Facebook, Twitter to defend companies against charges of bias in elections

Facebook and Twitter executives plan to defend their companies in two congressional hearings, arguing they are aggressively trying to root out foreign actors who want to do the United States harm just weeks before the mid-term elections.

Twitter's CEO will also face angry Republicans who claim the companies have shown evidence of bias against conservatives.

In prepared testimony released ahead of a House hearing Wednesday afternoon, Jack Dorsey says his company does not use political ideology to make decisions.

Congress has sharply criticised the social media companies over the last year as it has become clear that they were at the forefront of Russia's interference in the 2016 elections and beyond.

That scrutiny has led to additional criticism over the companies' respect for user privacy and whether conservatives are being censored frustrations that are particularly heightened ahead of the mid-terms.

US lawmakers demand Facebook to come clean over Chinese data sharing

Facebook Inc faced criticism on Wednesday from Republican and Democratic US lawmakers who demanded that the social media company be more forthcoming about data it has shared with four Chinese firms. 

The bipartisan criticism reflected rising frustration in Congress about how Facebook protects the privacy of the more than 2 billion people who use its services worldwide. The leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee accused Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg of failing to disclose the company’s agreements with the Chinese firms when he appeared before them in April and testified about Facebook’s sharing of users’ personal information with third parties.

'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.

Singapore likely to be the venue for Trump-Kim meeting in June

US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un are likely to meet in Singapore next month, reports said Monday, as anticipation builds for unprecedented talks between the mercurial leaders.

Trump said at the weekend that the two sides had settled on a date and location for the summit -- the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader -- without providing details.

"We'll be announcing it soon," Trump told reporters. The landmark summit will take place in "mid-June", South Korea's Chosun Ilbo daily reported Monday, citing diplomatic sources who quoted Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton.

The newspaper suggested that the possibility of Singapore hosting the landmark meeting had "increased greatly", after a decision by Trump to host South Korean president Moon Jae-in at the White House later this month, without giving further explanation.

Bolton met his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong in Washington late last week to discuss plans for both locations, according to local media reports.

A similar report on the weekend from South Korea's Yonhap news agency also said Singapore was firming as the favoured location for the summit.

Cuba elects its first non-Castro president in 60 years: Miguel Diaz-Canel

Cuba is poised for the end of an era today as President Raul Castro steps down, formally handing power to his long-time deputy Miguel Diaz-Canel -- and thereby ending his family's six-decade grip on the island.

The silver-haired Diaz-Canel, 57 -- a top Communist Party figure who has served as first vice president since 2013 -- will become the island's first leader born after the 1959 revolution and the first in 60 years who is not named Castro.

Between them, father of the nation Fidel and his younger brother Raul made the Caribbean island a key player in the Cold War and helped keep communism afloat despite the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Raul, now 86, has been in power since 2006, when he took over after illness sidelined Fidel, who seized power in the revolution.

Diaz-Canel, who has spent years climbing the party ranks, was named the sole candidate for the presidency yesterday.

Comey's upcoming memoir says Trump denied allegations of lewd behaviour

President Donald Trump denied allegations of lewd behaviour made in an intelligence dossier and asked whether the FBI would consider proving it was a lie, former FBI Director James Comey wrote in an upcoming memoir, according to the Washington Post.

Comey, fired by Trump in May 2017, wrote in “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership” that Trump raised the dossier with him at least four times during meetings, the Post said. The dossier was compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele about Trump’s ties to Russia, and included an allegation that involved prostitutes.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. Comey’s publicist also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Federal Bureau of Investigation declined to comment.

Trump Jr says losing India deals due to father's self-imposed curbs

US President Donald Trump's eldest son described India as an important market for The Trump Organization, but said the global company will lose out on new deals because of self-imposed restrictions put in place by his father since he took office.

