House official said.&nbsp; 
&quot;The administration is considering several additional options for the president to use his existing authority to ensure federal agencies more rigorously enforce all aspects of the programme.&quot;

Tech companies rely on the programme to bring in workers with special skills and have lobbied for an expansion of the number of H1B visas awarded.&nbsp;

Proponents of limiting legal immigration, including Trump`s senior adviser Stephen Miller, have argued the programme gives jobs that Americans could fill to foreign workers at a less expensive cost.&nbsp;

The measures announced by DHS on Monday focus on site visits by US authorities to employers who use H1B visas.&nbsp;

In future site visits, US Citizenship and Immigration Services agents will investigate incidents where an employer&#39;s basic business information cannot be validated; businesses that have a high ratio of H1B employees compared with US workers; and employers petitioning for H1B workers who work off-site.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

The department of homeland security said the measures were meant to prevent the fraudulent use of the programme

The US Department of Homeland Security announced steps on Monday to prevent the fraudulent use of H1B visas, used by employers to bring in specialised foreign workers temporarily, which appeared to fall short of President Donald Trump's campaign promises to overhaul the programme. A White House official said Trump may still do more on the programme. Trump had promised to end the lottery system for H1B visas, which gives each applicant an equal chance at 65,000 positions each year. Lobbyists for businesses who rely on H1B visas, commonly used by the tech sector, had expected Trump to upend the lottery in favour of a system that prioritised workers who are highly skilled and would be highly paid in the United States. The lottery for fiscal year 2018 opened on Monday without changes. The start of the lottery was seen by those watching the issue as the unofficial deadline for the Trump administration to enact H1B visa reform, and the failure to meet that deadline signals that Trump`s promised overhaul of the system may be off the table or long delayed. "More oversight is a good start, but employers can still use the programme legally to depress wages and replace American workers. That falls short of the promises President Trump made to protect American workers," said Peter Robbio, a spokesman for Numbers USA, a Washington-based group that advocates for limiting immigration into the United States. The Trump administration has taken other steps to crack down on H1B visa abuse, such as issuing a Justice Department warning to employers and announcing plans to increase transparency on applicants. "These are important first steps to bring more accountability and transparency to the H1B system," a White House official said. "The administration is considering several additional options for the president to use his existing authority to ensure federal agencies more rigorously enforce all aspects of the programme." Tech companies rely on the programme to bring in workers with special skills and have lobbied for an expansion of the number of H1B visas awarded. Proponents of limiting legal immigration, including Trump`s senior adviser Stephen Miller, have argued the programme gives jobs that Americans could fill to foreign workers at a less expensive cost. The measures announced by DHS on Monday focus on site visits by US authorities to employers who use H1B visas. In future site visits, US Citizenship and Immigration Services agents will investigate incidents where an employer's basic business information cannot be validated; businesses that have a high ratio of H1B employees compared with US workers; and employers petitioning for H1B workers who work off-site. (Reuters)

US begins crackdown on H1B visa programme

US President Donald Trump has said the US will eliminate the nuclear threat from North Korea alone, if China does not help.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Well if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you,&rdquo; Mr Trump said.&nbsp;

&ldquo;China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won&rsquo;t. If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they don&rsquo;t, it won&rsquo;t be good for anyone,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;

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<h5>The Financial Times reported Mr Trump as saying it was &#39;totally&#39; possible for the US to tackle North Korea without China</h5>
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Trump&#39;s comments were made at the White House to the the Financial Times newspaper.&nbsp;

Chinese President Xi Jinping will be visiting the United States this week.&nbsp;

The Financial Times reported Mr Trump as saying it was &ldquo;totally&rdquo; possible for the US to tackle North Korea without China.&nbsp;

It added that when he was asked if that meant dealing with Pyongyang one on one, he said: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have to say any more. Totally.&rdquo;&nbsp;

&ldquo;There is a real possibility that North Korea will be able to hit the US with a nuclear-armed missile by the end of the first Trump term,&rdquo; the Financial Times reported deputy White House national security adviser KT McFarland as saying to it in a separate interview.&nbsp;

(WION)

'Well if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you,' he told the Financial Times newspaper

US President Donald Trump has said the US will eliminate the nuclear threat from North Korea alone, if China does not help. “Well if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you,” Mr Trump said. “China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won’t. If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they don’t, it won’t be good for anyone,” he added. The Financial Times reported Mr Trump as saying it was 'totally' possible for the US to tackle North Korea without China × Trump's comments were made at the White House to the the Financial Times newspaper. Chinese President Xi Jinping will be visiting the United States this week. The Financial Times reported Mr Trump as saying it was “totally” possible for the US to tackle North Korea without China. It added that when he was asked if that meant dealing with Pyongyang one on one, he said: “I don’t have to say any more. Totally.” “There is a real possibility that North Korea will be able to hit the US with a nuclear-armed missile by the end of the first Trump term,” the Financial Times reported deputy White House national security adviser KT McFarland as saying to it in a separate interview. (WION)

Trump says US will eliminate nuclear threat from North Korea alone

United States President Donald Trump Friday doubled down on his promise to tackle the substantial trade deficit by signing two executive orders and shooting a stern warning to countries or companies who have &quot;stolen factories&quot; from the country.

Calling countries contributing to the US&#39; burgeoning trade deficit as &quot;cheaters&quot;, Trump said: &quot;From now on those who break the rules will face the consequences, and there will be very severe consequences.&quot;

&quot;Thousands of factories have been stolen from our country, but these voiceless Americans now have a voice in the White House,&quot; the 70-year-old president said.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross also pinpointed China as the primary source of the US economy&#39;s bugbear, a week before Trump is due to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Ross also listed a dozen other countries responsible for the lopsided trade deals. Among them were:&nbsp;Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

But the Commerce Secretary stopped short of calling all countries as &quot;evildoers&quot; and reasoned that the new order would not necessarily trigger retaliatory action against them.

Trade reset&nbsp;

In a second executive order Trump asked the government to better recover trade duties on products that are subsidised by foreign governments or dumped on the US market.

The order, Trump said, would &quot;ensure that we fully collect all duties imposed on important importers that cheat. They are cheaters.&quot;

The proposals being considered by US customs officials could impose more substantial bonding requirements at the border or examine products&#39; risk more stringently.

Listing various problem areas, Trump advisor Peter Navarro said: &quot;This is a big deal. It&#39;s steel, chemicals, agricultural products, machinery -- it&#39;s the whole gambit.&quot;

WTO head Roberto Azevedo said there was a need for clarity on US trade policy, to see how public declarations translate into policy.

&quot;It is difficult to predict and speculate about what US trade policy will be. It&#39;s a very important country, one which the whole world has its eyes on.&quot;

In a sign of brewing unease, Germany on Friday protested over planned US punitive anti-dumping duties on steel plate products from companies in that country and half a dozen others.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel charged the step breached global trade rules and unfairly disadvantaged suppliers in Germany, as well as in Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

Italy also voiced alarm, amid fears that products like Vespa scooters could be hit by punitive duties.

&quot;Trump declares war on the Vespa&quot; said a headline in national daily Il Messaggero, reflecting the tone of most of the media coverage on an issue that dominated front pages and topped news bulletins.

Navarro insisted the new measures would fall within rules at the World Trade Organization, where some might see the United States erecting a technical barrier to trade.

&quot;There is no issue here,&quot; he said. &quot;We&#39;ve been collecting these duties -- we just haven&#39;t been doing it very well. The WTO is silent on the issue of incompetence.&quot;

The US Chamber of Commerce gave the orders a qualified welcome.

&quot;The Chamber supports strong enforcement of trade rules and agreements, as long as such enforcement is based on facts and the proper interpretation of those facts and not politics,&quot; said CEO Thomas Donohue.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Washington also included India as one of the countries that were contributing to US' economic problem

United States President Donald Trump Friday doubled down on his promise to tackle the substantial trade deficit by signing two executive orders and shooting a stern warning to countries or companies who have "stolen factories" from the country. Calling countries contributing to the US' burgeoning trade deficit as "cheaters", Trump said: "From now on those who break the rules will face the consequences, and there will be very severe consequences." "Thousands of factories have been stolen from our country, but these voiceless Americans now have a voice in the White House," the 70-year-old president said. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross also pinpointed China as the primary source of the US economy's bugbear, a week before Trump is due to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Ross also listed a dozen other countries responsible for the lopsided trade deals. Among them were: Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. But the Commerce Secretary stopped short of calling all countries as "evildoers" and reasoned that the new order would not necessarily trigger retaliatory action against them. Trade reset In a second executive order Trump asked the government to better recover trade duties on products that are subsidised by foreign governments or dumped on the US market. The order, Trump said, would "ensure that we fully collect all duties imposed on important importers that cheat. They are cheaters." The proposals being considered by US customs officials could impose more substantial bonding requirements at the border or examine products' risk more stringently. Listing various problem areas, Trump advisor Peter Navarro said: "This is a big deal. It's steel, chemicals, agricultural products, machinery -- it's the whole gambit." WTO head Roberto Azevedo said there was a need for clarity on US trade policy, to see how public declarations translate into policy. "It is difficult to predict and speculate about what US trade policy will be. It's a very important country, one which the whole world has its eyes on." In a sign of brewing unease, Germany on Friday protested over planned US punitive anti-dumping duties on steel plate products from companies in that country and half a dozen others. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel charged the step breached global trade rules and unfairly disadvantaged suppliers in Germany, as well as in Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Italy also voiced alarm, amid fears that products like Vespa scooters could be hit by punitive duties. "Trump declares war on the Vespa" said a headline in national daily Il Messaggero, reflecting the tone of most of the media coverage on an issue that dominated front pages and topped news bulletins. Navarro insisted the new measures would fall within rules at the World Trade Organization, where some might see the United States erecting a technical barrier to trade. "There is no issue here," he said. "We've been collecting these duties -- we just haven't been doing it very well. The WTO is silent on the issue of incompetence." The US Chamber of Commerce gave the orders a qualified welcome. "The Chamber supports strong enforcement of trade rules and agreements, as long as such enforcement is based on facts and the proper interpretation of those facts and not politics," said CEO Thomas Donohue. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Trump aims to root out 'cheaters' to combat burgeoning trade deficit

President Donald Trump&#39;s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has discussed with congressional committees giving testimony in their investigations of potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, his lawyer said on Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal, citing officials with knowledge of the matter, reported on Thursday that Flynn had sought immunity from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the House and Senate intelligence panels in exchange for his testimony. The newspaper said he had so far found no takers.

The House of Representatives panel denied the Journal report. &quot;Michael Flynn has not offered to testify to HPSCI in exchange for immunity,&quot; committee spokesman Jack Langer said in a statement.

The FBI declined to comment. The Senate committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Flynn was fired in February as national security adviser for failing to disclose talks with Russia&#39;s ambassador about US&nbsp;sanctions on Moscow. The talks occurred before Trump took office in January.

Flynn&#39;s lawyer, Robert Kelner, confirmed in a statement that his client had held discussions with the House and Senate intelligence committees. His statement did not mention the FBI.

He said Flynn &quot;is now the target of unsubstantiated public demands by Members of Congress and other political critics that he be criminally investigated.&quot;

Kelner said Flynn would not &quot;submit to questioning in such a highly politicised, witch hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution.&quot;The FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees are investigating allegations that Russians hacked Democratic Party computers and publicly disclosed the information in a bid to tip the November presidential election in favour of Trump, whose views were seen as more in line with the Moscow&#39;s.

They are also looking into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russians.

Read Kelner&#39;s full statement below:

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Gen. Mike Flynn want to testify and &quot;has a story to tell&quot; per his attorney&#39;s statement, but he wants immunity now to do it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlynnFlipped?src=hash">#FlynnFlipped</a> <a href="https://t.co/29FuW6fI3y">pic.twitter.com/29FuW6fI3y</a>
&mdash; Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) <a href="https://twitter.com/girlsreallyrule/status/847617322114195458">March 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Independent Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN he could not confirm the Journal report, but &quot;if that turns out to be the case, that&#39;s a significant development I believe because it indicates that he has something important to say&rdquo;.

In September, Flynn commented on immunity on NBC&#39;s &quot;Meet the Press&quot; regarding Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her team under FBI investigation into her use of a private email server.

&quot;When you are given immunity, that means you have probably committed a crime,&quot; Flynn had said. Before the 2016 US election, at Trump rallies Flynn repeatedly led &quot;lock&nbsp;her up&quot; chants&nbsp;about Hillary Clinton.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WeBdI0ciLQk" width="560"></iframe>

In the above clip Flynn says, &quot;If I had done a tenth of what she [Clinton] did, I would be in jail today&quot;.

In October 2016, Flynn continued to characterise the Clinton email scandal, which cleared her of any wrongdoing, as &quot;high crime&quot; and &quot;far bigger than Watergate&quot;.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThrowbackThursday?src=hash">#ThrowbackThursday</a>: Gen. Mike Flynn in October... <a href="https://t.co/CvytW5BiiR">pic.twitter.com/CvytW5BiiR</a>
&mdash; Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) <a href="https://twitter.com/RVAwonk/status/847654926356430849">March 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Associated Press reports that in the weeks after his&nbsp;resignation, Flynn and his business registered with the Justice Department as foreign agents for $530,000 worth of lobbying work that could have benefited the Turkish government.

The lobbying had occurred while Flynn was a top Trump campaign adviser. The Turkish businessman who hired Flynn, Ekim Alptekin, has told the Associated Press&nbsp;that Flynn&#39;s firm registered under pressure from the Justice Department.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Flynn resigned after he got caught lying, even to the vice president, about discussing anti-Kremlin sanctions with Russia's ambassador

President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has discussed with congressional committees giving testimony in their investigations of potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, his lawyer said on Thursday. The Wall Street Journal, citing officials with knowledge of the matter, reported on Thursday that Flynn had sought immunity from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the House and Senate intelligence panels in exchange for his testimony. The newspaper said he had so far found no takers. The House of Representatives panel denied the Journal report. "Michael Flynn has not offered to testify to HPSCI in exchange for immunity," committee spokesman Jack Langer said in a statement. The FBI declined to comment. The Senate committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Flynn was fired in February as national security adviser for failing to disclose talks with Russia's ambassador about US sanctions on Moscow. The talks occurred before Trump took office in January. Flynn's lawyer, Robert Kelner, confirmed in a statement that his client had held discussions with the House and Senate intelligence committees. His statement did not mention the FBI. He said Flynn "is now the target of unsubstantiated public demands by Members of Congress and other political critics that he be criminally investigated." Kelner said Flynn would not "submit to questioning in such a highly politicised, witch hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution."The FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees are investigating allegations that Russians hacked Democratic Party computers and publicly disclosed the information in a bid to tip the November presidential election in favour of Trump, whose views were seen as more in line with the Moscow's. They are also looking into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russians. Read Kelner's full statement below: Gen. Mike Flynn want to testify and "has a story to tell" per his attorney's statement, but he wants immunity now to do it. #FlynnFlipped pic.twitter.com/29FuW6fI3y — Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) March 31, 2017 × Independent Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN he could not confirm the Journal report, but "if that turns out to be the case, that's a significant development I believe because it indicates that he has something important to say”. In September, Flynn commented on immunity on NBC's "Meet the Press" regarding Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her team under FBI investigation into her use of a private email server. "When you are given immunity, that means you have probably committed a crime," Flynn had said. Before the 2016 US election, at Trump rallies Flynn repeatedly led "lock her up" chants about Hillary Clinton. In the above clip Flynn says, "If I had done a tenth of what she [Clinton] did, I would be in jail today". In October 2016, Flynn continued to characterise the Clinton email scandal, which cleared her of any wrongdoing, as "high crime" and "far bigger than Watergate". #ThrowbackThursday: Gen. Mike Flynn in October... pic.twitter.com/CvytW5BiiR — Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) March 31, 2017 × The Associated Press reports that in the weeks after his resignation, Flynn and his business registered with the Justice Department as foreign agents for $530,000 worth of lobbying work that could have benefited the Turkish government. The lobbying had occurred while Flynn was a top Trump campaign adviser. The Turkish businessman who hired Flynn, Ekim Alptekin, has told the Associated Press that Flynn's firm registered under pressure from the Justice Department. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Trump's ex-National Security Chief Flynn talking to Congress about testifying in Russia probe: Lawyer

The big data company credited with helping Donald Trump win the US&nbsp;presidency has registered a company in Australia and plans to meet the country&#39;s ruling conservative Liberal Party next week, according to documents and a government official.

Cambridge Analytica, which has also said its &quot;psychographic&quot; methods helped the successful campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, has registered an Australian office at a property currently being redeveloped in the Sydney beachfront suburb of Maroubra, corporate filings show.

The presence of Cambridge Analytica in Australia underscores its efforts to capitalise on two high profile successes in the past year and enlarge its footprint in established Western democracies.

The person named in filings as the only shareholder of Cambridge Analytica&#39;s Australian operation, Allan Lorraine, confirmed in a telephone call he was working with the firm but declined to comment further.

Cambridge Analytica&#39;s US&nbsp;head office declined an interview request with the company&#39;s global chief executive officer, Alexander Nix, to discuss its Australian plans.

Nix is scheduled to speak at an Australian data analytics conference next week and will be meeting officials from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull&#39;s Liberal Party.

&quot;Senior Liberals will be talking to Mr Nix and the Cambridge Analytica team while they&#39;re out here in Australia, and will be interested to talk with them about their capacities and what they&#39;re offering people in the Australian political system,&quot; said Tony Nutt, party&#39;s federal director.

The main opposition Labor Party declined to comment.

&nbsp;

MICROTARGETING VOTERS

Cambridge Analytica says it uses &quot;behavioural microtargeting&quot;, or combining analysis of people&#39;s personalities with demographics, to predict and influence mass behaviour. It says it has data on 220 million Americans, two thirds of the population.

Its London-based parent company, consumer researcher SCL Group Ltd, says it formed Cambridge Analytica in 2013 to work on the US&nbsp;election. Cambridge Analytica worked for the campaign of failed Republican candidate Ted Cruz before signing on with Trump.

Although it has a population of only 24 million, Australia offers high sales volumes for companies which make money from elections. It has federal elections every three years, among the shortest election cycles of developed nations, and is one of the only countries with compulsory voting enforced by fines at federal, state and local government level.

The Australian arm of Cambridge Analytica has so far lodged no financial disclosures, according to regulatory records, suggesting it has not traded in the country despite being established before the federal election in 2016 and several state elections.

While profiling would-be voters and targeting messaging is nothing new, Cambridge Analytica achieved a degree of notoriety after media reports revealed the extent of its data gathering and apparent effectiveness.

