Obama's initiative had instructed public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms matching their chosen gender identity

President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday revoked landmark guidance issued to public schools in defence of transgender student rights, reversing course on a signature initiative of former Democratic President Barack Obama. Obama instructed public schools in May 2016 to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms matching their chosen gender identity, threatening to withhold federal funding if they should force transgender children to use bathrooms against their will. The Obama guidelines had already been put on hold by a federal judge, but the Trump administration went ahead and withdrew them. The Justice and Education departments will continue to study the legal issues involved, according to the new, superseding guidance that will be sent to public schools across the country. Reversing the Obama guidelines stands to inflame passions in the latest conflict in America between believers in traditional values and social progressives, and is likely to prompt more of the street protests that followed Trump's November 8 election. While Trump takes away #transgender students' rights, this is what a Canadian elementary school bathroom looks like: pic.twitter.com/W8sZK6KedT — Joshua Ostroff (@joshuaostroff) February 23, 2017 × A couple hundred people gathered in front of the White House to protest the Republican president's action, waving rainbow flags and chanting: "No hate, no fear, trans students are welcome here." The rainbow flag is the symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the White House was pressed to act now because of the pending US Supreme Court case, GG versus Gloucester County School Board. That case pits a Virginia transgender boy, Gavin Grimm, against officials who want to deny him use of the boys' room at his high school. Although the Justice Department is not a party in the case, it typically would want to make its views heard. The Trump administration action on Wednesday also withdrew an Education Department letter in support of Grimm's case. The federal law in question, known as Title IX, bans sex discrimination in education. But it remains unsettled whether Title IX protections extend to a person's gender identity. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement that the Obama guidelines "did not contain sufficient legal analysis or explain how the interpretation was consistent with the language of Title IX". He also said Congress, state legislatures and local governments were better-placed to address the issues than the executive branch. "The Department of Justice remains committed to the proper interpretation and enforcement of Title IX and to its protections for all students, including LGBTQ students, from discrimination, bullying, and harassment," Sessions said. The courts are likely to have the final say over whether Title IX covers transgender students. The Supreme Court could pass on that question in the Virginia case and allow lower courts to weigh in, or go ahead and decide what the law means. (Reuters)

Trump revokes Obama's signature transgender bathroom rules

At least nine people were arrested as a few dozen demonstrators opposed to the Dakota Access pipeline defied a Wednesday deadline to leave a protest camp they have occupied for months to demand an end to construction of the project. &quot;We knew this day was going to come,&quot; said North Dakota Highway Patrol Lieutenant Tom Iverson.

President Donald Trump has pushed for the completion of the multibillion-dollar pipeline since he took office last month, despite objections from Native Americans and environmental activists who say it threatens the water resources and sacred land of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

Republican Governor Doug Burgum and the US&nbsp;Army Corps of Engineers had set a 2 pm&nbsp;deadline for protesters to leave the Oceti Sakowin camp, located on Army Corps land in Cannon Ball, North Dakota.

As freezing rain and snow fell, some demonstrators ceremonially burned tents and other structures at the camp in what they said was a tradition before leaving a dwelling place. But others said they were going nowhere.

Around three dozen protesters gathered near the camp entrance as the deadline passed. About 20 police vehicles waited up the road and a few dozen protesters remained in other parts of the camp, a Reuters witness said.

Protesters and law enforcement have clashed multiple times and hundreds of people have been arrested since demonstrations began in August.

The Standing Rock Sioux asked protesters to leave the area in December as they challenged the pipeline plans in court, but some 300 demonstrators had remained.

State officials have set up a travel assistance centre to provide departing protesters with food, water and health check-ups, as well as a voucher for one night&#39;s accommodation at a Bismarck hotel and a bus ticket home.

Trump, a Republican, signed an executive order clearing the way for the $3.8 billion pipeline to proceed.

A judge denied a request earlier this month by two tribes seeking to halt construction. The tribes are seeking an injunction to order the Army Corps to withdraw the easement.

The pipeline will be complete and ready for oil between March 6 and April 1, according to court documents filed Tuesday.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

Native Americans, environmentalists and others protested for months, but Trump signed an executive for the $3.8 billion project to contine

At least nine people were arrested as a few dozen demonstrators opposed to the Dakota Access pipeline defied a Wednesday deadline to leave a protest camp they have occupied for months to demand an end to construction of the project. "We knew this day was going to come," said North Dakota Highway Patrol Lieutenant Tom Iverson. President Donald Trump has pushed for the completion of the multibillion-dollar pipeline since he took office last month, despite objections from Native Americans and environmental activists who say it threatens the water resources and sacred land of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Republican Governor Doug Burgum and the US Army Corps of Engineers had set a 2 pm deadline for protesters to leave the Oceti Sakowin camp, located on Army Corps land in Cannon Ball, North Dakota. As freezing rain and snow fell, some demonstrators ceremonially burned tents and other structures at the camp in what they said was a tradition before leaving a dwelling place. But others said they were going nowhere. Around three dozen protesters gathered near the camp entrance as the deadline passed. About 20 police vehicles waited up the road and a few dozen protesters remained in other parts of the camp, a Reuters witness said. Protesters and law enforcement have clashed multiple times and hundreds of people have been arrested since demonstrations began in August. The Standing Rock Sioux asked protesters to leave the area in December as they challenged the pipeline plans in court, but some 300 demonstrators had remained. State officials have set up a travel assistance centre to provide departing protesters with food, water and health check-ups, as well as a voucher for one night's accommodation at a Bismarck hotel and a bus ticket home. Trump, a Republican, signed an executive order clearing the way for the $3.8 billion pipeline to proceed. A judge denied a request earlier this month by two tribes seeking to halt construction. The tribes are seeking an injunction to order the Army Corps to withdraw the easement. The pipeline will be complete and ready for oil between March 6 and April 1, according to court documents filed Tuesday. (Reuters)

US: At least 9 arrested for defying deadline to leave Dakota Access pipeline protest camp

Muslim Americans have helped raise more than $91,000 to repair vandalised headstones at a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri, according to an online fundraising page, amid attacks and threats against Jewish institutions.&nbsp;

US&nbsp;vice president Mike Pence visited the graveyard on Wednesday and told clean-up volunteers, state officials and reporters that there was no place in America for hatred, violence, anti-Semitism or acts of prejudice.&nbsp;

&quot;I must tell you the people of Missouri are inspiring the nation by your love and care of this place, for the Jewish community in Missouri and I want to thank you for that inspiration,&quot; Pence said.

About 170 headstones were toppled or damaged at the century-old Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery over the weekend, according to cemetery staff.&nbsp;

Some Jewish groups described the vandalism and threats as the latest evidence that anti-Semitic groups have been emboldened by the election of Donald Trump as US&nbsp;president. His campaign last year drew the support of white nationalists and right-wing groups, despite his disavowals of them.

&quot;Muslim Americans stand in solidarity with the Jewish-American community to condemn this horrific act of desecration,&quot; the fundraisers said on their website.

More than 3,000 people had donated $91,583 by late Wednesday afternoon. Cemetery staff declined comment on the fundraising.

Jewish community centres across the United States have reported a surge in bomb threats, all of which have so far proved to be hoaxes.&nbsp;

On Wednesday the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, said its national headquarters in New York City received an anonymous bomb threat but was later given the all clear.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered state police to investigate and work with federal and local law enforcement. In a statement, Cuomo said the threats were &quot;now a national crisis&quot; because of their regularity.

Trump condemned the previous threats as anti-Semitism for the first time on Tuesday after repeatedly declining to do so when asked by journalists last week. Some Jewish organizations have criticized his approach.

The fundraising effort was launched by Linda Sarsour, a liberal political activist, and Tarek El-Messidi, the founding director of Celebrate Mercy, a non-profit organisation that teaches the public about Mohammad, the founder of Islam.

Sarsour was a supporter of US&nbsp;Senator Bernie Sanders in his bid to become the Democratic Party&#39;s presidential candidate, and was one of the organizers of the Women&#39;s March on Washington on Jan. 21, the day after Trump&#39;s inauguration.

(Reuters)

About 170 headstones were toppled or damaged at the century-old Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri over the weekend

Muslim Americans have helped raise more than $91,000 to repair vandalised headstones at a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri, according to an online fundraising page, amid attacks and threats against Jewish institutions. US vice president Mike Pence visited the graveyard on Wednesday and told clean-up volunteers, state officials and reporters that there was no place in America for hatred, violence, anti-Semitism or acts of prejudice. "I must tell you the people of Missouri are inspiring the nation by your love and care of this place, for the Jewish community in Missouri and I want to thank you for that inspiration," Pence said. About 170 headstones were toppled or damaged at the century-old Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery over the weekend, according to cemetery staff. Some Jewish groups described the vandalism and threats as the latest evidence that anti-Semitic groups have been emboldened by the election of Donald Trump as US president. His campaign last year drew the support of white nationalists and right-wing groups, despite his disavowals of them. "Muslim Americans stand in solidarity with the Jewish-American community to condemn this horrific act of desecration," the fundraisers said on their website. More than 3,000 people had donated $91,583 by late Wednesday afternoon. Cemetery staff declined comment on the fundraising. Jewish community centres across the United States have reported a surge in bomb threats, all of which have so far proved to be hoaxes. On Wednesday the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, said its national headquarters in New York City received an anonymous bomb threat but was later given the all clear. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered state police to investigate and work with federal and local law enforcement. In a statement, Cuomo said the threats were "now a national crisis" because of their regularity. Trump condemned the previous threats as anti-Semitism for the first time on Tuesday after repeatedly declining to do so when asked by journalists last week. Some Jewish organizations have criticized his approach. The fundraising effort was launched by Linda Sarsour, a liberal political activist, and Tarek El-Messidi, the founding director of Celebrate Mercy, a non-profit organisation that teaches the public about Mohammad, the founder of Islam. Sarsour was a supporter of US Senator Bernie Sanders in his bid to become the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, and was one of the organizers of the Women's March on Washington on Jan. 21, the day after Trump's inauguration. (Reuters)

Muslim Americans raise over $91,000 for vandalised Jewish cemetery in Missouri

The Trump administration issued tough new orders Tuesday for a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigrants, putting nearly all of the country&#39;s 11 million undocumented foreigners in its crosshairs.

The orders sent shivers through US immigrant communities, where millions of people who have spent years building families and livelihoods in the country, most of them from Mexico and Central America, were seriously threatened with deportation for the first time in decades.

Rights groups labelled the move a &quot;witch hunt,&quot; warning that mass deportations would damage families with deep roots in the United States and hurt the economy.

But John Kelly, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) who issued the new orders in two memos, said they were necessary to address a problem that has &quot;overwhelmed&quot; government resources.

&quot;The surge of illegal immigration at the southern border has overwhelmed federal agencies and resources and has created a significant national security vulnerability to the United States,&quot; he said in one of the memos.

Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned the new guidelines will &quot;harm national security and public safety&quot;.

New York Mayor Bill De Blasio said they would result in &quot;needlessly tearing apart families and spreading fear in immigrant communities&quot;.

&quot;What we will not do is turn our NYPD officers into immigration agents &ndash; or our jails into holding pens for deportation policy that will only undermine the inclusiveness that has helped make New York City the safest big city in the nation,&quot; he added.

&nbsp;

Expedited deportations

The new rules make it easier for border patrol and immigration officers to quickly deport any illegal immigrants they find, with only a few exceptions, principally children.

The White House says the priority will remain undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes, as well as anyone who has been charged or potentially faces criminal charges. However, people deemed as low priority for deportation by the previous administration of Barack Obama -- generally anyone not tied to a crime -- are no longer protected.&nbsp;

&quot;With extremely limited exceptions, DHS will not exempt classes or categories of removal aliens from potential enforcement,&quot; the memos said. &quot;All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to enforcement proceedings, up to and including removal from the United States.&quot;

The memos followed up on President Donald Trump&#39;s order, issued just after his January 20 inauguration, for authorities to crack down on illegal immigration by tightening enforcement and building a wall along the nearly 2,000-mile (3,145-kilometre) US-Mexico frontier.&nbsp;

In the memos, Kelly ordered immediate action to begin planning the wall. He also ordered the hiring of 15,000 more officers for the Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agencies.

The move comes ahead of meetings this week between Kelly and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico, in which illegal immigration and border security will be key topics.

 
&#39;Mass deportation policy&#39;

Pro-immigrant groups, already nervous after hundreds were arrested in a series of ICE raids on immigrant &quot;sanctuary cities&quot; two weeks ago, expressed shock and outrage.

&quot;Secretary Kelly has unleashed an unprecedented witch hunt on millions of immigrant families,&quot; said Angelica Salas, executive director for the Los Angeles-based Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.

&quot;These guidelines represent an unlawful, expedited process, a dragnet, to remove undocumented immigrants living and working in the US. This is a dastardly approach to a very human issue.&quot;

Omar Jadwat, director of the Immigrants&#39; Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, predicted strong legal challenges to the new policy.

&quot;These memos confirm that the Trump administration is willing to trample on due process, human decency, the wellbeing of our communities and even protections for vulnerable children, in pursuit of a hyper-aggressive mass deportation policy,&quot; he said.

Sharp policy shift

The turn in policy follows years in which the Obama and George W&nbsp;Bush administrations, sought to find a way with Congress to allow most of the long-term illegal immigrants to stay in the country.

But Trump campaigned for the White House on a promise to crack down on what he characterised as a source of widespread crime and a drag on the economy.&nbsp;

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump &quot;wanted to take the shackles off&quot; officials enforcing the laws.

DHS said there are more than 534,000 pending immigration cases in the courts nationwide, and that agents have apprehended more than 93,000 people trying to sneak into the country in October and November alone.

That work &quot;has significantly strained DHS resources,&quot; it said.

While Spicer said the policy could evolve beyond the DHS memos, there was no indication of what form those changes could take.

(AFP)

Rights groups labelled the move a 'witch hunt' warning mass deportations would damage families with deep roots in the US & hurt the economy

The Trump administration issued tough new orders Tuesday for a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigrants, putting nearly all of the country's 11 million undocumented foreigners in its crosshairs. The orders sent shivers through US immigrant communities, where millions of people who have spent years building families and livelihoods in the country, most of them from Mexico and Central America, were seriously threatened with deportation for the first time in decades. Rights groups labelled the move a "witch hunt," warning that mass deportations would damage families with deep roots in the United States and hurt the economy. But John Kelly, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) who issued the new orders in two memos, said they were necessary to address a problem that has "overwhelmed" government resources. "The surge of illegal immigration at the southern border has overwhelmed federal agencies and resources and has created a significant national security vulnerability to the United States," he said in one of the memos. Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned the new guidelines will "harm national security and public safety". New York Mayor Bill De Blasio said they would result in "needlessly tearing apart families and spreading fear in immigrant communities". "What we will not do is turn our NYPD officers into immigration agents – or our jails into holding pens for deportation policy that will only undermine the inclusiveness that has helped make New York City the safest big city in the nation," he added. Expedited deportations The new rules make it easier for border patrol and immigration officers to quickly deport any illegal immigrants they find, with only a few exceptions, principally children. The White House says the priority will remain undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes, as well as anyone who has been charged or potentially faces criminal charges. However, people deemed as low priority for deportation by the previous administration of Barack Obama -- generally anyone not tied to a crime -- are no longer protected. "With extremely limited exceptions, DHS will not exempt classes or categories of removal aliens from potential enforcement," the memos said. "All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to enforcement proceedings, up to and including removal from the United States." The memos followed up on President Donald Trump's order, issued just after his January 20 inauguration, for authorities to crack down on illegal immigration by tightening enforcement and building a wall along the nearly 2,000-mile (3,145-kilometre) US-Mexico frontier. In the memos, Kelly ordered immediate action to begin planning the wall. He also ordered the hiring of 15,000 more officers for the Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agencies. The move comes ahead of meetings this week between Kelly and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico, in which illegal immigration and border security will be key topics. 'Mass deportation policy' Pro-immigrant groups, already nervous after hundreds were arrested in a series of ICE raids on immigrant "sanctuary cities" two weeks ago, expressed shock and outrage. "Secretary Kelly has unleashed an unprecedented witch hunt on millions of immigrant families," said Angelica Salas, executive director for the Los Angeles-based Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights. "These guidelines represent an unlawful, expedited process, a dragnet, to remove undocumented immigrants living and working in the US. This is a dastardly approach to a very human issue." Omar Jadwat, director of the Immigrants' Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, predicted strong legal challenges to the new policy. "These memos confirm that the Trump administration is willing to trample on due process, human decency, the wellbeing of our communities and even protections for vulnerable children, in pursuit of a hyper-aggressive mass deportation policy," he said. Sharp policy shift The turn in policy follows years in which the Obama and George W Bush administrations, sought to find a way with Congress to allow most of the long-term illegal immigrants to stay in the country. But Trump campaigned for the White House on a promise to crack down on what he characterised as a source of widespread crime and a drag on the economy. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump "wanted to take the shackles off" officials enforcing the laws. DHS said there are more than 534,000 pending immigration cases in the courts nationwide, and that agents have apprehended more than 93,000 people trying to sneak into the country in October and November alone. That work "has significantly strained DHS resources," it said. While Spicer said the policy could evolve beyond the DHS memos, there was no indication of what form those changes could take. (AFP)

US: Trump govt issues new deportation orders, targeting nearly all 11 million undocumented foreigners in country

Amnesty International said on Wednesday that the US President Donald Trump&#39;s &quot;poisonous&quot; rhetoric on his way to winning the White House led a global trend towards increasingly divisive politics in 2016 that had made the world a &quot;darker&quot; place.

In its annual report covering 159 countries, the human rights group said principles of human dignity and equality had come under assault from politicians seeking election and it zeroed in on Trump, who took office on January 20.

&quot;Donald Trump&#39;s poisonous campaign rhetoric exemplifies a global trend towards angrier and more divisive politics,&quot; Amnesty said in a statement issued in Paris. The world, it said, had become a &quot;darker ... unstable place&quot;, with a rise in hate speech targeting refugees across Europe and the United States.

&quot;The early indications from (...) Trump suggest a foreign policy that will significantly undermine multilateral cooperation and usher in a new era of greater instability and mutual suspicion,&quot; Amnesty added.

Trump, a Republican former reality TV star and property magnate, has said he is &quot;the least racist person&quot; and &quot;least anti-Semitic person you&#39;ve ever seen&quot; and that one of his top priorities is to protect the United States from terrorism.

His administration has been marked by controversies in the early going, fierce attacks on the news media and legal battles over his executive order to ban people temporarily from seven Muslim-majority countries as alleged security risks.

