Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Cohen raid ignites Trump's rage and sparks speculation - CNN Politics

Cohen raid ignites Trump's rage and sparks speculation
Kevin Liptak-Profile-Image
By Kevin Liptak, CNN White House Producer

Updated 0834 GMT (1634 HKT) April 10, 2018
Toobin: Looks like Trump itching to fire Mueller

trump stormy daniels avenatti and schwartz
Stormy and Cohen's attorneys debate contract
POMPANO BEACH, FL - MARCH 09:   The actress Stephanie Clifford, who uses the stage name Stormy Daniels, arrives to perform at the Solid Gold Fort Lauderdale strip club on March 9, 2018 in Pompano Beach, Florida. Stephanie Clifford who claims to have had an affair with President Trump has filed a suit against him in an attempt to nullify a nondisclosure deal with Trump attorney Michael Cohen days before Trump's 2016 presidential victory.  (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
New links between Trump, Stormy Daniels
anderson cooper 03092018
Anderson Cooper: It's not about the affair

Cohen used business email in Daniels deal
Attorney Michael Cohen arrives at Trump Tower for meetings with President-elect Donald Trump on December 16, 2016 in New York. 
Cohen faces criticism over Stormy Daniels case
stormy daniels, michael cohen
WSJ: Cohen complained about porn star payment
Attorney Michael Cohen arrives to Trump Tower for meetings with President-elect Donald Trump on December 16, 2016 in New York.
WaPo: Mueller examining Trump's lawyer
Attorney Michael Cohen arrives to Trump Tower for meetings with President-elect Donald Trump on December 16, 2016 in New York.
Trump attorney tries to silence alleged affair
Toobin: Looks like Trump itching to fire Mueller
Attorney Michael Cohen arrives to Trump Tower for meetings with President-elect Donald Trump on December 16, 2016 in New York.
FBI raids Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's office
Michael Avenatti newday 2 04092018
Avenatti: Trump shot himself in the foot

Cohen referred client to former Daniels lawyer
Attorney Michael Cohen arrives to Trump Tower for meetings with President-elect Donald Trump on December 16, 2016 in New York.
Michael Cohen: Trump's loyal fixer

Trump: No knowledge of Stormy Daniels payment
Michael Avenatti
Avenatti: Trump team has told bucket of lies
Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels
Stormy Daniels sues Cohen for defamation
trump stormy daniels avenatti and schwartz
Stormy and Cohen's attorneys debate contract
POMPANO BEACH, FL - MARCH 09:   The actress Stephanie Clifford, who uses the stage name Stormy Daniels, arrives to perform at the Solid Gold Fort Lauderdale strip club on March 9, 2018 in Pompano Beach, Florida. Stephanie Clifford who claims to have had an affair with President Trump has filed a suit against him in an attempt to nullify a nondisclosure deal with Trump attorney Michael Cohen days before Trump's 2016 presidential victory.  (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
New links between Trump, Stormy Daniels
anderson cooper 03092018
Anderson Cooper: It's not about the affair

Cohen used business email in Daniels deal
Attorney Michael Cohen arrives at Trump Tower for meetings with President-elect Donald Trump on December 16, 2016 in New York. 
Cohen faces criticism over Stormy Daniels case
stormy daniels, michael cohen
WSJ: Cohen complained about porn star payment
Attorney Michael Cohen arrives to Trump Tower for meetings with President-elect Donald Trump on December 16, 2016 in New York.
WaPo: Mueller examining Trump's lawyer
Attorney Michael Cohen arrives to Trump Tower for meetings with President-elect Donald Trump on December 16, 2016 in New York.
Trump attorney tries to silence alleged affair

Toobin: Looks like Trump itching to fire Mueller
Attorney Michael Cohen arrives to Trump Tower for meetings with President-elect Donald Trump on December 16, 2016 in New York.
FBI raids Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's office
Michael Avenatti newday 2 04092018
Avenatti: Trump shot himself in the foot

Cohen referred client to former Daniels lawyer
Attorney Michael Cohen arrives to Trump Tower for meetings with President-elect Donald Trump on December 16, 2016 in New York.
Michael Cohen: Trump's loyal fixer

Trump: No knowledge of Stormy Daniels payment
Michael Avenatti
Avenatti: Trump team has told bucket of lies
Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels
Stormy Daniels sues Cohen for defamation
Washington (CNN)It was a photo-op meant to portray President Donald Trump at his most commanding: Flanked by senior military leaders, Trump was there to plot America's response to a suspected chemical gas attack in Syria.

