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Trump

President Trump Just Donated His Salary to the Education Department. Here’s How Much He Wants to Cut From It

by Loknath Das April 5, 2024

written by Loknath Das

Image result for President Trump Just Donated His Salary to the Education Department. Here's How Much He Wants to Cut From It

Before he entered the Oval Office in January,Donald Trump pledged to donate his yearly salary of $400,000 that he earns serving as President of the United States.

Fulfilling that promise for the second time this year, Trump donated his second-quarter salary of $100,000 to the Department of Education on Wednesday to help fund a STEM camp, which teaches young students about science, technology, engineering and math.

But the gift is just a small fraction of what the department would lose under Trump’s proposed budget. Though Trump’s 2018 budget will not be enacted without congressional approval, his proposal would cut the education department’s spending by $9.2 billion — or about 13.5% — which would include significant slashes to student loan programs.

A similar situation occurred in April when Trump donated his first-quarter salary to the Department of Interior, which stands to lose 12%, of about $1.6 billion, of its funding under Trump’s proposed budget. His $78,333.32 gift back then is helping fund the National Park Service’s battlefield preservation efforts, which is currently $229 million behind in deferred maintenance costs.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos released a statement Wednesday thanking Trump for his donation, lauding “his commitment to our nation’s students and to reforming education in America so that every child, no matter their ZIP code, has access to a high quality education.”

“We want to encourage as many children as possible to explore STEM fields in the hope that many develop a passion for these fields,” she added.

It is unclear what the STEM camp will look like, but DeVos mentioned a reading event she hosted with Trump’s daughter Ivanka, special assistant to the president, at a Smithsonian museum in Washington D.C. aimed at encouraging young girls to learn more about STEM subjects.

Representatives from the White House and the Department of Education did not immediately respond to request for comment.

[“Source-time”]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

Internet

NO, DONALD TRUMP ISN’T CALLING FOR AN INTERNET TAX

by Loknath Das April 5, 2024

written by Loknath Das

EARLIER THIS MORNING, Donald Trump tweeted that “the #AmazonWashingtonPost, sometimes referred to as the guardian of Amazon not paying internet taxes (which they should) is FAKE NEWS!” The tweet may sound both shrill and incoherent (as usual), but it doesn’t mean what the internet seemingly wants it to.

Specifically, the tweet prompted cries of alarm over Trump’s apparent, newly proposed “internet tax:”

If we break it down, though, we’ll see a much more logical read. Trump is, once again, mad at The Washington Post, this time for yesterday’s story revealing that five different Trump properties displayed the same forged Time magazine cover. And when Trump wants to lash out at someone or something, he tends to stick to the same lines of attack. As we’ve seen with “biased” and “sleepy eyes Chuck Todd” or the ugly, bird-killing wind turbines that threaten Trump properties’ beautiful views, he wields redundancy like a dull cudgel.

In this case, Trump has long targeted Amazon (or more specifically, Jeff Bezos) over taxes. A little more than a year ago, then-candidate Donald Trump claimed on TV that “Amazon is getting away with murder tax-wise. [Jeff Bezos is] using the Washington Post for power so that the politicians in Washington don’t tax Amazon like they should be taxed.” And nearly six months before that, Trump tweeted that “the @washingtonpost, which loses a fortune, is owned by @JeffBezos for purposes of keeping taxes down at his no profit company, @amazon.” So, he’s been beating this drum for awhile. The only difference is that this time, he’s explicitly incorrect.

As of this past April, Amazon has collected a sales tax in every state that uses one (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon don’t). Amazon certainly tried to keep online purchases tax-free in the past, and it did give the company a major advantage over brick-and-mortar stores. But as distribution centers expanded into more states, Amazon gave up its fight, and now officially collects sales tax just like any other physical store might—or as Trump confusingly refers to it, “internet taxes.”