US Vice President Mike Pence visited Europe this week and pledged &quot;steadfast and enduring commitment&quot; to ties between the United States and the European Union, a message at variance with Trump&#39;s far-right chief strategist.

US allies in Europe have been seeking clarity on the Trump administration&#39;s foreign policy strategy and its stance toward Russia.

&quot;The gap between imperative and action, and between rhetoric and reality, was stark and at times staggering,&quot; Amnesty said.

&quot;Nowhere was this better illustrated than in the failure of states attending September&#39;s 2016 United Nations summit for refugees and migrants to agree any adequate response to the global refugee crisis.&quot;

According to Amnesty calculations, some 75,000 refugees found themselves trapped between Jordan and Syria as the civil war in Syria entered its seventh year.

Amnesty said populist movements and messages had also become more common in Europe, notably in Poland and Hungary.

&quot;The result was a pervasive weakening of the rule of law and an erosion in the protection of human rights, particularly for refugees and terrorism suspects, but ultimately for everyone.&quot;

(Reuters)

The group said principles of human dignity and equality had come under assault from politicians seeking election and it zeroed in on Trump

Amnesty International said on Wednesday that the US President Donald Trump's "poisonous" rhetoric on his way to winning the White House led a global trend towards increasingly divisive politics in 2016 that had made the world a "darker" place. In its annual report covering 159 countries, the human rights group said principles of human dignity and equality had come under assault from politicians seeking election and it zeroed in on Trump, who took office on January 20. "Donald Trump's poisonous campaign rhetoric exemplifies a global trend towards angrier and more divisive politics," Amnesty said in a statement issued in Paris. The world, it said, had become a "darker ... unstable place", with a rise in hate speech targeting refugees across Europe and the United States. "The early indications from (...) Trump suggest a foreign policy that will significantly undermine multilateral cooperation and usher in a new era of greater instability and mutual suspicion," Amnesty added. Trump, a Republican former reality TV star and property magnate, has said he is "the least racist person" and "least anti-Semitic person you've ever seen" and that one of his top priorities is to protect the United States from terrorism. His administration has been marked by controversies in the early going, fierce attacks on the news media and legal battles over his executive order to ban people temporarily from seven Muslim-majority countries as alleged security risks. US Vice President Mike Pence visited Europe this week and pledged "steadfast and enduring commitment" to ties between the United States and the European Union, a message at variance with Trump's far-right chief strategist. US allies in Europe have been seeking clarity on the Trump administration's foreign policy strategy and its stance toward Russia. "The gap between imperative and action, and between rhetoric and reality, was stark and at times staggering," Amnesty said. "Nowhere was this better illustrated than in the failure of states attending September's 2016 United Nations summit for refugees and migrants to agree any adequate response to the global refugee crisis." According to Amnesty calculations, some 75,000 refugees found themselves trapped between Jordan and Syria as the civil war in Syria entered its seventh year. Amnesty said populist movements and messages had also become more common in Europe, notably in Poland and Hungary. "The result was a pervasive weakening of the rule of law and an erosion in the protection of human rights, particularly for refugees and terrorism suspects, but ultimately for everyone." (Reuters)

Amnesty holds Trump responsible for rising global trend of divisive politics

While touring the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Donald Trump&nbsp;addressed the rise in threats made against Jewish community centres.

The President&nbsp;did anything but satisfy Steven Goldstein, the executive director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect (AFCMR). The group posted his&nbsp;statement condemning Trump&#39;s so-called condemnation of Antisemitism.&nbsp;

<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="293" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAnneFrankCenterforMutualRespect%2Fposts%2F10155151871429040&amp;width=500" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="500"></iframe>

The full statement reads:

The President&rsquo;s sudden acknowledgement is a Band-Aid on the cancer of Antisemitism that has infected his own Administration. His statement today is a pathetic asterisk of condescension after weeks in which he and his staff have committed grotesque acts and omissions reflecting Antisemitism, yet day after day have refused to apologize and correct the record. Make no mistake: The Antisemitism coming out of this Administration is the worst we have ever seen from any Administration. The White House repeatedly refused to mention Jews in its Holocaust remembrance, and had the audacity to take offense when the world pointed out the ramifications of Holocaust denial. And it was only yesterday, President&rsquo;s Day, that Jewish Community Centers across the nation received bomb threats, and the President said absolutely nothing. When President Trump responds to Antisemitism proactively and in real time, and without pleas and pressure, that&rsquo;s when we&rsquo;ll be able to say this President has turned a corner. This is not that moment.&rdquo;

Trump had said,&nbsp;&quot;Anti-Semitism is horrible and it&#39;s going to stop and it has to stop.&quot;&nbsp;Also, he added, &quot;The anti-Semitic threats targetting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are a painful and very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil.&quot;

Trump earlier claimed that he <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/320443-anne-frank-center-trumps-anti-semitism-response-too-little-too-late" target="_blank">denounced </a>Anti-semitism &quot;whenever I get a chance&quot;.

This comes one day after a wave of bomb threats caused 11 Jewish community centres to close temporarily. Such phone calls have targetted as many as 54 community centres in 27 states since 2017 alone. On Monday, vandals toppled over many headstones in a historic Jewish cemetery in St Louis.

Trump&#39;s administration was&nbsp;criticised earlier&nbsp;for&nbsp;making a statement on Holocaust remembrance--in which, among other groups, six million Jews were killed--that had no mention of the Jewish people, and&nbsp;for afterwards defending this&nbsp;ommission.&nbsp;

This&nbsp;was <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/donald-trump-richard-spencer-holocuast-memorial-day-terrifying-a7559351.html" target="_blank">celebrated </a>for its &quot;de-judeification&quot; of the Holocaust&nbsp;by noted American White Supremacist and avid Trump supporter Richard Spencer.&nbsp;

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Trump was conspicuously silent amid an alarming uptick in vandalism and threats against US Jewish centres, and it has not escaped notice

While touring the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Donald Trump addressed the rise in threats made against Jewish community centres. The President did anything but satisfy Steven Goldstein, the executive director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect (AFCMR). The group posted his statement condemning Trump's so-called condemnation of Antisemitism. The full statement reads: The President’s sudden acknowledgement is a Band-Aid on the cancer of Antisemitism that has infected his own Administration. His statement today is a pathetic asterisk of condescension after weeks in which he and his staff have committed grotesque acts and omissions reflecting Antisemitism, yet day after day have refused to apologize and correct the record. Make no mistake: The Antisemitism coming out of this Administration is the worst we have ever seen from any Administration. The White House repeatedly refused to mention Jews in its Holocaust remembrance, and had the audacity to take offense when the world pointed out the ramifications of Holocaust denial. And it was only yesterday, President’s Day, that Jewish Community Centers across the nation received bomb threats, and the President said absolutely nothing. When President Trump responds to Antisemitism proactively and in real time, and without pleas and pressure, that’s when we’ll be able to say this President has turned a corner. This is not that moment.” Trump had said, "Anti-Semitism is horrible and it's going to stop and it has to stop." Also, he added, "The anti-Semitic threats targetting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are a painful and very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil." Trump earlier claimed that he denounced Anti-semitism "whenever I get a chance". This comes one day after a wave of bomb threats caused 11 Jewish community centres to close temporarily. Such phone calls have targetted as many as 54 community centres in 27 states since 2017 alone. On Monday, vandals toppled over many headstones in a historic Jewish cemetery in St Louis. Trump's administration was criticised earlier for making a statement on Holocaust remembrance--in which, among other groups, six million Jews were killed--that had no mention of the Jewish people, and for afterwards defending this ommission. This was celebrated for its "de-judeification" of the Holocaust by noted American White Supremacist and avid Trump supporter Richard Spencer. (WION)

Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect blasts Trump for condemning anti-Semitism late and only under pressure

Nearly 300,000 Indian-Americans are likely to be impacted by the Trump administration&#39;s sweeping plans that put the nation&#39;s 11 million undocumented immigrants at risk of deportation.

President Donald Trump has laid the groundwork for potentially deporting millions of undocumented immigrants by issuing new guidance that drastically broadens the ways in which federal immigration laws should be enforced.

&quot;The Department no longer will exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement,&quot; the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in an enforcement memo.

&quot;Department personnel have full authority to arrest or apprehend an alien whom an immigration officer has probable cause to believe is in violation of the immigration laws,&quot; it said.

The Department of Homeland Security has issued two enforcement memos, which among other things, tightens deportation of illegal immigrants.

The emphasis is on criminal aliens, though, but opens up the door for others too.

Indian-Americans as per unofficial figures account for nearly 300,000 illegal aliens.

According to the memo, the DHS Secretary has the authority to apply expedited removal provisions to aliens who have not been admitted or paroled into the US, who are inadmissible, and who have not been continuously physically present in the US for the two-year period immediately prior to the determination of their inadmissibility, so that such aliens are immediately removed unless the alien is an unaccompanied minor, intends to apply for asylum or has a fear of persecution or torture in their home country, or claims to have lawful immigration status.

The memorandum said when illegal aliens apprehended do not pose a risk of a subsequent illegal entry, returning them to the foreign contiguous territory from which they arrived, pending the outcome of removal proceedings, saves the government detention and adjudication resources for other priority aliens. 
 
(PTI)

 
&nbsp;

Indian-Americans as per unofficial figures account for nearly 300,000 illegal migrants

Nearly 300,000 Indian-Americans are likely to be impacted by the Trump administration's sweeping plans that put the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants at risk of deportation. President Donald Trump has laid the groundwork for potentially deporting millions of undocumented immigrants by issuing new guidance that drastically broadens the ways in which federal immigration laws should be enforced. "The Department no longer will exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement," the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in an enforcement memo. "Department personnel have full authority to arrest or apprehend an alien whom an immigration officer has probable cause to believe is in violation of the immigration laws," it said. The Department of Homeland Security has issued two enforcement memos, which among other things, tightens deportation of illegal immigrants. The emphasis is on criminal aliens, though, but opens up the door for others too. Indian-Americans as per unofficial figures account for nearly 300,000 illegal aliens. According to the memo, the DHS Secretary has the authority to apply expedited removal provisions to aliens who have not been admitted or paroled into the US, who are inadmissible, and who have not been continuously physically present in the US for the two-year period immediately prior to the determination of their inadmissibility, so that such aliens are immediately removed unless the alien is an unaccompanied minor, intends to apply for asylum or has a fear of persecution or torture in their home country, or claims to have lawful immigration status. The memorandum said when illegal aliens apprehended do not pose a risk of a subsequent illegal entry, returning them to the foreign contiguous territory from which they arrived, pending the outcome of removal proceedings, saves the government detention and adjudication resources for other priority aliens. (PTI)

Trump's immigration plans could impact Indian-Americans

The unusually elaborate lifestyle of America&rsquo;s new first family is straining the US Secret Service and security officials, stirring financial and logistical concerns in several local communities, and costing far more than past presidents, with only a month into the Trump presidency.

On Monday, President Donald Trump returned to Washington from his private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, where he spent his last three weekends for a working getaway.

These three trips to Mar-a-Lago have cost the federal treasury approximately $10 million, based on figures used in an October government report analysing White House travel, including money for coast guard units to patrol the exposed shoreline and other military, security and staffing expenses associated with moving the apparatus of the presidency, the Washington Post reported.

As a result, the bills have racked up outside the club. Palm Beach County Sheriff, Ric Bradshaw said Trump&rsquo;s 25 days in the county since the election have cost local taxpayers about $60,000 a day in overtime police payments.

According to The Hill, Trump&rsquo;s decision to spend three consecutive weekends at his &ldquo;southern White House&rdquo; stands in contrast to what he promised during the election campaign -- that he would rarely leave the White House because there would be a lot of work to be done.

The three Mar-a-Lago getaways, combined with his adult sons&rsquo; two international trips with their Secret Service protection to promote their father&rsquo;s business cost taxpayers about $11.3 million over the first month of Trump&rsquo;s presidency. President Obama, by contrast, spent an average of $12.1 million on travel each year, the Washington Post reported.

Trump&rsquo;s frequent travel opposes his criticism of Obama as a &ldquo;habitual vacationer&rdquo; enjoying taxpayer-funded golf getaways.

As the First Lady Melania Trump has decided to continue living in New York City, the New York police estimate the annual cost of guarding Trump Tower could be as high as $183 million.

The Defense Department and Secret Service is forced to rent space in Trump Tower at a taxpayer cost estimated to be $1.5 million annually to have constant access to the commander-in-chief.

Meanwhile on Sunday, Trump, who repeatedly criticised Obama for playing golf while president, enjoyed his sixth golf outing in Florida during his first month as president.

This month, Secret Service and US Embassy staffers paid nearly $100,000 in hotel room bills to support Eric Trump&rsquo;s trip to promote a Trump-brand condo tower in Uruguay, The Post reported.

Agents are now tasked with guarding multiple homes and protecting Trump&rsquo;s four adult children, including the globe-trotting sons running the family business and daughter Ivanka, whose family recently moved into a Northwest Washington neighbourhood, the Washington Post reported.

In advance of Trump&rsquo;s Super Bowl weekend trip to Mar-a-Lago, the Secret Service paid for a bevvy of security costs, including more than $12,000 for tents, portable toilets, light towers and golf carts, purchase orders show.

A report by Washington Post states that the overseas travel by Trump&rsquo;s adult sons is adding to the burden on taxpayers.

While Trump spent millions of taxpayer dollars on travel during his first month in office, his team put together a budget proposal that would cut cultural institutions and important services for poor people.

The proposal would eliminate &ldquo;longstanding conservative targets like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Legal Services Corporation, AmeriCorps and the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities,&rdquo; the New York Times reported.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Most of the programs cost under $500 million annually, a pittance for a government that is projected to spend about $4 trillion this year,&rdquo; it adds.&nbsp;

(WION)

While Obama spent an average of $12.1 mn on travel each year, Trump's travels cost taxpayers $11.3 mn over the first month of his presidency

The unusually elaborate lifestyle of America’s new first family is straining the US Secret Service and security officials, stirring financial and logistical concerns in several local communities, and costing far more than past presidents, with only a month into the Trump presidency. On Monday, President Donald Trump returned to Washington from his private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, where he spent his last three weekends for a working getaway. These three trips to Mar-a-Lago have cost the federal treasury approximately $10 million, based on figures used in an October government report analysing White House travel, including money for coast guard units to patrol the exposed shoreline and other military, security and staffing expenses associated with moving the apparatus of the presidency, the Washington Post reported. As a result, the bills have racked up outside the club. Palm Beach County Sheriff, Ric Bradshaw said Trump’s 25 days in the county since the election have cost local taxpayers about $60,000 a day in overtime police payments. According to The Hill, Trump’s decision to spend three consecutive weekends at his “southern White House” stands in contrast to what he promised during the election campaign -- that he would rarely leave the White House because there would be a lot of work to be done. The three Mar-a-Lago getaways, combined with his adult sons’ two international trips with their Secret Service protection to promote their father’s business cost taxpayers about $11.3 million over the first month of Trump’s presidency. President Obama, by contrast, spent an average of $12.1 million on travel each year, the Washington Post reported. Trump’s frequent travel opposes his criticism of Obama as a “habitual vacationer” enjoying taxpayer-funded golf getaways. As the First Lady Melania Trump has decided to continue living in New York City, the New York police estimate the annual cost of guarding Trump Tower could be as high as $183 million. The Defense Department and Secret Service is forced to rent space in Trump Tower at a taxpayer cost estimated to be $1.5 million annually to have constant access to the commander-in-chief. Meanwhile on Sunday, Trump, who repeatedly criticised Obama for playing golf while president, enjoyed his sixth golf outing in Florida during his first month as president. This month, Secret Service and US Embassy staffers paid nearly $100,000 in hotel room bills to support Eric Trump’s trip to promote a Trump-brand condo tower in Uruguay, The Post reported. Agents are now tasked with guarding multiple homes and protecting Trump’s four adult children, including the globe-trotting sons running the family business and daughter Ivanka, whose family recently moved into a Northwest Washington neighbourhood, the Washington Post reported. In advance of Trump’s Super Bowl weekend trip to Mar-a-Lago, the Secret Service paid for a bevvy of security costs, including more than $12,000 for tents, portable toilets, light towers and golf carts, purchase orders show. A report by Washington Post states that the overseas travel by Trump’s adult sons is adding to the burden on taxpayers. While Trump spent millions of taxpayer dollars on travel during his first month in office, his team put together a budget proposal that would cut cultural institutions and important services for poor people. The proposal would eliminate “longstanding conservative targets like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Legal Services Corporation, AmeriCorps and the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities,” the New York Times reported. “Most of the programs cost under $500 million annually, a pittance for a government that is projected to spend about $4 trillion this year,” it adds. (WION)

Trump family's elaborate lifestyle burdens US taxpayers

Demonstrators gathered at a pro-Muslim rally in New York&#39;s Times Square on Sunday&nbsp;organised in response to the Trump administration&#39;s travel ban.

Demonstrators carried flags and posters with messages of support towards Muslims, many of whom have been affected by President Trump&#39;s executive order that curtailed the entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries.

The &quot;I am Muslim Too&quot; rally brought together demonstrators of different faiths and walks of life, including celebrities Susan Sarandon and Russell Simmons.

&quot;He (Trump) will leave a legacy of hate and America is moving towards greater love. All of the diversity that we see here today will prevail and Americans will go back to moving towards a more loving place,&quot; said Simmons, who hosted the event.

&quot;I&#39;m here to indicate particularly with regard to the Muslim ban that we are here to stand for each other, that we&#39;re here to defend immigrants and refugees, to protect one another in this situation of such hatred and we&#39;re here all as one,&quot; said New York rabbi Rolando Matalon.

Trump&#39;s original order, which he said was meant to head off attacks by Islamist militants, barred people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering for 90 days and excluded all refugees for 120 days, except those from Syria, who were banned indefinitely.

The ban was struck down in court, but the administration is weighing a new version of Trump&#39;s executive order that aims to put restrictions on citizens of the same seven Muslim-majority countries covered by the initial order, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cites an internal State Department memo.

