US President Donald Trump spent his first full day in office by attacking the media, falsely accusing reporters of downplaying the turnout at his inauguration.&nbsp;

Trump asserted without evidence that 1.5 million people attended his Friday swearing-in ceremony.

&quot;I made a speech. I looked out, the field was, it looked like a million, million and a half people,&quot; he told CIA staff.

&quot;They showed a field where there were practically nobody standing there. And they said, Donald Trump did not draw well,&quot; he added.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
&quot;The Party told you to reject all evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.&quot; 
-- George Orwell, 1984 <a href="https://t.co/So9fR7mnkY">pic.twitter.com/So9fR7mnkY</a>
&mdash; Jon Dalphe (@Memorablelabia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Memorablelabia/status/823180990067527681">January 22, 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;

The media did not show &quot;a field&quot;, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/22/row-size-crowd-trump-inauguration-escalates-press-secretary/?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter">they showed the exact same location</a>, the National Mall, where all presidential inaugurations are held.

Trump said one agency, without saying which one, estimated the turnout at 250,000. &quot;Now, that&#39;s not bad. But it&#39;s a lie,&quot; Trump said. He claimed that&nbsp;crowds stretched till the Washington Monument, twenty blocks from the Capitol, where he spoke.&nbsp;&quot;So we caught them and we caught them in a beauty and I think they&#39;re going to pay a big price,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

The President&#39;s thoughts&nbsp;were repeated&nbsp;by&nbsp;White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, who, without evidence, scolded reporters for&nbsp;&quot;deliberately false reporting&quot; on crowd size.

&quot;This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period!&quot; Spicer said.&nbsp;&quot;These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are shameful and wrong.&quot; He left, refusing to&nbsp;take&nbsp;any questions.&nbsp;

Sean Spicer was mocked on social media with the hashtag #SpicerFacts.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Guess the number of jelly beans. 
 
Me: 87 
Wife: 134 
Sean Spicer: 1.5 million <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/spicerfacts?src=hash">#spicerfacts</a> <a href="https://t.co/dq7MmhgG3H">pic.twitter.com/dq7MmhgG3H</a>
&mdash; Mark Zohar (@markzohar) <a href="https://twitter.com/markzohar/status/823016081061187584">January 22, 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>

Many observed that the Women&#39;s March, an anti-Trump protest,&nbsp;had&nbsp;a visibly larger attendance than Trump&#39;s presidential rally.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
DC Cam captures crowd comparison of inauguration and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensMarch?src=hash">#WomensMarch</a> <a href="https://t.co/aa5DrxY3vi">https://t.co/aa5DrxY3vi</a> <a href="https://t.co/jiQqPYY9it">pic.twitter.com/jiQqPYY9it</a>
&mdash; The Hill (@thehill) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/823032731877732352">January 22, 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>

Many also&nbsp;compared the turnout between former president Barack Obama&#39;s inaugural&nbsp;ceremony and that of Trump on January 21.&nbsp;Aerial photos taken on January 20, 2009 and Friday clearly show that the crowd fell short in the latter&#39;s ceremony.&nbsp;Television footage also showed the crowd did not stretch as far as the Washington Monument like Trump claimed.&nbsp;

&nbsp;About 1.8 million people assembled at the National Mall area in 2009 when Barack Obama took oath as President. Washington authorities had predicted 800,000 to 900,000 would attend Trump&#39;s inauguration Friday, about half of the 2009 crowd.

Trump&#39;s comments came in during a visit to the&nbsp;Central&nbsp;Intelligence Agency headquarters in&nbsp;Langley, Virginia, a move to mend ties with Intelligence agencies, when he cast doubt on their assessment of Russia meddling in the November 8 election.

He stood in front of a wall sacred to the CIA, honouring employees killed during service, and told the employees he fully supported the agency in a speech that mostly focused on criticising the media.

<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/us/politics/trump-white-house-briefing-inauguration-crowd-size.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=a-lede-package-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news">The New York Times</a> said that Trump&#39;s speech set off a &quot;fierce reaction&quot; among many in the CIA, with John O Brennan, the CIA director who resigned Friday, saying &quot;Trump should be ashamed of himself&quot;, according to Brennan&#39;s former chief of staff, Nick Shapiro.

Trump has disagreed with US intelligence agencies in recent weeks&nbsp;about their conclusion that Russia interfered in the US election on his behalf. After a dossier with unverified facts leaked to the public, Trump accused the intelligence agencies of allowing the leak.&nbsp;&quot;Are we living in Nazi Germany?&quot; Trump asked on Twitter.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to &quot;leak&quot; into the public. One last shot at me.Are we living in Nazi Germany?
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/819164172781060096">January 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>

On Saturday Trump suggested that the media is to blame for any suggestion that he does not fully support the work of US intelligence agencies.

&quot;I love you, I respect you, there&#39;s nobody I respect more,&quot; he told them.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

&nbsp;

He insisted, contrary to evidence, that 1.5 million people attended. Obama's inauguration had a visibly larger crowd

US President Donald Trump spent his first full day in office by attacking the media, falsely accusing reporters of downplaying the turnout at his inauguration. Trump asserted without evidence that 1.5 million people attended his Friday swearing-in ceremony. "I made a speech. I looked out, the field was, it looked like a million, million and a half people," he told CIA staff. "They showed a field where there were practically nobody standing there. And they said, Donald Trump did not draw well," he added. "The Party told you to reject all evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." -- George Orwell, 1984 pic.twitter.com/So9fR7mnkY — Jon Dalphe (@Memorablelabia) January 22, 2017 × The media did not show "a field", they showed the exact same location, the National Mall, where all presidential inaugurations are held. Trump said one agency, without saying which one, estimated the turnout at 250,000. "Now, that's not bad. But it's a lie," Trump said. He claimed that crowds stretched till the Washington Monument, twenty blocks from the Capitol, where he spoke. "So we caught them and we caught them in a beauty and I think they're going to pay a big price," he added. The President's thoughts were repeated by White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, who, without evidence, scolded reporters for "deliberately false reporting" on crowd size. "This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period!" Spicer said. "These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are shameful and wrong." He left, refusing to take any questions. Sean Spicer was mocked on social media with the hashtag #SpicerFacts. Guess the number of jelly beans. Me: 87 Wife: 134 Sean Spicer: 1.5 million #spicerfacts pic.twitter.com/dq7MmhgG3H — Mark Zohar (@markzohar) January 22, 2017 × Many observed that the Women's March, an anti-Trump protest, had a visibly larger attendance than Trump's presidential rally. DC Cam captures crowd comparison of inauguration and #WomensMarch https://t.co/aa5DrxY3vi pic.twitter.com/jiQqPYY9it — The Hill (@thehill) January 22, 2017 × Many also compared the turnout between former president Barack Obama's inaugural ceremony and that of Trump on January 21. Aerial photos taken on January 20, 2009 and Friday clearly show that the crowd fell short in the latter's ceremony. Television footage also showed the crowd did not stretch as far as the Washington Monument like Trump claimed. About 1.8 million people assembled at the National Mall area in 2009 when Barack Obama took oath as President. Washington authorities had predicted 800,000 to 900,000 would attend Trump's inauguration Friday, about half of the 2009 crowd. Trump's comments came in during a visit to the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia, a move to mend ties with Intelligence agencies, when he cast doubt on their assessment of Russia meddling in the November 8 election. He stood in front of a wall sacred to the CIA, honouring employees killed during service, and told the employees he fully supported the agency in a speech that mostly focused on criticising the media. The New York Times said that Trump's speech set off a "fierce reaction" among many in the CIA, with John O Brennan, the CIA director who resigned Friday, saying "Trump should be ashamed of himself", according to Brennan's former chief of staff, Nick Shapiro. Trump has disagreed with US intelligence agencies in recent weeks about their conclusion that Russia interfered in the US election on his behalf. After a dossier with unverified facts leaked to the public, Trump accused the intelligence agencies of allowing the leak. "Are we living in Nazi Germany?" Trump asked on Twitter. Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to "leak" into the public. One last shot at me.Are we living in Nazi Germany? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2017 × On Saturday Trump suggested that the media is to blame for any suggestion that he does not fully support the work of US intelligence agencies. "I love you, I respect you, there's nobody I respect more," he told them. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Trump falsely accuses media of downplaying crowd at his inauguration

The White House vowed on Sunday to fight the news media &quot;tooth and nail&quot; over what officials see as unfair attacks on President Donald Trump, setting a tone that could ratchet up a traditionally adversarial relationship to a new level of rancour.

A day after the Republican president used his first visit to CIA headquarters on Saturday to accuse the media of underestimating the crowds at his inauguration, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus expressed indignation at the reports and referred to them as &quot;attacks&quot;.

&quot;The point is not the crowd size. The point is the attacks and the attempt to delegitimize this president in one day. And we&#39;re not going to sit around and take it,&quot; Priebus said on &quot;Fox News Sunday&quot;.

Priebus complained about a press pool report that said the bust of Martin Luther King Jr had been removed from the Oval Office. The report on Friday night was quickly corrected but Trump called out the reporter by name at the Central Intelligence Agency on Saturday, as did spokesman Sean Spicer later in the day.

&quot;We&#39;re going to fight back tooth and nail every day and twice on Sunday,&quot; Priebus said.

The chief of staff also repeated Spicer&#39;s accusations that the media manipulated photographs of the National Mall to show smaller crowds at Friday&#39;s inauguration. Aerial photographs showed the crowds for Trump&#39;s inauguration were smaller than in 2009, when Barack Obama, the nation&#39;s first black president, was sworn in.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
&quot;The Party told you to reject all evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.&quot; 
-- George Orwell, 1984 <a href="https://t.co/So9fR7mnkY">pic.twitter.com/So9fR7mnkY</a>
&mdash; Jon Dalphe (@Memorablelabia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Memorablelabia/status/823180990067527681">January 22, 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 unexpectedly high turnout for Saturday&#39;s Woman&#39;s March on Washington outpaced the inauguration turnout. The Washington subway system reported 275,000 rides of as of 11 am&nbsp;(1600 GMT) on Saturday.

The subway system said 193,000 users had entered the system by 11 am&nbsp;on Friday, compared with 513,000 at that time during Obama&#39;s 2009 inauguration.

(Reuters)

White House Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus, pledges to fight the media 'tooth and nail', calling accurate reports related to Trump 'attacks'

The White House vowed on Sunday to fight the news media "tooth and nail" over what officials see as unfair attacks on President Donald Trump, setting a tone that could ratchet up a traditionally adversarial relationship to a new level of rancour. A day after the Republican president used his first visit to CIA headquarters on Saturday to accuse the media of underestimating the crowds at his inauguration, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus expressed indignation at the reports and referred to them as "attacks". "The point is not the crowd size. The point is the attacks and the attempt to delegitimize this president in one day. And we're not going to sit around and take it," Priebus said on "Fox News Sunday". Priebus complained about a press pool report that said the bust of Martin Luther King Jr had been removed from the Oval Office. The report on Friday night was quickly corrected but Trump called out the reporter by name at the Central Intelligence Agency on Saturday, as did spokesman Sean Spicer later in the day. "We're going to fight back tooth and nail every day and twice on Sunday," Priebus said. The chief of staff also repeated Spicer's accusations that the media manipulated photographs of the National Mall to show smaller crowds at Friday's inauguration. Aerial photographs showed the crowds for Trump's inauguration were smaller than in 2009, when Barack Obama, the nation's first black president, was sworn in. "The Party told you to reject all evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." -- George Orwell, 1984 pic.twitter.com/So9fR7mnkY — Jon Dalphe (@Memorablelabia) January 22, 2017 × The unexpectedly high turnout for Saturday's Woman's March on Washington outpaced the inauguration turnout. The Washington subway system reported 275,000 rides of as of 11 am (1600 GMT) on Saturday. The subway system said 193,000 users had entered the system by 11 am on Friday, compared with 513,000 at that time during Obama's 2009 inauguration. (Reuters)

Trump administration threatens media for reporting accurately

<a href="http://thehill.com/policy/finance/314991-trump-team-prepares-dramatic-cuts">The Hill has reported</a> that Trump&#39;s team is proposing more than $10 trillion in budget cuts over the next ten years.&nbsp;

The departments of Commerce and Energy would either see programs under their umbrella eliminated, transferred to other agencies or have their budget majorly reduced, The Hill reports. The Transportation, Justice and State departments would also see significant cuts or programs abolished.

A Trump administration would privatise the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and abolish both the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowments for the Humanities, The Hill reports.

The proposed cuts adhere to a reported issued last year&nbsp;by the <a href="http://www.heritage.org/about">Heritage Foundation</a>, a conservative think tank working along&nbsp;the Trump transition&nbsp;team.

The Heritage Foundation describes their mission:&nbsp;&quot;To formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.&quot;

The Trump&nbsp;administration&#39;s full budget is expected to be released by mid- to late April. While it is vital in setting policy and providing a broad picture of their agenda, approval&nbsp;will be up to Congress. There is expected to be considerable blowback from some Republicans and Democrats.

<article about="/policy/finance/314991-trump-team-prepares-dramatic-cuts" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document">
 
The Hill reports that more proposed programs to eliminate&nbsp;at the Department of Justice include: The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services,&nbsp;Violence Against Women Grants and the Legal Services Corporation. Cuts or fund reductions would be in line for Civil Rights and its Environment and Natural Resouces division, The Hill Reports.

Meanwhile at the Department of Energy, nuclear physics and advanced scientific computing research would be reduced to 2008 levels, the Office of Electricity would be eliminated, as would the Office of Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and the Office of Fossil Energy, which is aimed at decreasing carbon dioxide emissions, The Hill reports.

Some other candidates for programs up for elimination include: The Paris Climate Change Agreement and&nbsp;the United Nations&#39; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, The Hill reports.

Running the Energy Department under a Trump administration will be&nbsp;noted climate change denier and former governor of Texas, Rick Perry, who is replacing nuclear physicist, Ernest Moniz.

Earlier in December, a survey with 74 questions sent by the Trump transition team to the Energy Department sought to know the names of individual&nbsp;workers and contractors who had attended UN climate meetings, as well as the names of those who had attended meetings on the social cost of carbon, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-climatechange-idUSKBN1432JJ">Reuters reported</a>. The department refused to divulge this information.&nbsp;

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said at the time that the questionnaire was not &quot;authorised&quot; and that the person who sent it had been &quot;properly counselled&quot;, but didn&#39;t explain what consequences they faced, or&nbsp;why a team member apparently took it upon himself to learn which civil servants were engaged in projects a Trump administration appears&nbsp;hostile towards.

A White House spokesman at the time, Josh Earnest, said the questionnaire &quot;could have been an attempt to target civil servants&quot;.

(WION)
</article>

Public broadcasting, the arts, the Paris Climate Change agreement, Violence Against Women grants and more may be cut or eliminated

The Hill has reported that Trump's team is proposing more than $10 trillion in budget cuts over the next ten years. The departments of Commerce and Energy would either see programs under their umbrella eliminated, transferred to other agencies or have their budget majorly reduced, The Hill reports. The Transportation, Justice and State departments would also see significant cuts or programs abolished. A Trump administration would privatise the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and abolish both the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowments for the Humanities, The Hill reports. The proposed cuts adhere to a reported issued last year by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank working along the Trump transition team. The Heritage Foundation describes their mission: "To formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense." The Trump administration's full budget is expected to be released by mid- to late April. While it is vital in setting policy and providing a broad picture of their agenda, approval will be up to Congress. There is expected to be considerable blowback from some Republicans and Democrats. The Hill reports that more proposed programs to eliminate at the Department of Justice include: The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Violence Against Women Grants and the Legal Services Corporation. Cuts or fund reductions would be in line for Civil Rights and its Environment and Natural Resouces division, The Hill Reports. Meanwhile at the Department of Energy, nuclear physics and advanced scientific computing research would be reduced to 2008 levels, the Office of Electricity would be eliminated, as would the Office of Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and the Office of Fossil Energy, which is aimed at decreasing carbon dioxide emissions, The Hill reports. Some other candidates for programs up for elimination include: The Paris Climate Change Agreement and the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, The Hill reports. Running the Energy Department under a Trump administration will be noted climate change denier and former governor of Texas, Rick Perry, who is replacing nuclear physicist, Ernest Moniz. Earlier in December, a survey with 74 questions sent by the Trump transition team to the Energy Department sought to know the names of individual workers and contractors who had attended UN climate meetings, as well as the names of those who had attended meetings on the social cost of carbon, Reuters reported. The department refused to divulge this information. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said at the time that the questionnaire was not "authorised" and that the person who sent it had been "properly counselled", but didn't explain what consequences they faced, or why a team member apparently took it upon himself to learn which civil servants were engaged in projects a Trump administration appears hostile towards. A White House spokesman at the time, Josh Earnest, said the questionnaire "could have been an attempt to target civil servants". (WION)

Donald Trump administration proposes more than $10 trillion in budget cuts over 10 years

A small part of the new US President Donald Trump&#39;s inaugural speech was sounded somewhat similar to the dialogues of &quot;The Dark Knight Rises&quot; popular villain Bane.

While doing a side-by-side comparison, Deadspin&#39;s Timothy Burke pointed out that a part of the Trump&#39;s address was similar to what Bane told the people of Gotham after taking control of their city, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

&quot;Today&#39;s ceremony, however, has a very special meaning because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, DC, and giving it back to you, the people,&quot; Trump told the Washington DC crowd during his address.

And what Bane said on the steps of Gotham&#39;s Blackgate Prison was, &quot;We take Gotham from the corrupt! The rich! The oppressors of generations who have kept you down with myths of opportunity. And we give it to you, the people.&quot;

Trump further said, &quot;For too long a small group in our nation&#39;s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered but the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself but not the citizens of our country.

&quot;Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs and while they celebrated in our nation&#39;s capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land. That all changes starting right here and right now because this moment is your moment. It belongs to you.&quot;

While Bane&#39;s speech went on like, &quot;Gotham is yours. None shall interfere. Do as you please. Start by storming Blackgate, and freeing the oppressed. Step forward those who would serve. For an army will be raised.

&quot;The powerful will be ripped from their decadent nests and cast out into the cold world that we know and endure. Courts will be convened. Spoils will be enjoyed. Blood will be shed. The police will survive, as they learn to serve true justice. This great city... It will endure. Gotham will survive.&quot;

(PTI)

Deadspin's Timothy Burke pointed out that a part of the Trump's address was similar to what Bane told the people of Gotham

A small part of the new US President Donald Trump's inaugural speech was sounded somewhat similar to the dialogues of "The Dark Knight Rises" popular villain Bane. While doing a side-by-side comparison, Deadspin's Timothy Burke pointed out that a part of the Trump's address was similar to what Bane told the people of Gotham after taking control of their city, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Today's ceremony, however, has a very special meaning because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, DC, and giving it back to you, the people," Trump told the Washington DC crowd during his address. And what Bane said on the steps of Gotham's Blackgate Prison was, "We take Gotham from the corrupt! The rich! The oppressors of generations who have kept you down with myths of opportunity. And we give it to you, the people." Trump further said, "For too long a small group in our nation's capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered but the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself but not the citizens of our country. "Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs and while they celebrated in our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land. That all changes starting right here and right now because this moment is your moment. It belongs to you." While Bane's speech went on like, "Gotham is yours. None shall interfere. Do as you please. Start by storming Blackgate, and freeing the oppressed. Step forward those who would serve. For an army will be raised. "The powerful will be ripped from their decadent nests and cast out into the cold world that we know and endure. Courts will be convened. Spoils will be enjoyed. Blood will be shed. The police will survive, as they learn to serve true justice. This great city... It will endure. Gotham will survive." (PTI)

Trump's inaugural address inspired from Bane's Gotham speech in 'The Dark Knight Rises'?

Women in pink &quot;pussyhats&quot; flooded into Washington by the train-load Saturday for a massive rights march set to draw hundreds of thousands in defiance of America&#39;s hardline new president, Donald Trump. 
&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Together we will fight, and together we will win. -PM <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensMarch?src=hash">#WomensMarch</a> <a href="https://t.co/uBDuPV9jYt">pic.twitter.com/uBDuPV9jYt</a>
&mdash; Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) <a href="https://twitter.com/PattyMurray/status/822833669522026497">January 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</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">
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
More women and men! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensMarch?src=hash">#WomensMarch</a> we the people <a href="https://t.co/x4HTpMbWL0">pic.twitter.com/x4HTpMbWL0</a>
&mdash; Shako Liu (@shakofilm) <a href="https://twitter.com/shakofilm/status/822841693145706496">January 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</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">
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
On the move with NARAL president <a href="https://twitter.com/ilyseh">@ilyseh</a>! (Read our signs &darr;&darr;&darr;) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensMarch?src=hash">#WomensMarch</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensMarchOnWashington?src=hash">#WomensMarchOnWashington</a> <a href="https://t.co/qqmxbCKbs2">pic.twitter.com/qqmxbCKbs2</a>
&mdash; NARAL (@NARAL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NARAL/status/822834650959773697">January 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

Metro stations overflowed as trains packed to bursting moved cheering, clapping marchers into the city for what was expected to be a record-breaking inauguration-related protest.

Michele Phillips, a 45-year-old Canadian from New York State who took US citizenship in 2013, came to make a stand against what she calls Trump&#39;s &quot;platform of hate and bigotry.&quot;

&quot;I know that we can do better, we have to fight for the change we want to see,&quot; she told AFP.

According to Washington&#39;s deputy mayor Kevin Donahue, organisers have upped their initial turnout estimate from 200,000 to 500,000 people faced with the early morning flood of protesters. The city provides no official crowd counts.

Trump&#39;s defeated rival Hillary Clinton tweeted her support to the crowds massed near Washington&#39;s National Mall, preparing to march on the White House led by celebrity participants including Scarlett Johansson and Michael Moore. 
 
&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Thanks for standing, speaking &amp; marching for our values <a href="https://twitter.com/womensmarch">@womensmarch</a>. Important as ever. I truly believe we&#39;re always Stronger Together.
&mdash; Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) <a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/822822900239581184">January 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

Women made up the overwhelming majority of the people who emerged whooping and cheering from Washington&#39;s Union Station, arriving on jam-packed trains and buses.