That last part understandably seems to be tripping people up. Their mistake is the assumption that any of the words Trump uses hold any traditional sort of “meaning” or “intent.” Trump’s never been one to choose his words carefully. Take this excerpt from his April interview with the Associated Press, for instance:

They had a quote from me that NATO’s obsolete. But they didn’t say why it was obsolete. I was on Wolf Blitzer, very fair interview, the first time I was ever asked about NATO, because I wasn’t in government. People don’t go around asking about NATO if I’m building a building in Manhattan, right? So they asked me, Wolf … asked me about NATO, and I said two things. NATO’s obsolete—not knowing much about NATO, now I know a lot about NATO—NATO is obsolete, and I said, “And the reason it’s obsolete is because of the fact they don’t focus on terrorism.” You know, back when they did NATO there was no such thing as terrorism.

The words he chose and the order he put them in amount to little more than a verbal Rorschach test for whoever happens to be listening. It could mean anything. It probably means nothing.

And even with the generous assumption that Donald Trump meant exactly what he said, that somehow he wanted to create a tax for the internet, his tweet becomes even more nonsensical. According to Lily Batchelder, a Professor of Law and Public Policy at the NYU School of Law, “It’s hard to know what he means when he refers to an internet tax. Usually ‘internet tax’ refers to whether internet service providers should be taxed and, to my knowledge, Amazon is not in this industry.”

Instead, we must look to Josh Marshall’s “Trump’s razor” theory: The stupidest explanation is almost certainly the correct one. In reality, research shows that Donald Trump uses an extremely limited vocabulary, and almost all those words consist of two syllables or fewer. Trump’s inability to express his thoughts can frustrate both himself and those around him. Combine that with Twitter’s 140-character hard stop, and you’ve got a pretty limited ability to communicate.

It’s important not to try to read into that vagueness. If anything, the safer assumption is that Trump doesn’t know, or care to know, the particulars of any given situation. Just yesterday, the New York Times wrote that a senator who met with Trump regarding the health care bill left the meeting “with a sense that the president did not have a grasp of some basic elements of the Senate plan—and seemed especially confused when a moderate Republican complained that opponents of the bill would cast it as a massive tax break for the wealthy, according to an aide who received a detailed readout of the exchange. Mr. Trump said he planned to tackle tax reform later, ignoring the repeal’s tax implications, the staff member added.” Clearly, Trump will weigh in on issues regardless of whether he actually understands them.

To parse meaning from anything Trump says, look at both the current context and past statements on the same topic. In this case, Trump clearly just reverts to a previous line of argument, albeit in a muddied, roundabout way. Unfortunately, the core argument doesn’t hold true anymore. But of course, that’s never stopped him before.

[“Source-wired”]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

Tech Update

Hopes rise Trump will modernize feds’ technology

by Loknath Das April 5, 2024

written by Loknath Das

Hopes rise Trump will modernize feds' technology

Tech groups are hopeful the Trump administration will do more to modernize the government’s technology systems on the heels of a new executive order on cybersecurity.

President Trump’s cyber order provides new steps for agencies to boost their security and counter digital threats, and was well received by industry groups.

Experts still caution that the cybersecurity changes won’t be effective unless the government gets rid of outdated computer systems, which are more vulnerable to security threats.

Tommy Ross a policy analyst at the Business Software Alliance (BSA) a D.C. trade group representing tech companies called “new resources” for updating the government’s IT “necessary.”

The order touches on modernizing technology, but observers said they wanted to see a more concrete plan.

The industry, though, is hopeful the president and lawmakers are poised for a breakthrough.

It’s a problem that already has the attention of Congress, where Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), has introduced the Modernizing Government Technology Act.

“A move towards modern technologies can keep our information and digital infrastructure secure from cyberattacks, while saving billions of taxpayer dollars,” Hurd said in a statement introducing a new version of his bill earlier this year.

The bill has bipartisan support and tech industry experts are also rallying behind it.

After Trump’s cyber order on Thursday, the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), a Washington, D.C.-based trade group that represents companies Apple, Google and Microsoft, called on lawmakers to advance Hurd’s bill.

“Adequately strengthening cybersecurity will also depend on the federal government’s efforts to prioritize modernizing its aging and vulnerable information technology (IT) and pledged to continue to work with the administration and Congress on initiatives such as the bipartisan Modernizing Government Technology Act (MGT Act),” ITI wrote in a statement.

“The single biggest opportunity facing the new administration is modernization, which requires smart investments in security technologies that can help government agencies understand and reduce their cyber risk,” agreed Amit Yoran, chief executive of Tenable Security.

