China outgrowing 'Factory of the World' tag as reliance on imports dips

President Donald Trump talked tough against Mexico, and then essentially agreed to renew the existing trade deal and called that a victory. If only the China spat could end the same way. It won’t. That’s because the gulf between Beijing and Washington is not just caused by recent rhetoric and tariffs. It also goes beyond national security concerns. The inevitable clash stems from how the American and Chinese economies have evolved over decades. Relative to China, Mexico hasn’t shifted much. It has been and remains mortgaged commercially, diplomatically and culturally to its northern neighbour. The White House is fond of citing the merchandise trade deficit with China that America racks up each year. In 2017, it amounted to $375 billion. Sure, it’s big. But the fixation with that number misses the broader point.

Change your behaviour or be crushed by our military might: Pompeo to Iran

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that the US will "crush" Iran with military pressure and by imposing sanctions till the time it changes its behaviour in the Middle East.

According to CNN, many analysts saw this pressurising scheme as a policy of regime change in everything but name.

Pompeo, days after President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, on Monday said the US will monitor Tehran's regional activities, restrict its influence in the Middle East and ensure that it never acquires a nuclear weapon.

On May 8, US President Donald Trump announced the Washington withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the Iran nuclear deal which limited the country's uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief.

Calling the accord as an "embarrassment" that was "defective at its core", he also warned of severe consequences if Iran resumes its nuclear programme.

'Climate change is real,' carmakers write in a letter to White House

Automakers urged the White House to cooperate with California officials in a coming rewrite of vehicle efficiency standards, saying “climate change is real.”

The plea came in a May 3 letter to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the industry’s leading trade group. It said carmakers “strongly support” continued alignment between federal mileage standards and those set by California. General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., Daimler AG and nine other carmakers are members of the Alliance.

“Automakers remain committed to increasing fuel efficiency requirements, which yield everyday fuel savings for consumers while also reducing emissions -- because climate change is real and we have a continuing role in reducing greenhouse gases and improving fuel efficiency,” David Schwietert, executive vice president of federal government relations at the Alliance, wrote in the letter, which was made public Monday.

The letter came roughly a week before President Donald Trump signaled he was open to talks with California on mileage standards. The direction came after the administration’s April ruling that the Obama administration standards for model years 2022-2025 were too aggressive and needed to be eased.

Donald Trump to meet North Korea's Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore

President Donald Trump said Thursday he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore.

“The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th,” the president wrote on Twitter. “We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!”

Singapore -- almost 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) south of Pyongyang -- represents neutral turf for the two leaders. The city-state of 5.5 million people boasts security partnerships with the US, a North Korean embassy and strong ties with China.

The government there also has a history of putting together high-profile diplomatic events at short notice, hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping’s historic 2015 meeting with his then-counterpart from Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou. Still, Kim’s agreement to travel so far from the safety of Pyongyang -- the farthest he’s ever been as leader -- could be seen as a concession by North Korea.

James Comey memo reveals Trump complained about Flynn's 'judgment issues'

President Donald Trump told former FBI Director James Comey that he had serious concerns about the judgment of his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and Trump's chief of staff asked days later if Flynn's communications were being monitored under a secret surveillance warrant, according to memos maintained by Comey and obtained by The Associated Press.

Trump also told Comey that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him that Russia had "some of the most beautiful hookers in the world" even as he adamantly, and repeatedly, distanced himself from a salacious allegation involving prostitutes in Moscow, the documents state.

The 15 pages of documents contain new details about a series of interactions with Trump that Comey found so unnerving that he documented them in writing.

More bad news for 'dreamers': Trump ends 'catch and release' practice

US President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum to end "catch and release" practice whereby illegal immigrants are released into the United States shortly after their apprehension.
In his presidential memorandum, Trump has also asked the Defence Secretary to produce a list of military facilities which could be used to detain illegal immigrants.

The White House, in a statement yesterday, called the 'catch and release' policy "a dangerous practice" whereby aliens who have violated the US immigration laws were released into the country.
"The safety and security of the American people is the president's highest priority, and he will keep his promise to protect the country and to ensure that US laws are respected," the White House said.
"At the same time, the president continues to call on congressional Democrats to cease their staunch opposition to border security and to stop blocking measures that are vital to the safety and security of the United States," it said.

Amazon falls 5% on reports of Trump targeting co by changing tax treatment

The Nasdaq Composite index fell on Wednesday, dragged down by losses in Amazon and Apple, while gains in healthcare stocks propped up the Dow and the S&P 500.

Amazon fell more than 5 percent after reports that President Donald Trump is looking to target the company by changing its tax treatment.

Apple dropped 1.6 percent after Goldman Sachs analyst cut sales estimate for iPhone for March and June quarters, citing weak demand.

However, Facebook's shares rose more than 2 percent after the company said it was giving users more control over their privacy by making data management easier and redesigning the settings menu.

The social network has lost more than $100 billion in market value since March 16, when it first acknowledged that user data had been improperly harvested by a consultancy firm.

"We had Facebook making some announcements. That's obviously taking some pressure off the stock at the moment," said Andre Bakhos, managing director of New Vines Capital LLC in Bernardsville, New Jersey.