&quot;It is scary how accurate the information is you can glean from publicly available data,&quot; said Bela Stantic, an information technology professor who runs the Big Data and Smart Analytics laboratory at Griffith University in Australia.

&nbsp;

DIFFERENT MARKET

Still, Australian election analysts questioned whether Cambridge Analytica&#39;s model, which involves analysing people&#39;s voting and party registration history, as well as social media profiles and other data, would work in Australia.

Most Australians do not register for political parties and voting histories are not recorded, while the country&#39;s compulsory voting system also weakens the power of campaigns aimed at encouraging - or discouraging - certain demographic groups to vote.

&quot;They might find it useful but still most political professionals in this country would be of the view that campaigns are not about motivating people to vote, it&#39;s about banging the same message long enough that those who aren&#39;t interested hear it,&quot; said Antony Green, election analyst at the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Alex Oliver, director of the polling program at non-partisan think tank the Lowy Institute, said Australian law required organisations to disclose the source of political advertising.

&quot;I&#39;d be concerned about the intentions and bona fides of a commercial organisation which claimed to have influenced important elections through audience targeting and psychological manipulation,&quot; Oliver said in an email.

&quot;That practice, if indeed it could be achieved, would impinge on the proper functioning of a democratic system.&quot;

(Reuters)

Cambridge Analytica, whose 'psychographic' methods helped the Trump & Brexit campaign, wants to enlarge its footprint in Western democracies

The big data company credited with helping Donald Trump win the US presidency has registered a company in Australia and plans to meet the country's ruling conservative Liberal Party next week, according to documents and a government official. Cambridge Analytica, which has also said its "psychographic" methods helped the successful campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, has registered an Australian office at a property currently being redeveloped in the Sydney beachfront suburb of Maroubra, corporate filings show. The presence of Cambridge Analytica in Australia underscores its efforts to capitalise on two high profile successes in the past year and enlarge its footprint in established Western democracies. The person named in filings as the only shareholder of Cambridge Analytica's Australian operation, Allan Lorraine, confirmed in a telephone call he was working with the firm but declined to comment further. Cambridge Analytica's US head office declined an interview request with the company's global chief executive officer, Alexander Nix, to discuss its Australian plans. Nix is scheduled to speak at an Australian data analytics conference next week and will be meeting officials from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Liberal Party. "Senior Liberals will be talking to Mr Nix and the Cambridge Analytica team while they're out here in Australia, and will be interested to talk with them about their capacities and what they're offering people in the Australian political system," said Tony Nutt, party's federal director. The main opposition Labor Party declined to comment. MICROTARGETING VOTERS Cambridge Analytica says it uses "behavioural microtargeting", or combining analysis of people's personalities with demographics, to predict and influence mass behaviour. It says it has data on 220 million Americans, two thirds of the population. Its London-based parent company, consumer researcher SCL Group Ltd, says it formed Cambridge Analytica in 2013 to work on the US election. Cambridge Analytica worked for the campaign of failed Republican candidate Ted Cruz before signing on with Trump. Although it has a population of only 24 million, Australia offers high sales volumes for companies which make money from elections. It has federal elections every three years, among the shortest election cycles of developed nations, and is one of the only countries with compulsory voting enforced by fines at federal, state and local government level. The Australian arm of Cambridge Analytica has so far lodged no financial disclosures, according to regulatory records, suggesting it has not traded in the country despite being established before the federal election in 2016 and several state elections. While profiling would-be voters and targeting messaging is nothing new, Cambridge Analytica achieved a degree of notoriety after media reports revealed the extent of its data gathering and apparent effectiveness. "It is scary how accurate the information is you can glean from publicly available data," said Bela Stantic, an information technology professor who runs the Big Data and Smart Analytics laboratory at Griffith University in Australia. DIFFERENT MARKET Still, Australian election analysts questioned whether Cambridge Analytica's model, which involves analysing people's voting and party registration history, as well as social media profiles and other data, would work in Australia. Most Australians do not register for political parties and voting histories are not recorded, while the country's compulsory voting system also weakens the power of campaigns aimed at encouraging - or discouraging - certain demographic groups to vote. "They might find it useful but still most political professionals in this country would be of the view that campaigns are not about motivating people to vote, it's about banging the same message long enough that those who aren't interested hear it," said Antony Green, election analyst at the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Alex Oliver, director of the polling program at non-partisan think tank the Lowy Institute, said Australian law required organisations to disclose the source of political advertising. "I'd be concerned about the intentions and bona fides of a commercial organisation which claimed to have influenced important elections through audience targeting and psychological manipulation," Oliver said in an email. "That practice, if indeed it could be achieved, would impinge on the proper functioning of a democratic system." (Reuters)

Trump's 'big data' consultant to meet Australian government

Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to the United States to meet President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida on April 6-7, China&#39;s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, its first official confirmation of the highly anticipated summit.

It will be Xi&#39;s first meeting with Trump, whose presidency began on January&nbsp;20, and comes as the two sides face pressing issues, ranging from North Korea and the South China Sea to trade disputes.

Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the announcement at a daily news briefing.

Beijing had previously said that preparatory work for the meeting was underway. But it had not yet confirmed the trip, despite western media reports on a scheduled meeting and an announcement by the Finnish government that Xi would make a brief stop in Finland on April 5.

The summit will follow a string of other recent US-China meetings and conversations aimed at mending ties after strong criticism of China by Trump during his election campaign.

US&nbsp;Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended a trip to Asia this month in Beijing, agreeing to work together with China on North Korea and stressing Trump&#39;s desire to enhance understanding.

China has been irritated at being repeatedly told by Washington to rein in North Korea&#39;s nuclear and missile programmes and by the US&nbsp;decision to base an advanced missile defence system in South Korea.

Beijing is also deeply suspicious of US&nbsp;intentions towards self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own.

During his election campaign, Trump accused China of unfair trade policies, criticised its island-building in the strategic South China Sea, and accused it of doing too little to constrain North Korea.

Trump also incensed Beijing in December by taking a phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and later saying the United States did not have to stick to the so-called &quot;one China&quot; policy.

He later agreed in a phone call with Xi to honour the long-standing policy and has also written to Xi since seeking &quot;constructive ties.&quot;

(Reuters)

It will be Xi's first meeting with Trump, and comes as both sides face issues like trade disputes, North Korea and the South China Sea

Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to the United States to meet President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida on April 6-7, China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, its first official confirmation of the highly anticipated summit. It will be Xi's first meeting with Trump, whose presidency began on January 20, and comes as the two sides face pressing issues, ranging from North Korea and the South China Sea to trade disputes. Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the announcement at a daily news briefing. Beijing had previously said that preparatory work for the meeting was underway. But it had not yet confirmed the trip, despite western media reports on a scheduled meeting and an announcement by the Finnish government that Xi would make a brief stop in Finland on April 5. The summit will follow a string of other recent US-China meetings and conversations aimed at mending ties after strong criticism of China by Trump during his election campaign. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended a trip to Asia this month in Beijing, agreeing to work together with China on North Korea and stressing Trump's desire to enhance understanding. China has been irritated at being repeatedly told by Washington to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes and by the US decision to base an advanced missile defence system in South Korea. Beijing is also deeply suspicious of US intentions towards self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own. During his election campaign, Trump accused China of unfair trade policies, criticised its island-building in the strategic South China Sea, and accused it of doing too little to constrain North Korea. Trump also incensed Beijing in December by taking a phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and later saying the United States did not have to stick to the so-called "one China" policy. He later agreed in a phone call with Xi to honour the long-standing policy and has also written to Xi since seeking "constructive ties." (Reuters)

China's Xi to meet Trump next week in Mar-a-Lago, Florida

The White House has granted the US &nbsp;military broader authority to carry out strikes in Somalia against al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

Last Friday, the head of US &nbsp;forces in Africa said that greater ability to fight the militants would lead to more flexibility and quicker targeting.

Al Shabaab has been able to carry out deadly bombings despite losing most of its territory to African Union peacekeepers supporting the Somali government.

The group&#39;s insurgency aims to drive out the peacekeepers, topple Somalia&#39;s western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam on the Horn of Africa state.

The United States has a small presence in Somalia and is allowed to carry out strikes in defence of partnered forces.

Two US &nbsp;defence officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said parts of Somalia had been declared an &quot;area of active hostilities&quot; for at least 180 days by the White House on Wednesday night. The capital of Mogadishu was not included.

This broader authority would allow the United States to carry out offensive strikes against al Shabaab militants even if the militants were not attacking partnered forces, the officials said.

In a statement, the Pentagon said President Donald Trump had approved a request for &quot;additional precision fired in support of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali security forces.&quot;

&quot;The additional support provided by this authority will help deny al-Shabaab safe havens from which it could attack US &nbsp;citizens or US &nbsp;interests in the region,&quot; Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said in the statement.

(Reuters)

The United States has a small presence in Somalia and is allowed to carry out strikes in defence of partnered forces

The White House has granted the US military broader authority to carry out strikes in Somalia against al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants, the Pentagon said on Thursday. Last Friday, the head of US forces in Africa said that greater ability to fight the militants would lead to more flexibility and quicker targeting. Al Shabaab has been able to carry out deadly bombings despite losing most of its territory to African Union peacekeepers supporting the Somali government. The group's insurgency aims to drive out the peacekeepers, topple Somalia's western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam on the Horn of Africa state. The United States has a small presence in Somalia and is allowed to carry out strikes in defence of partnered forces. Two US defence officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said parts of Somalia had been declared an "area of active hostilities" for at least 180 days by the White House on Wednesday night. The capital of Mogadishu was not included. This broader authority would allow the United States to carry out offensive strikes against al Shabaab militants even if the militants were not attacking partnered forces, the officials said. In a statement, the Pentagon said President Donald Trump had approved a request for "additional precision fired in support of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali security forces." "The additional support provided by this authority will help deny al-Shabaab safe havens from which it could attack US citizens or US interests in the region," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said in the statement. (Reuters)

Trump grants US military more authority to attack militants in Somalia

First daughter Ivanka Trump is about to take on another title as an unpaid adviser to her father President Donald Trump, the White House announced on Wednesday.

Ivanka, whose husband Jared Kushner also works as a senior aide to the president, will not receive a salary for her work as a federal employee. Kushner, a real estate developer, is also unpaid.

Both are the children of billionaire real estate tycoons, and neither of them have ever held a position in politics before becoming top White House advisers.

Trump once tried to squash early rumours, from after he won the election but before he took office in January 2017,&nbsp;that he was trying to get top-level security clearance for his children, calling it a &quot;typically false news story&quot;.

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I am not trying to get &quot;top level security clearance&quot; for my children. This was a typically false news story.
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/798850338384023552">November 16, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

&quot;We are pleased that Ivanka Trump has chosen to take this step in her unprecedented role as first daughter and in support of the president,&quot; a White House statement said.

&quot;Ivanka&#39;s service as an unpaid employee furthers our commitment to ethics, transparency, and compliance and affords her increased opportunities to lead initiatives driving real policy benefits for the American public that would not have been available to her previously.&quot;

In the couple of months since her father became president Ivanka, 35, has been a regular presence at the White House, where she already has an office.

She was present when her father received Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in January, and earlier this month took part in a round-table discussion with President Trump and Chancellor Angela Merkel during the German leader&#39;s visit to the White House.

Her involvement with her father&#39;s official duties has raised eyebrows in some quarters over possible conflicts of interest.

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Ivanka Trump will now become an official federal employee. This is both illegal nepotism and a conflict of interest with her brand!
&mdash; Laura (@SheWhoVotes) <a href="https://twitter.com/SheWhoVotes/status/847186123533066240">March 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
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But Ivanka, who was part of her father&#39;s business empire and ran an eponymous fashion line, said those qualms are unfounded.

&quot;I have heard the concerns some have with my advising the president in my personal capacity while voluntarily complying with all ethics rules, and I will instead serve as an unpaid employee in the White House Office, subject to all of the same rules as other federal employees,&quot; she said in a statement.

&quot;Throughout this process I have been working closely and in good faith with the White House Counsel and my personal counsel to address the unprecedented nature of my role,&quot; she said.

The first daughter&#39;s formal title will be assistant to the president. Her husband&#39;s title is senior adviser to the president.&nbsp;

It is unclear why Ivanka Trump characterised her new position as an official federal employee merely as working a &quot;personal capacity&quot;, especially since she will be&nbsp;occupying one of Washington&#39;s highest ranking jobs.

Also unclear is why she called ethics rules &quot;voluntary&quot;.&nbsp;

Nor has Ivanka Trump or the White House&nbsp;provided any&nbsp;evidence of having satisfied ethics rules.

(WION with inputs from AFP) 
&nbsp;

The President once promised 'I am not trying to get "top-level security clearance" for my children'

First daughter Ivanka Trump is about to take on another title as an unpaid adviser to her father President Donald Trump, the White House announced on Wednesday. Ivanka, whose husband Jared Kushner also works as a senior aide to the president, will not receive a salary for her work as a federal employee. Kushner, a real estate developer, is also unpaid. Both are the children of billionaire real estate tycoons, and neither of them have ever held a position in politics before becoming top White House advisers. Trump once tried to squash early rumours, from after he won the election but before he took office in January 2017, that he was trying to get top-level security clearance for his children, calling it a "typically false news story". I am not trying to get "top level security clearance" for my children. This was a typically false news story. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2016 × "We are pleased that Ivanka Trump has chosen to take this step in her unprecedented role as first daughter and in support of the president," a White House statement said. "Ivanka's service as an unpaid employee furthers our commitment to ethics, transparency, and compliance and affords her increased opportunities to lead initiatives driving real policy benefits for the American public that would not have been available to her previously." In the couple of months since her father became president Ivanka, 35, has been a regular presence at the White House, where she already has an office. She was present when her father received Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in January, and earlier this month took part in a round-table discussion with President Trump and Chancellor Angela Merkel during the German leader's visit to the White House. Her involvement with her father's official duties has raised eyebrows in some quarters over possible conflicts of interest. Ivanka Trump will now become an official federal employee. This is both illegal nepotism and a conflict of interest with her brand! — Laura (@SheWhoVotes) March 29, 2017 × But Ivanka, who was part of her father's business empire and ran an eponymous fashion line, said those qualms are unfounded. "I have heard the concerns some have with my advising the president in my personal capacity while voluntarily complying with all ethics rules, and I will instead serve as an unpaid employee in the White House Office, subject to all of the same rules as other federal employees," she said in a statement. "Throughout this process I have been working closely and in good faith with the White House Counsel and my personal counsel to address the unprecedented nature of my role," she said. The first daughter's formal title will be assistant to the president. Her husband's title is senior adviser to the president. It is unclear why Ivanka Trump characterised her new position as an official federal employee merely as working a "personal capacity", especially since she will be occupying one of Washington's highest ranking jobs. Also unclear is why she called ethics rules "voluntary". Nor has Ivanka Trump or the White House provided any evidence of having satisfied ethics rules. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Ivanka Trump to become unpaid White House adviser

The US&nbsp;House voted on Tuesday 215-205 to repeal regulations requiring internet service providers to do more to protect customers&#39; privacy than websites like Alphabet Inc&#39;s Googleor &nbsp;Facebook Inc.

The White House said earlier Tuesday that President Donald Trump strongly supports the repeal of the rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission in October under then-President Barack Obama.

Under the rules, internet providers would need to obtain consumer consent before using precise geo-location, financial information, health information, children&#39;s information and web browsing history for advertising and marketing.

Last week, the Senate voted 50-48 to reverse the rules in a win for AT&amp;T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc.

The White House in its statement said internet providers would need to obtain affirmative &quot;opt-in&quot; consent from consumers to use and share certain information, but noted that websites are not required to get the same consent. &quot;This results in rules that apply very different regulatory regimes based on the identity of the online actor,&quot; the White House said.

Websites are governed by a less restrictive set of privacy rules overseen by the Federal Trade Commission.

FCC chairman Ajit Pai in a statement praised the decision of Congress to overturn &quot;privacy regulations designed to benefit one group of favoured companies over another group of disfavoured companies.&quot; Last week, Pai said consumers would have privacy protections even without the Obama internet provider rules, but critics say they will weaken.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which opposes the measure, said companies &quot;should not be able to use and sell the sensitive data they collect from you without your permission&quot;.

An Internet &amp; Television Association statement called the repeal &quot;an important step toward restoring consumer privacy protections that apply consistently&quot;.

One critic of the repeal, Craig Aaron, president of Free Press advocacy group, said major Silicon Valley companies shied away from the fight over the rules because they profit from consumer data.

&quot;There are a lot of companies that are very concerned about drawing attention to themselves and being regulated on privacy issues, and are sitting this out in a way that they haven&rsquo;t sat out previous privacy issues,&quot; Aaron said.

Representative Michael Capuano, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Tuesday that Comcast could know his personal information because he looked up his mother&#39;s medical condition and his purchase history. &quot;Just last week I bought underwear on the internet. Why should you know what size I take? Or the colour?&quot; Capuano asked. &quot;They are going to sell it to the underwear companies.&quot;

Comcast declined to comment.

Representative Michael Burgess, a Texas Republican, said the rules &quot;unfairly skews the market in favour&quot; of websites that are free to collect data without consent.

Republican commissioners, including Pai, said in October that the rules would unfairly give websites like Facebook, Twitter Inc&nbsp;or Google the ability to harvest more data than internet service providers and thus further dominate digital advertising. The FCC earlier this month delayed the data rules from taking effect.