Supporters say they have a strong case for bringing the government’s technology into the 21st century. Efforts to improve cybersecurity won’t amount to much they say if the computers, servers, networks and other technology in operation are fundamentally insecure.

Patrick Morley, CEO of Carbon Black, a Massachusetts cybersecurity company, likened it to having an alarm system and security camera for a home, but failing to lock doors and windows.

“What IT and security needs is to work hand in hand,” Morley said. “If the two aren’t connected tightly it’s not going to work. You need to be doing both things in conjunction.”

[Source”cnbc”]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

News Update

First daughter Ivanka Trump gets West Wing office

by Loknath Das April 5, 2024

written by Loknath Das

Ivanka Trump greets patrons as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, left, looks on before the start of the Broadway musical "Come From Away" in New York Wednesday, March 15, 2017

President Trump’s daughter Ivanka will maintain a West Wing office, though she is not technically serving as a government employee and will not receive a salary, a senior White House official tells Fox News.

Since Trump took office, Ivanka has been a visible presence in the White House, where her husband, Jared Kushner, already serves as a senior adviser. On Friday, she participated in a meeting on vocational training with the president and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Jamie Gorelick, an attorney and ethics adviser for Ivanka Trump, told the Associated Press Monday that the first daughter will not have an official title, but will get a West Wing office, government-issued communications devices and security clearance to access classified information. Gorelick said Ivanka Trump would follow the ethics rules that apply to government employees.

“Our view is that the conservative approach is for Ivanka to voluntarily comply with the rules that would apply if she were a government employee, even though she is not,” said Gorelick, who also helped Kushner with the legal strategy that led to his White House appointment. “The White House Counsel’s Office agrees with that approach.”

Ivanka Trump’s role has already come under scrutiny because there is little precedent for a member of the first family with this kind of influence. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A person with knowledge of Ivanka Trump’s thinking, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations, said she believes she can offer more independent perspective to her father by not serving as a White House staffer.

A popular surrogate for her father on the campaign trail, Ivanka Trump moved her young family to Washington at the start of the administration and signaled plans to work on economic issues, like maternity leave and child care. In a statement, she said: “I will continue to offer my father my candid advice and counsel, as I have for my entire life.”

Federal anti-nepotism laws prevent relatives from being appointed to government positions. But the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel recently said the president’s “special hiring authority” allowed him to appoint Kushner to the West Wing staff. Gorelick noted the office also made clear that the president could consult family members as private citizens, arguing that this is what Ivanka Trump will be doing.

The first daughter has sought to distance herself from the Trump Organization and her lifestyle brand, which offers shoes, clothing and jewelry. She has removed herself from executive roles and will have a more hands-off approach to the brand — though she will still get certain information and will have the power to veto new deals if they raise ethical red flags.

Richard Painter, a University of Minnesota law professor who served as President George W. Bush’s chief White House lawyer on ethics, said that Ivanka Trump is effectively working as a White House employee. He said that “means that she, like her husband, has to follow the rules. It’s not a huge deal if she stays out of things that affect her financial interests.”

Painter said that means Trump should avoid anything to do with foreign trade with countries where her products are made, as well as recuse herself from real estate matters, given Kushner’s family real estate business.

Trump says she will follow ethics rules and some of her financial information will be included in Kushner’s official disclosures. She would have to disclose additional financial information if she were in a senior White House role, said Painter. That could include more details about her lifestyle brand, including her contracts and income.

Attorney Andrew Herman, who has advised lawmakers on ethics issues, said he thought the administration should make her role official. He said: “I think the right way to do that is to make her a special government employee. But that implicates all kind of formal and disclosure issues.”

Ivanka Trump continues to own her brand. But she has handed daily management to the company president and has set up a trust to provide further oversight. The business cannot make deals with any foreign state, and the trustees will confer with Gorelick over any new agreements. Ivanka Trump will also be able to veto proposed new transactions.

Ivanka Trump has also barred the business from using her image to promote the products in advertising or marketing.