Instead, his boiling display in the White House Cabinet Room on Monday evening only served to underscore the President's most visible weakness: his ambient rage over Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
The special counsel, Trump declared, was conducting a "total witch hunt." The FBI raid carried out on his longtime fixer and personal attorney Michael Cohen's office is "frankly, a real disgrace." And the investigation into his campaign's ties to Russia amounts to "an attack on our country in a true sense."
That was just in the first minute.
Trump slams FBI for raid of his personal attorney's office
Trump slams FBI for raid of his personal attorney's office
Rarely has Trump's ever-simmering anger over the Russia probe erupted on camera as it did on Monday. The news that FBI agents had carted away documents and records related to, among other things, the adult film actress Stormy Daniels from Cohen's office prompted the type of emotional diatribe that his allies and advisers have long sought to head off.
That's left his aides and advisers wondering -- and in some cases dreading -- what might come next.
People familiar with Trump's thinking said Monday that the Cohen revelation struck the President harder than seeing other associates caught up in the Mueller swirl. Unlike campaign aides Paul Manafort or Michael Flynn, Cohen has been a longtime fixture of Trump's orbit. He was a regular presence inside the Trump Organization headquarters on the 26th floor of Trump Tower. And he acted as an enforcer of secrets, admitting to paying off at least one woman who alleged she'd carried out a sexual affair with Trump.
He was, in the telling of one person who worked with both Trump and Cohen for years, "the closest person to Trump that I have ever met who is not family."
Trump made the decision on his own to directly -- and bluntly -- address the FBI raid of Cohen's office during his meeting with top military brass and his national security advisers. One White House official said there was no discussion among aides about the President not talking about it at his event.
He wanted to air his grievances, the official said, and react publicly to the news that had enraged him for the past two hours.
"You can see how angry he is," the White House official said.

WH Official: Trump watching tv reports of FBI raiding 01:32
The outburst came late in a day otherwise occupied with calls and meetings focused on the Syria attack. By midafternoon, Trump had spoken for the second time with French President Emmanuel Macron and had conferred with senior aides, including new national security adviser John Bolton, on options for responding.
But the strategy sessions were interrupted when Trump learned the raids were underway. He huddled at the White House with his attorney Ty Cobb and other senior aides to plot a response.
"I heard it like you did," Trump told reporters in the Cabinet Room, though one official said the President had found out earlier in the afternoon that FBI agents had seized documents from Cohen's office and hotel room.
He spent the remainder of the afternoon viewing coverage of the episode on television in the private dining room just off the Oval Office, growing more incensed and planning his response. White House aides seemed caught off guard by the raids, unprepared with a response. Press aides spent the afternoon hunkered down in their offices determining how to react.
Trump, now without a permanent communications director after the departure of Hope Hicks, ended up doing the reacting himself.
"That is really now in a whole new level of unfairness," Trump bemoaned at the start of his meeting with military leaders.
Without being prompted by a reporter's question, Trump launched into his minutes-long tirade as top military brass and national security aides looked on.
Defense Secretary James Mattis sat stone-faced across the table, his hands folded and his eyes cast downward. Bolton, sitting to Trump's left, adjusted his glasses and fiddled with his pen. Vice President Mike Pence, at Trump's right, stared ahead with an unchanging expression of concern.
Other military leaders looked on silently as the commander in chief attacked his attorney general, deputy attorney general and special counsel in a blistering partisan attack that stood out even by Trump's standards.

Trump: Syria attack will be met forcefully
Trump diverted from his rampage, briefly, to address the situation in Syria. But he eagerly returned to the Mueller matter as soon as he was peppered with questions from reporters.
"Why don't I just fire Mueller? Well, I think it's a disgrace what's going on. We'll see what happens," he said, making sure to repeat the question for the cameras. "And many people have said, you should fire him."
It's the prospect of a Mueller firing that has some of Trump's advisers nervous. Trump has recently escalated his attacks in private, not just of Mueller but also of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the Russia investigation at the Justice Department. After the departure of aides like Hicks, there are fewer confidants in the White House to buffer Trump's combative instincts.
A growing number of Trump's allies have advised him that his legal team appears outmatched by the stable of lawyers recruited by Mueller to investigate his campaign's ties to Russia, even as that team begins informally preparing him for an interview with Mueller. And they are concerned about how he will react to the upcoming publicity tour by James Comey, the FBI director he fired last year, who has a book coming out.
Republicans in Washington are eyeing the President's moves carefully.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny, Jim Acosta, Dan Merica, Kaitlan Collins and Pamela Brown contributed to this report.