(Reuters)

Under the rules, internet providers would need to obtain consumer consent before using precise geo-location, financial and other information

The US House voted on Tuesday 215-205 to repeal regulations requiring internet service providers to do more to protect customers' privacy than websites like Alphabet Inc's Googleor Facebook Inc. The White House said earlier Tuesday that President Donald Trump strongly supports the repeal of the rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission in October under then-President Barack Obama. Under the rules, internet providers would need to obtain consumer consent before using precise geo-location, financial information, health information, children's information and web browsing history for advertising and marketing. Last week, the Senate voted 50-48 to reverse the rules in a win for AT&T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc. The White House in its statement said internet providers would need to obtain affirmative "opt-in" consent from consumers to use and share certain information, but noted that websites are not required to get the same consent. "This results in rules that apply very different regulatory regimes based on the identity of the online actor," the White House said. Websites are governed by a less restrictive set of privacy rules overseen by the Federal Trade Commission. FCC chairman Ajit Pai in a statement praised the decision of Congress to overturn "privacy regulations designed to benefit one group of favoured companies over another group of disfavoured companies." Last week, Pai said consumers would have privacy protections even without the Obama internet provider rules, but critics say they will weaken. The American Civil Liberties Union, which opposes the measure, said companies "should not be able to use and sell the sensitive data they collect from you without your permission". An Internet & Television Association statement called the repeal "an important step toward restoring consumer privacy protections that apply consistently". One critic of the repeal, Craig Aaron, president of Free Press advocacy group, said major Silicon Valley companies shied away from the fight over the rules because they profit from consumer data. "There are a lot of companies that are very concerned about drawing attention to themselves and being regulated on privacy issues, and are sitting this out in a way that they haven’t sat out previous privacy issues," Aaron said. Representative Michael Capuano, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Tuesday that Comcast could know his personal information because he looked up his mother's medical condition and his purchase history. "Just last week I bought underwear on the internet. Why should you know what size I take? Or the colour?" Capuano asked. "They are going to sell it to the underwear companies." Comcast declined to comment. Representative Michael Burgess, a Texas Republican, said the rules "unfairly skews the market in favour" of websites that are free to collect data without consent. Republican commissioners, including Pai, said in October that the rules would unfairly give websites like Facebook, Twitter Inc or Google the ability to harvest more data than internet service providers and thus further dominate digital advertising. The FCC earlier this month delayed the data rules from taking effect. (Reuters)

US Congress votes to repeal Obama's internet privacy regulations

President Donald Trump plans to sign a repeal of Obama-era broadband privacy rules as a bigger fight looms over rules governing the openness of the internet, the White House said on Wednesday.

Republicans in Congress on Tuesday narrowly passed the repeal of the privacy rules with no Democratic support and over the strong objections of privacy advocates.

The fight over privacy sets the stage for an even larger battle later this year over Republican plans to overturn the net neutrality provisions adopted by the administration of former President Barack Obama in 2015.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said he did not know when Trump would sign the bill.

The privacy bill would repeal regulations adopted in October by the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama administration requiring internet service providers to do more to protect customers` privacy than websites like Alphabet Inc`s Google or Facebook Inc.

Under the rules, internet providers would need to obtain consumer consent before using precise geolocation, financial information, health information, children`s information and web browsing history for advertising and marketing.

The reversal is a win for AT&amp;T Inc , Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc . Websites are governed by a less restrictive set of privacy rules overseen by the Federal Trade Commission.

Republican commissioners have said the rules would unfairly give websites the ability to harvest more data than internet service providers.&nbsp;

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a tweet the vote was &quot;Terrible for American ppl, great for big biz.&quot;

Republicans next plan to overturn net neutrality provisions that in 2015 reclassified broadband providers and treated them like a public utility.&nbsp;

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, in December said he believes that net neutrality`s days are numbered.

The rules bar internet providers from obstructing or slowing down consumer access to web content and prohibit giving or selling access to speedy internet,

essentially a &quot;fast lane&quot; on the web`s information superhighway, to certain internet services.

Critics say the rules opened the door to potential government rate regulation, tighter oversight and would provide fewer incentives to invest billions in broadband infrastructure.

Pai told Reuters in February be backs &quot;a free and open internet and the only question is what regulatory framework best secures that&quot; but has steadfastly declined to disclose his plansTrump has not talked as president about net neutrality but in 2014 tweeted he opposed net neutrality.

(Reuters)

Republicans in Congress on Tuesday narrowly passed the repeal of the privacy rules with no Democratic support

President Donald Trump plans to sign a repeal of Obama-era broadband privacy rules as a bigger fight looms over rules governing the openness of the internet, the White House said on Wednesday. Republicans in Congress on Tuesday narrowly passed the repeal of the privacy rules with no Democratic support and over the strong objections of privacy advocates. The fight over privacy sets the stage for an even larger battle later this year over Republican plans to overturn the net neutrality provisions adopted by the administration of former President Barack Obama in 2015. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said he did not know when Trump would sign the bill. The privacy bill would repeal regulations adopted in October by the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama administration requiring internet service providers to do more to protect customers` privacy than websites like Alphabet Inc`s Google or Facebook Inc. Under the rules, internet providers would need to obtain consumer consent before using precise geolocation, financial information, health information, children`s information and web browsing history for advertising and marketing. The reversal is a win for AT&T Inc , Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc . Websites are governed by a less restrictive set of privacy rules overseen by the Federal Trade Commission. Republican commissioners have said the rules would unfairly give websites the ability to harvest more data than internet service providers. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a tweet the vote was "Terrible for American ppl, great for big biz." Republicans next plan to overturn net neutrality provisions that in 2015 reclassified broadband providers and treated them like a public utility. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, in December said he believes that net neutrality`s days are numbered. The rules bar internet providers from obstructing or slowing down consumer access to web content and prohibit giving or selling access to speedy internet, essentially a "fast lane" on the web`s information superhighway, to certain internet services. Critics say the rules opened the door to potential government rate regulation, tighter oversight and would provide fewer incentives to invest billions in broadband infrastructure. Pai told Reuters in February be backs "a free and open internet and the only question is what regulatory framework best secures that" but has steadfastly declined to disclose his plansTrump has not talked as president about net neutrality but in 2014 tweeted he opposed net neutrality. (Reuters)

Trump to sign broadband privacy repeal: White House

On the baked sands of northern Mexico, barefoot tribeswomen chant and dance in clouds of incense, calling on the eagle to save them from US President Donald Trump&#39;s border wall.

The US-Mexico frontier runs through more than just the deserts of Sonora and Arizona. For the Tohono O&#39;odham with their eagle totem, it divides their people.

These are their ancestral lands, a nation that was here thousands of years before the modern states of America and Mexico were drawn on the map in the 19th century.

&quot;This is our land,&quot; says tribal elder Alicia Chuhuhua, 80, at the ceremony among the looming cactus plants, speaking in the tongue of her tribe through a Spanish-language interpreter.

&quot;We want it without &#39;muros&#39;,&quot; walls, she says, using the Spanish word -- in her indigenous tongue, there is no term for &quot;wall&quot; or &quot;border.&quot;

&nbsp;

Desert life

The 3,000 strong Tohono O&#39;odham population -- the name means &quot;desert people&quot; -- is recognised as an indigenous nation in the United States.

Most of them live on the US side of the border in the town of Sells, Arizona, with a few hundred estimated to live in Mexico.

They are allowed to cross to and fro through the San Miguel Gate, for funerals on the Mexican side, for example, or for medical treatment in Arizona. Chuhuhua remembers living a semi-nomadic life as a girl. In her day, the Tohono harvested dragon fruit and made cactus syrup.

Just a decade ago, there was still a bus that took Tohono children from the Mexican state of Sonora across to Sells for school. But one by one, border crossings have been closed to them. Only San Miguel remains as a free transit point within reasonable distance.

Now they fear that too will be blocked when Trump builds the wall.

He says it will stop illegal migrants and drugs reaching the United States. But Chuhuhua and her fellow Tohono O&#39;odham say it will break apart their ancestral land.

If forced to go via another, more distant border crossing, &quot;we would waste more than seven hours going all the way round,&quot; says Gemma Martin, a Tohono woman living on the Mexican side.

&quot;What do we do if it is a medical emergency? By the time we get there it may be too late.&quot;

&nbsp;

Human rights

Tohono leaders plan to take their claim against the wall to the United Nations along with other Native American tribes, said one of them, Mike Wilson. He served in the US Army and is now a human rights activist.

&quot;The new version of the wall would be even worse,&quot; says Wilson, in cowboy boots and a grey ponytail. &quot;It is a form of human rights violation,&quot; he says, because it would deny freedom of movement to members of a tribe on their own territory.

The Mexican government has also promised to support a case the tribe is planning to file next month at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

&nbsp;

Divided hearts

Even before the wall has been built, however, the Tohono O&#39;odham are divided among themselves. The tribe&#39;s vice-president Verlon Jose told reporters he would see the wall built &quot;over my dead body&quot;. But others have cast doubt on his stance.

David Garcia, a former member of the Tohono Supreme Council, says some in the tribal leadership are reluctant to oppose Washington for fear of losing US subsidies.

Faith Ramon, a Tohono student of 34 from Arizona, says tribal authorities tried to stop her traveling to Sonora for the ceremony. &quot;I feel hurt by my own tribal leaders,&quot; she said. &quot;We need to stop using that green paper,&quot; the dollars of subsidies, she said.

Jose did not respond to AFP&#39;s requests for comment.

The Tohono women finish their dance under the burning desert sun. As the sky turns red at sunset, they head back to their homes -- and an uncertain future -- either side of the border.

&quot;It cuts our heart in half. Half of our heart is in Sonora, the other half in Arizona,&quot; Wilson told AFP. &quot;You can&#39;t be whole if you have your heart cut in two. The heart must be one, closed, and living and surviving together.&quot;

(AFP)

'This is our land' says 80-year-old tribal elder, Alicia Chuhuhua. In her indigenous tongue, there is no term for 'wall' or 'border'

On the baked sands of northern Mexico, barefoot tribeswomen chant and dance in clouds of incense, calling on the eagle to save them from US President Donald Trump's border wall. The US-Mexico frontier runs through more than just the deserts of Sonora and Arizona. For the Tohono O'odham with their eagle totem, it divides their people. These are their ancestral lands, a nation that was here thousands of years before the modern states of America and Mexico were drawn on the map in the 19th century. "This is our land," says tribal elder Alicia Chuhuhua, 80, at the ceremony among the looming cactus plants, speaking in the tongue of her tribe through a Spanish-language interpreter. "We want it without 'muros'," walls, she says, using the Spanish word -- in her indigenous tongue, there is no term for "wall" or "border." Desert life The 3,000 strong Tohono O'odham population -- the name means "desert people" -- is recognised as an indigenous nation in the United States. Most of them live on the US side of the border in the town of Sells, Arizona, with a few hundred estimated to live in Mexico. They are allowed to cross to and fro through the San Miguel Gate, for funerals on the Mexican side, for example, or for medical treatment in Arizona. Chuhuhua remembers living a semi-nomadic life as a girl. In her day, the Tohono harvested dragon fruit and made cactus syrup. Just a decade ago, there was still a bus that took Tohono children from the Mexican state of Sonora across to Sells for school. But one by one, border crossings have been closed to them. Only San Miguel remains as a free transit point within reasonable distance. Now they fear that too will be blocked when Trump builds the wall. He says it will stop illegal migrants and drugs reaching the United States. But Chuhuhua and her fellow Tohono O'odham say it will break apart their ancestral land. If forced to go via another, more distant border crossing, "we would waste more than seven hours going all the way round," says Gemma Martin, a Tohono woman living on the Mexican side. "What do we do if it is a medical emergency? By the time we get there it may be too late." Human rights Tohono leaders plan to take their claim against the wall to the United Nations along with other Native American tribes, said one of them, Mike Wilson. He served in the US Army and is now a human rights activist. "The new version of the wall would be even worse," says Wilson, in cowboy boots and a grey ponytail. "It is a form of human rights violation," he says, because it would deny freedom of movement to members of a tribe on their own territory. The Mexican government has also promised to support a case the tribe is planning to file next month at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Divided hearts Even before the wall has been built, however, the Tohono O'odham are divided among themselves. The tribe's vice-president Verlon Jose told reporters he would see the wall built "over my dead body". But others have cast doubt on his stance. David Garcia, a former member of the Tohono Supreme Council, says some in the tribal leadership are reluctant to oppose Washington for fear of losing US subsidies. Faith Ramon, a Tohono student of 34 from Arizona, says tribal authorities tried to stop her traveling to Sonora for the ceremony. "I feel hurt by my own tribal leaders," she said. "We need to stop using that green paper," the dollars of subsidies, she said. Jose did not respond to AFP's requests for comment. The Tohono women finish their dance under the burning desert sun. As the sky turns red at sunset, they head back to their homes -- and an uncertain future -- either side of the border. "It cuts our heart in half. Half of our heart is in Sonora, the other half in Arizona," Wilson told AFP. "You can't be whole if you have your heart cut in two. The heart must be one, closed, and living and surviving together." (AFP)

Native tribe fear Trump's Mexico wall will divide them

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and said he looked forward to playing host to a visit by Modi to Washington later this year.

The White House said Trump spoke with Modi to congratulate him on the outcome of recent state-level elections. Trump expressed support for Modi&#39;s economic reform agenda.

&quot;President Trump also said he looks forward to hosting Prime Minister Modi in Washington later this year,&quot; the White House said in a statement. No date for the visit was mentioned.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

Trump invited Modi when he called to congratulate him on the BJP's recent state election wins

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and said he looked forward to playing host to a visit by Modi to Washington later this year. The White House said Trump spoke with Modi to congratulate him on the outcome of recent state-level elections. Trump expressed support for Modi's economic reform agenda. "President Trump also said he looks forward to hosting Prime Minister Modi in Washington later this year," the White House said in a statement. No date for the visit was mentioned. (Reuters)

Trump invites Modi to Washington this year, date not fixed yet

US President Donald Trump called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evening to congratulate him on his recent state election victories, White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters.

Trump also congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her party&rsquo;s victory in a provincial election, the White House said.

&quot;The president spoke with German Chancellor Merkel and Indian Prime Minister Modi earlier today to congratulate them on their parties&#39; success in recent elections,&quot; Spicer said.

Modi&rsquo;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in four Indian states: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. Elections were held in five states.

It, however, lost Punjab to main rival Congress in the results announced on March 11.

This is the second time Trump has called Modi since he took office in January this year.&nbsp;

Previously, Modi and Trump talked by phone on January 24, when they had resolved to stand &quot;shoulder-to-shoulder&quot; in the global fight against terrorism and for defence and security.

The BJP bagged the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections winning 312 seats of the state assembly&#39;s 403 seats.&nbsp;

The BJP returned to power in the politically-crucial state of UP after a gap of 15 years.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The White House said Trump also called German chancellor Angela Merkel

US President Donald Trump called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evening to congratulate him on his recent state election victories, White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters. Trump also congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her party’s victory in a provincial election, the White House said. "The president spoke with German Chancellor Merkel and Indian Prime Minister Modi earlier today to congratulate them on their parties' success in recent elections," Spicer said. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in four Indian states: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. Elections were held in five states. It, however, lost Punjab to main rival Congress in the results announced on March 11. This is the second time Trump has called Modi since he took office in January this year. Previously, Modi and Trump talked by phone on January 24, when they had resolved to stand "shoulder-to-shoulder" in the global fight against terrorism and for defence and security. The BJP bagged the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections winning 312 seats of the state assembly's 403 seats. The BJP returned to power in the politically-crucial state of UP after a gap of 15 years. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Trump calls Modi, congratulates him on UP & other wins

A Russian bank under Western economic sanctions over Russia&#39;s incursion into Ukraine disclosed on Monday that its executives had met Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump&#39;s son-in-law and a top White House adviser, in December.

A US Senate committee investigating suspected Russian interference in the election wants to interview Trump associates, including Kushner, 36, who is married to Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka Trump and has agreed to testify.

Kushner previously acknowledged meeting the Russian ambassador to Washington last December and only on Monday did it emerge that executives of Russian state development bank Vnesheconombank (VEB) had talks with Kushner during a bank roadshow last year.

The bank said in an emailed statement that as part of its preparing a new strategy, its executives met representatives of financial institutes in Europe, Asia and America.

It said roadshow meetings took place &quot;with a number of representatives of the largest banks and business establishments of the United States, including Jared Kushner, the head of Kushner Companies.&quot; VEB declined to say where the meetings took place or the dates.

There was no immediate comment from Kushner.

Allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russian actors were behind hacking of senior Democratic Party operatives and spreading disinformation linger over Trump&#39;s young presidency.

Democrats charge the Russians wanted to tilt the election toward the Republican, a claim dismissed by Trump. Russia denies the allegations.

The&nbsp;FBI is currently investigating Russia&#39;s efforts to interfere in the US election, and whether or not the&nbsp;Trump campaign actively <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/us/politics/fbi-investigation-trump-russia-comey.html" target="_blank">worked </a>with&nbsp;Russia.

But there has been no doubt that the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, developed contacts among the Trump team. Trump&#39;s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign on February&nbsp;13 after revelations that he had discussed US sanctions on Russia with Kislyak and misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.

US officials said that after meeting with Russian Kislyak at Trump Tower last December, a meeting also attended by Flynn, Kushner met later in December with Sergei Gorkov, chairman of Vnesheconombank.

White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks confirmed the meetings, saying nothing of consequence was discussed.

Gorkov was appointed head of VEB in early 2016 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He graduated from the Federal Security Service, or FSB, Russia&rsquo;s internal security agency.

He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Merit for Services to the Fatherland, according to the bank&#39;s website.

According to two congressional staffers, some Senate investigators want to question Kushner and Flynn about whether they discussed with Gorkov or other Russian officials or financial executives the possibility of investing in 666 Fifth Avenue in New York or other Kushner Co or Trump properties if the new administration lifted the sanctions.

VEB, aside from being under sanctions, has been grappling with bad debt after financing politically expedient projects such as construction for the Sochi Winter Olympics.

It received 150 billion roubles ($2.6 billion) in support from the Russian budget in 2016, when its senior management was sacked and replaced by a team of executives from Russia&#39;s biggest lender Sberbank .

In an article posted on December 18, Forbes estimated that Jared Kushner, his brother Josh and his parents, Charles and Seryl, have a fortune of at least $1.8 billion, more than half of which Forbes estimates is held in real estate.

Forbes did not provide a specific estimate for Jared Kushner&rsquo;s net worth on his own.

&nbsp;

Foreign contacts 
On Monday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters that Kushner is willing to testify to the Senate Intelligence Committee chaired by US Senator Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican.

&ldquo;Throughout the campaign and the transition, Jared served as the official primary point of contact with foreign governments and officials...and so, given this role, he volunteered to speak with Chairman Burr&#39;s committee,&quot; Spicer told reporters at his daily briefing.

The Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate panel also said Kushner had agreed to be interviewed but no date had yet been scheduled.

Simply meeting with representatives of a US-sanctioned entity is not a violation of sanctions or against the law.

Evgeny Buryakov, 41, a Russian citizen who worked at Vnesheconombank and whom US authorities accused of posing as a banker while participating in a New York spy ring, pleaded guilty to a criminal conspiracy charge on Friday.

Buryakov admitted in federal court in Manhattan to acting as an agent for the Russian government without notifying US authorities.

He was prosecuted by the office of the US attorney in Manhattan under Preet Bharara, who was among several chief prosecutors fired or asked to resign earlier this month by the new administration.