Many carried homemade signs. &quot;Keep your tiny hands off me,&quot; said one. &quot;Rise, Love, Resist,&quot; read another.&nbsp;

The incoming tide of women in knitted pink hats flushed through a city that the day before had welcomed throngs of Trump supporters in red &quot;Make America Great Again!&quot; caps for the Republican&#39;s swearing-in to a four year term. Trump -- and his new administration -- were feted at balls after an inaugural speech that painted a grim vision of national decline under his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, punctuated by the new president&#39;s vow to stop &quot;this American carnage.&quot;

For his first full day in the world&#39;s most powerful office, Trump attended a multi-faith service at Washington National Cathedral. He was later due to visit the headquarters of the CIA, an agency he feuded with bitterly before taking office.

Powered by social media, the &quot;Women&#39;s March on Washington&quot; illustrates the divisions of a country whose incoming leader faces levels of public mistrust unseen in recent decades.

Trump&#39;s inaugural speech on Friday set the tone for his presidency: proudly populist, fiercely nationalist and determined to break with Obama&#39;s legacy.

His first act in office -- signing an executive order aimed at freezing Obama`s signature health care law -- was a potent gesture in that direction, with more such actions expected to follow on Monday.

But he faces resistance, dramatised by the show of force by demonstrators with fresh memories of his fat-shaming a former beauty queen, sex assault allegations and a controversial stance on abortion.

The knitted &quot;pink pussyhats&quot; they wore were an allusion to his boasts in a leaked videotape of grabbing women`s &quot;pussies&quot; with impunity. 
 
Saturday&#39;s&nbsp;march comes on the heels of a first day of anti-Trump protests marred by sporadic outbreaks of vandalism, with windows smashed downtown and more than 200 people arrested.

Authorities were on alert for any new flare-up of violence -- although the stated goals of the women marchers are resolutely peaceful.Jennifer Behr, a 42-year-old accessory designer, rode a packed train from Baltimore to make her voice heard.

&quot;It&#39;s important we assert our majority and we have a large physical presence to show Trump and the Republicans that they cannot railroad our country,&quot; she said.

While Trump won 42 per cent of the women&#39;s vote, millions who did not vote for him worry that gender rights and other progress on women`s health, contraception and abortion could be chipped away.

Organisers have not specifically used the term &quot;anti-Trump&quot; to describe their efforts, but the message is clear.

Bringing together &quot;people of all genders, ages, races, cultures, political affiliations and backgrounds,&quot; they say the protest seeks to secure immigrant rights and access to abortion, among other demands -- things which Trump`s critics accuse him of wanting to curb.

Dozens of progressive groups are supporting the event, as well as Amnesty International and Planned Parenthood, the women&#39;s health care provider that is a Republican target because of the abortion services it provides.

The Women&#39;s March began with a simple Facebook post from Hawaii grandmother and retired lawyer Teresa Shook to about 40 of her friends.&nbsp;

Word traveled quickly, and eventually made it to the pro-Clinton Facebook group Pantsuit Nation, which has nearly four million members.

Some 300 sister marches are being held across the country, from New York to Seattle, as well as in cities around the world.

One of the largest was in London, where tens of thousands of women, men and children marched through the city center chanting &quot;Dump Trump&quot; and waving banners &quot;Our Rights Are Not Up For Grabs - Neither Are We.&quot;

(AFP)

 
&nbsp;

Around 500,000 people are expected to attend, fresh with memories of his sex assault allegations and stance on abortion

Women in pink "pussyhats" flooded into Washington by the train-load Saturday for a massive rights march set to draw hundreds of thousands in defiance of America's hardline new president, Donald Trump. Together we will fight, and together we will win. -PM #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/uBDuPV9jYt — Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) January 21, 2017 × More women and men! #WomensMarch we the people pic.twitter.com/x4HTpMbWL0 — Shako Liu (@shakofilm) January 21, 2017 × On the move with NARAL president @ilyseh! (Read our signs ↓↓↓) #WomensMarch #WomensMarchOnWashington pic.twitter.com/qqmxbCKbs2 — NARAL (@NARAL) January 21, 2017 × Metro stations overflowed as trains packed to bursting moved cheering, clapping marchers into the city for what was expected to be a record-breaking inauguration-related protest. Michele Phillips, a 45-year-old Canadian from New York State who took US citizenship in 2013, came to make a stand against what she calls Trump's "platform of hate and bigotry." "I know that we can do better, we have to fight for the change we want to see," she told AFP. According to Washington's deputy mayor Kevin Donahue, organisers have upped their initial turnout estimate from 200,000 to 500,000 people faced with the early morning flood of protesters. The city provides no official crowd counts. Trump's defeated rival Hillary Clinton tweeted her support to the crowds massed near Washington's National Mall, preparing to march on the White House led by celebrity participants including Scarlett Johansson and Michael Moore. Thanks for standing, speaking & marching for our values @womensmarch. Important as ever. I truly believe we're always Stronger Together. — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 21, 2017 × Women made up the overwhelming majority of the people who emerged whooping and cheering from Washington's Union Station, arriving on jam-packed trains and buses. Many carried homemade signs. "Keep your tiny hands off me," said one. "Rise, Love, Resist," read another. The incoming tide of women in knitted pink hats flushed through a city that the day before had welcomed throngs of Trump supporters in red "Make America Great Again!" caps for the Republican's swearing-in to a four year term. Trump -- and his new administration -- were feted at balls after an inaugural speech that painted a grim vision of national decline under his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, punctuated by the new president's vow to stop "this American carnage." For his first full day in the world's most powerful office, Trump attended a multi-faith service at Washington National Cathedral. He was later due to visit the headquarters of the CIA, an agency he feuded with bitterly before taking office. Powered by social media, the "Women's March on Washington" illustrates the divisions of a country whose incoming leader faces levels of public mistrust unseen in recent decades. Trump's inaugural speech on Friday set the tone for his presidency: proudly populist, fiercely nationalist and determined to break with Obama's legacy. His first act in office -- signing an executive order aimed at freezing Obama`s signature health care law -- was a potent gesture in that direction, with more such actions expected to follow on Monday. But he faces resistance, dramatised by the show of force by demonstrators with fresh memories of his fat-shaming a former beauty queen, sex assault allegations and a controversial stance on abortion. The knitted "pink pussyhats" they wore were an allusion to his boasts in a leaked videotape of grabbing women`s "pussies" with impunity. Saturday's march comes on the heels of a first day of anti-Trump protests marred by sporadic outbreaks of vandalism, with windows smashed downtown and more than 200 people arrested. Authorities were on alert for any new flare-up of violence -- although the stated goals of the women marchers are resolutely peaceful.Jennifer Behr, a 42-year-old accessory designer, rode a packed train from Baltimore to make her voice heard. "It's important we assert our majority and we have a large physical presence to show Trump and the Republicans that they cannot railroad our country," she said. While Trump won 42 per cent of the women's vote, millions who did not vote for him worry that gender rights and other progress on women`s health, contraception and abortion could be chipped away. Organisers have not specifically used the term "anti-Trump" to describe their efforts, but the message is clear. Bringing together "people of all genders, ages, races, cultures, political affiliations and backgrounds," they say the protest seeks to secure immigrant rights and access to abortion, among other demands -- things which Trump`s critics accuse him of wanting to curb. Dozens of progressive groups are supporting the event, as well as Amnesty International and Planned Parenthood, the women's health care provider that is a Republican target because of the abortion services it provides. The Women's March began with a simple Facebook post from Hawaii grandmother and retired lawyer Teresa Shook to about 40 of her friends. Word traveled quickly, and eventually made it to the pro-Clinton Facebook group Pantsuit Nation, which has nearly four million members. Some 300 sister marches are being held across the country, from New York to Seattle, as well as in cities around the world. One of the largest was in London, where tens of thousands of women, men and children marched through the city center chanting "Dump Trump" and waving banners "Our Rights Are Not Up For Grabs - Neither Are We." (AFP)

Women's March: Protesters flood Washington to protest Trump administration

US President Donald Trump signed his first executive order on Friday to &quot;ease the burden of Obamacare&quot;, the signature healthcare law introduced by Barack Obama which Trump had pledged to repeal.&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s chief of staff, Reince Preibus&nbsp;directed an immediate regulatory freeze for all government agencies, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.&nbsp;

Spicer said the order was aimed &quot;to ease the burden of Obamacare as we transition from repeal and replace.&quot;

He did not give any further details.&nbsp;

During the presidential campaign, Trump had vowed to scrap the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, but Republicans have yet to find a replacement for the healthcare programme which provided health insurance to more than 20 million people.&nbsp;

Trump also confirmed the appointments of&nbsp;his Defence secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security secretary John Kelly.&nbsp;

The Senate voted 98-1 confirming Mattis and 88-11 in favour of Kelly.

&nbsp;Vice President Mike Pence swore Mattis and Kelly in a separate ceremony.

Trump also told reporters, &quot;It was busy, but good. It was a beautiful day.&quot;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

White House spokesman Spicer said the order was aimed 'to ease the burden of Obamacare as we transition from repeal and replace'

US President Donald Trump signed his first executive order on Friday to "ease the burden of Obamacare", the signature healthcare law introduced by Barack Obama which Trump had pledged to repeal. Trump's chief of staff, Reince Preibus directed an immediate regulatory freeze for all government agencies, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. Spicer said the order was aimed "to ease the burden of Obamacare as we transition from repeal and replace." He did not give any further details. During the presidential campaign, Trump had vowed to scrap the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, but Republicans have yet to find a replacement for the healthcare programme which provided health insurance to more than 20 million people. Trump also confirmed the appointments of his Defence secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security secretary John Kelly. The Senate voted 98-1 confirming Mattis and 88-11 in favour of Kelly. Vice President Mike Pence swore Mattis and Kelly in a separate ceremony. Trump also told reporters, "It was busy, but good. It was a beautiful day." (WION with inputs from agencies)

US President Donald Trump signs first executive order on Obamacare

Two powerful US senators have announced they will introduce a legislation which, if passed by the Congress, would give preference to foreigners studying in American universities, a move that will tighten the noose around the H-1B visa programme and could hurt Indian IT firms.

The bill - to be introduced by Republican senator Chuck Grassley and Democrat Dick Durban - will require US Citizenship and Immigration Services to prioritise for the first time annual allocation of H-1B visas. It will ensure the &quot;best and brightest&quot; students being educated in the US receive preference for an H-1B visa, a statement issued by the Senators said.

The preference system also gives a leg up to advanced degree holders, those being paid a high wage, and those with valuable skills, it said.

According to the senators, the bill clarifies that working conditions of similarly employed American workers may not be adversely affected by the hiring of the H-1B worker, including H-1B workers who have been placed by another employer at the American worker&#39;s worksite.

In addition, it explicitly prohibits the replacement of American workers by H-1B or L-1 visa holders.&nbsp;These provisions address the types of abuses that have been well-documented in recent press reports.In addition, the bill includes several reforms of the L-1 visa programme.&nbsp;The proposed legislation gives the Department of Labour enhanced authority to review, investigate, and audit employer compliance with programme requirements, as well as to penalise fraudulent or abusive conduct.

It requires the production of extensive statistical data about the H-1B and L-1 programs, including wage data, worker education levels, place of employment and gender.&nbsp;Specifically, it would prohibit companies with more than 50 employees, of which at least half are H-1B or L-1 holders, from hiring additional H-1B employees, the statement said.&nbsp;

These include establishment of a wage floor for L-1 workers; authority for the Department of Homeland Security to investigate, audit and enforce compliance with L-1 programme requirements; assurance that intra-company transfers occur between legitimate branches of a company and don&#39;t involve &quot;shell&quot; facilities; and a change to the definition of &quot;specialised knowledge&quot; to ensure that L-1 visas are reserved only for truly key personnel.&nbsp;

&quot;Congress created these programmes to complement America&#39;s high-skilled workforce, not replace it. Unfortunately, some companies are trying to exploit the programmes by cutting American workers for cheaper labour,&quot; Grassley said.

&quot;We need programmes dedicated to putting American workers first. When skilled foreign workers are needed to meet the demands of our labour market, we must also ensure that visa applicants who honed their skills at American colleges and universities are a priority over the importation of more foreign workers,&quot; he said.

&quot;Our bill takes these steps to ensure that the programmes work for Americans and skilled foreign workers alike,&quot; said Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The legislation restores Congress&#39; original intent in the H-1B and L-1 visa programmes by increasing enforcement, modifying wage requirements and securing protections for both American workers and visa holders.

&quot;Reforming the H-1B and L-1 visa programmes is a critical component of fixing our broken immigration system and must be included in comprehensive immigration reform legislation,&quot; Durbin said.

&quot;For years, foreign outsourcing companies have used loopholes in the laws to displace qualified American workers and facilitate the outsourcing of American jobs. The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act would end these abuses and protect American and foreign workers from exploitation. I thank Senator Grassley for partnering with me on this important bipartisan legislation,&quot; he said.

The bill among other things would crack down on outsourcing companies that import large numbers of H-1B and L-1 workers for temporary training purposes only to send the workers back to their home countries to do the same job.

(PTI)

Republican senator Grassley and Democrat Dick Durban said that the new visa programme will give preference to those with valuable skills

Two powerful US senators have announced they will introduce a legislation which, if passed by the Congress, would give preference to foreigners studying in American universities, a move that will tighten the noose around the H-1B visa programme and could hurt Indian IT firms. The bill - to be introduced by Republican senator Chuck Grassley and Democrat Dick Durban - will require US Citizenship and Immigration Services to prioritise for the first time annual allocation of H-1B visas. It will ensure the "best and brightest" students being educated in the US receive preference for an H-1B visa, a statement issued by the Senators said. The preference system also gives a leg up to advanced degree holders, those being paid a high wage, and those with valuable skills, it said. According to the senators, the bill clarifies that working conditions of similarly employed American workers may not be adversely affected by the hiring of the H-1B worker, including H-1B workers who have been placed by another employer at the American worker's worksite. In addition, it explicitly prohibits the replacement of American workers by H-1B or L-1 visa holders. These provisions address the types of abuses that have been well-documented in recent press reports.In addition, the bill includes several reforms of the L-1 visa programme. The proposed legislation gives the Department of Labour enhanced authority to review, investigate, and audit employer compliance with programme requirements, as well as to penalise fraudulent or abusive conduct. It requires the production of extensive statistical data about the H-1B and L-1 programs, including wage data, worker education levels, place of employment and gender. Specifically, it would prohibit companies with more than 50 employees, of which at least half are H-1B or L-1 holders, from hiring additional H-1B employees, the statement said. These include establishment of a wage floor for L-1 workers; authority for the Department of Homeland Security to investigate, audit and enforce compliance with L-1 programme requirements; assurance that intra-company transfers occur between legitimate branches of a company and don't involve "shell" facilities; and a change to the definition of "specialised knowledge" to ensure that L-1 visas are reserved only for truly key personnel. "Congress created these programmes to complement America's high-skilled workforce, not replace it. Unfortunately, some companies are trying to exploit the programmes by cutting American workers for cheaper labour," Grassley said. "We need programmes dedicated to putting American workers first. When skilled foreign workers are needed to meet the demands of our labour market, we must also ensure that visa applicants who honed their skills at American colleges and universities are a priority over the importation of more foreign workers," he said. "Our bill takes these steps to ensure that the programmes work for Americans and skilled foreign workers alike," said Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The legislation restores Congress' original intent in the H-1B and L-1 visa programmes by increasing enforcement, modifying wage requirements and securing protections for both American workers and visa holders. "Reforming the H-1B and L-1 visa programmes is a critical component of fixing our broken immigration system and must be included in comprehensive immigration reform legislation," Durbin said. "For years, foreign outsourcing companies have used loopholes in the laws to displace qualified American workers and facilitate the outsourcing of American jobs. The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act would end these abuses and protect American and foreign workers from exploitation. I thank Senator Grassley for partnering with me on this important bipartisan legislation," he said. The bill among other things would crack down on outsourcing companies that import large numbers of H-1B and L-1 workers for temporary training purposes only to send the workers back to their home countries to do the same job. (PTI)

US: Two senators seek tightening of H-1B visa norms

With Manoj Kewalramani

In a matter of days, President-elect Donald Trump will take office as the 45th President of the United States. 
&nbsp; 
Immigration is at the top of the Trump administration&rsquo;s agenda. Post victory,<a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/immigration"> Trump&rsquo;s vision</a> on immigration&nbsp;reads, &quot;Establish new immigration controls to boost wages and to ensure that open jobs are offered to American workers first&quot;. 
&nbsp; 
Reports say that there are 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. Trump has scaled back his promise to deport them all, but says he still plans to deport between<a href="https://theintercept.com/2016/11/18/donald-trumps-mass-deportations-would-cost-billions-and-take-years-to-process/"> two to three million</a>.

 
The Obama Era 
&nbsp; 
While many have&nbsp;seen&nbsp;this as a radical departure from the past,&nbsp;if one analyses the numbers&nbsp;it is clear that the Barack Obama administration has not really been soft when it comes to dealing with migrants. 
&nbsp; 
Data from the US Department of Homeland Security shows that a record high number of removals were carried out during the eight years of Obama&#39;s presidency. 
&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="226" id="datawrapper-chart-jwBBV" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" oallowfullscreen="oallowfullscreen" src="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/jwBBV/2/" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">if("undefined"==typeof window.datawrapper)window.datawrapper={};window.datawrapper["jwBBV"]={},window.datawrapper["jwBBV"].embedDeltas={"100":304,"200":252,"300":252,"400":226,"500":226,"600":226,"700":226,"800":226,"900":226,"1000":226},window.datawrapper["jwBBV"].iframe=document.getElementById("datawrapper-chart-jwBBV"),window.datawrapper["jwBBV"].iframe.style.height=window.datawrapper["jwBBV"].embedDeltas[Math.min(1e3,Math.max(100*Math.floor(window.datawrapper["jwBBV"].iframe.offsetWidth/100),100))]+"px",window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if("undefined"!=typeof a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var b in a.data["datawrapper-height"])if("jwBBV"==b)window.datawrapper["jwBBV"].iframe.style.height=a.data["datawrapper-height"][b]+"px"});</script>

As per the numbers, more than 2.7 million immigrants were deported from the United States between 2009 and 2015. The maximum number of deportations during the Obama presidency took place in 2013. 
&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="340" id="datawrapper-chart-fDUSj" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" oallowfullscreen="oallowfullscreen" src="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/fDUSj/1/" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">if("undefined"==typeof window.datawrapper)window.datawrapper={};window.datawrapper["fDUSj"]={},window.datawrapper["fDUSj"].embedDeltas={"100":418,"200":392,"300":366,"400":340,"500":340,"600":340,"700":340,"800":340,"900":340,"1000":340},window.datawrapper["fDUSj"].iframe=document.getElementById("datawrapper-chart-fDUSj"),window.datawrapper["fDUSj"].iframe.style.height=window.datawrapper["fDUSj"].embedDeltas[Math.min(1e3,Math.max(100*Math.floor(window.datawrapper["fDUSj"].iframe.offsetWidth/100),100))]+"px",window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if("undefined"!=typeof a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var b in a.data["datawrapper-height"])if("fDUSj"==b)window.datawrapper["fDUSj"].iframe.style.height=a.data["datawrapper-height"][b]+"px"});</script>

However, the data also shows that there has been a sharp decline in deportations of criminals and non-criminals during the last few years of the Obama administration. 
&nbsp; 
The number of non-criminal deportations dropped by 22 per cent&nbsp;in 2015, while deportations post criminal convictions fell by 17 per cent. Most of these deportations were to countries in North America, followed by countries in South America and Asia. 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

What about South Asians? 
&nbsp; 
Focussing specifically on South Asia, under Obama, criminal and non-criminal deportations to six South Asian countries, excluding the Maldives, dropped drastically when compared to the Bush administration. 
&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="300" id="datawrapper-chart-9Wjcd" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" oallowfullscreen="oallowfullscreen" src="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/9Wjcd/1/" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">if("undefined"==typeof window.datawrapper)window.datawrapper={};window.datawrapper["9Wjcd"]={},window.datawrapper["9Wjcd"].embedDeltas={"100":404,"200":352,"300":326,"400":326,"500":300,"600":300,"700":300,"800":300,"900":300,"1000":300},window.datawrapper["9Wjcd"].iframe=document.getElementById("datawrapper-chart-9Wjcd"),window.datawrapper["9Wjcd"].iframe.style.height=window.datawrapper["9Wjcd"].embedDeltas[Math.min(1e3,Math.max(100*Math.floor(window.datawrapper["9Wjcd"].iframe.offsetWidth/100),100))]+"px",window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if("undefined"!=typeof a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var b in a.data["datawrapper-height"])if("9Wjcd"==b)window.datawrapper["9Wjcd"].iframe.style.height=a.data["datawrapper-height"][b]+"px"});</script>

From 2009 to 2015, the US deported 7,496 people around South Asia. In contrast, during the Bush era, a total of 11,554 South Asians were deported. 
&nbsp; 
During the Bush era, the number of deportations spiked in 2005, hitting the highest level in 2006. On the other hand, the Obama administration recorded high number of deportations at the beginning of his term. 
&nbsp; 
That number has dropped significantly towards the end of his tenure. While the number of criminal deportations remained consistent, the number of non-criminal deportation halved.

 
How Obama differs from Trump? 
&nbsp; 
A report by the Pew<a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/12/16/u-s-immigrant-deportations-fall-to-lowest-level-since-2007/"> Research Center</a>&nbsp;says that the sharp decline in numbers could have been due to a change in the deportation <a href="http://(https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/dhs-releases-end-fiscal-year-2015-statistics">enforcement priorities</a>&nbsp;by the administration. This change has led to a shift, focusing &quot;exclusively on only those who have been convicted of a crime; those deemed a threat to public safety; and those who have recently crossed the border&quot;. 
&nbsp; 
Further, a report by the <a href="http://cis.org/Immigration-Enforcement-Deportations-Decline-2016">Center of Immigration Studies</a>&nbsp;claims that the immigrations office has eased enforcement, thereby putting less people on the path to deportation. 
&nbsp; 
Those are priorities that are likely to change under a Trump presidency. Reports suggest that Trump is expected to target not just those considered a security threat or threat to public safety, but also those who have either arrived in the US illegally or have overstayed their visas. 
&nbsp; 
Trump&rsquo;s statements about deporting anyone who has entered the US illegally hint at a possible re-look at Obama&rsquo;s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which was brought into force to protect young immigrants brought illegally into the United States as children. 
&nbsp; 
There are also concerns that the new president could tinker with the rules, such as redefining what constitutes a criminal act, in order to make it easier to deport people, while arguing that the administration was focussed on deporting those with criminal records. However, with the recent protests on the streets and by legislators, pushing through these changes is not likely to be an easy process. 
 
