All trade commitments to fail if Trump goes ahead with tariffs: China

All commitments made so far in talks with the US over trade will be withdrawn if President Donald Trump carries out his threat to impose tariffs, China said Sunday While both sides reported some progress in discussions this weekend about how to reduce China’s $375 billion goods-trade surplus with the US, Trump’s revival last week of a plan to slap tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports has cast the talks into turmoil. “If the US rolls out trade measures including tariffs, all the agreements reached in the negotiations won’t take effect,” state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday, citing a statement from the Chinese team that met with a US delegation led by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. The Xinhua report came after Ross met Sunday with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He for talks that Ross called “friendly and frank, and covered some useful topics about specific export items.” At the same time as negotiators focus on technical steps to reduce the US deficit, Trump’s swerve has rattled Beijing as it raises the possibility that any agreement made could be simply torn up by the president.

Stormy Daniels sues President Trump for defamation over 'con job' tweet

Pornstar Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006, filed a lawsuit against the president on Monday for defamation.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, lodged the complaint with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

In the suit, Clifford said that Trump made "false and defamatory" statements about her in an April 18 tweet.

Trump's tweet was in response to the release by Clifford the previous day of a sketch of a man whom she claimed warned her in 2011 to "leave Trump alone."

Clifford claimed she was threatened in a Las Vegas parking lot after agreeing to an interview with "In Touch" magazine about her alleged affair with Trump.

After Clifford released a drawing of the man she said threatened her, Trump tweeted: "A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!" "Mr Trump's statement falsely attacks the veracity of Ms Clifford's account of the threatening incident that took place in 2011," the lawsuit said.

Trump blocks Broadcom takeover of Qualcomm on 'national security' grounds

US President Donald Trump on Monday blocked microchip maker Broadcom Ltd's proposed takeover of Qualcomm Inc on national security grounds, ending what would have been the technology industry's biggest deal ever amid concerns that it would give China the upper hand in mobile communications.

The presidential order reflected a calculation that the United States' lead in creating technology and setting standards for the next generation of mobile cell phone communications would be lost to China if Singapore-based Broadcom took over San Diego-based Qualcomm, according to a White House official.

San Diego-based Qualcomm has emerged as one of the biggest competitors to China's Huawei Technologies Co in the sector, making Qualcomm a prized asset.

Qualcomm had earlier rebuffed Broadcom's $117 billion bid, which was under investigation by the US Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a multi-agency panel led by the US Treasury Department that reviews the national security implications of acquisitions of US corporations by foreign companies.

WH denies report of Trump saying he has a good relationship with Kim

The White House has denied and corrected a quote attributed to President Donald Trump that suggested he had good contacts with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
"I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong- Un," Trump was quoted as telling The Wall Street Journal in an interview on Thursday, refusing to confirm whether the two had spoken.
"I have relationships with people. I think you people are surprised."
But Press Secretary Sarah Sanders insisted -- in a Twitter meme -- that Trump was misquoted.
"President Trump said, I'D probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un of North Korea. I'D -- I'D -- I'D.

NOT I!" the message read, with "I'D" in red ink, under a red banner reading "FAKE NEWS."
Mockingly mimicking the newspaper's front page, it then reads "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL -- FAKE NEWS IS AT IT AGAIN! -- FALSELY QUOTING PRESIDENT TRUMP."
Washington and Pyongyang are in a standoff over North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, which could be used to target the United States and its allies.
READ MORE

Donald Trump is making China great again

President Trump’s recently concluded trip to Asia had the potential to advance important American security and economic interests. Played correctly, his ambitious five-country, 12-day trip could have steadied his administration’s rocky start in this vital region. Instead, it left the United States more isolated and in retreat, handing leadership of the newly christened “Indo-Pacific” to China on a silver platter.

The trip began with solid performances in Japan and Korea, where Mr. Trump’s relatively measured words left key allies reassured of the United States’ commitment to their security. The president largely shelved his belligerent trade rhetoric, called for allies to buy more American military hardware and reopened the door to diplomacy with North Korea. Weather curtailed his surprise trip to the Korean Demilitarized Zone, but that may have been a blessing, since hostile words might have prompted hostile action.