 Trump's lawyer referred a client to Stormy Daniels' former lawyer, raising new questions about collaboration
Trump's lawyer referred a client to Stormy Daniels' former lawyer, raising new questions about collaboration
 Sean Hannity, who mocked Michelle Obama, says it's wrong to mock Melania Trump
Sean Hannity, who mocked Michelle Obama, says it's wrong to mock Melania…
 Axelrod, Steyer spar over Dems' impeachment calls
Axelrod, Steyer spar over Dems' impeachment calls
 Stormy Daniels: I wouldn't have signed nondisclosure pact if I knew Trump wasn't signing
Stormy Daniels: I wouldn't have signed nondisclosure pact if I knew Trump…

 The Democratic case against impeaching President Trump
The Democratic case against impeaching President Trump
 Donald Trump just made the Masters all about him
Donald Trump just made the Masters all about him

 Trump just put himself in a political red zone

 Judge denies motion by Stormy Daniels' attorney to depose Trump, Cohen

 Allred withdraws from Zervos case against Trump

Kudlow says China has not wanted to 'talk in earnest' amid tariff threats - CNN Politics

Kudlow says China has not wanted to 'talk in earnest' amid tariff threats
Anchor Muted Background
By Maegan Vazquez, CNN

Updated 1524 GMT (2324 HKT) April 8, 2018
Kudlow: I'd support pulling trigger on tariffs

Kudlow: I'd support pulling trigger on tariffs 01:29
Washington (CNN)White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow says President Donald Trump is trying to get China's attention by ramping up trade war rhetoric, but so far, Beijing has not wanted "to come round and talk in earnest."

"Look, we have had to go in and fire a shot across the bow. China's behavior, it's 20 years now, it's more than unfair trade practices. It's illegal trading practices," Kudlow said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," later emphasizing that "this is a process" and "no tariffs have been implemented yet."
Last Thursday, Trump ratcheting up the trade war rhetoric with China, saying he was asking US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to consider $100 billion in additional tariffs on the country's exports to the US.
Trump defends tariffs amid jittery markets
Trump defends tariffs amid jittery markets
Earlier in the week, the US announced new tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods, claiming that China is stealing US intellectual property. China responded within hours by announcing tariffs on $50 billion worth of US goods.
The moves follow US tariffs that were imposed earlier this year on Chinese steel and aluminum, which also prompted retaliatory measures from China.
Kudlow, who joined the administration only days ago, said he would support the new tariffs if they were implemented.
"In this last round (of tariffs), President Trump asked Bob Lighthizer, our trade diplomat, to consider whether an additional round of tariffs would be useful, and part of that is because after we've made the first round, the Chinese response was unsatisfactory, to (say) the least," Kudlow said. "So the President is trying to get their attention again. The process may include tariffs. I can't rule that out. It may rest eventually on negotiations."
Trump pushes back against market fears of trade war
Trump pushes back against market fears of trade war
"Maybe China will want to come round and talk in earnest," Kudlow added. "So far it hasn't. I hope it does."
In a tweet Sunday morning, Trump wrote that Chinese "President Xi (Jinping) and I will always be friends, no matter what happens with our dispute on trade."

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump
 President Xi and I will always be friends, no matter what happens with our dispute on trade. China will take down its Trade Barriers because it is the right thing to do. Taxes will become Reciprocal & a deal will be made on Intellectual Property. Great future for both countries!