To be sure, the trustees are in the family — her husband’s siblings Joshua Kushner and Nicole Meyer. But Gorelick said the goal of the trust wasn’t to shield Trump from everything, but to remove her from the day-to-day operations. She also acknowledged that the arrangement did not eliminate conflicts, but she said Trump is trying to minimize them and will recuse herself from any administration decision-making that affects her business.

With the Trump Organization, Ivanka Trump has stepped down from a leadership role and will receive fixed payments rather than a share of the profits.

Ivanka Trump has also written a book, “Women Who Work,” that will be released in May. The proceeds and royalties will be donated to charity, Gorelick said.

Fox News’ John Roberts and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

[“Source-foxnews”]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

News Update

Israel-Palestinian conflict: UN warns Trump over two-state reversal

by Rajdeep April 5, 2024

written by Rajdeep

The UN chief has warned Donald Trump against abandoning the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying there is “no alternative”.

It comes after Mr Trump went against decades of US policy, saying he would back whatever formula led to peace.

Palestinians reacted with alarm to the possibility that the US could drop support for Palestinian statehood.

The last round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in 2014.

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, President Trump promised to deliver a “great” peace deal.

But he said both sides must compromise.

“So I’m looking at two states and one state,” he said. “And I like the one that both parties like.”

‘Substance, not labels’

Following the news conference, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged the international community to do everything it could to bring about a two-state solution.

He said there was no other option for resolving the conflict.

What is the two-state solution?

A “two-state solution” to the decades-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is the declared goal of their leaders and the international community.

It is the shorthand for a final settlement that would see the creation of an independent state of Palestine within pre-1967 ceasefire lines in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, living peacefully alongside Israel.

The UN, the Arab League, the European Union, Russia and, until now, the US routinely restate their commitment to the concept.

When he was asked about a two-state solution on Wednesday, Mr Netanyahu said he wanted to focus on “substance” and not “labels”.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, said he remained committed to the goal.

He also seized on President Trump’s comments urging Mr Netanyahu to “hold back on settlements for a little bit”.

Since Mr Trump took office last month, Israel has approved thousands of new homes in West Bank and East Jerusalem, land claimed by the Palestinians for a future state.

The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

Alternative concepts to a two-state solution:

Unitary, bi-national state: A single country of Israel and the occupied territories, with equal rights for Israel and Palestinians. Advocated for years by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) but opposed by many Israeli Jews, who say absorbing a large Arab population would mean national suicide
“State-minus”: Favoured by Benjamin Netanyahu, offering Palestinians enhanced self-rule without full statehood, with a permanent Israeli military presence in the Jordan Valley. Rejected by Palestinians as unacceptable.
Confederation: Sometimes referred to as the “three-state solution” comprising an Israeli and/or Palestinian confederation with Jordan, the majority of whose population is Palestinian. Floated as an idea down the years but has never taken root as an option favoured by any of the parties.
Unilateral withdrawal: Also known as “constructive unilateralism”. Envisages an Israeli pull-back on its terms from parts of the West Bank, setting its own borders and separating itself from the bulk of the Palestinian population. Assumes failure of peace process and has no support among international community.

The Israeli government is hoping for better relations with the White House after eight years of friction with the former Obama administration.

At Wednesday’s news conference, neither leader committed explicitly to back a future independent Palestine, a longstanding bedrock of US policy.

A Palestinian holds the Palestinian flag during a protest in the West Bank village of Twani, near Hebron, 10 February 2017. — Image captionThe idea of creating an independent Palestinian state that co-exists with Israel has underpinned Middle East peace policy for decades

It was the US and Israeli leaders’ first face-to-face meeting since Mr Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential election.

But France, which in January organised a multi-national conference which reaffirmed support for a two-state solution alone, seemed unimpressed with the apparent change in direction.

Its ambassador to the UN, Francois Delattre, told reporters “our commitment to the two-state solution is stronger than ever”, according to AFP news agency.

Regional media reaction: Refreshing or reckless?

In pro-Netanyahu Israeli daily Yisrael Hayom, Boaz Bismuth welcomes a “more refreshing era” in Washington, saying Mr Trump’s comments show he is “good for the Jews.”

But Barack Ravid – in left-of-centre Ha’aretz – accuses Mr Trump of acting “recklessly” in apparently conflating the one state and two-state plans.