Watch: 
 
&nbsp;

<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="430" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kfnhyNc7aq8" width="770"></iframe></center>

(WION) 
&nbsp;

While many worry about Donald Trump, Obama removed more immigrants than any American president in US history

With Manoj Kewalramani In a matter of days, President-elect Donald Trump will take office as the 45th President of the United States. Immigration is at the top of the Trump administration’s agenda. Post victory, Trump’s vision on immigration reads, "Establish new immigration controls to boost wages and to ensure that open jobs are offered to American workers first". Reports say that there are 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. Trump has scaled back his promise to deport them all, but says he still plans to deport between two to three million. The Obama Era While many have seen this as a radical departure from the past, if one analyses the numbers it is clear that the Barack Obama administration has not really been soft when it comes to dealing with migrants. Data from the US Department of Homeland Security shows that a record high number of removals were carried out during the eight years of Obama's presidency. As per the numbers, more than 2.7 million immigrants were deported from the United States between 2009 and 2015. The maximum number of deportations during the Obama presidency took place in 2013. However, the data also shows that there has been a sharp decline in deportations of criminals and non-criminals during the last few years of the Obama administration. The number of non-criminal deportations dropped by 22 per cent in 2015, while deportations post criminal convictions fell by 17 per cent. Most of these deportations were to countries in North America, followed by countries in South America and Asia. What about South Asians? Focussing specifically on South Asia, under Obama, criminal and non-criminal deportations to six South Asian countries, excluding the Maldives, dropped drastically when compared to the Bush administration. From 2009 to 2015, the US deported 7,496 people around South Asia. In contrast, during the Bush era, a total of 11,554 South Asians were deported. During the Bush era, the number of deportations spiked in 2005, hitting the highest level in 2006. On the other hand, the Obama administration recorded high number of deportations at the beginning of his term. That number has dropped significantly towards the end of his tenure. While the number of criminal deportations remained consistent, the number of non-criminal deportation halved. How Obama differs from Trump? A report by the Pew Research Center says that the sharp decline in numbers could have been due to a change in the deportation enforcement priorities by the administration. This change has led to a shift, focusing "exclusively on only those who have been convicted of a crime; those deemed a threat to public safety; and those who have recently crossed the border". Further, a report by the Center of Immigration Studies claims that the immigrations office has eased enforcement, thereby putting less people on the path to deportation. Those are priorities that are likely to change under a Trump presidency. Reports suggest that Trump is expected to target not just those considered a security threat or threat to public safety, but also those who have either arrived in the US illegally or have overstayed their visas. Trump’s statements about deporting anyone who has entered the US illegally hint at a possible re-look at Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which was brought into force to protect young immigrants brought illegally into the United States as children. There are also concerns that the new president could tinker with the rules, such as redefining what constitutes a criminal act, in order to make it easier to deport people, while arguing that the administration was focussed on deporting those with criminal records. However, with the recent protests on the streets and by legislators, pushing through these changes is not likely to be an easy process. Watch: (WION)

Trump and Obama: Surprisingly similar on deportation

US President Donald Trump signaled a sharp break on energy and the environment policy Friday, announcing plans to undo climate policies and promote domestic energy development as part of his &quot;America First&quot; agenda.

A statement on the White House website, posted shortly after Trump took the oath of office, said he was &quot;committed to eliminating harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan&quot; advocated by his predecessor Barack Obama.

Trump also will focus on removing hurdles to domestic energy development that he argues will make the US independent of foreign oil.

&quot;The Trump Administration will embrace the shale oil and gas revolution to bring jobs and prosperity to millions of Americans,&quot; the statement said.

&quot;President Trump is committed to achieving energy independence from the OPEC cartel and any nations hostile to our interests. At the same time, we will work with our Gulf allies to develop a positive energy relationship as part of our anti-terrorism strategy.&quot;

Trump also aims to &quot;revive America&#39;s coal industry, which has been hurting for too long,&quot; the statement said.

The website makeover was part of the transition of power to the new administration.

During his two terms, Obama made the environment a cornerstone of his policies, including the landmark Paris climate agreement in December 2015 signed by nearly 200 countries, and policies to encourage renewable energy through actions to limit emissions and promote investment in new technology.

Trump during the campaign dismissed climate change as a &quot;hoax&quot; perpetrated by China. But since the election he and his cabinet designees have sent mixed signals on climate policies and the Paris accord.

The White House acknowledged that protecting the environment also was a priority and said the administration would &quot;refocus&quot; the Environmental Protection Agency on &quot;its essential mission of protecting our air and water.&quot;

The statement drew sharp criticism from the environmental group Friends of the Earth.

&quot;This is just the beginning. Trump has announced his intentions. If we let him get away with it, what&#39;s next? Gutting the EPA? Drilling for oil on our public lands in the Arctic?&quot;

(AFP)

A statement on White House website said he was 'committed to eliminating harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan'

US President Donald Trump signaled a sharp break on energy and the environment policy Friday, announcing plans to undo climate policies and promote domestic energy development as part of his "America First" agenda. A statement on the White House website, posted shortly after Trump took the oath of office, said he was "committed to eliminating harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan" advocated by his predecessor Barack Obama. Trump also will focus on removing hurdles to domestic energy development that he argues will make the US independent of foreign oil. "The Trump Administration will embrace the shale oil and gas revolution to bring jobs and prosperity to millions of Americans," the statement said. "President Trump is committed to achieving energy independence from the OPEC cartel and any nations hostile to our interests. At the same time, we will work with our Gulf allies to develop a positive energy relationship as part of our anti-terrorism strategy." Trump also aims to "revive America's coal industry, which has been hurting for too long," the statement said. The website makeover was part of the transition of power to the new administration. During his two terms, Obama made the environment a cornerstone of his policies, including the landmark Paris climate agreement in December 2015 signed by nearly 200 countries, and policies to encourage renewable energy through actions to limit emissions and promote investment in new technology. Trump during the campaign dismissed climate change as a "hoax" perpetrated by China. But since the election he and his cabinet designees have sent mixed signals on climate policies and the Paris accord. The White House acknowledged that protecting the environment also was a priority and said the administration would "refocus" the Environmental Protection Agency on "its essential mission of protecting our air and water." The statement drew sharp criticism from the environmental group Friends of the Earth. "This is just the beginning. Trump has announced his intentions. If we let him get away with it, what's next? Gutting the EPA? Drilling for oil on our public lands in the Arctic?" (AFP)

Trump signals big shift on energy, climate policies

With grey clouds hanging over the famous white dome of the US&nbsp;Capitol building, Donald Trump made his inaugural address to the American people as their new president.

&quot;January 20th, 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again,&quot; said Trump from his podium overlooking the crowds gathered on the National Mall.

&quot;The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer,&quot; he added.

An estimated 800,000 people had crushed into the centre of Washington, DC&nbsp;for the 58th US&nbsp;Presidential Inauguration, sheltering from the drizzle under raincoats and ponchos.

A steel ring of security encircled the centre of the city, with roads blocked off and police on every corner.

But tight security and showers failed to dampen the enthusiasm of Trump&#39;s supporters.

&quot;Trump is going to &#39;Make America Great Again&#39; and undo the wreckage of Obama,&quot; said Joe Smith, 69, from Tampa, Florida.

&quot;I believe that the enemies of this country have been allowed to fester for too long, and Donald Trump is going to change that,&quot; said Nick Graham, 20, from Pasadena, Maryland.

Crammed in next to Trump&#39;s supporters, Clinton voters looked on solemnly while protestors chanted.

&quot;We came today to show that we are not giving our consent for this presidency,&quot; Erica West, 21, from Arlington, Virginia.

&quot;Donald Trump stands for hatred, racism and misogyny. That&#39;s against everything that I stand for as a citizen of this country,&quot; said Kevin Cannell, 31, from New Orleans.

At a Black Lives Matter demonstration in a small park just off the National Mall, impromptu arguments broke out between protesters and passing Trump supporters in &quot;Make America Great Again&quot; hats.

As the hour of the inauguration ceremony approached, demonstrators linked arms to block the route to the viewing area.

They chanted &quot;this checkpoint is closed, go home&quot; as police tried to break up the line to allow spectators through.

&quot;Criminal-in-Chief,&quot; read one protestor&#39;s placard.

&quot;The power of the people is stronger than the people in power,&quot; proclaimed another.

As news of Trump taking the oath at the US&nbsp;Capitol spread, cheers and booing broke out spontaneously in the streets.

With the traditional parade to the White House underway, protestors also clashed with police along the route.

8 years after Barack Obama swept into power riding a message of hope, Donald Trump is taking charge of a divided America.

The wounds from a bitter election were still fresh for many on his Inauguration Day.&nbsp;

But Trump says he can bring the country together again.

&quot;We are one nation...we share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny,&quot; said Trump in his inaugural address.

But just hours before the handover of power, a Fox News survey put Trump&#39;s approval ratings at 37 per cent.

54 per cent&nbsp;say they do not approve of the country&#39;s new president.

With historically low ratings for a first-time president, Trump&#39;s first 100 days could define his time in office.

The fractious atmosphere at his inauguration shows that the fervour of his supporters is matched by the anger of his opponents.

(WION)

As scattered protests erupted elsewhere in Washington,?Trump?raised his right hand and put his left on a Bible used by Abraham Lincoln

With grey clouds hanging over the famous white dome of the US Capitol building, Donald Trump made his inaugural address to the American people as their new president. "January 20th, 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again," said Trump from his podium overlooking the crowds gathered on the National Mall. "The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer," he added. An estimated 800,000 people had crushed into the centre of Washington, DC for the 58th US Presidential Inauguration, sheltering from the drizzle under raincoats and ponchos. A steel ring of security encircled the centre of the city, with roads blocked off and police on every corner. But tight security and showers failed to dampen the enthusiasm of Trump's supporters. "Trump is going to 'Make America Great Again' and undo the wreckage of Obama," said Joe Smith, 69, from Tampa, Florida. "I believe that the enemies of this country have been allowed to fester for too long, and Donald Trump is going to change that," said Nick Graham, 20, from Pasadena, Maryland. Crammed in next to Trump's supporters, Clinton voters looked on solemnly while protestors chanted. "We came today to show that we are not giving our consent for this presidency," Erica West, 21, from Arlington, Virginia. "Donald Trump stands for hatred, racism and misogyny. That's against everything that I stand for as a citizen of this country," said Kevin Cannell, 31, from New Orleans. At a Black Lives Matter demonstration in a small park just off the National Mall, impromptu arguments broke out between protesters and passing Trump supporters in "Make America Great Again" hats. As the hour of the inauguration ceremony approached, demonstrators linked arms to block the route to the viewing area. They chanted "this checkpoint is closed, go home" as police tried to break up the line to allow spectators through. "Criminal-in-Chief," read one protestor's placard. "The power of the people is stronger than the people in power," proclaimed another. As news of Trump taking the oath at the US Capitol spread, cheers and booing broke out spontaneously in the streets. With the traditional parade to the White House underway, protestors also clashed with police along the route. 8 years after Barack Obama swept into power riding a message of hope, Donald Trump is taking charge of a divided America. The wounds from a bitter election were still fresh for many on his Inauguration Day. But Trump says he can bring the country together again. "We are one nation...we share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny," said Trump in his inaugural address. But just hours before the handover of power, a Fox News survey put Trump's approval ratings at 37 per cent. 54 per cent say they do not approve of the country's new president. With historically low ratings for a first-time president, Trump's first 100 days could define his time in office. The fractious atmosphere at his inauguration shows that the fervour of his supporters is matched by the anger of his opponents. (WION)

Donald Trump proclaims start of new era under grey skies

He has promised to &quot;Make America Great Again&quot;, but rain threatened to turn Donald Trump&#39;s big moment into a washout.

An estimated 800,000 people crushed into the centre of Washington, DC for the 58th US Presidential inauguration, sheltering from the drizzle under raincoats and ponchos.

A steel ring of security encircled the centre of the city, with roads blocked off and police on every corner.

But tight security and grey skies over the famous white dome of the Capitol building failed to dampen the enthusiasm of Trump&#39;s supporters.

&quot;Trump is going to &#39;Make America Great Again&#39; and undo the wreckage of Obama,&quot; said Joe Smith, 69, from Tampa, Florida.

&quot;I believe that the enemies of this country have been allowed to fester for too long, and Donald Trump is going to change that,&quot; said Nick Graham, 20, from Pasadena, Maryland.

Crammed in next to Trump&#39;s supporters, Clinton voters looked on solemnly while protestors chanted.

&quot;We came today to show that we are not giving our consent for this presidency,&quot; said Erica West, 21, from Arlington, Virginia.

&quot;Donald Trump stands for hatred, racism and misogyny. That&#39;s against everything that I stand for as a citizen of this country,&quot; said Kevin Cannell, 31, from New Orleans.

At a Black Lives Matter demonstration in a small park just off the National Mall, impromptu arguments broke out between protesters and passing Trump supporters in &quot;Make America Great Again&quot; hats.

As the hour of the inauguration ceremony approached, demonstrators linked arms to block the route to the viewing area.

They chanted &quot;this checkpoint is closed, go home&quot; as police tried to break up the line to allow spectators through.

&quot;Criminal-in-Chief,&quot; read one protestor&#39;s placard.

&quot;The power of the people is stronger than the people in power,&quot; proclaimed another.

Eight years after Barack Obama swept into power riding a message of hope, Donald Trump is taking charge of a divided America.

The wounds from a bitter election were still fresh for many on his inauguration day.&nbsp;

But the Trump administration say they can bring the country together again.

&quot;We&#39;re going to unify our country, and our phrase &nbsp;- you all know it &nbsp;- &#39;Make America Great Again!&#39;. But we&#39;re going to make America great for all of our people,&quot; said Trump at a welcome celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on the eve of his inauguration.

But just hours before the handover of power, a Fox News survey put Trump&#39;s approval ratings at 37 per cent.

Fifty-four per cent say they do not approve of the country&#39;s new president.

With historically low ratings for a first-time president, Trump&#39;s first 100 days could define his time in office.

The fractious atmosphere at his inauguration shows that the fervour of his supporters is matched by the anger of his opponents.

(WION)

With historically low ratings for a first-time president, Trump's first 100 days could define his time in office

He has promised to "Make America Great Again", but rain threatened to turn Donald Trump's big moment into a washout. An estimated 800,000 people crushed into the centre of Washington, DC for the 58th US Presidential inauguration, sheltering from the drizzle under raincoats and ponchos. A steel ring of security encircled the centre of the city, with roads blocked off and police on every corner. But tight security and grey skies over the famous white dome of the Capitol building failed to dampen the enthusiasm of Trump's supporters. "Trump is going to 'Make America Great Again' and undo the wreckage of Obama," said Joe Smith, 69, from Tampa, Florida. "I believe that the enemies of this country have been allowed to fester for too long, and Donald Trump is going to change that," said Nick Graham, 20, from Pasadena, Maryland. Crammed in next to Trump's supporters, Clinton voters looked on solemnly while protestors chanted. "We came today to show that we are not giving our consent for this presidency," said Erica West, 21, from Arlington, Virginia. "Donald Trump stands for hatred, racism and misogyny. That's against everything that I stand for as a citizen of this country," said Kevin Cannell, 31, from New Orleans. At a Black Lives Matter demonstration in a small park just off the National Mall, impromptu arguments broke out between protesters and passing Trump supporters in "Make America Great Again" hats. As the hour of the inauguration ceremony approached, demonstrators linked arms to block the route to the viewing area. They chanted "this checkpoint is closed, go home" as police tried to break up the line to allow spectators through. "Criminal-in-Chief," read one protestor's placard. "The power of the people is stronger than the people in power," proclaimed another. Eight years after Barack Obama swept into power riding a message of hope, Donald Trump is taking charge of a divided America. The wounds from a bitter election were still fresh for many on his inauguration day. But the Trump administration say they can bring the country together again. "We're going to unify our country, and our phrase - you all know it - 'Make America Great Again!'. But we're going to make America great for all of our people," said Trump at a welcome celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on the eve of his inauguration. But just hours before the handover of power, a Fox News survey put Trump's approval ratings at 37 per cent. Fifty-four per cent say they do not approve of the country's new president. With historically low ratings for a first-time president, Trump's first 100 days could define his time in office. The fractious atmosphere at his inauguration shows that the fervour of his supporters is matched by the anger of his opponents. (WION)

Damp start to Trump era

Barack Obama and Donald Trump arrived at the US Capitol on Friday where the president-elect will be sworn in as the United States&#39; 45th head of state.

Obama and his wife Michelle left the White House for the last time after hosting Trump and the incoming first lady Melania for a traditional tea and coffee.

The two couples travelled in a joint motorcade for the 2.5 miles (four kilometers) down Pennsylvania Avenue to the inauguration ceremony at the Capitol. 
 
&quot;The movement continues, the work begins,&quot; tweeted the Republican billionaire tweeted before tracing his predecessors&#39; steps to St. John&#39;s Church and the White House.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
It all begins today! I will see you at 11:00 A.M. for the swearing-in. THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES - THE WORK BEGINS!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/822421390125043713">January 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

There he was greeted warmly by Obama, capping a transfer of power that has been peaceful yet rancorous.

&quot;Mr President-elect, how are you?&quot; Obama asked, after having deposited a letter in the Resolute desk and departed the Oval Office for the last time.

Hundreds of thousands of people will gather on the National Mall in the center of the nation&#39;s capital to celebrate a man whose short 19-month political career has defied all predictions, and many norms.

In the cool Washington dawn, his most ardent supporters ignored intermittent light rain and began to make their way by metro, car and on foot to take part in history.

&quot;I&#39;ve been waiting for this for a long time,&quot; said Thomas Mendenhall, 68, a retired banker from Missouri. &quot;We just want change.&quot;

When Trump descended the escalators of his glitzy New York tower in June 2015, his run for office and his supporters were dismissed and even mocked.

But shortly before midday Friday, Trump will place his hand on Abraham Lincoln&#39;s bible, recite the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol and become the most powerful man on earth.

His staff, many shunned by friends for supporting a man who has been labeled a racist and bigot by his critics, will become power players in the White House.

In the primaries, Trump dominated a crowded Republican presidential field with smash-mouth rhetoric and star power. He rode that same wave of anti-elite sentiment to victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November election.

At 70 years of age, he is the oldest man ever to begin work in the Oval Office.

But the real estate mogul and one-time television reality star is also a political neophyte -- he will be the first president never to have held elected office, served in the government or the armed forces.

For Trump&#39;s supporters, that is a central part of his appeal.

&quot;He&#39;s somebody that&#39;s not a politician&quot; said 59-year-old Sandra Jackson-Carter, a salon owner from Bakersville, California.

&quot;He&#39;s going to unite the country and make America great again,&quot; she said. &quot;This is history. There&#39;s nothing better.&quot;

Big changes

For his critics, Trump&#39;s arrival in Washington on Thursday onboard an Air Force jet was more like a hostile takeover than a traditional changing of the guard.

Small demonstrations popped up across the city center on Friday, with shouts of &nbsp;&quot;not my president&quot; and &quot;No Trump, No KKK, no fascist USA.&quot; Some tried to prevent Trump supporters from passing, but police intervened.

A much larger rally is planned for Saturday.

On Thursday evening, hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside a pro-Trump event, heckling and shouting at departing guests and lighting protest signs on fire before police used chemical spray on the crowd.

Trump enters office with a 37 percent approval rating, the lowest on record, according to a CBS News poll.

Most of Obama&#39;s White House staff have cleaned out their desks and the normally busy corridors of the West Wing were unusually quiet Friday. Staffers expressed relief at the prospect of rest, but foreboding about the road ahead.

That sentiment is echoed across many of the world&#39;s capitals. Trump has vowed to tear up Obama&#39;s policies and re-examine decades-old alliances with Europe and in Asia.

One of Obama&#39;s last acts in office was to speak to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and declare trans-Atlantic ties vital for the world order -- a statement that would have been a banal platitude before this rocky transition.

After the Obamas and Trumps had morning tea at the White House, they will travel the 2.5 miles (four kilometers) down Pennsylvania Avenue to the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol.

Addressing the nation&nbsp;

After promising to &quot;faithfully execute the office of president of the United States&quot; and &quot;preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,&quot; Trump will deliver the most important speech of his life.

Inaugural addresses -- from Lincoln to John F. Kennedy -- echo across American history. Phrases like &quot;malice towards none&quot; and &quot;ask not what your country can do for you&quot; have been carved into the vernacular.

The most noted inaugural addresses had sought to lift Americans&#39; gaze up from the rancor and troubles of the day toward the horizon and a better tomorrow.

Trump aides are promising an address that is at once short -- at around 20 minutes -- and philosophical.

&quot;It&#39;s going to be a very personal and sincere statement about his vision for the country,&quot; said incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer.

&quot;He will discuss what it means to be an American, the challenges that we face, as members of the middle class, that they face,&quot; he said.

&quot;I think it&#39;s going to be less of an agenda and more of a philosophical document, a vision of where he sees the country, the proper role of government, the role of citizens.&quot;

After his speech, Trump will attend a luncheon inside the Capitol, before heading back to the White House to begin the business of governing.