10:12 PM - Apr 8, 2018

"China will take down its Trade Barriers because it is the right thing to do. Taxes will become Reciprocal & a deal will be made on Intellectual Property. Great future for both countries!" he continued.
Peter Navarro, director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday morning that though the tariff threats against China are serious, they're also a negotiating ploy.
"We're moving forward in a measured way with tariffs, with investment restrictions," he said. "What we want from China is very clear. We want fair and reciprocal trade. We want them to stop stealing our stuff. We want them to guard intellectual property, not take it from us."
Trying to make sense of Trump's contradictory trade war tweets
Trying to make sense of Trump's contradictory trade war tweets
On "State of the Union" Sunday morning, Republican Sen. Susan Collins, of Maine, said the administration needs a "more nuanced approach" to the issue, but gave the President credit for posing the treat of additional tariffs against China.
We need to get tough with China, but we need to do so in a way that we do not spark a trade war and retaliation that will end up with our European and Asian competitors getting business that otherwise would have come to American farmers and American manufacturers," Collins said.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, also credited Trump for taking action.
"To those who believe that China is cheating: What idea do you have better than Trump? He's the first guy to actually take them on, they have a weak economy compared to ours, the Chinese, they don't have Social Security or unemployment benefits," Graham said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." He added, "They need us more than we need them, and all I'm asking them to do, Martha, is to quit cheating us out of market share."
CNN's Jackie Wattles and Jethro Mullen contributed to this report.

The Biggest Deal In Shark Tank History, That Can Make YOU Rich In Just 7 Days! (Seriously) - Insider Financial Daily

The Biggest Deal In Shark Tank History, That Can Make YOU Rich In Just 7 Days! (Seriously)
(Tuesday, April 10, 2018) - These two university mates created, Bitcoin Trader, a simple push-button bitcoin trading platform.
Appearing on channel 10's hit show, Shark Tank, two best friends from university pitched their idea for an automated bitcoin trading platform, called Bitcoin Trader. The idea was simple: allow the average person the opportunity to cash in on the bitcoin boom. Even if they have absolutely no investing or technology experience.

A user would simply make an intial deposit into the platform, usually of $250 or more, and the automated trading algorithm would go to work. Using a combination of data and machine learning, the algorithm would know the perfect time to buy bitcoin low and sell high, maximizing the user's profit.

The entrepreneurs intend to make money from their platform by charging a small commission on only the profits a user generates. They asked the sharks for $200,000 for 25% of the company, valuing the company at $800,000.

To demonstrate the power of their company's platform the entrepreneurs had Janine Allis deposit $250 live on the show.

Janine Allis after buying her first ever bitcoin with the help of Bitcoin Trader

"I've heard about Bitcoin and the massive amount of money you can make from it, but I've never bought any. I no idea where to start. This was really easy, I can just use my credit card to deposit money and it buys them for me." Janine said.

After her initial deposit for $250 was made, the trading platform went to work buying low and selling high. Within 3 minutes, she had successfully increased her initial funds to $323.18. That's a $73.18 profit.

The Sharks started to become very eager to invest in this business
All the Sharks were immediately impressed by how easy it was to make money. The platform handles all the trading work automatically and because the price of Bitcoin is quite volatile, there are numerous opportunities to profit.

"Bitcoin is so hot right now and if even somebody like Janine, no offence Janine, can make money from it, I'm all in. I need to have a piece of this. I'm going to make a huge offer, $2 million for 25% of the company." Steve Baxter said.

Before the entrepreneurs even had a chance to respond to Baxter's offer, Janine Allis interrupted and said with a smile on her face: "I've gone up to $398.42 after just 8 minutes".

After the instance success of Janine Allis, Steve Baxter recalculates his initial offer.
Although at this point all 5 Sharks were ready to invested, a bidding war quickly emerged between Glen Richards and Steve Baxter. Richards improved on Baxter's offer, by $2.5 million for 25%, whereas Baxter hit back with a revised valuation of $2.5 million for 20%, effectively valuing the company at $12.5 million.

After some minor back-and-forth discussion, the entrepreneurs quickly accepted, making this the biggest deal in the history of Shark Tank.

We decided to put Bitcoin Trader to the test, to see if it was really possible for you to make money using the platform.

We quickly discovered that the platform charges a commission of 2% on profits a user generates and you need to make a minimum deposit of $250 to get started. That money will be your initial investment, which the trading software uses to trade.

Also, we learnt that Bitcoin Trader makes money by buying when the price goes up AND when the price goes down. This is know as short-selling and the platform handles it for you automatically.

I decided to sign up for an account with Bitcoin Trader, I made the initial deposit $250 and set my account to active.

MY RESULTS WITH BITCOIN TRADER AFTER 7 DAYS
On the show, Janine was able to make $73.18 in profit after 3 minutes, for me, it took much longer. The platform took 20 hours to generate a $80.19 profit, which still impressed me alot! I've never puchased Bitcoin before and never made a trade in my life, yet here I was able to generate profits.

I spent about 5 minutes a day checking my results and after 5 days, the platform had traded up to a massive total of $630. That is a 252% increase in my initial deposit. I was starting to become a true believer in this platform.