Shimon Schiffer – in centrist Yedioth Aharonoth – makes a similar point, saying Trump adopted the “tone of someone for whom it is not really important whether he orders a portion or half a portion of falafel.”

For the pro-Fatah Palestinian newspaper al-Quds, Mr Trump has shown he is close to Israel’s position, and that the two-state solution has “withered”.

In Gaza’s Hamas-run Filastin daily, Fayez Abu-Shammala says it is “wonderful” that the White House has shown its “real position” rather than acting as “an enemy pretending to be a friend”. He adds that the “time for resistance has come”.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s choice for America’s next ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, faces a rocky confirmation hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, the Associated Press reports.

The right-winger is a strong critic of the two-state solution, supports Jewish settlement building and moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.

David Friedman in Jerusalem, Oct 2016 — Image captionDavid Friedman advised Mr Trump during his election campaign

Five former US ambassadors to Israel have written a letter to committee members declaring him unqualified because of his “extreme, radical positions”, AP says.

Asked on Wednesday about his campaign promise of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, Mr Trump said: “I’d love to see that happen.”

“And we’re looking at it very, very strongly. We’re looking at it with a great care, a great care, believe me. And we’ll see what happens.”

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their promised future state – but Israel claims the entire city as its undivided capital.

[Source:- BBC]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

News Update

Trump to team up with Japan’s Abe for round of golf in Florida

by Rajdeep April 5, 2024

written by Rajdeep

U.S. President Donald Trump pauses as he talks to journalists who are members of the White house travel pool on board Air Force One during his flight to Palm Beach, Florida while over South Carolina, U.S., February 3, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

U.S. President Donald Trump will play a round of golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Florida this week and says he will make sure the Japanese leader is his partner in the game, rather than a competitor.

Trump, who is due to welcome Abe at the White House on Friday, told Westwood One Sports Radio that playing golf was a better way to get to know someone than having lunch.

“We’re going to have a round of golf, which is a great thing,” Trump said in the interview on Sunday, according to a transcript made available by the White House.

“That’s the one thing about golf – you get to know somebody better on a golf course than you will over lunch.”

Asked if he would have a bet on the game, which is expected to be played at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago private resort on Saturday, the U.S. president replied: “I don’t know. I think – I know he loves the game, and we’re going to have a lot of fun. It won’t matter. I’ll just make sure he’s my partner.”

Trump said it was good thing if the United States could “get along” with other countries.

“If we get along with Russia and other countries – I mean, I want to get along with all countries – but if we got along with Russia, if we got along with China, if we got along with Japan … that’s a good thing, not a bad thing.”

Trump raised worries in Japan during his campaign when he appeared to question the long-standing U.S. alliance with Tokyo and said it was not sharing enough of the cost of the U.S. security umbrella.

Security, trade and currency policy are likely to be high on the summit agenda. Trump has criticized the lack of access to the Japanese auto market for U.S. producers and has accused Tokyo of using monetary policy to devalue its currency.

Abe was the first foreign leader to meet Trump after his November election win, but Trump has lumped Japan with China and Mexico as big contributors to America’s trade deficit. {nL4N1DJ2Y3}

Trump is expected to seek quick progress toward a two-way trade deal with Japan after abandoning U.S. participation in a 12-nation Asia-Pacific trade pact.

Abe said on Friday he was convinced Japan and the United States would be able to demonstrate an “unwavering alliance.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis wrapped up a visit to Japan on Saturday reaffirming Washington’s commitment to the defense treaty.

Japan is putting together a package of plans for Japanese companies to invest in infrastructure and job-creation projects in the United States for Abe to take to Washington. Abe is also considering increasing energy imports from the United States, according to sources familiar with the plan.

Trump has slammed his predecessor Barack Obama for spending too much time on the greens while in office. He has said he likes to use golf for business and was critical of Obama for using his tee times for relaxation rather than deal-making.

But Trump certainly shares the same passion for the game and Golf Digest magazine expects he will be the best-ever Oval Office golfer with a “low single-digit handicap.”