(AFP)

'Mr President-elect, how are you?' Obama asked as he and First Lady Michelle greeted the Republican leader-in-waiting and his wife Melania

Barack Obama and Donald Trump arrived at the US Capitol on Friday where the president-elect will be sworn in as the United States' 45th head of state. Obama and his wife Michelle left the White House for the last time after hosting Trump and the incoming first lady Melania for a traditional tea and coffee. The two couples travelled in a joint motorcade for the 2.5 miles (four kilometers) down Pennsylvania Avenue to the inauguration ceremony at the Capitol. "The movement continues, the work begins," tweeted the Republican billionaire tweeted before tracing his predecessors' steps to St. John's Church and the White House. It all begins today! I will see you at 11:00 A.M. for the swearing-in. THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES - THE WORK BEGINS! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2017 × There he was greeted warmly by Obama, capping a transfer of power that has been peaceful yet rancorous. "Mr President-elect, how are you?" Obama asked, after having deposited a letter in the Resolute desk and departed the Oval Office for the last time. Hundreds of thousands of people will gather on the National Mall in the center of the nation's capital to celebrate a man whose short 19-month political career has defied all predictions, and many norms. In the cool Washington dawn, his most ardent supporters ignored intermittent light rain and began to make their way by metro, car and on foot to take part in history. "I've been waiting for this for a long time," said Thomas Mendenhall, 68, a retired banker from Missouri. "We just want change." When Trump descended the escalators of his glitzy New York tower in June 2015, his run for office and his supporters were dismissed and even mocked. But shortly before midday Friday, Trump will place his hand on Abraham Lincoln's bible, recite the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol and become the most powerful man on earth. His staff, many shunned by friends for supporting a man who has been labeled a racist and bigot by his critics, will become power players in the White House. In the primaries, Trump dominated a crowded Republican presidential field with smash-mouth rhetoric and star power. He rode that same wave of anti-elite sentiment to victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November election. At 70 years of age, he is the oldest man ever to begin work in the Oval Office. But the real estate mogul and one-time television reality star is also a political neophyte -- he will be the first president never to have held elected office, served in the government or the armed forces. For Trump's supporters, that is a central part of his appeal. "He's somebody that's not a politician" said 59-year-old Sandra Jackson-Carter, a salon owner from Bakersville, California. "He's going to unite the country and make America great again," she said. "This is history. There's nothing better." Big changes For his critics, Trump's arrival in Washington on Thursday onboard an Air Force jet was more like a hostile takeover than a traditional changing of the guard. Small demonstrations popped up across the city center on Friday, with shouts of "not my president" and "No Trump, No KKK, no fascist USA." Some tried to prevent Trump supporters from passing, but police intervened. A much larger rally is planned for Saturday. On Thursday evening, hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside a pro-Trump event, heckling and shouting at departing guests and lighting protest signs on fire before police used chemical spray on the crowd. Trump enters office with a 37 percent approval rating, the lowest on record, according to a CBS News poll. Most of Obama's White House staff have cleaned out their desks and the normally busy corridors of the West Wing were unusually quiet Friday. Staffers expressed relief at the prospect of rest, but foreboding about the road ahead. That sentiment is echoed across many of the world's capitals. Trump has vowed to tear up Obama's policies and re-examine decades-old alliances with Europe and in Asia. One of Obama's last acts in office was to speak to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and declare trans-Atlantic ties vital for the world order -- a statement that would have been a banal platitude before this rocky transition. After the Obamas and Trumps had morning tea at the White House, they will travel the 2.5 miles (four kilometers) down Pennsylvania Avenue to the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol. Addressing the nation After promising to "faithfully execute the office of president of the United States" and "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," Trump will deliver the most important speech of his life. Inaugural addresses -- from Lincoln to John F. Kennedy -- echo across American history. Phrases like "malice towards none" and "ask not what your country can do for you" have been carved into the vernacular. The most noted inaugural addresses had sought to lift Americans' gaze up from the rancor and troubles of the day toward the horizon and a better tomorrow. Trump aides are promising an address that is at once short -- at around 20 minutes -- and philosophical. "It's going to be a very personal and sincere statement about his vision for the country," said incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer. "He will discuss what it means to be an American, the challenges that we face, as members of the middle class, that they face," he said. "I think it's going to be less of an agenda and more of a philosophical document, a vision of where he sees the country, the proper role of government, the role of citizens." After his speech, Trump will attend a luncheon inside the Capitol, before heading back to the White House to begin the business of governing. (AFP)

Obama, Trump arrive at Capitol for swearing-in ceremony

Trump&#39;s swearing-in ceremony may have been shadowed by several protests in certain pockets of America, but things are different in Russia.

The Russian media is giving Trump blanket air time on their news channels, the nationalists are holding all-night parties and retailers have wrapped Trump dolls with&nbsp;traditional matryoshka.

And as&nbsp;Gennady Gudkov, a Putin critic and former lawmaker, puts it -- Russia is in the grip of &quot;Trumpomania&quot; as they believe that Trump&#39;s taking over of the White House will benefit them.

Supporters of Trump in Russia feel that the dog days of Obama&#39;s administration are over and the new president will work closely with Russia in their fight against the Islamic State in the Middle East, work together to lift sanctions imposed over the annexation of Crimea and reduce NATO&#39;s presence near its border.

Trump has faced several questions about his proximity to the Kremlin and many believe that the Russian President Vladimir himself helped wage a cyberattack campaign against the Democrats to rake up controversial bits about Hillary Clinton.

The Kremlin has denied the insinuations but people in Russia are vocal about their happiness of Trump and not Clinton being elected. They saw Clinton as someone who would&nbsp;continue with the policies persisted by Barack Obama, and it is no secret that US-Russia relations had soured during the predecessor&#39;s tenure.

Konstantin Rykov, a former pro-Putin lawmaker and one of the event&#39;s promoters, said on social media it was right to celebrate the first phase of the &quot;New World Order.&quot;

&quot;Washington will be ours,&quot; he quipped.

Sellers of traditional matryoshka nesting dolls have added&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;dolls to their popular line-up of items carved in the likeness of President Vladimir Putin, Bolshevik revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, ex-President Mikhail Gorbachev and Josef Stalin.

And a shop selling&nbsp;Russian military kit located opposite the US&nbsp;embassy in Moscow has unveiled a cheeky promotional campaign offering embassy employees and U.S. citizens a 10 percent discount on its wares to celebrate&nbsp;Trump&#39;s inauguration.

The Russians have been eagerly waiting for Trump to be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. People in Moscow have marvelled at the unpredictability of the US election and some have even anointed him as a &quot;superman&quot;.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In an unprecedented event, Russians have pulled out all stops to celebrate Donald Trump's inauguration even as pockets in US go on protest

Trump's swearing-in ceremony may have been shadowed by several protests in certain pockets of America, but things are different in Russia. The Russian media is giving Trump blanket air time on their news channels, the nationalists are holding all-night parties and retailers have wrapped Trump dolls with traditional matryoshka. And as Gennady Gudkov, a Putin critic and former lawmaker, puts it -- Russia is in the grip of "Trumpomania" as they believe that Trump's taking over of the White House will benefit them. Supporters of Trump in Russia feel that the dog days of Obama's administration are over and the new president will work closely with Russia in their fight against the Islamic State in the Middle East, work together to lift sanctions imposed over the annexation of Crimea and reduce NATO's presence near its border. Trump has faced several questions about his proximity to the Kremlin and many believe that the Russian President Vladimir himself helped wage a cyberattack campaign against the Democrats to rake up controversial bits about Hillary Clinton. The Kremlin has denied the insinuations but people in Russia are vocal about their happiness of Trump and not Clinton being elected. They saw Clinton as someone who would continue with the policies persisted by Barack Obama, and it is no secret that US-Russia relations had soured during the predecessor's tenure. Konstantin Rykov, a former pro-Putin lawmaker and one of the event's promoters, said on social media it was right to celebrate the first phase of the "New World Order." "Washington will be ours," he quipped. Sellers of traditional matryoshka nesting dolls have added Trump dolls to their popular line-up of items carved in the likeness of President Vladimir Putin, Bolshevik revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, ex-President Mikhail Gorbachev and Josef Stalin. And a shop selling Russian military kit located opposite the US embassy in Moscow has unveiled a cheeky promotional campaign offering embassy employees and U.S. citizens a 10 percent discount on its wares to celebrate Trump's inauguration. The Russians have been eagerly waiting for Trump to be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. People in Moscow have marvelled at the unpredictability of the US election and some have even anointed him as a "superman". (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Donald Trump's inauguration: From Russia with love

Donald Trump is preparing to sign executive actions on his first day in the White House on Friday to take the opening steps to crack down on immigration, build a wall on the US-Mexican border and roll back outgoing President Barack Obama&#39;s policies.

Trump, a Republican elected on November 8 to succeed Democrat Obama, arrived in Washington on a military plane with his family a day before he will be sworn in during a ceremony at the US Capitol.

Aides said Trump would not wait to wield one of the most powerful tools of his office, the presidential pen, to sign several executive actions that can be implemented without the input of Congress.

&quot;He is committed to not just Day 1, but Day 2, Day 3 of enacting an agenda of real change, and I think that you&#39;re going to see that in the days and weeks to come,&quot; Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said on Thursday, telling reporters to expect activity on Friday, during the weekend and early next week.

Trump plans on Saturday to visit the headquarters of the CIA in Langley, Virginia. He has harshly criticised the agency and its outgoing chief, first questioning the CIA&#39;s conclusion that Russia was involved in cyber hacking during the US election campaign, before later accepting the verdict.

Trump also likened US intelligence agencies to Nazi Germany.

Trump&#39;s advisers vetted more than 200 potential executive orders for him to consider signing on healthcare, climate policy, immigration, energy and numerous other issues, but it was not clear how many orders he would initially approve, according to a member of the Trump transition team who was not authorised to talk to the press.

Signing off on orders puts Trump, who has presided over a sprawling business empire but has never before held public office, in a familiar place similar to the CEO role that made him famous, and will give him some early victories before he has to turn to the lumbering process of getting Congress to pass bills.

The strategy has been used by other presidents, including Obama, in their first few weeks in office.

&quot;He wants to show he will take action and not be stifled by Washington gridlock,&quot; said Princeton University presidential historian Julian Zelizer.

Trump is expected to impose a federal hiring freeze and take steps to delay a Labor Department rule due to take effect in April that would require brokers who give retirement advice to put their clients&#39; best interests first.

He also will give official notice he plans to withdraw from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, Spicer said.&nbsp;

&quot;I think you will see those happen very shortly,&quot; Spicer said.

Obama, ending eight years as president, made frequent use of his executive powers during his second term in office, when the Republican-controlled Congress stymied his efforts to overhaul immigration and environmental laws. Many of those actions are now ripe targets for Trump to reverse.

Trump is expected to sign an executive order in his first few days to direct the building of a wall on the southern border with Mexico, and actions to limit the entry of asylum seekers from Latin America, among several immigration-related steps his advisers have recommended.

That includes rescinding Obama&#39;s order that allowed more than 700,000 people brought into the United States illegally as children to stay in the country on a two-year authorisation to work and attend college, according to several people close to the presidential transition team.

It is unlikely Trump&#39;s order will result in an immediate roundup of these immigrants, sources said.&nbsp;Rather, he is expected to let the authorisations expire. The issue could set up a confrontation with Obama, who told reporters on Wednesday he would weigh in if he felt the new administration was unfairly targeting those immigrants.&nbsp;Advisers to Trump expect him to put restrictions on people entering the United States from certain countries until a system for &quot;extreme vetting&quot; for Islamist extremists can be set up.

During his presidential campaign, Trump proposed banning non-American Muslims from entering the United States, but his executive order regarding immigration is expected to be based on nationality rather than religion.&nbsp;Another proposed executive order would require all Cabinet departments to disclose and pause current work being done in connection with Obama&#39;s initiatives to curb carbon emissions to combat climate change.

Trump also is expected to extend prohibitions on future lobbying imposed on members of his transition team.

(Reuters)&nbsp;

Trump's opening steps would be to crack down on immigration, build a wall on the US-Mexican border and roll back outgoing Obama's policies

Donald Trump is preparing to sign executive actions on his first day in the White House on Friday to take the opening steps to crack down on immigration, build a wall on the US-Mexican border and roll back outgoing President Barack Obama's policies. Trump, a Republican elected on November 8 to succeed Democrat Obama, arrived in Washington on a military plane with his family a day before he will be sworn in during a ceremony at the US Capitol. Aides said Trump would not wait to wield one of the most powerful tools of his office, the presidential pen, to sign several executive actions that can be implemented without the input of Congress. "He is committed to not just Day 1, but Day 2, Day 3 of enacting an agenda of real change, and I think that you're going to see that in the days and weeks to come," Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said on Thursday, telling reporters to expect activity on Friday, during the weekend and early next week. Trump plans on Saturday to visit the headquarters of the CIA in Langley, Virginia. He has harshly criticised the agency and its outgoing chief, first questioning the CIA's conclusion that Russia was involved in cyber hacking during the US election campaign, before later accepting the verdict. Trump also likened US intelligence agencies to Nazi Germany. Trump's advisers vetted more than 200 potential executive orders for him to consider signing on healthcare, climate policy, immigration, energy and numerous other issues, but it was not clear how many orders he would initially approve, according to a member of the Trump transition team who was not authorised to talk to the press. Signing off on orders puts Trump, who has presided over a sprawling business empire but has never before held public office, in a familiar place similar to the CEO role that made him famous, and will give him some early victories before he has to turn to the lumbering process of getting Congress to pass bills. The strategy has been used by other presidents, including Obama, in their first few weeks in office. "He wants to show he will take action and not be stifled by Washington gridlock," said Princeton University presidential historian Julian Zelizer. Trump is expected to impose a federal hiring freeze and take steps to delay a Labor Department rule due to take effect in April that would require brokers who give retirement advice to put their clients' best interests first. He also will give official notice he plans to withdraw from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, Spicer said. "I think you will see those happen very shortly," Spicer said. Obama, ending eight years as president, made frequent use of his executive powers during his second term in office, when the Republican-controlled Congress stymied his efforts to overhaul immigration and environmental laws. Many of those actions are now ripe targets for Trump to reverse. Trump is expected to sign an executive order in his first few days to direct the building of a wall on the southern border with Mexico, and actions to limit the entry of asylum seekers from Latin America, among several immigration-related steps his advisers have recommended. That includes rescinding Obama's order that allowed more than 700,000 people brought into the United States illegally as children to stay in the country on a two-year authorisation to work and attend college, according to several people close to the presidential transition team. It is unlikely Trump's order will result in an immediate roundup of these immigrants, sources said. Rather, he is expected to let the authorisations expire. The issue could set up a confrontation with Obama, who told reporters on Wednesday he would weigh in if he felt the new administration was unfairly targeting those immigrants. Advisers to Trump expect him to put restrictions on people entering the United States from certain countries until a system for "extreme vetting" for Islamist extremists can be set up. During his presidential campaign, Trump proposed banning non-American Muslims from entering the United States, but his executive order regarding immigration is expected to be based on nationality rather than religion. Another proposed executive order would require all Cabinet departments to disclose and pause current work being done in connection with Obama's initiatives to curb carbon emissions to combat climate change. Trump also is expected to extend prohibitions on future lobbying imposed on members of his transition team. (Reuters)

Trump to sign executive orders on key campaign promises, say aides

Donald Trump will be sworn in on Friday as the 45th president of the United States, taking power over a divided country after a savage campaign and setting the country on a new, uncertain path at home and abroad.

In a ceremony likely to draw 900,000 people, including protesters, Trump and his vice president, Mike Pence, will take the oath of office at midday (1700 GMT) outside the domed US Capitol, with US Chief Justice John Roberts presiding.

Security was tight around the White House and Capitol Streets near the president`s home were blocked to traffic by empty buses and dump trucks or temporary pedestrian security checkpoints where law enforcement officers and National Guard troops checked people`s bags.

Some 28,000 officers were in place to secure the roughly 3-square-mile (8-square-kilometer) area of downtown Washington. The National Mall in front of the Capitol opened early to begin admitting guests, who were barred from bringing selfie sticks, coolers for beverages, and long umbrellas despite the rainy weather.

Trump, 70, enters the White House with work to do to bolster his image. During a testy transition period since his stunning November election win, the wealthy New York businessman and former reality TV star has repeatedly engaged in Twitter attacks against his critics, so much so that one fellow Republican, Senator John McCain, told CNN that Trump seemed to want to &quot;engage with every windmill that he can find.&quot;

An ABC News/Washington Post poll this week found only 40 percent of Americans viewed Trump favourably, the lowest rating for an incoming president since Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1977, and the same percentage approved of how he has handled the transition.&nbsp;

His ascension to the White House, while welcomed by Republicans tired of Democrat Barack Obama`s eight years, raises a host of questions for the United States.

Trump campaigned on a pledge to take the country on a more isolationist, protectionist path and has vowed to impose a 35 percent tariff on goods on imports from U.S. companies that went abroad.

Trump`s desire for warmer ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and threats to cut funding for North Atlantic Treaty Organization nations has allies from Britain to the Baltics worried that the traditional U.S. security umbrella will be diminished.

In the Middle East, Trump has said he wants to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, at the risk of angering Arabs. He has yet to sketch out how he plans to carry out a campaign pledge to &quot;knock the hell out of&quot; Islamic State militants.

Democrats&#39; boycott

The inaugural festivities may have a more partisan edge than usual, given Trump`s scorching campaign and continuing confrontations between him and Democrats over his take-no-prisoners Twitter attacks and pledge to roll back many of Obama`s policies.

More than 50 Democratic lawmakers plan to stay away from the proceedings to protest Trump, spurred on after he derided U.S. Representative John Lewis of Georgia, a hero of the civil rights movement, for calling him an illegitimate president.

Thousands of anti-Trump protesters were expected among an inauguration crowd that organisers estimated will be upwards of 900,000. Many demonstrators will participate in the &quot;Women`s March on Washington&quot; on Saturday. protests are also planned in other cities in the United States and abroad.

Trump, whose November 8 victory stunned the world, will start his presidency with a 20-minute inaugural address that he has been writing himself with the help of top aides. It will be &quot;a very personal and sincere statement about his vision for the country,&quot; said his spokesman, Sean Spicer.

&quot;He`ll talk about infrastructure and education, our manufacturing base,&quot; Spicer told reporters. &quot;I think it`s going to be less of an agenda and more of a philosophical document, a vision of where he sees the country, the proper role of government, the role of citizens.&quot;

Quick action

Trump`s to-do list has given Republicans hope that, since they also control the U.S. Congress, they can quickly repeal and replace Obama`s signature health care law, approve sweeping tax reform and roll back many federal regulations they say are stifling the U.S. economy.

Democrats, in search of firm political footing after the unexpected defeat of their presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, are planning to fight him at every turn. They deeply oppose Trump`s anti-immigrant rhetoric from the campaign trail and plans to build a wall along the southern U.S. border with Mexico.&nbsp;

Trump`s critics have been emboldened to attack his legitimacy because his win came in the Electoral College, which gives smaller states more clout in the outcome. He lost the popular vote to Clinton by about 2.9 million.

&quot;Any time you don&rsquo;t win the popular vote but you win by the Electoral College it makes people come unglued,&quot; said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley. &quot;It angers people that somebody can win the popular vote but you`re not president.&quot;

Trump`s critics also point to the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia used hacking and other methods during the campaign to try to tilt the election in the Republican`s favour. The president-elect has acknowledged the finding - denied by Moscow - that Russia was behind the hacking but said it did not affect the outcome of the election.

To his supporters, many of them working-class whites, Trump is a refreshingly anti-establishment figure who eschews political correctness. To critics - including Obama who during the campaign called Trump temperamentally unfit for the White House - his talk can be jarring, especially when expressed in tweets.

But while a Wall Street Journal opinion poll showed a majority of Americans would like Trump to give up on Twitter, the new president said he would continue because the US news media does not treat him fairly. 
 
(Reuters)

In a ceremony likely to draw 900,000 people, including protesters, Trump will take the oath of office outside the domed US Capitol

Donald Trump will be sworn in on Friday as the 45th president of the United States, taking power over a divided country after a savage campaign and setting the country on a new, uncertain path at home and abroad. In a ceremony likely to draw 900,000 people, including protesters, Trump and his vice president, Mike Pence, will take the oath of office at midday (1700 GMT) outside the domed US Capitol, with US Chief Justice John Roberts presiding. Security was tight around the White House and Capitol Streets near the president`s home were blocked to traffic by empty buses and dump trucks or temporary pedestrian security checkpoints where law enforcement officers and National Guard troops checked people`s bags. Some 28,000 officers were in place to secure the roughly 3-square-mile (8-square-kilometer) area of downtown Washington. The National Mall in front of the Capitol opened early to begin admitting guests, who were barred from bringing selfie sticks, coolers for beverages, and long umbrellas despite the rainy weather. Trump, 70, enters the White House with work to do to bolster his image. During a testy transition period since his stunning November election win, the wealthy New York businessman and former reality TV star has repeatedly engaged in Twitter attacks against his critics, so much so that one fellow Republican, Senator John McCain, told CNN that Trump seemed to want to "engage with every windmill that he can find." An ABC News/Washington Post poll this week found only 40 percent of Americans viewed Trump favourably, the lowest rating for an incoming president since Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1977, and the same percentage approved of how he has handled the transition. His ascension to the White House, while welcomed by Republicans tired of Democrat Barack Obama`s eight years, raises a host of questions for the United States. Trump campaigned on a pledge to take the country on a more isolationist, protectionist path and has vowed to impose a 35 percent tariff on goods on imports from U.S. companies that went abroad. Trump`s desire for warmer ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and threats to cut funding for North Atlantic Treaty Organization nations has allies from Britain to the Baltics worried that the traditional U.S. security umbrella will be diminished. In the Middle East, Trump has said he wants to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, at the risk of angering Arabs. He has yet to sketch out how he plans to carry out a campaign pledge to "knock the hell out of" Islamic State militants. Democrats' boycott The inaugural festivities may have a more partisan edge than usual, given Trump`s scorching campaign and continuing confrontations between him and Democrats over his take-no-prisoners Twitter attacks and pledge to roll back many of Obama`s policies. More than 50 Democratic lawmakers plan to stay away from the proceedings to protest Trump, spurred on after he derided U.S. Representative John Lewis of Georgia, a hero of the civil rights movement, for calling him an illegitimate president. Thousands of anti-Trump protesters were expected among an inauguration crowd that organisers estimated will be upwards of 900,000. Many demonstrators will participate in the "Women`s March on Washington" on Saturday. protests are also planned in other cities in the United States and abroad. Trump, whose November 8 victory stunned the world, will start his presidency with a 20-minute inaugural address that he has been writing himself with the help of top aides. It will be "a very personal and sincere statement about his vision for the country," said his spokesman, Sean Spicer. "He`ll talk about infrastructure and education, our manufacturing base," Spicer told reporters. "I think it`s going to be less of an agenda and more of a philosophical document, a vision of where he sees the country, the proper role of government, the role of citizens." Quick action Trump`s to-do list has given Republicans hope that, since they also control the U.S. Congress, they can quickly repeal and replace Obama`s signature health care law, approve sweeping tax reform and roll back many federal regulations they say are stifling the U.S. economy. Democrats, in search of firm political footing after the unexpected defeat of their presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, are planning to fight him at every turn. They deeply oppose Trump`s anti-immigrant rhetoric from the campaign trail and plans to build a wall along the southern U.S. border with Mexico. Trump`s critics have been emboldened to attack his legitimacy because his win came in the Electoral College, which gives smaller states more clout in the outcome. He lost the popular vote to Clinton by about 2.9 million. "Any time you don’t win the popular vote but you win by the Electoral College it makes people come unglued," said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley. "It angers people that somebody can win the popular vote but you`re not president." Trump`s critics also point to the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia used hacking and other methods during the campaign to try to tilt the election in the Republican`s favour. The president-elect has acknowledged the finding - denied by Moscow - that Russia was behind the hacking but said it did not affect the outcome of the election. To his supporters, many of them working-class whites, Trump is a refreshingly anti-establishment figure who eschews political correctness. To critics - including Obama who during the campaign called Trump temperamentally unfit for the White House - his talk can be jarring, especially when expressed in tweets. But while a Wall Street Journal opinion poll showed a majority of Americans would like Trump to give up on Twitter, the new president said he would continue because the US news media does not treat him fairly. (Reuters)

Pageantry, protests to mark the start of Trump's US presidency

The day after Donald Trump will be sworn as the President of the US, more than 200,000 protestors from across America are expected to march all the way to Washington DC to denounce Donald Trump.