After 7 Days my initial investment had traded up to $1,930. At this point, my mind was racing with possibilities of all the things I could spend that money on. This is more money than I made at work for the week and I spent less than 30 minutes checking the platform.

I decided to keep my account active for 15 days in total, because I wanted to see how high it could go. My account eventually hit a peak of $7,380.10, but had a negative -$79.51 trade. I looked through my trading logs and discovered that not every trade is profitable, some actually lose money.

The platform isn't magic, but after 70% of my trades were profitable, the net result was I made $7,300.59 from my initial deposit of $250. It took me less than 30 minutes of work a week and absolutely no technical or investing experience.

As you can see from the screenshot below, I decided to used the 'withdraw funds' function to withdraw $7,300.59 from my account.

How I easily withdrew my money from my Bitcoin Trader account

All in all, I was able to make $7,300.59 from using Bitcoin Trader. I decided to pull my money out to pay for an overseas holiday. When I get back, with the money I've got left over from my holiday, I will definitely reinvest in Bitcoin Trader. I may even quit my job!

Note: It took 48 hours for my the money to be deposited into my personal bank account.

THE SHARKS ABSOLUTELY LOVE BITCOIN TRADER

“Bitcoin Trader has been the greatest investment I've ever made! The business has been growing at over 2,400% this year alone. And as a user of the platform, my Bitcoin trading profits have increased by 320% on virtual autopilot.” - Steve Baxter

“I missed out on the Bitcoin Trader investment, as the entrepreneurs decided to go with Steve Baxter, but I've been making huge returns as a user of the platform! My return as a user has been over 630%, which is much bigger than anything I've made here in Shark Tank” - Glen Richards

“I've gone from somebody who has only heard about Bitcoin to becoming a Bitcoin Multi-Millionaire in the space of just 3 months. I wish I had offer more money to invest in the business, but I'm extremely happy that I decided to become a user of the product.” - Naomi Simson

“I'm still in shock, I deposited $250 live on the show and it immediately returned a $73.18 profit after just 3 minutes. That is the biggest and fastest return I've ever seen after 3 minutes. This thing is legit.” - Janine Allis

“Bitcoin Trader has revolutionised the world of investments for me. I've almost completely abandoned my normal stock portfolio in favour of Bitcoin trading. With the use of Bitcoin Trader, you can make more money, faster, easier and with absolutely no prior bitcoin or investor knowledge.” - Andrew Banks

Trump on track to lose Republicans' control over Senate and Congress, says leading pollster - Independent

April 9, 2018
Trump on track to lose Republicans' control over Senate and Congress, says leading pollster
'I think the Republicans are in deep trouble in the House and the Senate,' says Frank Luntz

Maya Oppenheim @mayaoppenheim

America’s best known public opinion guru partially heaps blame on Mr Trump for the waning electoral hopes of the Republican party Getty
A leading Republican pollster has predicted Donald Trump could take a hit in the 2018 midterm electi, with Republicans in danger of losing control of the Congress and the Senate.

Frank Luntz said if that the elections were to be held now, the Republican Party would likely lose control of both.

“I think the Republicans are in deep trouble in the House and the Senate as well. If the election were held today, frankly, I think Republicans would lose both,” the conservative pollster said on Fox News.

Republican governor warns party is at risk of Democratic gains
Republican finally concedes special election in ominous sign for Trump
Hillary Clinton says 'the Russians are coming' ahead of midterms
Republicans fear a 'bloodbath' in midterm elections
America’s best known public opinion guru partially heaped blame on Mr Trump for the Republican Party's dwindling electoral hopes.

“If Donald Trump wants to keep the Republican Congress, he has to differentiate when he’s attacking Congress in general versus the Republicans in Congress,” he said.

“Differentiate when he’s attacking the press versus when he feels he’s not getting a fair shake”.

Mr Luntz argued the economy had flourished under the Trump administration but that the president failed to gain proper recognition for it. He suggested the leader’s obsession with tweeting deflected attention away from positive stories about the economy.

A slew of polls in recent weeks have shown Democrats with a lead over Republicans. A Quinnipiac University poll released last month showed Democrats holding a 10-point lead.

In the House, 435 seats are up for election in the forthcoming midterms. The Republicans in that chamber currently hold 238 seats and the Democrats have 192 but are predicted to procure more. The Democrats need to flip 23 seats in order to take back the House.