[Source:- reuters]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

Internet

Trump Promotes Neutrality Opponent Ajit Pai to Lead FCC

by Rajdeep April 5, 2024

written by Rajdeep

President Donald Trump promoted a critic of net neutrality on Monday to chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, the agency responsible for enforcing those regulations.

In a statement, Ajit Pai, a telecommunications lawyer whom President Barack Obama appointed to a Republican seat the FCC in 2012, said he was looking forward to working with his colleagues, thew Trump administration and Congress “to bring the benefits of the digital age to all Americans.”

Pai worked at Verizon Communications Inc. as an associate general counsel for two years, but much of his career has been spent working in government, bouncing among the Justice Department, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the FCC.

Image: FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler testify at a House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 24, 2015. — FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, lect, and Chairman Tom Wheeler testify at a House hearing in Washington, D.C., in March 2015. Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

In 2015, he voted against the agency’s net neutrality regulations, which mandated that cable, cellphone and other telecom companies should providing internet service like a public utility, without favoring particular providers over others.

(NBC News is a division of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast Corp., the largest internet provider in the United States.)

At one point, while the agency was still considering the rules, it received nearly 4 million comments, with 99 percent in support, according to the Sunlight Foundation, an open government advocacy organization.

The FCC approved the rules, but Pai accused the agency in a 67-page dissent of “turning its back on internet freedom” in favor of government regulation because Obama ordered it to.

“The courts will ultimately decide this order’s fate,” he said. “And I doubt they will countenance this unlawful power grab.”

Pai added that the order’s “days are numbered.”

At a gala held last month held by the Free State Foundation, a free market think tank, Pai said he was more confident than ever in that prediction.

His appointment Monday was welcomed by conservatives, including fellow Republican Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, who said in a statement that it “makes sense that President Trump handpicked him to carry out the administration’s broad vision.” Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, wrote on Twitter that he looked forward to seeing the FCC’s “proper role restored.”

Pai succeeds Tom Wheeler, whom Obama appointed chairman in 2013. Open internet advocates also had reservations about Wheeler, a former chief lobbyist for both the cable and the cellphone industries — which are among the leading opponents of net neutrality.

But Wheeler surprised many observers, personally leading the FCC’s sweeping charge to open the telecommunications sector to competition and emerging as an ally to his onetime critics.

On Friday, his last day in office, Wheeler tweeted: “Upon my @FCC departure, I would like to sign off with 3 words of wisdom that guided me well: competition, competition, competition”

[Source:- nbcnews]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

News Update

Trump Organization handover plan slammed by ethics chief

by Rajdeep April 5, 2024

written by Rajdeep

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017

The director of the US Office of Government Ethics has criticised Donald Trump’s plan to hand control of his business empire to his sons before his inauguration on 20 January.

The plan does not match the “standards” of US presidents over the last 40 years, Walter Shaub said.

A Trump lawyer said earlier the new trust would face “severe restrictions” on new deals.

But Mr Shaub said the plan would not remove conflicts of interest.

“Every president in modern times has taken the strong medicine of divestiture,” he said, referring to a process whereby Mr Trump would sell off his corporate assets and put the profits into a blind trust run by an independent trustee.

At a news conference on Wednesday, lawyer Sherri Dillon said that management of the Trump Organization would be transferred to a trust controlled by Mr Trump’s sons Don and Eric and chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg.

The Trump Organization is an umbrella company for Donald Trump’s hundreds of investments in real estate, brands and other businesses.

In other developments:

National intelligence director James Clapper said he had told Donald Trump that the intelligence community had not “made any judgment” that the information in a dossier alleging Russia had compromising material on the president-elect was reliable. He also told Mr Trump that he did not believe the intelligence community was the source of the leaked allegations
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said his country would “of course” not pay for the wall that Mr Trump on Wednesday again promised to build at its expense to block illegal immigrants
Secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson said it was “a fair assumption” that Russian president Vladimir Putin had been behind hacks of the US Democratic party during the election campaign. Mr Trump also said for the first time “I think it was Russia”

Outlining a structure designed by her and colleagues at the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Ms Dillon said President-elect Trump wanted Americans to have no doubt that he was “completely isolating himself from his business interests”.

The trio in charge “will make decisions for the duration of the presidency without any involvement whatsoever by President-elect Trump”, she said.

