Category Archives: US Politics

Donald Trump defends tariffs on Mexico as stock markets reel

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After 5% tariff announced, president tweets ‘Mexico has taken advantage of the US for decades’

Donald Trump has defended his decision to impose new tariffs on Mexico as stock markets worldwide were rattled by fears of an escalation in trade tensions.

“Mexico has taken advantage of the United States for decades,” Trump tweeted. “Because of the Dems, our Immigration Laws are BAD. Mexico makes a FORTUNE from the U.S., have for decades, they can easily fix this problem. Time for them to finally do what must be done!”

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Trump announces tariffs on Mexican goods until ‘migration crisis alleviated’

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US will place a 5% tariff on all goods from Mexico to pressure the country to stop the flow of Central American migrants, Trump says

In a surprise announcement that could compromise a major trade deal, Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is slapping a 5% tariff on all Mexican imports to pressure the country to do more to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants trying to cross the border.

He said the percentage would gradually increase “until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied”.

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Trump calls Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage ‘very good guys’ – video

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Donald Trump praised the politicians on Thursday, saying they were 'two very good guys, very interesting people'. Speaking to reporters as he left the White House, the US president said he wasn't sure he would endorse either candidate to be the new UK prime minister: 'I haven't thought about supporting them. Maybe it's not my business to support people. But I have a lot of respect for both of those men'

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Mueller: if Trump clearly had not committed a crime ‘we would have said so’ – live

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Special counsel gave public statement for first time about the investigation, prompting a response from Donald Trump: ‘The case is closed’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tiptoed around calls for impeachment in a new statement responding to Mueller’s remarks. In her comments, she praised Mueller for his work and vowed to continue investigating the Trump administration.

“The Congress holds sacred its constitutional responsibility to investigate and hold the President accountable for his abuse of power,” she said. “The Congress will continue to investigate and legislate to protect our elections and secure our democracy. The American people must have the truth.”

Former South Carolina Democratic party chair Jamie Harrison on Wednesday launched his campaign for the Senate seat held by Lindsey Graham.

Here’s his launch video:

I may not be a superhero, but I am a proud South Carolinian, and I'm ready to fight for a better future for our state and our country. I hope you are, too. Find out how you can #JoinJaime and get involved: https://t.co/2jIqtqbKAB pic.twitter.com/zTjktJ1RpA

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Robert Mueller gives first public statement on Trump-Russia investigation – video

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Special prosecutor says investigators did not have confidence that the US president did not commit a crime. Delivering his first statement on the Trump-Russia investigation, Mueller explained the investigation was bound by the longstanding Department of Justice policy that a sitting president cannot be indicted

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Missouri moves to become first state without an abortion clinic since Roe v Wade – live

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Last remaining abortion clinic in the state expects to close within 72 hours, as Planned Parenthood prepares to file a lawsuit

Netflix has become the first Hollywood giant to pledge action should Georgia’s extremist abortion law come into effect.

In a statement to CNBC the streaming and film production company said it would “rethink our entire investment in Georgia” should the so-called “heartbeat law” go into effect.

Vice president Mike Pence has responded to the Supreme Court decision earlier in the day that upholds an Indiana law requiring fetal remains be disposed of in the same way has human bodies.

The law was signed by Pence, then the governor of Indiana, in 2016.

Today, Justice Thomas wrote: SCOTUS has been zealous in the past in barring discrimination based on sex, race, & disability. Hopeful someday soon SCOTUS will recognize the same protections for the unborn when they rule on future appeals of pro-life legislation.

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Mueller drew up obstruction indictment against Trump, Michael Wolff book says

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A new book from Fire and Fury author Michael Wolff says special counsel Robert Mueller drew up a three-count obstruction of justice indictment against Donald Trump before deciding to shelve it – an explosive claim which a spokesman for Mueller flatly denied.

Related: 'It's all explosive': Michael Wolff on Donald Trump

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Sudan, Algeria, Libya: new Arab spring stalls as Trump looks away

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The US once led western states’ support of democracy around the world, but under this president that feels like a long time ago

There was a time, not so very long ago, when the US was held up as a model for other nations to emulate. That time has passed. Last week witnessed more gratuitous international hooliganism by the Trump administration. Its latest depredations include extra-territorial bullying of trade and business rivals, violent threats against Iran, an absurdly biased “peace plan” for Palestine, resumed arms sales to fuel the Saudis’ war in Yemen, and an assault on global press freedom.

Anger and dismay over Donald Trump’s wildly swinging wrecking ball obscure they ways in which the US could be using its unmatched power to benefit others – but refuses to do so. Its current policy is defined by its absences. Once again, Syrian civilians are dying in a horrific war Trump has done nothing to halt. Alarm bells are ringing over the climate crisis and mass extinction – yet Trump’s people prefer to focus on economic opportunities afforded by a melting Arctic ice cap.

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Trump says US will send 1,500 troops to Middle East amid Iran tensions – video

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Donald Trump announced on Friday that the US would send 1,500 troops to the Middle East as a protective measure after a breakdown in relations with Iran. ‘Right now, I don’t think Iran wants to fight and I certainly don’t think they want to fight with us,’ the US president said

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Iran tensions: 1,500 US troops head to Middle East as Trump seals $7bn Saudi arms sale

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White House downplays prospect of conflict but blames Iran for tanker bombings and Iraq attack

The US will send hundreds of additional troops and a dozen fighter jets to the Middle East in the coming weeks to counter what the Pentagon has said is an escalating campaign by Iran to plan attacks against the US and its interests in the region.