(Reuters)

The 'I am Muslim Too' rally brought together a wide variety of demonstrators to Times Square as the White House mulls over a new Muslim ban

Demonstrators gathered at a pro-Muslim rally in New York's Times Square on Sunday organised in response to the Trump administration's travel ban. Demonstrators carried flags and posters with messages of support towards Muslims, many of whom have been affected by President Trump's executive order that curtailed the entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries. The "I am Muslim Too" rally brought together demonstrators of different faiths and walks of life, including celebrities Susan Sarandon and Russell Simmons. "He (Trump) will leave a legacy of hate and America is moving towards greater love. All of the diversity that we see here today will prevail and Americans will go back to moving towards a more loving place," said Simmons, who hosted the event. "I'm here to indicate particularly with regard to the Muslim ban that we are here to stand for each other, that we're here to defend immigrants and refugees, to protect one another in this situation of such hatred and we're here all as one," said New York rabbi Rolando Matalon. Trump's original order, which he said was meant to head off attacks by Islamist militants, barred people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering for 90 days and excluded all refugees for 120 days, except those from Syria, who were banned indefinitely. The ban was struck down in court, but the administration is weighing a new version of Trump's executive order that aims to put restrictions on citizens of the same seven Muslim-majority countries covered by the initial order, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cites an internal State Department memo. (Reuters)

New Yorkers rally to support Muslims during Trump's presidency

A month into his presidency, US president Donald Trump addressed a campaign-style rally in Melbourne, Florida.&nbsp;

Speaking at an airport hanger,&nbsp;Trump told several thousand of his supporters that he is fulfilling his campaign promises to shrink government, rebuild the military, and repeal and replace health care reforms brought by his predecessor Barack Obama.

A rally of this sort -- campaign-style -- is unusual for a sitting president but his month-long presidency has been turbulent and Trump was here to bypass what he calls the &quot;dishonest media&quot; and talk directly to the people to sell the achievments of his fledgling&nbsp;-- some would say floundering -- government.&nbsp;

&quot;I also want to speak to you without the filter of the fake news,&quot; Trump said.

&quot;This will be change for the ages,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

&quot;The White House is running so smoothly, so smoothly,&quot; he said.

In reality, newspapers have continued to report his campaign&#39;s ties with Russia before the election, his national security adviser was forced to resign 24 days into the job, and a cabinet nominee had to withdraw amidst controversy.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Trump told his supporters that he is fulfilling his promises to shrink government, rebuild the military, and repeal and replace health care reforms brought by his predecessor Barack Obama</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump told his supporters that he is fulfilling his promises to shrink government, rebuild the military, and repeal and replace health care reforms brought by his predecessor Barack Obama" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

And Trump attacked the media.

&quot;The dishonest media, which has published one false story after another, with no sources... they just don&rsquo;t want to report the truth,&quot; he said.

&quot;They&rsquo;ve become a big part of the problem. They are part of the corrupt system.&quot;

Highlighting how his pro-growth agenda has led some US firms to commit to domestic investment, he said, &quot;We&#39;re going to start producing jobs like you&#39;ve never seen before&quot;.

He also spoke about cracking down on terrorism, saying that he has asked defense secretary James Mattis to draft a &quot;plan to totally destroy ISIS,&quot; the Islamic State extremist group.

&quot;I&#39;ve ordered decisive action to keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country,&quot; he said, AFP reported.

Meanwhile, demonstrators hit the streets across the United States on Saturday as thousands continue to gather to protest Trump&rsquo;s &nbsp;immigration policies.

While Trump&nbsp;defended his executive order at the Florida rally, protesters said they will continue to march.

&quot;Well, the fact that my mom was is an immigrant currently, and I just feel like I need to do this for her so she gets the rights she needs because this whole time she&#39;s working hard to provide for us, and of course she&#39;s part of this country just like all of us, and I&#39;m here fighting for her and my father,&quot; one woman marching in Los Angeles told Reuters.

In New York, anti-Trump protesters staged a New Orleans-style mock funeral for the &ldquo;American Presidency&rdquo;.

Hundreds of protesters, many of them wearing black mourning clothes, rallied at Manhattan&#39;s Washington Square Park with a cardboard casket that symbolically contained &quot;The American Presidency&quot;.

The dates for the &ldquo;birth and death&rdquo; of the presidency were printed on the casket as April 30, 1789, when George Washington was inaugurated as the country&#39;s first president, and January 20, 2017, when Trump was sworn in.

&quot;We wanted to plan a funeral on (in) honour of Presidents&#39; Day. Every single one of these presidents you see passing before you, they all had problems. But nothing like what we&#39;re seeing from this presidency or this administration,&quot; organiser Christina Chapman from the anti-Trump protest group Rise and Resist told Reuters.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

Trump was trying to sell his turbulent, month-long presidency's achievements

A month into his presidency, US president Donald Trump addressed a campaign-style rally in Melbourne, Florida. Speaking at an airport hanger, Trump told several thousand of his supporters that he is fulfilling his campaign promises to shrink government, rebuild the military, and repeal and replace health care reforms brought by his predecessor Barack Obama. A rally of this sort -- campaign-style -- is unusual for a sitting president but his month-long presidency has been turbulent and Trump was here to bypass what he calls the "dishonest media" and talk directly to the people to sell the achievments of his fledgling -- some would say floundering -- government. "I also want to speak to you without the filter of the fake news," Trump said. "This will be change for the ages," he added. "The White House is running so smoothly, so smoothly," he said. In reality, newspapers have continued to report his campaign's ties with Russia before the election, his national security adviser was forced to resign 24 days into the job, and a cabinet nominee had to withdraw amidst controversy. Trump told his supporters that he is fulfilling his promises to shrink government, rebuild the military, and repeal and replace health care reforms brought by his predecessor Barack Obama × And Trump attacked the media. "The dishonest media, which has published one false story after another, with no sources... they just don’t want to report the truth," he said. "They’ve become a big part of the problem. They are part of the corrupt system." Highlighting how his pro-growth agenda has led some US firms to commit to domestic investment, he said, "We're going to start producing jobs like you've never seen before". He also spoke about cracking down on terrorism, saying that he has asked defense secretary James Mattis to draft a "plan to totally destroy ISIS," the Islamic State extremist group. "I've ordered decisive action to keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country," he said, AFP reported. Meanwhile, demonstrators hit the streets across the United States on Saturday as thousands continue to gather to protest Trump’s immigration policies. While Trump defended his executive order at the Florida rally, protesters said they will continue to march. "Well, the fact that my mom was is an immigrant currently, and I just feel like I need to do this for her so she gets the rights she needs because this whole time she's working hard to provide for us, and of course she's part of this country just like all of us, and I'm here fighting for her and my father," one woman marching in Los Angeles told Reuters. In New York, anti-Trump protesters staged a New Orleans-style mock funeral for the “American Presidency”. Hundreds of protesters, many of them wearing black mourning clothes, rallied at Manhattan's Washington Square Park with a cardboard casket that symbolically contained "The American Presidency". The dates for the “birth and death” of the presidency were printed on the casket as April 30, 1789, when George Washington was inaugurated as the country's first president, and January 20, 2017, when Trump was sworn in. "We wanted to plan a funeral on (in) honour of Presidents' Day. Every single one of these presidents you see passing before you, they all had problems. But nothing like what we're seeing from this presidency or this administration," organiser Christina Chapman from the anti-Trump protest group Rise and Resist told Reuters. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump goes back to doing what he does best: Campaigning, attacking media

Republican Senator John McCain broke with the reassuring message that US officials visiting Germany have sought to convey on their debut trip to Europe, saying on Friday that the administration of President Donald Trump was in &quot;disarray&quot;.

McCain, a known Trump critic, told the Munich Security Conference that the resignation of the new president&#39;s security adviser Michael Flynn over his contacts with Russia reflected deep problems in Washington.

&quot;I think that the Flynn issue obviously is something that shows that in many respects this administration is in disarray and they&#39;ve got a lot of work to do,&quot; said McCain, even as he praised Trump&#39;s defence secretary.

&quot;The president, I think, makes statements (and) on other occasions contradicts himself. So we&#39;ve learned to watch what the president does as opposed to what he says,&quot; he said.

European governments have been unsettled by the signals sent by Trump on a range of foreign policy issues ranging from NATO and Russia to Iran, Israel and European integration.

The debut trip to Europe of Trump&#39;s Defence Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to a meeting of G20 counterparts in Bonn, went some way to assuaging concerns as they both took a more traditional US position.

But Trump is wrestling with a growing controversy at home about potential ties between his aides and Russia, which he dismissed on Thursday as a &quot;ruse&quot; and &quot;scam&quot; perpetrated by a hostile news media.

Mattis made clear to allies, both at NATO in Brussels and in Munich, that the United States would not retreat from leadership as the European continent grapples with an assertive Russia, wars in eastern and southern Mediterranean countries and attacks by Islamist militants.

US Vice President Mike Pence will address the Munich conference on Saturday with a similar message of reassurance.

Pence will say that Europe is an &quot;indispensable partner&quot; for the United States, a senior White House foreign policy adviser told reporters.

Mattis told a crowd that included heads of state and more than 70 defence ministers that Trump backed NATO.

&quot;President Trump came into office and has thrown now his full support to NATO. He too espouses NATO&#39;s need to adapt to today&#39;s strategic situation for it to remain credible, capable and relevant,&quot; Mattis said.

Mattis said the United States and its European allies had a shared understanding of the challenges ahead. Trump has alarmed allies by expressing admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mattis, however, has spoken out strongly against Russia while in Europe. After talks with NATO allies in Brussels on Thursday, he said that he did not believe it would be possible to collaborate militarily with Moscow, at least for now.

The Europeans may need more convincing that Washington stands with it on a range of security issues.

&quot;There is still a lot of uncertainty,&quot; Sebastian Kurz, Austria&#39;s foreign minister, told reporters. &quot;The big topic in Munich is looking to the USA to see which developments to expect next.&quot;

No Illusions

European intelligence agencies have warned that Russia is also seeking to destabilise governments and influence elections across Europe with cyber attacks, fake news and propaganda and by funding far-right political parties.

&quot;We should be under no illusions about the step-change in Russian behaviour over the last couple of years, even after Crimea,&quot; British Defence Minister Michael Fallon said, referring to Moscow&#39;s 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula.

&quot;We have seen a step-change in Russian military aggression, but also in propaganda, in misinformation and a succession of persistent attacks on Western democracies, interference in a whole series of elections including ... the United States.&quot;

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Munich, seeing progress on encouraging Moscow to be more open about its military exercises that the alliance says are unpredictable.

Russia says it is the Western alliance, not Moscow, that is destabilising Europe by sending troops to its western borders.

&quot;We have different views,&quot; Stoltenberg said of the crisis in Ukraine, where the West accuses the Kremlin of arming separatist rebels in a conflict that has killed 10,000 people since April 2014. Russia says the conflict is a civil war.

In the latest incident, Lithuanian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into a false report of rape by German soldiers stationed there on a NATO mission to deter Russia.

Mattis, without explicitly citing the case, rallied to the defence of German forces as he spoke in the German city of Munich. &quot;I have great respect for Germany&#39;s leadership in Europe &ndash; and for the ethical performance of your troops on the battlefield,&quot; he said.

US intelligence agencies concluded last year that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the election campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Trump&#39;s favour.

McCain acknowledged concern in Europe and beyond that America was &quot;laying down the mantle of global leadership&quot; and cited global trends he found disturbing, including hardening resentment toward immigrants and an unwillingness to separate truth from lies.

McCain urged the forum not to give up on the United States.

&quot;Make no mistake, my friends: These are dangerous times, but you should not count America out, and we should not count each other out,&quot; McCain said.

(Reuters)

He said the resignation of Trump's security adviser over his contacts with Russia reflected deep problems in Washington

Republican Senator John McCain broke with the reassuring message that US officials visiting Germany have sought to convey on their debut trip to Europe, saying on Friday that the administration of President Donald Trump was in "disarray". McCain, a known Trump critic, told the Munich Security Conference that the resignation of the new president's security adviser Michael Flynn over his contacts with Russia reflected deep problems in Washington. "I think that the Flynn issue obviously is something that shows that in many respects this administration is in disarray and they've got a lot of work to do," said McCain, even as he praised Trump's defence secretary. "The president, I think, makes statements (and) on other occasions contradicts himself. So we've learned to watch what the president does as opposed to what he says," he said. European governments have been unsettled by the signals sent by Trump on a range of foreign policy issues ranging from NATO and Russia to Iran, Israel and European integration. The debut trip to Europe of Trump's Defence Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to a meeting of G20 counterparts in Bonn, went some way to assuaging concerns as they both took a more traditional US position. But Trump is wrestling with a growing controversy at home about potential ties between his aides and Russia, which he dismissed on Thursday as a "ruse" and "scam" perpetrated by a hostile news media. Mattis made clear to allies, both at NATO in Brussels and in Munich, that the United States would not retreat from leadership as the European continent grapples with an assertive Russia, wars in eastern and southern Mediterranean countries and attacks by Islamist militants. US Vice President Mike Pence will address the Munich conference on Saturday with a similar message of reassurance. Pence will say that Europe is an "indispensable partner" for the United States, a senior White House foreign policy adviser told reporters. Mattis told a crowd that included heads of state and more than 70 defence ministers that Trump backed NATO. "President Trump came into office and has thrown now his full support to NATO. He too espouses NATO's need to adapt to today's strategic situation for it to remain credible, capable and relevant," Mattis said. Mattis said the United States and its European allies had a shared understanding of the challenges ahead. Trump has alarmed allies by expressing admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mattis, however, has spoken out strongly against Russia while in Europe. After talks with NATO allies in Brussels on Thursday, he said that he did not believe it would be possible to collaborate militarily with Moscow, at least for now. The Europeans may need more convincing that Washington stands with it on a range of security issues. "There is still a lot of uncertainty," Sebastian Kurz, Austria's foreign minister, told reporters. "The big topic in Munich is looking to the USA to see which developments to expect next." No Illusions European intelligence agencies have warned that Russia is also seeking to destabilise governments and influence elections across Europe with cyber attacks, fake news and propaganda and by funding far-right political parties. "We should be under no illusions about the step-change in Russian behaviour over the last couple of years, even after Crimea," British Defence Minister Michael Fallon said, referring to Moscow's 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula. "We have seen a step-change in Russian military aggression, but also in propaganda, in misinformation and a succession of persistent attacks on Western democracies, interference in a whole series of elections including ... the United States." NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Munich, seeing progress on encouraging Moscow to be more open about its military exercises that the alliance says are unpredictable. Russia says it is the Western alliance, not Moscow, that is destabilising Europe by sending troops to its western borders. "We have different views," Stoltenberg said of the crisis in Ukraine, where the West accuses the Kremlin of arming separatist rebels in a conflict that has killed 10,000 people since April 2014. Russia says the conflict is a civil war. In the latest incident, Lithuanian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into a false report of rape by German soldiers stationed there on a NATO mission to deter Russia. Mattis, without explicitly citing the case, rallied to the defence of German forces as he spoke in the German city of Munich. "I have great respect for Germany's leadership in Europe – and for the ethical performance of your troops on the battlefield," he said. US intelligence agencies concluded last year that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the election campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Trump's favour. McCain acknowledged concern in Europe and beyond that America was "laying down the mantle of global leadership" and cited global trends he found disturbing, including hardening resentment toward immigrants and an unwillingness to separate truth from lies. McCain urged the forum not to give up on the United States. "Make no mistake, my friends: These are dangerous times, but you should not count America out, and we should not count each other out," McCain said. (Reuters)

Republican John McCain targets Trump, says administration in 'disarray'

The US Senate confirmed President Donald Trump&#39;s pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday over the objections of Democrats and environmentalists worried he will gut the agency, as the administration readies executive orders to ease regulation on drillers and miners.

Senators voted 52-46 to approve Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. Senator John Barrasso, a Republican and the head of the chamber&#39;s environment committee, said Pruitt would improve the EPA by reforming and modernising it. 
&nbsp; 
Only one Republican, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, voted against Pruitt. Two Democrats from energy-producing states, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, voted for his confirmation.

Pruitt was to be sworn in later on Friday afternoon.

The nomination of Pruitt, who sued the EPA more than a dozen times on behalf of his oil-producing state and has doubted the science of climate change, sparked widespread concern in progressive circles, and has upset many former and current agency employees.&nbsp;

Nearly 800 former EPA staff urged the Senate to reject him in a letter this week, saying Pruitt had &quot;shown no interest in enforcing environmental laws&quot;. Earlier this month, about 30 current employees at an EPA regional office in Chicago joined a protest against Pruitt held by green groups.

Trump is likely to issue executive orders as soon as next week to reshape the EPA, sources said.

The Republican president has promised to kill former Democratic President Barack Obama&#39;s Clean Power Plan, currently held up in the courts, that aims to slash carbon emissions from coal and natural gas fired power plants.&nbsp;

Trump also wants to give states more authority over environmental issues by striking down federal regulations on drilling technologies and getting rid of an Obama rule that sought to clarify the EPA&#39;s jurisdiction over streams and rivers.

Overzealous Agency

Conservatives warmly welcomed Pruitt&#39;s confirmation.&nbsp;

&quot;For far too long the EPA has acted in an overzealous manner, ignoring the separation of powers, the role of states and the rights property owners,&quot; said Nick Loris, an economist at the Heritage Foundation.&nbsp;

Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, however, said he was concerned that if the administration does not enforce emissions cuts such as outlined in the Clean Power Plan, it would increase US pollution and harm the country&#39;s leadership in international efforts to curb climate change.&nbsp;

Opponents of Pruitt also protested his ties to the energy industry. Republicans have the majority in the Senate, but Democrats spoke through Thursday night and Friday morning on the Senate floor, trying to extend debate on Pruitt until later in February when 3,000 emails between him and energy companies will likely be revealed by a judge.&nbsp;

An Oklahoma judge ruled this week that Pruitt will have to turn over the emails between his office and energy companies by Tuesday after a watchdog group, the Center for Media and Democracy, sued for their release. The judge will review the emails before releasing them.

Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that Majority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell had moved to &quot;strap blinders&quot; on his fellow Republicans by not waiting for the release of Pruitt`s emails.

Environmentalists decried the approval. &quot;If you don&rsquo;t believe in climate science, you don&rsquo;t belong at the EPA,&quot; said May Boeve, the head of environmentalist group 350.org.