&nbsp;

Classified information

Also on Monday, a mystery rooted in Trump&#39;s claim that he was wiretapped by then President Barack Obama during the election campaign, deepened with the disclosure that a top congressional Republican reviewed classified information on the White House grounds about potential surveillance of some Trump campaign associates.

US Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, visited the White House the night before he announced on Wednesday that he had information that indicated some Trump associates may have been subjected to some level of intelligence activity before Trump took office on January &nbsp;20.

Democrats have said Nunes, who was a member of Trump&#39;s transition team, can no longer run a credible investigation of Russian hacking, the US election and any potential involvement by Trump associates. Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi last week called Nunes &quot;a willing stooge of Trump&quot;.&nbsp;

Nunes spokesman Jack Langer said in a statement that Nunes &quot;met with his source at the White House grounds in order to have proximity to a secure location where he could view the information provided by the source&quot;.

White House spokesman Spicer did not shed any light on who at the White House helped Nunes gain access to a secure location.

It was the latest twist in a saga that began on March 4 when Trump said on Twitter without providing evidence that he &quot;just found out that Obama had my &#39;wires tapped&#39; in Trump Tower just before the victory&quot;.

FBI Director <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-wiretapping-claims-no-evidence-james-comey-fbi-director-barack-obama-trump-tower-a7639766.html" target="_blank">James Comey</a> told Congress last Monday he had seen no evidence to support the claim, adding &quot;and we have looked carefully inside the FBI&quot;.

(Reuters)

A US Senate committee investigating suspected Russian interference in the election wants to interview Trump associates, including Kushner

A Russian bank under Western economic sanctions over Russia's incursion into Ukraine disclosed on Monday that its executives had met Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a top White House adviser, in December. A US Senate committee investigating suspected Russian interference in the election wants to interview Trump associates, including Kushner, 36, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and has agreed to testify. Kushner previously acknowledged meeting the Russian ambassador to Washington last December and only on Monday did it emerge that executives of Russian state development bank Vnesheconombank (VEB) had talks with Kushner during a bank roadshow last year. The bank said in an emailed statement that as part of its preparing a new strategy, its executives met representatives of financial institutes in Europe, Asia and America. It said roadshow meetings took place "with a number of representatives of the largest banks and business establishments of the United States, including Jared Kushner, the head of Kushner Companies." VEB declined to say where the meetings took place or the dates. There was no immediate comment from Kushner. Allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russian actors were behind hacking of senior Democratic Party operatives and spreading disinformation linger over Trump's young presidency. Democrats charge the Russians wanted to tilt the election toward the Republican, a claim dismissed by Trump. Russia denies the allegations. The FBI is currently investigating Russia's efforts to interfere in the US election, and whether or not the Trump campaign actively worked with Russia. But there has been no doubt that the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, developed contacts among the Trump team. Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign on February 13 after revelations that he had discussed US sanctions on Russia with Kislyak and misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations. US officials said that after meeting with Russian Kislyak at Trump Tower last December, a meeting also attended by Flynn, Kushner met later in December with Sergei Gorkov, chairman of Vnesheconombank. White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks confirmed the meetings, saying nothing of consequence was discussed. Gorkov was appointed head of VEB in early 2016 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He graduated from the Federal Security Service, or FSB, Russia’s internal security agency. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Merit for Services to the Fatherland, according to the bank's website. According to two congressional staffers, some Senate investigators want to question Kushner and Flynn about whether they discussed with Gorkov or other Russian officials or financial executives the possibility of investing in 666 Fifth Avenue in New York or other Kushner Co or Trump properties if the new administration lifted the sanctions. VEB, aside from being under sanctions, has been grappling with bad debt after financing politically expedient projects such as construction for the Sochi Winter Olympics. It received 150 billion roubles ($2.6 billion) in support from the Russian budget in 2016, when its senior management was sacked and replaced by a team of executives from Russia's biggest lender Sberbank . In an article posted on December 18, Forbes estimated that Jared Kushner, his brother Josh and his parents, Charles and Seryl, have a fortune of at least $1.8 billion, more than half of which Forbes estimates is held in real estate. Forbes did not provide a specific estimate for Jared Kushner’s net worth on his own. Foreign contacts On Monday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters that Kushner is willing to testify to the Senate Intelligence Committee chaired by US Senator Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican. “Throughout the campaign and the transition, Jared served as the official primary point of contact with foreign governments and officials...and so, given this role, he volunteered to speak with Chairman Burr's committee," Spicer told reporters at his daily briefing. The Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate panel also said Kushner had agreed to be interviewed but no date had yet been scheduled. Simply meeting with representatives of a US-sanctioned entity is not a violation of sanctions or against the law. Evgeny Buryakov, 41, a Russian citizen who worked at Vnesheconombank and whom US authorities accused of posing as a banker while participating in a New York spy ring, pleaded guilty to a criminal conspiracy charge on Friday. Buryakov admitted in federal court in Manhattan to acting as an agent for the Russian government without notifying US authorities. He was prosecuted by the office of the US attorney in Manhattan under Preet Bharara, who was among several chief prosecutors fired or asked to resign earlier this month by the new administration. Classified information Also on Monday, a mystery rooted in Trump's claim that he was wiretapped by then President Barack Obama during the election campaign, deepened with the disclosure that a top congressional Republican reviewed classified information on the White House grounds about potential surveillance of some Trump campaign associates. US Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, visited the White House the night before he announced on Wednesday that he had information that indicated some Trump associates may have been subjected to some level of intelligence activity before Trump took office on January 20. Democrats have said Nunes, who was a member of Trump's transition team, can no longer run a credible investigation of Russian hacking, the US election and any potential involvement by Trump associates. Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi last week called Nunes "a willing stooge of Trump". Nunes spokesman Jack Langer said in a statement that Nunes "met with his source at the White House grounds in order to have proximity to a secure location where he could view the information provided by the source". White House spokesman Spicer did not shed any light on who at the White House helped Nunes gain access to a secure location. It was the latest twist in a saga that began on March 4 when Trump said on Twitter without providing evidence that he "just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory". FBI Director James Comey told Congress last Monday he had seen no evidence to support the claim, adding "and we have looked carefully inside the FBI". (Reuters)

Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met executives of sanctioned Russian bank, will testify

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, already a White House senior adviser, will take on the additional task of overseeing an effort to overhaul the federal government, the White House said on Monday.

Kushner, who is married to Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka Trump, will lead a White House Office of American Innovation to leverage business ideas and potentially privatise some government functions as the White House pushes to shrink government, cut federal employees and eliminate regulations.

&quot;This office will bring together the best ideas from government, the private sector, and other thought leaders to ensure that America is ready to solve today&#39;s most intractable problems,&quot; Trump said in a memorandum creating the office that includes about a dozen White House officials.

Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to &quot;drain the swamp,&quot; has enacted a hiring freeze for most civilian federal jobs and proposed massive cuts in US&nbsp;domestic agencies that could shrink the size of government by thousands of workers

The Republican president has also proposed sweeping cuts in government regulations and plans to sign an order on Tuesday rolling back some energy regulations.

&quot;We have a lot more coming,&quot; he said on Monday at a ceremony signing bills to repeal four regulations, vowing to eliminate every &quot;job-killing regulation that we can find&quot;.

A number of recent presidents including Bill Clinton, George W&nbsp;Bush and Barack Obama had mixed success with their own initiatives to reinvent or streamline government using suggestions from the private sector.

Kushner has been a regular presence at his father-in-law&#39;s side and was earlier cleared by the Justice Department to serve as a White House senior adviser even as Democrats raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

He has been given a wide range of domestic and foreign policy responsibilities, including working on a Middle East peace deal. He will continue to serve in the other roles even as he takes up the new duties, the White House said.

Last week, Ivanka Trump received her own office in the White House along with access to classified information and a government-issued phone. Aides had said earlier she would not take on a role in her father&#39;s White House, as did Trump himself.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I am not trying to get &quot;top level security clearance&quot; for my children. This was a typically false news story.
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/798850338384023552">November 16, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The Washington Post quoted aides as saying she would collaborate with Kushner&#39;s innovation office but would not have an official role.

&nbsp;

TAKING ON WASHINGTON

Among past efforts to overhaul the way Washington works, Clinton in 1993 called for &quot;reinventing government.&quot; His reforms led to a slower pace of federal hiring, reducing the federal workforce by 240,000 jobs and closing small offices. Congress did not agree to some of the more aggressive cuts.

Bush proposed government management reforms, but ended up focussing largely on restructuring national security agencies after the September&nbsp;11, 2001, attacks, folding many agencies into the new Department of Homeland Security.

Obama in 2012 proposed closing the Commerce Department and creating a new export agency, saving $3 billion over 10 years and cutting 1,000 plus jobs. His plans failed to get congressional approval.

(Reuters)

The billionaire scion of a wealthy real estate company, Kushner has no experience in politics. He will oversee dramatic cuts

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, already a White House senior adviser, will take on the additional task of overseeing an effort to overhaul the federal government, the White House said on Monday. Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, will lead a White House Office of American Innovation to leverage business ideas and potentially privatise some government functions as the White House pushes to shrink government, cut federal employees and eliminate regulations. "This office will bring together the best ideas from government, the private sector, and other thought leaders to ensure that America is ready to solve today's most intractable problems," Trump said in a memorandum creating the office that includes about a dozen White House officials. Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to "drain the swamp," has enacted a hiring freeze for most civilian federal jobs and proposed massive cuts in US domestic agencies that could shrink the size of government by thousands of workers The Republican president has also proposed sweeping cuts in government regulations and plans to sign an order on Tuesday rolling back some energy regulations. "We have a lot more coming," he said on Monday at a ceremony signing bills to repeal four regulations, vowing to eliminate every "job-killing regulation that we can find". A number of recent presidents including Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama had mixed success with their own initiatives to reinvent or streamline government using suggestions from the private sector. Kushner has been a regular presence at his father-in-law's side and was earlier cleared by the Justice Department to serve as a White House senior adviser even as Democrats raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest. He has been given a wide range of domestic and foreign policy responsibilities, including working on a Middle East peace deal. He will continue to serve in the other roles even as he takes up the new duties, the White House said. Last week, Ivanka Trump received her own office in the White House along with access to classified information and a government-issued phone. Aides had said earlier she would not take on a role in her father's White House, as did Trump himself. I am not trying to get "top level security clearance" for my children. This was a typically false news story. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2016 × The Washington Post quoted aides as saying she would collaborate with Kushner's innovation office but would not have an official role. TAKING ON WASHINGTON Among past efforts to overhaul the way Washington works, Clinton in 1993 called for "reinventing government." His reforms led to a slower pace of federal hiring, reducing the federal workforce by 240,000 jobs and closing small offices. Congress did not agree to some of the more aggressive cuts. Bush proposed government management reforms, but ended up focussing largely on restructuring national security agencies after the September 11, 2001, attacks, folding many agencies into the new Department of Homeland Security. Obama in 2012 proposed closing the Commerce Department and creating a new export agency, saving $3 billion over 10 years and cutting 1,000 plus jobs. His plans failed to get congressional approval. (Reuters)

Trump's son-in-law to oversee government revamp

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

*****WORK IN PROGRESS, for the love of god do not publish yet***********************

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There is much&nbsp;confusion, even in newsrooms, about just what constitutes Fake News. WION is not the&nbsp;first outlet to write about it, but I experienced the phenomenon first-hand.&nbsp;My story is illustrative of the&nbsp;real&nbsp;fake news.

Unsurprisingly,&nbsp;Twitter was unusually electric in the days leading up to the November 8, 2016 US election. That&#39;s to be expected. But with hindsight we know something was indeed very very wrong.

I had a small taste of what&nbsp;US intelligence agencies say was Russia advancing&nbsp;Trump&#39;s&nbsp;election campaign&nbsp;by&nbsp;putting&nbsp;forth a &quot;co-ordinated multifaceted cyber campaign&quot;.

An anonymous account supporting--the avatar wore a MAGA (Make America Great Again) hate, atop a Pepe frog--began harassing me, making Nazi jokes and asking &quot;triggered, liberal?&quot;&nbsp;

To this question I said, &quot;No not really&quot;, or something to that effect.

While I myself wasn&#39;t profoundly bothered by this stuff, I sent a complaint to Twitter, thinking comments about gas chamber jokes had no place on Twitter.

Twitter did nothing. But that isn&#39;t even what&#39;s noteworthy. After the election, the account disappeared!

I wouldn&#39;t have thought too much of it: It was only one account, perhaps the account had just been deleted

Only when a fellow journalist described blocking hundreds, if not thousands of such accounts, and having them all disappear immediately after the election did it occur to me that this is what happened to me.

It wasn&#39;t unreasonable to assume that Trump, who did indeed win millions of votes, had a lage presence on social media. Believing Trump supporters would make Nazi jokes was also, let&#39;s say, not difficult to believe.&nbsp;This was the point.

Countless fake accounts were designed to appear like&nbsp;real people. These accounts&nbsp;intimidated journalists and shared news stories favourable to Donald Trump. They had names like &quot;Moms for Trump&quot;, &quot;Vets for Trump&quot;, &quot;Deplorable for...&quot; and the like.

This is being investigated right now by the FBI in the investigation of President Trump himself. What effect this had on the US election this had is hard to say, but there were six Trump bots for every Clinton one (and none of Clintons had geolocations from Russia or any other hostile country).

&nbsp;

Breitbart, Infowars

Some of the stories these bots linked to were preposterous&nbsp;lies, like the Democrats rape and kill children in the basement of a Washington pizza parlour. This is the most flagrant kind of Fake News--a fake person spreading outrageous lies.&nbsp;

Stories from Breitbart and Infowars, while false, do not meet this criteria of Fake News. They twisted facts to reach a distorted narrative. But it must be said, these bots spread many stories from these sites, and the FBI is investigating both sites for their involvement&nbsp;

It may very well be that these sites produce stories that are simply untrue, or grossly so. It&#39;s possible that&nbsp;they were connected to the Trump-Russia world of Fake News, but that remains to be seen.

But it&#39;s important that Fake News as a concept does not conflated with other forms of dishonest journalism.

&nbsp;

Disingenuous news, while fake, is not the same as Fake News

If a reporter makes up a quote, or even a story, that is fraud, but there is an important distinction between this and the wider phenomeonon of Fake News.&nbsp;

One disingenous reporter making up stories&nbsp;inside an otherwise real news outlet is pernicious, but poses a different&nbsp;threat. In some ways the threat is greater and smaller. On the one hand, they benefit from operating within a respectable establishment, and for being taken more seriously for it. Once they are exposed, the normal newsroom will fire them immediately. The fraud is a&nbsp;threat&nbsp;to the real newsroom.

In the case of Fake News, the newsroom&nbsp;is&nbsp;the fraud. Remember, it&#39;s a metaphorical newsroom. The stories about Clinton and Podesta being killers and rapists were pumped out from Macedonia by frauds who deliberatey pumped out false stories to discredit people for money.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

because they are operating within a system that does have real fact-checking, that will&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Breitbart and Infowars under investigation for ties to Russia: report <a href="https://t.co/EVokfwL7RE">https://t.co/EVokfwL7RE</a> <a href="https://t.co/lmBBUBr6vl">pic.twitter.com/lmBBUBr6vl</a>
&mdash; Raw Story (@RawStory) <a href="https://twitter.com/RawStory/status/844013056837541888">March 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Bad journalism should not be conflated with Fake News, and the people confusing the issue are usually the source of the Fake News itself

*****WORK IN PROGRESS, for the love of god do not publish yet*********************** There is much confusion, even in newsrooms, about just what constitutes Fake News. WION is not the first outlet to write about it, but I experienced the phenomenon first-hand. My story is illustrative of the real fake news. Unsurprisingly, Twitter was unusually electric in the days leading up to the November 8, 2016 US election. That's to be expected. But with hindsight we know something was indeed very very wrong. I had a small taste of what US intelligence agencies say was Russia advancing Trump's election campaign by putting forth a "co-ordinated multifaceted cyber campaign". An anonymous account supporting--the avatar wore a MAGA (Make America Great Again) hate, atop a Pepe frog--began harassing me, making Nazi jokes and asking "triggered, liberal?" To this question I said, "No not really", or something to that effect. While I myself wasn't profoundly bothered by this stuff, I sent a complaint to Twitter, thinking comments about gas chamber jokes had no place on Twitter. Twitter did nothing. But that isn't even what's noteworthy. After the election, the account disappeared! I wouldn't have thought too much of it: It was only one account, perhaps the account had just been deleted Only when a fellow journalist described blocking hundreds, if not thousands of such accounts, and having them all disappear immediately after the election did it occur to me that this is what happened to me. It wasn't unreasonable to assume that Trump, who did indeed win millions of votes, had a lage presence on social media. Believing Trump supporters would make Nazi jokes was also, let's say, not difficult to believe. This was the point. Countless fake accounts were designed to appear like real people. These accounts intimidated journalists and shared news stories favourable to Donald Trump. They had names like "Moms for Trump", "Vets for Trump", "Deplorable for..." and the like. This is being investigated right now by the FBI in the investigation of President Trump himself. What effect this had on the US election this had is hard to say, but there were six Trump bots for every Clinton one (and none of Clintons had geolocations from Russia or any other hostile country). Breitbart, Infowars Some of the stories these bots linked to were preposterous lies, like the Democrats rape and kill children in the basement of a Washington pizza parlour. This is the most flagrant kind of Fake News--a fake person spreading outrageous lies. Stories from Breitbart and Infowars, while false, do not meet this criteria of Fake News. They twisted facts to reach a distorted narrative. But it must be said, these bots spread many stories from these sites, and the FBI is investigating both sites for their involvement It may very well be that these sites produce stories that are simply untrue, or grossly so. It's possible that they were connected to the Trump-Russia world of Fake News, but that remains to be seen. But it's important that Fake News as a concept does not conflated with other forms of dishonest journalism. Disingenuous news, while fake, is not the same as Fake News If a reporter makes up a quote, or even a story, that is fraud, but there is an important distinction between this and the wider phenomeonon of Fake News. One disingenous reporter making up stories inside an otherwise real news outlet is pernicious, but poses a different threat. In some ways the threat is greater and smaller. On the one hand, they benefit from operating within a respectable establishment, and for being taken more seriously for it. Once they are exposed, the normal newsroom will fire them immediately. The fraud is a threat to the real newsroom. In the case of Fake News, the newsroom is the fraud. Remember, it's a metaphorical newsroom. The stories about Clinton and Podesta being killers and rapists were pumped out from Macedonia by frauds who deliberatey pumped out false stories to discredit people for money. because they are operating within a system that does have real fact-checking, that will Breitbart and Infowars under investigation for ties to Russia: report https://t.co/EVokfwL7RE pic.twitter.com/lmBBUBr6vl — Raw Story (@RawStory) March 21, 2017 ×

Fake News: What it's really about---work in progess, don't publish yet!!