But the Senate is a far trickier political landscape - 35 seats are up in the 2018 elections there. The Democrats need to defend their existing 26 of those seats and win two extras in order to take control of the chamber.

Democrats believe that with Mr Trump’s approval at a record low and with a similarly record number of candidates from its party getting ready to run in November, they will be able to capitalise on anti-Trump sentiment and retake one or both chambers of Congress.

Former vice president Joe Biden recently argued Democrats would win back the House and maybe even the Senate in Autumn.

“We’re going to win back the House. We actually have a chance at winning back the Senate, for real. It’s a little more of a climb, but it’s real,” Mr Biden said in February.

South Carolina reps introduce bill to allow debate on secession over gun laws - Fox News ( source : Associated Press )

South Carolina reps introduce bill to allow debate on secession over gun laws
By Lukas Mikelionis | Fox News

 South Carolina state Rep. Mike Pitts and two other state lawmakers introduced a bill that would allow the debate on seceding from the U.S. in the event of confiscation of “legally purchased firearms in this State.”
South Carolina state Rep. Mike Pitts and two other state lawmakers introduced a bill that would allow the debate on seceding from the U.S. in the event of confiscation of “legally purchased firearms in this State.”  (Facebook/Mike Pitts)

Three state House Republicans in South Carolina introduced a bill last week that would allow the debate on the Palmetto State possibly seceding from the U.S. if “legally purchased firearms” are ever confiscated.

Rep. Mike Pitts, the initiative’s chief sponsor, said that he has been considering the proposal amid increasing calls to curb the Second Amendment rights, but denied the bill was in response to retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens’ call to repeal the Second Amendment.

RETIRED SUPREME COURT JUSTICE STEVENS SAYS SECOND AMENDMENT SHOULD BE REPEALED

The bill is unlikely to pass this year, but Pitts pledged to continue raising the issue as a defense of the Bill of Rights.

“Without a Bill of Rights, our nation is not what it is,” he said on Friday. “I see a lot of stuff where people even talk about totally repealing the Second Amendment, which separates us from the entire rest of the world.”

Pitts said he is not “promoting secession” and does not want to see South Carolina leaving the Union, but he said he believes the bill is important to make the secession possible if events warrant it.

Calls for secession over gun rights are not new. In 2013, several counties proposed seceding from the state of Colorado and the Union and create their own state amid new gun control laws introduced by the Democratic legislature.

South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union before the Civil war in 1860 over “increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the Institution of Slavery.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

China's Xi announces plans to 'open' China, including lowering tariffs on imported autos - CNBC News

China's Xi announces plans to 'open' China, including lowering tariffs on imported autos
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the Boao Forum for Asia on Tuesday.
He discussed plans to further open up the Chinese economy, including "significantly" lowering import tariffs for autos, decreasing duties on other products, enforcing the legal intellectual property of foreign firms and improving the investment environment for international companies.
Everett Rosenfeld | Huileng Tan
Published April 9, 2018
CNBC.com
 President Xi Jinping vows a 'new phase' of opening China's economy President Xi Jinping vows 'further opening' of China's economy 

Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed plans to further open up the Chinese economy during a Tuesday address.

Those measures included "significantly" lowering import tariffs for autos, decreasing duties on other products, enforcing the legal intellectual property of foreign firms and improving the investment environment for international companies.

Xi's address — from the Boao Forum for Asia, an annual summit that's been dubbed the "Asian Davos" — comes amid escalating trade tensions between China and the U.S. as the world's two largest economies take turns announcing punitive trade measures against each other.

In his speech, Xi said China will take the initiative to expand imports this year and "work hard" to import products that are required by the population.

"China does not seek trade surplus. We have a genuine desire to increase imports and achieve greater balance of international payments under the current account," Xi said, according to a translation of the speech.

Beyond that, he described China as a country upon which other nations had imposed unfair trade penalties: "We hope developed countries will stop imposing restrictions on normal and reasonable trade of high-tech products and relax export controls on such trade with China," he said, not naming any specific country.

In his speech, the Chinese president sold a vision of China as a benevolent leader of the global economy, emphasizing that open systems are the best course of action for the world.

"We must refrain from seeking dominance and reject the zero-sum game, we must refrain from 'beggar thy neighbor' and reject power politics or hegemony while the strong bully the weak," Xi said.