No foreign deals will be made and domestic deals will be subject to “vigorous vetting”, she added.

Soon after, Mr Shaub said that the arrangement would not remove conflicts of interest for Mr Trump since, unlike in a blind trust, he would still see information about the businesses and deals being made in the newspapers and on television.

“His sons are still running the businesses and, of course, he knows what he owns,” he said at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington DC.

Describing Mr Trump’s plan as “wholly inadequate”, he said: “Nothing short of divestiture will resolve these conflicts.”

A whirlwind of condemnation: analysis by John Mervin, BBC News, New York

If Mr Trump and his lawyers thought this was going to satisfy the ethical and constitutional concerns that have been raised, they’ll need to think again.

“As I listened, my jaw dropped. Trump’s workaround is a totally fraudulent runaround,” tweeted Professor Laurence Tribe of Harvard University, one of the leading constitutional lawyers in the US.

“Trump’s announced structure is cleverly designed to dazzle and deceive, but it solves none of the serious ethical or legal issues. Trump’s lawyer would flunk constitutional law at any halfway decent law school. At least if the lawyer wasn’t just joking.”

The biggest objection arises from the so called emoluments clause of the US constitution. It expressly forbids anyone in government from receiving gifts or benefits (“emoluments”) from foreign powers. If Donald Trump still owns his companies, then even if he’s not managing them, the argument goes, he will still be the beneficiary of many of the Trump Organization’s foreign businesses.

Professor Richard Painter, who was President George W Bush’s chief ethics lawyer, stated frankly: “The plan we heard today does not comply with the law.”

Professor Norman Eisen, who did the same job for President Obama, agreed with that and also offered an ominous forecast for the president-elect.

“What Donald J Trump has done today is contrary to the most fundamental law of the United States of America,” he said. “The emoluments clause is no minor feature of the constitution… So these conflicts of interest are core. I do not believe that any of the branches of government will stand for it.”

The ethics agency director compared the Trump plan with what he characterised as secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson’s successful efforts to make a “clean break” from Exxon, where he was chairman and chief executive.

“He clearly recognises that public service sometimes comes at a cost,” Mr Shaub said of Mr Tillerson.

Although presidents are not subject to the same conflict of interest rules as other government employees, previous commanders-in-chief have placed their investments into a blind trust to prevent any question of corruption.

The Office of Government Ethics was set up in 1978 to monitor how the US executive and its agencies comply with rules on gifts, nepotism and conflicts of interest.

It is not responsible for enforcing those rules or handling complaints, but can refer matters to law-enforcement agencies – including the FBI – or to the justice department.

Mr Shaub said the OGE was waiting to assist Mr Trump if he decided to “adjust his plan”.

[Source:- BBC]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

News Update

Briton jailed over Trump death plot

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Mr Sandford is dramatically arrested

A British man has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison over his attempt to grab a gun in a bid to kill Donald Trump.

Michael Sandford, 20, pleaded guilty in September to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and disrupting an official function.

He was accused of grabbing a policeman’s gun at a rally in Las Vegas in order to shoot at the candidate.

His mother says “he is remorseful over what he did”.

Sandford, of Dorking, Surrey, had faced up to 10 years in prison over the alleged assassination plot.

The court heard that he could be eligible for release in four months’ time, at which point he will be deported to the UK.

The defence team said their client is autistic and suffers seizures and obsession-compulsion anxiety.

In the courtroom – James Cook, BBC News, Las Vegas

Michael Sandford appeared in court in orange prison garb, looking pale and slight, his ankles shackled.

He smiled as members of his family waved to him and mouthed: “I love you.”

Sandford then broke down in tears as he apologised for what he had done and for taking up time and costing the taxpayer money.

“I just feel terrible about it,” he said.

The judge James Mahan appeared sympathetic, telling Sandford: “I don’t think you harboured malice in your heart.”

His mother, Lynne Sandford, also addressed the judge, saying her son was “cherished and adored”.

“It breaks my heart to see him in this environment,” she said, as she appealed for a lenient sentence on the basis that her son needed treatment and the support of his family.

After Sandford was arrested, he told officers he had planned to shoot the billionaire Republican candidate.