But in China, the wheels began to come off his diplomatic bus. The Chinese leadership played President Trump like a fiddle, catering to his insatiable ego and substituting pomp and circumstance for substance.

China always prefers to couch state visits in ceremony rather than compromise on policy. This approach seemed to suit President Trump just fine, as he welcomed a rote recitation of China’s longstanding rejection of a nuclear North Korea and failed to extract new concessions or promises. He also settled for the announcement of $250 billion in trade and investment agreements, many of which are nonbinding and, in the words of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, “pretty small.” Missing were firm deals to improve market access or reduce technology-sharing requirements for American companies seeking to do business in China.

READ MORE

China slams US anti-dumping duty on aluminium foil ahead of Trump visit

China has criticised new United States anti-dumping duties on aluminium foil, saying it was "extremely dissatisfied" with the new measures, just days before President Trump visits Beijing.

The tariff was announced Friday by the US following concern that China was undercutting American manufacturers by flooding the country with underpriced aluminium products.

But the timing has raised fears of a trade dispute during Trump's first visit as president to the Chinese capital next week, when commerce between the nations is expected to be high on the agenda.

On Saturday evening, China's Ministry of Commerce said the US was ignoring World Trade Organization rules by introducing the duties, and not fulfilling its international obligations.

"The US is not only harming the interests of Chinese companies, it is also damaging the seriousness and authority of multilateral rules and regulations," said Wang Hejun, Director of the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau, in a statement.

The US Commerce Department plans to impose fresh duties of 96.81 per cent to 162.24 on Chinese aluminium foil imports to the US.

The new tariff will affect the type of aluminium foil found in kitchens, packaging and automobiles.
READ MORE

Trump administration sends immigration policy wish list to Congress

The Trump administration has sent an immigration policy wish list to Congress that threatens to derail efforts to protect hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from being deported.

The Trump administration wants tougher immigration and border security measures, crackdowns on sanctuary cities, green card restrictions and funding for the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall.
The Trump administration has asked lawmakers to include tough border security and immigration enforcement measures in any deal to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that the administration is ending. Those measures include provisions to make it harder for unaccompanied minors to enter the country illegally, money for the President's border wall and cuts to legal immigration, the CNN reported.

"These priorities are essential to mitigate the legal and economic consequences of any grant of status to DACA recipients," White House legislative director Marc Short said .

Short further said,"They fulfill the President's promise to advance immigration reform that puts the need of American workers first."
READ MORE

'It's outrageous, it's not right': 15 states, DC sue Trump admin over DACA

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia sued the US government to block President Donald Trump's plan to end protection against deportation for young immigrants who New York's attorney general labeled the "best of America."

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Brooklyn yesterday asked a judge to strike down as unconstitutional the president's action involving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.

It called the move "a culmination of President Trump's oft-stated commitments ... To punish and disparage people with Mexican roots."

Also Read:  Trump ends DACA: All you need to know about it and how Indians are impacted

The attorneys general who brought the lawsuit all Democrats represent states where the population of DACA participants known as "dreamers" ranges from hundreds to tens of thousands. They were brought to the US illegally as children or came with families who overstayed visas.

READ MORE

Don't seek material or money, treat us with respect: Pak Army chief to US

Pakistan is not seeking material or financial help from the US, but Washington must trust and treat it with respect, Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday told the US envoy in Islamabad, a day after President Trump asked Islamabad to stop providing safe havens to terrorists.

While announcing America's new Afghanistan and South Asia policy — which calls for greater US troop deployment and Indian involvement in Afghanistan — Trump had hit out at Pakistan for offering sanctuaries to "agents of chaos."

The US Ambassador David Hale met General Bajwa at the Army's Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where the latter was briefed on the US's new South Asia policy announced by President Trump, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) — the Pakistani military's media wing.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations," the US president had said.
READ MORE

How Big Pharma is hindering treatment of the opioid addiction epidemic

A crippling problem.” “A total epidemic.” “A problem like nobody understands.” These are the words President Trump used to describe the opioid epidemic ravaging the country during a White House listening session in March.