For those who want to participate but cannot make it to DC, more than 350 &quot;Sister Marches&quot; are planned in other American cities.&nbsp;

The march now has almost 200 progressive groups, signing on as supporting partners.&nbsp;

The &quot;Women&rsquo;s March on Washington&quot; started with a Facebook post day after the results of the US presidential elections were declared.

The issues these groups represent are as varied as the environment, legal abortion, prisoners&rsquo; rights, voting rights, a free press, affordable healthcare, gun safety, racial and gender equality and a higher minimum wage.&nbsp;

The march is not restricted only to females and is expected to be one of the largest demonstrations in American history.

&ldquo;A march of this magnitude, across this diversity of issues has never happened before. We all have to stand together as a force no one can ignore,&rdquo; said Kaylin Whittingham, president of the association of black women attorneys.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/untitled-20170119113410.png" />
<div class="media-description">
Poster of the march (Instagram)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&quot;The Women&#39;s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women&#39;s rights are human rights,&quot; the march&#39;s mission statement reads.&nbsp;

&quot;We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.&quot;

Many high-profile artists are also expected to be in attendance including America Ferrera, Amy Schumer, Uzo Aduba and Zendaya, all who have also posted on social media about the march.

&ldquo;If there was ever a time to stand together, to stand proud and loud, it&rsquo;s under a president who won an election on a message of hate and division,&rdquo; Linda Sarsour, a national chair of the march, wrote last week in a Women&rsquo;s Media Center essay.

The prepation for the march invited a lot of controversies also for itself.

Earlier the march was named the &quot;Million Women March&quot;, but after some mild public backlash the organisers decided to distance their event from the 1995 march called the &quot;Million Man March&quot;, so they changed it to the &quot;Women&#39;s March on Washington&quot;.

Then the founding organizers said they realised they did not represent America&rsquo;s diversity. So they recruited a trio of New York City-based minority activists to their national leadership.

Earlier this week, an anti-abortion feminist group was dropped as an official march partner. March representatives said they made an &ldquo;error&rdquo; in including the organisation and have been supporters of abortion rights &ldquo;from day one&quot;. 
&nbsp;

(WION)

Apart from women's rights marchers stand for many causes, like the environment, legal abortion, prisoners? rights, voting rights and more

The day after Donald Trump will be sworn as the President of the US, more than 200,000 protestors from across America are expected to march all the way to Washington DC to denounce Donald Trump. For those who want to participate but cannot make it to DC, more than 350 "Sister Marches" are planned in other American cities. The march now has almost 200 progressive groups, signing on as supporting partners. The "Women’s March on Washington" started with a Facebook post day after the results of the US presidential elections were declared. The issues these groups represent are as varied as the environment, legal abortion, prisoners’ rights, voting rights, a free press, affordable healthcare, gun safety, racial and gender equality and a higher minimum wage. The march is not restricted only to females and is expected to be one of the largest demonstrations in American history. “A march of this magnitude, across this diversity of issues has never happened before. We all have to stand together as a force no one can ignore,” said Kaylin Whittingham, president of the association of black women attorneys. Poster of the march (Instagram) × "The Women's March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women's rights are human rights," the march's mission statement reads. "We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us." Many high-profile artists are also expected to be in attendance including America Ferrera, Amy Schumer, Uzo Aduba and Zendaya, all who have also posted on social media about the march. “If there was ever a time to stand together, to stand proud and loud, it’s under a president who won an election on a message of hate and division,” Linda Sarsour, a national chair of the march, wrote last week in a Women’s Media Center essay. The prepation for the march invited a lot of controversies also for itself. Earlier the march was named the "Million Women March", but after some mild public backlash the organisers decided to distance their event from the 1995 march called the "Million Man March", so they changed it to the "Women's March on Washington". Then the founding organizers said they realised they did not represent America’s diversity. So they recruited a trio of New York City-based minority activists to their national leadership. Earlier this week, an anti-abortion feminist group was dropped as an official march partner. March representatives said they made an “error” in including the organisation and have been supporters of abortion rights “from day one". (WION)

Women?s March on Washington: More than 200,000 protesters across America expected to denounce Trump

The American rock group Green Day has released a video to accompany their new single, Troubled Times. The lyrics and images in the video are heavily critical of President-elect Donald Trump. The video was released just&nbsp;days before Trump is set to become the president of the United States.

The song depicts&nbsp;today&#39;s political climate&nbsp;as a bleak landscape filled with &quot;racism, Islamophobia and war&quot;,&nbsp;which is embodied ultimately&nbsp;by Donald Trump. Images of votes cast into the garbage are set against the rise of&nbsp;Trump.

Trump&#39;s face is juxtaposed against&nbsp;Nazi swastikas and the hoods of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), an ultra-violent hate group whose <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/11/01/the-kkks-official-newspaper-has-endorsed-donald-trump-for-president/?utm_term=.18079e64ce25">newspaper openly praised</a>&nbsp;Trump.&nbsp;

Watch the video for Troubled&nbsp;Times:

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9cVJr3eQfXc" width="560"></iframe>

Green Day has criticised Donald Trump before. At the American Music Awards, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong&nbsp;started a chant from the stage: &quot;No Trump,&nbsp;No KKK,&nbsp;No Fascist USA!&quot;

They also inserted Donald Trump&#39;s name in their 2004&nbsp;hit song, &quot;American Idiot&quot; when they sang it&nbsp;on November 7, a day before the US election, at the MTV EMA&nbsp;awards show.

(WION)

Watch the video linking Donald Trump to imagery of the Nazi swastika and the hoods of the white supremacist group, the Ku Klux Klan

The American rock group Green Day has released a video to accompany their new single, Troubled Times. The lyrics and images in the video are heavily critical of President-elect Donald Trump. The video was released just days before Trump is set to become the president of the United States. The song depicts today's political climate as a bleak landscape filled with "racism, Islamophobia and war", which is embodied ultimately by Donald Trump. Images of votes cast into the garbage are set against the rise of Trump. Trump's face is juxtaposed against Nazi swastikas and the hoods of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), an ultra-violent hate group whose newspaper openly praised Trump. Watch the video for Troubled Times: Green Day has criticised Donald Trump before. At the American Music Awards, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong started a chant from the stage: "No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA!" They also inserted Donald Trump's name in their 2004 hit song, "American Idiot" when they sang it on November 7, a day before the US election, at the MTV EMA awards show. (WION)

Green Day releases anti-Trump video for new single, Troubled Times

Donald Trump is poised to take office with the lowest approval ratings of any new president in recent history, but despite a chaotic transition Americans trust the billionaire on one crucial point: jobs.

Since the real estate developer&#39;s White House win in November, companies have lined up to announce new factories or jobs in the United States, including air conditioning manufacturer Carrier, Japan&#39;s SoftBank, Ford, Fiat Chrysler and Amazon with a headline-grabbing promise to create 100,000 jobs.

The latest additions to the growing list: Wal-Mart announced Tuesday it would invest $6.8 billion in the United States and create 10,000 jobs, General Motors announced $1 billion in new US investments and pledged to create 5,000 new jobs.

Trump, who since his election has wielded a mix of threats and incentives to push an America-first jobs agenda, has been quick to take credit.

&quot;With all of the jobs I am bringing back into the US (even before taking office), with all of the new auto plants coming back into our country and with the massive cost reductions I have negotiated on military purchases and more, I believe the people are seeing &#39;big stuff,&#39;&quot; he tweeted on Tuesday.

Trump last month denounced the $4 billion price tag on the next presidential plane, which is currently under development, threatened to cancel the order unless the price came down.

Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of the aviation giant Boeing, visited Trump Tower in Manhattan on Tuesday, telling reporters he and Trump were &quot;on the same page&quot; about the cost and value of the jet.

The president-elect&#39;s message appears to be resonating.

&#39;Phony election polls&#39;

Sixty-one per cent of Americans believe it is likely the 45th president will be able to create good-paying jobs in economically challenged areas, according to a CNN/ORC poll released on Tuesday.

The same percentage expects Trump to do a good or excellent job in handling the economy, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released the same day.

But this confidence in Trump&#39;s ability to boost American job creation stands out as the exception, with polls suggesting an overall distrust of Barack Obama&#39;s successor.

Trump is half as popular as Obama was when he was preparing to take office in January 2009, according to the Washington Post-ABC News poll. He is less popular than any other incoming US president of the past four decades, going back to Jimmy Carter.

The latest surveys confirm the findings of other recent polls.

Trump slammed the findings, pointing out that a majority of surveys ahead of his November 8 electoral win predicted victory for his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

&quot;The same people who did the phony election polls, and were so wrong, are now doing approval rating polls. They are rigged just like before,&quot; he said on Twitter.

Trump is less popular than any other incoming US president of the past four decades, going back to Jimmy Carter

Donald Trump is poised to take office with the lowest approval ratings of any new president in recent history, but despite a chaotic transition Americans trust the billionaire on one crucial point: jobs. Since the real estate developer's White House win in November, companies have lined up to announce new factories or jobs in the United States, including air conditioning manufacturer Carrier, Japan's SoftBank, Ford, Fiat Chrysler and Amazon with a headline-grabbing promise to create 100,000 jobs. The latest additions to the growing list: Wal-Mart announced Tuesday it would invest $6.8 billion in the United States and create 10,000 jobs, General Motors announced $1 billion in new US investments and pledged to create 5,000 new jobs. Trump, who since his election has wielded a mix of threats and incentives to push an America-first jobs agenda, has been quick to take credit. "With all of the jobs I am bringing back into the US (even before taking office), with all of the new auto plants coming back into our country and with the massive cost reductions I have negotiated on military purchases and more, I believe the people are seeing 'big stuff,'" he tweeted on Tuesday. Trump last month denounced the $4 billion price tag on the next presidential plane, which is currently under development, threatened to cancel the order unless the price came down. Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of the aviation giant Boeing, visited Trump Tower in Manhattan on Tuesday, telling reporters he and Trump were "on the same page" about the cost and value of the jet. The president-elect's message appears to be resonating. 'Phony election polls' Sixty-one per cent of Americans believe it is likely the 45th president will be able to create good-paying jobs in economically challenged areas, according to a CNN/ORC poll released on Tuesday. The same percentage expects Trump to do a good or excellent job in handling the economy, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released the same day. But this confidence in Trump's ability to boost American job creation stands out as the exception, with polls suggesting an overall distrust of Barack Obama's successor. Trump is half as popular as Obama was when he was preparing to take office in January 2009, according to the Washington Post-ABC News poll. He is less popular than any other incoming US president of the past four decades, going back to Jimmy Carter. The latest surveys confirm the findings of other recent polls. Trump slammed the findings, pointing out that a majority of surveys ahead of his November 8 electoral win predicted victory for his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. "The same people who did the phony election polls, and were so wrong, are now doing approval rating polls. They are rigged just like before," he said on Twitter.

US President-elect Donald Trump to take office with lowest approval ratings

One of about a dozen women who previously accused President-elect Donald Trump of making unwanted sexual advances filed a lawsuit against him in New York on Tuesday, alleging he had made false and defamatory statements about her in rejecting the accusation, causing her emotional and economic harm.

The lawsuit filed by Summer Zervos, a one-time contestant on Trump&#39;s reality television show &quot;The Apprentice,&quot; is focused on a stream of denials Trump aimed at her and other women accusers last October, just weeks before the November 8 presidential election, when Zervos and others came forward to accuse the then-candidate of making unwanted sexual advances.

Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks called the allegations &quot;absurd.&quot;

&ldquo;More of the same from Gloria Allred,&quot; said Hicks, referring to Zervos&#39; high-profile attorney. &quot;There is no truth to this absurd story.&quot;

At the time the women made their allegations, Trump, a Republican, who went on to win the election and who takes office on Friday, adamantly denied all the accusations in posts on Twitter, statements, interviews and comments at rallies. He suggested at one rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 14 that the accusers were fabricating their stories for publicity or to damage his campaign.

With regard to Zervos specifically, Trump told the rally in Charlotte just hours after she made her allegations that it was &quot;not hard to find a small handful of people willing to make false smears for personal fame, who knows maybe for financial reasons, political purposes,&rdquo; according to the lawsuit.

&quot;Mr. Trump&#39;s false, defamatory statements about Ms. Zervos &ndash; that, among other things, she made up her descriptions of Mr&nbsp;Trump&#39;s misconduct as a hoax, and that she is creating a &#39;phony&#39; story just so that she can be famous &ndash; have been deeply detrimental to Ms. Zervos&#39;s reputation, honor and dignity,&rdquo; the lawsuit stated.

At a news conference in Los Angeles announcing the lawsuit on Tuesday, Zervos said she wanted Trump to apologise.

&quot;Since Mr. Trump has not issued a retraction as I requested, he has therefore left me with no alternative other than to sue him in order to vindicate my reputation,&quot; Zervos said. Her lawsuit said she was seeking &quot;all possible remedies,&quot; including the apology and retraction&nbsp;from Trump.

Allred, who also represents a number of women who have accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct, raised the possibility at the news conference that Trump might be required to give a deposition in the case.

The lawsuit said Trump kissed Zervos without her consent at his office in New York in December 2007 and later at a hotel in Beverly Hills, California, kissed her, touched her breast and tried to get her to lie on a bed during a meeting about a possible job. She and the other women came forward after a video from 2005 surfaced showing Trump boasting of making unwanted advances toward women including grabbing women by the genitals &ndash; a video that he later apologised for but said was simply &ldquo;locker room talk&rdquo; and was not his actual behaviour.

(Reuters)

Summer Zervos, former contestant on Trump's TV show 'The Apprentice', said he had been defamatory in rejecting the accusation

One of about a dozen women who previously accused President-elect Donald Trump of making unwanted sexual advances filed a lawsuit against him in New York on Tuesday, alleging he had made false and defamatory statements about her in rejecting the accusation, causing her emotional and economic harm. The lawsuit filed by Summer Zervos, a one-time contestant on Trump's reality television show "The Apprentice," is focused on a stream of denials Trump aimed at her and other women accusers last October, just weeks before the November 8 presidential election, when Zervos and others came forward to accuse the then-candidate of making unwanted sexual advances. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks called the allegations "absurd." “More of the same from Gloria Allred," said Hicks, referring to Zervos' high-profile attorney. "There is no truth to this absurd story." At the time the women made their allegations, Trump, a Republican, who went on to win the election and who takes office on Friday, adamantly denied all the accusations in posts on Twitter, statements, interviews and comments at rallies. He suggested at one rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 14 that the accusers were fabricating their stories for publicity or to damage his campaign. With regard to Zervos specifically, Trump told the rally in Charlotte just hours after she made her allegations that it was "not hard to find a small handful of people willing to make false smears for personal fame, who knows maybe for financial reasons, political purposes,” according to the lawsuit. "Mr. Trump's false, defamatory statements about Ms. Zervos – that, among other things, she made up her descriptions of Mr Trump's misconduct as a hoax, and that she is creating a 'phony' story just so that she can be famous – have been deeply detrimental to Ms. Zervos's reputation, honor and dignity,” the lawsuit stated. At a news conference in Los Angeles announcing the lawsuit on Tuesday, Zervos said she wanted Trump to apologise. "Since Mr. Trump has not issued a retraction as I requested, he has therefore left me with no alternative other than to sue him in order to vindicate my reputation," Zervos said. Her lawsuit said she was seeking "all possible remedies," including the apology and retraction from Trump. Allred, who also represents a number of women who have accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct, raised the possibility at the news conference that Trump might be required to give a deposition in the case. The lawsuit said Trump kissed Zervos without her consent at his office in New York in December 2007 and later at a hotel in Beverly Hills, California, kissed her, touched her breast and tried to get her to lie on a bed during a meeting about a possible job. She and the other women came forward after a video from 2005 surfaced showing Trump boasting of making unwanted advances toward women including grabbing women by the genitals – a video that he later apologised for but said was simply “locker room talk” and was not his actual behaviour. (Reuters)

Woman sues Trump for defamation over sexual assault denial

The accusation that Donald Trump will not be&nbsp;a legitimate president, and that&nbsp;he must be impeached the instant he takes office, is obviously a major charge that&nbsp;must not be made lightly. Democracy is messy and accepting a politician you may find horrible is a sad but vital and&nbsp;inevitable part of it.&nbsp;But&nbsp;Donald Trump presents a&nbsp;different case.

Many now&nbsp;question&nbsp;Trump&#39;s legitimacy, including the venerated civil rights hero&nbsp;John Lewis, who Trump lambasted on Twitter after he, Lewis, called&nbsp;the President-elect &quot;illegitimate&quot;. Again, the accusation of illegitimacy is&nbsp;serious.&nbsp;It&nbsp;must not be used frivolously and must&nbsp;be understood:&nbsp;This is not a&nbsp;mere&nbsp;disagreement&nbsp;about policy.&nbsp;So, why are people saying Trump&nbsp;is illegitimate?&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Rigged election

<ul>
	<li>American intelligence, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/11/us-intelligence-trump-dossier-leak">no less than 17 different agencies</a>, all agree that Vladimir Putin himself interfered in the US election to benefit Trump. This is <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-greene/the-argument-for-donald-t_b_14220416.html">illegal</a>. No foreign government is allowed to contribute even $1 to a US presidential candidate. Whether Putin&#39;s interference was the difference between a Trump or a Clinton victory--and Trump won three key swing states by less than 80,000 votes, so it very well&nbsp;could have been--is also irrelevant. The Huffington Post reported that Trump keeping rather than rejecting foreign &quot;influence&quot;&nbsp;could make him and the influencer subject to<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-greene/the-argument-for-donald-t_b_14220416.html"> jail time</a>.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>America&#39;s director of national intelligence James Clapper characterised Russia&#39;s pro-Trump cyberattacks as a &quot;multifaceted campaign&quot;, and that &quot;Hacking was only a part of it...it also entailed classical propoganda, disinformation and fake news&quot;. It&#39;s not that Russia hacked the election tallying machines themselves and directly altered the results, it&#39;s that their efforts were essentially complex and sophisticated psy-ops meant to shred Clinton&#39;s campaign and manipulate American voters&nbsp;into voting for the Kremlin&#39;s&nbsp;candidate.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>What transpired is illegal. There is an ongoing investigation to determine what exactly did happen and what effect it had, but even Trump himself reversed his initial denials and admitted that it was probably Russia who hacked the Democrats. Trump railed for weeks that the election was rigged against him, but as soon as it became apparent that it was rigged to favour him, he said that, basically, America should just get over it.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>The 2016 US election was the first in decades to be without safeguards protecting the rights of those from minority communities&nbsp;to vote, as&nbsp;the &quot;Voting Rights Act&quot; was gutted in 2013. The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-greene/the-argument-for-donald-t_b_14220416.html">Huffington Post</a>&nbsp;reported that&nbsp;this made it impossible for&nbsp;1.1 million citizens, mostly&nbsp;non-white&nbsp;and&nbsp;poor, to&nbsp;vote.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Trump won the electoral college votes of three key swing states by very narrow margins. The Huffington Post made it easy to compare the numbers Trump&nbsp;won by in these states to the number of citizens for whom&nbsp;gutting the Voting Rights Act deprived of their fundamental right to vote--known as a &quot;purge list&quot;.&nbsp;Trump won Michigan by 13,107 votes, it&#39;s purge list was 449,922. Trump won Arizona by 85,257, and its purge list was 270,824. Trump won North Carolina by 177,008, and its purge list was 589,393. &nbsp;</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Despite Russian interference, Fake News, the FBI director inexplicably&nbsp;announcing a probe (that led nowhere) into Clinton&#39;s emails mere days&nbsp;days before the election,&nbsp;Trump asking followers to watch the polls for voter fraud (interpreted as a call to intimidate voters) &nbsp;and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, still almost 3 million more people voted for Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

Decades of Russian connections, financing

<ul>
	<li>Trump&#39;s stunning and stubborn refusal to publicly disclose his tax returns (he is the first presidential candidate in 40 years to fail this basic test of transparency)&nbsp;is even more suspect when seen beside&nbsp;his pro-Russia policies and never-ending praise for Putin, even siding with him over American intelligence and the White House, and all his financial connections to Russian gangsters and the Kremlin (a distinction without a difference). Is Russian money behind<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-arms-deal-idUSKBN14Z0YE">&nbsp;Trump</a>&#39;s pledge to&nbsp;end&nbsp;sanctions against Russia, imposed on them for invading Crimea?&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>The full history of Russia and Trump is beyond the scope of this article. (Read about some of it <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/1/9/1618540/-Was-Donald-Trump-bailed-out-of-bankruptcy-by-Russia-crime-bosses">here</a>, <a href="http://www.the-american-interest.com/2016/12/19/the-curious-world-of-donald-trumps-private-russian-connections/">here </a>and&nbsp;<a href="http://&lt;blockquote class=&quot;twitter-tweet&quot; data-lang=&quot;en&quot;&gt;&lt;p lang=&quot;en&quot; dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;Turns out, wasn&amp;#39;t Trump&amp;#39;s investments *in Russia* that shaped his pro-Putin views but rather Russia&amp;#39;s investments *in him* &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/sarahkendzior&quot;&gt;@sarahkendzior&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://t.co/wDO8r4nOXB&quot;&gt;pic.twitter.com/wDO8r4nOXB&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Adam Khan (@Khanoisseur) &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/Khanoisseur/status/819651528583614465&quot;&gt;January 12, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src=&quot;//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js&quot; charset=&quot;utf-8&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;">here</a>.) There isn&#39;t merely one story&nbsp;that alone does him in; Trump was rescued from bankruptcy by&nbsp;Russian oligarchs in the early 1990s, who seised on the opportunity that the collapse of the Soviet Union presented by personally taking for themselves&nbsp;what had been state-owned companies. What happened next is a long story shrouded, but not entirely, in secrecy.&nbsp;It&#39;s said that they bought Trump properties en masse in order to launder money, which enabled Trump to be, and&nbsp;appear like, a success, so long as he looked the other way. No Russian mover and shaker is allowed to operate in these high places without Vladimir Putin&#39;s approval, who some experts say is worth an obscene $200 billion. As Eric Trump said in 2008, &quot;We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia&quot;.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

So Trump&nbsp;likes Russia, so what?