(Reuters)

Senators voted 52-46 to approve Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt

The US Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday over the objections of Democrats and environmentalists worried he will gut the agency, as the administration readies executive orders to ease regulation on drillers and miners. Senators voted 52-46 to approve Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. Senator John Barrasso, a Republican and the head of the chamber's environment committee, said Pruitt would improve the EPA by reforming and modernising it. Only one Republican, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, voted against Pruitt. Two Democrats from energy-producing states, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, voted for his confirmation. Pruitt was to be sworn in later on Friday afternoon. The nomination of Pruitt, who sued the EPA more than a dozen times on behalf of his oil-producing state and has doubted the science of climate change, sparked widespread concern in progressive circles, and has upset many former and current agency employees. Nearly 800 former EPA staff urged the Senate to reject him in a letter this week, saying Pruitt had "shown no interest in enforcing environmental laws". Earlier this month, about 30 current employees at an EPA regional office in Chicago joined a protest against Pruitt held by green groups. Trump is likely to issue executive orders as soon as next week to reshape the EPA, sources said. The Republican president has promised to kill former Democratic President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, currently held up in the courts, that aims to slash carbon emissions from coal and natural gas fired power plants. Trump also wants to give states more authority over environmental issues by striking down federal regulations on drilling technologies and getting rid of an Obama rule that sought to clarify the EPA's jurisdiction over streams and rivers. Overzealous Agency Conservatives warmly welcomed Pruitt's confirmation. "For far too long the EPA has acted in an overzealous manner, ignoring the separation of powers, the role of states and the rights property owners," said Nick Loris, an economist at the Heritage Foundation. Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, however, said he was concerned that if the administration does not enforce emissions cuts such as outlined in the Clean Power Plan, it would increase US pollution and harm the country's leadership in international efforts to curb climate change. Opponents of Pruitt also protested his ties to the energy industry. Republicans have the majority in the Senate, but Democrats spoke through Thursday night and Friday morning on the Senate floor, trying to extend debate on Pruitt until later in February when 3,000 emails between him and energy companies will likely be revealed by a judge. An Oklahoma judge ruled this week that Pruitt will have to turn over the emails between his office and energy companies by Tuesday after a watchdog group, the Center for Media and Democracy, sued for their release. The judge will review the emails before releasing them. Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that Majority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell had moved to "strap blinders" on his fellow Republicans by not waiting for the release of Pruitt`s emails. Environmentalists decried the approval. "If you don’t believe in climate science, you don’t belong at the EPA," said May Boeve, the head of environmentalist group 350.org. (Reuters)

US Senate confirms Trump's pick for Environmental Protection Agency

It&rsquo;s already being called &ldquo;a press conference for the ages&rdquo;, the moment when a US President grabbed a microphone and waded into the frontlines of his administration&rsquo;s war with the media.

After weeks of bungled press briefings by his White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, Donald Trump held forth on everything from ratings to Russia in front of a shocked press corps.

This was a man visibly frustrated with the portrayal of his first month in office, railing against what he labelled &ldquo;unfair&rdquo; treatment by the press.

He began by describing his election victory over Hillary Clinton, calling it &ldquo;the biggest electoral college win since Ronald Reagan&rdquo;.

This claim was immediately pointed out to be false, with Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Barack Obama all piling up higher totals in electoral college votes since Reagan left office.

Trump then turned to accusations of chaos inside his own team. &ldquo;This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine,&rdquo; he said.

But that same administration is currently reeling from the forced resignation of its National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn.

Trump&rsquo;s top pick to replace him, Robert Harward, reportedly turned down the job because of concerns about internal chaos at the White House.

Almost one month into his term, Trump is also still mired in a tough battle to confirm his nominees for the cabinet.

Vice President Mike Pence had to take the unprecedented step of casting a deciding vote in the Senate to break a tie over Betsy DeVos&rsquo; confirmation as Education Secretary.

His pick for Labour Secretary, Andrew Puzder, withdrew his nomination facing strong opposition from a Congress that Trump&rsquo;s own party controls.

Meanwhile the constant drip, drip, drip of leaks is dragging the administration into new scandals almost every day. But in an electrifying press conference, Trump refused to acknowledge the accuracy of stories being written based on that leaked information.

He told the gathered reporters that &ldquo;the leaks are real&rdquo; but &ldquo;the news is fake&rdquo;.

In another tense exchange with the BBC&rsquo;s Jon Sopel, Trump claimed that his executive order on immigration had a &ldquo;very smooth rollout&rdquo;.

But before the US courts blocked it, the travel ban triggered chaotic scenes at airports and mass protests across the country.

After a press conference that CNN&rsquo;s Jake Tapper labelled &ldquo;wild&rdquo; and &ldquo;unhinged&rdquo;, Trump is returning to familiar ground this weekend by holding a rally in Florida.

The event gives him an opportunity to address his supporters without having to take challenging questions from journalists.

This refusal to deviate from a single interpretation of events &ndash; what Kellyanne Conway calls &ldquo;alternative facts&rdquo; &ndash; was a hallmark of the Trump campaign. It is now becoming a hallmark of this new administration.

At a short joint press conference during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&rsquo;s visit, the president only took two questions. Both were given to news organisations widely recognised to hold conservative views and therefore unlikely to ask a difficult question.

Trump&rsquo;s supporters say his plain-speaking style is one of the main reasons they elected him in the first place.

But his opponents say plain speaking is turning into a refusal to engage with the facts.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

As the end of his first month in office approaches, Donald Trump is waging a personal war with the press

It’s already being called “a press conference for the ages”, the moment when a US President grabbed a microphone and waded into the frontlines of his administration’s war with the media. After weeks of bungled press briefings by his White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, Donald Trump held forth on everything from ratings to Russia in front of a shocked press corps. This was a man visibly frustrated with the portrayal of his first month in office, railing against what he labelled “unfair” treatment by the press. He began by describing his election victory over Hillary Clinton, calling it “the biggest electoral college win since Ronald Reagan”. This claim was immediately pointed out to be false, with Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Barack Obama all piling up higher totals in electoral college votes since Reagan left office. Trump then turned to accusations of chaos inside his own team. “This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine,” he said. But that same administration is currently reeling from the forced resignation of its National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn. Trump’s top pick to replace him, Robert Harward, reportedly turned down the job because of concerns about internal chaos at the White House. Almost one month into his term, Trump is also still mired in a tough battle to confirm his nominees for the cabinet. Vice President Mike Pence had to take the unprecedented step of casting a deciding vote in the Senate to break a tie over Betsy DeVos’ confirmation as Education Secretary. His pick for Labour Secretary, Andrew Puzder, withdrew his nomination facing strong opposition from a Congress that Trump’s own party controls. Meanwhile the constant drip, drip, drip of leaks is dragging the administration into new scandals almost every day. But in an electrifying press conference, Trump refused to acknowledge the accuracy of stories being written based on that leaked information. He told the gathered reporters that “the leaks are real” but “the news is fake”. In another tense exchange with the BBC’s Jon Sopel, Trump claimed that his executive order on immigration had a “very smooth rollout”. But before the US courts blocked it, the travel ban triggered chaotic scenes at airports and mass protests across the country. After a press conference that CNN’s Jake Tapper labelled “wild” and “unhinged”, Trump is returning to familiar ground this weekend by holding a rally in Florida. The event gives him an opportunity to address his supporters without having to take challenging questions from journalists. This refusal to deviate from a single interpretation of events – what Kellyanne Conway calls “alternative facts” – was a hallmark of the Trump campaign. It is now becoming a hallmark of this new administration. At a short joint press conference during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit, the president only took two questions. Both were given to news organisations widely recognised to hold conservative views and therefore unlikely to ask a difficult question. Trump’s supporters say his plain-speaking style is one of the main reasons they elected him in the first place. But his opponents say plain speaking is turning into a refusal to engage with the facts. (WION)

Donald Trump versus the media

US President Donald Trump&#39;s pick for the position of National Security Adviser, Retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, has&nbsp;refused the offer, according to a report in the Financial Times.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="videos-block">
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_otu_XyR_NI"></iframe></div>
</div>

<div class="media-description">
President Donald Trump&#39;s choice for national security adviser, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, has turned down the offer, a senior White House official said on Thursday. (WION)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The report said that Harward was concerned whether Trump&#39;s advisers will let him install his own team at the National Security Council. Robert Harward served as deputy commander of the US Central Command under the current secretary of defence, James Mattis. &nbsp;

Harward was offered the job after Michael Flynn was fired as the National Security Adviser by Trump after he misled the Vice-President, Mike Pence, about his conversation with the Russian envoy to the US.

Following a more than 30-year military career, Harward became chief executive of defense giant Lockheed Martin&#39;s United Arab Emirates division.

After spending more than 30 years in the military, Howard became Lockheed Martin&#39;s United Arab Emirates&#39; chief executive.

<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/16/politics/harward-says-no-to-national-security-adviser-role/index.html?sr=twCNN021717harward-says-no-to-national-security-adviser-role0101AMStoryLink&amp;linkId=34594085" target="_blank">CNN </a>reported that a friend of Harward claimed that the retired vice admiral&nbsp;was reluctant to accept&nbsp;the offer because the White House &quot;seemed so chaotic&quot;, and that he called Trump&#39;s offer a &quot;shit sandwich&quot;.

But Republican senator&nbsp;James Lankford&nbsp;rejected the suggestion that supposed White House chaos caused Harward to reject the offer, calling it &quot;hearsay&quot;.&nbsp;

(WION)

The report said that Harward was concerned whether Trump's advisers will let him install his own team at the National Security Council

US President Donald Trump's pick for the position of National Security Adviser, Retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, has refused the offer, according to a report in the Financial Times. President Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, has turned down the offer, a senior White House official said on Thursday. (WION) × The report said that Harward was concerned whether Trump's advisers will let him install his own team at the National Security Council. Robert Harward served as deputy commander of the US Central Command under the current secretary of defence, James Mattis. Harward was offered the job after Michael Flynn was fired as the National Security Adviser by Trump after he misled the Vice-President, Mike Pence, about his conversation with the Russian envoy to the US. Following a more than 30-year military career, Harward became chief executive of defense giant Lockheed Martin's United Arab Emirates division. After spending more than 30 years in the military, Howard became Lockheed Martin's United Arab Emirates' chief executive. CNN reported that a friend of Harward claimed that the retired vice admiral was reluctant to accept the offer because the White House "seemed so chaotic", and that he called Trump's offer a "shit sandwich". But Republican senator James Lankford rejected the suggestion that supposed White House chaos caused Harward to reject the offer, calling it "hearsay". (WION)

Trump's pick for National Security Adviser refuses offer: Financial Times

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday used his first meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to urge Beijing to help rein in North Korea after its series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

Trump however reaffirmed the position in a conciliatory phone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping, mending fences enough for Wang to come to Bonn for a G20 foreign ministers meeting.

&quot;Secretary Tillerson and Minister Wang noted the recent call between leaders and discussed efforts to advance bilateral cooperation while addressing differences in a constructive manner,&quot; Mark Toner, acting US State Department spokesman, said.

&quot;Secretary Tillerson also highlighted the increasing threat posed by North Korea&#39;s nuclear and missile programs and urged China to use all available tools to moderate North Korea&#39;s destabilising behaviour,&quot; Toner said.

China is North Korea&#39;s last major ally and has shown itself reluctant to put too much pressure on Pyongyang.

In the meantime, reclusive North Korea has made huge strides in both its missile and nuclear weapons programme to the point where it could acquire the capability to hit the US mainland.

Washington has led international efforts to get Pyongyang to reverse course, including imposing sanctions, but all to no avail as its regional allies take fright at North Korea&#39;s ambitions.

On Thursday, Tillerson pledged that Washington would use the full range of its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend Japan and South Korea against North Korea, which conducted another ballistic missile test on Sunday.

&quot;The United States remains steadfast in its defence commitments to its allies, the Republic of Korea and Japan, including the commitment to provide extended deterrence, backed by the full range of its nuclear and conventional defence capabilities,&quot; Tillerson said in a joint statement with their foreign ministers.

Washington&#39;s recent decision to install a sophisticated THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea especially angered China which condemned the move as a potential threat to its own security.&nbsp;

Global trade, protectionism&nbsp;

Toner said Tillerson and Yang &quot;also discussed the need to create a level playing field for trade and investment.&quot;

On the campaign trail, Trump regularly attacked China for stealing American jobs and running a massive, unfairly won trade surplus with the United States which he would reverse by whatever means necessary.

Chinese President Xi pointedly made a signature address to the Davos World Economic Forum in January to defend free trade and globalisation which he said were menaced by growing protectionist sentiment.

When the Chinese foreign ministry &nbsp;announced Wang&#39;s trip would go ahead, it said Beijing hoped the G20 gathering would &quot;send positive signals on supporting multilateralism, enhancing global governance and creating an innovative, interconnected, open and inclusive world economy.&quot;

Several of Trump&#39;s cabinet, including Tillerson, have also warned Beijing against throwing its weight about in the South China Sea, insisting the US would intervene if necessary to preserve international rights of navigation.

Although Washington severed ties with Taiwan in 1979, it has retained close links with Taipei, particularly in defence, and Beijing watches closely for any sign of US backsliding.

Taiwan has been ruled separately since Mao Zedong&#39;s communists ousted China&#39;s Nationalists who fled to the island in 1949.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

China is North Korea's last major ally and has shown itself reluctant to put too much pressure on Pyongyang

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday used his first meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to urge Beijing to help rein in North Korea after its series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Trump however reaffirmed the position in a conciliatory phone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping, mending fences enough for Wang to come to Bonn for a G20 foreign ministers meeting. "Secretary Tillerson and Minister Wang noted the recent call between leaders and discussed efforts to advance bilateral cooperation while addressing differences in a constructive manner," Mark Toner, acting US State Department spokesman, said. "Secretary Tillerson also highlighted the increasing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and urged China to use all available tools to moderate North Korea's destabilising behaviour," Toner said. China is North Korea's last major ally and has shown itself reluctant to put too much pressure on Pyongyang. In the meantime, reclusive North Korea has made huge strides in both its missile and nuclear weapons programme to the point where it could acquire the capability to hit the US mainland. Washington has led international efforts to get Pyongyang to reverse course, including imposing sanctions, but all to no avail as its regional allies take fright at North Korea's ambitions. On Thursday, Tillerson pledged that Washington would use the full range of its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend Japan and South Korea against North Korea, which conducted another ballistic missile test on Sunday. "The United States remains steadfast in its defence commitments to its allies, the Republic of Korea and Japan, including the commitment to provide extended deterrence, backed by the full range of its nuclear and conventional defence capabilities," Tillerson said in a joint statement with their foreign ministers. Washington's recent decision to install a sophisticated THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea especially angered China which condemned the move as a potential threat to its own security. Global trade, protectionism Toner said Tillerson and Yang "also discussed the need to create a level playing field for trade and investment." On the campaign trail, Trump regularly attacked China for stealing American jobs and running a massive, unfairly won trade surplus with the United States which he would reverse by whatever means necessary. Chinese President Xi pointedly made a signature address to the Davos World Economic Forum in January to defend free trade and globalisation which he said were menaced by growing protectionist sentiment. When the Chinese foreign ministry announced Wang's trip would go ahead, it said Beijing hoped the G20 gathering would "send positive signals on supporting multilateralism, enhancing global governance and creating an innovative, interconnected, open and inclusive world economy." Several of Trump's cabinet, including Tillerson, have also warned Beijing against throwing its weight about in the South China Sea, insisting the US would intervene if necessary to preserve international rights of navigation. Although Washington severed ties with Taiwan in 1979, it has retained close links with Taipei, particularly in defence, and Beijing watches closely for any sign of US backsliding. Taiwan has been ruled separately since Mao Zedong's communists ousted China's Nationalists who fled to the island in 1949. (AFP)

US wants China to moderate North Korea's 'destabilising behaviour'

Asian stocks edged up to fresh 19-month highs on Thursday, helped by an extended rally on Wall Street and strong US&nbsp;data though the Dollar stepped back after a recent bounce.

MSCI&#39;s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan&nbsp;was up 0.2 per cent, rising to its highest since July 2015. It is up by a tenth so far this year partly underpinned by more optimistic earnings expectations and a gradual unwinding of bearish emerging market bets.

Australian stocks&nbsp;advanced 0.4 per cent in early deals with looming jobs data the key event risk on the day. A strong showing would set the market up for further gains with technical indicators helping.

&quot;The index has now closed above the key technical resistance level at 5,800 which is a bullish sign opening up further gains in the coming months back towards 6,000,&quot; said James Woods, global investment analyst at Rivkin Securities in Sydney.

The Australian employment data is due at 00:30 GMT with market expectations centering around 10,000 jobs being created.

Wall Street pushed further into record-high territory on Wednesday, with the S&amp;P 500 notching a seven-session winning streak, helped by robust economic data and optimism that President Donald Trump will cut corporate taxes. That optimism was not shared in the currency markets with the dollar&#39;s recent bounce running out of steam as investors took profits even as fresh data showed a pick up in inflationary pressures.

US&nbsp;consumer prices recorded their biggest increase in nearly four years in January, backing expectations for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates at a steady pace over the course of the year.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen, in her second day of economic testimony before Congress, offered no additional insight on the timing of the central bank&#39;s next rate hike after her comments a day earlier had hinted at a fairly hawkish policy stance.

Traders may also be leaning towards a rate increase delayed beyond the Fed&#39;s March meeting, with the futures markets only pricing a 27 per cent chance of a tightening next month.

The Dollar index, which measures the currency against a trade-weighted basket of six major peers, slipped to 101.02. It rallied to a one-month high of 101.76 on Wednesday.

In commodity markets, oil prices softened as record high US&nbsp;crude and gasoline inventories fed concerns about a global glut. US crude&nbsp;was down 0.15 per cent at $53.03 a barrel and Brent was flat at $55.75 a barrel.

(Reuters)

Wall Street pushed further into record-high territory, helped by robust economic data and optimism Trump will cut corporate taxes

Asian stocks edged up to fresh 19-month highs on Thursday, helped by an extended rally on Wall Street and strong US data though the Dollar stepped back after a recent bounce. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.2 per cent, rising to its highest since July 2015. It is up by a tenth so far this year partly underpinned by more optimistic earnings expectations and a gradual unwinding of bearish emerging market bets. Australian stocks advanced 0.4 per cent in early deals with looming jobs data the key event risk on the day. A strong showing would set the market up for further gains with technical indicators helping. "The index has now closed above the key technical resistance level at 5,800 which is a bullish sign opening up further gains in the coming months back towards 6,000," said James Woods, global investment analyst at Rivkin Securities in Sydney. The Australian employment data is due at 00:30 GMT with market expectations centering around 10,000 jobs being created. Wall Street pushed further into record-high territory on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 notching a seven-session winning streak, helped by robust economic data and optimism that President Donald Trump will cut corporate taxes. That optimism was not shared in the currency markets with the dollar's recent bounce running out of steam as investors took profits even as fresh data showed a pick up in inflationary pressures. US consumer prices recorded their biggest increase in nearly four years in January, backing expectations for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates at a steady pace over the course of the year. Fed Chair Janet Yellen, in her second day of economic testimony before Congress, offered no additional insight on the timing of the central bank's next rate hike after her comments a day earlier had hinted at a fairly hawkish policy stance. Traders may also be leaning towards a rate increase delayed beyond the Fed's March meeting, with the futures markets only pricing a 27 per cent chance of a tightening next month. The Dollar index, which measures the currency against a trade-weighted basket of six major peers, slipped to 101.02. It rallied to a one-month high of 101.76 on Wednesday. In commodity markets, oil prices softened as record high US crude and gasoline inventories fed concerns about a global glut. US crude was down 0.15 per cent at $53.03 a barrel and Brent was flat at $55.75 a barrel. (Reuters)

Asian stocks at one-and-a-half year highs on robust Wall St; Dollar retreats

What exactly does it mean&nbsp;that Trump&#39;s pick to head&nbsp;national security, Michael Flynn, resigned only 24 days&nbsp;into his tenure amid the revelation that he discussed US sanctions against Russia with the Russian ambassador, then lied about it&nbsp;not just to the general public but to America&#39;s&nbsp;Vice President?&nbsp;

Russia interfered with the US election to benefit Trump,&nbsp;and the New York Times just reported that&nbsp;Trump&#39;s team was in contact with Russian officials for at least a year before the election. Did Trump himself collude with Russia directly?