The percentage of people in the U.S. dying of drug overdoses has effectively quadrupled since 1999, and drug overdoses now rank as the leading cause of death for Americans under 50.

Drugs do exist to reverse opioid overdoses or treat long-term opioid addiction. But while opioids have become easier and easier to obtain through illicit markets and sellers on the dark web, a drug that could save countless lives has become increasingly out of reach.

Consider the addiction treatment drug, Suboxone. Patents and other exclusivities on the basic version of Suboxone expired some time ago, yet the price remains sky-high, and access problems persist. Oral film strips now cost over US$500 for a 30-day supply; even simple tablets cost a whopping $600 for a 30-day supply. The cost alone puts the medication out of reach for many.

I study the pharmaceutical industry, and I see how drug companies are able to play games that keep competition out and prices high. Lack of access to addiction treatment drugs like Suboxone can be traced, in part, to the soaring prices, access problems and anti-competitive conduct that has become business as usual in the pharmaceutical industry across the board.
READ MORE

Donald Trump bars transgenders from serving US military

United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that transgenders, in any capacity, won't be allowed to serve the military saying that their inclusion would entail "disruption" in the military affairs.

Trump, in a series of tweets, said that he arrived at this decision after holding consultations with military Generals and experts.

"After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the US Military," he said.

"Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you," he added.

Last year, former Defence Secretary Ash Carter had said that those transgender, who are already in the military can serve openly, and directed the officials to come up with a policy to allow transgender recruitment by July 1.

But Defence Secretary Jim Mattis announced a delay in the implementation on June 30.

According to an estimate by American think tank Rand Corporation, there were 2,450 out of the 1.2 million transgenders who are on active-duty service.
READ MORE

US House to vote on Bill imposing sanctions on Russia, Iran, North Korea

The United States (US) House will vote on the bill agreed by Congressional Republicans and Democrats, that includes a package of sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea, thus making it harder for President Donald Trump to lift sanctions on Moscow.

The House will vote on the bill on Tuesday and the Senate is likely to take it up after that. The bipartisan agreement could send the new bill to President Trump by the end of the month. It was not immediately clear whether Trump would veto the bill, an action that would spark an outcry from both parties and risk a potential override with a two-thirds vote.

Democrats and some Republicans have expressed concerns that the US President is considering giving Russia back two compounds in Maryland and New York that were seized by the Obama administration in December.

The House is scheduled to leave for its August recess at the end of next week.

The bill limits Trump's power of easing sanctions on Russia, as it gives Congress power to veto any decision made by the President that would "significantly alter" US foreign policy in connection with Russia, Fox news reported.

The White House had objected to a key section of the bill that would mandate a congressional review if Trump attempted to ease or end the sanctions against Moscow.

"The legislation ensures that both the majority and minority are able to exercise our oversight role over the administration's implementation of sanctions," said Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the No. 2 House Democrat.
READ MORE

Clinton as President would have made America weaker, Putin happier: Trump

US President Donald Trump has said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would have been happier if his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton would have won the last year's general elections, as this would have made America weaker.

In his first major interview after his last week's maiden meeting with Putin in Hamburg, Germany on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, Trump said he and the Russian leader both are advocating interest of their respective countries. But there is scope for co-operation between the two at the global stage.

"We are the most powerful country in the world and we are getting more and more powerful because I'm a big military person. As an example, if Hillary had won, our military would be decimated. Our energy would be much more expensive. That's what Putin doesn't like about me," Trump told Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) in an interview.

"And that's why I say, why would he want me? Because from day one I wanted a strong military, he doesn't want to see that," he said, according to the excerpts of the interview released by CBN.

"From day one I want fracking and everything else to get energy prices low and to create tremendous energy. We're going to be self-supporting, we just about are now. We're going to be exporting energy - he doesn't want that.

"He would like Hillary where she wants to have windmills. He would much rather have that because energy prices would go up and Russia as you know relies very much on energy," he continued.
READ MORE

Pentagon to send 4,000 additional US forces to Afghanistan: Report

The Pentagon plans to send almost 4,000 additional United States troops to Afghanistan, according to reports.

