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Friday, November 11, 2016

Donald Trump rows back on Obamacare repeal promise

Donald Trump has said he would consider leaving in place certain parts of the Affordable Care Act - Obamacare - despite pledges to scrap it.
The President-elect appears to have softened his position on Barack Obama's signature 2010 health law, after meeting with the current president.
In his first interview since his election, Mr Trump said one priority was moving "quickly" on the president's health initiative, telling the Wall Street Journal it had become so unworkable and expensive that "you can't use it".
But Mr Trump also showed a willingness to preserve at least two provisions of the health care system.
He said he favours keeping the prohibition against insurers denying coverage because of patients' existing conditions.
And he also favours a provision that allows parents to provide years of additional coverage for children on their insurance policies.
"Either Obamacare will be amended, or repealed and replaced," Mr Trump told the newspaper. 
"I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that."
Mr Trump also appears to have stepped back from his threats to jail his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, telling the WSJ: "It's not something I've given a lot of thought, because I want to solve healthcare, jobs, border control, tax reform."
During his campaign, he warned he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Mrs Clinton, repeatedly calling the FBI "rigged" after it decided not to recommend charges against her for her use of a private email server as Secretary of State.
Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to Mr Trump's transition team, said he "did not discuss" the issue since his victory.
Instead, Mr Trump praised Mrs Clinton, telling 60 Minutes that she "is very strong and very smart" and that her husband Bill was "very, very, really, very nice".
He even said he might seek their advice in future, adding: "I mean, this is a very talented family. Certainly, I would certainly think about that."
But Mr Trump may find that any policy reversals risk the anger of those who voted for him.
One supporter Kathryn Stellmack, a retiree in West Palm Beach, Florida, told Reuters: "We expect him to move forward on all the items he has promised to move forward on - if he doesn't, we will hold his feet to the fire."
Another, Laura Czarniak, 56, of Michigan, said: "I know he'll build a wall (on the Mexican border to stop illegal immigration), I know he'll take care of the Syrian refugee problem, I know he'll get rid of Obamacare - there isn't a chance in hell he wont' do those things."
The highest expectations are on the issue of immigration but his promise to deport all undocumented immigrants was watered down to deporting only criminal undocumented immigrants.
His temporary ban on Muslims entering the US became "extreme vetting" of immigrants from some countries.
Meanwhile, protests against Mr Trump continued, with at least 1,200 people in New York's Washington Square carrying banners and chanting.
More than 1,000 people gathered in Miami and there are weekend protests planned in at least half a dozen other cities.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, however, said he had confidence that Mr Trump would move past the strident words that helped him reach the White House.
On Mr Trump's call for a shake-up of security alliances and a questioning of US funding of the UN, Mr Ban said: "This is what he said during the campaign period, on the campaign trail.
"Now, post-election, when he creates his transition team with experts and people with vision and expertise, I am sure the United States will continue to play a leading role."
On Mr Trump's denial of climate change, Mr Ban said: "He has made a lot of worrying statements but I am sure that he will understand the whole importance and seriousness and urgency."



Mystery debris that could be from Chinese satellite hits mine

A large metal cylinder believed to be from a Chinese satellite or aircraft has fallen from the sky and slammed into a mining area in Myanmar.
The 15ft long and a metre thick barrel-shaped object crashed into the property in Kachin State's Hpakant township on Thursday, according to state media.
Another smaller piece of metal bearing Chinese writing tore through the roof of a house in a nearby village at the same time, but nobody was injured.
The Global New Light newspaper reported: "The metal objects are assumed to be part of a satellite or the engine parts of a plane or missile."
It added that authorities are still trying to confirm the origin of the debris.
Pictures on social media showed what appeared to be pieces of technological equipment and wiring attached to the inside of the vast cylinder.
Residents reported hearing a loud bang before the hunk of metal landed and then bounced some 50 metres across the mining area before coming to rest in the mud.
The bizarre events came on the same day Chinese state media reported Beijing had recently launched a satellite into space.
"It could not be confirmed whether the launch of the satellite and the metal objects found in Kachin state were related," the Global New Light said.
Hpakant is the centre of Myanmar's murky multi-billion dollar jade industry, which feeds a voracious demand for the stone in neighbouring China.
A string of deadly landslides in the mine-pocketed area have killed scores over the past year.