This is not confirmed, but the optics are bad&nbsp;and Trump is desperately trying to switch focus.

Who knew what, and when, and what their legal obligation was is important. Trump knew &quot;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/14/democrats-russia-trump-investigation-michael-flynn" target="_blank">for weeks</a>&quot;&nbsp;that Flynn misled the White House about&nbsp;Russia, and only acted on it after&nbsp;this knowledge entered the public domain. Why not act sooner?

This story is far from over,&nbsp;and there are already&nbsp;signs of major fissures.

US intelligence

The Wall Street Journal reported that the US intelligence agencies are not disclosing all they know to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/spies-keep-intelligence-from-donald-trump-1487209351" target="_blank">president </a>because they don&#39;t trust him.&nbsp;The White House responded:&nbsp;&quot;There is nothing that leads us to believe that this is an accurate account of what is actually happening&quot;. But how could the White House possibly know what they aren&#39;t being told? Either US intelligence&nbsp;isn&#39;t telling the president all&nbsp;they know (likely), or they are lying and going public about concealing information from the president in a way&nbsp;that amounts to taunting the president (unlikely). Something is going on.

After all, Flynn is the third person from Trump&#39;s team&nbsp;to resign amid being connected to Russia. Earlier this summer, Paul Manafort was quietly pushed aside after it came to light that he lobbied for Putin-ally and&nbsp;pro-Ukraine lobbyist, Viktor Yanukovych. <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/the-mystery-of-trumps-man-in-moscow-214283" target="_blank">Carter Page</a> was sacked after his connections to Russia became known. Trump has&nbsp;surrounded himself with&nbsp;people linked to&nbsp;Russia (Tillerson, Secretary of State, awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin himself, is a standout).&nbsp;But Flynn was the&nbsp;national security adviser.

There is a reason the final and most important chapter of Sun Tzu&#39;s Art of War is about the special role of spies, the army&#39;s most important function. &quot;Upon them depends an army&#39;s ability to move.&quot; Every decision must be grounded in the best knowledge of all circumstances;&nbsp;That it&#39;s bad&nbsp;to have&nbsp;the head of America&#39;s national security controlled by the leader of Russia should be agreed upon by Democras and Republicans. &nbsp;

Yet Repulicans are keeping mostly quiet, preferring to remain in long-sought for power than expose their president for his&nbsp;Russia connection. US intelligence appears to be making the stand&nbsp;Republicans won&#39;t.

But putting faith in US&nbsp;intelligence services to tell the truth is highly&nbsp;dangerous&nbsp;for the simple reason that they&nbsp;lie frequently, as it&#39;s inevitable when a main part of your job is performing&nbsp;covert operations. The relationship&nbsp;between US&nbsp;intelligence agencies&nbsp;and Donald Trump is not easy to decipher. While it seems like a war on the surface, there is much unknown. The spy agencies by definition are privy to much deeper knowledge than the public.

Speculation is endlessly tempting, but caution here&nbsp;is prudent. Remember,&nbsp;FBI director James Comey&nbsp;days before the US election announced that he was reopening the investigation into Clinton&#39;s emails, despite being aware at the time of the Steele dossier. Many things determined the outcome of the election, but this huge last minute swung had an large and undeniable role.&nbsp;Why did the FBI announce one and not the other?&nbsp;

Trump put into perspective by ex-CIA

While it&#39;s wise to refrain from speculating about&nbsp;what is by definition secret,&nbsp;the tongue lashings coming from the US intelligence community are&nbsp;anything&nbsp;but subtle. Glenn Carle, a 23-year veteran of the CIA, expressed in no uncertain terms what a threat Trump poses&nbsp;in an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.vox.com/conversations/2017/2/15/14623636/donald-trump-michael-flynn-russia-putin-cia-white-house">interview </a>with Vox conducted amid&nbsp;the news&nbsp;that General Flynn had resigned:

&quot;We are facing the gravest threat to our institutions and our government since 1861, since the country broke in half. This is a graver crisis than Watergate, which was about corruption, not the usurpation of our laws and our checks and balances. It&#39;s graver than World War II, when Hitler never actually threatened our institutions or occupation of Washington...We&#39;re dealing with a man in Trump who doesn&#39;t accept a fact-based reality, who only acts for his own self-aggrandizement, and who views any action that does not serve him as a threat that must be destroyed. And, on top of that, his team&nbsp;appears&nbsp;to have been colluding with Russian intelligence services.&quot;

Notice his use of the word&nbsp;appears. Without a smoking gun linking Trump to Putin, that&#39;s all it is.&nbsp;

There is no smoking gun, but looking for one when there is so much around isn&#39;t unreasonable

Trump has repeatedly denied knowing Putin, but in video has claimed he does have a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn1ZK2kcfQ8" target="_blank">relationship </a>with Putin.

Judge Sally Yates warned Trump that Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail, and he fired her.&nbsp;Granted she also objected to the notoious Muslim ban, but perhaps he fired her for multiple reasons.

The notorious and unverified dossier compiled by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele&nbsp;alleging that Russia possesses&nbsp;embarassing blackmail material over Trump remains unverified, but it is part of an ongoing investigation. More, CNN&nbsp;published a report&nbsp;claiming that some aspects&nbsp;from the dossier&nbsp;have&nbsp;been <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/10/politics/russia-dossier-update/" target="_blank">corroborated</a>. To be sure,&nbsp;some of what&#39;s in the dossier has been disproven, but if certain things in it are true, and are proven to be true, then the conversation becomes about treason and impeachment.

Trump has called the leaked documents &quot;illegal&quot;, as if Trump&nbsp;didn&#39;t spend months using his unprecedented publicity machine&nbsp;to tell the world about leaks&nbsp;from Hillary Clinton&#39;s emails. Trump once, apparently,&nbsp;thought leaks were&nbsp;so fair game that he encouraged Russia to hack Clinton&#39;s email&nbsp;in the middle of a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNa2B5zHfbQ" target="_blank">presidential debate</a>.&nbsp;

Why oppose leaks now? Because&nbsp;Flynn didn&#39;t resign until leaks emerged. Given the&nbsp;sheer volume of connections between Russia and Trump, and an intelligence community who likely&nbsp;knows what is going on (about many things) and does not seem thrilled with the president, Trump&nbsp;going to fierce lengths to discredit leaks by emphasising their illegality&nbsp;makes sense. Leaks are working against him, now.

There are signs&nbsp;there may be more leaks yet. It&#39;s awfully hard to believe Trump&#39;s connection to Russia ends now that Flynn has been removed.&nbsp;

(WION)

&nbsp;

Trump's head of national security lied about discussing US sanctions with the Russian ambassador and resigned, but Putin still looms

What exactly does it mean that Trump's pick to head national security, Michael Flynn, resigned only 24 days into his tenure amid the revelation that he discussed US sanctions against Russia with the Russian ambassador, then lied about it not just to the general public but to America's Vice President? Russia interfered with the US election to benefit Trump, and the New York Times just reported that Trump's team was in contact with Russian officials for at least a year before the election. Did Trump himself collude with Russia directly? This is not confirmed, but the optics are bad and Trump is desperately trying to switch focus. Who knew what, and when, and what their legal obligation was is important. Trump knew "for weeks" that Flynn misled the White House about Russia, and only acted on it after this knowledge entered the public domain. Why not act sooner? This story is far from over, and there are already signs of major fissures. US intelligence The Wall Street Journal reported that the US intelligence agencies are not disclosing all they know to the president because they don't trust him. The White House responded: "There is nothing that leads us to believe that this is an accurate account of what is actually happening". But how could the White House possibly know what they aren't being told? Either US intelligence isn't telling the president all they know (likely), or they are lying and going public about concealing information from the president in a way that amounts to taunting the president (unlikely). Something is going on. After all, Flynn is the third person from Trump's team to resign amid being connected to Russia. Earlier this summer, Paul Manafort was quietly pushed aside after it came to light that he lobbied for Putin-ally and pro-Ukraine lobbyist, Viktor Yanukovych. Carter Page was sacked after his connections to Russia became known. Trump has surrounded himself with people linked to Russia (Tillerson, Secretary of State, awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin himself, is a standout). But Flynn was the national security adviser. There is a reason the final and most important chapter of Sun Tzu's Art of War is about the special role of spies, the army's most important function. "Upon them depends an army's ability to move." Every decision must be grounded in the best knowledge of all circumstances; That it's bad to have the head of America's national security controlled by the leader of Russia should be agreed upon by Democras and Republicans. Yet Repulicans are keeping mostly quiet, preferring to remain in long-sought for power than expose their president for his Russia connection. US intelligence appears to be making the stand Republicans won't. But putting faith in US intelligence services to tell the truth is highly dangerous for the simple reason that they lie frequently, as it's inevitable when a main part of your job is performing covert operations. The relationship between US intelligence agencies and Donald Trump is not easy to decipher. While it seems like a war on the surface, there is much unknown. The spy agencies by definition are privy to much deeper knowledge than the public. Speculation is endlessly tempting, but caution here is prudent. Remember, FBI director James Comey days before the US election announced that he was reopening the investigation into Clinton's emails, despite being aware at the time of the Steele dossier. Many things determined the outcome of the election, but this huge last minute swung had an large and undeniable role. Why did the FBI announce one and not the other? Trump put into perspective by ex-CIA While it's wise to refrain from speculating about what is by definition secret, the tongue lashings coming from the US intelligence community are anything but subtle. Glenn Carle, a 23-year veteran of the CIA, expressed in no uncertain terms what a threat Trump poses in an interview with Vox conducted amid the news that General Flynn had resigned: "We are facing the gravest threat to our institutions and our government since 1861, since the country broke in half. This is a graver crisis than Watergate, which was about corruption, not the usurpation of our laws and our checks and balances. It's graver than World War II, when Hitler never actually threatened our institutions or occupation of Washington...We're dealing with a man in Trump who doesn't accept a fact-based reality, who only acts for his own self-aggrandizement, and who views any action that does not serve him as a threat that must be destroyed. And, on top of that, his team appears to have been colluding with Russian intelligence services." Notice his use of the word appears. Without a smoking gun linking Trump to Putin, that's all it is. There is no smoking gun, but looking for one when there is so much around isn't unreasonable Trump has repeatedly denied knowing Putin, but in video has claimed he does have a relationship with Putin. Judge Sally Yates warned Trump that Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail, and he fired her. Granted she also objected to the notoious Muslim ban, but perhaps he fired her for multiple reasons. The notorious and unverified dossier compiled by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele alleging that Russia possesses embarassing blackmail material over Trump remains unverified, but it is part of an ongoing investigation. More, CNN published a report claiming that some aspects from the dossier have been corroborated. To be sure, some of what's in the dossier has been disproven, but if certain things in it are true, and are proven to be true, then the conversation becomes about treason and impeachment. Trump has called the leaked documents "illegal", as if Trump didn't spend months using his unprecedented publicity machine to tell the world about leaks from Hillary Clinton's emails. Trump once, apparently, thought leaks were so fair game that he encouraged Russia to hack Clinton's email in the middle of a presidential debate. Why oppose leaks now? Because Flynn didn't resign until leaks emerged. Given the sheer volume of connections between Russia and Trump, and an intelligence community who likely knows what is going on (about many things) and does not seem thrilled with the president, Trump going to fierce lengths to discredit leaks by emphasising their illegality makes sense. Leaks are working against him, now. There are signs there may be more leaks yet. It's awfully hard to believe Trump's connection to Russia ends now that Flynn has been removed. (WION)

Trump's connection to Russia doesn't end with Flynn

Addressing a press conference discussing issues that have plagued the first few weeks of his presidency, Trump tried to defend his administration from recent controversies about links with Russian intelligence.

Calling the reports of alleged links between his aides and Russia a &#39;ruse&#39; and a &#39;scam&#39; perpetrated by media, Trump sought to distance his campaign last year from any Russian help.

&quot;The leaks are absolutely real. The news is fake,&quot; Trump told a news conference about reports that his campaign team was in contact with the Russian intelligence.

Trump also denied that he ordered Michael Flynn to have a conversation with Moscow&#39;s envoy to the US about the Russian sanctions.

Michael Flynn, a close aide of President Trump, was fired by him as the US National Security Adviser for misleading Vice-President Mike Pence about his conversation with the Russian envoy to the US on Russian sanction, before Trump&#39;s inauguration on January 20.

But, in the same breath, he tried to defend Flynn by saying there was nothing wrong if he was calling up other countries and talking to them as it was his job.

&quot;What he did wasn`t wrong,&quot; Trump said.&nbsp;

&quot;Mike was doing his job. He was calling countries and his counterparts. So, it certainly would have been OK with me if he did it. ... I didn`t direct him, but I would have directed him because that`s his job,&quot; he added.

Trump said that he has&nbsp;asked the Justice Department to look into the leaks of &quot;classified information that was given illegally&quot; to journalists regarding the relationship between his aides and Russia.&nbsp;

Obama had imposed fresh sanctions on Russia on December 29 after US intelligence reports that Russia had interfered with the election process.

Speaking at the press conference, Trump also said that he &quot;inherited a mess&quot;.

&quot;To be honest, I inherited a mess. It&#39;s a mess. At home and abroad. A mess. Low pay, low wages. Mass instability overseas no matter where you look. The Middle East a disaster. North Korea. We`ll take care of it, folks. We&#39;re going to take care of it all,&quot; he said.

He also intoduced Alexander Acosta, a former federal prosecutor from Florida, as his nominee to lead the Department of Labour.

His first nominee, Andrew Puzder, withdrew under pressure over his business record.

(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Trump also denied that he ordered Flynn to have a conversation with Moscow's envoy to the US

Addressing a press conference discussing issues that have plagued the first few weeks of his presidency, Trump tried to defend his administration from recent controversies about links with Russian intelligence. Calling the reports of alleged links between his aides and Russia a 'ruse' and a 'scam' perpetrated by media, Trump sought to distance his campaign last year from any Russian help. "The leaks are absolutely real. The news is fake," Trump told a news conference about reports that his campaign team was in contact with the Russian intelligence. Trump also denied that he ordered Michael Flynn to have a conversation with Moscow's envoy to the US about the Russian sanctions. Michael Flynn, a close aide of President Trump, was fired by him as the US National Security Adviser for misleading Vice-President Mike Pence about his conversation with the Russian envoy to the US on Russian sanction, before Trump's inauguration on January 20. But, in the same breath, he tried to defend Flynn by saying there was nothing wrong if he was calling up other countries and talking to them as it was his job. "What he did wasn`t wrong," Trump said. "Mike was doing his job. He was calling countries and his counterparts. So, it certainly would have been OK with me if he did it. ... I didn`t direct him, but I would have directed him because that`s his job," he added. Trump said that he has asked the Justice Department to look into the leaks of "classified information that was given illegally" to journalists regarding the relationship between his aides and Russia. Obama had imposed fresh sanctions on Russia on December 29 after US intelligence reports that Russia had interfered with the election process. Speaking at the press conference, Trump also said that he "inherited a mess". "To be honest, I inherited a mess. It's a mess. At home and abroad. A mess. Low pay, low wages. Mass instability overseas no matter where you look. The Middle East a disaster. North Korea. We`ll take care of it, folks. We're going to take care of it all," he said. He also intoduced Alexander Acosta, a former federal prosecutor from Florida, as his nominee to lead the Department of Labour. His first nominee, Andrew Puzder, withdrew under pressure over his business record. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump defends his administration on reports of links with Russia

US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said, on Thursday, that America still supports the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

&quot;First of all, the two-state solution is what we support. Anybody that wants to say the United States does not support the two-state solution - that would be an error,&quot; Haley told reporters at the United Nations.

&quot;We absolutely support the two-state solution but we are thinking out of the box as well: which is what does it take to bring these two sides to the table; what do we need to have them agree on,&quot; she added.

The statement made by her assumes significance as it comes a day after President Trump, in a joint press conference with Israel&#39;s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that he was open to new ways to achieve peace.&nbsp;

&quot;I&#39;m looking at two states and one state, and I like the one both parties like. I can live with either one,&quot; the President said.

Trump said that the US will work towards building peace between the two sides but it was up to the two parties to decide the terms of the agreement.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The statement comes a day after Trump announced that he was open to consider all options for peace to return between the two sides

US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said, on Thursday, that America still supports the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. "First of all, the two-state solution is what we support. Anybody that wants to say the United States does not support the two-state solution - that would be an error," Haley told reporters at the United Nations. "We absolutely support the two-state solution but we are thinking out of the box as well: which is what does it take to bring these two sides to the table; what do we need to have them agree on," she added. The statement made by her assumes significance as it comes a day after President Trump, in a joint press conference with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that he was open to new ways to achieve peace. "I'm looking at two states and one state, and I like the one both parties like. I can live with either one," the President said. Trump said that the US will work towards building peace between the two sides but it was up to the two parties to decide the terms of the agreement. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

US still supports a two-state solution to Israel-Palestine conflict: Nikki Haley

US President Donald Trump will replace his executive order suspending travel from seven Muslim-majority countries &quot;in the near future&quot;, according to a Justice Department court filing on Thursday.

Given the upcoming executive order, the Justice Department said a federal appeals court should not reconsider a ruling that suspended Trump&#39;s January 27 order.

&quot;In so doing, the President will clear the way for immediately protecting the country rather than pursuing further, potentially time-consuming litigation,&quot; the Justice Department said in its filing.

Trump has said his directive, issued last month, was necessary to protect the United States from attacks by Islamist militants. It barred people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the country for 90 days. Refugees were banned for 120 days, except those from Syria, who were banned indefinitely.