The decision to deploy additional troops, some for training and advising Afghan forces and other for counter-terrorism missions, could be announced as soon as next week.

The administration has been considering sending additional troops for some time.

About 8,400 US troops are currently in Afghanistan on a dual mission of training, advising and assisting Afghan troops in their fight against the Taliban and conducting counter-terrorism missions against groups such as the al-Qaeda and the ISIS.

Meanwhile, President Trump has given Secretary of Defense James Mattis full authority to set US troop levels in Afghanistan.

Before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, Mattis lauded the decision as a way to make managing the war effort more efficient. "This assures the department can facilitate our missions and nimbly align our commitment to the situation on the ground," he said.

This comes in the backdrop of attacks in Kabul during May this year alone that have killed over 100 people.
READ MORE

After 6-month delay, Melania, son Barron joins Donald Trump in White House

The White House has two new occupants: US First Lady Melania Trump and her son Barron have finally moved in to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Six months after President Donald Trump arrived, the Slovenia-born former model and the couple's 11-year-old son joined him last night, an aide to the First Lady told AFP.

The pair had previously stayed in New York so that Barron could complete the school year. He is expected to attend St. Andrews Episcopal school, just outside Washington, in the 2017-2018 session.

Before reaching the capital Melania and Barron descended the steps of Air Force One alongside President Trump at Joint Base Andrews, with the youngster -- decked in a tee-shirt that read 'The Expert' -- playing with a fidget spinner.

Melania's parents had joined them for the short flight from Bedminster, New Jersey, where Trump had spent the weekend at his golf course.

After arriving at the White House Melania tweeted a picture from a window looking on to the South Lawn and the Washington Monument.

"Looking forward to the memories we'll make in our new home! #Movingday" she wrote.

Melania is the first First Lady in modern history to delay her arrival in Washington after an election win.

During the week at least, Trump had been living alone in the vast, private quarters of the White House as he fends off the flood of reporting over Russia having allegedly meddled in the 2016 US election with the aim of helping him defeat Hillary Clinton.

The first lady has mostly kept a low profile since her real estate mogul husband became president.

Arguably, her biggest public outing came last month when she and Trump visited the Middle East and Europe on a trip that the White House later praised as a resounding success.
READ MORE

Worldwide effort set to keep Donald Trump happy on 1st trip abroad

When President Donald Trump sits down for dinner in Saudi Arabia, caterers have ensured that his favorite meal - steak with a side of ketchup - will be offered alongside the traditional local cuisine.

At Nato and the Group of 7 summits, foreign delegations have gotten word that the new US president prefers short presentations and lots of visual aids.

And at all of Trump's five stops on his first overseas trip, his team has spent weeks trying to build daily downtime into his otherwise jam-packed schedule.

It's all part of a worldwide effort to accommodate America's homebody president on a voyage with increasingly raised stakes given the ballooning controversy involving his campaign's possible ties to Russia. For a former international businessman, Trump simply doesn't have an affinity for much international.

Even before Trump's trip morphed from a quick jaunt to Europe into a nine-day behemoth, White House aides were on edge about how the president would take to grueling pressures of foreign travel: the time zone changes, the unfamiliar hotels, the local delicacies.

Two officials said they feared that a difficult trip might even lead the president to hand off future traveling duties to Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump's final itinerary hardly eases him into the delicate world of international diplomacy on foreign soil. After departing Friday on an overnight flight on Air Force One, Trump will hopscotch from Saudi Arabia to Israel to the Vatican. He'll close his trip with a pair of summits in Brussels and Sicily, often-staid affairs that require leaders to be locked in lengthy plenary sessions.

"The chance of something going wrong - you insult the hosts, you get sick, your boss gets sick, you miscommunicate with your hosts, you make a scheduling error, you need to change the schedule just hours before a meeting, the motorcade get stuck in traffic, or the plane is stranded due to bad weather - is extremely high," said Julianne Smith, who served as a foreign policy adviser to Vice President Joe Biden and is now a senior fellow at the Center for New American Security. "Personally, I think they should cut it back now before they regret it," she said of Trump's long jaunt.
READ MORE