Donald Trump Jr's comments appeared aimed at blunting criticism that there could be a conflict of interest in pushing the Trump brand name. Trump Jr, at the start of a trip to woo buyers for his luxury residential projects in several cities, said new business would take a hit in India.

"Few years ago, I said it would become our largest (market) because I really believed in the market... I think it will continue to be the same when I am able to get back in the market and focus on the business side, on new deals again in the future, once my father is out of office," Trump Jr. told television channel CNBC-TV18 late on Tuesday.

White House agrees Russia meddled in US polls, but denies role in Trump win

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders acknowledged on Tuesday that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 elections but said the efforts didn’t play a role in President Donald Trump’s victory.

“It’s very clear that Russia meddled in the election. It’s also very clear Russia didn’t have an impact on the election,” Sanders said at a briefing today. "And it’s also very clear that the trump campaign didn’t collude with the Russians in any way for this process to take place."
The president spent much of the holiday weekend tweeting about the Russia investigation after Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals on charges that they carried out a multimillion-dollar operation to depress support for Democrat Hillary Clinton and boost backing for Trump in the 2016 election.

Trump was criticized for not speaking out against Russia after the indictment. He instead focused on comments by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that the indictment didn’t contain evidence that Trump’s campaign willingly collaborated with Russian efforts. He also rebuked his national security adviser for not defending the legitimacy of his election.

Raj Shah becomes first Indian-American to hold White House media briefing

Raj Shah, the Deputy Press Secretary of President Donald Trump, has addressed a media briefing at the White House, becoming the first Indian-American to do so.

Shah, 32, made his debut address on Thursday following the resignation of staff secretary Rob Porter over domestic abuse allegations. He was bombarded by questions on the White House advisor's sudden exit, the US media reported.

He was filling in the shoes of White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders who is away on a vacation.

Ahead of his briefing, Sanders took to Twitter and described Shah as "one of the best and the brightest in the Trump administration".

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.
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Up to 10 yrs in jail for funding banned groups like Hafiz Saeed's JuD: Pak

Pakistan on Saturday said that those providing funds to banned groups, including the so-called charities run by Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, will face up to 10 years in prison along with a hefty fine.

The warning was part of a countrywide advertisement in Urdu, which has been published in all major local newspapers of the country.

The advertisement lists 72 groups, including Jamat-ud- Dawa, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation and Lashkar-e-Tabia of Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammad of Masood Azhar.

It said that according to the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 of Pakistan and under UN Security Council act of 1948 it was a crime to provide funding to those groups which have been banned or are on the watchlist.

ALSO READ: US to rope in China in bid to make Pakistan shut down terror safe havens

Those giving funds to such individuals or groups may face "five to 10 years in jail or up to Rs 10 million fine or both", it said.

Their movable or immovable property can also be confiscated.

Pakistan has banned Saeed-led JuD and FIF from collecting donations on Monday, after President Donald Trump accused Islamabad of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists.

Russia-Pak friendship new, Moscow has no influence in Islamabad: US

Amid increased bonhomie between Russia and Pakistan, the White House believes that Moscow does not have a great influence on Islamabad, a senior Trump Administration official has said.

"I don't particularly believe that there is a great deal of influence that Russia is asserting (over Pakistan) even though I do acknowledge they have a better relationship than they had five years ago," a senior administration official has said.

The official was responding to questions on the recent increase in relationship between Russia and Pakistan and how much influence it has over Islamabad.

"But Russia as of now does not have a great deal of influence over Pakistan, with which its ties is relatively new," the official said who on condition of anonymity.

"I think the Russia-Pakistan relationship is still something relatively new," the senior administration official said noting that Pakistan, being an independent country is making its own assessment and doing what it considers is in its own interests.

However, the official said that the Russian thinking that the Taliban can help fight ISIS is a flawed approach.

Most of the US soldiers who perished last year were in operations against ISIS in Afghanistan.
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Social media corroding civil discourse: Obama tells Prince Harry

Former US President Barack Obama told Britain's Prince Harry he was concerned social media was "corroding civil discourse", in what he said was his first interview since leaving the White House, aired on Wednesday.