<ul>
	<li>American intelligence presented to Obama, and also Trump, a report claiming that Russia has &quot;<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/10/politics/donald-trump-intelligence-report-russia/">compromised</a>&quot; Donald Trump. In other words, the claim is Russia&nbsp;has&nbsp;sufficient information over Trump&nbsp;for&nbsp;blackmail<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/four-sources-to-possible-claims-of-trump-russia-blackmail-bbcs-paul-wood-11219">.&nbsp;There is&nbsp;apparently</a>&nbsp;&quot;audio and video&quot; on &quot;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/four-sources-to-possible-claims-of-trump-russia-blackmail-bbcs-paul-wood-11219">more than one&nbsp;tape</a>&quot;.&nbsp;While the allegations in the intelligence report have not been verified, it is a&nbsp;fact that the report was brought through official intelligence channels to the&nbsp;White House. If they are true, the problem isn&#39;t that Donald Trump as president wants to side with Putin, it&#39;s that&nbsp;Putin would&nbsp;be the one in charge.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Trump has&nbsp;stocked&nbsp;his cabinet with people who have very deep and concrete&nbsp;links to Vladimir&nbsp;Putin. Rex Tillerson and Paul Manafort are the high profile ones. Tillerson, as CEO of the oil giant ExxonMobil, was personally awarded the &quot;Order of Friendship&quot; from Vladimir Putin, and Manafort secretly received millions&nbsp;in cash to lobby for the&nbsp;pro-Putin leader of Ukraine, <a href="http://www.salon.com/2016/10/24/donald-trumps-former-campaign-chairman-paul-manafort-was-lobbying-vladimir-putin-through-a-company-he-owned/">Viktor Yanukovich.</a>&nbsp;Manafort and another Putin-linked Trump aide named Rick Gate resigned in the summer when this came to light, but Manafort quietly came&nbsp;back to&nbsp;advise&nbsp;Trump on cabinet picks. While working for Exxon, Tillerson opposed sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine at a time when the sanctions prevented his company from making billions of dollars on an oil discovery in Russia&#39;s north. Trump&#39;s pro-Kremlin stance&nbsp;is&nbsp;filtering down in major ways.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

General conflicts of interest

<ul>
	<li>Trump has a sprawling business empire that spans the globe, and the character of his business is&nbsp;uniquely susceptible to conflicts of interests. There was talk of using a &quot;blind trust&quot; to manage his business&nbsp;while he&#39;s president, but &quot;blindness&quot; is impossible, considering a major part of his&nbsp;business is&nbsp;a slew of skyscrapers in marquee destinations around the world with &quot;Trump&quot;&nbsp;written on them in giant golden letters. Foreign dignitaries are already careful to stay in his hotels and use his products, hoping to curry favour. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/fashion/ivanka-trump-bracelet-60-minutes-conflict-of-interest.html">Ivanka Trump</a> is very dubiously straddling the line between managing the private business and serving in&nbsp;public office.&nbsp; 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>The &quot;Emoluments clause&quot; in the American constitution may be the biggest threat Trump faces. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/01/trumps-ethics-train-wreck/513446/">The&nbsp;clause forbids</a> &quot;Any person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States]&quot; from accepting &quot;any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State&quot; (unless Congress explicitly consents). Some experts in US law believe that&nbsp;there are definitely&nbsp;grounds to impeach Trump on his first day&nbsp;in office. 
	&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
	<li>But this isn&#39;t the end of the story. If a Trump appointee decides not to prosecute <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-22/deutsche-bank-s-reworking-a-big-trump-loan-as-inauguration-nears">Deutsche Bank</a>, will it be because they think it represents&nbsp;the best course&nbsp;for America, or because Deutsche Bank decides in the future to forgive the $300 million Donald Trump owes it? This dynamic can play out countless times more, considering the vastness of Trump&#39;s business interests. While many&nbsp;ethics experts call on Trump to completely divest, saying basically the only way for his business to not interfere with his role as president is to&nbsp;not have&nbsp;a business, Trump steadfastly refuses. &nbsp; 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>When considering whether&nbsp;Trump can be counted on to separate his children running his business&nbsp;from&nbsp;the world leaders he is bound to meet as president, remember that before even assuming office&nbsp;they have already sat in on a meeting&nbsp;with US tech industry leaders and the Prime Minister of Japan. Also, the Trump transition team <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/14/politics/donald-trump-children-security-clearance/">reportedly sought</a> White House security clearance for Trump&#39;s children and nephew, Jared Kushner. 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Trump said that he will solve the conflict of interest problem not by selling his business, as he will keep a stake in it but will turn the management over to his&nbsp;two sons, joined by an executive. Trump&nbsp;claimed that he will not speak to these two sons&nbsp;about the business. He then joked that if profits are low&nbsp;he will&nbsp;tell them, &quot;You&#39;re fired!&quot;. This does not meet any serious definition of absolving himself&nbsp;of conflict of interest, especially when the stakes are this high.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

Is there enough evidence?

It&#39;s hard to get a smoking gun because Trump breaks normal transparency standards by failing to disclose key information, then celebrates himself for disclosing what he hasn&#39;t disclosed,&nbsp;then&nbsp;attacks and intimidates anybody who tries to bring this pattern&nbsp;to light.

Trump falsely said he cannot publicly&nbsp;release his tax return (he said he is under audit, the IRS said he is free to release it, then Eric Trump&nbsp;said that releasing it would subject his business interests to public scrutiny). He threatened to sue the New York Times for releasing a page that showed that despite professing to be a billionaire he likely <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-taxes.html?_r=0">paid no income tax for 18&nbsp;years</a>.

Trump falsely stated that&nbsp;he does not know<a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/donald-trump-russia-felix-sater-227434"> Felix Sater,</a> a Russian-born man with proven links to Trump (<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-mafia-linked-figure-describes-association-with-trump/2016/05/17/cec6c2c6-16d3-11e6-aa55-670cabef46e0_story.html?utm_term=.694d939ddd4e">here they are pictured together</a>) via Bayrock (a real estate firm with offices in Trump Tower)&nbsp;and Putin (Bayrock has seen a cash infusion from Putin-friendly&nbsp;Khazakstani and Russian businesses). Sater has&nbsp;pled guilty to stabbing a man in the neck with a broken margarita glass in a bar fight and to a&nbsp;racketeering scam worth $40 million, connected to four mob families.

Trump denied knowing Putin personally, yet <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/watch-video-shows-trump-lying-admits-he-has-a-relationship-with-vladimir-putin-10313">has said on video </a>that he personally knows Putin. In short, Trump and his team&nbsp;do everything to obfuscate what is happening and&nbsp;attack those who threaten his&nbsp;so-called legitimacy.&nbsp;

There are still many unanswered questions, and it&#39;s an understatement to say Trump&nbsp;appears to be in no&nbsp;mood to answer them. Until both Democrat&nbsp;and&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;supporters&nbsp;get real and&nbsp;satisfying answers to everything that&nbsp;got Trump elected and&nbsp;to the nature of what is driving his decisions in office, Trump&#39;s legitimacy as presidency will always be hopelessly in doubt.&nbsp;

And if the real answers to these questions ever come&nbsp;to light, it seems they are unlikely to strengthen&nbsp;Trump&#39;s legitimacy.&nbsp;

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

An American politician labelled Trump 'illegitimate' and calls for impeachment have begun before he takes office. This is very, very serious

The accusation that Donald Trump will not be a legitimate president, and that he must be impeached the instant he takes office, is obviously a major charge that must not be made lightly. Democracy is messy and accepting a politician you may find horrible is a sad but vital and inevitable part of it. But Donald Trump presents a different case. Many now question Trump's legitimacy, including the venerated civil rights hero John Lewis, who Trump lambasted on Twitter after he, Lewis, called the President-elect "illegitimate". Again, the accusation of illegitimacy is serious. It must not be used frivolously and must be understood: This is not a mere disagreement about policy. So, why are people saying Trump is illegitimate? Rigged election American intelligence, no less than 17 different agencies, all agree that Vladimir Putin himself interfered in the US election to benefit Trump. This is illegal. No foreign government is allowed to contribute even $1 to a US presidential candidate. Whether Putin's interference was the difference between a Trump or a Clinton victory--and Trump won three key swing states by less than 80,000 votes, so it very well could have been--is also irrelevant. The Huffington Post reported that Trump keeping rather than rejecting foreign "influence" could make him and the influencer subject to jail time. America's director of national intelligence James Clapper characterised Russia's pro-Trump cyberattacks as a "multifaceted campaign", and that "Hacking was only a part of it...it also entailed classical propoganda, disinformation and fake news". It's not that Russia hacked the election tallying machines themselves and directly altered the results, it's that their efforts were essentially complex and sophisticated psy-ops meant to shred Clinton's campaign and manipulate American voters into voting for the Kremlin's candidate. What transpired is illegal. There is an ongoing investigation to determine what exactly did happen and what effect it had, but even Trump himself reversed his initial denials and admitted that it was probably Russia who hacked the Democrats. Trump railed for weeks that the election was rigged against him, but as soon as it became apparent that it was rigged to favour him, he said that, basically, America should just get over it. The 2016 US election was the first in decades to be without safeguards protecting the rights of those from minority communities to vote, as the "Voting Rights Act" was gutted in 2013. The Huffington Post reported that this made it impossible for 1.1 million citizens, mostly non-white and poor, to vote. Trump won the electoral college votes of three key swing states by very narrow margins. The Huffington Post made it easy to compare the numbers Trump won by in these states to the number of citizens for whom gutting the Voting Rights Act deprived of their fundamental right to vote--known as a "purge list". Trump won Michigan by 13,107 votes, it's purge list was 449,922. Trump won Arizona by 85,257, and its purge list was 270,824. Trump won North Carolina by 177,008, and its purge list was 589,393. Despite Russian interference, Fake News, the FBI director inexplicably announcing a probe (that led nowhere) into Clinton's emails mere days days before the election, Trump asking followers to watch the polls for voter fraud (interpreted as a call to intimidate voters) and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, still almost 3 million more people voted for Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump. Decades of Russian connections, financing Trump's stunning and stubborn refusal to publicly disclose his tax returns (he is the first presidential candidate in 40 years to fail this basic test of transparency) is even more suspect when seen beside his pro-Russia policies and never-ending praise for Putin, even siding with him over American intelligence and the White House, and all his financial connections to Russian gangsters and the Kremlin (a distinction without a difference). Is Russian money behind Trump's pledge to end sanctions against Russia, imposed on them for invading Crimea? The full history of Russia and Trump is beyond the scope of this article. (Read about some of it here, here and here.) There isn't merely one story that alone does him in; Trump was rescued from bankruptcy by Russian oligarchs in the early 1990s, who seised on the opportunity that the collapse of the Soviet Union presented by personally taking for themselves what had been state-owned companies. What happened next is a long story shrouded, but not entirely, in secrecy. It's said that they bought Trump properties en masse in order to launder money, which enabled Trump to be, and appear like, a success, so long as he looked the other way. No Russian mover and shaker is allowed to operate in these high places without Vladimir Putin's approval, who some experts say is worth an obscene $200 billion. As Eric Trump said in 2008, "We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia". So Trump likes Russia, so what? American intelligence presented to Obama, and also Trump, a report claiming that Russia has "compromised" Donald Trump. In other words, the claim is Russia has sufficient information over Trump for blackmail. There is apparently "audio and video" on "more than one tape". While the allegations in the intelligence report have not been verified, it is a fact that the report was brought through official intelligence channels to the White House. If they are true, the problem isn't that Donald Trump as president wants to side with Putin, it's that Putin would be the one in charge. Trump has stocked his cabinet with people who have very deep and concrete links to Vladimir Putin. Rex Tillerson and Paul Manafort are the high profile ones. Tillerson, as CEO of the oil giant ExxonMobil, was personally awarded the "Order of Friendship" from Vladimir Putin, and Manafort secretly received millions in cash to lobby for the pro-Putin leader of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich. Manafort and another Putin-linked Trump aide named Rick Gate resigned in the summer when this came to light, but Manafort quietly came back to advise Trump on cabinet picks. While working for Exxon, Tillerson opposed sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine at a time when the sanctions prevented his company from making billions of dollars on an oil discovery in Russia's north. Trump's pro-Kremlin stance is filtering down in major ways. General conflicts of interest Trump has a sprawling business empire that spans the globe, and the character of his business is uniquely susceptible to conflicts of interests. There was talk of using a "blind trust" to manage his business while he's president, but "blindness" is impossible, considering a major part of his business is a slew of skyscrapers in marquee destinations around the world with "Trump" written on them in giant golden letters. Foreign dignitaries are already careful to stay in his hotels and use his products, hoping to curry favour. Ivanka Trump is very dubiously straddling the line between managing the private business and serving in public office. The "Emoluments clause" in the American constitution may be the biggest threat Trump faces. The clause forbids "Any person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States]" from accepting "any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State" (unless Congress explicitly consents). Some experts in US law believe that there are definitely grounds to impeach Trump on his first day in office. But this isn't the end of the story. If a Trump appointee decides not to prosecute Deutsche Bank, will it be because they think it represents the best course for America, or because Deutsche Bank decides in the future to forgive the $300 million Donald Trump owes it? This dynamic can play out countless times more, considering the vastness of Trump's business interests. While many ethics experts call on Trump to completely divest, saying basically the only way for his business to not interfere with his role as president is to not have a business, Trump steadfastly refuses. When considering whether Trump can be counted on to separate his children running his business from the world leaders he is bound to meet as president, remember that before even assuming office they have already sat in on a meeting with US tech industry leaders and the Prime Minister of Japan. Also, the Trump transition team reportedly sought White House security clearance for Trump's children and nephew, Jared Kushner. Trump said that he will solve the conflict of interest problem not by selling his business, as he will keep a stake in it but will turn the management over to his two sons, joined by an executive. Trump claimed that he will not speak to these two sons about the business. He then joked that if profits are low he will tell them, "You're fired!". This does not meet any serious definition of absolving himself of conflict of interest, especially when the stakes are this high. Is there enough evidence? It's hard to get a smoking gun because Trump breaks normal transparency standards by failing to disclose key information, then celebrates himself for disclosing what he hasn't disclosed, then attacks and intimidates anybody who tries to bring this pattern to light. Trump falsely said he cannot publicly release his tax return (he said he is under audit, the IRS said he is free to release it, then Eric Trump said that releasing it would subject his business interests to public scrutiny). He threatened to sue the New York Times for releasing a page that showed that despite professing to be a billionaire he likely paid no income tax for 18 years. Trump falsely stated that he does not know Felix Sater, a Russian-born man with proven links to Trump (here they are pictured together) via Bayrock (a real estate firm with offices in Trump Tower) and Putin (Bayrock has seen a cash infusion from Putin-friendly Khazakstani and Russian businesses). Sater has pled guilty to stabbing a man in the neck with a broken margarita glass in a bar fight and to a racketeering scam worth $40 million, connected to four mob families. Trump denied knowing Putin personally, yet has said on video that he personally knows Putin. In short, Trump and his team do everything to obfuscate what is happening and attack those who threaten his so-called legitimacy. There are still many unanswered questions, and it's an understatement to say Trump appears to be in no mood to answer them. Until both Democrat and Trump supporters get real and satisfying answers to everything that got Trump elected and to the nature of what is driving his decisions in office, Trump's legitimacy as presidency will always be hopelessly in doubt. And if the real answers to these questions ever come to light, it seems they are unlikely to strengthen Trump's legitimacy. (WION)

Will Trump's presidency be legitimate? Probably not: Opinion

His daughter Ivanka may be Donald Trump&#39;s favourite child but the president-elect apparently doesn&#39;t know her Twitter handle, mistaking her for a British woman from the seaside town of Brighton.

On Monday night, the Republican retweeted praise for his daughter from a Twitter user during a CNN profile of the incoming first daughter and wife of White House advisor in-waiting Jared Kushner.

But instead of using the 35-year-old businesswoman&#39;s @IvankaTrump handle, the Twitter user wrote @Ivanka - the account of Ivanka Majic - whose own account subsequently lit up with thousands of messages.

The president-elect, a prolific user of the social media site with more than 20 million Twitter followers, saw his post retweeted more than 6,600 times and liked more than 35,000 times.

Majic, who once worked for Britain&#39;s opposition Labour Party and is now employed by the local council, decided to use her new found prominence to hit back.&nbsp;

&quot;And you&#39;re a man with great responsibilities. May I suggest more care on Twitter and more time learning about #climatechange,&quot; she replied to the president-elect in a message retweeted more than 3,360 times. 
The former reality TV star, who has pledged to abandon the Paris climate deal, has yet to delete his tweet or publicly admit his mistake.

On Monday night, his daughter seemed oblivious to the mixup, tweeting a photograph of herself dressed up saying &quot;bright lights, big city #datenight.&quot;

Majic said her identity was frequently mistaken during the US election campaign. &quot;Ivanka is an incredibly boring and popular Slavic girl&#39;s name. The other one I get confused with is an Hungarian concrete company called Ivanka concrete,&quot; the BBC quoted her as saying.

&quot;I&#39;m someone who has used Twitter since 2007. A new thing comes along and you create a username never thinking that one day Ivanka Trump&#39;s dad will be president.&quot;

Trump&#39;s daughter, a businesswoman and entrepreneur whom lawyers say is stepping down as vice-president at the Trump Organization, is moving to Washington with her husband and the couple&#39;s three young children.

While no formal job title has been announced, she is expected to take on some hostessing duties and champion causes in a role more frequently associated with a first lady than a first daughter.

(Reuters)

Donald Trump retweeted praise for his daughter Ivanka using the wrong Twitter handle of a British woman from Brighton

His daughter Ivanka may be Donald Trump's favourite child but the president-elect apparently doesn't know her Twitter handle, mistaking her for a British woman from the seaside town of Brighton. On Monday night, the Republican retweeted praise for his daughter from a Twitter user during a CNN profile of the incoming first daughter and wife of White House advisor in-waiting Jared Kushner. But instead of using the 35-year-old businesswoman's @IvankaTrump handle, the Twitter user wrote @Ivanka - the account of Ivanka Majic - whose own account subsequently lit up with thousands of messages. The president-elect, a prolific user of the social media site with more than 20 million Twitter followers, saw his post retweeted more than 6,600 times and liked more than 35,000 times. Majic, who once worked for Britain's opposition Labour Party and is now employed by the local council, decided to use her new found prominence to hit back. "And you're a man with great responsibilities. May I suggest more care on Twitter and more time learning about #climatechange," she replied to the president-elect in a message retweeted more than 3,360 times. The former reality TV star, who has pledged to abandon the Paris climate deal, has yet to delete his tweet or publicly admit his mistake. On Monday night, his daughter seemed oblivious to the mixup, tweeting a photograph of herself dressed up saying "bright lights, big city #datenight." Majic said her identity was frequently mistaken during the US election campaign. "Ivanka is an incredibly boring and popular Slavic girl's name. The other one I get confused with is an Hungarian concrete company called Ivanka concrete," the BBC quoted her as saying. "I'm someone who has used Twitter since 2007. A new thing comes along and you create a username never thinking that one day Ivanka Trump's dad will be president." Trump's daughter, a businesswoman and entrepreneur whom lawyers say is stepping down as vice-president at the Trump Organization, is moving to Washington with her husband and the couple's three young children. While no formal job title has been announced, she is expected to take on some hostessing duties and champion causes in a role more frequently associated with a first lady than a first daughter. (Reuters)

Trump praises wrong Ivanka on Twitter

US President Barack Obama has marked the first anniversary of the nuclear deal with Iran by emphasising its &quot;significant and concrete results&quot; and warning against undoing a pact supported by the world&#39;s major powers.

In language that seemed clearly directed at incoming president Donald Trump, who is set to take office on Friday, Obama said yesterday &quot;the United States must remember that this agreement was the result of years of work, and represents an agreement between the world&#39;s major powers - not simply the United States and Iran.&quot;

He said the deal had &quot;achieved significant, concrete results in making the United States and the world a safer place&quot; and &quot;verifiably prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.&quot;

Such a diplomatic solution, he added, was &quot;far preferable to an unconstrained Iranian nuclear program or another war in the Middle East.&quot;

Trump has often denounced the nuclear deal, and in a Sunday interview with The Times, London and Bild newspaper of Germany he continued his criticism, saying, &quot;I&#39;m not happy with the Iran deal, I think it&#39;s one of the worst deals ever made.&quot;

But he declined to say whether he intended to &quot;renegotiate&quot; the deal, as he asserted regularly during the presidential campaign.