US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration approved TransCanada Corp&#39;s Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, cheering the oil industry and angering environmentalists even as further hurdles for the controversial project loom.

The approval reverses a decision by former President Barack Obama to reject the project, but the company still needs to win financing, acquire local permits, and fend off likely legal challenges for the pipeline to be built.

&quot;TransCanada will finally be allowed to complete this long-overdue project with efficiency and with speed,&quot; Trump said in the Oval Office before turning to ask TransCanada Chief Executive Officer Russell Girling when construction would start.

&quot;We&#39;ve got some work to do in Nebraska to get our permits there,&quot; Girling replied.

&quot;Nebraska?&quot; Trump said. &quot;I&#39;ll call Nebraska.&quot;

Trump announced the presidential permit for Keystone XL at the White House with Girling and Sean McGarvey, president of North America&#39;s Building Trades Unions, standing nearby. He said the project would lower consumer fuel prices, create jobs and reduce US dependence on foreign oil.

The pipeline linking Canadian oil sands to US refiners had been blocked by Obama, who said it would do nothing to reduce fuel prices for US motorists and would contribute to emissions linked to global warming.

Trump, however, campaigned on a promise to approve it, and he signed an executive order soon after taking office in January to advance the project. 
TransCanada&#39;s U.S.-listed shares dipped 5 cents to close at $46.21 on Friday.&nbsp;

Jobs

Trump has claimed the project would create 28,000 jobs in the United States. But a 2014 State Department study predicted just 3,900 construction jobs and 35 permanent jobs.&nbsp;

The president said he would get in touch with Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts later in the day.

TransCanada applied to the Nebraska Public Service Commission in February for approval of the pipeline&#39;s route through the state. The company said it expects that process to conclude this year.

Ricketts said in a statement posted on Twitter that the project would help his state.&nbsp;

&quot;I have full confidence that the Public Service Commission will conduct a thorough and fair review of the application,&quot; he said.

The White House has said the pipeline is exempt from a Trump executive order requiring new pipelines to be made from US steel, because much of the pipe for the project has already been built and stockpiled.

&quot;As we move forward, we&#39;ll continue to look to buy the rest of the materials we need from ... American manufacturers. We&#39;ll put American workers to work,&quot; Girling told reporters.&nbsp;

Environmental groups vowed to fight it.&nbsp;

Greenpeace said it would pressure banks to withhold financing for the multibillion-dollar project, and others said they would fight the pipeline in court. 
&quot;We&#39;ll use every tool in the kit,&quot; said Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defence Council.&nbsp;

Since Obama had nixed the pipeline based on an environmental assessment commissioned by the State Department in early 2014, opponents will likely argue in court that Trump cannot reverse the decision without conducting a new assessment.

Challenges&nbsp;

Fred Jauss, partner at the international law firm Dorsey &amp; Whitney and a former attorney with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said local permitting would also be a challenge.

&quot;The Presidential Permit is only one part of a web of federal, state, and local permits that must be obtained prior to starting construction,&quot; he said. &quot;Other federal agencies, such as the Army Corps of Engineers, state regulatory commissions, and even local planning boards may have requirements that need to be fulfilled by Keystone prior to construction.&quot;

&quot;In addition, TransCanada may still need to reach deals with hundreds of potentially affected landowners on the pipeline&rsquo;s route. There is a lot of work ahead for TransCanada.&rdquo;

The Keystone XL pipeline would bring more than 800,000 barrels per day of heavy crude from Canada&#39;s oil sands in Alberta into Nebraska, linking to an existing pipeline network feeding US refineries and ports along the Gulf of Mexico.&nbsp;

The project could be a boon for Canada, which has struggled to bring its vast oil reserves to market.

&quot;Our government has always been supportive of the Keystone XL pipeline and we are pleased with the US decision,&quot; said a spokesman for Canada&#39;s minister of natural resources. &quot;The importance of a common, continental energy market cannot be overstated.&quot;

The president of the American Petroleum Institute, Jack Gerard, said the approval was &quot;welcome news&quot; and would bolster US energy security.

Expedited approval of projects is part of Trump&#39;s approach to a 10-year, $1 trillion infrastructure package he promised on the campaign trail. The White House is looking for ways to speed up approvals and permits for other infrastructure projects, which can sometimes take years to go through a regulatory maze.

TransCanada tried for more than five years to build the 1,179-mile (1,897-km) pipeline, until Obama rejected it in 2015. The company resubmitted its application for the project in January, after Trump signed the executive order smoothing its path.

(Reuters)

The pipeline linking Canadian oil sands to US refiners had been blocked by Obama, who had said it?would contribute to emissions linked to global warming

US President Donald Trump's administration approved TransCanada Corp's Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, cheering the oil industry and angering environmentalists even as further hurdles for the controversial project loom. The approval reverses a decision by former President Barack Obama to reject the project, but the company still needs to win financing, acquire local permits, and fend off likely legal challenges for the pipeline to be built. "TransCanada will finally be allowed to complete this long-overdue project with efficiency and with speed," Trump said in the Oval Office before turning to ask TransCanada Chief Executive Officer Russell Girling when construction would start. "We've got some work to do in Nebraska to get our permits there," Girling replied. "Nebraska?" Trump said. "I'll call Nebraska." Trump announced the presidential permit for Keystone XL at the White House with Girling and Sean McGarvey, president of North America's Building Trades Unions, standing nearby. He said the project would lower consumer fuel prices, create jobs and reduce US dependence on foreign oil. The pipeline linking Canadian oil sands to US refiners had been blocked by Obama, who said it would do nothing to reduce fuel prices for US motorists and would contribute to emissions linked to global warming. Trump, however, campaigned on a promise to approve it, and he signed an executive order soon after taking office in January to advance the project. TransCanada's U.S.-listed shares dipped 5 cents to close at $46.21 on Friday. Jobs Trump has claimed the project would create 28,000 jobs in the United States. But a 2014 State Department study predicted just 3,900 construction jobs and 35 permanent jobs. The president said he would get in touch with Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts later in the day. TransCanada applied to the Nebraska Public Service Commission in February for approval of the pipeline's route through the state. The company said it expects that process to conclude this year. Ricketts said in a statement posted on Twitter that the project would help his state. "I have full confidence that the Public Service Commission will conduct a thorough and fair review of the application," he said. The White House has said the pipeline is exempt from a Trump executive order requiring new pipelines to be made from US steel, because much of the pipe for the project has already been built and stockpiled. "As we move forward, we'll continue to look to buy the rest of the materials we need from ... American manufacturers. We'll put American workers to work," Girling told reporters. Environmental groups vowed to fight it. Greenpeace said it would pressure banks to withhold financing for the multibillion-dollar project, and others said they would fight the pipeline in court. "We'll use every tool in the kit," said Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defence Council. Since Obama had nixed the pipeline based on an environmental assessment commissioned by the State Department in early 2014, opponents will likely argue in court that Trump cannot reverse the decision without conducting a new assessment. Challenges Fred Jauss, partner at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney and a former attorney with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said local permitting would also be a challenge. "The Presidential Permit is only one part of a web of federal, state, and local permits that must be obtained prior to starting construction," he said. "Other federal agencies, such as the Army Corps of Engineers, state regulatory commissions, and even local planning boards may have requirements that need to be fulfilled by Keystone prior to construction." "In addition, TransCanada may still need to reach deals with hundreds of potentially affected landowners on the pipeline’s route. There is a lot of work ahead for TransCanada.” The Keystone XL pipeline would bring more than 800,000 barrels per day of heavy crude from Canada's oil sands in Alberta into Nebraska, linking to an existing pipeline network feeding US refineries and ports along the Gulf of Mexico. The project could be a boon for Canada, which has struggled to bring its vast oil reserves to market. "Our government has always been supportive of the Keystone XL pipeline and we are pleased with the US decision," said a spokesman for Canada's minister of natural resources. "The importance of a common, continental energy market cannot be overstated." The president of the American Petroleum Institute, Jack Gerard, said the approval was "welcome news" and would bolster US energy security. Expedited approval of projects is part of Trump's approach to a 10-year, $1 trillion infrastructure package he promised on the campaign trail. The White House is looking for ways to speed up approvals and permits for other infrastructure projects, which can sometimes take years to go through a regulatory maze. TransCanada tried for more than five years to build the 1,179-mile (1,897-km) pipeline, until Obama rejected it in 2015. The company resubmitted its application for the project in January, after Trump signed the executive order smoothing its path. (Reuters)

Trump approves Keystone XL pipeline even as obstacles loom

US President Donald Trump on Thursday failed to close the deal with Republican lawmakers on how to dismantle Obamacare, forcing the House of Representatives to delay a vote on a healthcare bill that was supposed to be his first legislative win.

The day had been designed as a big symbolic win for conservatives. Trump and House Republican leaders planned the vote on the seventh anniversary of former Democratic President Barack Obama signing his namesake healthcare law, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, which became a prime target for Republicans.

Some Republican conservatives felt the new Trump-backed healthcare plan, formally called the American Health Care Act, did not go far enough, while some moderates worried the legislation would hurt their constituents, so the bill was postponed indefinitely as negotiations continued into the evening.

The White House has insisted there is no &quot;Plan B&quot; if the bill fails.

&quot;I am desperately trying to get to &lsquo;yes&rsquo; and I think the president knows that. I told him that personally,&quot; said North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows, the chairman of a group of conservatives known as the Freedom Caucus, which has been critical of the bill.

&quot;We`re going to get to the finish line,&quot; Meadows told reporters.

Trump, who has been working the phones all week and bringing lawmakers into the Oval Office to talk, met with the Freedom Caucus on Thursday morning, and was set to later meet with moderate Republicans, known as the &#39;Tuesday Group&#39;.

As the healthcare drama unfolded on Capitol Hill, Trump took a break from the negotiations to talk about the issue and hang out with some truckers, climbing into the cab of one long-haul transport truck parked on the back driveway of the White House, and blowing the horn a few times.

He told reporters the vote would be close but remained optimistic. &quot;I think we&rsquo;re doing well. We&rsquo;ll find out in about three hours,&quot; he said, just as reports began to surface that the vote had been postponed.

Even if the bill does eventually get approval from the House, the legislation faces a potentially tough fight in the Republican-controlled Senate.

The House and Senate had hoped to deliver a new healthcare bill to Trump by April 8, when Congress is scheduled to begin a two-week spring break.

Market Turned Red

The vote was seen by financial markets as a crucial test of Trump&#39;s ability to work with Congress to deliver on his agenda.

Uncertainty over the bill rattled financial markets this week. US stock markets rose steadily in recent months on optimism over a pro-business Trump agenda but fell back sharply on Tuesday as investors worried that failure to push through the healthcare bill could postpone other Trump priorities like tax cuts and infrastructure spending.

&quot;The continued divisions within the Republicans will, at the margin, raise concerns about the prospects for the pro-growth legislation that the White House plans to subsequently submit to Congress, including tax reform,&quot; said Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at financial group Allianz.

In the last 30 minutes of trading on Thursday, the benchmark S&amp;P 500 stock index dipped as the first headlines moved about the vote delay. It closed down very slightly.&nbsp;

&quot;Delay on healthcare equates to delay on tax cuts. That is why the market turned red when the news flow suggested they didn`t have a deal,&quot; said David Kotok, chairman and chief investment officer at Cumberland Advisors, a money management firm. 
But others said it was too soon to panic.

&quot;If this thing gets materially delayed or if we get a no vote, we&#39;re going to see a horrific market reaction. But if they vote in the morning and it passes, we&#39;ll have a hell of a rally,&quot; said Jake Dollarhide, chief executive officer of Longbow Asset Management in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The delay in the house vote is likely to extend the ups and downs in the stocks of some hospital groups and health insurers.

Republican Promise

Trump and Republicans had campaigned on a promise to repeal and replace Obamacare, passed in 2010.

Republican control of the White House, the Senate and the House has given the party a chance to achieve what it has long aspired to do - overturn a law they cast as too invasive and too expensive.

Obamacare aimed to boost the number of Americans with health insurance through mandates on individuals and employers, and income-based subsidies. Some 20 million Americans gained insurance coverage through the law.

The House replacement plan would rescind the taxes created by Obamacare, repeal a penalty against people who do not buy coverage, slash funding for the Medicaid programme for the poor and disabled, and modify tax subsidies that help individuals buy plans.

The Republican plan got more unwelcome news late on Thursday from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which said that the latest version of the bill would reduce the U.S. budget deficit by less than the original version. The smaller deficit reduction was expected due to tweaks made this week to try to build support for the bill.

But the CBO said the revised plan would still have the same impact as the original bill on the level of uninsured Americans, with 24 million fewer people having medical coverage by 2026.&nbsp;

The Republicans have a majority in the House but because of united Democratic opposition, can afford to lose only 21 Republican votes. As of Thursday morning, NBC News said that 30 Republicans had planned to vote &quot;no&quot; or were leaning that way.

With this delay, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and his Republican leadership team will continue to search for ways to alter the legislation and bring it to a vote.

(Reuters)&nbsp;

The White House has insisted there is no 'Plan B' if the bill fails

US President Donald Trump on Thursday failed to close the deal with Republican lawmakers on how to dismantle Obamacare, forcing the House of Representatives to delay a vote on a healthcare bill that was supposed to be his first legislative win. The day had been designed as a big symbolic win for conservatives. Trump and House Republican leaders planned the vote on the seventh anniversary of former Democratic President Barack Obama signing his namesake healthcare law, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, which became a prime target for Republicans. Some Republican conservatives felt the new Trump-backed healthcare plan, formally called the American Health Care Act, did not go far enough, while some moderates worried the legislation would hurt their constituents, so the bill was postponed indefinitely as negotiations continued into the evening. The White House has insisted there is no "Plan B" if the bill fails. "I am desperately trying to get to ‘yes’ and I think the president knows that. I told him that personally," said North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows, the chairman of a group of conservatives known as the Freedom Caucus, which has been critical of the bill. "We`re going to get to the finish line," Meadows told reporters. Trump, who has been working the phones all week and bringing lawmakers into the Oval Office to talk, met with the Freedom Caucus on Thursday morning, and was set to later meet with moderate Republicans, known as the 'Tuesday Group'. As the healthcare drama unfolded on Capitol Hill, Trump took a break from the negotiations to talk about the issue and hang out with some truckers, climbing into the cab of one long-haul transport truck parked on the back driveway of the White House, and blowing the horn a few times. He told reporters the vote would be close but remained optimistic. "I think we’re doing well. We’ll find out in about three hours," he said, just as reports began to surface that the vote had been postponed. Even if the bill does eventually get approval from the House, the legislation faces a potentially tough fight in the Republican-controlled Senate. The House and Senate had hoped to deliver a new healthcare bill to Trump by April 8, when Congress is scheduled to begin a two-week spring break. Market Turned Red The vote was seen by financial markets as a crucial test of Trump's ability to work with Congress to deliver on his agenda. Uncertainty over the bill rattled financial markets this week. US stock markets rose steadily in recent months on optimism over a pro-business Trump agenda but fell back sharply on Tuesday as investors worried that failure to push through the healthcare bill could postpone other Trump priorities like tax cuts and infrastructure spending. "The continued divisions within the Republicans will, at the margin, raise concerns about the prospects for the pro-growth legislation that the White House plans to subsequently submit to Congress, including tax reform," said Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at financial group Allianz. In the last 30 minutes of trading on Thursday, the benchmark S&P 500 stock index dipped as the first headlines moved about the vote delay. It closed down very slightly. "Delay on healthcare equates to delay on tax cuts. That is why the market turned red when the news flow suggested they didn`t have a deal," said David Kotok, chairman and chief investment officer at Cumberland Advisors, a money management firm. But others said it was too soon to panic. "If this thing gets materially delayed or if we get a no vote, we're going to see a horrific market reaction. But if they vote in the morning and it passes, we'll have a hell of a rally," said Jake Dollarhide, chief executive officer of Longbow Asset Management in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The delay in the house vote is likely to extend the ups and downs in the stocks of some hospital groups and health insurers. Republican Promise Trump and Republicans had campaigned on a promise to repeal and replace Obamacare, passed in 2010. Republican control of the White House, the Senate and the House has given the party a chance to achieve what it has long aspired to do - overturn a law they cast as too invasive and too expensive. Obamacare aimed to boost the number of Americans with health insurance through mandates on individuals and employers, and income-based subsidies. Some 20 million Americans gained insurance coverage through the law. The House replacement plan would rescind the taxes created by Obamacare, repeal a penalty against people who do not buy coverage, slash funding for the Medicaid programme for the poor and disabled, and modify tax subsidies that help individuals buy plans. The Republican plan got more unwelcome news late on Thursday from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which said that the latest version of the bill would reduce the U.S. budget deficit by less than the original version. The smaller deficit reduction was expected due to tweaks made this week to try to build support for the bill. But the CBO said the revised plan would still have the same impact as the original bill on the level of uninsured Americans, with 24 million fewer people having medical coverage by 2026. The Republicans have a majority in the House but because of united Democratic opposition, can afford to lose only 21 Republican votes. As of Thursday morning, NBC News said that 30 Republicans had planned to vote "no" or were leaning that way. With this delay, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and his Republican leadership team will continue to search for ways to alter the legislation and bring it to a vote. (Reuters)

US President Trump suffers setback as House delays vote on healthcare bill

The FBI possesses information indicating&nbsp;associates of US President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the divulging of information damaging to Hillary Clinton&#39;s presidential campaign, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politics/us-officials-info-suggests-trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians/index.html" target="_blank">CNN </a>reports, citing US officials.

One source told CNN that this is what FBI Director James Comey alluded to when he announced on Monday that not only was the FBI investigating Russian interference in the US election, but the Trump campaign&#39;s ties to Russia.

The information the FBI is now reviewing, CNN reports citing those US officials, includes: human intelligence, travel, business and phone records and accounts of in-person meetings.

US officials told CNN this information intelligence was not taken from the leaked dossier of unverified compiled by Christopher Steele, who was hired by Trump&#39;s opponents (first Republicans, then by Democrats), though that dossier also suggested there was coordination between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign.

These officials have cautioned that the investigation is ongoing and that the information was not conclusive, though it has raised the suspicions of FBI counterintelligence that &quot;coordination&quot; may have taken place.