And for the first time, Pentagon officials on Friday publicly blamed Iran and its proxies for recent tanker bombings near United Arab Emirates and a rocket attack in Iraq.

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Federal judge blocks strict abortion law in Mississippi – as it happened

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That’s all from me! Here’s a rundown on the day’s major events:

Abortion providers reported an “alarming escalation” in incidents of disruption and intimidation in 2018, according to a new report by their professional association, the National Abortion Federation (NAF).

Trespassing reached the highest level since the NAF began recording such incidents in 1999, while incidents of obstruction grew 78% from 2017 to 2018. Providers also reported record levels of picketing (99,409 incidents) since recording began in 1977, and the highest number of incidents of vandalism (125) since 1990.

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Facebook refuses to delete fake Pelosi video spread by Trump supporters

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Footage of House speaker deliberately slowed down to make her appear drunk or ill

Facebook says it will continue to host a video of Nancy Pelosi that has been edited to give the impression that the Democratic House speaker is drunk or unwell, in the latest incident highlighting its struggle to deal with disinformation.

The viral clip shows Pelosi – who has publicly angered Donald Trump in recent days – speaking at an event, but it has been slowed down to give the impression she is slurring her words. Several versions of the clip appeared to be circulating.

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Real v fake: debunking the ‘drunk’ Nancy Pelosi footage – video

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Footage of the Democratic House Speaker was edited to make her appear drunk or unwell, in the latest incident highlighting social media's struggle to deal with disinformation. Compare the original footage with the viral clip

• Facebook refuses to delete fake Pelosi video spread by Trump supporters

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Trump v Pelosi: how a ‘stable genius’ president met his match

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With calls for an intervention on his behalf, the House speaker has knocked an ‘extremely calm’ leader off balance

It has been almost four years since Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign from the gilded escalator of Trump Tower. In that time he has come to be feared by Democrats and Republicans alike for his personal attacks that always seem to supremely rile his opponents.

Now he has finally met his match.

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New US charges against Julian Assange could spell decades behind bars

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  • WikiLeaks founder charged in 18-count DoJ indictment
  • Assange ‘risked serious harm to US national security’

Julian Assange could face decades in a US prison after being charged with violating the Espionage Act by publishing classified information through WikiLeaks.

Prosecutors announced 17 additional charges against Assange for publishing hundreds of thousands of secret diplomatic cables and files on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Nancy Pelosi: ‘The White House is just crying out for impeachment’ – video

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The Democratic speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, said the White House was “crying out for impeachment” and called for Donald Trump’s family to intervene in the president’s wellbeing “for the good of the country”. The dramatic statements came one day after Trump stormed out of a meeting in the Oval Office with Pelosi and the Democratic Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, about infrastructure legislation, and then held a hastily called press conference to say he wouldn’t work with Democrats until they stop investigating him.

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‘We’ll fight to the end’: China’s media ramps up rhetoric in US trade war

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Voices within Chinese state and private media grow more strident as tensions mount

Over the last week, China’s state media outlets have called the US government delusional, compared it to apes shouting on a river bank, and offered to teach the Americans a Chinese idiom: diandao heibai, “to invert black and white”, or deliberately distort the truth.

As trade tensions mount between the US and China, Beijing faces the difficult task of appealing to national pride to shore up confidence in the leadership while also keeping public anger in check.

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New York state passes bill to allow Congress to access Trump’s tax returns – live

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Arguments have begun in Donald Trump’s lawsuit to block Congressional subpoenas of his financial records from Deutsche Bank and Capital One.

Patrick Strawbridge, one of Trump’s lawyers, reiterated in court his argument that Congress is overstepping its role by issuing such broad subpoenas.

Related: Trump lawyers to appear in court over subpoenas for financial records

Donald Trump Jr is set to follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming an author.

The first son, who earlier today was described as “a good young man” by his father – has signed a deal with Center Street Books, and the tome will be published later this year.

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Trump refuses to work with Democrats unless they stop investigating him

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President halted infrastructure meeting and condemned Pelosi in a snap press conference after she said he was ‘engaging in a cover-up’

Donald Trump on Wednesday terminated a meeting with Democratic leaders after just a few minutes, saying he refuses to work with them on an infrastructure plan unless they stop investigating him and lift the threat of impeachment.

Democrats quickly fired back, claiming that the US president had planned the stunt in advance and what happened at the White House would “make your jaw drop”.

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she’d be ‘hard pressed’ to back Biden in primary

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Bernie Sanders appears to be the favorite to secure Ocasio-Cortez’s prized endorsement in the Democratic presidential primary

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive US congresswoman and social media sensation, has said she would be “hard pressed” to endorse the frontrunner, Joe Biden, in the Democratic presidential primary.

The statement is the latest sign of the left’s apathy towards the former vice-president, who has surged ahead of the Senator Bernie Sanders and other rivals in recent polls.

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