The abrupt implementation of the order, however, plunged the immigration system into chaos, sparking a wave of criticism from targeted countries, Western allies and some of America`s leading corporations, especially technology firms, which lean heavily on immigrant talent.

US&nbsp;District Judge James Robart in Seattle suspended the order nationwide after Washington state challenged its legality, eliciting a barrage of angry Twitter messages from Trump against the judge and the court system. A three judge 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals panel last week upheld Robart&#39;s ruling.

In a news conference on Thursday, Trump said his rollout of the travel ban was &quot;very smooth&quot; but the administration got a bad court decision. He said his new order would be written to conform to legal rulings.

&quot;The new order is going to be very much tailored to what I consider to be a very bad decision,&quot; he said. &quot;We can tailor the order to that decision and get just about everything, in some ways more.&quot;

The Justice Department court filing said Trump`s order would be &quot;substantially revised&quot; but did not provide details. Last week an congressional aide who asked not to be identified told Reuters that Trump might rewrite the original order to explicitly exclude green card holders, or permanent residents.

An unidentified 9th Circuit judge last week requested that the court&#39;s 25 full-time judges vote on whether that should be reconsidered by an 11-judge panel, known as en banc review.

While the Justice Department on Thursday did not seek en banc review, it did take issue with the 9th Circuit&#39;s ruling, saying &quot;it should not remain circuit precedent&quot;, and asking that it be vacated when the president issues a new order.&nbsp;

In a separate court filing, the states of Washington and Minnesota said the 9th Circuit panel ruling &quot;is firmly grounded in precedent&quot;. The appeals court should not reconsider the ruling, they said.

A representative for Washington state&#39;s attorney general did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Trump administration&#39;s planned new executive order.

(Reuters)

The Justice Department said a federal appeals court should not reconsider a ruling that suspended Trump's January 27 order

US President Donald Trump will replace his executive order suspending travel from seven Muslim-majority countries "in the near future", according to a Justice Department court filing on Thursday. Given the upcoming executive order, the Justice Department said a federal appeals court should not reconsider a ruling that suspended Trump's January 27 order. "In so doing, the President will clear the way for immediately protecting the country rather than pursuing further, potentially time-consuming litigation," the Justice Department said in its filing. Trump has said his directive, issued last month, was necessary to protect the United States from attacks by Islamist militants. It barred people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the country for 90 days. Refugees were banned for 120 days, except those from Syria, who were banned indefinitely. The abrupt implementation of the order, however, plunged the immigration system into chaos, sparking a wave of criticism from targeted countries, Western allies and some of America`s leading corporations, especially technology firms, which lean heavily on immigrant talent. US District Judge James Robart in Seattle suspended the order nationwide after Washington state challenged its legality, eliciting a barrage of angry Twitter messages from Trump against the judge and the court system. A three judge 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals panel last week upheld Robart's ruling. In a news conference on Thursday, Trump said his rollout of the travel ban was "very smooth" but the administration got a bad court decision. He said his new order would be written to conform to legal rulings. "The new order is going to be very much tailored to what I consider to be a very bad decision," he said. "We can tailor the order to that decision and get just about everything, in some ways more." The Justice Department court filing said Trump`s order would be "substantially revised" but did not provide details. Last week an congressional aide who asked not to be identified told Reuters that Trump might rewrite the original order to explicitly exclude green card holders, or permanent residents. An unidentified 9th Circuit judge last week requested that the court's 25 full-time judges vote on whether that should be reconsidered by an 11-judge panel, known as en banc review. While the Justice Department on Thursday did not seek en banc review, it did take issue with the 9th Circuit's ruling, saying "it should not remain circuit precedent", and asking that it be vacated when the president issues a new order. In a separate court filing, the states of Washington and Minnesota said the 9th Circuit panel ruling "is firmly grounded in precedent". The appeals court should not reconsider the ruling, they said. A representative for Washington state's attorney general did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Trump administration's planned new executive order. (Reuters)

President Trump to replace travel-ban order with a new one 'in near future'

In a blow to President Donald Trump as he tries to assemble his administration, his nominee for labour secretary, Andrew Puzder, withdrew his name from consideration on Wednesday amid concerns that he could not garner enough Senate votes to be confirmed.

Puzder&#39;s decision to withdraw is yet another setback this week for a White House still grappling with fallout from Monday night&#39;s abrupt resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn, after less than a month in the job.

Puzder, the chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants Inc, which primarily franchises fast-food chains including Hardee&#39;s and Carl&#39;s Jr, has been at the centre of a swirl of controversies, complaints and potential conflicts.

He admitted earlier this month that he and his wife had employed an undocumented person as a housekeeper. He faced a flurry of complaints and legal cases brought in recent weeks and months by workers against his business and its franchisees.

Most recently, a decades-old Oprah Winfrey tape raising allegations of domestic abuse by his ex-wife resurfaced, though those allegations had been withdrawn.

&ldquo;After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor,&quot; Puzder said in a statement. Puzder&#39;s withdrawal came one day before his scheduled confirmation hearing.

At least seven Republican senators, including Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, declined to publicly back Puzder in advance of the confirmation hearing.

For weeks now, Republican senators have been telling Senator John Cornyn, the second-highest ranking Republican, that they believed some of their colleagues would join Collins and Murkowski in opposing Puzder, according to a senior Senate Republican aide.

The Labour Department oversees compliance with federal laws that mandate safe working conditions, a minimum hourly wage, overtime wages and prohibit employment discrimination.

As labour secretary, Puzder would have shaped the department&rsquo;s approach to these issues, including whether to defend an Obama administration rule expanding overtime pay to millions of workers that has been challenged in the courts.

Earlier this month, Puzder admitted he and his wife had employed an undocumented person as a housekeeper and had to pay back taxes as a result. Workers at some of CKE&#39;s restaurants have filed claims in recent weeks alleging they were victims of wage theft or victims of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Another possible problem were allegations dating back to 1986 that Puzder had physically abused his now ex-wife, Lisa Henning, now known as Lisa Fierstein.

Fierstein filed for divorce in 1987 and later retracted her allegations, but not before appearing anonymously as a victim of domestic abuse on &quot;The Oprah Winfrey Show&quot;.

Last week, the OWN Network released a copy of that tape to the Senate committee so both Democratic and Republican members could view it, according to an aide. &quot;From the start, it&rsquo;s been clear that Puzder is uniquely unqualified to serve as secretary of labour,&quot; said Patty Murray, the ranking member of the US&nbsp;Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

(Reuters)

His decision to withdraw is yet another setback this week for a White House still grappling with fallout from Flynn's resignation on Monday

In a blow to President Donald Trump as he tries to assemble his administration, his nominee for labour secretary, Andrew Puzder, withdrew his name from consideration on Wednesday amid concerns that he could not garner enough Senate votes to be confirmed. Puzder's decision to withdraw is yet another setback this week for a White House still grappling with fallout from Monday night's abrupt resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn, after less than a month in the job. Puzder, the chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants Inc, which primarily franchises fast-food chains including Hardee's and Carl's Jr, has been at the centre of a swirl of controversies, complaints and potential conflicts. He admitted earlier this month that he and his wife had employed an undocumented person as a housekeeper. He faced a flurry of complaints and legal cases brought in recent weeks and months by workers against his business and its franchisees. Most recently, a decades-old Oprah Winfrey tape raising allegations of domestic abuse by his ex-wife resurfaced, though those allegations had been withdrawn. “After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor," Puzder said in a statement. Puzder's withdrawal came one day before his scheduled confirmation hearing. At least seven Republican senators, including Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, declined to publicly back Puzder in advance of the confirmation hearing. For weeks now, Republican senators have been telling Senator John Cornyn, the second-highest ranking Republican, that they believed some of their colleagues would join Collins and Murkowski in opposing Puzder, according to a senior Senate Republican aide. The Labour Department oversees compliance with federal laws that mandate safe working conditions, a minimum hourly wage, overtime wages and prohibit employment discrimination. As labour secretary, Puzder would have shaped the department’s approach to these issues, including whether to defend an Obama administration rule expanding overtime pay to millions of workers that has been challenged in the courts. Earlier this month, Puzder admitted he and his wife had employed an undocumented person as a housekeeper and had to pay back taxes as a result. Workers at some of CKE's restaurants have filed claims in recent weeks alleging they were victims of wage theft or victims of sexual harassment in the workplace. Another possible problem were allegations dating back to 1986 that Puzder had physically abused his now ex-wife, Lisa Henning, now known as Lisa Fierstein. Fierstein filed for divorce in 1987 and later retracted her allegations, but not before appearing anonymously as a victim of domestic abuse on "The Oprah Winfrey Show". Last week, the OWN Network released a copy of that tape to the Senate committee so both Democratic and Republican members could view it, according to an aide. "From the start, it’s been clear that Puzder is uniquely unqualified to serve as secretary of labour," said Patty Murray, the ranking member of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. (Reuters)

Trump's labour secretary pick Andrew Puzder withdraws nomination

A Taiwanese delegation&#39;s visit to India earlier this week has raised China&#39;s hackles, who insist that all countries having diplomatic ties with them should respect the &#39;One-China policy&#39;.

China&#39;s foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang condemned the India visit made by Taiwanese legislators, saying New Delhi should take &quot;concrete actions for steady development of India-China relations&quot;.

&quot;The reason why China lodged the representation is because that we have been requiring countries that have diplomatic relations with China to fulfil their commitment to the &#39;One China&#39; principle,&quot; he said.

The Indian side has asked Beijing to not look at the visit from a political angle, with India&#39;s external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup saying there was &quot;nothing new or unusual about such visits&quot;.

A three-member women&#39;s parliamentary delegation from Taiwan visited India earlier this week amid growing engagement between the two countries.

&quot;Such informal groups have visited India in the past as well for business, religious and tourist purposes. I understand that they do so to China as well,&quot; Swarup said.

&#39;Playing with fire&#39;

The Chinese media was more belligerent in its tone, saying India was &quot;playing with fire&quot; by playing Beijing over the Taiwan issue.

China&#39;s state media Global Times said India was standing out as a &quot;provocateur&quot; at a time when even Trump has soft-pedalled on the issue.

The editorial further stated: &quot;High-level visits between India and Taiwan are not very frequent, so why did India invite the Taiwan delegation to visit at this time?&quot;&nbsp;

It also accused New Delhi of deliberately trying to rile Beijing by raking up issues that are sensitive to the Chinese mainland.&nbsp;

The Taiwanese delegation&#39;s visit last week was the first one since pro-independence President Tsai Ing-wen swept to power last year.

Brothers in arms?

India and Taiwan have enjoyed a steady relationship over the years much to Beijing&#39;s chagrin.

Though diplomatic relations have mainly stayed off radar,&nbsp;Taiwan currently has Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre located in New Delhi. India&#39;s office in Taiwan is called India-Taipei Association.

Taiwan has been a hot potato for Beijing as it considers the country to be a part of the mainland.

Beijing&#39;s &#39;One China principle&#39; views Taiwan to be an inalienable part of a single China.

But its &#39;One-China policy&#39; is slightly different as Beijing states that countries having diplomatic relations with them must not engage with Republic of China, also known as Taiwan.

Recently, the United States bore the brunt of China&#39;s ire when Donald Trump became the US president to phone&nbsp;his Taiwanese counterpart since 1979.

In the 1970s, the US had decided to adhere to the &#39;One-China policy&#39; by closing its embassy in Taiwan.

Diplomatic relations between the two sides were skewered when Trump called up Tsai to congratulate his election win.

But days after hectic diplomatic jostling, Trump affirmed that the US would abide by the &#39;One-China policy&#39;.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

&nbsp;

Beijing warned India that it was contravening the 'One-China policy' by maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan

A Taiwanese delegation's visit to India earlier this week has raised China's hackles, who insist that all countries having diplomatic ties with them should respect the 'One-China policy'. China's foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang condemned the India visit made by Taiwanese legislators, saying New Delhi should take "concrete actions for steady development of India-China relations". "The reason why China lodged the representation is because that we have been requiring countries that have diplomatic relations with China to fulfil their commitment to the 'One China' principle," he said. The Indian side has asked Beijing to not look at the visit from a political angle, with India's external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup saying there was "nothing new or unusual about such visits". A three-member women's parliamentary delegation from Taiwan visited India earlier this week amid growing engagement between the two countries. "Such informal groups have visited India in the past as well for business, religious and tourist purposes. I understand that they do so to China as well," Swarup said. 'Playing with fire' The Chinese media was more belligerent in its tone, saying India was "playing with fire" by playing Beijing over the Taiwan issue. China's state media Global Times said India was standing out as a "provocateur" at a time when even Trump has soft-pedalled on the issue. The editorial further stated: "High-level visits between India and Taiwan are not very frequent, so why did India invite the Taiwan delegation to visit at this time?" It also accused New Delhi of deliberately trying to rile Beijing by raking up issues that are sensitive to the Chinese mainland. The Taiwanese delegation's visit last week was the first one since pro-independence President Tsai Ing-wen swept to power last year. Brothers in arms? India and Taiwan have enjoyed a steady relationship over the years much to Beijing's chagrin. Though diplomatic relations have mainly stayed off radar, Taiwan currently has Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre located in New Delhi. India's office in Taiwan is called India-Taipei Association. Taiwan has been a hot potato for Beijing as it considers the country to be a part of the mainland. Beijing's 'One China principle' views Taiwan to be an inalienable part of a single China. But its 'One-China policy' is slightly different as Beijing states that countries having diplomatic relations with them must not engage with Republic of China, also known as Taiwan. Recently, the United States bore the brunt of China's ire when Donald Trump became the US president to phone his Taiwanese counterpart since 1979. In the 1970s, the US had decided to adhere to the 'One-China policy' by closing its embassy in Taiwan. Diplomatic relations between the two sides were skewered when Trump called up Tsai to congratulate his election win. But days after hectic diplomatic jostling, Trump affirmed that the US would abide by the 'One-China policy'. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Taiwan team's India visit raises China's hackles

As his plane touched down in Washington on Valentine&rsquo;s Day for his first official meeting with President Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu would have had both an old flame and the possibilities of a budding romance on his mind.

After years of tension, the Obama-Netanyahu relationship ended on a bitter note when the US abstained on a UN Security Council motion demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, allowing it to pass.

The US has traditionally shielded Israel against similar moves by the UN with its powers of veto.

To many, it was a parting shot from a president who had pushed Israel on touchy issues like settlements harder than any US leader in recent memory.

But analysts say the personal rancour between the two leaders didn&rsquo;t change the essential dynamic of the longstanding alliance.

&ldquo;Despite all the very public furore between Obama and Netanyahu, key analysts recognise that the relationship between the US and Israel was stronger than ever before during the eight years of the Obama presidency. That was in all the ways that mattered: the amount of military aid, the consistency of protection at the United Nations and the certainty of US diplomatic support,&rdquo; said Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.

Instead, the Trump administration could have a much greater impact on the shape of the US-Israel alliance in the long term.

Wednesday&rsquo;s White House joint press conference marked a major shift in US policy, with Donald Trump leaving the door open to a one-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking at two states and one state&hellip;I&rsquo;m very happy with the one that both parties like. I can live with either one,&rdquo; said Trump.

The two-state solution has been at the centre of US foreign policy in the Middle East for decades.

Meanwhile Trump&rsquo;s pick for the new US Ambassador to Israel could also signal a change on another key issue: the location of the US embassy.

David Friedman has repeatedly called for the embassy to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a decision that would send shockwaves through the Arab world.

In a statement after his selection was announced, Friedman said he wants to advance &ldquo;the cause of peace within the region, and look[s] forward to doing this from the U.S. embassy in Israel&rsquo;s eternal capital, Jerusalem.&quot;

Trump&rsquo;s comments in the joint press conference with Netanyahu show that he also backs his new envoy on this controversial stance.

&quot;As far as the embassy moving to Jerusalem, I&#39;d love to see that happen,&rdquo; he said.

The single moment of tension in what was otherwise a reaffirmation of close US-Israel ties came on the issue of settlements, with Trump asking his counterpart to &ldquo;hold back on settlements for a little bit&rdquo;.

Israel&rsquo;s government recently approved the construction of 6,000 controversial new settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

But even as Trump and Netanyahu shore up the old alliance, analysts in the US say the importance of the partnership could be diminishing in terms of the wider region.

&ldquo;The complications in the region have diminished the strategic value of Israel for US policy. In the context of the Arab Spring and the rise of much more complicated wars across the region, the US is not generally relying on Israel. It&rsquo;s making its own mistakes,&rdquo; said Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies.

For now, Trump says he will work hard to deliver a &ldquo;great&rdquo; peace deal between Israel and Palestine in one of the world&rsquo;s longest-running conflicts.

But as history shows, that is far, far easier said than done.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="532" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zW38NC0k-xo" width="945"></iframe>

(WION)

As Israel?s Prime Minister visits the US capital, Donald Trump is rewriting the rulebook on US foreign policy towards its close ally

As his plane touched down in Washington on Valentine’s Day for his first official meeting with President Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu would have had both an old flame and the possibilities of a budding romance on his mind. After years of tension, the Obama-Netanyahu relationship ended on a bitter note when the US abstained on a UN Security Council motion demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, allowing it to pass. The US has traditionally shielded Israel against similar moves by the UN with its powers of veto. To many, it was a parting shot from a president who had pushed Israel on touchy issues like settlements harder than any US leader in recent memory. But analysts say the personal rancour between the two leaders didn’t change the essential dynamic of the longstanding alliance. “Despite all the very public furore between Obama and Netanyahu, key analysts recognise that the relationship between the US and Israel was stronger than ever before during the eight years of the Obama presidency. That was in all the ways that mattered: the amount of military aid, the consistency of protection at the United Nations and the certainty of US diplomatic support,” said Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. Instead, the Trump administration could have a much greater impact on the shape of the US-Israel alliance in the long term. Wednesday’s White House joint press conference marked a major shift in US policy, with Donald Trump leaving the door open to a one-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. “I’m looking at two states and one state…I’m very happy with the one that both parties like. I can live with either one,” said Trump. The two-state solution has been at the centre of US foreign policy in the Middle East for decades. Meanwhile Trump’s pick for the new US Ambassador to Israel could also signal a change on another key issue: the location of the US embassy. David Friedman has repeatedly called for the embassy to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a decision that would send shockwaves through the Arab world. In a statement after his selection was announced, Friedman said he wants to advance “the cause of peace within the region, and look[s] forward to doing this from the U.S. embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem." Trump’s comments in the joint press conference with Netanyahu show that he also backs his new envoy on this controversial stance. "As far as the embassy moving to Jerusalem, I'd love to see that happen,” he said. The single moment of tension in what was otherwise a reaffirmation of close US-Israel ties came on the issue of settlements, with Trump asking his counterpart to “hold back on settlements for a little bit”. Israel’s government recently approved the construction of 6,000 controversial new settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. But even as Trump and Netanyahu shore up the old alliance, analysts in the US say the importance of the partnership could be diminishing in terms of the wider region. “The complications in the region have diminished the strategic value of Israel for US policy. In the context of the Arab Spring and the rise of much more complicated wars across the region, the US is not generally relying on Israel. It’s making its own mistakes,” said Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies. For now, Trump says he will work hard to deliver a “great” peace deal between Israel and Palestine in one of the world’s longest-running conflicts. But as history shows, that is far, far easier said than done. (WION)

Netanyahu and Trump reset the US-Israel alliance after frosty Obama years

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump knew for weeks that national security adviser Michael Flynn had misled the White House about his contacts with Russia but did not immediately force him out, an administration spokesman said on Tuesday.