"One of the dangers of the internet is that people can have entirely different realities," he told the prince, who was guest editing BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"They can be cocooned in information that reinforces their current biases. Things aren't as simple as they've been portrayed in whatever chat room you've been in," he added.

"The question has to do with how do we harness this technology in a way that allows a multiplicity of voices, allows a diversity of views, but doesn't lead to a Balkanisation of society and allows ways of finding common ground."

The interview was recorded in Toronto, Canada, in September on the sidelines of the Invictus Games, the athletic tournament created by Harry for wounded former soldiers.

Despite admitting concern over the future of the US, Obama, who did not mention his successor Donald Trump by name, said he felt a sense of "serenity" on leaving the White House.

"There was a sense that we had run a good race," he added.

On his new routine, Obama told the prince: "I wake up later, it's wonderful to be able to control your day."
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Trump promises giant tax cut as 'Christmas gift' to American families, cos

US President Donald Trump today said the Congress has reached an agreement on tax legislation that will deliver more jobs, higher wages, and "massive tax relief" for American families and domestic companies.

Trump recognised the tax reform as a campaign promise during his run-up to the 2016 presidential election, saying the "giant tax cut" will be his "Christmas gift" to fellow countrymen.

"Now we're just days away ... from keeping that promise and delivering a truly amazing victory for American families. We want to give you, the American people, a giant tax cut for Christmas," Trump told a select audience at the White House as he delivered an address to the nation making a final pitch for his massive tax reform.

"As we speak, Congress has reached an agreement on tax legislation that will deliver more jobs, higher wages, and massive tax relief for American families and for American companies," he said.

Trump cited an example to explain the impact of the tax cut: "The typical family of four earning USD 75,000 will see an income tax cut of more than USD 2,000, slashing their tax bill in half."

It nearly doubles the amount of income taxed at the rate of zero, he said, adding that the proposed tax reforms also closes special interest loopholes; and lowers tax rates for families. It cuts taxes on businesses, which is expected to raise income by an average of more than USD 4,000, he said.
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Trump mockingly tells media to compete for 'Fake News Trophy'

US President Donald Trump today slammed the allegedly biased news coverage of his administration, saying the media - except for Fox News - should compete for the "Fake News Trophy".

"We should have a contest as to which of the networks, plus CNN and not including Fox, is the most dishonest, corrupt and/or distorted in its political coverage of your favourite President (me)," Trump said on Twitter.

"They are all bad. Winner to receive the FAKE NEWS TROPHY!" Trump wrote on his account which he uses daily to communicate with his large support base.

Trump returned to the White House last night after spending the Thanksgiving weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

He also said he is now focusing on the tax cut bill, which once passed by the Congress would bring in massive tax relief to the middle class.

"The Tax Cut Bill is coming along very well, great support. With just a few changes, some mathematical, the middle class and job producers can get even more in actual dollars and savings and the pass-through provision becomes simpler and really works well!" he said.
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Trump appoints WH budget chief Mick Mulvaney as financial watchdog head

US President Donald Trump on Saturday appointed White House budget director Mick Mulvaney to head a financial watchdog that the administration has sought to overhaul as part of its deregulation push.

Mulvaney, who described the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as a "sick, sad joke" in a 2014 interview, will serve as acting director until a permanent head is nominated and confirmed, according to a White House statement.

Since the start of his presidency, Trump has decried financial rules and regulations, put in place through the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform legislation, to combat the excesses that led to the 2008 financial crisis.

Richard Cordray, the first director of the CFPB who had long been in the banking industry's crosshairs, announced last week he would step down by the end of the month, several months early.

Trump's Treasury Department has produced three reports calling for a whittling down of rules imposed on mid-size banks, a scaling back of stress tests and a restructuring of the CFPB.