Instead, he said, countries should "stay committed to openness, connectivity and mutual benefits, build an open global economy, and reinforce cooperation within the G-20, APEC and other multilateral frameworks. We should promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, support the multilateral trading system."

"This way, we will make economic globalization, more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all," he added.

China's President Xi Jinping waves to delegates as he is elected to a second five-year term during the fifth plenary session of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 17, 2018.

China's President Xi Jinping waves to delegates as he is elected to a second five-year term during the fifth plenary session of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 17, 2018.
China will continue opening up even further to the rest of the globe, he said throughout the speech. He discussed some of the ways the country plans to open further.

One of those is China pushing the state intellectual property office this year to step up law enforcement of relevant laws, Xi said.

"We encourage normal technological exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign enterprises and protect the lawful [intellectual property] owned by foreign enterprises in China," he said.

President Donald Trump's administration is taking Beijing to task over China's large trade deficit with the U.S., which Washington says is in part due to unfair trade practices.

Last week, Trump asked U.S. trade officials to consider another $100 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods. China's commerce ministry, for its part, said it would "fight back with a major response" if provoked.

Earlier in the year, the U.S. imposed tariffs on imported solar panels, as well as steel and aluminum imports.

China, in turn, implemented additional tariffs on 128 U.S. products, including fruit and pork, in response to the Trump administration's decision to impose duties on steel and aluminum. It also announced extra tariffs on 106 U.S. products last week, although no start date was given for those measures.

Trump said in a tweet on Sunday that China will remove trade barriers as that was the "right thing to do." The president also expressed optimism that the countries would strike a deal on intellectual property.

Belt and Road
In his Tuesday speech, Xi downplayed any geopolitical ambitions China may have beyond its shores regarding the Belt and Road Initiative — an infrastructure and investment program widely seen as an attempt by China to construct a massive, multi-national zone of economic and political influence that has Beijing at its center.

While the project may be initiated by China, the opportunities and outcomes will benefit the world, said Xi.

"China has no geopolitical calculations, seeks no exclusionary blocs and imposes no business deals on others," the Chinese president added.

—CNBC's Cheang Ming contributed to this report.

Vanuatu denies it will host China military base - BBC News

April 10, 2018
Vanuatu denies it will host China military base

China set up an military base in Djibouti last year
Vanuatu has denied holding talks with Beijing to establish a Chinese military base on its soil.

Australia's Fairfax Media reported on Tuesday that China had approached Vanuatu to establish a permanent military presence in the South Pacific.

The report said China had not made an official proposal, but its possibility had been discussed at "the highest levels" in the US and Australia.

Vanuatu said it was not interested in hosting foreign military bases.

"No-one in the Vanuatu government has ever talked about a Chinese military base in Vanuatu of any sort," Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"We are a non-aligned country. We are not interested in militarisation."

The newspaper report has sparked discussion in Australia, which sits 2,000km (1,240 miles) from Vanuatu, about possible efforts by China to exert influence in the South Pacific.

China has not commented on the report. It set up its only overseas military base in Djibouti last year.

What is China's relationship with Vanuatu?
Vanuatu, a string of more than 80 islands sitting between Fiji and New Caledonia, has previously backed Beijing's position on the South China Sea.

Home to about 250,000 people, the South Pacific nation has faced challenges including poverty and extreme weather events.

Fairfax Media reported that Beijing had given the nation "hundreds of millions of dollars in development money", and has vowed to build or upgrade three Vanuatu government buildings.

What did the report say?
The newspaper said that China was likely to seek an initial access agreement that would allow its ships to be serviced and restocked in Vanuatu.

Beijing could then expand its presence over time, Fairfax Media said, attributing its information to multiple anonymous sources.

The report said officials in Washington and Canberra had discussed the issue, but it did not give details.

What did Vanuatu say?
In rejecting the report, Mr Regenvanu said he was "not very happy about the standard of reporting in the Australian media".

"I would hope the upsurge in the paranoia about China in Australia is not used to destroy or denigrate the good relationship Vanuatu has with Australia," he said.

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How have other nations responded?
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she was confident that her nation remained "Vanuatu's strategic partner of choice".

However, she acknowledged that Beijing appeared to be increasing its activity in the Pacific.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Prince Charles visit Vanuatu on Saturday
"Chinese vessels visited Vanuatu last year as part of a broader visit to the region, but these sorts of visits are normal for many neighbours around the world," she said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her nation was "opposed to the militarisation of the South Pacific generally".