Nigel Farage will not be Donald Trump go-between, says Government spokesman

UKIP leader Nigel Farage will not be acting as a Donald Trump go-between, a Government spokesman has said.
A newspaper report suggested Mr Farage would help to pave the way for discussions between the UK and Mr Trump because of his links to the President-elect.
According to the Daily Telegraph, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox was planning to speak to Mr Farage before attempting to talk to Mr Trump's advisers.
However, the claims have been denied and a Government spokesman told Sky News: "Dr Fox has no plans to talk to Mr Farage."
The UKIP leader, who was invited to give a stump speech alongside Mr Trump during the campaign, is hoping to meet the President-elect on Saturday in New York.
On Thursday he said he would like to be Mr Trump's ambassador to Europe but acknowledged it was unlikely there would be such a role for him.
The President-elect telephoned Theresa May on Thursday afternoon and told her that the UK was a "very, very special place for me and for our country".
He said that the "special relationship" between the two countries would go from "strength to strength".
While Barack Obama had threatened that the UK would be "at the back of the queue" if the public voted for Brexit, Mr Trump has put the country at the front.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday that Mr Trump "wants to do a free trade deal with the UK".
Dr Fox is under fire for failing to make an official trip to the European Union since taking on the role, despite it being the country's biggest global trading partner.
While Mr Johnson is currently on a tour to improve relations with European leaders, Dr Fox has instead opted for trips to Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, a freedom of information request shows.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "It's abundantly clear he's flying around the globe yet achieving nothing. Fox should be working with European governments and fighting for a good Brexit deal for Britain.
"If he's not willing to do that there is really no point in his department at all."
Dr Fox's first trip was to the United States in July, the same month he returned to the Cabinet in a reshuffle, which saw him sharing Brexit responsibilities with Brexit Secretary David Davies and Mr Johnson.
Allie Renison, head of EU and trade policy at the Institute of Directors, said she would expect Dr Fox to give priority to non-EU markets in his initial overseas trips, as he prepares the groundwork for the UK's post-EU trade policy.
However, she added: "While responsibility for Brexit negotiations is split across Whitehall, it would be encouraging to see Liam Fox meet with EU ministers as well, given it will continue to be the largest market for British exporters for some time."

Thursday, November 10, 2016

US election 2016 results: Meet President Trump's possible cabinet

It's Washington DC's favourite new parlour game - guessing who will fill the top posts in US President-elect Donald Trump's administration.
In his victory speech, the Republican lavished praise on a select cadre of loyalists widely viewed as his cabinet-in-waiting.
His aides had already circulated names of contenders in the final days of the White House race.
Here are some of the possible executive branch appointments being touted for Team Trump in the city of revolving doors.

Newt Gingrich - Secretary of State

The combative conservative, an early Trump supporter who made it on to the shortlist of running mates, has been tipped as America's top diplomat.
As Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1994, Mr Gingrich masterminded the Republican wave election that won control of the chamber from Democrats.
The 73-year-old former Georgia legislator quit the speakership because of ethics violations.
Mr Gingrich, who recently accused Fox News presenter Megyn Kelly of being "fascinated" by sex, made a failed run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2011.

Rudy Giuliani - Attorney General

One of Mr Trump's most ardent surrogates, Mr Giuliani is being mentioned for the post of America's top prosecutor.
As New York Mayor during 9/11, he became the face of the city's resilience amid the rubble of the World Trade Center.
He also introduced NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy, which critics said was a form of racial profiling.
Mr Trump, who ran as the law-and-order candidate, has championed the tactic. 
Mr Giuliani, a former New York prosecutor, ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.

Reince Priebus - Chief of Staff

The boyish Mr Priebus, 44, is being widely tipped as Mr Trump's White House consigliere. 
As chairman of the Republican National Committee, he was a bridge between the Republican nominee and a party establishment that was embarrassed by its own presidential standard-bearer.
Mr Priebus is close to House Speaker Paul Ryan, a fellow Wisconsinite, who could be instrumental in steering the new administration's legislative agenda.

Chris Christie - Commerce Secretary

After his own Republican presidential campaign foundered this year, the New Jersey governor promptly endorsed Mr Trump.
Mr Christie, 54, currently overseeing Mr Trump's White House transition, has been mentioned for various posts in the administration, including commerce secretary.
But he has been tainted by a scandal over the closure of a major bridgelinking New Jersey and New York City, allegedly to punish a local mayor. 
Since any presidential cabinet appointment must go before the Senate, confirmation could be problematic while this cloud hangs over him.