Republicans have long deemed the bureau, which was founded in 2011 under the administration of former president Barack Obama, too far outside political control.

Last month, the US Senate voted to terminate a rule created by the agency that would have allowed class-action suits against banks or credit card companies.

The rule would have addressed fine-print clauses that bank and credit card consumers must agree to which bar them from seeking redress through litigation.

The vote was criticised by many Democrats as a sop to Wall Street.
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US Congress passes $700 bn defence bill; seeks to advance ties with India

The United States Congress today passed a nearly $700 billion American defence budget for 2018, which, among other things, seeks advancement in defence cooperation with India.

The 2018 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) sailed through both the chambers of the Congress House of Representatives and the Senate by a voice vote.

It now heads to the White House for President Donald Trump to sign it into law, which he is expected to do before the Thanksgiving holidays.

The budget also imposes tougher conditions on Pakistan for military and security assistance and accommodates last minute additional White House's financial request implementing its new South Asia strategy.

The NDAA-2018 asks the Secretary of State and the Defence Secretary to come out with a common definition that recognises India's status as a "Major Defence Partner".

Welcoming the move, top Republican Senator Ted Cruz said few partnerships in the 21st century carried more strategic significance than the US-India partnership.

During the legislative process, Cruz secured an amendment that calls on the Department of Defence to reassess its approach to partnering with India and to appoint an individual to oversee this process.
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Woman who showed middle finger to Trump's motorcade gets fired

The woman cyclist, whose picture went viral after she gave United States President Donald Trump's motorcade the middle finger, has been fired.

Juli Briskman, was cycling through Sterling, Virginia last month when the U.S. President and his motorcade, en route to his golf course, passed her.

She responded by sticking up her middle finger as they zoomed past.

Her one-fingered salute had been captured by photographer Brendan Smialowski, working for Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Getty Images, reported the Telegraph.

This has now cost the 50-year-old marketing executive her job.

According to the reports, Briskman told her bosses at Akima, a government contractor, that she was the woman in the photo.

On Halloween she was fired, and escorted from the building, with her bosses saying they wanted her to "be professional".

"I wasn't even at work when I did that," she said. "But they told me I violated the code of conduct policy."

Briskman, mother to two teenagers, was unrepentant, however.

"I'd do it again," she said.
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Donald Trump won't go to DMZ during South Korea visit: White House

US President Donald Trump will not be going to the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the Korean peninsula when he visits South Korea next week, a senior administration official said today.

The decision to skip the DMZ at a time of high tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea was attributed to time constraints.

"The president is not going to visit the DMZ, there is not enough time in the schedule," the official said.

Trump, who departs Friday on a five-nation Asian tour with world attention on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, will instead visit Camp Humphreys, which is south of Seoul and away from the DMZ, the official said.

The DMZ, a razor's edge separating North and South Korean forces, is a common stop for visiting presidents and other high-level US officials wanting to see one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints.

But the senior administration official downplayed the decision not to go.

"We just had Secretary Mattis there last week, we had Vice-President Pence there earlier this year," the official said, referring to Pentagon chief Jim Mattis and Trump's number two, Mike Pence.

"It's becoming a little bit of a cliche, frankly.
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Trump to roll out Iran nuclear deal strategy soon: White House

The White House has said US President Donald Trump will make an announcement later this week on an overall Iran strategy.

"He'll make that later this week," said White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders here on Tuesday at the daily briefing, Xinhua news agency reported.
"The President has reached a decision on an overall Iran strategy. He wants to make sure that we have a broad policy to deal with that, not just one part of it," Sanders added.

Multiple media reports had earlier said Trump was expected to announce soon that he will "decertify" the landmark Iran nuclear deal, a move that could lead to the potential collapse of the agreement.

The nuclear deal was reached between Iran and the world six powers of Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany in July 2015.

The deal, officially known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, has helped defuse the Iran nuclear crisis and bolstered the international non-proliferation regime.
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