Trump was informed in late January that Flynn had not told vice president Mike Pence the whole truth about conversations he had before Trump took office with Russia&#39;s ambassador to the United States, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.

Pence learnt of the &quot;incomplete information&quot; that he received from Flynn when news reports surfaced late last week, spokesman Mark Lotter said on Tuesday.

Flynn quit on Monday after Trump asked for his resignation, and the president hopes to pick a new national security adviser by the end of the week, Spicer said.

The departure was another disruption for an administration already repeatedly distracted by miscues and internal dramas since the Republican businessman assumed the presidency on Jan&nbsp;20.

US&nbsp;lawmakers, including some leading Republicans, called for a deeper inquiry into not just Flynn&#39;s actions but broader White House ties to Russia. Trump has long said that he would like improved relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said Trump only moved against Flynn because of news media attention, not concern about any wrongdoing.

&quot;The reason they lost faith or trust in General Flynn only last night when they knew for weeks that he had been lying was that it became public,&quot; Schiff told MSNBC.

A timeline of events outlined by Spicer and a US&nbsp;official showed that Trump had known for weeks about Flynn misleading the vice president.

Trump, a former reality TV star whose catchphrase was &quot;You&#39;re fired!&quot; has often boasted of his eagerness to get rid of subordinates. He was not quick to fire Flynn, a strong advocate of better relations with Russia and a hard line against Islamist militants.

The Justice Department warned the White House in late January that Flynn had misled Pence by denying to him that he had discussed US&nbsp;sanctions on Russia with Ambassador Sergei Kislyak, a potentially illegal act, a US&nbsp;official said.

Flynn did talk about sanctions with the diplomat, whose calls were recorded by US&nbsp;intelligence officials, the official said. But Pence went on television in mid-January and denied that Flynn had discussed sanctions.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation interviewed Flynn in his early days as Trump&#39;s national security adviser regarding his conversations with the Russian ambassador, a White House official confirmed.

Spicer stressed that the administration believed there was no legal problem with Flynn&#39;s conversations with Kislyak, but rather an issue over the president&#39;s trust in his adviser.

The turning point, Spicer said, was a Washington Post story published on Thursday in which Flynn, through a spokesman, said for the first time he could not say with 100 percent certainty that he had not discussed sanctions with Kislyak.

Spicer said the Justice Department sought to notify the White House counsel on Jan&nbsp;26 about the discrepancies in Flynn&#39;s accounts.

&quot;The White House counsel informed the president immediately. The president asked them to commit a review of whether there was a legal situation there,&quot; Spicer told reporters, saying it was a &quot;trust issue.&quot;

Flynn&#39;s conversations with the ambassador took place around the time that then-President Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Russia, charging that Moscow had used cyber attacks to try to influence the 2016 presidential election in Trump&#39;s favour.

A US&nbsp;official familiar with the transcripts of the calls with the ambassador said Flynn indicated that if Russia did not retaliate in kind for Obama&#39;s Dec&nbsp;29 order expelling 35 Russian suspected spies and sanctioning Russian spy agencies, that could smooth the way towards a broader discussion of improving US-Russian relations once Trump took power.

(Reuters)

Trump was informed in late January about Flynn's phone call issues, but did not immediately force him out, an administration spokesman said

US President Donald Trump knew for weeks that national security adviser Michael Flynn had misled the White House about his contacts with Russia but did not immediately force him out, an administration spokesman said on Tuesday. Trump was informed in late January that Flynn had not told vice president Mike Pence the whole truth about conversations he had before Trump took office with Russia's ambassador to the United States, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. Pence learnt of the "incomplete information" that he received from Flynn when news reports surfaced late last week, spokesman Mark Lotter said on Tuesday. Flynn quit on Monday after Trump asked for his resignation, and the president hopes to pick a new national security adviser by the end of the week, Spicer said. The departure was another disruption for an administration already repeatedly distracted by miscues and internal dramas since the Republican businessman assumed the presidency on Jan 20. US lawmakers, including some leading Republicans, called for a deeper inquiry into not just Flynn's actions but broader White House ties to Russia. Trump has long said that he would like improved relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said Trump only moved against Flynn because of news media attention, not concern about any wrongdoing. "The reason they lost faith or trust in General Flynn only last night when they knew for weeks that he had been lying was that it became public," Schiff told MSNBC. A timeline of events outlined by Spicer and a US official showed that Trump had known for weeks about Flynn misleading the vice president. Trump, a former reality TV star whose catchphrase was "You're fired!" has often boasted of his eagerness to get rid of subordinates. He was not quick to fire Flynn, a strong advocate of better relations with Russia and a hard line against Islamist militants. The Justice Department warned the White House in late January that Flynn had misled Pence by denying to him that he had discussed US sanctions on Russia with Ambassador Sergei Kislyak, a potentially illegal act, a US official said. Flynn did talk about sanctions with the diplomat, whose calls were recorded by US intelligence officials, the official said. But Pence went on television in mid-January and denied that Flynn had discussed sanctions. The Federal Bureau of Investigation interviewed Flynn in his early days as Trump's national security adviser regarding his conversations with the Russian ambassador, a White House official confirmed. Spicer stressed that the administration believed there was no legal problem with Flynn's conversations with Kislyak, but rather an issue over the president's trust in his adviser. The turning point, Spicer said, was a Washington Post story published on Thursday in which Flynn, through a spokesman, said for the first time he could not say with 100 percent certainty that he had not discussed sanctions with Kislyak. Spicer said the Justice Department sought to notify the White House counsel on Jan 26 about the discrepancies in Flynn's accounts. "The White House counsel informed the president immediately. The president asked them to commit a review of whether there was a legal situation there," Spicer told reporters, saying it was a "trust issue." Flynn's conversations with the ambassador took place around the time that then-President Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Russia, charging that Moscow had used cyber attacks to try to influence the 2016 presidential election in Trump's favour. A US official familiar with the transcripts of the calls with the ambassador said Flynn indicated that if Russia did not retaliate in kind for Obama's Dec 29 order expelling 35 Russian suspected spies and sanctioning Russian spy agencies, that could smooth the way towards a broader discussion of improving US-Russian relations once Trump took power. (Reuters)

Trump knew for weeks Flynn was being misleading over Russia: White House

The US President Donald Trump has said that he would deal &quot;very strongly&quot; with North Korea after the country test-fired a ballistic missile.

Trump was addressing a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

&quot;Obviously North Korea is a big, big problem and we will deal with that very strongly,&quot; Trump said during the press conference.

But his response didn&#39;t mention as to what specific action he would initiate against the North Korean regime for violating the UN Security Council resolution by test-firing a&nbsp;ballistic missile.

The latest provocation is an addition to a string of such test-launches by North Korea which has raised tensions in the region especially&nbsp;among South Korea and Japan, two of the closest allies of the US in the region. &nbsp; &nbsp;

The North Korean regime said that it had launched a medium to long-range ballistic missile on Sunday.

Speaking on the issue of immigration and border security, Trump continued to take a hard line saying he can&#39;t let in people who prove to be a security risk for the country hinting at further tightening of the vetting process.

&quot;On the home front, we have to create borders. We have to let people that can love our country in, and I want to do that. We want to have a big beautiful open door and we want people to come in and come in our country, but we cannot let the wrong people in and I will not allow that to happen during this administration,&quot; Trump said.

The Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau said that he was not in the US to lecture Trump.

&quot;The last thing Canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how they choose to govern themselves. My role our responsibility is to continue to govern in such a way that reflects Canadians approach and be a positive example in the world,&quot; Trudeau said.

The United States, Japan and South Korea had&nbsp;requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting to discuss the latest missile test.

&quot;The United States, along with Japan and the Republic of Korea, have requested urgent consultations on the DPRK&rsquo;s launch of a ballistic missile on February 12,&quot; said a US mission spokesperson.&nbsp;

The UN Security Council condemned North Korea&#39;s weekend missile launching in a statement on Monday.

&quot;The members of the Security Council deplore all the Democratic People&rsquo;s Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including these launches,&quot; the statement read.

Japan said it was pleased with the council&#39;s resolve in discussing North Korea&#39;s latest missile firing.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Trump was addressing a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

The US President Donald Trump has said that he would deal "very strongly" with North Korea after the country test-fired a ballistic missile. Trump was addressing a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "Obviously North Korea is a big, big problem and we will deal with that very strongly," Trump said during the press conference. But his response didn't mention as to what specific action he would initiate against the North Korean regime for violating the UN Security Council resolution by test-firing a ballistic missile. The latest provocation is an addition to a string of such test-launches by North Korea which has raised tensions in the region especially among South Korea and Japan, two of the closest allies of the US in the region. The North Korean regime said that it had launched a medium to long-range ballistic missile on Sunday. Speaking on the issue of immigration and border security, Trump continued to take a hard line saying he can't let in people who prove to be a security risk for the country hinting at further tightening of the vetting process. "On the home front, we have to create borders. We have to let people that can love our country in, and I want to do that. We want to have a big beautiful open door and we want people to come in and come in our country, but we cannot let the wrong people in and I will not allow that to happen during this administration," Trump said. The Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau said that he was not in the US to lecture Trump. "The last thing Canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how they choose to govern themselves. My role our responsibility is to continue to govern in such a way that reflects Canadians approach and be a positive example in the world," Trudeau said. The United States, Japan and South Korea had requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting to discuss the latest missile test. "The United States, along with Japan and the Republic of Korea, have requested urgent consultations on the DPRK’s launch of a ballistic missile on February 12," said a US mission spokesperson. The UN Security Council condemned North Korea's weekend missile launching in a statement on Monday. "The members of the Security Council deplore all the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including these launches," the statement read. Japan said it was pleased with the council's resolve in discussing North Korea's latest missile firing. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Trump vows 'very strong' action against North Korea for test-firing missile

Curbing immigration, as US President Donald Trump appears intent on doing, could slow already sluggish US economic growth, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen cautioned Tuesday.

With the US population ageing, the flow of new workers from abroad has been an important factor in keeping the economy expanding, Yellen said in her first testimony before Congress since Trump took office last month.

While she declined to comment on specific immigration policies, Yellen said the pool of available workers has been growing slowly &quot;and immigration has been an important source of labor force growth&quot;.

&quot;So slowing the pace of immigration probably would slow the growth rate of the economy,&quot; she added.

She called the 1.9 percent US growth rate last year &quot;disappointing,&quot; and emphasized that productivity -- the ability of workers to produce more goods and services -- has lagged.

&quot;We have an aging population and labor force growth is relatively slow, and productivity growth in recent years has been depressingly slow,&quot; which keeps economic growth low, Yellen said.

Trump&#39;s early days in office have been marked by controversy over an order barring entry to nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries, since blocked by the courts, as well as nationwide raids to scoop up and deport illegal immigrants with criminal records.

Yellen, however, said specific immigration policies are &quot;for Congress and the administration to decide&quot;.

(AFP)

With the US population ageing, flow of foreign workers has been an important factor in keeping the economy expanding: Yellen

Curbing immigration, as US President Donald Trump appears intent on doing, could slow already sluggish US economic growth, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen cautioned Tuesday. With the US population ageing, the flow of new workers from abroad has been an important factor in keeping the economy expanding, Yellen said in her first testimony before Congress since Trump took office last month. While she declined to comment on specific immigration policies, Yellen said the pool of available workers has been growing slowly "and immigration has been an important source of labor force growth". "So slowing the pace of immigration probably would slow the growth rate of the economy," she added. She called the 1.9 percent US growth rate last year "disappointing," and emphasized that productivity -- the ability of workers to produce more goods and services -- has lagged. "We have an aging population and labor force growth is relatively slow, and productivity growth in recent years has been depressingly slow," which keeps economic growth low, Yellen said. Trump's early days in office have been marked by controversy over an order barring entry to nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries, since blocked by the courts, as well as nationwide raids to scoop up and deport illegal immigrants with criminal records. Yellen, however, said specific immigration policies are "for Congress and the administration to decide". (AFP)

Curbing immigration could slow down economic growth: US Federal Reserve chair

Donald Trump&#39;s every order, move, and lie has been (rightly) scrutinised&nbsp;ever since he took office. He is after all the &quot;most powerful man in the world&quot;.&nbsp;

Now, they&#39;ve also begun paying attention to his handshake.

That scrutiny began after a very strange 19-second &quot;tug-of-war&quot; with the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. As Trump holds onto Abe&#39;s hand -- watch video below -- he, every few seconds, &quot;pulls&quot;&nbsp;the prime minister towards himself, making Abe looking more and more uncomfortable in the process. &nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Shinzo <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Abe?src=hash">#Abe</a>&acute;s face after this extremely awkward 19 seconds handshake with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Trump?src=hash">#Trump</a> says it all: <a href="https://t.co/oGSe6Ve8z8">pic.twitter.com/oGSe6Ve8z8</a>
&mdash; Benjamin Alvarez (@BenjAlvarez1) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenjAlvarez1/status/830142500941750274">February 10, 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>

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had better luck, and seemed to have done his homework. His handshake with Trump was short and sweet (watch video below).&nbsp;

A photo (above) from their press meet captured Trudeau&#39;s moment of reflection before his quick and firm handshake with Trump, a far cry from grab-and-pull that Abe had to go through.

Twitter was quick to read into the 5-second moment between the two heads of state.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
nice smooth shake .. no jerks .. appropriately brief .. professional <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrudeauMeetsTrump?src=hash">#TrudeauMeetsTrump</a> <a href="https://t.co/ACBd7r5WV1">pic.twitter.com/ACBd7r5WV1</a>
&mdash; Robbi MacDougall (@yomydj) <a href="https://twitter.com/yomydj/status/831182996308897793">February 13, 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;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
When House of Cards becomes reality. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/handshake?src=hash">#handshake</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/trump?src=hash">#trump</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/trudeau?src=hash">#trudeau</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/uspoli?src=hash">#uspoli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/canpoli?src=hash">#canpoli</a> (photo not mine) <a href="https://t.co/cqblJk9lWR">pic.twitter.com/cqblJk9lWR</a>
&mdash; Partsinevelos (@KristinaParts) <a href="https://twitter.com/KristinaParts/status/831285024951500801">February 13, 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;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I&#39;ve spent an embarrassing amount of time searching &quot;Trump-Trudeau handshake&quot; this morning.
&mdash; Clare Malone (@ClareMalone) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClareMalone/status/831194872199708673">February 13, 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>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
How awkward was that Trump,Trudeau handshake? <a href="https://t.co/BBfqYIYfiB">pic.twitter.com/BBfqYIYfiB</a>
&mdash; Anthony Creed (@creed1992) <a href="https://twitter.com/creed1992/status/831174543049949184">February 13, 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>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Sorry Trump Trudeau wins round one of crazy handshake. Handshake interruptus. <a href="https://t.co/tSCmjTtEFf">https://t.co/tSCmjTtEFf</a>
&mdash; MikeFarb (@mikefarb1) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikefarb1/status/831239839576125440">February 13, 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;

Trudeau&#39;s first meeting with the new US president was looked at with interest as the PM had a strong rapport with former Democratic president Barack Obama, prompting pundits to describe their relationship as a &quot;bromance&quot;.

With Trump, soon after he put a hold on allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily banned travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries in an executive order on January 27, citing the need to head off attacks by Islamist militants, the Canadian prime minister took to Twitter to say refugees were welcome in Canada.

Trump says the United States will be &quot;tweaking&quot; its trade relationship with Canada, stopping short of calling for a major realignment in a development likely to please visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trump has pledged to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA) linking the economies of the United States, Mexico and Canada to make the terms more favourable to Americans.

At a joint news conference with Trudeau after White House talks, Trump said his biggest concern with NAFTA was the US trade relationship with Mexico, which he has frequently accused of stealing American jobs. &quot;We have a very outstanding trade relationship with Canada. We&#39;ll be tweaking it,&quot; Trump said. &quot;It&#39;s a much less severe situation than what&#39;s taking place on the southern border. On the southern border, for many, many years the transaction was not fair to the United States,&quot; he said.

Trump said the United States and Canada were stronger when they joined forces in matters of international commerce, and both countries benefited from having more jobs and trade in North America. &quot;We should coordinate closely - and we will coordinate closely - to protect jobs in our hemisphere and keep wealth on our continent, and to keep everyone safe,&quot; Trump said.

Trudeau carefully steered around questions about the Canadian trade relationship with the United States. He said he expected each country to always remain each other&#39;s most essential partner. &quot;There have been times where we have differed in our approaches and that&rsquo;s always been done firmly and respectfully. The last thing Canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how they choose to govern themselves,&quot; Trudeau said.