Jeff Sessions - Defence Secretary 

The US senator from Alabama is being touted as a possible Pentagon chief.
At his victory bash in New York, Mr Trump said of Mr Sessions, "he is highly respected in Washington because he is as smart as you get".
The 69-year-old was a supporter of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, which Mr Trump recently called "a terrible and stupid thing".
Mr Sessions sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Judiciary Committee and the Budget Committee.

Michael Flynn - National Security Adviser

Mr Flynn, a retired three-star US Army lieutenant general, helped Mr Trump connect with veterans despite the candidate's lack of military service.
He claims he was forced out of his role as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2012-14 because of his views on radical Islam.
During the campaign, he pilloried the Obama administration's approach to the threat posed by the Islamic State group.

Steven Mnuchin - Treasury Secretary

Mr Trump himself floated the idea of naming his finance chairman for the post of Treasury Secretary. 
But it's unclear whether Mr Trump's supporters would welcome the idea of handing the levers of national tax policy to a consummate Wall Street insider.
Mr Mnuchin amassed a fortune during his 17 years at Goldman Sachs, before founding a movie production company that was behind such box office hits as the X-Men franchise and American Sniper.
However, a Trump aide has also confirmed they have asked JPMorgan boss Jamie Dimon to be US Treasury Secretary; it's not clear how he responded.







Trump accuses media of inciting 'professional protesters'

Protesters have spent a second night voicing their opposition to US President-elect Donald Trump as he hit back, describing them as "professional protesters" who were "incited by the media".
About 50 people demonstrated in Chicago on Thursday, a day after thousands of people marched around the city's business district.
They received cheers from some but at least one person shouted that they should "shut up and accept democracy".
Protesters also blocked Interstate 94 in Minneapolis after marching from an anti-Trump gathering at the University of Minnesota.
Other protests were reported in New York, where they gathered outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue; Philadelphia, where hundreds gathered near City Hall; and Baltimore where police say around 600 people brought traffic to a standstill.
Mr Trump tweeted: "Professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!"
Meanwhile, following his first meeting with Barack Obama, Mr Trump is understood to be preparing to dismantle one of the current president's main policies - Obamacare.
The billionaire has said a number of times that he would scrap the scheme, adding that healthcare would be among his top priorities following his inauguration on 20 January.
He also told reporters that immigration would be his other priority early in his term.
Mr Trump has previously promised to build a wall between the US and Mexico to stop illegal immigration from the south.
He said: "We are going to move very strongly on immigration.
"We will move very strongly on healthcare.
"And we're looking at jobs - big league jobs."
Mr Obama said he was encouraged by Mr Trump's willingness to work with his team on the issues facing the country, adding it was important for all "to now come together".
The respectful tone of their post-meeting news conference was in contrast to the bitter exchanges that characterised the election campaign before Mr Trump ultimately defeated Hillary Clinton, who was backed by fellow Democrat Mr Obama.
The White House said later that while the two men did not resolve all their differences, the talks "might have been at least a little less awkward than some might have expected".
Mr Trump said he looked forward to more meetings with Mr Obama before his inauguration and that they talked about "a lot of different situations, some wonderful and some difficulties".
He said the president explained "some of the great things that have been achieved", but did not elaborate.


Donald Trump: 'I look forward' to working with Obama

US President Barack Obama and his successor, Donald Trump, have met at the White House, a day after the billionaire businessman was declared the winner of the country's election
Obama called Thursday's 90-minute meeting in the Oval Office "excellent", while Trump said he looked forward to receiving the outgoing president's "counsel".
"We now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed because if you succeed, the country succeeds," Obama told Trump.
"I have great respect [for him]," he said. "The meeting could have, as far as I'm concerned, gone a lot longer.
"We discussed a lot of different situations, some wonderful, and some difficulties,"  he said.
Trump said he looked forward "to dealing with the president in the future, including counsel" and meeting with Obama "many, many more times". 

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

The Internet Really, Really Wants Michelle Obama to Run for President in 2020

After Hillary Clinton was defeated by Donald Trump in the biggest upset of U.S. election historyearly Wednesday morning, the Internet was awash with reactions to the largely unanticipated outcome. But while many took to social media to either celebrate or lament the night’s results, some began to look ahead four years, announcing their support for candidates who could potentially run for the nation’s highest office in 2020 — including Michelle Obama.
The current First Lady has become one of the most popular political figures in recent history over the course of her husband’s Oval Office tenure, so it’s no surprise that her fans are already advocating for her return to the White House (despite the fact that President Obama has ruled this possibility out).