&quot;Coordination&quot; is a term Comey described during the Monday&#39;s House Intelligence hearing: He made a distinction between two parties actively working together, and one party manipulating a second party into advancing the first party&#39;s interests without them knowing.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Background: Is there anything else&nbsp;to suggest links between Trump and Russia?

Two days after the US election, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/moscow-had-contacts-with-trump-team-during-campaign-russian-diplomat-says/2016/11/10/28fb82fa-a73d-11e6-9bd6-184ab22d218e_story.html?utm_term=.30420cbf06da" target="_blank">Washington Post</a> reported&nbsp;Russian officials saying they &quot;conferred&quot;&nbsp;with the Trump campaign, saying &quot;there were contacts&quot;, during the election.

&quot;Obviously we know most of the people from his entourage,&quot; said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Trump spokesman Hope Hicks said the campaign&nbsp;had &quot;no contact with Russian officials&quot;.

&nbsp;

Yesterday, an <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-03-22/urgent-manafort-s-plan-to-greatly-benefit-the-putin-government" target="_blank">Associated Press</a> report&nbsp;claimed that Paul Manafort, Trump&#39;s election campaign manager for 143 days, signed a $10 million anual contract&nbsp;in 2006 from a Russian billionaire&nbsp;to advance Russian president&nbsp;Vladimir Putin&#39;s interests.

Manafort <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/paul-manafort-resigns-from-trump-campaign-227197" target="_blank">stepped down</a> from Trump&#39;s campaign after it became known that he lobbied for the pro-Putin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort denies he is&nbsp;linked to Russia.

&nbsp;

As <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/former-trump-advisor-admits-to-innocuous-private-contact-with-russian-dnc-hacker-during-election-13270">WION </a>wrote on March 11, then-Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has&nbsp;admitted to having direct contact with both Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and the hacker who hacked the Democrats&#39; emails during the US election Guccifer 2.0, who US intelligence says is really just a front for the Russian military intelligence agency.

On Monday&#39;s <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/03/20/1645393/-Comey-confirms-that-Russia-used-WikiLeaks-which-Trump-loves-to-release-hacked-information" target="_blank">hearing</a>, FBI Director James Comey said that the Russians hacked the Democrats and used &quot;cutouts&quot;...&quot;to cover up that they were the ones releasing&quot; the stolen information.

Roger Stone <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/20/politics/kfile-roger-stone-wikileaks-claims/" target="_blank">appeared </a>to have advanced knowledge of the contents of the emails WikiLeaks possessed before they were made public. Roger Stone has denied there was anything illegal or improper in this communication.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wikileaks?src=hash">#Wikileaks</a>.
&mdash; Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerJStoneJr/status/782443074874138624">October 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The first time WikiLeaks published Democrat campaign chief John Podesta&#39;s hacked emails came about&nbsp;two hours after the recording of Donald Trump saying he grabbed women &quot;<a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/10/7/13205842/trump-secret-recording-women" target="_blank">by the p*ssy</a>&quot;.

Afterwards, Trump praised WikiLeaks and continued throughout the election to use&nbsp;Podesta&#39;s hacked emails&nbsp;to cudgel Clinton.

During the third presidential debate, Donald Trump spoke directly to Russia, encouraging them to hack his Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton, saying: &quot;Russia, if you&#39;re listening, I hope you&#39;re able to find the 30,000 [Democrat] emails that are missing.&quot;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gNa2B5zHfbQ" width="560"></iframe>

Trump&#39;s pick for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of the world&#39;s largest publicly traded&nbsp;international oil and gas company ExxonMobil, was personally awarded the &quot;Order of frienship&quot; from Vladimir Putin, given to &quot;reward foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts were aimed at the betterment of relations with the Russian Federation and its people&quot;. Despite having one of the most sought after jobs in politics anywhere Tillerson has no prior experience in politics.&nbsp;A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/79fecace-0ee2-11e7-b030-768954394623" target="_blank">report </a>yesterday said Tillerson was &quot;stunned&quot; when he was approached for the job, as he was preparing for retirement.

Several members of Trump&#39;s campaign and White House administration have had contacts with Russian officials&nbsp;and lied about it, including: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had to recuse himself from any Trump-Russia probe after meeting Russian ambassador to the US Sergey&nbsp;Kislyak at least three times despite saying under oath he had never met any Russian officials;&nbsp;National Security Adviser Gen Michael Flynn, who had to resign after he was recorded discussing American sanctions against Russia with Ambassador Kislyak&nbsp;and lying about it, even to Vice President Mike Pence; Carter Page, and JD Gordon.

<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-russian-ambassador-sergey-kislyak-meeting-election-campaign-a7617261.html">Donald Trump</a> himself met with Kislyak, and has both denied and admitted to having a relationship with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCFgYzf4DV4" target="_blank">Vladimir Putin.</a>

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

US officials say this after FBI Director Comey announced that the US president is under formal investigation for his links to Russia

The FBI possesses information indicating associates of US President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the divulging of information damaging to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, CNN reports, citing US officials. One source told CNN that this is what FBI Director James Comey alluded to when he announced on Monday that not only was the FBI investigating Russian interference in the US election, but the Trump campaign's ties to Russia. The information the FBI is now reviewing, CNN reports citing those US officials, includes: human intelligence, travel, business and phone records and accounts of in-person meetings. US officials told CNN this information intelligence was not taken from the leaked dossier of unverified compiled by Christopher Steele, who was hired by Trump's opponents (first Republicans, then by Democrats), though that dossier also suggested there was coordination between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign. These officials have cautioned that the investigation is ongoing and that the information was not conclusive, though it has raised the suspicions of FBI counterintelligence that "coordination" may have taken place. "Coordination" is a term Comey described during the Monday's House Intelligence hearing: He made a distinction between two parties actively working together, and one party manipulating a second party into advancing the first party's interests without them knowing. Background: Is there anything else to suggest links between Trump and Russia? Two days after the US election, the Washington Post reported Russian officials saying they "conferred" with the Trump campaign, saying "there were contacts", during the election. "Obviously we know most of the people from his entourage," said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Trump spokesman Hope Hicks said the campaign had "no contact with Russian officials". Yesterday, an Associated Press report claimed that Paul Manafort, Trump's election campaign manager for 143 days, signed a $10 million anual contract in 2006 from a Russian billionaire to advance Russian president Vladimir Putin's interests. Manafort stepped down from Trump's campaign after it became known that he lobbied for the pro-Putin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort denies he is linked to Russia. As WION wrote on March 11, then-Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has admitted to having direct contact with both Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and the hacker who hacked the Democrats' emails during the US election Guccifer 2.0, who US intelligence says is really just a front for the Russian military intelligence agency. On Monday's hearing, FBI Director James Comey said that the Russians hacked the Democrats and used "cutouts"..."to cover up that they were the ones releasing" the stolen information. Roger Stone appeared to have advanced knowledge of the contents of the emails WikiLeaks possessed before they were made public. Roger Stone has denied there was anything illegal or improper in this communication. Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. #Wikileaks. — Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) October 2, 2016 × The first time WikiLeaks published Democrat campaign chief John Podesta's hacked emails came about two hours after the recording of Donald Trump saying he grabbed women "by the p*ssy". Afterwards, Trump praised WikiLeaks and continued throughout the election to use Podesta's hacked emails to cudgel Clinton. During the third presidential debate, Donald Trump spoke directly to Russia, encouraging them to hack his Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton, saying: "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 [Democrat] emails that are missing." Trump's pick for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of the world's largest publicly traded international oil and gas company ExxonMobil, was personally awarded the "Order of frienship" from Vladimir Putin, given to "reward foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts were aimed at the betterment of relations with the Russian Federation and its people". Despite having one of the most sought after jobs in politics anywhere Tillerson has no prior experience in politics. A report yesterday said Tillerson was "stunned" when he was approached for the job, as he was preparing for retirement. Several members of Trump's campaign and White House administration have had contacts with Russian officials and lied about it, including: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had to recuse himself from any Trump-Russia probe after meeting Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak at least three times despite saying under oath he had never met any Russian officials; National Security Adviser Gen Michael Flynn, who had to resign after he was recorded discussing American sanctions against Russia with Ambassador Kislyak and lying about it, even to Vice President Mike Pence; Carter Page, and JD Gordon. Donald Trump himself met with Kislyak, and has both denied and admitted to having a relationship with Vladimir Putin. (WION)

New evidence suggests Trump associates may have coordinated with Russian officials: CNN

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump and House of Representatives leaders pushed on Wednesday for votes for their plan to overhaul Obamacare and said they were making progress in their efforts to win over conservative Republicans who have demanded changes to the legislation.

With a vote on the bill scheduled for Thursday evening, members of the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative Republican faction, said they had been negotiating possible concessions from the White House.

&quot;I can tell you that we&#39;re making great progress,&quot; Mark Meadows, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, told reporters. &quot;We&#39;re not there yet. But we&#39;re hopeful.&quot;

Repealing and replacing Democratic former President Barack Obama&#39;s 2010 Affordable Care Act, unofficially known as &quot;Obamacare&quot;, is a first major test of Trump&rsquo;s legislative ability and whether he can keep his big promises to business.

Plans aired by Trump during his election campaign and his first two months in office have lifted US&nbsp;stock markets to new highs. But stocks fell back sharply on Tuesday as investors worried that a rough ride for the healthcare legislation could affect his ability to deliver on other big pieces of his agenda, from cutting taxes and regulation to boosting infrastructure.

Major stock indexes wobbled on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending slightly down and the S&amp;P 500 slightly higher. Investors are eagerly awaiting Thursday&rsquo;s healthcare vote, which could be pivotal for Trump&#39;s broader plans.

The Freedom Caucus has objected to the bill because its members believe it is still too close to Obamacare.

Representative Steve King, a conservative who was among lawmakers who met Trump on Wednesday morning at the White House, said he would now vote for the bill because he got a commitment from Trump to publicly advocate for a Senate amendment to the legislation that would eliminate insurance coverage benefits put in place under Obamacare.

&quot;I have a full and firm commitment with many witnesses from President Trump,&quot; King said in a video statement on YouTube.

King said the amendment would be put forward by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. A spokesman for McConnell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier on Wednesday, a Freedom Caucus aide said more than 25 of its members were opposed, enough to stop the bill from passing. Republicans cannot afford to lose more than 20 votes from their own party, since Democrats are united in opposition.

&nbsp;

HEADWAY

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders also gave signs negotiations were making headway late on Wednesday. 
Trump fights for healthcare bill, makes headway with conservatives. &quot;We are continuing to move forward and adding new supporters constantly,&quot; she said. &quot;As we have indicated previously we are open to changes to the bill that make it better and grow its support.&quot;

But even if Trump is able to get conservatives on board, he still faces a struggle in pushing the bill through the House. While conservatives say the House bill is too similar to Obamacare, moderate Republicans are concerned that it will provoke a backlash by increasing the number of uninsured Americans.

The primary aim of Obama&#39;s signature legislation, passed in 2010, was reducing the numbers of Americans with no health coverage. Twenty million people gained insurance under the law.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated 14 million people would lose coverage under the Republican plan by next year. It also said 24 million fewer people would be insured by 2026.

Obamacare mandates that insurance plans must cover trips emergency room trips, maternity and newborn care, and mental health services. Conservatives say reducing or scrapping the mandates would bring down insurance premiums.

The Republican plan would rescind taxes created by Obamacare, repeal a penalty against those who do not buy coverage, slash funding for the Medicaid programme for the poor and disabled, and modify subsidies that help individuals buy plans.

In the two weeks since the healthcare plan was unveiled, shares of some hospital operators and health insurers have fallen more than 10 percent, due to concerns about the fate of the benefits companies gained from coverage expansion.

If the healthcare bill passes the House, the Senate could take it up next week. Republican leaders are hoping that if the Senate acts quickly, the bill could go back to the House for a final vote by mid-April, possibly allowing Trump to sign it into law by Easter, April 16.

Trump has put considerable effort into building support for the Republican healthcare bill, called the American Health Care Act, and on Tuesday warned Republicans that failure could have sharp repercussions in next year&#39;s congressional elections.

&nbsp;

PROTESTS

Opponents of the overhaul have been fiercely vocal, and on Wednesday protesters, many in wheelchairs or with serious medical conditions, blocked the Capitol rotunda for about an hour.

&quot;Rather go to jail than die without Medicaid,&quot; they chanted.

Capitol police said they made 54 arrests and later released the protesters.

(Reuters)

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated 14 million people would lose coverage under the Republican plan by next year

US President Donald Trump and House of Representatives leaders pushed on Wednesday for votes for their plan to overhaul Obamacare and said they were making progress in their efforts to win over conservative Republicans who have demanded changes to the legislation. With a vote on the bill scheduled for Thursday evening, members of the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative Republican faction, said they had been negotiating possible concessions from the White House. "I can tell you that we're making great progress," Mark Meadows, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, told reporters. "We're not there yet. But we're hopeful." Repealing and replacing Democratic former President Barack Obama's 2010 Affordable Care Act, unofficially known as "Obamacare", is a first major test of Trump’s legislative ability and whether he can keep his big promises to business. Plans aired by Trump during his election campaign and his first two months in office have lifted US stock markets to new highs. But stocks fell back sharply on Tuesday as investors worried that a rough ride for the healthcare legislation could affect his ability to deliver on other big pieces of his agenda, from cutting taxes and regulation to boosting infrastructure. Major stock indexes wobbled on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending slightly down and the S&P 500 slightly higher. Investors are eagerly awaiting Thursday’s healthcare vote, which could be pivotal for Trump's broader plans. The Freedom Caucus has objected to the bill because its members believe it is still too close to Obamacare. Representative Steve King, a conservative who was among lawmakers who met Trump on Wednesday morning at the White House, said he would now vote for the bill because he got a commitment from Trump to publicly advocate for a Senate amendment to the legislation that would eliminate insurance coverage benefits put in place under Obamacare. "I have a full and firm commitment with many witnesses from President Trump," King said in a video statement on YouTube. King said the amendment would be put forward by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. A spokesman for McConnell did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier on Wednesday, a Freedom Caucus aide said more than 25 of its members were opposed, enough to stop the bill from passing. Republicans cannot afford to lose more than 20 votes from their own party, since Democrats are united in opposition. HEADWAY White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders also gave signs negotiations were making headway late on Wednesday. Trump fights for healthcare bill, makes headway with conservatives. "We are continuing to move forward and adding new supporters constantly," she said. "As we have indicated previously we are open to changes to the bill that make it better and grow its support." But even if Trump is able to get conservatives on board, he still faces a struggle in pushing the bill through the House. While conservatives say the House bill is too similar to Obamacare, moderate Republicans are concerned that it will provoke a backlash by increasing the number of uninsured Americans. The primary aim of Obama's signature legislation, passed in 2010, was reducing the numbers of Americans with no health coverage. Twenty million people gained insurance under the law. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated 14 million people would lose coverage under the Republican plan by next year. It also said 24 million fewer people would be insured by 2026. Obamacare mandates that insurance plans must cover trips emergency room trips, maternity and newborn care, and mental health services. Conservatives say reducing or scrapping the mandates would bring down insurance premiums. The Republican plan would rescind taxes created by Obamacare, repeal a penalty against those who do not buy coverage, slash funding for the Medicaid programme for the poor and disabled, and modify subsidies that help individuals buy plans. In the two weeks since the healthcare plan was unveiled, shares of some hospital operators and health insurers have fallen more than 10 percent, due to concerns about the fate of the benefits companies gained from coverage expansion. If the healthcare bill passes the House, the Senate could take it up next week. Republican leaders are hoping that if the Senate acts quickly, the bill could go back to the House for a final vote by mid-April, possibly allowing Trump to sign it into law by Easter, April 16. Trump has put considerable effort into building support for the Republican healthcare bill, called the American Health Care Act, and on Tuesday warned Republicans that failure could have sharp repercussions in next year's congressional elections. PROTESTS Opponents of the overhaul have been fiercely vocal, and on Wednesday protesters, many in wheelchairs or with serious medical conditions, blocked the Capitol rotunda for about an hour. "Rather go to jail than die without Medicaid," they chanted. Capitol police said they made 54 arrests and later released the protesters. (Reuters)

Trump fights to overhaul Obamacare, makes headway with conservatives

The rusty patched bumblebee became the first wild bee in the continental United States to gain federal protection on Tuesday when it was added to the government`s list of endangered and threatened species.

The bee, once widely found in the upper Midwest and Northeastern United States, was listed after US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration lifted a hold it had placed on a plan for federal protections proposed last fall by the administration of former President Barack Obama.

Bumblebees are key pollinators of crops such as blueberries and cranberries, and are almost the only insect pollinator of tomatoes in the United States, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Conservation groups that had called for the new classification welcomed the move.

&quot;The listing helps mediate threats for this species and for all of those other animals out on the landscape that are suffering similar setbacks,&quot; Rich Hatfield, senior biologist at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, said by phone on Tuesday.

The rusty patched bumble bee, or Bombus affinis, is one of 47 varieties of native bumble bees in the United States and Canada, more than a quarter of which face risk of extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

The population and range of the bee, named for the reddish blotch on its abdomen, have declined by more than 90 percent since the late 1990s due to disease, pesticides, climate change and habitat loss, according to wildlife officials.

The agency in September proposed safeguarding the bee, but the listing was delayed by Trump&#39;s White House as part of a broader freeze on rules issued by the prior administration.&nbsp;

Environmental advocacy group the Natural Resources Defence Council sued last month, arguing that suspending the listing without public notice or comment violated the law. The NRDC said on Tuesday it was evaluating the next steps in its legal fight.

Government scientists said the delay, part of a standard review, was not expected to affect the insect&#39;s conservation, Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift said in a statement on Tuesday.

The agency &quot;will work with stakeholders to ensure collaborative conservation among landowners, farmers, industry, and developers in the areas where the species is native,&quot; she added.

Bumble bees pollinate wildflowers and about a third of US crops, according to the Xerces Society. A recent study by the&nbsp;Center for Biological Diversity found that more than 700 of the 4,000 bee species native to North America and Hawaii may be inching toward extinction.