(WION)

The Canadian PM Justin Trudeau got it right, his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe did not

Donald Trump's every order, move, and lie has been (rightly) scrutinised ever since he took office. He is after all the "most powerful man in the world". Now, they've also begun paying attention to his handshake. That scrutiny began after a very strange 19-second "tug-of-war" with the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. As Trump holds onto Abe's hand -- watch video below -- he, every few seconds, "pulls" the prime minister towards himself, making Abe looking more and more uncomfortable in the process. Shinzo #Abe´s face after this extremely awkward 19 seconds handshake with #Trump says it all: pic.twitter.com/oGSe6Ve8z8 — Benjamin Alvarez (@BenjAlvarez1) February 10, 2017 × Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had better luck, and seemed to have done his homework. His handshake with Trump was short and sweet (watch video below). A photo (above) from their press meet captured Trudeau's moment of reflection before his quick and firm handshake with Trump, a far cry from grab-and-pull that Abe had to go through. Twitter was quick to read into the 5-second moment between the two heads of state. nice smooth shake .. no jerks .. appropriately brief .. professional #TrudeauMeetsTrump pic.twitter.com/ACBd7r5WV1 — Robbi MacDougall (@yomydj) February 13, 2017 × When House of Cards becomes reality. #handshake #trump #trudeau #uspoli #canpoli (photo not mine) pic.twitter.com/cqblJk9lWR — Partsinevelos (@KristinaParts) February 13, 2017 × I've spent an embarrassing amount of time searching "Trump-Trudeau handshake" this morning. — Clare Malone (@ClareMalone) February 13, 2017 × How awkward was that Trump,Trudeau handshake? pic.twitter.com/BBfqYIYfiB — Anthony Creed (@creed1992) February 13, 2017 × Sorry Trump Trudeau wins round one of crazy handshake. Handshake interruptus. https://t.co/tSCmjTtEFf — MikeFarb (@mikefarb1) February 13, 2017 × Trudeau's first meeting with the new US president was looked at with interest as the PM had a strong rapport with former Democratic president Barack Obama, prompting pundits to describe their relationship as a "bromance". With Trump, soon after he put a hold on allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily banned travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries in an executive order on January 27, citing the need to head off attacks by Islamist militants, the Canadian prime minister took to Twitter to say refugees were welcome in Canada. Trump says the United States will be "tweaking" its trade relationship with Canada, stopping short of calling for a major realignment in a development likely to please visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump has pledged to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA) linking the economies of the United States, Mexico and Canada to make the terms more favourable to Americans. At a joint news conference with Trudeau after White House talks, Trump said his biggest concern with NAFTA was the US trade relationship with Mexico, which he has frequently accused of stealing American jobs. "We have a very outstanding trade relationship with Canada. We'll be tweaking it," Trump said. "It's a much less severe situation than what's taking place on the southern border. On the southern border, for many, many years the transaction was not fair to the United States," he said. Trump said the United States and Canada were stronger when they joined forces in matters of international commerce, and both countries benefited from having more jobs and trade in North America. "We should coordinate closely - and we will coordinate closely - to protect jobs in our hemisphere and keep wealth on our continent, and to keep everyone safe," Trump said. Trudeau carefully steered around questions about the Canadian trade relationship with the United States. He said he expected each country to always remain each other's most essential partner. "There have been times where we have differed in our approaches and that’s always been done firmly and respectfully. The last thing Canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how they choose to govern themselves," Trudeau said. (WION)

Watch & learn: How to shake hands with Donald Trump

The US Homeland Security chief on Monday said that immigration officials have arrested more than 680 people in recent operations, 75 per cent of whom have criminal records.

John Kelly, the Homeland Security secretary, said that the operations were routine and consistent with operations carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

The agency said that some of the immigrants had ignored deportation orders.

Immigration rights activists have expressed alarm over the arrests saying that the raids were indiscriminate and did not take into account the threat level posed by the immigrants.

Kelly said in a statement that crimes committed by the illegal immigrants ranged from homicide to driving under the influence of alcohol.

President Donald Trump promised to deport 2 million to 3 million migrants with criminal records on taking office.

At a news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, Trump said his administration had &quot;really done a great job&quot; in its recent arrests of immigrants.

&quot;We&#39;re actually taking people that are criminals, very, very, hardened criminals in some cases with a tremendous track record of abuse and problems,&quot; Trump said.

The ICE operation is being viewed in the context of Trump administration&#39;s recent travel ban order on individuals from seven predominantly Muslim countries which has been suspended by the judiciary.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Kelly said that crimes committed by the illegal immigrants ranged from homicide to driving under the influence of alcohol

The US Homeland Security chief on Monday said that immigration officials have arrested more than 680 people in recent operations, 75 per cent of whom have criminal records. John Kelly, the Homeland Security secretary, said that the operations were routine and consistent with operations carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. The agency said that some of the immigrants had ignored deportation orders. Immigration rights activists have expressed alarm over the arrests saying that the raids were indiscriminate and did not take into account the threat level posed by the immigrants. Kelly said in a statement that crimes committed by the illegal immigrants ranged from homicide to driving under the influence of alcohol. President Donald Trump promised to deport 2 million to 3 million migrants with criminal records on taking office. At a news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, Trump said his administration had "really done a great job" in its recent arrests of immigrants. "We're actually taking people that are criminals, very, very, hardened criminals in some cases with a tremendous track record of abuse and problems," Trump said. The ICE operation is being viewed in the context of Trump administration's recent travel ban order on individuals from seven predominantly Muslim countries which has been suspended by the judiciary. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

US Homeland Security chief John Kelly: More than 680 arrested in immigration raids

US President Donald Trump on Monday called for &quot;reciprocal&quot; trade with Canada and to build bridges of commerce across the border, but nevertheless vowed to &quot;tweak&quot; the bilateral relationship.

Coming into Monday&#39;s meeting with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, trade was one of the main topics on the agenda, and the new Republican leader certainly seemed to tone down his previously harsh rhetoric.

&quot;America is deeply fortunate to have a neighbor like Canada,&quot; Trump told a joint press conference with Trudeau at his side, hailing the opportunity to &quot;build even more bridges&quot; of commerce.

&quot;We understand that both of our countries are stronger when we join forces in matters of international commerce,&quot; Trump said.

But he nevertheless pledged changes were on the horizon.

&quot;We have a very outstanding trade relationship with Canada. We will be tweaking it. We will be doing certain things that are going to benefit both of our countries.&quot;

For his part, Trudeau said the two nations -- who with Mexico make up the North American Free Trade Agreement -- &quot;will always remain each other&#39;s most essential partner&quot;.

&quot;Today&#39;s conversations have served to reinforce how important that is for both Canadians and Americans,&quot; he added.

Throughout his campaign and since his November election, Trump has voiced his determination to put &quot;America first&quot; and rip up NAFTA, which he has said is a &quot;catastrophe&quot; for American jobs.

Renegotiating NAFTA will not be simple and Trudeau, a fervent supporter of free trade, has emphasized the importance of the tripartite pact for his country&#39;s economy and warned against protectionism.

Trump has not been specific on how he wants the negotiations to develop.

&quot;When we sit down as we did today and as our teams will be doing in the weeks and months to come, we will be talking about how we can continue to create good jobs for our citizens on both sides of the border,&quot; Trudeau said.

The economic ties between America and its northern neighbor, who share the world`s longest common border, run deep: three-quarters of Canada`s exports go to the US, and Canada is the top destination for exports from about 30 US states.

(AFP)

Trade was one of the main topics in Trump's meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

US President Donald Trump on Monday called for "reciprocal" trade with Canada and to build bridges of commerce across the border, but nevertheless vowed to "tweak" the bilateral relationship. Coming into Monday's meeting with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, trade was one of the main topics on the agenda, and the new Republican leader certainly seemed to tone down his previously harsh rhetoric. "America is deeply fortunate to have a neighbor like Canada," Trump told a joint press conference with Trudeau at his side, hailing the opportunity to "build even more bridges" of commerce. "We understand that both of our countries are stronger when we join forces in matters of international commerce," Trump said. But he nevertheless pledged changes were on the horizon. "We have a very outstanding trade relationship with Canada. We will be tweaking it. We will be doing certain things that are going to benefit both of our countries." For his part, Trudeau said the two nations -- who with Mexico make up the North American Free Trade Agreement -- "will always remain each other's most essential partner". "Today's conversations have served to reinforce how important that is for both Canadians and Americans," he added. Throughout his campaign and since his November election, Trump has voiced his determination to put "America first" and rip up NAFTA, which he has said is a "catastrophe" for American jobs. Renegotiating NAFTA will not be simple and Trudeau, a fervent supporter of free trade, has emphasized the importance of the tripartite pact for his country's economy and warned against protectionism. Trump has not been specific on how he wants the negotiations to develop. "When we sit down as we did today and as our teams will be doing in the weeks and months to come, we will be talking about how we can continue to create good jobs for our citizens on both sides of the border," Trudeau said. The economic ties between America and its northern neighbor, who share the world`s longest common border, run deep: three-quarters of Canada`s exports go to the US, and Canada is the top destination for exports from about 30 US states. (AFP)

Trump tones down rhetoric but says will 'tweak' trade ties with Canada

The White House confirmed Sunday it is considering issuing a new order on immigration now that President Donald Trump&#39;s travel ban has been halted as it makes its way through the courts.

&quot;Right now we are considering and pursuing all options,&quot; presidential aide Stephen Miller told Fox television.&nbsp;

He said the next step would be either filing an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, defending the merits of the order in lower courts or issuing a new one.

&quot;The president&#39;s powers here are beyond question,&quot; said Miller, who is considered one of the driving forces behind Trump&#39;s first actions on immigration.

Miller insisted the president has the power to keep some people from entering the United States.

&quot;We are contemplating new and additional actions to ensure that immigration is not a vehicle for admitting people into our country that are hostile to its nation and its values,&quot; Miller said.

The order that Trump issued abruptly on January 27 halts resettlement of all refugees for 120 days and that of Syrian refugees indefinitely.

It also bars for 90 days the entry of nationals from seven mainly Muslim countries.

A federal judge in Seattle issued a stay against the order on February 3. Then a three-judge appeals panel in San Francisco voted unanimously last week against reinstating Trump&#39;s ban. Among other things, it rejected the argument that the president&#39;s actions in the area of immigration cannot be reviewed by the courts.

The Trump ban was supposed to be in place while the government comes up with a new system of so-called &quot;extreme vetting&quot; of people seeking entry visas. This could include checks on their social media accounts, according to John Kelly, the secretary of homeland security.

&quot;Our immigration system should not be a vehicle for admitting people who have anything but love in their hearts for this nation and this constitution,&quot; said Miller, who is 31.

&quot;It is a message that I want the world to hear today. This country will protect its borders. It will protect its people,&quot; Miller said.

The idea of the White House issuing a modified immigration order that would survive scrutiny in the courts does not convince Democrats, who from the outset have charged that Trump&#39;s order is simply anti-Muslim and plays into the hands of extremists.

&quot;It will be used as a recruitment for terrorist organizations. It will put Americans at greater risk traveling abroad,&quot; said Democratic Senator Ben Cardin. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Trump's presidential aide said the next step would be either filing an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court or issuing a new order

The White House confirmed Sunday it is considering issuing a new order on immigration now that President Donald Trump's travel ban has been halted as it makes its way through the courts. "Right now we are considering and pursuing all options," presidential aide Stephen Miller told Fox television. He said the next step would be either filing an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, defending the merits of the order in lower courts or issuing a new one. "The president's powers here are beyond question," said Miller, who is considered one of the driving forces behind Trump's first actions on immigration. Miller insisted the president has the power to keep some people from entering the United States. "We are contemplating new and additional actions to ensure that immigration is not a vehicle for admitting people into our country that are hostile to its nation and its values," Miller said. The order that Trump issued abruptly on January 27 halts resettlement of all refugees for 120 days and that of Syrian refugees indefinitely. It also bars for 90 days the entry of nationals from seven mainly Muslim countries. A federal judge in Seattle issued a stay against the order on February 3. Then a three-judge appeals panel in San Francisco voted unanimously last week against reinstating Trump's ban. Among other things, it rejected the argument that the president's actions in the area of immigration cannot be reviewed by the courts. The Trump ban was supposed to be in place while the government comes up with a new system of so-called "extreme vetting" of people seeking entry visas. This could include checks on their social media accounts, according to John Kelly, the secretary of homeland security. "Our immigration system should not be a vehicle for admitting people who have anything but love in their hearts for this nation and this constitution," said Miller, who is 31. "It is a message that I want the world to hear today. This country will protect its borders. It will protect its people," Miller said. The idea of the White House issuing a modified immigration order that would survive scrutiny in the courts does not convince Democrats, who from the outset have charged that Trump's order is simply anti-Muslim and plays into the hands of extremists. "It will be used as a recruitment for terrorist organizations. It will put Americans at greater risk traveling abroad," said Democratic Senator Ben Cardin. (AFP)

White House considering new immigration order, says president's powers 'beyond question'

Donald Trump is raising more concerns about conflict of interest after he hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his private club in Florida, Mar a-Lago.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
A working dinner tonight with Prime Minister Abe of Japan, and his representatives, at the Winter White House (Mar-a-Lago). Very good talks!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/830558065715998726">February 11, 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>

While Trump said that he would pay the costs associated with Abe&#39;s stay, the president is using&nbsp;his position&nbsp;to promote his private club, which still generates for him personal income. <a href="http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/Mar-a-Lago-Membership-Fee-Doubles-to-200000-411792155.html" target="_blank">NBC </a>reported that the resort doubled its initiation fee from $100,000 to $200,000 on January 25, days into his presidency.

Mentions of &quot;Mar a-Lago&quot; are included in official presidential communication, and no doubt will be played all over news stations across the world. His presidential communications&nbsp;are now essentially free advertising for his business. The regular activities of a president, like meeting other world leaders, are now&nbsp;generating personal income for Trump.

Anybody who pays the&nbsp;$200,000 fee can potentially have access to the president at an event.&nbsp;And even if there&#39;s no exchange with him, paying&nbsp;$200,000 that ultimately goes to a Trump company can only make a lobbyist more popular.

&nbsp;&nbsp;

Recent background

Trump using the White House to promote his business is not new. That is literally what he did at the beginning of the month.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
V subtle view out the window here in this new Trump Hotels marketing email... <a href="https://t.co/ZtKmXDvPRq">pic.twitter.com/ZtKmXDvPRq</a>
&mdash; Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) <a href="https://twitter.com/gdebenedetti/status/826617289009152001">February 1, 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>

The Mar-a-Lago&nbsp;accusation comes after Trump and other members of his administration used their public profile to promote&nbsp;Ivanka Trump&#39;s clothing line after Nordstrom decided to stop selling&nbsp;it.

Trump himself used his Twitter feed to punish&nbsp;a public company for making a&nbsp;business decision that was well within their rights.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by <a href="https://twitter.com/Nordstrom">@Nordstrom</a>. She is a great person -- always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/829356871848951809">February 8, 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>

Top Trump aide&nbsp;Kellyanne Conway was even more brazen,&nbsp;explicitly encouraging&nbsp;the public to buy Trump branded products. Appearing on the Fox And Friends TV show, Conway said: &quot;Go buy Ivanka&#39;s stuff, is what I would say. I hate shopping --I&#39;m going to buy stuff today.&quot; Later in the show she said, &quot;It&#39;s a wonderful line. I own some of it...I&#39;m going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.&quot;

Asked about these comments, which ethics experts criticized her heavily, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said, &quot;She has been counselled on that subject, and that&#39;s it&quot;.

&nbsp;

Only divesting is enough

Ethics experts have&nbsp;said that Trump&#39;s actions to supposedly prevent conflicts of interest fall very short of sufficient. Trump pledged not to make any new deals while President, and claims he has removed himself from day-to-day operations of his company. Critics say that so long as Trump continues to&nbsp;profit from his businesses, whether or not he makes the&nbsp;decisions is irrelevant. Anyway, his adult sons are in charge of the company, and have already sat in on meetings with world leaders.&nbsp;

The &quot;Winter White House&quot; is far from the only case where Trump is using his public position to advance his personal income.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/02/donald-trump-conflicts-of-interests/508382/">The Atlantic</a> catalogued no less than 31 &quot;clear-cut examples&quot; of other conflicts of interest.&nbsp;

Whether or not he will escape&nbsp;legal consequences is&nbsp;unclear. Ever since his presidency began there have been petitions seeking to&nbsp;impeach Trump&nbsp;for violating the US constitution, particularly the &quot;<a href="http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/23/13715150/donald-trump-emoluments-clause-constitution" target="_blank">emoluments clause</a>&quot;. In&nbsp;the meantime, Trump is intent on using his position as a public servant in the White House&nbsp;to generate&nbsp;personal income.

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Trump is getting free advertising for his private golf club, which charges more than $200,000 to be a member, by hosting Japan's PM there

Donald Trump is raising more concerns about conflict of interest after he hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his private club in Florida, Mar a-Lago. A working dinner tonight with Prime Minister Abe of Japan, and his representatives, at the Winter White House (Mar-a-Lago). Very good talks! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 11, 2017 × While Trump said that he would pay the costs associated with Abe's stay, the president is using his position to promote his private club, which still generates for him personal income. NBC reported that the resort doubled its initiation fee from $100,000 to $200,000 on January 25, days into his presidency. Mentions of "Mar a-Lago" are included in official presidential communication, and no doubt will be played all over news stations across the world. His presidential communications are now essentially free advertising for his business. The regular activities of a president, like meeting other world leaders, are now generating personal income for Trump. Anybody who pays the $200,000 fee can potentially have access to the president at an event. And even if there's no exchange with him, paying $200,000 that ultimately goes to a Trump company can only make a lobbyist more popular. Recent background Trump using the White House to promote his business is not new. That is literally what he did at the beginning of the month. V subtle view out the window here in this new Trump Hotels marketing email... pic.twitter.com/ZtKmXDvPRq — Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) February 1, 2017 × The Mar-a-Lago accusation comes after Trump and other members of his administration used their public profile to promote Ivanka Trump's clothing line after Nordstrom decided to stop selling it. Trump himself used his Twitter feed to punish a public company for making a business decision that was well within their rights. My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person -- always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2017 × Top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway was even more brazen, explicitly encouraging the public to buy Trump branded products. Appearing on the Fox And Friends TV show, Conway said: "Go buy Ivanka's stuff, is what I would say. I hate shopping --I'm going to buy stuff today." Later in the show she said, "It's a wonderful line. I own some of it...I'm going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online." Asked about these comments, which ethics experts criticized her heavily, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said, "She has been counselled on that subject, and that's it". Only divesting is enough Ethics experts have said that Trump's actions to supposedly prevent conflicts of interest fall very short of sufficient. Trump pledged not to make any new deals while President, and claims he has removed himself from day-to-day operations of his company. Critics say that so long as Trump continues to profit from his businesses, whether or not he makes the decisions is irrelevant. Anyway, his adult sons are in charge of the company, and have already sat in on meetings with world leaders. The "Winter White House" is far from the only case where Trump is using his public position to advance his personal income. The Atlantic catalogued no less than 31 "clear-cut examples" of other conflicts of interest. Whether or not he will escape legal consequences is unclear. Ever since his presidency began there have been petitions seeking to impeach Trump for violating the US constitution, particularly the "emoluments clause". In the meantime, Trump is intent on using his position as a public servant in the White House to generate personal income. (WION)

Trump's 'Winter White House' raises more conflict of interest accusations

donald-trump

Donald Trump, News on Donald Trump, stories on Donald Trump, articles on Donald Trump, Donald Trump stories at Wion, Donald Trump news, Donald Trump latest news

donald trump