US trade deficit hits more than nine-year high in January as exports falter

The US trade deficit increased to a more than nine-year high in January, with the shortfall with China widening sharply, suggesting that President Donald Trump's "America First" trade policies are unlikely to have a material impact on the deficit. The Commerce Department said on Wednesday the trade gap jumped 5.0 percent to $56.6 billion. That was the highest level since October 2008 and followed a slightly upwardly revised $53.9 billion shortfall in December.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the trade gap widening to $55.1 billion in January from a previously reported $53.1 billion in the prior month. Part of the rise in the trade deficit in January reflected commodity price increases.

The politically sensitive trade deficit with China surged 16.7 percent to $36.0 billion, the highest since September 2015. The deficit with Canada was the highest in three years.

Final version of Trans-Pacific trade deal out, rules pushed by US on ice

The final version of a landmark deal aimed at cutting trade barriers in some of Asia-Pacific's fastest-growing economies was released on Wednesday, signalling the pact was a step closer to reality even without its star member the United States.

More than 20 provisions have been suspended or changed in the final text ahead of the deal's official signing in March, including rules around intellectual property originally included at the behest of Washington.

The original 12-member deal was thrown into limbo early last year when President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement to prioritize protecting US jobs.

The 11 remaining nations, led by Japan, finalized a revised trade pact in January, called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). It is expected to be signed in Chile on March 8.

The deal will reduce tariffs in economies that together amount to more than 13 per cent of global GDP - a total of $10 trillion.

Trump's fed chair choice down to Powell, Taylor: Source

President Donald Trump's search for the next chair of the US Federal Reserve has come down to Fed Governor Jerome Powell and Stanford University economist John Taylor, Politico on Thursday cited one source as saying, while another counselled caution.

Trump has said he was considering both Powell and Taylor, but that he also liked Yellen very much. Politico cited an unnamed source who talks regularly to Trump as saying the only finalists were Powell and Taylor.

Another unnamed senior source Politico described as very close to the process said it was not safe to assume Trump will nominate Powell or Taylor for the top spot at the central bank, saying he "changes his mind about it every day."
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RAISE Act: Global panel of scholars explains 'merit-based' immigration

Kevin Johnson – University of California, Davis, United States

The RAISE Act would drastically reshape American immigration. It will also likely have the unintended consequence of increasing undocumented immigration.

Approximately one million immigrants are granted lawful permanent residence in the U.S. every year.

The RAISE Act would cut annual legal immigrant admissions by one-half, primarily by eliminating family-sponsored immigration visas for those who are not spouses or minor children of U.S. citizens and permanent residents. This would reduce the total number of family-sponsored green cards from 226,000 to 88,000. Cuts to family-based immigration would primarily affect prospective immigrants from Mexico, China, India, the Philippines and Cuba.
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No evidence Obama wiretapped Trump Tower, says Justice Department

The US Justice Department said in a court filing that it has no evidence to support President Donald Trump's assertion in March that his predecessor Barack Obama, wiretapped the phones in Trump Tower before last year's presidential election.

"Both FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and the NSD (National Security Division) confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by the March 4, 2017, tweets," the department's motion said on Saturday.

The motion came in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by a group pushing for government transparency, American Oversight, reports CNN.

On March 4, Trump tweeted: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"

"How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process," Trump also tweeted. "This is Nixon/Watergate."
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Hurricane Harvey: Trump to make second visit to Texas to meet survivors

President Donald Trump headed to Texas and Louisiana on Saturday to meet rescuers and survivors of Hurricane Harvey, one week after the powerful storm blasted the region and unleashed historic flooding.

The trip comes after the White House asked Congress for USD 7.85 billion for Harvey-related "response and initial recovery efforts," calling it a "down payment" on the long- term cost of recovering from the catastrophic flooding.

Trump and his wife Melania departed from Andrews Air Force Base outside the US capital just before 10 am (1400 GMT) enroute to Houston.

The president is returning to Texas for his second visit since the megastorm hit, and will also visit neighboring Louisiana.

One week after Harvey slammed into southeast Texas as a Category Four hurricane, rescuers were still searching by air and by boat for people trapped in flooded homes.

A fresh blaze broke out late Friday at a chemical plant in Crosby, northeast of Houston, sending a giant plume of thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

And as floodwaters receded in Houston, the fourth most populous city in the United States, nearby cities such as Beaumont -- which had lost its water supply -- and Port Arthur struggled to recover.

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Missing elements in the debate about affirmative action and Asian-Americans

Media reports have stated that the Justice Department under President Donald Trump is planning to investigate a complaint of discrimination against Harvard University brought by a coalition of Asian-American groups.

From our perspective as scholars who study affirmative action, race and diversity in higher education, the complaint reflects a flawed understanding of race-conscious education policies like affirmative action.

How do affirmative action policies work, and whom do they affect?

Fisher case

Let’s first look at the legal wrangling that has been going on for some time on this issue. Since the 1978 Regents of the University of California v. Bakke case, the Supreme Court consistently has affirmed that under certain conditions (e.g., no numerical set-asides or quotas, diversity is a compelling interest) it is constitutional for institutions of higher education to consider a student’s race in admissions processes.

Most recently, in a landmark judgment on June 23, 2016, the US Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of race-conscious affirmative action in university admissions in the Abigail Fisher case.
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