Obama insisted yesterday that despite US reservations about other actions by Iran - including its support for &quot;violent proxies&quot; and &quot;terrorist groups&quot; - Tehran was &quot;upholding its commitments, demonstrating the success of diplomacy.&quot;

Iran, he said, had &quot;reduced its uranium stockpile by 98 per cent and removed two-thirds of its centrifuges.&quot;

&quot;There is no question, however, that the challenges we face with Iran would be much worse if Iran were also on the threshold of building a nuclear weapon,&quot; Obama said.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who helped negotiate the deal, said the Iran agreement had &quot;resolved a major nuclear threat without firing a shot or sending a single soldier into combat.&quot;

&quot;It was endorsed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council and earned the support of more than 100 countries across the globe,&quot; he added.

For all of Trump&#39;s sharp criticism of Iran and the nuclear deal, the policy he will embrace once in office remains unclear.

One of his top cabinet nominees, retired Marine general James Mattis, said last week that if he is confirmed as defence secretary, he will support the nuclear deal.

&quot;When America gives her word,&quot; he told senators during his confirmation hearing, &quot;we have to live up to it and work with our allies.&quot;

The pact was signed in July 2015 by Iran and six major powers - the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany - and led to the lifting exactly a year ago of most international sanctions against Iran.&nbsp;

(AFP)

Such a diplomatic solution, he said, was 'far preferable to an unconstrained Iranian nuclear program or another war in the Middle East'

US President Barack Obama has marked the first anniversary of the nuclear deal with Iran by emphasising its "significant and concrete results" and warning against undoing a pact supported by the world's major powers. In language that seemed clearly directed at incoming president Donald Trump, who is set to take office on Friday, Obama said yesterday "the United States must remember that this agreement was the result of years of work, and represents an agreement between the world's major powers - not simply the United States and Iran." He said the deal had "achieved significant, concrete results in making the United States and the world a safer place" and "verifiably prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." Such a diplomatic solution, he added, was "far preferable to an unconstrained Iranian nuclear program or another war in the Middle East." Trump has often denounced the nuclear deal, and in a Sunday interview with The Times, London and Bild newspaper of Germany he continued his criticism, saying, "I'm not happy with the Iran deal, I think it's one of the worst deals ever made." But he declined to say whether he intended to "renegotiate" the deal, as he asserted regularly during the presidential campaign. Obama insisted yesterday that despite US reservations about other actions by Iran - including its support for "violent proxies" and "terrorist groups" - Tehran was "upholding its commitments, demonstrating the success of diplomacy." Iran, he said, had "reduced its uranium stockpile by 98 per cent and removed two-thirds of its centrifuges." "There is no question, however, that the challenges we face with Iran would be much worse if Iran were also on the threshold of building a nuclear weapon," Obama said. Secretary of State John Kerry, who helped negotiate the deal, said the Iran agreement had "resolved a major nuclear threat without firing a shot or sending a single soldier into combat." "It was endorsed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council and earned the support of more than 100 countries across the globe," he added. For all of Trump's sharp criticism of Iran and the nuclear deal, the policy he will embrace once in office remains unclear. One of his top cabinet nominees, retired Marine general James Mattis, said last week that if he is confirmed as defence secretary, he will support the nuclear deal. "When America gives her word," he told senators during his confirmation hearing, "we have to live up to it and work with our allies." The pact was signed in July 2015 by Iran and six major powers - the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany - and led to the lifting exactly a year ago of most international sanctions against Iran. (AFP)

On first anniversary, Obama warns Trump not to undo Iran nuclear deal

French President Francois Hollande replied bluntly on Monday to Donald Trump&#39;s criticism of the European Union, saying the EU &quot;has no need for outside advice&quot; on its affairs.

&quot;I say it here, Europe will always be willing to pursue transatlantic cooperation, but it will determine its path on the basis of its own interests and values,&quot; Hollande said at a ceremony in Paris for outgoing US ambassador Jane Hartley.

&quot;It has no need for outside advice to tell it what it has to do.&quot;

In a hard-hitting interview published on Sunday by The Times of London and Germany&#39;s Bild, the US president-elect praised Britain&#39;s vote to leave the EU and said Europe had been weakened by its policy on migrants.

He criticised as &quot;catastrophic&quot; Germany&#39;s decision to open its borders to Syrian refugees, hailed Brexit as &quot;a great thing&quot; and predicted other countries would follow Britain in leaving the EU.

&quot;(...) If refugees keep pouring into different parts of Europe... I think it&#39;s gonna be very hard to keep it together because people are angry about it,&quot; said Trump.

Trump also said NATO was &quot;obsolete, because it was designed many, many years ago... (and isn&#39;t) taking care of terror.&quot;

He also noted that only a small number of its 28 members met a commitment on levels of military spending.

Taking aim at Trump but without naming him, Hollande said relations between Europe and the United States &quot;have always been founded on in the same principles and values.

&quot;These values are called respect, mutual support at times of danger, but also commitment to democracy, the defence of freedoms, equality between men and women, the dignity of being a human being.&quot;

And, he added, the principle of offering asylum to those fleeing persecution was a core value shared in Europe and America too.

&#39;Obsolete&#39;

NATO &quot;will only become obsolete when threats become obsolete too,&quot; Hollande added tartly.

&quot;We are committed to our alliances, but we are also able to be self-sufficient strategically. This is what France has always defended, in the name of its independence, in total complementarity with NATO.&quot;

Separately, former French prime minister Manuel Valls said Trump&#39;s remarks amounted to a &quot;declaration of war on Europe,&quot; which the incoming US president &quot;quite simply suggests should break up.&quot;

&quot;Many people thought that Donald Trump, after his election, would calm down. But they forget that a populist may want to implement his programme,&quot; Valls told BFMTV news channel.

&quot;The only response to Donald Trump is European unity,&quot; said Valls.&nbsp;

&quot;Europe is far too divided but there is a joint awareness... we need a very strong response from Europe, France and Germany.&quot;

Valls, 54, quit Hollande&#39;s government last month to stand as a candidate in the Socialist Party&#39;s primary ahead presidential elections due in April.

He is struggling to garner support among grassroots Socialist voters over rightward shifts in policy he took during his two years and eight months in office.

(AFP)

Europe has been weakened by its policy on migrants, Trump had said, praising Britain's decision to leave the EU

French President Francois Hollande replied bluntly on Monday to Donald Trump's criticism of the European Union, saying the EU "has no need for outside advice" on its affairs. "I say it here, Europe will always be willing to pursue transatlantic cooperation, but it will determine its path on the basis of its own interests and values," Hollande said at a ceremony in Paris for outgoing US ambassador Jane Hartley. "It has no need for outside advice to tell it what it has to do." In a hard-hitting interview published on Sunday by The Times of London and Germany's Bild, the US president-elect praised Britain's vote to leave the EU and said Europe had been weakened by its policy on migrants. He criticised as "catastrophic" Germany's decision to open its borders to Syrian refugees, hailed Brexit as "a great thing" and predicted other countries would follow Britain in leaving the EU. "(...) If refugees keep pouring into different parts of Europe... I think it's gonna be very hard to keep it together because people are angry about it," said Trump. Trump also said NATO was "obsolete, because it was designed many, many years ago... (and isn't) taking care of terror." He also noted that only a small number of its 28 members met a commitment on levels of military spending. Taking aim at Trump but without naming him, Hollande said relations between Europe and the United States "have always been founded on in the same principles and values. "These values are called respect, mutual support at times of danger, but also commitment to democracy, the defence of freedoms, equality between men and women, the dignity of being a human being." And, he added, the principle of offering asylum to those fleeing persecution was a core value shared in Europe and America too. 'Obsolete' NATO "will only become obsolete when threats become obsolete too," Hollande added tartly. "We are committed to our alliances, but we are also able to be self-sufficient strategically. This is what France has always defended, in the name of its independence, in total complementarity with NATO." Separately, former French prime minister Manuel Valls said Trump's remarks amounted to a "declaration of war on Europe," which the incoming US president "quite simply suggests should break up." "Many people thought that Donald Trump, after his election, would calm down. But they forget that a populist may want to implement his programme," Valls told BFMTV news channel. "The only response to Donald Trump is European unity," said Valls. "Europe is far too divided but there is a joint awareness... we need a very strong response from Europe, France and Germany." Valls, 54, quit Hollande's government last month to stand as a candidate in the Socialist Party's primary ahead presidential elections due in April. He is struggling to garner support among grassroots Socialist voters over rightward shifts in policy he took during his two years and eight months in office. (AFP)

EU 'has no need for outside advice,' France's Hollande responds to Trump's criticism

Donald Trump&#39;s vice-president and top aides joined the US president-elect in criticising&nbsp;US Representative John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat,&nbsp;civil rights activist and lawmaker for questioning the legitimacy of his election win, opening up a new divide days before the inauguration.

US Representative John Lewis, told NBC&#39;s &quot;Meet the Press&quot; he thought hacking by Russians had helped Trump, a Republican, to get elected in November. Lewis said he does not plan to attend Trump&#39;s swearing in on Friday, the first time he would miss such an event since being elected to the House in 1986.

Vice-President-elect Mike Pence, incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Trump spokesman Sean Spicer characterised Lewis&#39; remarks as disappointing and damaging to the reputation of US democracy.

&quot;We honour the sacrifice that he made,&quot; Pence said on CBS&#39; &quot;Face the Nation.&quot; &quot;For someone of his stature not just in the civil rights movement but in voting rights to make a comment that he did not consider Donald Trump to be a legitimate president I think is deeply disappointing. I hope he reconsiders both statements.&quot;

Pence said he had attended both of President Barack Obama&#39;s inaugurations. He said at a time when the country was facing challenges both at home and abroad, Americans should look for ways to come together and work together. The 76-year-old Lewis, who has been a civil rights leader for more than half a century, was beaten by police during a march he helped lead in 1965 in Selma, Alabama, drawing attention to hurdles preventing blacks from voting. He protested alongside leader Martin Luther King Jr. that day and on other occasions. The spat comes ahead of Monday&#39;s federal holiday that honours King.

Speaking on ABC&#39;s &quot;This Week&quot;, Priebus said Lewis&#39; comments, given his position in society, were irresponsible. &quot;We need folks like John Lewis, and others who I think have been champions of voter rights, to actually recognise the fact that Donald Trump was duly elected,&quot; said Priebus. &quot;I think putting the United States down across the world is not something that a responsible person does.&quot;

Outgoing White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said Obama believed that Trump was the freely elected president. McDonough, however, said concerns raised by Lewis and other Democrats about Russia&#39;s interference in the election were not trivial.

&quot;My hope would be that the president-elect will reach out to...John Lewis, who has done so many things over the course of his life, to try to work this out,&quot; McDonough said on CNN&#39;s State of the Union. Such a gesture, he said, would show Americans that the nation is united and send a message to the Russians that &quot;their efforts to divide us, to weaken us, to advance their own interests, at the expense of ours, are going to fail.&quot;

Trump&#39;s aides defended his hard-hitting response on Twitter on Saturday that Lewis &quot;should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested),&quot; instead of complaining about the November 8 election results.

Lewis&#39; district encompasses Atlanta and the city&#39;s main newspaper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, told Trump he was &quot;wrong&quot; in his characterization of the area, which includes &quot;many of Atlanta&rsquo;s crown jewels as well as pockets of poverty.&quot;

&quot;It was John Lewis that attacked Donald Trump. Donald Trump has a right to respond to that, and he did. And forcefully,&quot; Spicer said on Fox News. But other Republicans and conservatives, like Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, had voiced support for Lewis on Saturday and his contribution not just to the United States, but to the world. At least 10 other Democratic politicians have said they also plan to skip the inauguration.

(Reuters)&nbsp;

Trump's top aides have joined in on criticism?of US Representative John Lewis for questioning the legitimacy of Trump's election victory

Donald Trump's vice-president and top aides joined the US president-elect in criticising US Representative John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, civil rights activist and lawmaker for questioning the legitimacy of his election win, opening up a new divide days before the inauguration. US Representative John Lewis, told NBC's "Meet the Press" he thought hacking by Russians had helped Trump, a Republican, to get elected in November. Lewis said he does not plan to attend Trump's swearing in on Friday, the first time he would miss such an event since being elected to the House in 1986. Vice-President-elect Mike Pence, incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Trump spokesman Sean Spicer characterised Lewis' remarks as disappointing and damaging to the reputation of US democracy. "We honour the sacrifice that he made," Pence said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "For someone of his stature not just in the civil rights movement but in voting rights to make a comment that he did not consider Donald Trump to be a legitimate president I think is deeply disappointing. I hope he reconsiders both statements." Pence said he had attended both of President Barack Obama's inaugurations. He said at a time when the country was facing challenges both at home and abroad, Americans should look for ways to come together and work together. The 76-year-old Lewis, who has been a civil rights leader for more than half a century, was beaten by police during a march he helped lead in 1965 in Selma, Alabama, drawing attention to hurdles preventing blacks from voting. He protested alongside leader Martin Luther King Jr. that day and on other occasions. The spat comes ahead of Monday's federal holiday that honours King. Speaking on ABC's "This Week", Priebus said Lewis' comments, given his position in society, were irresponsible. "We need folks like John Lewis, and others who I think have been champions of voter rights, to actually recognise the fact that Donald Trump was duly elected," said Priebus. "I think putting the United States down across the world is not something that a responsible person does." Outgoing White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said Obama believed that Trump was the freely elected president. McDonough, however, said concerns raised by Lewis and other Democrats about Russia's interference in the election were not trivial. "My hope would be that the president-elect will reach out to...John Lewis, who has done so many things over the course of his life, to try to work this out," McDonough said on CNN's State of the Union. Such a gesture, he said, would show Americans that the nation is united and send a message to the Russians that "their efforts to divide us, to weaken us, to advance their own interests, at the expense of ours, are going to fail." Trump's aides defended his hard-hitting response on Twitter on Saturday that Lewis "should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested)," instead of complaining about the November 8 election results. Lewis' district encompasses Atlanta and the city's main newspaper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, told Trump he was "wrong" in his characterization of the area, which includes "many of Atlanta’s crown jewels as well as pockets of poverty." "It was John Lewis that attacked Donald Trump. Donald Trump has a right to respond to that, and he did. And forcefully," Spicer said on Fox News. But other Republicans and conservatives, like Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, had voiced support for Lewis on Saturday and his contribution not just to the United States, but to the world. At least 10 other Democratic politicians have said they also plan to skip the inauguration. (Reuters)

Now, Trump's team slams John Lewis

US President-elect Donald Trump said that Brexit would turn out to be a great thing and other countries would follow Britain out of the European Union but promised to strike a swift bilateral trade deal with the United Kingdom.

Speaking in an interview with The Times of London newspaper five days before his inauguration, Trump described himself as a big fan of Britain and endorsed last year&#39;s vote to leave the European Union.

&quot;I think Brexit is going to end up being a great thing,&quot; Trump said. &quot;I&rsquo;ll tell you, the fact that your pound sterling has gone down? Great. Because business is unbelievable in a lot of parts in the UK.&quot; The June 23 vote took many investors and chief executives by surprise, triggering the deepest political and financial turmoil in Britain since World War II and the biggest ever one-day fall in sterling against the dollar.&nbsp;Sterling has since fallen further against the US&nbsp;dollar as traders, businesses and investors fret about the type of relationship Britain will have with its biggest single trading partner after it leaves the European Union.

Trump&#39;s election campaign seized on the Brexit vote as an example of disillusioned voters rising up against the political establishment, and he forged a friendship with leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage - a fierce critic of Prime Minister Theresa May.&nbsp;Trump&#39;s election has raised questions over the future of the so-called &#39;special relationship&#39; that has underpinned close British-American ties for decades.&nbsp;But in the Times&nbsp;interview Trump played up his ancestral ties to Britain, saying his Scottish mother was &quot;so proud&quot; of Queen Elizabeth, and said he was eager to get a trade deal done.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to work very hard to get it done quickly and done properly. Good for both sides,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;I will be meeting with May. She&rsquo;s requesting a meeting and we&rsquo;ll have a meeting right after I get into the White House. We&rsquo;re going to get something done very quickly.&rdquo;

However, he predicted that more countries would seek to follow Britain&#39;s example and quit the EU.

&quot;I believe others will leave,&quot; he said. &quot;If refugees keep pouring into different parts of Europe . . . I think it&rsquo;s going to&nbsp;be very hard to keep it together because people are angry about it.&quot;

He singled out German Chancellor Angela Merkel - whose open-door policies have allowed about 1.1 million refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere into Germany since mid-2015 - calling her immigration policy a catastrophic mistake.

US President-elect Donald Trump said other countries would follow Britain out of the European Union

US President-elect Donald Trump said that Brexit would turn out to be a great thing and other countries would follow Britain out of the European Union but promised to strike a swift bilateral trade deal with the United Kingdom. Speaking in an interview with The Times of London newspaper five days before his inauguration, Trump described himself as a big fan of Britain and endorsed last year's vote to leave the European Union. "I think Brexit is going to end up being a great thing," Trump said. "I’ll tell you, the fact that your pound sterling has gone down? Great. Because business is unbelievable in a lot of parts in the UK." The June 23 vote took many investors and chief executives by surprise, triggering the deepest political and financial turmoil in Britain since World War II and the biggest ever one-day fall in sterling against the dollar. Sterling has since fallen further against the US dollar as traders, businesses and investors fret about the type of relationship Britain will have with its biggest single trading partner after it leaves the European Union. Trump's election campaign seized on the Brexit vote as an example of disillusioned voters rising up against the political establishment, and he forged a friendship with leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage - a fierce critic of Prime Minister Theresa May. Trump's election has raised questions over the future of the so-called 'special relationship' that has underpinned close British-American ties for decades. But in the Times interview Trump played up his ancestral ties to Britain, saying his Scottish mother was "so proud" of Queen Elizabeth, and said he was eager to get a trade deal done. “We’re going to work very hard to get it done quickly and done properly. Good for both sides,” Trump said. “I will be meeting with May. She’s requesting a meeting and we’ll have a meeting right after I get into the White House. We’re going to get something done very quickly.” However, he predicted that more countries would seek to follow Britain's example and quit the EU. "I believe others will leave," he said. "If refugees keep pouring into different parts of Europe . . . I think it’s going to be very hard to keep it together because people are angry about it." He singled out German Chancellor Angela Merkel - whose open-door policies have allowed about 1.1 million refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere into Germany since mid-2015 - calling her immigration policy a catastrophic mistake.

Brexit a great thing, EU countries may follow Britain: Trump

Major powers will signal to US&nbsp;President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday that a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians is the only solution, with&nbsp;France&nbsp;warning him that plans to move the US&nbsp;Embassy to Jerusalem could derail peace efforts.

Some 70 countries, including key European and Arab states as well as the permanent members of the UN&nbsp;Security Council, are in Paris for a meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected as &quot;futile&quot;. Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians will be represented.

But, just five days before Trump is sworn in, the conference provides a platform for countries to send a strong signal to the incoming American president.

Trump has pledged to pursue more pro-Israeli policies and move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, where it has been for 68 years, to Jerusalem, all but enshrining the city as Israel&#39;s capital despite international objections.

Calling it a provocation,&nbsp;France&#39;s Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the move would have serious consequences on the ground.

&quot;One cannot have such a clear-cut, unilateral position. You have to create the conditions for peace,&quot; he told&nbsp;France&nbsp;3 television.

Paris has said the meeting will not impose anything on Israel or the Palestinians and that only direct negotiations can resolve the conflict.

A draft communique seen by Reuters reaffirms existing international resolutions, urges both sides to restate their commitment to the two-state solution and disavow officials who reject it. The communique asks the protagonists to &quot;refrain from unilateral steps that prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations&quot;.

Low point

Diplomats said the communique could be toughened up with an allusion to Trump&#39;s plans for Jerusalem and whether to have a follow-up to the French initiative intensely debated.

&quot;This conference is among the last twitches of the world of yesterday,&quot; Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday. &quot;Tomorrow will look different and that tomorrow is very close.&quot;

Relations between the United States and Israel have soured during President Barack Obama&#39;s administration, reaching a low point late last month when Washington declined to veto a U.N. resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements in occupied territory.

Obama&#39;s secretary of state, John Kerry, said the settlement programme threatened Middle East peace and the two-state solution.

Palestinian President Authority Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that he had told Trump that a move to Jerusalem would kill off the peace process and strip the U.S. of its role as honest broker - and could lead to the Palestinians going back on their recognition of Israel.

Home to Europe&#39;s largest Muslim and Jewish communities,&nbsp;France&nbsp;has tried to breathe new life into the peace process over the past year. It believes that, with the uncertainty surrounding how the next U.S. administration will handle the issue, it is important to push the sides back to talks rather than allowing a fragile status quo to fester.

But with elections coming up this year in&nbsp;France&nbsp;and Germany, and Britain appearing to align itself more closely with the Trump administration on the issue, the prospects of the European Union, the largest economic partner for both Israel and the Palestinians, taking a lead on the matter appear unlikely.

Arab states also have concerns about how Trump&#39;s relationship with them will turn out, and have taken a cautious line. 
 