(Reuters)

Bumblebees are key pollinators of crops such as blueberries and cranberries, and are almost the only insect pollinator of tomatoes in US

The rusty patched bumblebee became the first wild bee in the continental United States to gain federal protection on Tuesday when it was added to the government`s list of endangered and threatened species. The bee, once widely found in the upper Midwest and Northeastern United States, was listed after US President Donald Trump's administration lifted a hold it had placed on a plan for federal protections proposed last fall by the administration of former President Barack Obama. Bumblebees are key pollinators of crops such as blueberries and cranberries, and are almost the only insect pollinator of tomatoes in the United States, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Conservation groups that had called for the new classification welcomed the move. "The listing helps mediate threats for this species and for all of those other animals out on the landscape that are suffering similar setbacks," Rich Hatfield, senior biologist at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, said by phone on Tuesday. The rusty patched bumble bee, or Bombus affinis, is one of 47 varieties of native bumble bees in the United States and Canada, more than a quarter of which face risk of extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The population and range of the bee, named for the reddish blotch on its abdomen, have declined by more than 90 percent since the late 1990s due to disease, pesticides, climate change and habitat loss, according to wildlife officials. The agency in September proposed safeguarding the bee, but the listing was delayed by Trump's White House as part of a broader freeze on rules issued by the prior administration. Environmental advocacy group the Natural Resources Defence Council sued last month, arguing that suspending the listing without public notice or comment violated the law. The NRDC said on Tuesday it was evaluating the next steps in its legal fight. Government scientists said the delay, part of a standard review, was not expected to affect the insect's conservation, Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift said in a statement on Tuesday. The agency "will work with stakeholders to ensure collaborative conservation among landowners, farmers, industry, and developers in the areas where the species is native," she added. Bumble bees pollinate wildflowers and about a third of US crops, according to the Xerces Society. A recent study by the Center for Biological Diversity found that more than 700 of the 4,000 bee species native to North America and Hawaii may be inching toward extinction. (Reuters)

US places rusty patched bumblebee in endangered species list

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson proposed new dates on Tuesday for a NATO meeting, the State Department said, after he initially decided to skip the talks and rebuffed the alliance`s efforts to reschedule them.

Tillerson&#39;s decision to miss his first meeting with NATO foreign ministers, set for April 5-6 in Brussels, unsettled European allies who worried it reopened questions about US President Donald Trump&#39;s commitment to the alliance.

Reuters exclusively reported on Monday that Tillerson would stay in the United States to attend Trump&#39;s expected April 6-7 talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida. US officials also said Tillerson would visit Russia later in April.

The alliance had offered to change the meeting dates so Tillerson could attend both it and the Xi talks but the US State Department rebuffed the idea, a former US official and a former NATO diplomat, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Monday.

On Tuesday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the department put forward new dates for a meeting when Tillerson could come, noting that such a decision would have to be made by consensus among the 28 NATO members.

&quot;We are certainly appreciative of the effort to accommodate Secretary Tillerson,&quot; Toner told reporters. &quot;We have offered alternative dates that the secretary could attend.&quot;

He also sought to allay European concerns by saying that &quot;the United States remains 100 per cent committed to NATO.&quot;

It was not yet clear if the NATO meeting would be rescheduled to accommodate Tillerson.

During his election campaign and on the eve of taking office in January, Trump called the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation &quot;obsolete,&quot; although he has since said he strongly supports the alliance.

Unfortunate Symbolism

&quot;No matter how you spin it, this is unfortunate symbolism,&quot; said one senior European diplomat of Tillerson&#39;s plan to skip the April 5-6 NATO Brussels meeting, saying it undid the work of Trump&#39;s vice president and defence minister, who visited NATO headquarters in February to provide reassurances after Trump&#39;s criticism of the alliance.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was in Washington on Tuesday. Posing for photographs with Defence Secretary James Mattis, he declined to answer a reporter`s questions on what signal it sent that Tillerson did not plan to attend the meeting, according to a reporter who attended the session.&nbsp;

Some allies, particularly in the former Soviet bloc, are acutely sensitive to any sign of waning US interest in their defence as they deal with a more assertive Russia.

Concerns that Trump is too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom the West has sought to isolate for annexing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, made Tillerson&#39;s expected visit to Brussels all the more pressing, European allies said. 
&nbsp; 
Tillerson worked with Russia&#39;s government for years as a top executive at Exxon Mobil Corp, and has questioned sanctions against Moscow that he said could harm US businesses.

&quot;We needed to hear his vision for the alliance,&quot; said a diplomat due to attend the April ministerial meeting.

NATO&#39;s quarterly meetings are closed-door sessions over about two days in which governments discuss security strategies and approve top secret documents designed to guide the nuclear-armed alliance in areas ranging from training in Afghanistan to defences against Iranian missiles.

Given the US role as the de facto head of the alliance, it is rare for the country&#39;s top diplomat to miss a NATO meeting. The last time was during the Iraq war in 2003, when Colin Powell was forced to cancel at the last moment.

Trump himself is expected in Brussels for a NATO summit in May, although the date is still under discussion. NATO has proposed holding that meeting on May 25, a NATO diplomat said.

Several diplomats said they were unhappy that Tillerson had not offered to hold a NATO meeting in Washington later this week, given that most alliance foreign ministers and Stoltenberg will be there for a meeting of an international coalition against the Islamic State militant group.

A State Department spokeswoman said on Monday night that all NATO members except Croatia would be at those talks. On Tuesday, Toner said Croatia would in fact attend, saying the department had made &quot;a late night gaffe&quot; and adding, &quot;in no way do we want to diminish Croatia`s valuable role within the alliance.&quot;

(Reuters)

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson proposed new dates on Tuesday for a NATO meeting, the State Department said, after he initially decided to skip the talks and rebuffed the alliance`s efforts to reschedule them. Tillerson's decision to miss his first meeting with NATO foreign ministers, set for April 5-6 in Brussels, unsettled European allies who worried it reopened questions about US President Donald Trump's commitment to the alliance. Reuters exclusively reported on Monday that Tillerson would stay in the United States to attend Trump's expected April 6-7 talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida. US officials also said Tillerson would visit Russia later in April. The alliance had offered to change the meeting dates so Tillerson could attend both it and the Xi talks but the US State Department rebuffed the idea, a former US official and a former NATO diplomat, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Monday. On Tuesday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the department put forward new dates for a meeting when Tillerson could come, noting that such a decision would have to be made by consensus among the 28 NATO members. "We are certainly appreciative of the effort to accommodate Secretary Tillerson," Toner told reporters. "We have offered alternative dates that the secretary could attend." He also sought to allay European concerns by saying that "the United States remains 100 per cent committed to NATO." It was not yet clear if the NATO meeting would be rescheduled to accommodate Tillerson. During his election campaign and on the eve of taking office in January, Trump called the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation "obsolete," although he has since said he strongly supports the alliance. Unfortunate Symbolism "No matter how you spin it, this is unfortunate symbolism," said one senior European diplomat of Tillerson's plan to skip the April 5-6 NATO Brussels meeting, saying it undid the work of Trump's vice president and defence minister, who visited NATO headquarters in February to provide reassurances after Trump's criticism of the alliance. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was in Washington on Tuesday. Posing for photographs with Defence Secretary James Mattis, he declined to answer a reporter`s questions on what signal it sent that Tillerson did not plan to attend the meeting, according to a reporter who attended the session. Some allies, particularly in the former Soviet bloc, are acutely sensitive to any sign of waning US interest in their defence as they deal with a more assertive Russia. Concerns that Trump is too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom the West has sought to isolate for annexing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, made Tillerson's expected visit to Brussels all the more pressing, European allies said. Tillerson worked with Russia's government for years as a top executive at Exxon Mobil Corp, and has questioned sanctions against Moscow that he said could harm US businesses. "We needed to hear his vision for the alliance," said a diplomat due to attend the April ministerial meeting. NATO's quarterly meetings are closed-door sessions over about two days in which governments discuss security strategies and approve top secret documents designed to guide the nuclear-armed alliance in areas ranging from training in Afghanistan to defences against Iranian missiles. Given the US role as the de facto head of the alliance, it is rare for the country's top diplomat to miss a NATO meeting. The last time was during the Iraq war in 2003, when Colin Powell was forced to cancel at the last moment. Trump himself is expected in Brussels for a NATO summit in May, although the date is still under discussion. NATO has proposed holding that meeting on May 25, a NATO diplomat said. Several diplomats said they were unhappy that Tillerson had not offered to hold a NATO meeting in Washington later this week, given that most alliance foreign ministers and Stoltenberg will be there for a meeting of an international coalition against the Islamic State militant group. A State Department spokeswoman said on Monday night that all NATO members except Croatia would be at those talks. On Tuesday, Toner said Croatia would in fact attend, saying the department had made "a late night gaffe" and adding, "in no way do we want to diminish Croatia`s valuable role within the alliance." (Reuters)

US Secretary of State Tillerson proposes new dates for NATO meeting

President Donald Trump&#39;s daughter, Ivanka Trump, is getting an office in the White House West Wing, stepping up her highly visible role in helping advise her father.

A White House official on Monday confirmed reports that Trump&#39;s 35-year-old daughter would be getting her own West Wing space, as well as access to classified information and a government-issued phone.

She is not expected to have an official title and will not be paid a salary.

Ivanka Trump will be joining her husband, Jared Kushner, who is a chief adviser to the president and is a regular presence at his father-in-law`s side.

When Kushner`s job was announced earlier this year, aides said Ivanka would not take on a role in her father`s White House but would focus on settling her family in Washington.&nbsp;

Since then, she has been a frequent behind-the-scenes adviser. Last Friday, she sat next to visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel when Merkel visited the White House.

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

She is not expected to have an official title and will not be paid a salary

President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, is getting an office in the White House West Wing, stepping up her highly visible role in helping advise her father. A White House official on Monday confirmed reports that Trump's 35-year-old daughter would be getting her own West Wing space, as well as access to classified information and a government-issued phone. She is not expected to have an official title and will not be paid a salary. Ivanka Trump will be joining her husband, Jared Kushner, who is a chief adviser to the president and is a regular presence at his father-in-law`s side. When Kushner`s job was announced earlier this year, aides said Ivanka would not take on a role in her father`s White House but would focus on settling her family in Washington. Since then, she has been a frequent behind-the-scenes adviser. Last Friday, she sat next to visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel when Merkel visited the White House. (Reuters)

Ivanka Trump to get West Wing office, access to classified information

Nearly half of Canadians want to deport people who are illegally crossing into Canada from the United States, and a similar number disapprove of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is handling the influx, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Monday.

A significant minority, four out of 10 respondents, said the border crossers could make Canada &quot;less safe&quot;, underlining the potential political risk for Trudeau&#39;s Liberal government.

The poll underscores how the increasing flow in recent months of hundreds of asylum-seekers, from Africa and the Middle East, has become a contentious issue in Canada.

In the small border town of Emerson which has seen hundreds of border crossers, some residents say they empathise with those making the long and sometimes dangerous trek to the Great White North, but are concerned about potential security threats.

&quot;These people are not refugees. They are already coming from a safe country. United States is a safe country,&quot; said Greg Janzen, the elected leader of the local municipality.

&quot;They are fleeing from something and when you start getting a number of people coming from different countries, that&#39;s what concerning our residents. With the bigger numbers coming, we are going to see more criminals, more undesirables,&quot; he said.

The town of 650 people lies on the border between the Canadian province of Manitoba and the US&nbsp;state of North Dakota.

Migrants coming from the United States walk along train tracks and follow rail lines into Emerson, crossing a border marked in most areas only by scattered concrete boundary markers.

The town has put up cameras near the tracks to monitor incoming migrants and officials say trains have slowed down to avoid hitting people walking on the tracks.

Wayne Pfiel, a bartender at Emerson Inn, said many residents were angry about the asylum seekers, but he welcomed them. Pfiel recently found a shivering family in his lobby when he opened up his bar.

&quot;They were afraid, but after a while, I talked with (a)&nbsp;few of them. They were in good shape and they were polite,&quot; said Pfiel.

There has been broad bipartisan support for high levels of legal immigration for decades in Canada. But Trudeau has come under pressure over the flow of the illegal migrants. He is questioned about it every time he appears in parliament, from opponents on the left, who want more asylum-seekers to be allowed in, and critics on the right, who say the migrants pose a potential security risk.

Canadians appeared to be just as concerned about illegal immigration as their American neighbors, according to the poll, which was conducted between March 8-9. Some 48 per cent of Canadians said they supported &quot;increasing the deportation of people living in Canada illegally&quot;.

When asked specifically about the recent border crossings from the United States, the same number - 48 per cent - said Canada should &quot;send these migrants back to the US&quot; Another 36 per cent said Canada should &quot;accept these migrants&quot; and let them seek refugee status.

&quot;Sometimes you wonder - is this person going to go through the legal process or is he just trying to get to this side of the world and have a better life?&quot; asked Emerson resident and hotel manager Faye Suderman who added that she felt compassion for the people who were seeking asylum.

&quot;They&#39;re walking across with children. So it&#39;s hard to hard to see it, yet you don&#39;t know until they&#39;ve been screened. You have no idea who they are or what they are or what they have. You know, can they have a weapon? I mean, they could have, right, because they&#39;re crossing illegally,&quot; said Suderman&#39;s husband, Frank.

Illegal migrants interviewed by Reuters in Canada said they had been legally in the United States and had applied for asylum there. But they had fled to Canada for fear of being caught up in Trump&#39;s more aggressive immigration crackdown.

&quot;It saddens me that that what&#39;s happening in the States is causing people to flee there because I&#39;m guessing that many of them had already come there as refugees and were making a life for themselves. And now they feel so unsafe that they want to come here,&quot; said Wayne Sandler, a social worker in Manitoba&#39;s capital, Winnipeg.

Canadians appeared to be just as concerned about illegal immigration as their American neighbors, according to the poll, which was conducted between March 8-9. Some 48 per cent of Canadians said they supported &quot;increasing the deportation of people living in Canada illegally.&quot;

When asked specifically about the recent border crossings from the United States, the same number - 48 per cent - said Canada should &quot;send these migrants back to the US&quot; Another 36 per cent said Canada should &quot;accept these migrants&quot; and let them seek refugee status.

(Reuters)

Some residents empathise with those making the long, sometimes dangerous trek to the Great White North, but are concerned about security

Nearly half of Canadians want to deport people who are illegally crossing into Canada from the United States, and a similar number disapprove of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is handling the influx, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Monday. A significant minority, four out of 10 respondents, said the border crossers could make Canada "less safe", underlining the potential political risk for Trudeau's Liberal government. The poll underscores how the increasing flow in recent months of hundreds of asylum-seekers, from Africa and the Middle East, has become a contentious issue in Canada. In the small border town of Emerson which has seen hundreds of border crossers, some residents say they empathise with those making the long and sometimes dangerous trek to the Great White North, but are concerned about potential security threats. "These people are not refugees. They are already coming from a safe country. United States is a safe country," said Greg Janzen, the elected leader of the local municipality. "They are fleeing from something and when you start getting a number of people coming from different countries, that's what concerning our residents. With the bigger numbers coming, we are going to see more criminals, more undesirables," he said. The town of 650 people lies on the border between the Canadian province of Manitoba and the US state of North Dakota. Migrants coming from the United States walk along train tracks and follow rail lines into Emerson, crossing a border marked in most areas only by scattered concrete boundary markers. The town has put up cameras near the tracks to monitor incoming migrants and officials say trains have slowed down to avoid hitting people walking on the tracks. Wayne Pfiel, a bartender at Emerson Inn, said many residents were angry about the asylum seekers, but he welcomed them. Pfiel recently found a shivering family in his lobby when he opened up his bar. "They were afraid, but after a while, I talked with (a) few of them. They were in good shape and they were polite," said Pfiel. There has been broad bipartisan support for high levels of legal immigration for decades in Canada. But Trudeau has come under pressure over the flow of the illegal migrants. He is questioned about it every time he appears in parliament, from opponents on the left, who want more asylum-seekers to be allowed in, and critics on the right, who say the migrants pose a potential security risk. Canadians appeared to be just as concerned about illegal immigration as their American neighbors, according to the poll, which was conducted between March 8-9. Some 48 per cent of Canadians said they supported "increasing the deportation of people living in Canada illegally". When asked specifically about the recent border crossings from the United States, the same number - 48 per cent - said Canada should "send these migrants back to the US" Another 36 per cent said Canada should "accept these migrants" and let them seek refugee status. "Sometimes you wonder - is this person going to go through the legal process or is he just trying to get to this side of the world and have a better life?" asked Emerson resident and hotel manager Faye Suderman who added that she felt compassion for the people who were seeking asylum. "They're walking across with children. So it's hard to hard to see it, yet you don't know until they've been screened. You have no idea who they are or what they are or what they have. You know, can they have a weapon? I mean, they could have, right, because they're crossing illegally," said Suderman's husband, Frank. Illegal migrants interviewed by Reuters in Canada said they had been legally in the United States and had applied for asylum there. But they had fled to Canada for fear of being caught up in Trump's more aggressive immigration crackdown. "It saddens me that that what's happening in the States is causing people to flee there because I'm guessing that many of them had already come there as refugees and were making a life for themselves. And now they feel so unsafe that they want to come here," said Wayne Sandler, a social worker in Manitoba's capital, Winnipeg. Canadians appeared to be just as concerned about illegal immigration as their American neighbors, according to the poll, which was conducted between March 8-9. Some 48 per cent of Canadians said they supported "increasing the deportation of people living in Canada illegally." When asked specifically about the recent border crossings from the United States, the same number - 48 per cent - said Canada should "send these migrants back to the US" Another 36 per cent said Canada should "accept these migrants" and let them seek refugee status. (Reuters)

Almost half of Canadians want illegal border crossers from US deported: Poll

FBI Director James Comey confirmed for the first time Monday that the agency is investigating Russian interference in last year&#39;s presidential election and notably Moscow&#39;s possible collusion with President Donald Trump&#39;s campaign.

The FBI &quot;is investigating the Russian government&#39;s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election,&quot; Comey told a hearing by the House Intelligence Committee.

&quot;And that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia&#39;s efforts,&quot; he said.

Watch&nbsp;FBI Director Comey describe&nbsp;his agency&#39;s assessment of the Russian motive behind hacking the Democrats.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Comey: Russia&#39;s goals in 2016 were to hurt U.S. democracy, hurt Hillary Clinton and help Trump <a href="https://t.co/IF9lRnsNN1">pic.twitter.com/IF9lRnsNN1</a>
&mdash; Axios (@axios) <a href="https://twitter.com/axios/status/843855998179840001">March 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Background

Several members of Trump&#39;s team during the election, and official members of his administration once taking office, have lied about their contact with Russian officials.&nbsp;

Notably, National Securtity Adviser<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-national-security-adviser-michael-flynn-resigns-12377" target="_blank"> Michael Flynn</a>, who had to resign after misleading US Vice President Mike Pence about his contact with Russian ambassador to the United States,&nbsp;Sergey Kislyak.&nbsp;Flynn had promised Pence he had not discussed US&nbsp;sanctions with the Russians, but transcripts of intercepted communications, described by US&nbsp;officials, showed that the subject had come up in conversations between him and Kislyak.