Who has raised concerns?
Despite Vanuatu's denial, security experts say it is feasible that China could attempt to build a military base in a nation such as Vanuatu.

Such a move would challenge the influence of the US and its allies Australia and New Zealand, according to Asia-Pacific expert Bates Gill.

"Those relationships as well as the US Navy itself has been the most dominant military and security power in the region for some 70 years," Prof Gill, from Sydney's Macquarie University, told the BBC.

"[China] is beginning to shift this long-standing regional dynamic in ways that are causing concern in Canberra and in other regional capitals."

Syria 'chemical attack': Trump pledges 'forceful' US response - BBC News

April 10, 2018
Syria 'chemical attack': Trump pledges 'forceful' US response

The US president has said "nothing's off the table" - so what options are on the table?
US President Donald Trump has promised a "forceful" response to the alleged chemical attack in Syria, as Western leaders consider what action to take.

"We have a lot of options militarily," he told reporters. He added that a response would be decided "shortly".

Mr Trump said the US was getting some "good clarity" on who was responsible for the incident in Douma on Saturday.

Medical sources say dozens were killed in the alleged attack but exact numbers are impossible to verify.

Mr Trump also discussed the incident with French President Emmanuel Macron late on Monday, and both leaders expressed a desire for a "firm response", the Elysee Palace said.

The AFP news agency quoted French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux as saying on Tuesday that "if a red line had been crossed, there will be a response", adding that intelligence shared by the two leaders "in theory confirms the use of chemical weapons".

In February Mr Macron threatened to strike Syria if proof emerged of the use of chemical weapons.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has said she "utterly condemns" the "barbaric" alleged chemical weapons attack and called for backers of President Bashar al-Assad to be held to account.

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The condemnation from Western leaders follows a tense meeting at the UN Security Council in which the US and Russia traded harsh words over the incident.

Russian representative Vassily Nebenzia said the alleged attack was staged and warned that US military action in response could have "grave repercussions".

US envoy Nikki Haley said Russia - a Syrian military backer - had the "blood of Syrian children" on its hands and branded President Assad a "monster".

Ms Haley has called for a vote on Tuesday on a draft resolution to set up a new inquiry into the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

But Russia says it cannot support the proposal because it contains "unacceptable elements".

What happened on Saturday?
The Syrian-American Medical Society said more than 500 people were brought to medical centres in Douma, in the Eastern Ghouta region, near the capital Damascus, with symptoms "indicative of exposure to a chemical agent".

It said this included breathing difficulties, bluish skin, mouth foaming, corneal burns and "the emission of chlorine-like odour".

Neither the death toll nor what exactly occurred can be verified as the area is blocked off with access denied.

Unverified video shows children being treated after the alleged gas attack
The estimates of how many people died in the suspected chemical attack range from 42 to more than 60 people, but medical groups say numbers could rise as rescue workers gain access to basements where hundreds of families had sought refuge from bombing.

The French representative at the UN Security Council said poison gas had deliberately been used as it could seep down to the basements.

The US, France and UK have led international condemnation of the alleged attack, with the Syrian government and its Russian backers denying any responsibility.

What did Russia say at the UN?
Mr Nebenzia, presenting Russia's case that rebels in Douma staged the event for their own ends, painted the incident and its fallout as part of a US-led effort to hurt Russia with a "broad arsenal of methods", including slander, insults and "hawkish rhetoric".

In an angry statement, he invited investigators from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to fly to Syria as soon as Tuesday, saying that Russian troops would escort them to the site of the alleged attack.

UK PM condemns 'barbaric attack' in Syria
Moscow has said its experts have not found "any trace of chlorine or any other chemical substance used against civilians".

Mr Nebenzia said the tone taken against Russia had gone beyond what was acceptable even during the Cold War and warned against a US military response.

"Armed force under mendacious pretext against Syria, where, at the request of the legitimate government of a country, Russian troops have been deployed, could lead to grave repercussions," he said.

What is the wider context?
Tensions between Russia and the West have plunged to their worst level in decades, following the poisoning in March of an ex-spy in England that the UK blamed on Moscow, and alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election.

Russia v the West: Is this a new Cold War?
The Cold War explained
Viewpoint: Chemical weapons ‘threat to West’
The poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with what the British government says was a military-grade Novichok nerve agent of a type developed by Russia led to the mass expulsion of Russian diplomats by Western allies, to which Moscow responded in kind.