(Reuters)

They will add, at the Paris Peace Conference, that a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians is the only way forward

Major powers will signal to US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday that a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians is the only solution, with France warning him that plans to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem could derail peace efforts. Some 70 countries, including key European and Arab states as well as the permanent members of the UN Security Council, are in Paris for a meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected as "futile". Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians will be represented. But, just five days before Trump is sworn in, the conference provides a platform for countries to send a strong signal to the incoming American president. Trump has pledged to pursue more pro-Israeli policies and move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, where it has been for 68 years, to Jerusalem, all but enshrining the city as Israel's capital despite international objections. Calling it a provocation, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the move would have serious consequences on the ground. "One cannot have such a clear-cut, unilateral position. You have to create the conditions for peace," he told France 3 television. Paris has said the meeting will not impose anything on Israel or the Palestinians and that only direct negotiations can resolve the conflict. A draft communique seen by Reuters reaffirms existing international resolutions, urges both sides to restate their commitment to the two-state solution and disavow officials who reject it. The communique asks the protagonists to "refrain from unilateral steps that prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations". Low point Diplomats said the communique could be toughened up with an allusion to Trump's plans for Jerusalem and whether to have a follow-up to the French initiative intensely debated. "This conference is among the last twitches of the world of yesterday," Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday. "Tomorrow will look different and that tomorrow is very close." Relations between the United States and Israel have soured during President Barack Obama's administration, reaching a low point late last month when Washington declined to veto a U.N. resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements in occupied territory. Obama's secretary of state, John Kerry, said the settlement programme threatened Middle East peace and the two-state solution. Palestinian President Authority Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that he had told Trump that a move to Jerusalem would kill off the peace process and strip the U.S. of its role as honest broker - and could lead to the Palestinians going back on their recognition of Israel. Home to Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish communities, France has tried to breathe new life into the peace process over the past year. It believes that, with the uncertainty surrounding how the next U.S. administration will handle the issue, it is important to push the sides back to talks rather than allowing a fragile status quo to fester. But with elections coming up this year in France and Germany, and Britain appearing to align itself more closely with the Trump administration on the issue, the prospects of the European Union, the largest economic partner for both Israel and the Palestinians, taking a lead on the matter appear unlikely. Arab states also have concerns about how Trump's relationship with them will turn out, and have taken a cautious line. (Reuters)

World leaders to warn Trump against moving US embassy to Jerusalem

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Sunday that if US President-elect Donald Trump moves the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem it would have &quot;extremely serious consequences&quot;.

Speaking as 70 countries gather in Paris to try to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, Ayrault told French TV he believed Trump would find it &quot;impossible&quot; to fulfil the pledge he made during his campaign to transfer the embassy.

&quot;When you are president of the United States, you cannot take such a stubborn and such a unilateral view on this issue. You have to try to create the conditions for peace,&quot; Ayrault said.

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas warned Saturday that peace could be dealt a mortal blow if Trump, who has vowed unstinting support for Israel, moves the embassy to Jerusalem.

Doing so would reverse decades of US policy that has until now maintained that the final status of Jerusalem &mdash; whose eastern and largely Arab side has been occupied by Israel since 1967 &mdash; should be determined in peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

The Paris meeting is mainly symbolic, but comes at a crucial juncture for the Middle East, five days before Trump is sworn in as US president.

(AFP)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that as US president, Trump could not take such a 'stubborn and unilateral view' on the matter

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Sunday that if US President-elect Donald Trump moves the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem it would have "extremely serious consequences". Speaking as 70 countries gather in Paris to try to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, Ayrault told French TV he believed Trump would find it "impossible" to fulfil the pledge he made during his campaign to transfer the embassy. "When you are president of the United States, you cannot take such a stubborn and such a unilateral view on this issue. You have to try to create the conditions for peace," Ayrault said. Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas warned Saturday that peace could be dealt a mortal blow if Trump, who has vowed unstinting support for Israel, moves the embassy to Jerusalem. Doing so would reverse decades of US policy that has until now maintained that the final status of Jerusalem — whose eastern and largely Arab side has been occupied by Israel since 1967 — should be determined in peace negotiations with the Palestinians. The Paris meeting is mainly symbolic, but comes at a crucial juncture for the Middle East, five days before Trump is sworn in as US president. (AFP)

France warns Trump of 'serious consequences' if US embassy moves to Jerusalem

Chancellor Angela Merkel made a &quot;catastrophic mistake&quot; in letting migrants flood into Germany, US President-elect Donald Trump said in a newspaper interview on Sunday.

He blamed the refugee crisis for being the &quot;straw that broke the camel&#39;s back&quot; and triggered Britain&#39;s vote last year to leave the European Union.

&quot;I think she made one very catastrophic mistake and that was taking all of these illegals, you know, taking all of the people from wherever they come from,&quot; Trump said in an interview with The Times of London and Germany&#39;s Bild, adding he had &quot;great respect&quot; for the chancellor.

Some 890,000 migrants, many of them fleeing war in Syria, entered Germany in 2015 after Merkel opened her country&#39;s doors in response to massive pressure on countries along the so-called &quot;Balkan route&quot; into western Europe.

The mass arrivals prompted an initial mass outpouring of support, but fear about the consequences has also driven anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany to between 10 and 15 per cent in polls.

One MP deserted Merkel&#39;s centre-right Christian Democratic Union this weekend over her refugee policy, as the Chancellor tees up a re-election bid later this year.

Trump said that he would start out &quot;trusting both&quot; Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

&quot;Let&#39;s see how long that lasts, may not last long at all,&quot; he went on.

While he allowed that Merkel was a &quot;fantastic leader,&quot; the Republican said that Germany had &quot;got a clear impression&quot; of the consequences of her policy from a deadly December 19 terrorist attack in Berlin in which a hijacked truck was used to mow down Christmas market patrons, killing 12.

Berlin suspect Anis Amri, a Tunisian national, entered Europe via Italy in 2011 and served a four-year prison sentence there before allegedly carrying out the attack.

Trump also argued that the mass arrivals in 2015 were &quot;the final straw that broke the camel&#39;s back&quot; in convincing British voters to back leaving the European Union in a June 24 referendum.

Pro-Leave campaigners warned in the wake of the crisis that refugees would flood into the UK, producing a poster showing a crowd of Middle Eastern men under the words &quot;Breaking Point&quot;.

Britons were wise to choose to leave the 28-member union, Trump said, arguing that it was a &quot;basically a vehicle for Germany.&quot;

&quot;Other countries will leave&quot; the European Union in future, Trump prophesied

(AFP)

He blamed the refugee crisis for being the 'straw that broke the camel's back' and triggered Britain's vote to leave the EU

Chancellor Angela Merkel made a "catastrophic mistake" in letting migrants flood into Germany, US President-elect Donald Trump said in a newspaper interview on Sunday. He blamed the refugee crisis for being the "straw that broke the camel's back" and triggered Britain's vote last year to leave the European Union. "I think she made one very catastrophic mistake and that was taking all of these illegals, you know, taking all of the people from wherever they come from," Trump said in an interview with The Times of London and Germany's Bild, adding he had "great respect" for the chancellor. Some 890,000 migrants, many of them fleeing war in Syria, entered Germany in 2015 after Merkel opened her country's doors in response to massive pressure on countries along the so-called "Balkan route" into western Europe. The mass arrivals prompted an initial mass outpouring of support, but fear about the consequences has also driven anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany to between 10 and 15 per cent in polls. One MP deserted Merkel's centre-right Christian Democratic Union this weekend over her refugee policy, as the Chancellor tees up a re-election bid later this year. Trump said that he would start out "trusting both" Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Let's see how long that lasts, may not last long at all," he went on. While he allowed that Merkel was a "fantastic leader," the Republican said that Germany had "got a clear impression" of the consequences of her policy from a deadly December 19 terrorist attack in Berlin in which a hijacked truck was used to mow down Christmas market patrons, killing 12. Berlin suspect Anis Amri, a Tunisian national, entered Europe via Italy in 2011 and served a four-year prison sentence there before allegedly carrying out the attack. Trump also argued that the mass arrivals in 2015 were "the final straw that broke the camel's back" in convincing British voters to back leaving the European Union in a June 24 referendum. Pro-Leave campaigners warned in the wake of the crisis that refugees would flood into the UK, producing a poster showing a crowd of Middle Eastern men under the words "Breaking Point". Britons were wise to choose to leave the 28-member union, Trump said, arguing that it was a "basically a vehicle for Germany." "Other countries will leave" the European Union in future, Trump prophesied (AFP)

Donald Trump: Merkel made 'catastrophic mistake' by letting migrants in

Allegations of Russian interference in US politics cast a shadow over inaugural preparations on Sunday, with the CIA chief warning that President-elect Donald Trump must tamp down his shoot-from-the-hip style to protect national security.&nbsp;

John Brennan&#39;s warning to the incoming Republican president -&nbsp;just days before Friday&#39;s inauguration -&nbsp;came as senators launched a bipartisan probe into Moscow&#39;s alleged meddling in the 2016 election.

&quot;I don&#39;t think he has a full appreciation of Russian capabilities, Russia&#39;s intentions and actions,&quot; ?Brennan said of Trump on Fox News Sunday.&nbsp;

Trump has been effusive in his praise of Vladimir Putin and said in a news conference last week that if the Russian leader &quot;likes&quot; him it would be an &quot;asset&quot; to help repair the strained US-Russian relationship.

&quot;I think Mr. Trump has to be very disciplined in terms of what it is that he says publicly,&quot; Brennan said. &quot;He is going to be, in a few days&#39; time, the most powerful person in the world, in terms of sitting on top of the United States government and I think he has to recognise that his words do have impact.&quot;

&quot;This is more than being about him, it&#39;s about the United States and national security... he&#39;s going to have the opportunity to do something for national security as opposed to talking and tweeting,&quot; he said.

&quot;Spontaneity is not something that protects national security interests, so therefore, when he speaks, when he reacts, he has to make sure he understands that the implications and impact on the United States could be profound.&quot;

&#39;A sophisticated effort&#39;

US intelligence agencies allege that Putin ordered a covert effort to interfere in the election to boost Trump, 70, and harm his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Incoming Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday dismissed notions that the Trump team and the Kremlin had made contact during the 2016 race.

&quot;This is all a distraction,&quot; he said on NBC&#39;s Meet the Press. &quot;It&#39;s all part of a narrative to delegitimize the election and to question the legitimacy of his presidency.&quot;

A report from the Director of National Intelligence released this month said hackers working for Russia penetrated Democratic Party computers and accounts to release files embarrassing to Clinton, and also conducted a campaign of media manipulation with the same aim.

Asked whether she believed Russian efforts impacted the election&#39;s outcome, Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California -- vice chair of the Senate committee launching the bipartisan probe into the matter -- told NBC &quot;that&#39;s what I believe.&quot;

&quot;I have had all of the major classified briefings. I have been astonished at what has been a two-year effort at Russia to spearfish, to hack, to provide disinformation, propaganda, wherever it really could,&quot; the senator said.

&quot;I think it has been a very sophisticated effort.&quot;

&#39;Salacious allegations&#39;

Speculation was also swirling around an unproven dossier compiled by a former British MI6 intelligence agent, which alleged close ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and also said Moscow had compromising video of Trump.

The fact that intelligence agencies had briefed the president-elect on the dossier -- which was later published online by BuzzFeed -- lent the allegations credence, but Brennan said the intelligence community was only &quot;making sure that the president-elect was aware that it was circulating.&quot;

&quot;I think there are some very salacious allegations in there -- again, unsubstantiated,&quot; he said, adding it was &quot;a responsibility in the minds of the intelligence directors&quot; to inform Trump as well as the Obama White House of the report.

Brennan bristled at Trump&#39;s likening of the US intelligence community to Nazi Germany, a comparison the president-elect made last week in a tweet after &nbsp;suggesting it was those agencies that had leaked the report.

&quot;What I do find outrageous is equating the intelligence community with Nazi Germany,&quot; the outgoing spy chief said of Trump&#39;s outburst. &quot;I do take great umbrage at that.&quot;

Speaking earlier Sunday on CBS, Pence blamed the scandal on &quot;media bias.&quot;

That some news organizations &quot;actually trafficked in a memo that was produced as opposition research and associated that with intelligence efforts -- I think that could only be attributed to media bias,&quot; the vice president-elect said.&nbsp;

(AFP)

Trump said last week that if the Russian leader 'likes' him it would be an 'asset' to help repair the strained US-Russian relationship

Allegations of Russian interference in US politics cast a shadow over inaugural preparations on Sunday, with the CIA chief warning that President-elect Donald Trump must tamp down his shoot-from-the-hip style to protect national security. John Brennan's warning to the incoming Republican president - just days before Friday's inauguration - came as senators launched a bipartisan probe into Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 election. "I don't think he has a full appreciation of Russian capabilities, Russia's intentions and actions," ?Brennan said of Trump on Fox News Sunday. Trump has been effusive in his praise of Vladimir Putin and said in a news conference last week that if the Russian leader "likes" him it would be an "asset" to help repair the strained US-Russian relationship. "I think Mr. Trump has to be very disciplined in terms of what it is that he says publicly," Brennan said. "He is going to be, in a few days' time, the most powerful person in the world, in terms of sitting on top of the United States government and I think he has to recognise that his words do have impact." "This is more than being about him, it's about the United States and national security... he's going to have the opportunity to do something for national security as opposed to talking and tweeting," he said. "Spontaneity is not something that protects national security interests, so therefore, when he speaks, when he reacts, he has to make sure he understands that the implications and impact on the United States could be profound." 'A sophisticated effort' US intelligence agencies allege that Putin ordered a covert effort to interfere in the election to boost Trump, 70, and harm his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton. Incoming Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday dismissed notions that the Trump team and the Kremlin had made contact during the 2016 race. "This is all a distraction," he said on NBC's Meet the Press. "It's all part of a narrative to delegitimize the election and to question the legitimacy of his presidency." A report from the Director of National Intelligence released this month said hackers working for Russia penetrated Democratic Party computers and accounts to release files embarrassing to Clinton, and also conducted a campaign of media manipulation with the same aim. Asked whether she believed Russian efforts impacted the election's outcome, Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California -- vice chair of the Senate committee launching the bipartisan probe into the matter -- told NBC "that's what I believe." "I have had all of the major classified briefings. I have been astonished at what has been a two-year effort at Russia to spearfish, to hack, to provide disinformation, propaganda, wherever it really could," the senator said. "I think it has been a very sophisticated effort." 'Salacious allegations' Speculation was also swirling around an unproven dossier compiled by a former British MI6 intelligence agent, which alleged close ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and also said Moscow had compromising video of Trump. The fact that intelligence agencies had briefed the president-elect on the dossier -- which was later published online by BuzzFeed -- lent the allegations credence, but Brennan said the intelligence community was only "making sure that the president-elect was aware that it was circulating." "I think there are some very salacious allegations in there -- again, unsubstantiated," he said, adding it was "a responsibility in the minds of the intelligence directors" to inform Trump as well as the Obama White House of the report. Brennan bristled at Trump's likening of the US intelligence community to Nazi Germany, a comparison the president-elect made last week in a tweet after suggesting it was those agencies that had leaked the report. "What I do find outrageous is equating the intelligence community with Nazi Germany," the outgoing spy chief said of Trump's outburst. "I do take great umbrage at that." Speaking earlier Sunday on CBS, Pence blamed the scandal on "media bias." That some news organizations "actually trafficked in a memo that was produced as opposition research and associated that with intelligence efforts -- I think that could only be attributed to media bias," the vice president-elect said. (AFP)

US: CIA chief urges Trump to temper impulses amid Russia claims

President-elect Donald Trump&#39;s impending move to the White House is a huge challenge for comedians, according to &quot;Freaks and Geeks&quot; producer Judd Apatow, a humorist himself.

&quot;It&#39;s hard to be super funny about it because we all feel we might die,&quot; Apatow said during a panel with journalists about the new HBO series &quot;Crashing&quot; he created with stand-up comic Pete Holmes.

&quot;Donald Trump can&#39;t resist lashing out at Meryl Streep. He&#39;s not strong enough to think &#39;I look like a leader by not responding,&#39;&quot; added the &quot;Girls&quot; series producer.

Trump called celebrated actress Streep a &quot;Hillary flunky&quot; and &quot;one of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood&quot; after she berated Trump without ever naming him for his divisive rhetoric as she received a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes in Los Angeles last week.

&quot;There are some real situations where he needs to be more thoughtful and quiet, and that&#39;s what you can&#39;t joke about,&quot; Apatow said.

He was speaking at an event during the annual Television Critics Association press tour.

&quot;A lot of our concerns come from (the fact that) he doesn&#39;t laugh,&quot; said Apatow, 49.

&quot;Laughing shows you&#39;re connecting, you&#39;re listening and understanding. Someone who doesn&#39;t laugh, who doesn&#39;t enjoy that connection is deeply troubling.&quot;

The US entertainment industry broadly supported Trump&#39;s Democratic opponent Clinton, with many stars publicly endorsing her White House run and pumping millions of dollars into her campaign war chest.

(AFP)

Judd was speaking at an event during the annual Television Critics Association press tour

President-elect Donald Trump's impending move to the White House is a huge challenge for comedians, according to "Freaks and Geeks" producer Judd Apatow, a humorist himself. "It's hard to be super funny about it because we all feel we might die," Apatow said during a panel with journalists about the new HBO series "Crashing" he created with stand-up comic Pete Holmes. "Donald Trump can't resist lashing out at Meryl Streep. He's not strong enough to think 'I look like a leader by not responding,'" added the "Girls" series producer. Trump called celebrated actress Streep a "Hillary flunky" and "one of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood" after she berated Trump without ever naming him for his divisive rhetoric as she received a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes in Los Angeles last week. "There are some real situations where he needs to be more thoughtful and quiet, and that's what you can't joke about," Apatow said. He was speaking at an event during the annual Television Critics Association press tour. "A lot of our concerns come from (the fact that) he doesn't laugh," said Apatow, 49. "Laughing shows you're connecting, you're listening and understanding. Someone who doesn't laugh, who doesn't enjoy that connection is deeply troubling." The US entertainment industry broadly supported Trump's Democratic opponent Clinton, with many stars publicly endorsing her White House run and pumping millions of dollars into her campaign war chest. (AFP)

Trump's lack of humour is of concern, says comedy king Judd Apatow

US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday hit back at civil rights leader and politician John Lewis who had said that he did not see Trump as a &quot;legitimate president&quot;.

Trump tweeted Lewis should focus more on &quot;fixing and helping his district&quot; and not make false complaints about election results.

&quot;All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!&quot; Trump tweeted.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to......
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/820251730407473153">January 14, 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">
mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/820255947956383744">January 14, 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;

In a segment of &quot;Meet the Press&quot; released by NBC on Friday, Lewis said he believed Russians helped Trump in his Nov.8 election victory. He also said that he would not be attending the Jan.20 inaugration, missing it for the first time since he was elected to the House in 1896.

&quot;I believe in forgiveness,&quot; Lewis said in the segment about Trump. &quot;I believe in trying to work with people,&quot; Lewis said. &quot;It&rsquo;s going to be very difficult. I don&rsquo;t see this president-elect as a legitimate president.&quot;

&quot;I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton,&quot; he told the network

&quot;You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong.&quot;

The democratic representative has been a civil rights leader for more than half a century whose districts include Atlanta and surrounding areas.

Trump&#39;s verbal attacks come just days before the holiday honouring civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. Reuters reported that Lewis had protested alongside King in 1963. He was beaten by police during a march he led in 1965 in Selma, Alabama. The day later became knows as &quot;Bloody Sunday&quot;.

At least 2,000 people marched against Trump to a park near the monument to King in Washington on Saturday.

Some chanted, &quot;We will not be Trumped.&quot;

&quot;We won&#39;t go back,&quot; said civil rights leader Al Sharpton, calling on marchers to fight to defend the accomplishments of Barack Obama&#39;s eight years in the White House, reported AFP.

&quot;We want this nation to understand what has been fought for and gained,&quot; he added. &quot;You are going to need more than one election to turn it around.&quot;

Trump&#39;s swearing-in ceremony at the US Capitol next Friday will be boycotted by at least 16 House democrats in an act of political protest.

Several Republicans have&nbsp;criticised Trump&#39;s tweet.

Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska tweeted that &quot;John Lewis and his &#39;talk&#39; have changed the world.&quot;

Neoconservative critic Bill Kristol tweeted &quot;It&#39;s telling, I&#39;m afraid, that Donald Trump treats (Russian President) Vladimir Putin with more respect than he does John Lewis.&quot;

US intelligence organisations believe Russians manipulated the presidential elections in Trumps&#39;s favour. They have also accused Russia of cyberattacks.

Trump has admitted to Russian interference but denied it helped him in defeating rival Hillary Clinton.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

'I don?t see this president-elect as a legitimate president,' Lewis had said on Friday

US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday hit back at civil rights leader and politician John Lewis who had said that he did not see Trump as a "legitimate president". Trump tweeted Lewis should focus more on "fixing and helping his district" and not make false complaints about election results. "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!" Trump tweeted. Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to...... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017 × mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017 × In a segment of "Meet the Press" released by NBC on Friday, Lewis said he believed Russians helped Trump in his Nov.8 election victory. He also said that he would not be attending the Jan.20 inaugration, missing it for the first time since he was elected to the House in 1896. "I believe in forgiveness," Lewis said in the segment about Trump. "I believe in trying to work with people," Lewis said. "It’s going to be very difficult. I don’t see this president-elect as a legitimate president." "I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton," he told the network "You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong." The democratic representative has been a civil rights leader for more than half a century whose districts include Atlanta and surrounding areas. Trump's verbal attacks come just days before the holiday honouring civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. Reuters reported that Lewis had protested alongside King in 1963. He was beaten by police during a march he led in 1965 in Selma, Alabama. The day later became knows as "Bloody Sunday". At least 2,000 people marched against Trump to a park near the monument to King in Washington on Saturday. Some chanted, "We will not be Trumped." "We won't go back," said civil rights leader Al Sharpton, calling on marchers to fight to defend the accomplishments of Barack Obama's eight years in the White House, reported AFP. "We want this nation to understand what has been fought for and gained," he added. "You are going to need more than one election to turn it around." Trump's swearing-in ceremony at the US Capitol next Friday will be boycotted by at least 16 House democrats in an act of political protest. Several Republicans have criticised Trump's tweet. Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska tweeted that "John Lewis and his 'talk' have changed the world." Neoconservative critic Bill Kristol tweeted "It's telling, I'm afraid, that Donald Trump treats (Russian President) Vladimir Putin with more respect than he does John Lewis." US intelligence organisations believe Russians manipulated the presidential elections in Trumps's favour. They have also accused Russia of cyberattacks. Trump has admitted to Russian interference but denied it helped him in defeating rival Hillary Clinton. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump slams civil rights icon John Lewis

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