He failed to pull the weapon from an officer’s holster, the court heard.

His mother said that she had lost contact with her son after he left home to travel around the US in 2015.

He had previously shown no interest in politics, and she was unable to explain why he would want to shoot Mr Trump.

According to court documents, Sandford, who was homeless and living in the US illegally having overstayed his visa, told the Secret Service that he had driven from California to Nevada with the goal of shooting Mr Trump.

The papers detail how he had been plotting the attack for around a year and had gone to a gun range in Las Vegas the day before the attack to learn how to shoot, firing 20 rounds from a 9mm Glock pistol.

He reportedly told an officer that he had expected to die in the attack but that he also had tickets for a later Trump rally in Arizona in case he needed a second chance.

Judge James C Mahan described the incident as “a crazy stunt”.

“You have a medical problem,” the judge told Sandford, adding that it is “nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.”

“I don’t see you as evil or a sociopath,” the judge said, wishing Sandford luck as he rose to leave the courtroom.

[Source:- BBC]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

News Update

Syria conflict: Assad hopes for ‘anti-terror ally’ in Trump

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Damage in Aleppo, 15 Nov

Syria’s leader has said he hopes US President-elect Donald Trump will be an ally in fighting terrorism but remains “cautious in judging him”.

Bashar al-Assad said Mr Trump would be a “natural ally” if he fulfilled a campaign pledge to fight terrorism.

But he said it was “dubious” whether Mr Trump could “live up to his promises”.

Mr Trump had previously said it was “madness” to oppose both Syrian forces and IS militants, and that fighting Syria could lead to fighting Russia.

Conflict continues to rage in Syria. Government aircraft on Tuesday bombed besieged rebel-held eastern districts of the city of Aleppo for the first time in three weeks, activists said.

More than 300,000 people have died since the Syrian civil conflict began in March 2011.

‘Very cautious’

Speaking to Portugal’s RTP state television, Mr Assad said: “We cannot tell anything about what he’s going to do, but if… he is going to fight the terrorists, of course we are going to be [an] ally, natural ally in that regard with the Russians, with the Iranians, with many other countries.”

Mr Assad said that Mr Trump’s pledge to focus the fight on Islamic State (IS) militants was “promising”, but added: “Can he deliver?”

“What about the countervailing forces within the administration, the mainstream media that were against him? How can he deal with it? That’s why for us it’s still dubious… That’s why we are very cautious in judging him.”

Current US policy is to strike against IS and other jihadists while supporting moderate rebels opposed to President Assad.

Mr Assad regards those groups as terrorists.

Some US media, including the New York Times, have suggested Mr Trump is likely to end aid for the rebels fighting Mr Assad because “we have no idea who these people are”.

He has said fighting Syria could lead to fighting Russia and during the election campaign he had shown admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Monday, fellow Republican John McCain lashed out at Mr Trump’s planned attempt to reset ties with Russia, saying the price would be the “butchery of the Syrian people”.

In his interview, Mr Assad again condemned the current US policy, saying: “They think that they are the police of the world. They think they are the judge of the world. They’re not.”

He also called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “sick person” and a “megalomaniac… out of touch with reality”.

Turkey has carried out operations in Syria to back rebels opposing Mr Assad.

‘Hospital hit’

Meanwhile, conflict has resumed in Aleppo after a three-week lull by government forces and their Russian allies to allow civilians and rebels to leave.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported that at least five people had been killed as a number of areas were hit.

Map showing control of Aleppo, Syria on 15 November 2016

The Local Co-ordination Committees, an opposition activist network, also reported that a missile hit the town of Saraqeb in Idlib province, and that Russian warplanes had targeted the towns of Ariha, Ihsim, Khan Sheikhoun and Tal Nabi Ayoub.

The LCC also said there had been air strikes on several locations in Aleppo province on Tuesday, including one that damaged a hospital in Awaijel.

US state department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau condemned the renewed air strikes, adding that “Russia again has backed the Assad regime in their ruthless war against the Syrian people”.

She said reported attacks on hospitals and a mobile clinic in Syria would be a violation of international law.

[Source:- BBC]

April 4, 2024 0 comment