Also, Attorney General <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-russia-sessions-may-be-blackmailed-by-kremlin-says-former-white-house-chief-ethics-officer-12984" target="_blank">Jeff Sessions</a>, who had to recuse himself from any investigation into Trump&#39;s alleged Russian connections after it came to light that he lied under oath about not having contact with any Russian officials, when actually he had also met at least twice with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak.

When asked in February of 2016&nbsp;if anyone from his staff had communicated with Russia during his election campaign, Mr&nbsp;Trump said: &ldquo;Nobody that I know of&rdquo;.&nbsp;

During the campaign, Roger Stone was a top Trump adviser for a time. He has since <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-ally-says-he-worked-with-assange-pre-election-to-spread-clinton-emails-in-abusive-twitter-tirade-13089" target="_blank">admitted </a>to having a &quot;perfectly legal back channel&quot; to Julian Assange, whose website WikiLeaks published hacked emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, which Trump repeatedly&nbsp;used during the campaign to cudgel Clinton.

It has also since come to light that Stone also had private contact with Guccifer 2.0, the identity of the person&nbsp;who hacked the Democrats. US intelligence says Guccifer 2.0 is&nbsp;really GRU, or Russian military intelligence. Thus, an official member of Trump&#39;s election campaign admitted to having communication with both WikiLeaks and the Russian hacker who hacked the Democrats.&nbsp;

Roger Stone has denied&nbsp;any wrongdoing.

Other members of Trump&#39;s team who lied about contact with Russian&nbsp;officials before the November 8, 2016 US election&nbsp;include: Paul Manafort, Carter Page, JD Gordon, and even Donald Trump himself.

Trump&#39;s son-in-law and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner also met&nbsp;with Russian ambassador Segey Kislyak, but after the election.

Trump took to Twitter early in the morning before the&nbsp;House Intelligence Committee hearing to denounce the ongoing story between his election campaign and Russia, calling it &quot;FAKE NEWS&quot;. &nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The agency is investigating Russia's interference in the US election, but also whether or not Trump's team actively worked with them

FBI Director James Comey confirmed for the first time Monday that the agency is investigating Russian interference in last year's presidential election and notably Moscow's possible collusion with President Donald Trump's campaign. The FBI "is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election," Comey told a hearing by the House Intelligence Committee. "And that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts," he said. Watch FBI Director Comey describe his agency's assessment of the Russian motive behind hacking the Democrats. Comey: Russia's goals in 2016 were to hurt U.S. democracy, hurt Hillary Clinton and help Trump pic.twitter.com/IF9lRnsNN1 — Axios (@axios) March 20, 2017 × Background Several members of Trump's team during the election, and official members of his administration once taking office, have lied about their contact with Russian officials. Notably, National Securtity Adviser Michael Flynn, who had to resign after misleading US Vice President Mike Pence about his contact with Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak. Flynn had promised Pence he had not discussed US sanctions with the Russians, but transcripts of intercepted communications, described by US officials, showed that the subject had come up in conversations between him and Kislyak. Also, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had to recuse himself from any investigation into Trump's alleged Russian connections after it came to light that he lied under oath about not having contact with any Russian officials, when actually he had also met at least twice with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak. When asked in February of 2016 if anyone from his staff had communicated with Russia during his election campaign, Mr Trump said: “Nobody that I know of”. During the campaign, Roger Stone was a top Trump adviser for a time. He has since admitted to having a "perfectly legal back channel" to Julian Assange, whose website WikiLeaks published hacked emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, which Trump repeatedly used during the campaign to cudgel Clinton. It has also since come to light that Stone also had private contact with Guccifer 2.0, the identity of the person who hacked the Democrats. US intelligence says Guccifer 2.0 is really GRU, or Russian military intelligence. Thus, an official member of Trump's election campaign admitted to having communication with both WikiLeaks and the Russian hacker who hacked the Democrats. Roger Stone has denied any wrongdoing. Other members of Trump's team who lied about contact with Russian officials before the November 8, 2016 US election include: Paul Manafort, Carter Page, JD Gordon, and even Donald Trump himself. Trump's son-in-law and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner also met with Russian ambassador Segey Kislyak, but after the election. Trump took to Twitter early in the morning before the House Intelligence Committee hearing to denounce the ongoing story between his election campaign and Russia, calling it "FAKE NEWS". (WION with inputs from AFP)

FBI director confirms agency is probing Russian links to Trump campaign

The US and China pledged on Saturday to work together in addressing the threat posed by North Korea&#39;s nuclear programme, as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned the situation had reached a &quot;dangerous level.&quot;

The language from Tillerson and his Chinese counterpart after talks in Beijing was notably conciliatory after a run-up in which US President Donald Trump accused China of doing nothing to control its rogue neighbour while Beijing blamed Washington for fuelling hostilities.

&quot;I think we share a common view and a sense that tensions in the peninsula are quite high right now and that things have reached a rather dangerous level,&quot; Tillerson said after talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

&quot;We will work together to see if we cannot bring the government in Pyongyang to a place where they want to make a different course, make a course correction, and move away from the development of nuclear weapons.&quot;

Tillerson arrived in Beijing earlier Saturday after visits to US allies Japan and South Korea where he said the US would no longer observe the &quot;failed&quot; approach of patient diplomacy favoured by Beijing and followed by the Obama administration.

Trump upped the pressure in a Friday Twitter blast accusing Beijing of failing to use its leverage as North Korea&#39;s key diplomatic and trade partner.

&quot;North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been &#39;playing&#39; the United States for years. China has done little to help!&quot; Trump said.

The tougher US talk followed two North Korean nuclear tests last year and recent missile launches, including a salvo earlier this month that Pyongyang described as practice for an attack on US bases in Japan.

Beijing is deeply reluctant to put harsh pressure on the unpredictable North lest it trigger a confrontation or a messy regime collapse.

China has hit back at the US, angrily accusing it of escalating the situation by holding military exercises with its ally Seoul and deploying an anti-missile system in South Korea.

Beijing has been calling for a resumption of diplomatic negotiations with North Korea on dismantling its nuclear programme -- which UN resolutions bar it from pursuing -- a track pursued for years in the past but which notably failed.

&quot;We can either let the situation aggravate and lead to conflict or go back to the right track of negotiations,&quot; Wang said.

&quot;We both hope to find ways to restart talks and do not give up hope for peace.&quot;

Summit looms&nbsp;

Neither side indicated any next steps.

Tillerson, a former Exxon oil executive who until this week had adopted a low profile in office, said in Seoul on Friday that the US and its allies were &quot;exploring a new range of diplomatic, security, economic measures.&quot;

He gave no details but said US military action against North Korea remained &quot;on the table&quot; if Pyongyang escalated its provocations.

China has taken shots at his get-tough approach, saying in recent days that its call for diplomatic talks was the &quot;only feasible option&quot; and challenging the Trump administration to propose something better.

One reason for the amicable tone on Saturday may be that delicate negotiations are ongoing for President Xi Jinping to visit Trump -- a frequent China critic -- in a first summit between the leaders next month in the United States.

Tillerson was expected to meet Xi on Sunday morning.

Beijing shares US concerns over Pyongyang&#39;s nuclearisation but is careful not to provoke North Korea.

But China took one of its toughest steps yet in February, announcing it would halt all imports of North Korean coal -- a key source of income for the impoverished state -- for the rest of this year, citing the UN sanctions.

The United Nations has imposed multiple sets of sanctions but China is accused of not fully enforcing them.&nbsp;

Under the Obama administration, the US ruled out diplomatic engagement until Pyongyang made a tangible commitment to denuclearisation, hoping that internal stresses in the isolated country would bring change.

North Korea says it needs to be able to defend itself, and conducted its first underground atomic test in 2006, triggering global condemnation.&nbsp;Four more test blasts have followed.

Beijing also is upset over the US deployment of an anti-missile system to South Korea that Washington and Seoul insist is purely a defensive measure against a possible North Korean attack.

But Beijing says the system undermines its own security and has reacted angrily, imposing a series of measures seen in South Korea as economic retaliation.

(AFP)

The reconciliation comes after US President Donald Trump and China accused each other of deepening the Pyongyang morass

The US and China pledged on Saturday to work together in addressing the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear programme, as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned the situation had reached a "dangerous level." The language from Tillerson and his Chinese counterpart after talks in Beijing was notably conciliatory after a run-up in which US President Donald Trump accused China of doing nothing to control its rogue neighbour while Beijing blamed Washington for fuelling hostilities. "I think we share a common view and a sense that tensions in the peninsula are quite high right now and that things have reached a rather dangerous level," Tillerson said after talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. "We will work together to see if we cannot bring the government in Pyongyang to a place where they want to make a different course, make a course correction, and move away from the development of nuclear weapons." Tillerson arrived in Beijing earlier Saturday after visits to US allies Japan and South Korea where he said the US would no longer observe the "failed" approach of patient diplomacy favoured by Beijing and followed by the Obama administration. Trump upped the pressure in a Friday Twitter blast accusing Beijing of failing to use its leverage as North Korea's key diplomatic and trade partner. "North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been 'playing' the United States for years. China has done little to help!" Trump said. The tougher US talk followed two North Korean nuclear tests last year and recent missile launches, including a salvo earlier this month that Pyongyang described as practice for an attack on US bases in Japan. Beijing is deeply reluctant to put harsh pressure on the unpredictable North lest it trigger a confrontation or a messy regime collapse. China has hit back at the US, angrily accusing it of escalating the situation by holding military exercises with its ally Seoul and deploying an anti-missile system in South Korea. Beijing has been calling for a resumption of diplomatic negotiations with North Korea on dismantling its nuclear programme -- which UN resolutions bar it from pursuing -- a track pursued for years in the past but which notably failed. "We can either let the situation aggravate and lead to conflict or go back to the right track of negotiations," Wang said. "We both hope to find ways to restart talks and do not give up hope for peace." Summit looms Neither side indicated any next steps. Tillerson, a former Exxon oil executive who until this week had adopted a low profile in office, said in Seoul on Friday that the US and its allies were "exploring a new range of diplomatic, security, economic measures." He gave no details but said US military action against North Korea remained "on the table" if Pyongyang escalated its provocations. China has taken shots at his get-tough approach, saying in recent days that its call for diplomatic talks was the "only feasible option" and challenging the Trump administration to propose something better. One reason for the amicable tone on Saturday may be that delicate negotiations are ongoing for President Xi Jinping to visit Trump -- a frequent China critic -- in a first summit between the leaders next month in the United States. Tillerson was expected to meet Xi on Sunday morning. Beijing shares US concerns over Pyongyang's nuclearisation but is careful not to provoke North Korea. But China took one of its toughest steps yet in February, announcing it would halt all imports of North Korean coal -- a key source of income for the impoverished state -- for the rest of this year, citing the UN sanctions. The United Nations has imposed multiple sets of sanctions but China is accused of not fully enforcing them. Under the Obama administration, the US ruled out diplomatic engagement until Pyongyang made a tangible commitment to denuclearisation, hoping that internal stresses in the isolated country would bring change. North Korea says it needs to be able to defend itself, and conducted its first underground atomic test in 2006, triggering global condemnation. Four more test blasts have followed. Beijing also is upset over the US deployment of an anti-missile system to South Korea that Washington and Seoul insist is purely a defensive measure against a possible North Korean attack. But Beijing says the system undermines its own security and has reacted angrily, imposing a series of measures seen in South Korea as economic retaliation. (AFP)

US, China plan to act together against 'dangerous' North Korea

The United States government led by Donald Trump has filed an appeal against a Maryland court order that blocked Trump&#39;s revised travel ban on the ground that it discriminated against Muslims.&nbsp;

The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal with the district court in Greenbelt, Maryland, two days after that court and one in Hawaii dealt a new blow to the White House&#39;s travel ban, both ruling that it discriminated against Muslims.

The case now goes to a federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia.

Trump has said a travel ban is needed to preserve US national security and keep out extremists.

His first effort, in January, banned travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries and all refugees but was blocked by a court in Washington state on the grounds that it violated the constitution`s prohibition of religious discrimination.

That block was upheld on appeal, and the administration said it would revise the ban to better adhere to the law.&nbsp;

But the new ban has run into the same problems.

It aims to close US borders to nationals of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, and all refugees for at least 120 days. Iraq was on the original ban but removed in the revision.

The White House said the six countries were targeted because their screening and information capabilities could not meet US security requirements.

While the ban does not mention Muslims, the courts have accepted arguments that Trump`s statements while he was running for president last year that he would open his White House term with a ban on Muslim arrivals effectively defined his approach.

Arguing the case in Hawaii, Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall said of Trump&#39;s comments: &quot;There is a difference between a president and a candidate.&quot;

&quot;This order doesn&#39;t draw any religious distinction at all,&quot; he added.

(AFP)

The appeal comes two days after courts in Maryland and Hawaii blocked Trump's revised travel ban order

The United States government led by Donald Trump has filed an appeal against a Maryland court order that blocked Trump's revised travel ban on the ground that it discriminated against Muslims. The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal with the district court in Greenbelt, Maryland, two days after that court and one in Hawaii dealt a new blow to the White House's travel ban, both ruling that it discriminated against Muslims. The case now goes to a federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia. Trump has said a travel ban is needed to preserve US national security and keep out extremists. His first effort, in January, banned travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries and all refugees but was blocked by a court in Washington state on the grounds that it violated the constitution`s prohibition of religious discrimination. That block was upheld on appeal, and the administration said it would revise the ban to better adhere to the law. But the new ban has run into the same problems. It aims to close US borders to nationals of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, and all refugees for at least 120 days. Iraq was on the original ban but removed in the revision. The White House said the six countries were targeted because their screening and information capabilities could not meet US security requirements. While the ban does not mention Muslims, the courts have accepted arguments that Trump`s statements while he was running for president last year that he would open his White House term with a ban on Muslim arrivals effectively defined his approach. Arguing the case in Hawaii, Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall said of Trump's comments: "There is a difference between a president and a candidate." "This order doesn't draw any religious distinction at all," he added. (AFP)

Trump administration files appeal against court order blocking revised travel ban

President Donald Trump reiterated his strong support for NATO on Friday and pressed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to meet NATO&#39;s military spending target, in the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders.

The meeting between the leader of Europe&#39;s largest economy and the US president was billed as one that could help determine the future of the transatlantic alliance and shape their working relationship.

&quot;I reiterated to Chancellor Merkel my strong support for NATO as well as the need for our NATO allies to pay their fair share for the cost of defence,&quot; Trump said at a joint news conference with Merkel.

Merkel said she told Trump Germany needs to meet NATO spending goals. The two also discussed Ukraine and Afghanistan.

Trump said he expected the United States to do &quot;fantastically well&quot; in trade with Germany, while Merkel said she hoped the United States and the European Union could resume discussions on a trade agreement. Trump said he did not believe in isolationism but that trade policy should be fairer.

&quot;We held a conversation where we were trying to address also those areas where we disagree, but we tried to bring people together ... (and) tried to find a compromise that is good for both sides,&quot; Merkel said.

Trump said he &quot;very seldom&quot; regrets anything he tweets, brushing off questions about his claims without evidence that his predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama, wiretapped him during last year`s presidential campaign.

Trump said, &quot;At least we have something in common,&quot; apparently referring to reports during Obama`s presidency that the United States bugged her phone. Congressional leaders from both political parties say they do not believe Trump was wiretapped.

Earlier, the new US president greeted the long-serving stateswoman at the White House with a handshake before they began talks in the Oval Office. Both leaders described their meeting in brief remarks to reporters as having been very good.&nbsp; 
The meeting is consequential for both sides.&nbsp;

As a presidential candidate, Trump criticized Merkel for allowing hundreds of thousands of refugees into Germany. At the news conference, Merkel hinted at differences, saying: &quot;This is obviously something we had an exchange of views about.&quot;

Relationship building is a less overt but important agenda item. Merkel had close relations with Trump&#39;s Democratic and Republican predecessors, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, and she is likely to seek a strong working relationship with Trump despite major policy differences and wariness in Germany about the former New York businessman.

&quot;Those who know the chancellor know that she has a knack for winning over people in personal discussions. I am sure that Donald Trump will not be immune,&quot; said Juergen Hardt, a conservative lawmaker who helps coordinate transatlantic relations for the German government.

(Reuters)

The meeting between Trump and Merkel is seen as important in determining the future of the transatlantic alliance

President Donald Trump reiterated his strong support for NATO on Friday and pressed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to meet NATO's military spending target, in the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders. The meeting between the leader of Europe's largest economy and the US president was billed as one that could help determine the future of the transatlantic alliance and shape their working relationship. "I reiterated to Chancellor Merkel my strong support for NATO as well as the need for our NATO allies to pay their fair share for the cost of defence," Trump said at a joint news conference with Merkel. Merkel said she told Trump Germany needs to meet NATO spending goals. The two also discussed Ukraine and Afghanistan. Trump said he expected the United States to do "fantastically well" in trade with Germany, while Merkel said she hoped the United States and the European Union could resume discussions on a trade agreement. Trump said he did not believe in isolationism but that trade policy should be fairer. "We held a conversation where we were trying to address also those areas where we disagree, but we tried to bring people together ... (and) tried to find a compromise that is good for both sides," Merkel said. Trump said he "very seldom" regrets anything he tweets, brushing off questions about his claims without evidence that his predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama, wiretapped him during last year`s presidential campaign. Trump said, "At least we have something in common," apparently referring to reports during Obama`s presidency that the United States bugged her phone. Congressional leaders from both political parties say they do not believe Trump was wiretapped. Earlier, the new US president greeted the long-serving stateswoman at the White House with a handshake before they began talks in the Oval Office. Both leaders described their meeting in brief remarks to reporters as having been very good. The meeting is consequential for both sides. As a presidential candidate, Trump criticized Merkel for allowing hundreds of thousands of refugees into Germany. At the news conference, Merkel hinted at differences, saying: "This is obviously something we had an exchange of views about." Relationship building is a less overt but important agenda item. Merkel had close relations with Trump's Democratic and Republican predecessors, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, and she is likely to seek a strong working relationship with Trump despite major policy differences and wariness in Germany about the former New York businessman. "Those who know the chancellor know that she has a knack for winning over people in personal discussions. I am sure that Donald Trump will not be immune," said Juergen Hardt, a conservative lawmaker who helps coordinate transatlantic relations for the German government. (Reuters)

US President Trump demands NATO dues in first meeting with Germany's Merkel

donald-trump

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